Frame Our Hearts Together
Author : Dosmilkshake
Prompt number : 143
Title : Frame Our Hearts Together
Pairing : D.O/Kai
Rating : PG
Word count : 8.8k
Summary: Kyungsoo has a weakness for chubby cheeks and Jongin can’t do pigtails to save his life.
Author note : This was originally written for EXOHOUSEWARMING as prompt 143 (even the prompt # knows kaisoo is love) but it wasn't able to be posted. I’m sorry it’s not exactly like the prompt, but I loved writing this so much because fluff, fluff, fluff, and I hope you guys love it too!
Also written on AFF
It is a normal Thursday. One where the birds are singing. and the sky is a used paint palette of red, orange, pink, and blue from the fading sun. Except for one particular business man, this Thursday was just as stressful as any other day. If a bystander saw the picture, they might coo at the young girl, only five years old, tugging on her father’s arm clad in a grey slim fit suit, Italian wool, down the parking lot where their car waits for them, purring to life as soon as the keys enter the black leather interior. Yet despite the adorable picture, the father, Do Kyungsoo, is busy on an important call with a patient who is having a melt down on the other line and is trying to keep Sooyoung from singing in his ear.
Kyungsoo bends down and his daughter shows her waiting cheek to her father. Kyungsoo kisses both her cheeks in greeting. “Sooyoung, if you can stay quiet until Daddy is done with his very important call, then I promise I will take you to Pororo Park tomorrow. I will even leave work early to pick you up.” Kyungsoo turns around quickly after he finds a chance in the conversation he is having that he can mute his line without missing anything that requires immediate attention. Kyungsoo bends down, groaning when he hears his knees pop as he does.
Sooyoung, who he expected to be excited about this proposition, crosses her arms and sticks her lips out. Kyungsoo waits for his daughter’s answer anxiously. He taps his phone in an 8 beat count. “Can we also get McDonalds for dinner?”
Kyungsoo sighs in relief and grins, “Yes, we can. Cheeseburger?”
She nods enthusiastically, dropping Kyungsoo’s hand and clinging to his leg while screaming in excitement. “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger”, she repeats in a hungry mantra. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, patting her head before unmuting his call and attempting to hobble to his car with his sloth-like child clinging to his calf.
As Kyungsoo pulls up to the drive thru of McDonalds, he had just closed the conversation with his patient calmly breathing and reconfirming her appointment for the following Monday. Feeling accomplished and proud of Sooyoung for being so good, he turns around to look at her sitting calmly in her car seat, playing with one of her dolls she brings to daycare. “You did so good, Sooyoung. How about I also treat you with some ice cream?”
Sooyoung’s eyes light up, sparkling with energy. “Vanilla, please!” She requests with a slight lisp as her front teeth are still coming in. Kyungsoo repeats the order to the cashier and moves on to the window. He hands Sooyoung a toy that comes with her food go distract the rest of the ride back home. As they drive home, Kyungsoo gets a call from a familiar number. He answers it via Bluetooth, and the car is filled with the most obnoxious voice-
“How’s it going, my Soobear?”
Kyungsoo grimaces at the volume and Baekhyun’s repulsing nickname for him.
“Uncle Baekkie!” Sooyoung yells in recognition while happily playing with the cheap toy.
“Hello, angel! How’s my little Sooyoung?” Baekhyun asks with a higher pitched tone that Kyungsoo has warned him countless of times not to use when talking to his daughter. It creeps him out. Baekhyun only argues that it’s cute and that’s why all the kids adore him rather than Kyungsoo.
“Good! Daddy got me McDonalds!” Sooyoung informs him.
“Ahh, well tell Daddy that he’s gonna get pudgy if he keeps eating out.” Baekhyun sends a warning to Kyungsoo. “And that he should spend more time cooking for poor Uncle Baekhyun.”
“Says the one who hasn’t seen the sunlight in the past two months.” Kyungsoo fires back.
“Yes, well not all of us can be a doctor-therapist thing and world’s best dad or whatever it is else that you’ve accomplished in your young life. At least I still have good looks.”
Kyungsoo snorts, “And yet you haven’t settled with anyone in a few years.”
“Watch what you say. It’s still a sore topic. Speaking of… I found somebody that seems interested in-”
“No.” Kyungsoo cuts him with an answer already knowing what Baekhyun was going to say. He’s had far too many conversations start up that way and all of which have no good endings.
Baekhyun starts to whine making Sooyoung giggle, “Aww, come on… Why not? I promise this is not like the last one who liked collecting dead skin. I made a misguided judgement on that, I will admit. It’s been a year since you were last out on the playing field. It’s time to get back in the game.”
Kyungsoo sighs, pulling into the parking garage of his apartment complex, “Look, as easy as it sounds, it’s not. I can’t just drop everything and go on tons of dates. I want Sooyoung to have the family she deserves, but not like that. I may be desperate, but if I am going to find someone, I want it to be on my own terms. Okay? By the way, Sooyoung and I are going to Pororo Park tomorrow, you can come if you want.”
“Yeah, Uncle Baekkie!” The little girl adds.
“Maybe next time. Sorry, Sooyoungie! I’ll make it up to you another time. Tomorrow is my deadline for the storyboard for the new fantasy game we are creating that I told you about.”
Kyungsoo nods despite Baekhyun not seeing him, “That’s right. Well, good luck. I’m at home now, so I’ll talk to you later.” Baekhyun says his farewell and hangs up.
Kyungsoo and Sooyoung eat dinner together. Kyungsoo mainly listens to his daughter tell him about her day and who she played with. “I shared my toys with Eunji and then she gave me some of her lunch that her mom packed for her.”
“That was nice of her,” Kyungsoo comments, biting into his fries. “Did you tell her thank you?”
Like this, the ending of their Thursday becomes a normal one. He gets his daughter ready for bed, reads a few books before tucking her in, and kisses her head as she closes her eyes. After he shuts the door to her room, he releases an exhausted exhale. He collapses on the couch, pulling his laptop towards him so he can start drafting up a form about one of his patients for tomorrow…
Kyungsoo blinks under the florescent lights and colorful wallpaper, decorations and furniture. His ears are already ringing from the loud screams of too many children being unsupervised. He holds tightly on Sooyoung’s hand as they head towards the young kids playground. All the sudden, Sooyoung slips out of Kyungsoo’s grasp and races off calling some garbled name.
Kyungsoo follows after her, falling behind because children step into his path and block him from his destination. He calls for Sooyoung, but his voice is lost among the other children’s laughter and concerned parent’s warnings. When he finally finds Sooyoung standing just beyond the entrance of the kid’s playground, she is holding a girl’s hand loosely, a girl Kyungsoo’s never seen before. Kyungsoo sighs in relief that she is okay and catches her attention.
“I’ll be sitting in the café if you need me.” Sooyoung nods distantly, already giggling to the girl beside her. Kyungsoo smiles and takes a quick picture on his phone of the two sliding down the slide together in a pile of limbs before making his way to where most of the parents hang out while the kids have fun. He sits at a lone table, immediately clicking his phone to catch up on a few late emails.
He doesn’t even notice a presence at his table until a weight presses in his knees. He blinks up to see his daughter twisting her hips and pouting her lower lip. Kyungsoo thinks she is too adorable for his own good. “Are you hungry, princess?”
She grins, “Hayi says we can eat with her and her dad!” Kyungsoo stands up and follows Sooyoung to the counter where she tells him her order shyly.
“Who is Hayi?” Kyungsoo asks, never hearing the name before.
Sooyoung turns around and points to a corner where the same girl that was with Sooyoung earlier is sitting. “She goes to school with me, but she’s in another class. We get to play together at recess!” After getting their order placed on a tray, Kyungsoo carries the food, trailing after his daughter to the occupied table.
Kyungsoo sets the tray down on the table as Sooyoung settles in the booth. “Hi, I’m sorry for interrupting. You don’t mind if we join you for dinner?”
“Not at all, Hayi said she invited Sooyoung to sit with us after all.” A low warm voice says in response.
Kyungsoo doesn’t look up until he’s done giving Sooyoung her plate and a napkin. The man across from him is biting into a pizza, but Kyungsoo marvels at the handsome features smudged with tomato sauce. He is blessed with bronze skin, high cheekbones, and an adorable button nose which is wrinkling in distaste as he peels off a pepperoni and places it with the small stack of meat he has on the corner of his plate. But his eyes capture Kyungsoo’s attention; with a gentle slope, soft brown irises, and black eye lashes that coat the edge of his eyes with darkness. Kyungsoo is slightly impressed, especially after he notices the sharp jaw line.
Kyungsoo sits down, blinking out of his daze, when Sooyoung pats his empty seat. “I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Do Kyungsoo, Sooyoung’s father.” Kyungsoo gives a slight awkward bow before looking up into the man’s now curling eyes.
“Hi! I’m Kim Jongin and this is my little girl, Hayi.” Jongin leans his head towards Hayi’s and whispers, “Say hello to Mr. Do.” Hayi has the same eyes as Jongin with even longer dark eyelashes. Her round face is surrounded by in what would be cute little black ringlets, but someone has it mangled into tangled heap that is supposed to be pigtales. Similar to her father, she has the same tan skin tone that appears to have been kissed by the sun.
“Hi, Mr. Do,” Hayi says automatically with a sweet voice. Sooyoung laughs at the strange name for her father.
“Please, Kyungsoo is fine.” Kyungsoo chuckles, smiling at the young girl.
Jongin grins back at him, his cheeks puffing out as if he was a little kid too. Kyungsoo’s heart melts just a smidge. After they finish eating, the two friends run off back to the playground leaving Kyungsoo sitting across Jongin. The silence was a bit awkward without their daughters as a distraction.
“Hayi is very cute; she looks a lot like you.” Kyungsoo finally starts a conversation.
Jongin glances to where Hayi is sliding down a slide, and a soft smile tugs onto his lips as his eyes curl with love. Kyungsoo finds it endearing seeing a parent display such devotion to their kid. He grew up in a home where there was a lack of love; he tries so hard to make sure Sooyoung never feels like he did.
“Really? I always thought she looks more like-” Jongin pauses. Kyungsoo watches his neck bob with a swallow. “Like her mom.” He turns back to Kyungsoo, his face a little bit more closed off.
Kyungsoo shakes his head, wanting to get out of the tense atmosphere that he didn’t mean to create. Perhaps Jongin went through the same thing as he. “I don’t think so. She has your skin color, and her eyes are the exact same as yours, and when she smiles, you can really tell how much she looks like you.”
“She smiles like me?” Jongin blinks disbelievingly. His face starts to contort in half smiles as if he is testing the theory himself by feeling his face pull up like his daughter’s would. Kyungsoo tries not to laugh at him, but he’s finding it hard when Jongin forehead frowns with effort.
“Yeah, she does.”
Jongin stops trying to compare unsuccessfully and chews on the inside of his cheek before speaking, “Sooyoung, did you partially name her after you?”
Kyungsoo locks his hands together placing them on the table, “Yeah, Sooyoung’s mom and I accidentally forgot that besides needing a cradle, clothes, diapers, and all the baby essentials that a baby needs a name, so we ended up combining our names together at the last minute when she was born.”
Jongin nods along to the story. “Hayi was my idea. I thought it was cute and short, and it suits her well. Although, the doctors tell me she is going to grow pretty tall.”
Kyungsoo snorts, “That’s the opposite for Sooyoung. She apparently got the traditional Do height genes.” They continue talking about their daughters, sharing very little information of themselves. Kyungsoo hardly has time to make friends with the parents of Sooyoung’s friends, but he likes it. He wishes he could make it to more parties his friends throw where he has the opportunity to meet new people, but with his line of work, it is always difficult to arrange time off.
Kyungsoo only has friends in his line of work, or his old colleagues, which only a few have children. He never gets to see them all at once, though, because arranging full time parents’ schedules are complicated. Normally his life will consist of Baekhyun, who has no kids (it would be a terror if he did) and Jongdae, his assistant who has a son a year younger than Sooyoung. Sometimes if Chanyeol isn’t working at his family restaurant he took over, he’ll bring his niece to come over and play with Sooyoung.
Jongin is like a breath of fresh air. He knows the struggle of having a little girl and trying to balance a full-time job. He can already tell they share common parenting styles as they gather up their kids and call it a night.
Sooyoung and Hayi cling to each other, crying as their father’s try to gently separate them. “Sooyoung, you’ll see Hayi at school in a few days. If you don’t let go now, you won’t get to go to see Grandma Do tomorrow.” Kyungsoo tells her sternly. Sooyoung pouts, her eyes shiny with unused tears. Slowly her grip loosens on Hayi, and Hayi seems to let go too after Jongin whispers in her ear promising ice cream the next day.
Kyungsoo balances Sooyoung on his hip, and smiles briefly at Jongin, “It was, um, nice meeting you and Hayi.” He taps Hayi’s nose, who squirms in Jongin’s arms, giggling shyly. Sooyoung waves goodbye as Kyungsoo carries her off to their car. He can feel a pair of eyes watching him go, but he doesn’t bother looking back.
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Normally Kyungsoo brings Sooyoung to go grocery shopping with him, but finally Baekhyun has a spare moment and promised to take Sooyoung off his hand for a few hours while he runs some errands before Baekhyun and he have their almost monthly movie night. Kyungsoo grabs a cart and makes a beeline for the meat section, seeing the good deals on the ad. He always has to be stocked up because Sooyoung is a carnivorous little beast that ends up stealing all of his pork.
He sees the last set of beef waiting to be in his grasp, the golden price shimmering right beside it. Kyungsoo grins proudly as his hand reaches out to grab it when another hand that doesn’t belong to him interrupts and swipes the meat away from him. Kyungsoo turns to glare at the thief and finds himself face to face with Jongin.
“Kyungsoo?”
“Jongin”, Kyungsoo responds a little breathlessly, “Hi.” He glances from the red food in his hand to Jongin’s innocent eyes.
“I didn’t know you lived in this neighborhood. Are you far from here?” Jongin asks, as if he didn’t realize that he is holding the only item Kyungsoo desires.
“Just a few blocks. I’m trying to get a few errands out of the way.” Kyungsoo steps to the side to see a sleepy eyed Hayi starting to nod off in the cart. Kyungsoo wants to coo at the sight, but he has another matter at hand. He needs that beef or else Sooyoung will be complaining until he can get more.
“Me too. Hayi is so exhausted from running around.” Jongin chuckles while playing with Hayi’s messy curls.
Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, “Hey, Jongin, I know it may seem rude, but I saw that package first, so if you would just hand it over.”
Jongin smirks at Kyungsoo’s waiting arms and puts a hand on his hip, “I don’t think so. I’ve been promising Hayi beef for a long time now. I grabbed it first, you should’ve been quicker.” He winks before putting the food in his cart and starts to walk off.
Kyungsoo locks his jaw. He knows Jongin is doing this to pull on his leg, but Kyungsoo is desperate. He catches up to Jongin and grabs his arm. “Wait”, he calls out. He can feel his pride sliding down the drain. Jongin flicks his eyebrow up, his expression expectant. Kyungsoo is reminded how stupidly handsome the male is.
“I’ll pay you for it.” Kyungsoo offers, pleading.
Jongin purses his full lips, “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a sale. Try again.”
Kyungsoo glares at the latter, watching him turn back around and continue with his visit. With disdain, towards himself and Jongin, he follows the movements of Jongin’s hips swinging side to side as if mocking him. He feels a hot feeling roll down his spine and settle in his gut as he imagines what Jongin would look without baggy pants. He never noticed how long his legs were…
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo calls out one more time. “Come have dinner at my place. I’ll cook up the meat and we can split it, that way both of us get what we want. And you get a free meal out of it, plus Hayi has a distraction.” Kyungsoo waits with a baited breath, his invitation settling into Jongin’s mind. He knows there is a huge chance Jongin will turn him down. After all, he must have the rest of his family to return to.
Jongin, suddenly shy from his earlier teasing, looks down at him through his black hair, “Really? You mean it?”
Kyungsoo coughs, feeling awkward because he still doesn’t know Jongin that well. “Yeah, of course, I’m having a friend baby sit Sooyoung and we were planning to watch a movie afterwards. You can stick around after that too if you like.”
Jongin smiles widely, the effortlessness of it reaching his eyes all because of Kyungsoo makes his stomach twist pleasantly. “I’d like that.”
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Kyungsoo waits for Jongin as he sits in the living room while holding onto Sooyoung as she leaned back. All the food was cooked, all he needed was the rest of his party. Baekhyun had bailed on him as soon as Kyungsoo told him that he was having Jongin come over.
“I don’t want to be between your dad date. Chanyeol had called me earlier asking me to come try some new dessert he made. I guess I’ll go take him up on that. Do I need to remind you the rules? No doing it up until the princess is asleep.” Baekhyun said as he patted Sooyoung’s head and jumped out of the way when Kyungsoo raised his first.
Kyungsoo feels an anxiousness he normally doesn’t know. He thinks it’s because he and Jongin aren’t that close, but Kyungsoo would like to be. Plus, Jongin is nice to look at. The doorbell rings, breaking Kyungsoo out of his thoughts as he moves to open the door to see Jongin holding Hayi’s hand. Kyungsoo automatically squats down in front of Hayi and smiles gently.
“Hello, Hayi, that dress is very pretty.” He pokes her cheeks and she ducks behind Jongin’s leg, a wide grin on her face.
“Appa picked it for me.” She says, tugging on the hem.
“I made you favorite today. I heard your Appa and you love meat, so I made some and dessert, but you can only have some if you eat all of your vegetables.” Kyungsoo holds out his hand to Hayi to take. She timidly lets go of Jongin’s hand and moves to place her small palm in Kyungsoo’s larger on. “Come on in, Sooyoung is hiding somewhere in the living room.”
Hayi lets go as soon as he points to where Sooyoung is hiding and she goes running to the spot to surprise her friend. Kyungsoo’s heart fills with happiness as he watches the two share a big hug. It’s so cute; he wishes he had his phone to take a picture of it. He turns to see Jongin covering for him.
“You’ll have to send that to me.” Kyungsoo tells him pointing the phone in his hand and moving to the kitchen to get his guests a drink.
Jongin leans on the counter, too close to Kyungsoo, “I would if I had your number.”
Kyungsoo bumps him with his hips to get him to move over, “I’ll give it to you after dinner.” He feels comfortable with Jongin in his kitchen. Together they set the table up and Jongin easily finds where Kyungsoo keeps his plates and utensils. Kyungsoo watches him, Jongin moves fluidly like he is used to doing this every night. And maybe he does-
“Only four plates, Jongin.” Kyungsoo says, taking the extra. “Baekhyun said he had better things to do than to watch the Matrix for the thirtieth time.”
“Oh, I thought your wife would be-”
“I don’t have one,” Kyungsoo admits. He thinks of when he was younger when he proposed to his high school sweetheart. He thought of the perfect home, coming from work to a warm meal and three smiling children. He thought of late nights spent taking care of his sick kids. A wife and husband sharing the same kitchen space to make dinner together. Kyungsoo saw a glimpse of his dream for a short year.
“We divorced when Sooyoung was two.” Jongin freezes in his spot when he hears Kyungsoo speak, a sadness ebbing through his skin and pulling down his eyes. Kyungsoo notices it and tries to ease Jongin’s sympathy with a smile that says he’s okay. “It’s fine. Sooyoung, who I worry the most about, doesn’t even remember it. Sometimes she’ll tell me when I feel insecure about our lifestyle that I’m the only one she needs in her life. It makes me feel less guilty for not being able to work it out with her mom.”
Jongin clears his throat, “I may not know you very well yet, but I’ve been around kids long enough to see that Sooyoung loves you. You’re her world. That’s what I want to be for Hayi.”
Kyungsoo widens his eyes at Jongin, feeling a mixture of relief and confusion. “You?”
“Almost since the day Hayi was born, it was just her and I.” Jongin’s lip trembles, his grip tightens on the chair in front of him. Kyungsoo can hear Sooyoung’s laughter in the living room with a chorus of an unfamiliar giggles that must belong to Hayi. “Her mom was in an accident while she was pregnant with Hayi. They had to do an immediate C-section on her because she had stopped breathing. It was only a short matter of time before Hayi could only survive off a frozen heart.”
Jongin is starting to shake with the memory. Kyungsoo quickly goes to his side and pulls the male towards him. Jongin’s head falls onto Kyungsoo shoulder. Kyungsoo rubs his back soothingly, trailing his fingers down the notches of his spine as Jongin’s hot breath hits the cotton fabric of his shoulder. Tears start to fall onto his shirt, but Kyungsoo doesn’t mind. He understands the loss.
Maybe his wife didn’t die, but their love did. He had stood by and watched the seams he believed were impossible to cut, stripped right through with a piece of paper. He felt his heart crack with the slamming of the door and Sooyoung’s confused blinking eyes. He made a promise then to give Sooyoung the best possible life, and he would do his best to make his home become a family that she would never abandon.
“I could’ve lost them both. I almost did. Hayi was so small, she was two months early and I swear she fit into the palms of my hands.” Jongin lifts his hands between to show his open palms, his forehead still pressed against Kyungsoo collar. Kyungsoo places his hand in Jongin’s carefully as he was breakable glass, thin and already cracked.
“But you didn’t lose Hayi. You’ve raised her beautifully, she’s lovely and kind. I couldn’t ask for someone better to be my daughter’s friend. And I’m sure Hayi’s mother is so proud of you, how well you’ve done with her. And she’ll always be with you and apart of Hayi. Although, your hair styling skills probably make her cringe.” Jongin snorts then inhales a shuddering breath as he looks up at Kyungsoo with red rimmed eyes. Kyungsoo stares at his own reflection in them, “And now, you don’t have to feel alone in this. I’ll even teach you how to braid.”
Jongin closes his eyes for a moment, calming his breathing. “Thank you. I’m normally not like this, but when you mentioned that you didn’t have a wife, I was just overwhelmed, that there’s someone out there that is going through what I am going through. And you’re right, for the first time, I don’t feel alone.”
Kyungsoo can only nod in response, grabbing a couple of tissues for Jongin. While Jongin was suffering with the loss of his wife, Kyungsoo was trying to see why his ex- wasn’t excited about having a kid or getting married. When Jongin takes a step back and goes to the bathroom after Kyungsoo gives him directions, Kyungsoo’s shoulders are lighter, but colder as the warm breath that belonged to Jongin is no longer brushing against his skin.
Jongin returns to the table to find Sooyoung and Hayi in a seat with Kyungsoo serving them food on their plates. Kyungsoo’s eyes curl up laughing when Hayi tries to steal some meat off of his plate. Jongin’s heart beats faster, especially since Hayi only tries that with him.
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Kyungsoo walks hastily to the coffee shop across the street from his office. He only has enough time to squeeze in a five minute break today if he wants to leave on time and make it to his daughter’s school’s special parent performance. He phone vibrates in his pocket. He almost missed the call if he didn’t feel it after stopping to wait in line to order drink.
“Hello?”
“Hottie alert!” Baekhyun cries out on the other line.
Kyungsoo jerks his head away from the phone in annoyance. “What is this about?”
“Sorry, I was using my binoculars to watch you get your coffee and you totally just ignored the man of my dreams walk by you.”
Kyungsoo whirls around and looks at the building beside his and to the third floor. In the corner right window, a small figure is pressed to the glass with binoculars to his face and a phone to his ear. Kyungsoo pities his friendship choices.
“Ah, so you finally had to come into the office after years of avoiding sunlight.” Kyungsoo pays for his drink and waits for it to be made as he presses his cellphone to his shoulder so he can stuff the change in his wallet.
“You know that the sun has it out for my baby-like skin. Anyways, what’s the 411 on Mr. Roller Skates Hunk, Mr. Handsome Peperoni Face, Mr. Father and Dick of Soo’s Dreams?”
Kyungsoo sighs, thanking the server for his drink before exiting the coffee shop, “Stop being gross. There is nothing to update. We barely text after getting his number when he came over.” In fact, that was a lie. Jongin has sent him many texts in which Kyungsoo reciprocated. They share photos of Sooyoung and Hayi, and also their silly stories they have about their daughters that day. Sometimes Jongin will talk about how he wants a dog but sadly doesn’t have time for it, but repeatedly send Kyungsoo screenshots of puppies for sale.
He and Jongin hit it off. They have a flowing conversation, but Kyungsoo can see clearly that it is strictly friendship/ normal single dad talk. Baekhyun would only encourage Kyungsoo to go after Jongin which could let him be rejected harshly. Kyungsoo doesn’t want that. He doesn’t even know how Jongin feels about…men.
Baekhyun boos. Kyungsoo can’t almost hear him pouting. “Honestly, I’m trying to get you laid and an additional permanent babysitter, but you have to work with me. I need you to put like a 40% increase in your efforts.”
“I don’t need to get laid.” Kyungsoo tells him, his cheeks heating up when an old business woman gives him a strange look.
“Sure you do. How long has it been since you felt a sensual touch, chills crawling up your spine in excitement, the racing of your blood, and the hot furnace burning a fire of passion?” Baekhyun asks, his voice getting louder and louder.
Kyungsoo shakes his head, “Have you been reading those cheap erotica again? I told you, you need to lay off those. It’s like an addiction for you.” Kyungsoo waves to Baekhyun before disappearing out of view as he enters his building and making his way up to his office by the elevator.
“I can’t help it. Luhan recommended this one, and it’s so good.” Baekhyun gushes.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at his best friend, “Yeah, yeah. I have to go now. Bye.”
“Love you Kyungiebunches!”
Kyungsoo ends the call, wanting nothing more than to erase that from his memory. Kyungsoo rubs his temple feeling a small headache come on as he sees the waiting room half full of patients. Jongin promised to save him a seat tonight for the performance, and Kyungsoo can’t wait until then.
When Kyungsoo is finally done with his sessions, he hurries out of his office, whizzing by Jongdae. He’s almost late for the show, barely making it in time where the lights start to go down. He checks his phone to see what Jongin had directed him to where he is sitting. He finds the male sitting at the end of the row, an open seat on his left. Kyungsoo taps his shoulder and Jongin grins up at him as he moves his legs to let Kyungsoo squeeze by.
“Just in time, hyung,” Jongin whispers into Kyungsoo’s ear. Kyungsoo shivers at the contact of the warm air coasting his earlobe. Jongin had only just started calling Kyungsoo hyung, after Kyungsoo had disclosed to him when his birthday was when he had asked because Jongin found the perfect t-shirt to give him while out getting a new dress for Hayi.
Kyungsoo searches the sea of children from the whole elementary school for his daughter. Jongin notices and points to where she is standing. “She’s a row above Hayi.” Kyungsoo smiles when he spots the two little girls focused on the music instructor as they start to sing.
“Did you do Hayi’s pig tails? You’ve improved.” Kyungsoo praises him with a smile.
Jongin shrugs, bumping his shoulder into Kyungsoo’s, “Well, I had a talented teacher give me some lessons. It’s nothing compared to your French braiding skills. It’s just two ponytails.”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and focuses on the little show. He wishes he could take pictures, but the lights are dim and he’s sitting too far away for Sooyoung to show up.
“I did mention dinner after this right?” Jongin asks during the middle of the show.
Kyungsoo turns to him, realizing how close they are sitting. Jongin’s shoulders are just a hair away from touching his own. His face is only an inch from meeting Jongin’s cheek. From this side view of Jongin, Kyungsoo can count the eyelashes framing the almond shaped eyes. “Only if you’re paying.”
Jongin gives him a scandalous look as he turns to Kyungsoo, now faces only a centimeter apart. Kyungsoo can see the pores on his skin as he feels like he’s drowning in Jongin’s puppy dog-like stare. “But-but I’m just a poor single father trying to support his daughter.”
The older reflects no sympathy and merely smirks, “As am I, so cough up.”
Jongin pouts and looks away from Kyungsoo, crossing his arms, but just as Kyungsoo was starting to feel guilty Jongin flashes him a grin. Kyungsoo finds Jongin very distracting after that. He can’t stop glancing at the latter, admiring his sharp jaw and pouty lips. He follows the slope of his nose up to the curl of his parted black hair. In the shadows from the spotlight, Kyungsoo feels like he can hide his obvious staring.
It isn’t until Jongin presses his thigh to Kyungsoo’s, can Kyungsoo feel his cheeks heat up. He quickly stops staring and tries not to focus on the bleeding heat of Jongin’s body through his pressed navy blue suit pants. Kyungsoo wonders in that moment how long has it been since he’s been touched like this where his body jerks in reaction and his skin tingles in expectation for what could come next.
Kyungsoo learns, while a palm rests just atop his kneecap, that it is been too long and that he is too old to have his belly churning, gut clenching weakly at just the mere touch. Jongin’s torturous touches end when the lights come on, and they both stand up simultaneously trying to look between the mesh of bodies for their daughters.
Hayi and Sooyoung find them hand in hand. Jongin immediately lifts up Hayi and spins her around awkwardly with the littles space he has between the chairs and people. Kyungsoo has to dodge Hayi’s foot from crashing into his stomach. Kyungsoo smiles softly at the two as Jongin praises his kid. Kyungsoo slides by him so he can get to Sooyoung. He bends down and she wraps her small arms around his neck. Kyungsoo presses his lips to each of her cheeks.
“You were beautiful up there.” Kyungsoo tells her, moving her whispy bangs out of the way. Sooyoung giggles as she hangs from her father’s neck. Kyungsoo holds her with one arm and pokes her tummy as her laughter grows louder, “Is my angel hungry?”
Sooyoung nods enthusiastically, “Very hungry!” She confirms.
“Perfect! Mr. Jongin promised to feed us tonight. Wasn’t that nice of him? You should give him a hug.” Kyungsoo whispers loud enough for Jongin to her and winks up at him as Sooyoung grins widely. He lowers his voice for one last instruction before sending Sooyoung after the younger father.
Sooyoung clings to Jongin’s leg until he gets down and opens his arms widely for Sooyoung to leap into. She then completes Kyungsoo’s order by placing a big wet kiss to the corner of Jongin’s mouth. Jongin gasps in surprise and almost falls back on his butt. Sooyoung skips back to Kyungsoo’s side. “Thank you Mr. Jongin!” She sing songs loudly.
Hayi pouts watching the exchange. “If Sooyoungie gets to kiss my daddy, then I get to kiss hers.” Jongin tries to stop her in surprise as she marches right up to Kyungsoo. But Kyungsoo scoops her up in his arms and begins to dot her face with light kisses as the young girl wiggles in his arms. She screeches in delight, trying to hide her face from the playful attack of affection.
Jongin stares at Kyungsoo and his daughter with such a strong expression that Kyungsoo pauses under the intense gaze. Kyungsoo clears his throat and Jongin blinks his eyes, looking away, “We best get some food in them before they turn into little beasties. Come on Sooyoung.” Kyungsoo holds out a hand to his daughter, his other hand busy supporting Hayi.
Jongin follows silently behind them, his mouth slightly agape as his heart in his chest twinges and starts to beat loudly when Sooyoung tells him to hurry up waving her open palm out to him. The two fathers don’t speak the mutual feeling of sharing the moment of belonging, where they seem to have the perfect family they desired but have never been able to adequately able to fill the void.
For Kyungsoo, Jongin and Hayi spoke words in between his silent pauses. For Jongin, Kyungsoo and Sooyoung brought dazzling smiles into his day.
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Baekhyun finally meets Jongin accidentally on an early Sunday afternoon. Kyungsoo is in the bathroom helping Sooyoung and Hayi bathe after they took a trip to the park and fell multiple times in the dirt for fun while Jongin is occupied flipping through Netflix to find a movie for him and Kyungsoo to watch while the girls have an afternoon nap. Baekhyun had just dropped by unannounced, unlocking the door to Kyungsoo’s apartment with the spare key given by the owner.
Baekhyun opens his arms wide waiting for a welcoming greeting only to find a stranger sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table and slowly blinking at him blankly. “Um, hello?” Baekhyun says confusedly.
“Hi,” Jongin says looking as equally confused as Baekhyun.
Baekhyun glances at the door and then back to Jongin, “I am at Kyungsoo’s place, right?”
“Yup,” Jongin pops the word after takes a sip of soda.
Baekhyun sighs in relief. He stands in the hallway unsure whether he should introduce himself or go in search of Kyungsoo. Luckily, at that moment he is saved from anymore awkward confrontation because Sooyoung comes waddling to him in only a pair of underwear and a frog towel draped over her head.
“Uncle Baekkie!”
Baekhyun squishes the small girl in his arm, mushing his cheek to hers. Kyungsoo enter his vision, walking calmly with another young girl around Sooyoung’s age in his arms but she has a unicorn towel wrapped around her.
“Baekhyun, I didn’t know you were coming over.” Kyungsoo smiles brightly at his best friend and points to the male who is lounging comfortably. “Baekhyun meet Jongin and also meet Jongin’s daughter, Hayi. She is one of Sooyoung’s playmates.”
Jongin gets up and sets the bag of chips down to greet Baekhyun formally. “Hello, nice to meet you. Kyungsoo has mentioned you a couple of times.”
“If he told you horrible stories of me in high school, they are not true.” Jongin chuckles deeply, his eyes curling cutely, and Baekhyun can definitely see the appeal Kyungsoo had raved about a while ago. Baekhyun raises his eyebrows at Kyungsoo suggestively.
“We were just going to watch a movie if you wanted to join us…” Kyungsoo offers unsurely since Jongin had been the one to ask him to hang out together.
Baekhyun shakes his head, “I’m good. Just came to check up on my favorite little princess! Also, I came by to drop off that book you let me barrow.” He sheepishly grins, pulling out the tattered cover.
Kyungsoo glares at him, “I gave that to you ages ago, and now you return it.”
“Better late than never, right.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Anyways, isn’t it Sooyoung’s naptime? Can I?”
Kyungsoo sticks out an arm down the hall to Sooyoung’s room, “Be my guest, as long as she’s okay with that…”
“Sooyoungie, can Uncle Baek tuck you in? I’ll read you a book!” Baekhyun persuades the young girl. Sooyoung’s face lights up with excitement. Baekhyun’s voicing and overall delivery of the story are the best, as Sooyoung will declare when she notices her father doesn’t display as much energy when he acts the story.
Hayi squirms in Kyungsoo’s arms until he sets her down and she hurries over to where her dad is. Kyungsoo leaves to go clean up the kitchen from lunch as Hayi and Sooyoung are followed by Jongin and Baekhyun to be put in bed.
Baekhyun sits on the edge of Sooyoung’s bed with Sooyoung and Hayi nicely tucked in and shoulders pressed together as they listen enthralled with Baekhyun’s telling of Hansel and Gretel. Jongin leans against the wall near the door only because Hayi had at first begged him to stay in the room since she wasn’t trusting of the new male, but he’s sure she wouldn’t notice if he slipped out now. Instead, he waits just in case something goes wrong.
It’s unlikely seeing as how Kyungsoo trusts his friend so willingly with his only child. Jongin should trust him too. When Baekhyun finishes, he shuts the book and promises another one again for next time. He waves goodbye as he and Jongin leave the room.
“You’re really good with the kids.” Jongin comments.
Baekhyun smiles, “Thanks, I’ve love them. My brother as his set of three at his place so I got a lot of practice before Sooyoung came into my life. Soo says the kids like me because they can’t see the difference between me and them. I tell him he is jealous that he’s a grump.”
“I don’t think he’s a grump.” Jongin pouts.
Baekhyun chuckles, “Wait until you see him in the morning or when his patients make him really stressed out. He’s not so pleasant. He’s just trying to make a good impression of himself in front of you. Are you planning on sticking around?”
Jongin turns to him surprised, “I, uh, would like too that is if Kyungsoo doesn’t mind.”
Baekhyun shakes his head, “Oh, he definitely won’t mind. You should take him out to dinner one night. Just the two of you, no kids. If you want, I can even babysit for you. I do it all the time for Kyungsoo.” He offers.
“What are you guys talking about?” Kyungsoo pokes his head down the hall and gives Baekhyun a pointed look.
Baekhyun mischievously grins, “Nothing, Soo love.”
Kyungsoo raises his eyebrow, unbelieving of his best friend. He turns to Jongin who only shyly nods to him.
After Baekhyun leaves, Jongin and Kyungsoo sit on the couch, side by side, leaving a little space in between. The movie starts with the first scene rolling when Kyungsoo focuses his attention on Jongin. “You and Baekhyun seemed to be having a nice conversation.”
“Yeah, he is really great with the girls, I can see why you keep him around. How long have you known him?”
Kyungsoo purses his lips, “Since middle school, we weren’t that close until middle of high school when I had broken up with my ex-wife. He cheered me up during that time and told me not to get back together with her or even get married. I should’ve listened to him when he tried to stop me from proposing.” He laughs, thinking of his teen years.
“He seems really fond of you. Did he… you know…?” Jongin trails off, his face heating up.
“Like me?” Kyungsoo finishes for him with a question. “Maybe. He was really popular back then and was in the closet, so people knowing the truth was a big deal to him. I had accidentally run in on him making out with some dude off the football team and he had kinda stuck around after that. Then when my wife and I had broken up, he encouraged me to branch out and helped me realize that maybe girls weren’t just my thing.”
“Did you ever like him?”
Kyungsoo stares at Jongin, “A little, when I was with him, but he found this guy he really liked right before I got together with my wife, and I saw what kind of boyfriend he was. Let’s just say I was repulsed.” He grins while laughing, “He was so clingy back in high school, and he whined too much. It was like dating a little puppy that drooled a lot.”
“For me, I always dated guys, but my parents never knew. My parents really loved me and were never forceful, they always gave me whatever I needed. All they asked from me was a grandkid. They didn’t even consider the fact that I might be gay and couldn’t have kids, but I wanted to please them and give them something back to show my gratitude, so I met this girl.” Jongin swallows and plays with his hands on his lap.
“Jongin, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want too.” Kyungsoo says.
“No, you need to know. I really did like her. She wasn’t so bad for a girl. I liked her enough that I was even okay with getting married to her just to make my parents happy, and we were going to after we found out that she was pregnant. But then, she… I couldn’t keep my sexuality a secret; she knew that I wasn’t into girls that much. I mean there’s only so much you can do during sex to be convincing enough. I was going to tell her before she had Hayi, and she was on her way to come meet me when… she was hit.
“I made it to the hospital in enough time for her to tell me that was my second chance to live the life I want. But I made a mistake. If I didn’t be selfish and had her come meet me just to tell her that I am gay, she would be alive and Hayi would have a mother.”
Kyungsoo places his hand over Jongin and squeezes, “You can’t beat yourself up for what happened. That was in no way your fault. You just have to forgive yourself. You did everything you could, and look, Hayi is so blessed to have a stable home and a father who loves her and goes to an amazing school where she has tons of friends. You’ve given her all your love, but now it’s time to let someone else love you.”
Jongin closes his eyes shut, tears escaping through the seam as Kyungsoo pulls him to lay his head across his lap. Kyungsoo’s fingers run through his hair, sometimes pressing his lips to the temple of Jongin’s forehead.
“Let me take you out to dinner,” Jongin declares as he is about to leave late that night with Hayi asleep on his back.
Kyungsoo leans against the door, smiling, “Okay.”
“Just the two of us. I’ll handle the babysitter.”
“Deal.” Kyungsoo says.
Jongin hesitates at the door before dropping down and planting a chaste kiss to the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth. “Goodnight.”
“Drive safe.”
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Jongin takes Baekhyun up on his offer and has him babysit Sooyoung and Hayi. He shows up to Kyungsoo’s home, offering a little carnation alongside Hayi, running between his legs to find Sooyoung. “Are you ready?”
Kyungsoo smells the flower, a beautiful smile on his face hat has Jongin’s heart fluttering. “Sure, let me say goodbye to Sooyoung and we can go.”
Jongin steps inside, following Kyungsoo to the living room where Baekhyun is already on the floor with Hayi and Sooyoung. Kyungsoo squats down between Sooyoung and Hayi, “I’m leaving with Jongin now. You guys listen to Uncle Baekhyun and make sure he doesn’t let you stay up too late. Give me a kiss before I go.”
Sooyoung gets up to plant a kiss on Kyungsoo’s cheek, giving him a short hug before running over to lean on Baekhyun. Kyungsoo looks to Hayi and picks her up to press a quick kiss to her forehead. “Be good.” He says, getting up.
Jongin puts his hand to the small of Kyungsoo’s back, leading him out of his house and to his car. “You know Hayi really likes you. She wants Sooyoung to be her sister and you to be her other dad.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes light up at the news, “She could always use another one.”
“Well, I asked her what she thought about having another dad, and she said as long as he can do her hair better than me, then it’s okay.” They chuckle together, Jongin’s hand folded in Kyungsoo’s.
They get to the restaurant, a lightly dimmed Italian eatery. They sit across each other, wine in their cups.
“The first time I saw you, it wasn’t at the kiddie park that day.” Jongin admits.
Kyungsoo coughs in surprise after sipping on his drink, “Really? When was the first time you saw me?”
“The day before. You were picking up Sooyoung. I was putting Hay into the car when I saw you walking inside with you holding your phone with your shoulder. By the time you came out, I was in the car and about to leave when I heard you tell Sooyoung you would take her to Pororo Park the next day.”
Kyungsoo gasps, “You didn’t!”
“You caught my eye.” Jongin mumbles, red blooming on his cheeks. “And in my defense, I promised Hayi that I would take her sometime, so it was only coincidence that I had some free time that Friday night. I didn’t think we would actually end up actually meeting.”
“I thought it was fate that we met, but now I don’t know.”
“It was fate that we met at the food store and you tried to haggle me just for some meat.”
Kyungsoo glares, “It was rightfully mine!”
“I had it first.” Jongin fights back with teasingly. Kyungsoo doesn’t fight back, but rolls his eyes instead. “Baekhyun also gave me the idea to take you out to dinner too.”
“Of course he did.” Kyungsoo pouts, looking at his plate.
“But I was gonna ask you on a date anyways because I wanted to talk to you about something.” Jongin brings up, looking serious as Kyungsoo meets his gaze.
“What about?”
“Well, I know we both have out kids as a priority, but I really like you, a lot, and so does Hayi. And I think if there is anyone on this planet that can be an amazing boyfriend and father to my kid it would be you, so I was wondering if you would do me the honor of maybe becoming a permanent thing to mine and Hayi’s life. I mean, I know you would have to talk to Sooyoung, but I already talked to Hayi and she loves you and it just seems perfect because I kinda do too and honestly I really would like to see you every day and hear you- ow!”
Jongin leans over to rub his calf under the table, frowning at Kyungsoo who had kicked him.
“I kept saying your name but you wouldn’t stop talking. I would love too. Sooyoung already asked about you being her new dad. And Jongin,” the male looks up as Kyungsoo tugs on his fingers, “I kinda love you too.”
Kyungsoo and Jongin come home with their bodies entwined and lips fervently moving against one another.
“Ew, my eyes! Just because I said no sexing it up with the kids awake means you can do it while I’m here and awake. You guys should be thanking me, not torturing me!” Baekhyun yells, shielding his eyes with his hand as he gets up off the couch where he was watching tv. “I’m going home then. The girls are sound asleep, so, uh… have fun.” He glances at their disheveled state before closing the door on them with his jacket thrown over his shoulder.
Kyungsoo runs his hands through his hair before turning back to Jongin, “Where were we?”
“What about the girls?” Jongin asks, looking concerned as he tries not to be too distracted by Kyungsoo’s swollen, red, spit-slicked lips.
“They’ll be fine as long as were quiet.”
Jongin draws Kyungsoo close by holding onto the belt loops of his pants, “That I can’t guarantee.” He whispers before leaning down and capturing Kyungsoo’s lips again.
Prompt number : 143
Title : Frame Our Hearts Together
Pairing : D.O/Kai
Rating : PG
Word count : 8.8k
Summary: Kyungsoo has a weakness for chubby cheeks and Jongin can’t do pigtails to save his life.
Author note : This was originally written for EXOHOUSEWARMING as prompt 143 (even the prompt # knows kaisoo is love) but it wasn't able to be posted. I’m sorry it’s not exactly like the prompt, but I loved writing this so much because fluff, fluff, fluff, and I hope you guys love it too!
Also written on AFF
It is a normal Thursday. One where the birds are singing. and the sky is a used paint palette of red, orange, pink, and blue from the fading sun. Except for one particular business man, this Thursday was just as stressful as any other day. If a bystander saw the picture, they might coo at the young girl, only five years old, tugging on her father’s arm clad in a grey slim fit suit, Italian wool, down the parking lot where their car waits for them, purring to life as soon as the keys enter the black leather interior. Yet despite the adorable picture, the father, Do Kyungsoo, is busy on an important call with a patient who is having a melt down on the other line and is trying to keep Sooyoung from singing in his ear.
Kyungsoo bends down and his daughter shows her waiting cheek to her father. Kyungsoo kisses both her cheeks in greeting. “Sooyoung, if you can stay quiet until Daddy is done with his very important call, then I promise I will take you to Pororo Park tomorrow. I will even leave work early to pick you up.” Kyungsoo turns around quickly after he finds a chance in the conversation he is having that he can mute his line without missing anything that requires immediate attention. Kyungsoo bends down, groaning when he hears his knees pop as he does.
Sooyoung, who he expected to be excited about this proposition, crosses her arms and sticks her lips out. Kyungsoo waits for his daughter’s answer anxiously. He taps his phone in an 8 beat count. “Can we also get McDonalds for dinner?”
Kyungsoo sighs in relief and grins, “Yes, we can. Cheeseburger?”
She nods enthusiastically, dropping Kyungsoo’s hand and clinging to his leg while screaming in excitement. “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger”, she repeats in a hungry mantra. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, patting her head before unmuting his call and attempting to hobble to his car with his sloth-like child clinging to his calf.
As Kyungsoo pulls up to the drive thru of McDonalds, he had just closed the conversation with his patient calmly breathing and reconfirming her appointment for the following Monday. Feeling accomplished and proud of Sooyoung for being so good, he turns around to look at her sitting calmly in her car seat, playing with one of her dolls she brings to daycare. “You did so good, Sooyoung. How about I also treat you with some ice cream?”
Sooyoung’s eyes light up, sparkling with energy. “Vanilla, please!” She requests with a slight lisp as her front teeth are still coming in. Kyungsoo repeats the order to the cashier and moves on to the window. He hands Sooyoung a toy that comes with her food go distract the rest of the ride back home. As they drive home, Kyungsoo gets a call from a familiar number. He answers it via Bluetooth, and the car is filled with the most obnoxious voice-
“How’s it going, my Soobear?”
Kyungsoo grimaces at the volume and Baekhyun’s repulsing nickname for him.
“Uncle Baekkie!” Sooyoung yells in recognition while happily playing with the cheap toy.
“Hello, angel! How’s my little Sooyoung?” Baekhyun asks with a higher pitched tone that Kyungsoo has warned him countless of times not to use when talking to his daughter. It creeps him out. Baekhyun only argues that it’s cute and that’s why all the kids adore him rather than Kyungsoo.
“Good! Daddy got me McDonalds!” Sooyoung informs him.
“Ahh, well tell Daddy that he’s gonna get pudgy if he keeps eating out.” Baekhyun sends a warning to Kyungsoo. “And that he should spend more time cooking for poor Uncle Baekhyun.”
“Says the one who hasn’t seen the sunlight in the past two months.” Kyungsoo fires back.
“Yes, well not all of us can be a doctor-therapist thing and world’s best dad or whatever it is else that you’ve accomplished in your young life. At least I still have good looks.”
Kyungsoo snorts, “And yet you haven’t settled with anyone in a few years.”
“Watch what you say. It’s still a sore topic. Speaking of… I found somebody that seems interested in-”
“No.” Kyungsoo cuts him with an answer already knowing what Baekhyun was going to say. He’s had far too many conversations start up that way and all of which have no good endings.
Baekhyun starts to whine making Sooyoung giggle, “Aww, come on… Why not? I promise this is not like the last one who liked collecting dead skin. I made a misguided judgement on that, I will admit. It’s been a year since you were last out on the playing field. It’s time to get back in the game.”
Kyungsoo sighs, pulling into the parking garage of his apartment complex, “Look, as easy as it sounds, it’s not. I can’t just drop everything and go on tons of dates. I want Sooyoung to have the family she deserves, but not like that. I may be desperate, but if I am going to find someone, I want it to be on my own terms. Okay? By the way, Sooyoung and I are going to Pororo Park tomorrow, you can come if you want.”
“Yeah, Uncle Baekkie!” The little girl adds.
“Maybe next time. Sorry, Sooyoungie! I’ll make it up to you another time. Tomorrow is my deadline for the storyboard for the new fantasy game we are creating that I told you about.”
Kyungsoo nods despite Baekhyun not seeing him, “That’s right. Well, good luck. I’m at home now, so I’ll talk to you later.” Baekhyun says his farewell and hangs up.
Kyungsoo and Sooyoung eat dinner together. Kyungsoo mainly listens to his daughter tell him about her day and who she played with. “I shared my toys with Eunji and then she gave me some of her lunch that her mom packed for her.”
“That was nice of her,” Kyungsoo comments, biting into his fries. “Did you tell her thank you?”
Like this, the ending of their Thursday becomes a normal one. He gets his daughter ready for bed, reads a few books before tucking her in, and kisses her head as she closes her eyes. After he shuts the door to her room, he releases an exhausted exhale. He collapses on the couch, pulling his laptop towards him so he can start drafting up a form about one of his patients for tomorrow…
Kyungsoo blinks under the florescent lights and colorful wallpaper, decorations and furniture. His ears are already ringing from the loud screams of too many children being unsupervised. He holds tightly on Sooyoung’s hand as they head towards the young kids playground. All the sudden, Sooyoung slips out of Kyungsoo’s grasp and races off calling some garbled name.
Kyungsoo follows after her, falling behind because children step into his path and block him from his destination. He calls for Sooyoung, but his voice is lost among the other children’s laughter and concerned parent’s warnings. When he finally finds Sooyoung standing just beyond the entrance of the kid’s playground, she is holding a girl’s hand loosely, a girl Kyungsoo’s never seen before. Kyungsoo sighs in relief that she is okay and catches her attention.
“I’ll be sitting in the café if you need me.” Sooyoung nods distantly, already giggling to the girl beside her. Kyungsoo smiles and takes a quick picture on his phone of the two sliding down the slide together in a pile of limbs before making his way to where most of the parents hang out while the kids have fun. He sits at a lone table, immediately clicking his phone to catch up on a few late emails.
He doesn’t even notice a presence at his table until a weight presses in his knees. He blinks up to see his daughter twisting her hips and pouting her lower lip. Kyungsoo thinks she is too adorable for his own good. “Are you hungry, princess?”
She grins, “Hayi says we can eat with her and her dad!” Kyungsoo stands up and follows Sooyoung to the counter where she tells him her order shyly.
“Who is Hayi?” Kyungsoo asks, never hearing the name before.
Sooyoung turns around and points to a corner where the same girl that was with Sooyoung earlier is sitting. “She goes to school with me, but she’s in another class. We get to play together at recess!” After getting their order placed on a tray, Kyungsoo carries the food, trailing after his daughter to the occupied table.
Kyungsoo sets the tray down on the table as Sooyoung settles in the booth. “Hi, I’m sorry for interrupting. You don’t mind if we join you for dinner?”
“Not at all, Hayi said she invited Sooyoung to sit with us after all.” A low warm voice says in response.
Kyungsoo doesn’t look up until he’s done giving Sooyoung her plate and a napkin. The man across from him is biting into a pizza, but Kyungsoo marvels at the handsome features smudged with tomato sauce. He is blessed with bronze skin, high cheekbones, and an adorable button nose which is wrinkling in distaste as he peels off a pepperoni and places it with the small stack of meat he has on the corner of his plate. But his eyes capture Kyungsoo’s attention; with a gentle slope, soft brown irises, and black eye lashes that coat the edge of his eyes with darkness. Kyungsoo is slightly impressed, especially after he notices the sharp jaw line.
Kyungsoo sits down, blinking out of his daze, when Sooyoung pats his empty seat. “I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Do Kyungsoo, Sooyoung’s father.” Kyungsoo gives a slight awkward bow before looking up into the man’s now curling eyes.
“Hi! I’m Kim Jongin and this is my little girl, Hayi.” Jongin leans his head towards Hayi’s and whispers, “Say hello to Mr. Do.” Hayi has the same eyes as Jongin with even longer dark eyelashes. Her round face is surrounded by in what would be cute little black ringlets, but someone has it mangled into tangled heap that is supposed to be pigtales. Similar to her father, she has the same tan skin tone that appears to have been kissed by the sun.
“Hi, Mr. Do,” Hayi says automatically with a sweet voice. Sooyoung laughs at the strange name for her father.
“Please, Kyungsoo is fine.” Kyungsoo chuckles, smiling at the young girl.
Jongin grins back at him, his cheeks puffing out as if he was a little kid too. Kyungsoo’s heart melts just a smidge. After they finish eating, the two friends run off back to the playground leaving Kyungsoo sitting across Jongin. The silence was a bit awkward without their daughters as a distraction.
“Hayi is very cute; she looks a lot like you.” Kyungsoo finally starts a conversation.
Jongin glances to where Hayi is sliding down a slide, and a soft smile tugs onto his lips as his eyes curl with love. Kyungsoo finds it endearing seeing a parent display such devotion to their kid. He grew up in a home where there was a lack of love; he tries so hard to make sure Sooyoung never feels like he did.
“Really? I always thought she looks more like-” Jongin pauses. Kyungsoo watches his neck bob with a swallow. “Like her mom.” He turns back to Kyungsoo, his face a little bit more closed off.
Kyungsoo shakes his head, wanting to get out of the tense atmosphere that he didn’t mean to create. Perhaps Jongin went through the same thing as he. “I don’t think so. She has your skin color, and her eyes are the exact same as yours, and when she smiles, you can really tell how much she looks like you.”
“She smiles like me?” Jongin blinks disbelievingly. His face starts to contort in half smiles as if he is testing the theory himself by feeling his face pull up like his daughter’s would. Kyungsoo tries not to laugh at him, but he’s finding it hard when Jongin forehead frowns with effort.
“Yeah, she does.”
Jongin stops trying to compare unsuccessfully and chews on the inside of his cheek before speaking, “Sooyoung, did you partially name her after you?”
Kyungsoo locks his hands together placing them on the table, “Yeah, Sooyoung’s mom and I accidentally forgot that besides needing a cradle, clothes, diapers, and all the baby essentials that a baby needs a name, so we ended up combining our names together at the last minute when she was born.”
Jongin nods along to the story. “Hayi was my idea. I thought it was cute and short, and it suits her well. Although, the doctors tell me she is going to grow pretty tall.”
Kyungsoo snorts, “That’s the opposite for Sooyoung. She apparently got the traditional Do height genes.” They continue talking about their daughters, sharing very little information of themselves. Kyungsoo hardly has time to make friends with the parents of Sooyoung’s friends, but he likes it. He wishes he could make it to more parties his friends throw where he has the opportunity to meet new people, but with his line of work, it is always difficult to arrange time off.
Kyungsoo only has friends in his line of work, or his old colleagues, which only a few have children. He never gets to see them all at once, though, because arranging full time parents’ schedules are complicated. Normally his life will consist of Baekhyun, who has no kids (it would be a terror if he did) and Jongdae, his assistant who has a son a year younger than Sooyoung. Sometimes if Chanyeol isn’t working at his family restaurant he took over, he’ll bring his niece to come over and play with Sooyoung.
Jongin is like a breath of fresh air. He knows the struggle of having a little girl and trying to balance a full-time job. He can already tell they share common parenting styles as they gather up their kids and call it a night.
Sooyoung and Hayi cling to each other, crying as their father’s try to gently separate them. “Sooyoung, you’ll see Hayi at school in a few days. If you don’t let go now, you won’t get to go to see Grandma Do tomorrow.” Kyungsoo tells her sternly. Sooyoung pouts, her eyes shiny with unused tears. Slowly her grip loosens on Hayi, and Hayi seems to let go too after Jongin whispers in her ear promising ice cream the next day.
Kyungsoo balances Sooyoung on his hip, and smiles briefly at Jongin, “It was, um, nice meeting you and Hayi.” He taps Hayi’s nose, who squirms in Jongin’s arms, giggling shyly. Sooyoung waves goodbye as Kyungsoo carries her off to their car. He can feel a pair of eyes watching him go, but he doesn’t bother looking back.
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Normally Kyungsoo brings Sooyoung to go grocery shopping with him, but finally Baekhyun has a spare moment and promised to take Sooyoung off his hand for a few hours while he runs some errands before Baekhyun and he have their almost monthly movie night. Kyungsoo grabs a cart and makes a beeline for the meat section, seeing the good deals on the ad. He always has to be stocked up because Sooyoung is a carnivorous little beast that ends up stealing all of his pork.
He sees the last set of beef waiting to be in his grasp, the golden price shimmering right beside it. Kyungsoo grins proudly as his hand reaches out to grab it when another hand that doesn’t belong to him interrupts and swipes the meat away from him. Kyungsoo turns to glare at the thief and finds himself face to face with Jongin.
“Kyungsoo?”
“Jongin”, Kyungsoo responds a little breathlessly, “Hi.” He glances from the red food in his hand to Jongin’s innocent eyes.
“I didn’t know you lived in this neighborhood. Are you far from here?” Jongin asks, as if he didn’t realize that he is holding the only item Kyungsoo desires.
“Just a few blocks. I’m trying to get a few errands out of the way.” Kyungsoo steps to the side to see a sleepy eyed Hayi starting to nod off in the cart. Kyungsoo wants to coo at the sight, but he has another matter at hand. He needs that beef or else Sooyoung will be complaining until he can get more.
“Me too. Hayi is so exhausted from running around.” Jongin chuckles while playing with Hayi’s messy curls.
Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, “Hey, Jongin, I know it may seem rude, but I saw that package first, so if you would just hand it over.”
Jongin smirks at Kyungsoo’s waiting arms and puts a hand on his hip, “I don’t think so. I’ve been promising Hayi beef for a long time now. I grabbed it first, you should’ve been quicker.” He winks before putting the food in his cart and starts to walk off.
Kyungsoo locks his jaw. He knows Jongin is doing this to pull on his leg, but Kyungsoo is desperate. He catches up to Jongin and grabs his arm. “Wait”, he calls out. He can feel his pride sliding down the drain. Jongin flicks his eyebrow up, his expression expectant. Kyungsoo is reminded how stupidly handsome the male is.
“I’ll pay you for it.” Kyungsoo offers, pleading.
Jongin purses his full lips, “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a sale. Try again.”
Kyungsoo glares at the latter, watching him turn back around and continue with his visit. With disdain, towards himself and Jongin, he follows the movements of Jongin’s hips swinging side to side as if mocking him. He feels a hot feeling roll down his spine and settle in his gut as he imagines what Jongin would look without baggy pants. He never noticed how long his legs were…
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo calls out one more time. “Come have dinner at my place. I’ll cook up the meat and we can split it, that way both of us get what we want. And you get a free meal out of it, plus Hayi has a distraction.” Kyungsoo waits with a baited breath, his invitation settling into Jongin’s mind. He knows there is a huge chance Jongin will turn him down. After all, he must have the rest of his family to return to.
Jongin, suddenly shy from his earlier teasing, looks down at him through his black hair, “Really? You mean it?”
Kyungsoo coughs, feeling awkward because he still doesn’t know Jongin that well. “Yeah, of course, I’m having a friend baby sit Sooyoung and we were planning to watch a movie afterwards. You can stick around after that too if you like.”
Jongin smiles widely, the effortlessness of it reaching his eyes all because of Kyungsoo makes his stomach twist pleasantly. “I’d like that.”
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Kyungsoo waits for Jongin as he sits in the living room while holding onto Sooyoung as she leaned back. All the food was cooked, all he needed was the rest of his party. Baekhyun had bailed on him as soon as Kyungsoo told him that he was having Jongin come over.
“I don’t want to be between your dad date. Chanyeol had called me earlier asking me to come try some new dessert he made. I guess I’ll go take him up on that. Do I need to remind you the rules? No doing it up until the princess is asleep.” Baekhyun said as he patted Sooyoung’s head and jumped out of the way when Kyungsoo raised his first.
Kyungsoo feels an anxiousness he normally doesn’t know. He thinks it’s because he and Jongin aren’t that close, but Kyungsoo would like to be. Plus, Jongin is nice to look at. The doorbell rings, breaking Kyungsoo out of his thoughts as he moves to open the door to see Jongin holding Hayi’s hand. Kyungsoo automatically squats down in front of Hayi and smiles gently.
“Hello, Hayi, that dress is very pretty.” He pokes her cheeks and she ducks behind Jongin’s leg, a wide grin on her face.
“Appa picked it for me.” She says, tugging on the hem.
“I made you favorite today. I heard your Appa and you love meat, so I made some and dessert, but you can only have some if you eat all of your vegetables.” Kyungsoo holds out his hand to Hayi to take. She timidly lets go of Jongin’s hand and moves to place her small palm in Kyungsoo’s larger on. “Come on in, Sooyoung is hiding somewhere in the living room.”
Hayi lets go as soon as he points to where Sooyoung is hiding and she goes running to the spot to surprise her friend. Kyungsoo’s heart fills with happiness as he watches the two share a big hug. It’s so cute; he wishes he had his phone to take a picture of it. He turns to see Jongin covering for him.
“You’ll have to send that to me.” Kyungsoo tells him pointing the phone in his hand and moving to the kitchen to get his guests a drink.
Jongin leans on the counter, too close to Kyungsoo, “I would if I had your number.”
Kyungsoo bumps him with his hips to get him to move over, “I’ll give it to you after dinner.” He feels comfortable with Jongin in his kitchen. Together they set the table up and Jongin easily finds where Kyungsoo keeps his plates and utensils. Kyungsoo watches him, Jongin moves fluidly like he is used to doing this every night. And maybe he does-
“Only four plates, Jongin.” Kyungsoo says, taking the extra. “Baekhyun said he had better things to do than to watch the Matrix for the thirtieth time.”
“Oh, I thought your wife would be-”
“I don’t have one,” Kyungsoo admits. He thinks of when he was younger when he proposed to his high school sweetheart. He thought of the perfect home, coming from work to a warm meal and three smiling children. He thought of late nights spent taking care of his sick kids. A wife and husband sharing the same kitchen space to make dinner together. Kyungsoo saw a glimpse of his dream for a short year.
“We divorced when Sooyoung was two.” Jongin freezes in his spot when he hears Kyungsoo speak, a sadness ebbing through his skin and pulling down his eyes. Kyungsoo notices it and tries to ease Jongin’s sympathy with a smile that says he’s okay. “It’s fine. Sooyoung, who I worry the most about, doesn’t even remember it. Sometimes she’ll tell me when I feel insecure about our lifestyle that I’m the only one she needs in her life. It makes me feel less guilty for not being able to work it out with her mom.”
Jongin clears his throat, “I may not know you very well yet, but I’ve been around kids long enough to see that Sooyoung loves you. You’re her world. That’s what I want to be for Hayi.”
Kyungsoo widens his eyes at Jongin, feeling a mixture of relief and confusion. “You?”
“Almost since the day Hayi was born, it was just her and I.” Jongin’s lip trembles, his grip tightens on the chair in front of him. Kyungsoo can hear Sooyoung’s laughter in the living room with a chorus of an unfamiliar giggles that must belong to Hayi. “Her mom was in an accident while she was pregnant with Hayi. They had to do an immediate C-section on her because she had stopped breathing. It was only a short matter of time before Hayi could only survive off a frozen heart.”
Jongin is starting to shake with the memory. Kyungsoo quickly goes to his side and pulls the male towards him. Jongin’s head falls onto Kyungsoo shoulder. Kyungsoo rubs his back soothingly, trailing his fingers down the notches of his spine as Jongin’s hot breath hits the cotton fabric of his shoulder. Tears start to fall onto his shirt, but Kyungsoo doesn’t mind. He understands the loss.
Maybe his wife didn’t die, but their love did. He had stood by and watched the seams he believed were impossible to cut, stripped right through with a piece of paper. He felt his heart crack with the slamming of the door and Sooyoung’s confused blinking eyes. He made a promise then to give Sooyoung the best possible life, and he would do his best to make his home become a family that she would never abandon.
“I could’ve lost them both. I almost did. Hayi was so small, she was two months early and I swear she fit into the palms of my hands.” Jongin lifts his hands between to show his open palms, his forehead still pressed against Kyungsoo collar. Kyungsoo places his hand in Jongin’s carefully as he was breakable glass, thin and already cracked.
“But you didn’t lose Hayi. You’ve raised her beautifully, she’s lovely and kind. I couldn’t ask for someone better to be my daughter’s friend. And I’m sure Hayi’s mother is so proud of you, how well you’ve done with her. And she’ll always be with you and apart of Hayi. Although, your hair styling skills probably make her cringe.” Jongin snorts then inhales a shuddering breath as he looks up at Kyungsoo with red rimmed eyes. Kyungsoo stares at his own reflection in them, “And now, you don’t have to feel alone in this. I’ll even teach you how to braid.”
Jongin closes his eyes for a moment, calming his breathing. “Thank you. I’m normally not like this, but when you mentioned that you didn’t have a wife, I was just overwhelmed, that there’s someone out there that is going through what I am going through. And you’re right, for the first time, I don’t feel alone.”
Kyungsoo can only nod in response, grabbing a couple of tissues for Jongin. While Jongin was suffering with the loss of his wife, Kyungsoo was trying to see why his ex- wasn’t excited about having a kid or getting married. When Jongin takes a step back and goes to the bathroom after Kyungsoo gives him directions, Kyungsoo’s shoulders are lighter, but colder as the warm breath that belonged to Jongin is no longer brushing against his skin.
Jongin returns to the table to find Sooyoung and Hayi in a seat with Kyungsoo serving them food on their plates. Kyungsoo’s eyes curl up laughing when Hayi tries to steal some meat off of his plate. Jongin’s heart beats faster, especially since Hayi only tries that with him.
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Kyungsoo walks hastily to the coffee shop across the street from his office. He only has enough time to squeeze in a five minute break today if he wants to leave on time and make it to his daughter’s school’s special parent performance. He phone vibrates in his pocket. He almost missed the call if he didn’t feel it after stopping to wait in line to order drink.
“Hello?”
“Hottie alert!” Baekhyun cries out on the other line.
Kyungsoo jerks his head away from the phone in annoyance. “What is this about?”
“Sorry, I was using my binoculars to watch you get your coffee and you totally just ignored the man of my dreams walk by you.”
Kyungsoo whirls around and looks at the building beside his and to the third floor. In the corner right window, a small figure is pressed to the glass with binoculars to his face and a phone to his ear. Kyungsoo pities his friendship choices.
“Ah, so you finally had to come into the office after years of avoiding sunlight.” Kyungsoo pays for his drink and waits for it to be made as he presses his cellphone to his shoulder so he can stuff the change in his wallet.
“You know that the sun has it out for my baby-like skin. Anyways, what’s the 411 on Mr. Roller Skates Hunk, Mr. Handsome Peperoni Face, Mr. Father and Dick of Soo’s Dreams?”
Kyungsoo sighs, thanking the server for his drink before exiting the coffee shop, “Stop being gross. There is nothing to update. We barely text after getting his number when he came over.” In fact, that was a lie. Jongin has sent him many texts in which Kyungsoo reciprocated. They share photos of Sooyoung and Hayi, and also their silly stories they have about their daughters that day. Sometimes Jongin will talk about how he wants a dog but sadly doesn’t have time for it, but repeatedly send Kyungsoo screenshots of puppies for sale.
He and Jongin hit it off. They have a flowing conversation, but Kyungsoo can see clearly that it is strictly friendship/ normal single dad talk. Baekhyun would only encourage Kyungsoo to go after Jongin which could let him be rejected harshly. Kyungsoo doesn’t want that. He doesn’t even know how Jongin feels about…men.
Baekhyun boos. Kyungsoo can’t almost hear him pouting. “Honestly, I’m trying to get you laid and an additional permanent babysitter, but you have to work with me. I need you to put like a 40% increase in your efforts.”
“I don’t need to get laid.” Kyungsoo tells him, his cheeks heating up when an old business woman gives him a strange look.
“Sure you do. How long has it been since you felt a sensual touch, chills crawling up your spine in excitement, the racing of your blood, and the hot furnace burning a fire of passion?” Baekhyun asks, his voice getting louder and louder.
Kyungsoo shakes his head, “Have you been reading those cheap erotica again? I told you, you need to lay off those. It’s like an addiction for you.” Kyungsoo waves to Baekhyun before disappearing out of view as he enters his building and making his way up to his office by the elevator.
“I can’t help it. Luhan recommended this one, and it’s so good.” Baekhyun gushes.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at his best friend, “Yeah, yeah. I have to go now. Bye.”
“Love you Kyungiebunches!”
Kyungsoo ends the call, wanting nothing more than to erase that from his memory. Kyungsoo rubs his temple feeling a small headache come on as he sees the waiting room half full of patients. Jongin promised to save him a seat tonight for the performance, and Kyungsoo can’t wait until then.
When Kyungsoo is finally done with his sessions, he hurries out of his office, whizzing by Jongdae. He’s almost late for the show, barely making it in time where the lights start to go down. He checks his phone to see what Jongin had directed him to where he is sitting. He finds the male sitting at the end of the row, an open seat on his left. Kyungsoo taps his shoulder and Jongin grins up at him as he moves his legs to let Kyungsoo squeeze by.
“Just in time, hyung,” Jongin whispers into Kyungsoo’s ear. Kyungsoo shivers at the contact of the warm air coasting his earlobe. Jongin had only just started calling Kyungsoo hyung, after Kyungsoo had disclosed to him when his birthday was when he had asked because Jongin found the perfect t-shirt to give him while out getting a new dress for Hayi.
Kyungsoo searches the sea of children from the whole elementary school for his daughter. Jongin notices and points to where she is standing. “She’s a row above Hayi.” Kyungsoo smiles when he spots the two little girls focused on the music instructor as they start to sing.
“Did you do Hayi’s pig tails? You’ve improved.” Kyungsoo praises him with a smile.
Jongin shrugs, bumping his shoulder into Kyungsoo’s, “Well, I had a talented teacher give me some lessons. It’s nothing compared to your French braiding skills. It’s just two ponytails.”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and focuses on the little show. He wishes he could take pictures, but the lights are dim and he’s sitting too far away for Sooyoung to show up.
“I did mention dinner after this right?” Jongin asks during the middle of the show.
Kyungsoo turns to him, realizing how close they are sitting. Jongin’s shoulders are just a hair away from touching his own. His face is only an inch from meeting Jongin’s cheek. From this side view of Jongin, Kyungsoo can count the eyelashes framing the almond shaped eyes. “Only if you’re paying.”
Jongin gives him a scandalous look as he turns to Kyungsoo, now faces only a centimeter apart. Kyungsoo can see the pores on his skin as he feels like he’s drowning in Jongin’s puppy dog-like stare. “But-but I’m just a poor single father trying to support his daughter.”
The older reflects no sympathy and merely smirks, “As am I, so cough up.”
Jongin pouts and looks away from Kyungsoo, crossing his arms, but just as Kyungsoo was starting to feel guilty Jongin flashes him a grin. Kyungsoo finds Jongin very distracting after that. He can’t stop glancing at the latter, admiring his sharp jaw and pouty lips. He follows the slope of his nose up to the curl of his parted black hair. In the shadows from the spotlight, Kyungsoo feels like he can hide his obvious staring.
It isn’t until Jongin presses his thigh to Kyungsoo’s, can Kyungsoo feel his cheeks heat up. He quickly stops staring and tries not to focus on the bleeding heat of Jongin’s body through his pressed navy blue suit pants. Kyungsoo wonders in that moment how long has it been since he’s been touched like this where his body jerks in reaction and his skin tingles in expectation for what could come next.
Kyungsoo learns, while a palm rests just atop his kneecap, that it is been too long and that he is too old to have his belly churning, gut clenching weakly at just the mere touch. Jongin’s torturous touches end when the lights come on, and they both stand up simultaneously trying to look between the mesh of bodies for their daughters.
Hayi and Sooyoung find them hand in hand. Jongin immediately lifts up Hayi and spins her around awkwardly with the littles space he has between the chairs and people. Kyungsoo has to dodge Hayi’s foot from crashing into his stomach. Kyungsoo smiles softly at the two as Jongin praises his kid. Kyungsoo slides by him so he can get to Sooyoung. He bends down and she wraps her small arms around his neck. Kyungsoo presses his lips to each of her cheeks.
“You were beautiful up there.” Kyungsoo tells her, moving her whispy bangs out of the way. Sooyoung giggles as she hangs from her father’s neck. Kyungsoo holds her with one arm and pokes her tummy as her laughter grows louder, “Is my angel hungry?”
Sooyoung nods enthusiastically, “Very hungry!” She confirms.
“Perfect! Mr. Jongin promised to feed us tonight. Wasn’t that nice of him? You should give him a hug.” Kyungsoo whispers loud enough for Jongin to her and winks up at him as Sooyoung grins widely. He lowers his voice for one last instruction before sending Sooyoung after the younger father.
Sooyoung clings to Jongin’s leg until he gets down and opens his arms widely for Sooyoung to leap into. She then completes Kyungsoo’s order by placing a big wet kiss to the corner of Jongin’s mouth. Jongin gasps in surprise and almost falls back on his butt. Sooyoung skips back to Kyungsoo’s side. “Thank you Mr. Jongin!” She sing songs loudly.
Hayi pouts watching the exchange. “If Sooyoungie gets to kiss my daddy, then I get to kiss hers.” Jongin tries to stop her in surprise as she marches right up to Kyungsoo. But Kyungsoo scoops her up in his arms and begins to dot her face with light kisses as the young girl wiggles in his arms. She screeches in delight, trying to hide her face from the playful attack of affection.
Jongin stares at Kyungsoo and his daughter with such a strong expression that Kyungsoo pauses under the intense gaze. Kyungsoo clears his throat and Jongin blinks his eyes, looking away, “We best get some food in them before they turn into little beasties. Come on Sooyoung.” Kyungsoo holds out a hand to his daughter, his other hand busy supporting Hayi.
Jongin follows silently behind them, his mouth slightly agape as his heart in his chest twinges and starts to beat loudly when Sooyoung tells him to hurry up waving her open palm out to him. The two fathers don’t speak the mutual feeling of sharing the moment of belonging, where they seem to have the perfect family they desired but have never been able to adequately able to fill the void.
For Kyungsoo, Jongin and Hayi spoke words in between his silent pauses. For Jongin, Kyungsoo and Sooyoung brought dazzling smiles into his day.
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Baekhyun finally meets Jongin accidentally on an early Sunday afternoon. Kyungsoo is in the bathroom helping Sooyoung and Hayi bathe after they took a trip to the park and fell multiple times in the dirt for fun while Jongin is occupied flipping through Netflix to find a movie for him and Kyungsoo to watch while the girls have an afternoon nap. Baekhyun had just dropped by unannounced, unlocking the door to Kyungsoo’s apartment with the spare key given by the owner.
Baekhyun opens his arms wide waiting for a welcoming greeting only to find a stranger sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table and slowly blinking at him blankly. “Um, hello?” Baekhyun says confusedly.
“Hi,” Jongin says looking as equally confused as Baekhyun.
Baekhyun glances at the door and then back to Jongin, “I am at Kyungsoo’s place, right?”
“Yup,” Jongin pops the word after takes a sip of soda.
Baekhyun sighs in relief. He stands in the hallway unsure whether he should introduce himself or go in search of Kyungsoo. Luckily, at that moment he is saved from anymore awkward confrontation because Sooyoung comes waddling to him in only a pair of underwear and a frog towel draped over her head.
“Uncle Baekkie!”
Baekhyun squishes the small girl in his arm, mushing his cheek to hers. Kyungsoo enter his vision, walking calmly with another young girl around Sooyoung’s age in his arms but she has a unicorn towel wrapped around her.
“Baekhyun, I didn’t know you were coming over.” Kyungsoo smiles brightly at his best friend and points to the male who is lounging comfortably. “Baekhyun meet Jongin and also meet Jongin’s daughter, Hayi. She is one of Sooyoung’s playmates.”
Jongin gets up and sets the bag of chips down to greet Baekhyun formally. “Hello, nice to meet you. Kyungsoo has mentioned you a couple of times.”
“If he told you horrible stories of me in high school, they are not true.” Jongin chuckles deeply, his eyes curling cutely, and Baekhyun can definitely see the appeal Kyungsoo had raved about a while ago. Baekhyun raises his eyebrows at Kyungsoo suggestively.
“We were just going to watch a movie if you wanted to join us…” Kyungsoo offers unsurely since Jongin had been the one to ask him to hang out together.
Baekhyun shakes his head, “I’m good. Just came to check up on my favorite little princess! Also, I came by to drop off that book you let me barrow.” He sheepishly grins, pulling out the tattered cover.
Kyungsoo glares at him, “I gave that to you ages ago, and now you return it.”
“Better late than never, right.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “Anyways, isn’t it Sooyoung’s naptime? Can I?”
Kyungsoo sticks out an arm down the hall to Sooyoung’s room, “Be my guest, as long as she’s okay with that…”
“Sooyoungie, can Uncle Baek tuck you in? I’ll read you a book!” Baekhyun persuades the young girl. Sooyoung’s face lights up with excitement. Baekhyun’s voicing and overall delivery of the story are the best, as Sooyoung will declare when she notices her father doesn’t display as much energy when he acts the story.
Hayi squirms in Kyungsoo’s arms until he sets her down and she hurries over to where her dad is. Kyungsoo leaves to go clean up the kitchen from lunch as Hayi and Sooyoung are followed by Jongin and Baekhyun to be put in bed.
Baekhyun sits on the edge of Sooyoung’s bed with Sooyoung and Hayi nicely tucked in and shoulders pressed together as they listen enthralled with Baekhyun’s telling of Hansel and Gretel. Jongin leans against the wall near the door only because Hayi had at first begged him to stay in the room since she wasn’t trusting of the new male, but he’s sure she wouldn’t notice if he slipped out now. Instead, he waits just in case something goes wrong.
It’s unlikely seeing as how Kyungsoo trusts his friend so willingly with his only child. Jongin should trust him too. When Baekhyun finishes, he shuts the book and promises another one again for next time. He waves goodbye as he and Jongin leave the room.
“You’re really good with the kids.” Jongin comments.
Baekhyun smiles, “Thanks, I’ve love them. My brother as his set of three at his place so I got a lot of practice before Sooyoung came into my life. Soo says the kids like me because they can’t see the difference between me and them. I tell him he is jealous that he’s a grump.”
“I don’t think he’s a grump.” Jongin pouts.
Baekhyun chuckles, “Wait until you see him in the morning or when his patients make him really stressed out. He’s not so pleasant. He’s just trying to make a good impression of himself in front of you. Are you planning on sticking around?”
Jongin turns to him surprised, “I, uh, would like too that is if Kyungsoo doesn’t mind.”
Baekhyun shakes his head, “Oh, he definitely won’t mind. You should take him out to dinner one night. Just the two of you, no kids. If you want, I can even babysit for you. I do it all the time for Kyungsoo.” He offers.
“What are you guys talking about?” Kyungsoo pokes his head down the hall and gives Baekhyun a pointed look.
Baekhyun mischievously grins, “Nothing, Soo love.”
Kyungsoo raises his eyebrow, unbelieving of his best friend. He turns to Jongin who only shyly nods to him.
After Baekhyun leaves, Jongin and Kyungsoo sit on the couch, side by side, leaving a little space in between. The movie starts with the first scene rolling when Kyungsoo focuses his attention on Jongin. “You and Baekhyun seemed to be having a nice conversation.”
“Yeah, he is really great with the girls, I can see why you keep him around. How long have you known him?”
Kyungsoo purses his lips, “Since middle school, we weren’t that close until middle of high school when I had broken up with my ex-wife. He cheered me up during that time and told me not to get back together with her or even get married. I should’ve listened to him when he tried to stop me from proposing.” He laughs, thinking of his teen years.
“He seems really fond of you. Did he… you know…?” Jongin trails off, his face heating up.
“Like me?” Kyungsoo finishes for him with a question. “Maybe. He was really popular back then and was in the closet, so people knowing the truth was a big deal to him. I had accidentally run in on him making out with some dude off the football team and he had kinda stuck around after that. Then when my wife and I had broken up, he encouraged me to branch out and helped me realize that maybe girls weren’t just my thing.”
“Did you ever like him?”
Kyungsoo stares at Jongin, “A little, when I was with him, but he found this guy he really liked right before I got together with my wife, and I saw what kind of boyfriend he was. Let’s just say I was repulsed.” He grins while laughing, “He was so clingy back in high school, and he whined too much. It was like dating a little puppy that drooled a lot.”
“For me, I always dated guys, but my parents never knew. My parents really loved me and were never forceful, they always gave me whatever I needed. All they asked from me was a grandkid. They didn’t even consider the fact that I might be gay and couldn’t have kids, but I wanted to please them and give them something back to show my gratitude, so I met this girl.” Jongin swallows and plays with his hands on his lap.
“Jongin, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want too.” Kyungsoo says.
“No, you need to know. I really did like her. She wasn’t so bad for a girl. I liked her enough that I was even okay with getting married to her just to make my parents happy, and we were going to after we found out that she was pregnant. But then, she… I couldn’t keep my sexuality a secret; she knew that I wasn’t into girls that much. I mean there’s only so much you can do during sex to be convincing enough. I was going to tell her before she had Hayi, and she was on her way to come meet me when… she was hit.
“I made it to the hospital in enough time for her to tell me that was my second chance to live the life I want. But I made a mistake. If I didn’t be selfish and had her come meet me just to tell her that I am gay, she would be alive and Hayi would have a mother.”
Kyungsoo places his hand over Jongin and squeezes, “You can’t beat yourself up for what happened. That was in no way your fault. You just have to forgive yourself. You did everything you could, and look, Hayi is so blessed to have a stable home and a father who loves her and goes to an amazing school where she has tons of friends. You’ve given her all your love, but now it’s time to let someone else love you.”
Jongin closes his eyes shut, tears escaping through the seam as Kyungsoo pulls him to lay his head across his lap. Kyungsoo’s fingers run through his hair, sometimes pressing his lips to the temple of Jongin’s forehead.
“Let me take you out to dinner,” Jongin declares as he is about to leave late that night with Hayi asleep on his back.
Kyungsoo leans against the door, smiling, “Okay.”
“Just the two of us. I’ll handle the babysitter.”
“Deal.” Kyungsoo says.
Jongin hesitates at the door before dropping down and planting a chaste kiss to the corner of Kyungsoo’s mouth. “Goodnight.”
“Drive safe.”
⚫ ⦁ ⚫
Jongin takes Baekhyun up on his offer and has him babysit Sooyoung and Hayi. He shows up to Kyungsoo’s home, offering a little carnation alongside Hayi, running between his legs to find Sooyoung. “Are you ready?”
Kyungsoo smells the flower, a beautiful smile on his face hat has Jongin’s heart fluttering. “Sure, let me say goodbye to Sooyoung and we can go.”
Jongin steps inside, following Kyungsoo to the living room where Baekhyun is already on the floor with Hayi and Sooyoung. Kyungsoo squats down between Sooyoung and Hayi, “I’m leaving with Jongin now. You guys listen to Uncle Baekhyun and make sure he doesn’t let you stay up too late. Give me a kiss before I go.”
Sooyoung gets up to plant a kiss on Kyungsoo’s cheek, giving him a short hug before running over to lean on Baekhyun. Kyungsoo looks to Hayi and picks her up to press a quick kiss to her forehead. “Be good.” He says, getting up.
Jongin puts his hand to the small of Kyungsoo’s back, leading him out of his house and to his car. “You know Hayi really likes you. She wants Sooyoung to be her sister and you to be her other dad.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes light up at the news, “She could always use another one.”
“Well, I asked her what she thought about having another dad, and she said as long as he can do her hair better than me, then it’s okay.” They chuckle together, Jongin’s hand folded in Kyungsoo’s.
They get to the restaurant, a lightly dimmed Italian eatery. They sit across each other, wine in their cups.
“The first time I saw you, it wasn’t at the kiddie park that day.” Jongin admits.
Kyungsoo coughs in surprise after sipping on his drink, “Really? When was the first time you saw me?”
“The day before. You were picking up Sooyoung. I was putting Hay into the car when I saw you walking inside with you holding your phone with your shoulder. By the time you came out, I was in the car and about to leave when I heard you tell Sooyoung you would take her to Pororo Park the next day.”
Kyungsoo gasps, “You didn’t!”
“You caught my eye.” Jongin mumbles, red blooming on his cheeks. “And in my defense, I promised Hayi that I would take her sometime, so it was only coincidence that I had some free time that Friday night. I didn’t think we would actually end up actually meeting.”
“I thought it was fate that we met, but now I don’t know.”
“It was fate that we met at the food store and you tried to haggle me just for some meat.”
Kyungsoo glares, “It was rightfully mine!”
“I had it first.” Jongin fights back with teasingly. Kyungsoo doesn’t fight back, but rolls his eyes instead. “Baekhyun also gave me the idea to take you out to dinner too.”
“Of course he did.” Kyungsoo pouts, looking at his plate.
“But I was gonna ask you on a date anyways because I wanted to talk to you about something.” Jongin brings up, looking serious as Kyungsoo meets his gaze.
“What about?”
“Well, I know we both have out kids as a priority, but I really like you, a lot, and so does Hayi. And I think if there is anyone on this planet that can be an amazing boyfriend and father to my kid it would be you, so I was wondering if you would do me the honor of maybe becoming a permanent thing to mine and Hayi’s life. I mean, I know you would have to talk to Sooyoung, but I already talked to Hayi and she loves you and it just seems perfect because I kinda do too and honestly I really would like to see you every day and hear you- ow!”
Jongin leans over to rub his calf under the table, frowning at Kyungsoo who had kicked him.
“I kept saying your name but you wouldn’t stop talking. I would love too. Sooyoung already asked about you being her new dad. And Jongin,” the male looks up as Kyungsoo tugs on his fingers, “I kinda love you too.”
Kyungsoo and Jongin come home with their bodies entwined and lips fervently moving against one another.
“Ew, my eyes! Just because I said no sexing it up with the kids awake means you can do it while I’m here and awake. You guys should be thanking me, not torturing me!” Baekhyun yells, shielding his eyes with his hand as he gets up off the couch where he was watching tv. “I’m going home then. The girls are sound asleep, so, uh… have fun.” He glances at their disheveled state before closing the door on them with his jacket thrown over his shoulder.
Kyungsoo runs his hands through his hair before turning back to Jongin, “Where were we?”
“What about the girls?” Jongin asks, looking concerned as he tries not to be too distracted by Kyungsoo’s swollen, red, spit-slicked lips.
“They’ll be fine as long as were quiet.”
Jongin draws Kyungsoo close by holding onto the belt loops of his pants, “That I can’t guarantee.” He whispers before leaning down and capturing Kyungsoo’s lips again.