Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sunrays hit the small house that holds the nursery school.

It is a low building made of red bricks with huge windows lining the walls. The entrance is framed with huge colorful columns that look like giant crayons.

The large windows let plenty of light into the rooms which makes them bright and warm. The light is only obstructed by the window decorations that the kids have crafted.

Right now tulips are blooming while butterflies and bees are fluttering around them on some of the windows. On other windows a sea world has come to life with colorful jellyfish and its likewise vibrant fish friends swimming around.

The nursery has three rooms where the kids can play, read, and learn, a kitchen, a bathroom and the office, all connected through one hall that also leads to the entrance. Through the main room is the backyard and garden where the kids have different toys for the outside, a jungle gym, swings and a sandbox.

There is really nothing that the kids could have missed.

Sunoo remembers how he started here as a teacher two years ago and how he was amazed by the many opportunities the kids have here.

But it is no wonder as all the kids are the offspring of rich chaebols, stars and politicians. These parents do everything so the kids have a good time, they only demand that the teachers take good care of the kids and that they keep their mouths shut about their identities.

They don't want any crazy fans or stalkers to find their kids and harm them. 

Sunoo respects that and he has never tried to find out about the parents of the kids that he takes care of. 

Today is a Tuesday in mid-April, and the sun is shining down on Sunoo's face.

He holds his face up, letting his pastel pink hair fall down from his forehead so the sunrays can caress his skin. He's sitting on a bench at one side of the garden while his colleague Eunsook is sitting right next to the doors that lead back inside. That way they can both overlook pretty much every spot in the garden.

Sunoo loves spring and the mild air it brings. Everything starts to bloom again, the animals wake up from their winter slumber and the days become longer. The kids can finally go out and play again and don't have to stay another day confined in a building. 

The 22-year old teacher loves playing games with the kids inside or crafting sweet winter and Christmas decorations, but there’s no place like the outside, where the kids can let their energy roam freely. The naps are simply way easier when the kids have played outside the whole morning. They usually fall asleep within an instant when they lay down after lunch. Fresh air seems to exhaust them in a good way.

A sudden cry pulls Sunoo from his thoughts.

"Noo Noo, Yumi took my shovel!"

A little girl with jet black hair that reaches her shoulders, dressed in a cute combination of a sun hat, a long sleeved dress with butterflies on it, and light pink leggings, comes waddling over. Her name is Nari and her big doe eyes are brimming with unshed tears.

Sunoo squats down to be on her eye level.

"That's not nice, shall we go over and ask her why she did that?"

The little girl pouts and stretches out one of her small hands so Sunoo can take it and walk over with her to the sandbox, where most of the other kids are gathered.

Yumi, usually inseparable from Nari, sits in the sandbox, indeed with a shovel in hand. 

However, she looks very sad and starts sobbing as soon as she sees Sunoo and Nari coming towards her.

Sunoo sits on the frame of the sandbox and Nari sits down on his left. Suddenly, she seems very quiet.

"Yumi, did you take Nari's shovel?"

The little girl shakes her head so hard that her pigtails fly around uncontrollably.

"No! It was in the sand and I took it. I wanted to help Nari."

She points at the mountain of sand in front of her that is probably supposed to be a sandcastle.

Sunoo looks back at the girl next to him.

"Is that true, Nari?"

Nari pouts and looks down, the guilt of wrongly accusing her friend practically dispersing from all of her pores.

Sunoo does his best to not smile at her adorable behavior.

"Nari," he presses in a kind, but firm voice.

Nari nods, the frown of her face deepening.

Sunoo nods before he continues.

"Why didn't you want her to help you?"

Nari looks up, her big brown eyes shimmering with the tears she's holding back.

"I wanted to supwise her. The sand castle is a pwesent…"

Sunoo’s heart squeezes at her cute reason.

"Oh, that is really sweet of you, Nari!"

He pats her hair and turns back to Yumi.

"Do you understand why she was mad?"

Yumi nods, a guilty look now on her face.

She stands up and waddles to Nari.

"I'm sowwy, Nari. I want to build the castle wiw you…"

Nari looks at Sunoo as if she wants his help in deciding what to do next.

"Is it okay if Yumi joins you? Instead of giving it to her as a present, you can both do it together and have fun. I'm sure Yumi would Iike that!"

From the corner of his eye he sees Yumi nodding enthusiastically, her pigtails bobbing up and down.

He can’t suppress the smile that spreads on his lips when he eyes Nari accepting the idea as she takes Yumi by the hand and they both waddle back to the sandcastle.

The pink-haired teacher smiles at them before he checks his watch and sees that it's about time for lunch preparations. The kids are all playing peacefully now and Eunsook is still by the door, overlooking everything. That means Sunoo can quickly jump inside and help Jake with the lunch preparations. 

He does so and walks into the little kitchen, where Jake is pushing a huge pan with mixed vegetables into the oven.

"Oh, are preparations all done?"

Jake shakes his head and points towards the counter.

"Nope, you can cut up the fruits for dessert. Veggies will be done in 10 minutes."

Sunoo nods and makes his way over to his work station. He picks up a knife, cutting up the bananas and strawberries before putting them in a big bowl. 

Jake shuffles out of the kitchen to lay the table in one of the other rooms.

Sunoo is just about to put the knife into the dishwasher after cutting up the last strawberry, when a high pitched scream is heard. He throws the dishwasher close and runs out towards the garden, where the scream has now turned into a heartbreaking cry. 

When he steps out, he immediately sees Eunsook crouching down in the sandbox, inspecting Nari's hand.

His heart breaks when he sees the little girl sobbing while the teacher checks her hand. He always had a soft spot for her.

"What happened?" He asks as he steps closer.

Nari sees him and her brown doe eyes start shedding even more tears.

"Noo Noo," she sobs, quickly scrambling up and towards him.

Eunsook is so surprised by her sudden movement that she doesn't even stop her. 

Sunoo crouches down and opens his arms in which the little girl immediately jumps.

"What happened, Nari?"

The girl continues to sob without saying a word, but she holds up her right palm and there Sunoo sees it - the stinger of a bee is stuck in her little palm. 

"Oh sweety, a bee stung you! We need to remove the stinger," he explains to her calmly as he gets up and brings her inside. 

She continues to sob, but nods bravely. She's adorable.

They pass Jake on the way to the nursery school's infirmary where they have everything they need to treat a wound like this.

Jake just briefly takes a look before he tells Sunoo that he'll call the parents while Sunoo takes care of Nari.

He puts her on the hospital cot and gives her one of the plush toys that are laying everywhere for when a child needs some comfort while being treated.

Then he quickly walks over to the medicine cabinet to take out what he needs to get the stinger out of her palm and treat the wound. 

When he comes back to her, she's bravely clutching a penguin plushie while holding up her injured palm. 

However, she's still crying and tears continue to stream down her face. Sunoo feels as if his heart is about to break.

"Ok, Nari baby, I will take out the stinger now. It might hurt a little, so I want you to hold onto Mr. Pingu here as tightly as you can, okay?"

She nods, pressing her lips together tightly.

Sunoo can’t help but smile at her attempt of courage.

He puts on gloves and disinfects the wound before using the tweezers and quickly pulls out the stinger.

Through the whole process the little girl bites her lips to prevent the sobs from breaking out. Unfortunately, that doesn't work well and she lets out one sob after the next. 

The nursery teacher lays the tweezers and stinger down, and puts a teddy bear band aid on the wound.

Nari sniffles and releases her lower lip. 

"See, it's all better now. You were so brave! And you even got a teddy band aid!"

He uses his kids’ voice, soft and cheering, showing the girl that everything is fine.

Nari nods, but tears are still rolling down her cheeks. 

"I want dada," she sobs.

"Oh sweety, he will be here soon! We already called him."

She nods again before stretching out her tiny arms.

Sunoo almost coos at the sweet gesture before he hugs her and pats her hair.

She continues to sob into his shoulder as she clutches onto him.

He lifts her up to walk around with her as it helps her to relax.

As they make their rounds around the infirmary, she slowly calms down.

Sunoo checks the time and sees that it has already been twenty minutes since the incident, and he's starting to wonder when her father will arrive.

He hasn't met him yet as he's always in one of the other rooms when the parents bring their kids to school, or it's one of Nari's 'uncles' who brings her to nursery school - at least that's what Nari calls them. Uncle Hee and uncle Jay, if Sunoo remembers correctly. 

Both are very tall and handsome, and it makes him maybe a little curious to find out what Nari's dad looks like. 

From the school's head teacher, Sunoo heard that her father is a single parent, which is really impressive as most men prefer to not take care of their children and rather leave the kids with the mother when they separate. Especially when they are some kind of star.

It makes Sunoo wonder what happened between Nari's parents. 

Sunoo might be a sweet teacher who keeps the names of his clients private in his job, but he is also very curious in his private life.

Nari further calms down in his arms and only some sniffles remind them that she was hurt a little while ago.

Jake pokes his head into the infirmary and informs Sunoo that Nari's father was on his way, but would need another ten minutes.

"Okay, I'll stay with her. Can you take care of lunch?"

"Already on it," Jake answers and shuffles off.

He started working at the nursery school a year after Sunoo and they have become great colleagues and good friends ever since. 

He has a sweet and easy-going personality which the kids adore and Sunoo appreciates. 

After some minutes Nari starts to draw doodles onto Sunoo's shirt with her fingers as he continues to walk around the nursery. She seems to have calmed down completely.

"Are you hungry, Nari? Do you want to have some lunch?"

She shakes her head and pouts.

"Want dada…"

Sunoo coos and pats her head.

"Ok sweety, I'm sure he'll be here soon."

Another five minutes go by before the doorbell rings.

Nari perks up and Sunoo quickly makes his way outside into the hall to open the front door.

"I'll get it," he calls down the corridor and into the main room to tell Jake and Eunsook that they don't have to leave lunchtime to open the door.

Through the glass doors he sees a tall man with blond, almost silver hair, dressed in a beige button up and beige pants. 

Sunoo opens the door and the man steps inside. 

And Sunoo almost loses it.

The man has dark eyebrows and even darker eyes that look at him with an unreadable look. His lips are not too thin, nor too full, they seem perfectly kissable. He has a mole on the bridge of his straight nose and his jawline looks as if he could cut pretty much anything with it.

Sunoo gulps.

Damn, he's hot.

"Dada!!" Nari squeaks and stretches out her arms towards the man.

What? Dada? That's Nari's dad??? 

Right. Damn.

"Hey, princess!"

His eyes jump from Sunoo to the little girl and he immediately scoops her from Sunoo's hold. His whole face changes from a strong and defensive demeanor to one of pure joy and softness.

Sunoo is amazed.

Mr. Park grabs Nari's hand to inspect her wound and accidently presses his finger right into the wound, making Nari howl in pain.

His eyes become wide and he lets go of her hand, apologizing to her immediately.

Nari sniffles and pokes out her tongue at him.

"You're so clumwsy, dada!"

Park Sunghoon looks down in embarrassment and apologizes again.

Sunoo is endeared.

Nari locks her tiny arms around his strong neck and cuddles up to him. 

The teacher can see how careful he holds her now, making sure that he doesn't use too much strength on her or hurt her again by accident.

Mr. Park's eyes wander back to Sunoo before he bows slightly.

"Hello I'm Park Sunghoon, Nari's father."

Sunoo continues to stare at him for a few moments before he shakes himself and focuses again.

He returns the bow and smiles at him.

"I’m Kim Sunoo, one of Nari’s teachers."

"Nice go meet you, Mr. Kim. Can you tell me what happened?"

Sunoo nods and tells him what he knows, ignoring the way Mr. Park’s bicep flexes as he holds Nari in his arms and strokes her hair.

"We removed the stinger and the wound looks alright, but you should keep an eye on her and go to a doctor if it gets worse."

Park Sunghoon nods before looking around. He spots what he was looking for and walks over to Nari’s locker. He opens it to take out her stuff, but it’s difficult with Nari clinging to him.

Sunoo quickly steps closer to help him.

"Sir, let me help."

Obediently, Mr. Park steps away and Sunoo packs everything that she has to take home with her. Finally, he holds out Nari’s jacket and backpack to Mr. Park.

"Should I help you put on her jacket?"

The taller man shakes his head as he grabs her stuff with one hand, the other still holding his daughter safely.

"No, thank you. My car is just outside and the heater is on."

Sunoo nods, admiring how Nari pushes her head against his neck and how he nuzzles back, kissing the side of her temple.

They’re adorable.

Park Sunghoon’s eyes meet his and Sunoo jerks back a little, looking down and blushing lightly from being caught staring.

"Thank you for taking care of her, we will leave now."

Sunoo nods and steps to the door to open it for them. 

"Thank you," Mr. Park says as he steps through the door.

Sunoo nods and bows. 

Before they step away, Nari’s head shoots up, giving her father almost a punch to the chin.

"Thank you, Suni! See you tomowow!"

Sunoo smiles at her happily. 

"Anything for you, sweet cheeks. See you tomorrow!"

She waves at him and Sunoo waves back, ignoring the dark eyes that stare back at him mysteriously.

Mr. Park leaves the nursery and walks over to the car where he puts Nari in the backseat and closes the door afterwards. He walks around the vehicle and opens the driver door to sit behind the wheel, but not before throwing a look in Sunoo's direction. 

Only then does the pink-haired man realize that he has been staring after him the whole time and was probably caught right now by him as the doors are made of glass.

He jerks back and quickly turns away, shuffling towards the kitchen. He leans against the wall next to the door, trying to calm down the tingle that went through his body as he got caught by those dark eyes.

However, he doesn't have time to reminisce about the encounter as suddenly, Jake enters the kitchen and makes Sunoo jump.

"Woah!" 

Jake screeches in surprise as well and almost lets go of the dishes he was holding in his hands. Luckily, he catches himself and apart from some cluttering sounds, nothing happens.

"What the hell are you doing here, standing around like a ghost?"

"I'm sorry, hyung! I was just - a little baffled - by Nari's dad."

Jake puts the dishes in the dishwasher before looking back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What about him?" 

"Have you SEEN him?"

Jake nods.

"Yeah. He's handsome."

"That's an understatement! He's hot!"

Sunoo whispers the last words as he doesn't want any of the kids or Eunsook to hear him talk about Mr. Park like that. He knows he can talk like that to Jake though and that the older wouldn't tell on him.

Jake shrugs.

"Yeah, maybe. I think her uncle is much cuter!"

Now it's Sunoo's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Ohoo, do you have something to tell me?"

Before Jake can explain further though, Eunsook calls from the other room.

"Jake? Sunoo? Could someone come? Jaejong just vomited!"

Some hours later it's closing time and the last kid has just been picked up. Sunoo and Jake wave after them and Sunoo locks the door while Jake already shuffles off to pick up some of the toys and check if there is anything that needs to be fixed before they also leave for the day.

Eunsook already left two hours earlier as she had a doctor's appointment. She also didn't look very good after Jaejong had emptied his stomach onto her pants. The crux of being a nursery teacher - vomit and snot were sometimes a daily companion.

Sunoo goes into the infirmary and bathroom to check everything there while Jake finishes the other rooms.

They meet in the office where they grab their bags and jackets to leave work.

"So, is Mr. Park still on your mind?"

Jake poses the question as they exit the school and lock the doors.

Sunoo looks at him in surprise. Indeed, Nari's dad has been spooking around his head since he saw him earlier.

"Uhm, yes. I mean, he was hot!"

Jake chuckles as they make their way to the subway station.

"Do you know who he is?"

Sunoo shakes his head.

"No. But I also don't follow the lives of celebrities."

Jakes pulls out his phone and types something before holding it out to Sunoo.

The younger one looks at the screen and sees several pictures of Mr. Park.

They are mostly close ups of him that show his handsome face with the dark eyebrows and expressive eyes. But what grabs his attention the most is the third picture - it shows Nari's dad on ice skates, dressed completely in black, posing as if he is in the middle of a performance on ice. And indeed, the headline above the search confirms just that.

It says Park Sunghoon (figure skater).

Sunoo looks up at Jake.

"He's a figure skater?"

"Yup. A pretty good one, actually. He won in the last Olympics and is the main representative of the national team. You're going for the rich guys now, Kim Sunoo?"

Jake chuckles, clearly saying this as a joke, but Sunoo feels a blush creep up his cheeks because somehow it feels like Jake is right - he's very intrigued with Park Sunghoon and the fact that he's a figure skater makes him even sexier in Sunoo's eyes.

He may have a tiny problem.

They arrive at the bus stop where their ways separate as Jake lives in the opposite direction to Sunoo.

The whole bus ride to his house Sunoo looks up Park Sunghoon on the internet. However, there's never any information about Nari or her mother. 

And although Sunoo is curious and wants to find out more, he's also very impressed by how there's really nothing about the little girl.

The only thing that can be found about Park Sunghoon are about his figure skater career and the medals he has won.

Sunoo also stumbles across Park Sunghoon's manager Park Jongseong and his coach Lee Heeseung - uncle Jay and uncle Hee!

Sunoo almost misses his stop as he's so deep into researching about Park Sunghoon.

He jumps out of the bus at the last second and quickly makes his way to his house.

It's empty when he enters, Jungwon is probably still at university and Niki has dance classes.

Yang Jungwon and Nishimura Riki (Niki) are his childhood friends who moved with him to Seoul two years ago when he got the job at the nursery school. Jungwon is his age and studies veterinary medicine. Niki is a dance major and also a dance teacher. 

Sunoo grabs his laptop and gets comfortable on the couch, opening Google to look up more facts about Park Sunghoon.

Half an hour later he hears the entrance door open and close, but he doesn't look up as he's watching a video about one of Park Sunghoon's performances on ice. He's mesmerized by the elegant and delicate movements that turn powerful and fierce from one second to the next. 

A body plops down next to him on the couch and moments later Jungwon cuddles up to his side, putting his head on his shoulder.

"What's this?"

"The figure skating performance that won at the last Olympics."

A silence follows, which means that Jungwon is probably surprised, but Sunoo has no time to check his reaction as he's still completely focused on Park Sunghoon. 

"And since when are you interested in figure skating, or sports in general?"

Jungwon inquires further, but Sunoo doesn't answer. 

The performance ends and the camera shows a close-up of Park Sunghoon's face.

"Oh," Jungwon comments, "THAT'S why you're so interested in it."

Sunoo blushes and quickly shuts the laptop before he looks at Jungwon.

The younger one raises an eyebrow at him.

"So, who was this?"

The click of a door stops Sunoo from answering and moments later Niki joins them on the couch.

"Who's who?"

Jungwon is quick to answer: "Sunoo was watching a video of a figure skater."

Niki looks at Sunoo in mock horror.

"Figure skating? The sport?? Are you sick?"

Sunoo rolls his eyes. He doesn't hate sports THAT much. He opens his mouth to answer him.

"And don't tell us you don't hate sport THAT much," Niki continues, "remember how you put a cast on your perfectly healthy leg only because you didn't want to participate in the sports day at our school?"

"You even wore that cast for a whole week before and after," Jungwon adds and Sunoo has no choice but to clamp his mouth shut. 

"Ok, ok!"

The 22-year old holds up his hands in defense.

"Ok, you're right, I'm not interested in the sport, but the figure skater I've just watched."

"I knew it," Jungwon cheers.

Sunoo gives him an annoyed look which makes him shut up.

Niki just nods and waits for the oldest to explain further.

And Sunoo has no reason to not tell his friends. They might mock him and be silly, but they always tell each other everything.

"His name is Park Sunghoon and he's a father of one of the kids at the nursery school."

Niki just nods while Jungwon raises an eyebrow, already thinking further than what Sunoo has just said. 

"Sunoo! He's a father! Which means he has a wife! Besides, aren't you NOT allowed to date your clients?"

"I know - that's why I'm trying to find out about his wife. Or rather, Nari's mother. Nari is his daughter's name. And she's so sweet and adorable!"

"Still, he's probably married! And what about work?"

Sunoo pouts, he hates how Jungwon is right.

"Yeah. That's why I'm trying to find out more. But there is nothing about Nari's mother. And she never picked her up. It's always only him or his manager or coach who comes for the girl. And there's nothing on the internet about her, either! And work… it's not specifically written in my contract that I'm not allowed to date a client. There's only a confidentiality agreement which forbids me to talk about my clients."

"Which you're successfully breaking right now," Niki comments dryly.

Both, Jungwon and Sunoo reach out one hand to give him a light slap on his neck for the dumb comment.

"Oww, guys, that was a joke!"

Jungwon pokes out his tongue at him, which the younger mirrors immediately.

Sunoo snorts. He loves these two idiots.

"Anyway," Jungwon speaks up again, "do you like that guy?"

"Well, I find him pretty hot. I've seen him for the first time today, but I can't get him out of my head."

"How about you just wait a little and see if your interest for him deepens? And maybe you can ask the girl about her mother, just to make sure? Or check the files at work?"

Sunoo nods. He didn't even think about asking Nari about her mom. He could totally do that.

And if he was still clueless after some days, he could indeed check the kid's file at work. 

"That's a good idea!"

"I know, I'm the brain of us three after all."

A pillow hits Jungwon square in the face just moments after he has spoken the words.

Niki celebrates the hit with a fist pump before commenting.

"And I'm the most atheltic of us."

Sunoo rolls his eyes before he stands up to prepare some dinner for them.

"And I'm definitely the babysitter here."

Chapter Text

The cold of the ice rink bites at cheeks but it’s one of Sunghoon’s favorite sensations. 

It’s exhilarating, like taking a deep breath before diving into a pool and feeling the wind rush around before hitting the water. He digs his skates into the ice, scraping the surface with the blades. From the stands, Heeseung is directing him. He claps and shouts, cheering him on.

But when he’s on the ice, he doesn’t hear anything. 

He’s in his own world, focused on how his blades glide on the ice and even though it’s early–the sun wasn’t even up when he was dragging himself out of bed–he thinks he could go for another couple of hours. He needs all the practice he can get. There’s the International Ice Cup competition just a few months away where athletes from all over the world are invited to compete and he has to be ready, has to be in his best form.

Coming to a pause, he takes a deep breath and then pushes off, setting up into a sit spin with one of his legs extended out in front of him. He gets six rotations out of it before he pulls back and straightens up, skidding to a halt and breathing hard. He feels sweaty under his thick hoodie and beanie. 

When he stops, he spots Heeseung over by the wall. Smiling, he skates over to him.

“That was perfect, so graceful,” Heeseung praises. “You’re like a giraffe on ice or something.”

Heeseung has been his coach for 6 years and Sunghoon considers them friends more than anything. 

“I hit that spin a bit slower than I was supposed to,” he says, pulling off his beanie and shaking his hair out. Despite being in the middle of an ice rink, he’s already burning up under his clothes. It will feel good to just lie and sink into the sofa tonight when he’s all done with his practice. No matter how long he’s done this, it doesn’t ache any less. Maybe Heeseung will let him skip his workout today. 

“You hit your other moves all on time,” Heeseung says. He looks down at his clipboard, pushing his glasses up higher on nose. “You’ve got about another hour with me. Want to do some stretches? What time are you heading out for Nari?”

Sunghoon glances over at the clock hanging on the wall, wiping sweat from his forehead. “A couple hours before she gets out of school.”

“You know what? Just take the rest of the day off with her, you deserve it. How's she doing by the way? Jay told me what happened.”

Sunghoon skates off of the ice to join Heeseung back on solid ground, fingers untying the laces to his skates. He drops down to stretch his legs, letting Heeseung hold onto his hands and pulling him forward until his hamstrings are burning. After he had taken Nari home, he washed her finger and applied a cream on the bite so it wouldn’t itch. “It wasn’t swelling anymore when we got home but I know it still hurts. She’s trying to be a big girl,” he sighs. “Ack, not so hard!”

“Sorry,” Heeseung chuckles, easing up on his pulling. “She is a big girl, can’t believe she’s three already.”

Sunghoon sits back upright and stretches his leg. It hits him all the time; one second he’ll be doing something random and then when he sees Nari, he’ll be hit with how fast she’s growing. She’s already in school! Soon, it will be elementary. 

He’s not ready for that yet. 

“Seems like she only started talking yesterday,” Sunghoon says.  

“You know you can always leave her with Jay or me whenever you just need some space.” 

Sunghoon scoffs, playfully scowling over to his coach. He has an idea of what Heeseung is alluding to. “Space for what?”

“I don’t know,” Heeseung shrugs, a small smile making its way onto his face. “Like if you went on a date or something.”

“I knew it,” Sunghoon deadpans. This time, he pulls Heeseung into another stretch, burning Heeseung’s hamstrings. Sighing, he pushes his hair back from his eyes. “It’s hard for someone like me to date, you know that, Hee.” 

“But not impossible.”

Sunghoon bites his lip, holding back the words that are itching to be spoken. Instead, he says, “Plus, with the competition coming up—,”

“If you say you’re busy, I’m going to quit being your coach right now. You’re in your off-season right now, Hoon. You’ve just got practice to worry about and the competition is months away. I wouldn’t be angry if you cancel one or two practices once in a while, you know what I’m saying?” He finishes in English. 

He doesn’t think it’s that easy. 

Still, he knows Heeseung is just looking out for him. 

Sunghoon smiles as Nari’s pouting face appears before his eyes. If she was there with him right now, she would probably agree with Heeseung and whine that he’s been spending too much time on the ice. 

“Nari is the only one I need in my life.”

By the time he finishes the rest of his practice with Heeseung, the temperature outside has warmed considerably. He changes into a pair of shorts and Timberlands so that he can pick up Nari at her school. Heeseung had messaged Jay for him about the rest of his practice being canceled and he is relieved about that. He would feel bad if he didn’t get to spend time with her after her bee accident; practice and training for the competition has been keeping him busy. 

So today, he’s going to be giving all of his time to her. 

When he parks his car in the nursery school’s lot, there’s still 15 minutes until dismissal. He doesn’t know what drives him to make his way through the front doors, but his feet are moving on their own. Before he realizes he’s inside of the building, the sound of laughter and excited squeals through the open classroom door making their way to his ears and he hears one in particular that he recognizes the most. 

This time, a young girl greets him, her shiny black hair pulled up high into a bun. Her apron is decorated with splashes of paint and other substances he doesn’t think he can identify, and he suddenly feels so sorry for her. Being a preschool teacher must be so tiring. After a long day of work, he already feels like collapsing into his bed and that’s just him with one child to look after. 

“Hi there! Are you here to pick-up?” 

Her name tag reads Eunsook and he bows politely to her before answering. “I’m here for Nari?"

“Oh yes, of course Mr. Park! We’re in the middle of cleaning here so if it’s okay, she should be ready in just a couple minutes?”

Sunghoon shifts his gaze from Eunsook to the classroom behind her, scratching the back of his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was too early,” he says, suddenly all too aware of how he’s the only one waiting in the hallway, of how the kids inside the classroom are currently busy tidying up after themselves while the teachers are flying around and helping them. He glances back at her, catching how she quickly looks away from him and clears her throat. 

“T-that’s perfectly alright! It shouldn’t be too long now.”

Sunghoon settles into a chair that’s across from the classroom. From inside, a voice starts singing. It’s a nursery rhyme he knows well and sings all the time to Nari at home. The voice that’s singing is soft and sweet, like an angel singing from the heavens. The classroom of kids suddenly joins along and a soft smile crosses his face. He takes a seat at one of the chairs set across from the cubbies the kids use for their slippers. 

“Alright, everyone! What do we say when we’re all finished with our clean up?”

“Clean up, clean up! We all had fun today. Clean up, clean up! Put everything away!”

“Taehyung-ah, you forgot to wash your hands!”

“Jiminnie, that’s mine!”

“Now, don’t fight, there’s enough room at the sink for both of you to wash, okay?”

“Teacher Jakey! Eunkwang put something up his nose…”

“Eunkwangie, erasers don’t belong in our noses.”

It isn’t until Sunghoon hears the sound of running a bit later that he stands up and heads back over to the classroom. “Dada!” Nari calls for him.

“Hi, princess,” he greets, crouching down to her level to take her backpack from her chubby, little hands. Her finger is still bandaged from the bee sting but doesn't look quite as red or swollen. “Did you say bye to your teachers?” 

Nari turns around and waves happily to Eunsook. “Bye, Teacher Sook!”

Eunsook laughs, waving both of her hands at Nari. “Bye, Nari, we’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?”

Nari nods as Sunghoon takes her hand in his, giving one last goodbye to Eunsook on their way out. The moment they leave, she’s already going on about her day and what she did, Sunghoon listening intently as he takes her to the car. 

“-and Yumi shared snacky with me today!”

“She did? That’s nice of her. Remember you can share your snacky with her too.” Sunghoon straps Nari into the carseat in the back along with her backpack, and grabs the coloring book stashed in the pocket of the driver seat for her so that she can have something to keep her busy while he makes the trip back into the city. He pulls out onto the road and turns the radio on, a soft pop song playing on in the background. “What other fun thing did you do in school today, princess?”

“Oh, we colored! I show dada later, okay? Noo Noo said it’s pwetty.”

Chuckling, Sunghoon looks at her through the rear view mirror while she draws in her coloring book and hums. “Who’s Noo Noo? A new friend of yours?”

“No, silly! Teacher Noo Noo.”

“Your teacher lets you call him that?” Sunghoon mutters, mostly to himself, as he takes a turn on the highway. She must be talking about Mr. Kim Sunoo, the teacher he met the other day. He does think he remembers her calling him “sunny” or something like that when they were leaving school. 

“Teacher Noo Noo is nice. Pretty too! Noo Noo cheekies like his hair,” Nari giggles. “I want to be pwetty like Noo Noo when I get big, dada.”

“You are pretty, baby. The prettiest,” Sunghoon tells her.

“Pwetty like Noo Noo?”

“Uh, sure, definitely!” Sunghoon really doesn’t know how to reply to that. He’s seen Nari’s teachers whenever he’s able to pick her up from school but he doesn’t really think he has any opinion on them since he doesn’t know them and commenting on their looks sounds a bit mean. He does know that Mr. Kim Sunoo has the pinkest hair he’s ever seen on someone and he wonders idly if Mr. Kim Sunoo’s family is okay with that.  

Just a few minutes later, he pulls into a space to park the car and shuts it off.

Unbuckling Nari from her carseat, he lifts her and holds her, and they head into the supermarket. At this time of day there aren't too many people around. He’ll buy their groceries and then head home to make some dinner. 

“Do you feel like walking with me or sitting in the shopping cart?”

Nari holds onto his shoulders, thinking. “Walk with dada!” She says.

Sunghoon sets Nari back on her feet and takes her hand. “You have to stay close to dada, okay? Or we’ll lose each other.”

“Okay!” She slips her small hand into Sunghoon’s and follows along.

Instead of a shopping cart, Sunghoon grabs a basket. They won’t be needing much to last the rest of the week anyway. With Nari holding onto his hand, he brings them over to the produce section where all the fresh vegetables are. “What do you want to eat today, princess?” 

“No veggies!”

Sunghoo laughs, “We need a little bit. Let’s see–oh, can you hold the basket for me? We just need…” He trails off in his thoughts as he sorts through which of the herbs and vegetables they need. “You want your favorite tonight? The sticky chicken?”

“Sticky chicken!” Nari smiles. “Yes!”

Dakgangjeong is her favorite but she always struggles with saying such a long word. Nari loves it whenever his mom makes it for her. He’s asked in the past to have her recipe so that he can cook it at home. Nari loves the feeling of anything sticky on her fingers because it’s fun. 

Once he finishes grabbing their vegetables, he heads over for a couple packages of meat for later. Nari continues holding his hand, singing softly with her eyes wide at all the different options and selections on the shelves, all the bright colors and sizes. When he finally gets to her favorite aisle, the snacks, she lets go and runs towards the first bag of potato chips she sees. 

“No, I want jellies! Noo Noo likes jellies too.” Nari grabs a package of yellow jellies then puts it back in favor of pink ones. “Strawbewwy.” 

“Wait, don’t forget to put it in your basket,” Sunghoon laughs, coming after her. “Strawberry? You usually get the apple ones.”

“Noo Noo likes strawbewwy jellies.”

Sunghoon’s eyes widen. This is really the first time he’s heard Nari talk so much about something else. He guesses it’s a good thing she likes him. He was worried that she wouldn’t like her nursery school and that it would be hard for her to make friends even though she’s so outgoing and bubbly. He takes the strawberry jellies and puts the package into their basket for her. “You really like him, huh?”

“I love Noo Noo, he’s the best!”

Sunghoon pouts at her, bending down and pretending to be hurt. “What about me?”

“I love dada too,” Nari says, looking at him like he’s asked the silliest question she’s ever heard! Of course she loves her dada. He’s the best too.

Nari stretches her arms out to him and he smiles, scooping her up and pressing a kiss to her cheek. Taking a hold of their basket, he starts to head to the cashiers. “Let’s go home and eat.”

Nari cheers.

By the time they get home, Sunghoon’s own stomach is grumbling so he hurries to get their dinner made. He’s standing at the stove, an apron tied around his waist, as he washes the rice. The kitchen smells like rice vinegar and gochujang. After getting all the chicken prepared and fried, all he has to do is add it to the sticky sauce and toss it until it’s all coated. Once he finishes with the rice, he sets it into the rice cooker for a little more than half an hour.

It’s enough time for him to get Nari washed up and dressed in her pajamas. She’ll probably want to spend the rest of the night playing until she goes to sleep. He unties his apron and leaves it on the counter before heading into the bathroom, where Nari is still in the bathtub surrounded by bubbles and her portable speaker that’s playing her favorite song while it flashes pretty colorful lights all over the walls and ceiling.

“Having fun?” He asks, leaning against the doorway. 

Nari giggles, taking a handful of bubbles and blowing them towards him. “I’m almost done!” 

“Do you need help washing your hair?”

“Yes, please.”

Thankfully, he’s changed into sweatpants and a soft t-shirt. Bending over the edge of the tub, he grabs the bottle of cherry scented shampoo Nari had picked out when she managed to convince him she was getting big enough to do so. “After you finish washing up, dinner should be ready,” he says as he starts lathering shampoo between his hands. 

Nari hums, grabbing one of the rubber ducks floating in the water. “Don’t forget the conditiowor, dada.”

“I won’t,” Sunghoon chuckles. “Lean your head back.”

“Do you think teacher Noo Noo uses cherry shampoo too? His hair smells yummy.”

“I don’t know. You can ask him if you want. I’m sure he’ll tell you, princess.”

“I asked Noo Noo why he’s so pwetty.”

“And what did he say?”

“He said it’s from all the love we give him,” Nari giggles. 

Sunghoon scrubs at Nari’s scalp to make sure he gets her hair clean, loving how she giggles while he does it. “That means he loves being a teacher and being around kids.”

Nari purses her lips. “Dada is pwetty too. Does that mean dada likes being around me?”

“Of course I do. Your love makes me pretty.” With Nari’s hair saturated with enough shampoo, Sunghoon grabs the small cup on the counter of the sink and starts to rinse the suds out of her hair. “Remember this part? Close your eyes.”

Nari brings both of her small hands up to cover her eyes, a waterfall cascading from the top of her head down her back. 

Sunghoon finishes washing her hair soon after that and definitely doesn’t forget to add the conditioner so that her hair is silky and soft. Making sure Nari’s hair is clean and free of any shampoo and conditioner left over, he grabs her favorite towel. It’s a hooded towel of a panda with ears at the top. Fuzzy and warm, he wraps it around her and helps her dry her hair. She stands and waits patiently, cuddling into her towel as the cold starts to settle on her skin. 

“We have to make sure your hair is dry or else you’ll get a headache when you go to sleep,” he says as he runs the towel through her hair. He remembers his mom always telling him that when he was younger, that if he went to sleep with his hair still damp then he’d wake up with a headache. 

It’s funny that he still does a lot of what his mom did when he was small too.

“Alright, princess, let’s go get your jammies on.”

With that, Nari bolts out of the cold bathroom with a squeal and runs to her bedroom. Sunghoon stays behind to finish cleaning up, mainly draining the water in the bathtub and putting the bath toys away. He wipes up any water that’s gotten on the floor before shutting off the light and heading to see if Nari needs any help getting dressed. 

Nari’s bedroom is past the bathroom and down the hallway, across from his own bedroom. There’s been times when he’s thankful it’s so close, like when she got a stomach bug one night and it only took a couple steps to grab her from her bed and into the bathroom before she threw up all over herself. 

When he approaches Nari’s bedroom, he sees that she’s picked out the pajamas that have pictures of eggs and toast printed all over the fabric. It’s one of her favorite sets because of how cute the eggs look. Sunghoon knocks softly on the door, smiling. 

“Are you dressed in your jammies?”

“Yes!” Nari says. She runs over to him and hugs his legs. “Hungwy now?”

Sunghoon laughs and bends to pick her up. “Hungry. Let’s go eat.” 

It doesn’t take long for him to prepare the rest of their dinner and as soon as the smell of chicken frying fills the apartment and the bowls hit the table, they both dig in. Nari claps excitedly, happy to be eating one of her favorite meals. Sunghoon thinks she would eat it every day if she could. Nari hums a song in her chair as she picks up a piece of chicken with rice. 

“Is it good?” 

“Yummy!” Nari says, her cheeks stretched wide in a smile and filled with food. 

Sunghoon laughs and leans over to wipe her mouth. “After dinner, we’ll watch a movie until you get tired. Does that sound good?”

“Hmm, can we pway instead, dada? Noo Noo pwayed with me today at school and it was fun!”

“Is Noo Noo your favorite teacher?”

“Teacher Sook is nice and Teacher Jakey is really nice and pwetty too,” Nari starts. “Noo Noo says I draw good and gives the best hugs.” 

Sunghoon pouts. “What about my hugs? Do you like my hugs too?”

Nari giggles, “Dada! I like dada’s hugs too but Noo Noo hugs are nice!”

“Maybe I need to meet this Noo Noo,” Sunghoon grumbles under his breath. “And tell him he’s taking away all of my Nari hugs.”

Nari huffs and hops down from her seat to go over to Sunghoon and climb into his lap. Sunghoon brushes her hair down with his fingers and kisses her forehead. “If Dada wants hugs, I always give them to him.”

“You know what Dada thinks? I think Nari hugs are the best.”

Nari leans up and kisses him on the cheek. “Dada should talk to Noo Noo. Dada likes pwetty things and Noo Noo is pwetty.”

Sunghoon chokes, rice lodging itself in his throat before he clears it with a cough. “I can’t just talk to him, princess.”

“Why?” Nari asks, her eyes incredibly big.

“It’s harder for people like Dada to make friends.”

He thinks about the last time he met somebody. It had to be years ago, when he met Jongseong, who was going to be his new manager. Other than him and Heeseung, he doesn’t think he’s made a new friend in a while. Maybe it’s time now. The thought makes him nervous.  

“But Noo Noo is so nice! And Noo Noo always takes the bwest care of Teddy for me.”

“I’ll say hi the next time I see him, okay?” 

Nari jumps down from his lap with a cheer and finishes her dinner, smiling. 

Sunghoon’s thoughts don’t stop, not even when he’s in Nari’s bedroom playing with her. All of her toys are spread out on the rug between them; she has her dolls and her favorite stuffed animals like Teddy and Miso, the bunny. Nari also has a giant playhouse that’s in the corner of her bedroom from her grandparents. They had surprised her with it for her birthday last year and since then, she always plays in it and considers it her favorite.

“This is Teddy and Teddy needs to open his hospital to hwelp his friends.”

“Are his friends hurt?”

“Yes, Dolly is hurt becwause Dolly fell off her swing and Miso hurt his head.”

Sunghoon grimaces, playing along. “It sounds like they need Teddy’s help a lot.”

Nari grabs Miso, the bunny, and puts a plastic band-aid around his head. Then Teddy helps Dolly with her injury, a scraped knee. Sunghoon holds onto Miso while Nari grabs a play splint and puts Miso’s leg into it. 

“There, all better!” 

“Wow, Teddy really is the best, isn’t he?”

Nari nods, holding Teddy to her chest to give him a hug. “I love him. Noo Noo likes Teddy too.”

Sunghoon finds himself smiling. How easy it would be to be a kid again and meet new people. It was always hard for him when he was younger because he was dedicated to his skating and now, even just thinking about it makes anxiety flare in the pit of his stomach. It hasn’t gotten any easier and he doesn’t want the disappointment again. 

“Dada! You’re not looking.”

Sunghoon snaps out of his mind to find Nari staring at him and her cheeks puffed out while she’s holding one of her dolls in her lap. “I’m sorry, princess,” he says, leaning over and pretending to deflate her cheeks. It makes her giggle and her face lights up in a big smile. 

“Thinking about Noo Noo?” 

This is the second time Nari’s surprised him tonight with how perceptive she is. 

It’s a bit unnerving, really. He doesn’t know what’s going on in her innocent, little brain and he’s always been weak to her big, round eyes ever since she was a baby; one look and he’d give in without question. 

“I am,” he admits. There’s no way he can lie to her. “I feel a bit scared to meet him.”

“Noo Noo is not scarwy, dada. Noo Noo is so nice. He likes pwetty things too and I tell Noo Noo my dada is pwetty every day. Here, I help.” 

He doesn’t know what Nari is doing until she’s reaching for one of the butterfly clips in her doll’s hair, unclipping it and then sticking it in in the front of his hair, clipping his bangs together. Her tongue is sticking out between her teeth as she concentrates on placing the butterfly clips in the perfect spots. She clips a few more in a line across his bangs.

“There,” Nari says when she’s finished. “Now dada is pwetty pwetty and Noo Noo will say hi.”

“You think so?” Sungoon mumbles. Grabbing Nari’s teddy bear, he smushes it against her cheek, giving her a bunch of kisses. 

He wishes it was as easy as Nari says it is. 

Soon, Nari grows tired. Just as the sun starts to dip, Nari is stifling a yawn behind her hand and rubbing at her eyes. Sunghoon sets Teddy down and brushes her hair back from her face. “I think someone’s ready for bed.”

“But I’m not sleepy,” Nari tells him, rubbing her eyes again.

Sunghoon chuckles, “Are you sure about that?” He presses a kiss to her forehead and gathers her into his arms. She holds onto him with her head resting on his shoulder. It’s getting late anyway and he has an early morning start tomorrow with dropping her off at school and then heading over to the ice rink for practice and interviews about the upcoming competition. He tucks Nari into bed and turns on the lamp beside her bed, making sure her blanket is pulled tight around her. Sunghoon kisses her forehead. “Good night, princess. Sleep well.”

Nari shifts and opens her eyes to look at him. “Night, Dada. We see Noo Noo tomowow and say hi, okay?”

Her voice is already thick with drowsiness and she’s drifting off by the second. Sunghoon nods. “Whatever you say, princess,” he says, smiling. “I love you, okay?”

Nari is out like a light.

Before he slips out of her bedroom, he picks up the small pile of toys they were playing with and puts the stuffed animals and the doll into the toy chest that’s in the corner. He leaves quietly, keeping the bedroom door open enough to let a sliver of light escape into the hallway. Heading back into the kitchen to finish cleaning up, Sunghoon doesn’t know how he’ll get ready for tomorrow because the day hasn’t even come yet and he already feels like he’s going to make a fool of himself.

Chapter Text

"And then I took a bath and Dada cooked dinner. He made my favowite - sticky chicken. Do you like sticky chicken, Noo Noo?"

Sunoo smiles fondly at the nickname. Nari came up with it when she started coming to this nursery school, and Sunoo has been endeared ever since.

He nods as the little girl who's sitting next to him and looks at the picture book they started reading together some moments ago. 

Or rather, Sunoo started reading it to her.

It's about a little penguin that has two fathers. 

Nari has pulled it from the shelf last week, saying how the main character reminds her of her Dada, and demanded from Sunoo to read it to her almost on a daily basis.

"Yes, I also like sticky chicken."

Nari claps her hands in excitement.

"Great! Dada will cook it for you next time!"

Sunoo chuckles and pats her hair softly.

"Sure," he smiles, "just tell your Dada to invite me!"

He doesn't believe it, but he won't argue with this smart little girl.

However, he forgot how smart she really is, as she catches on on his undertone and jots out her lower lip.

"You don't believe me," she pouts in full mode - lips sticking out accusingly and her eyebrows drawn into a (very adorable) little scowl.

"I do! Aww, sweety, I do believe you! What did you do after dinner," Sunoo quickly tries to soothe her mood and divert her thoughts somewhere else. 

His tactics work and her scowl disappears as she reminisces about the previous night.

"I played with Teddy and Miso and Dada. They had to go to the howspital!"

"Oh no, what happened??"

"Teddy fell and hit his head. And I had to expwain to Dada that you also like Teddy so much and that we must help him for you!"

"Aww, you're such a sweetheart! I'm glad you took such good care of him!"

He gives her a soft backrub, which makes her sit up tall and proud.

Sunoo chuckles. She's really something.

"And we tawked about friends and I want you and Dada to be friends!"

Sunoo wills himself to not think about any possibility to be friends with her hot father, it's not possible anyway.

But he can't tell that to the little girl, so he just nods along.

"Yeah, I'm sure we can be friends some day."

"He wants to say hi to Noo Noo!"

"What do you mean?"

"Dada said he wants to say hi to you! But you were not there today when we came!"

She pouts as she remembers that she arrived and her favorite Noo Noo wasn't there to greet them.

Sunoo nods, indeed he had been in one of the other rooms, playing with the kids that had already arrived.

Suddenly a small but firm finger starts poking his chest.

He raises his eyebrows at Nari, who stood up and now pokes her finger at him repeatedly.

"You have to be there tomowow so Dada can say hi!!"

Sunoo opens his mouth to say something, but closes it again. There's no need to argue with a toddler, so he just nods.

Nari smiles proudly and nods, before sitting down into his lap and grabbing the book they abandoned some moments ago.

She flips some pages before she comes to a page that shows several penguins on rocks.

"This looks like Dada… and that’s uncle Hee and uncle Jay, being friends with Dada…"

She flips another page and points at the text.

"Read, pwease!"

Sunoo snorts at her demanding tone.

She really is a boss baby.

But how can he refuse when she's the most adorable girl he had ever encountered? Thus, he starts reading obediently.

They finish the book some minutes later, not because they came to the last page, but because Nari suddenly remembers something, and jumps up.

"Noo Noo, I have dance pwactice tomowow!"

Sunoo smiles and nods at her.

"Cool! Can you show me some dance moves already?"

She does a little spin and claps her hands twice before doing an ending pose.

Sunoo laughs heartily.

"This was amazing, Nari!!" 

She looks beyond proud as she puffs out her chest. 

From the corner of his eye Sunoo sees how Jake is being occupied by several kids at once.

He has a board game in his hands which he apparently wants to play with some of the kids.

But if two or three play, the others want to play as well. It's always like this.

Sunoo needs to help him.

He closes the book and smiles at Nari.

"Should we go out and do a sandcastle competition?"

Nari's eyes light up in excitement. She's a competitive girl.

"Oh, yes!!"

Sunoo nods and points at the pile of kids around Jake. He looks at Sunoo with pleading eyes.

"How about you go get some more competitors?"

The little girl nods excitedly and makes her way over to the others.

"Guys!!! Let's have a sandcastle compwetition!"

Most of the kids immediately start cheering and follow Nari outside into the garden.

Sunoo chuckles as he puts the book away and follows them.

Before he leaves the door, he throws one last look at Jake, who mouths a 'thank you' before focusing back on the two kids that have remained with him.

After lunch it's time to put the kids to sleep and Sunoo helps them all before he sits down next to Nari's bed. She can't fall asleep and fidgets around. 

"I'm so exwited for dance class, Noo Noo," she whispers to him and Sunoo smiles sweetly at her. He pats her head softly, trying to soothe her with his touch and voice, so she can fall asleep quickly.

"I know you are. But everything will be alright, sweetheart. You will do amazing."

The pat and his words seem to ease her nerves as she nods quietly and closes her eyes. But not without reaching for him with her tiny hand.

Her little fingers clasp tightly around his index finger and hold him tightly. Sunoo has no choice but to settle there for now, until her breaths become even.

Jake, who's on nap-duty, gestures for him to leave, but Sunoo points at Nari's grip and waves Jake off. It seems it will be him on nap-duty today.

While he lets Nari hold his hand, his eyes wander around the room.

Some kids are still fidgeting, trying to find the right position to fall asleep. However, most of the 26 children are already deep into the land of dreams.

Sunoo looks back at Nari, whose eyes are still closed. One could think she's asleep, but the grip on Sunoo’s finger is still strong, so she's not sleeping yet.

He starts humming a soft tune as he knows that it helps some of the kids to relax.

And indeed, about five minutes later Nari's fingers loosen around his and he listens carefully, only to hear her breathing evenly.

A quick look around the room confirms that all the other kids are sleeping now, too.

He pulls his finger from her hand carefully and quietly gets up, tiptoeing over to the door.

He walks over to the office, where Jake is sitting down at the computer, typing in all the things they have to keep a record of.

He looks up when Sunoo enters.

"Everyone asleep?"

Sunoo nods and takes a can of cider from the little fridge that's only for the teachers.

He sits down, opens the can and takes a big sip. The nap time is also their break time, so he can relax a little.

Soon enough the first kids will wake up again.

He leans back on the lounge that's in the office and drinks some more. His eyes roam the room and stop at one of the cabinets - the one that holds the kids' files.

He remembers something and stands up abruptly, putting the can down with a loud thud.

Jake jumps up from the sound and gives him a confused look.

"Sorry," Sunoo says quickly before he shuffles to the cabinet.

Jake eyes him for a moment before he focuses on the screen again.

Sunoo is glad the older one doesn't ask him what he's looking for - he still feels that it's not right to look up information about one of the kids' families.

But somehow, Park Sunghoon won't leave his mind. And a peak won't hurt, right?

Sunoo opens the drawer that holds the kids whose last name starts with a 'P', and looks through the several Parks, until he finds Nari's name.

He pulls out the brown file and opens the first page.

It's an overview with all the important data about the child - name, date and place of birth, nationality, address, parents and contact numbers.

In Nari's case everything is filled out neatly - except her mother's name.

The contact numbers are those of her father, Park Sunghoon, and Lee Heeseung and Park Jongseong - as Sunoo now knows Mr. Park's coach and manager.

He pouts and closes the file with an annoyed sigh.

"Haven't found what you've been looking for?"

Jake's voice makes him jump as it sounds so close. And indeed, when he turns around the older one has stood up from the chair and stepped closer to him.

Sunoo knows he doesn't have to hide anything from Jake, but still he feels a blush rise up his cheeks from being caught.

He quickly puts the file back and closes the drawer.

Then, he turns to Jake and shrugs.

"Not really, but I was also not hopeful there would be anything."

Jake raises an eyebrow at him.

"What exactly were you looking for," he asks with a genuine tone.

Sunoo contemplates for a moment whether to answer truthfully, or come up with an excuse. 

But he trusts Jake, the man is more of a friend than a coworker to him, so he decides to tell him the truth.

"I’m curious about Nari’s mom."

Jake doesn’t look very surprised, but instead smirks.

"You got it bad, huh?"

Sunoo bites his lower lip and shrugs.

"I don’t know - yet…" He sighs before slumping back on the lounge he was sitting in before.

"I can’t get him out of my head and I’m so curious about him! I looked up everything about him on the internet, but there’s nothing about his wife, or Nari’s mother. And I just want to know…"

"Know if you have a chance with him?"

Sunoo shrugs.

"Maybe? I don’t know!"

He feels like he’s about to throw a tantrum. He finds Pak Sunghoon hot, but he really should not. And then there’s Nari, this sweet and adorable girl, that holds a special place in his heart - which she also shouldn’t. But Sunoo can’t help it.

He sighs, defeated.

Jake pats his shoulder.

"Why don’t you ask Nari about her mom? She’s a smart girl and I’m sure she would tell you."

Sunoo thinks about it for a moment, but this also doesn't feel right. He doesn’t want to take advantage of her. It’s not his place to do so, and he doesn’t want to use their bond for something like this. 

He tells Jake his thoughts and the older one nods. 

"True. I understand your concerns. Damn, you’re a sweetheart, Sunoo!"

Sunoo snorts from the clumsy compliment.

He checks the clock and realizes that half an hour has already gone by. The first kids will probably wake up soon. He also realizes that he hasn’t seen Eunsook since lunch. He asks Jake about her.

"She’s probably cleaning one of the other rooms. Or tans in the garden," the older one shrugs before sitting back at the computer to continue his work.

Sunoo nods and gets up, making his way to the main room to look for her.

She isn’t there, so he steps outside into the garden.

And indeed, she’s sitting on a chair, holding her face up into the sunshine. 

He thinks about sitting down with her and soaking up the vitamins, but he already feels guilty for taking a break for too long. 

Sunoo steps back inside and walks over to the kitchen to see if everything is cleaned up. Just as he’s about to leave the room again (because of course everything is cleaned already - his coworkers do their job just as well as he does), the dishwasher jingles, indicating that the dishes are clean and ready to be taken out. 

He skips over, happy to finally have something to do that can keep his mind off of Nari’s father. 

Some hours later it’s time for the little ones to go home. One kid after the other gets picked up, while the remaining ones are playing in the main room. 

Finally, only Nari is left, sitting in the reading corner next to Sunoo. 

Jake enters the room and both look up. 

"Is Dada here?"

Jake shakes his head before he gestures for Sunoo to come with him.

Sunoo raises an eyebrow, confused by the secrecy. Still, he tells Nari to choose another book and that he’ll be back in a moment, before he follows Jake outside into the hall that connects all the rooms.

There, Eunsook is on her way out already, shutting the door after a quick goodbye.

"Did something happen?" Sunoo asks Jake after they have said goodbye to their coworker. 

"Well, kinda. I already called Nari’s dad, but he didn’t pick up. I called the other contact numbers, and Mr. Park, his manager, picked up. He said that Nari’s dad is still in an interview and neither one of them can pick her up. I offered to call Mr. Hee, and I did, but he’s at some appointment as well. Now Mr. Park called back and apologized and asked if there is a possibility one of us could take care of Nari for another hour or so. They will try to get here as soon as possible."

Sunoo thinks about the plans he has for the night - dinner with Jungwon and Niki - but that’s not until later, so even if he has to wait for longer than an hour, he would still make it to his dinner date with his besties.

"I can stay with her. I only have plans for dinner, but that’s only later at night."

Jake exhales gratefully. 

"Thank God! I have an important appointment in an hour that I can’t postpone. You’re my savior!"

Sunoo chuckles and shakes his head.

"No need to thank me. You know how much I like the kids, it's really not a problem!"

"Yeah, and especially how much you like Nari… and her father," Jake smirks and Sunoo feels his face heating up.

"That’s not true," he protests, slapping Jake lightly on the shoulder.

The older one laughs heartily before he turns away to go back to the office.

"I quickly call Mr. Park back and let him know that Nari is taken care of!"

Sunoo nods and makes his way back to the little girl.

On the way there he checks the time and sees that it’s a little after 4 PM. Waiting for an hour will be no problem. 

Only that one hour turns into three. 

It’s almost 7 PM now, and Sunoo looks down at a sleeping Nari.

He called Mr. Park already an hour ago and the manager assured him that they were wrapping up and would be there soon. Sunoo doubts that, but he's not mad or anything. He just feels really sorry for the little girl. 

Sunoo had told her that her daddy will be late, and although she had looked a little sad, she had shrugged her shoulders and smiled bravely, saying that her "dada is really impowtant, he will get me when he can".

Sunoo had melted on the spot. 

After they had read two more books, Nari wanted to play with the LEGO bricks. Together, they built a castle and played around a bit. 

Then she said she was hungry and Sunoo did his best to come up with something for her - unfortunately there was only some bread and a few other ingredients left. Therefore, her dinner consisted of a peanut butter and jam sandwich and chocolate milk. He knew it wasn’t very healthy, but all the food for lunch was always delivered to the school freshly, and every child brought their own breakfast. So there was really nothing for dinner, but the sandwiches.

But Nari, being the sweet girl she is, told him the food was yummy and that she liked it a lot. 

After dinner she had started yawning and Sunoo had put her to bed twenty minutes ago - and still no one was there to pick her up.

He had already texted Jungwon and canceled their dinner plans. 

Now, Nari is fast asleep in one of the beds in the nap room.

Suddenly, the phone in the office starts ringing, and Sunoo quickly walks over to pick it up.

"Hello? This is Park Sunghoon, I’m Nari’s father," a stressed-sounding voice speaks.

Sunoo sighs in relief.

"Yes, hello Mr. Park. This is Kim Sunoo. Are you on your way?"

"Oh, God, yes I am! I'm so sorry! I just dropped off my manager. This damn interview went on forever - I'm so sorry!"

Sunoo can hear how sorry the other man is, and he's not really one to hold grudges. Again, he's not mad, he just feels sorry for Nari.

"It's alright, Mr. Park. It's just that Nari didn't have a real dinner as we don't have much food here at school for situations like these. Also, she already fell asleep."

He heard a sigh from the other end before Mr. Park spoke again.

"I'm so sorry! My poor girl! Thank you so much for taking care of her. I'm sure she loved whatever you made her for dinner, anyway!"

Sunoo chuckles because as bad as he felt about the unhealthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich, as much did Nari loved it for sure. 

"How can I thank you?"

"Oh no," Sunoo quickly denies, "it's fine! It's part of my job, so…"

"Nonsense! Your job is to take care and educate our kids, not to babysit them until late at night because us idiotic parents are unable to pick up our babies on time!"

Sunoo snorts, it's cute how Park Sunghoon bashes himself.

"It's really okay, Mr. Park!"

"I won't take no for an answer! I'm parking the car now, we'll discuss further in person!"

With that the line goes dead and leaves Sunoo unable to protest more. However, he would lie if he says that the demanding tone Park Sunghoon just used didn't make his skin prickle. 

He's in deep shit.

A light knock on the door pulls him from his thoughts, and he quickly puts down the phone before walking to the entrance and letting Park Sunghoon in.

Nari's father is wearing a black suit with a black button-up underneath. He's not wearing a tie, but instead the top buttons of his shirt are open, revealing a strong neck. His slightly disheveled hair makes him look even hotter, and Sunoo can't help but gulp when the older man steps in.

The prickle on his skin intensifies.

"Hello, Mr. Kim! Where is Nari?"

Sunoo just bows his head slightly, not trusting his voice right now, and points in the direction of the nap room.

Park Sunghoon nods and walks into the room.

Moments later he comes back, with a sleeping Nari in his arms.

The movement must have woken her, as she lifts her head and looks at her father tiredly.

"Shh," Sunghoon pats her back softly, "I'm finally here, baby. Let's go home now."

She blinks at him, her eyelids heavy.

Then she rubs her eyes before she looks at Sunoo and back at Sunghoon.

"Noo Noo too?"

Now it's Sunghoon's turn to look at Sunoo and back at Nari.

"Yes, I'm sure Mr. Kim will go home now, too."

Nari yawns and shakes her head.

"Noooo," she pouts, "Noo Noo come to our home."

"Uhm…" Park Sunghoon is clearly lost for words and Sunoo wants to say something, to get out of this awkward situation, but his stomach chooses right this moment to growl loudly.

He quickly puts a hand on his belly, but by Mr. Park's surprised look it's clear that he heard the growl.

Nari must have heard it too as she's now pointing at him with demanding eyes looking at her father.

"Noo Noo hungry, Daddy!"

Mr. Park opens his mouth, and closes it again. Sunoo blushes and shakes his head while waving his hands no.

"It's okay, I will get home and order pizza!"

"I want pizza," Nari suddenly whines.

Sunoo wants to facepalm himself and throws an apologetic look to Mr. Park.

The older man is clearly lost.

"Ok, ok, sweetheart, we will order pizza when we get home, too!"

Nari pouts at him and shakes her head.

"No! Pizza with Noo Noo!"

Her eyes are so fierce and demanding that Sunoo is sure she would have stomped her little feet if she had been standing on the floor instead being in her father's arms.

"No, Nari, it's okay!" 

Sunoo tries to quickly intervene and help Mr. Park out of this situation.

Nari looks at him and suddenly her fierce and demanding look turns into one of pure sadness. Her eyes glaze over and tears fill them up. Oh no.

"But I want pizza with Noo Noo," she almost sobs and both Mr. Park and Sunoo immediately tense.

"Ok, it's okay, sweety, Mr. Kim will come with us!"

Mr. Park assures her quickly before sending a pleading look towards Sunoo.

The teacher quickly nods, Nari is clearly moody because of her tiredness, but he won't be the one to make her cry now.

"Alright, yes! I'm coming with you," he says, quickly.

Nari sniffs and nods with a pout.

Then she turns to her father.

"And this is Noo Noo, not Mr. Kim!"

Sunoo pushes his lips together to not snort because of her sassiness.

Mr. Park looks at her with a hint of amusement, some confusion and lots of admiration, and nods.

"Ok, he's Noo Noo."

She nods and yawns. Then her eyes start to droop again and her head falls on her father's shoulder.

She mumbles something that Sunoo can't hear because of the distance between them, and falls back asleep.

Mr. Park looks at Sunoo with a confused look that probably mirrors his own.

The older man clears his throat and nods at Sunoo.

"So, uhm, pizza on our couch? 

Sunoo feels his cheeks blush and giggles softly.

"Yes, okay, sir."

"Ah, well… uhm, I'm Sunghoon. You can call me Sunghoon."

Sunoo nods shyly.

"I'm Sunoo. You can call me Sunoo or - well," he giggles again, "Noo Noo."

Sunghoon makes a sound as if he just choked on his saliva, and shakes his head.

"Oh, uhm, I think Sunoo is fine for now."

Suddenly, Sunghoon's cheeks look a bit redder than before and he buries his nose in Nari's hair. 

Sunoo feels soft from looking at these two. 

Then, Sunghoon's eyes land on him again, an unreadable expression in his eyes. Sunoo feels caught, and quickly shuffles off to get his stuff, not able to withhold the other's intense eyes.

When he comes back into the hall, Sunghoon is struggling with getting Nari’s stuff out of her locker with one hand.

Sunoo walks over and puts a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Let me," he whispers when Sunghoon looks at him.

"You take care of Nari, I'll take her stuff," he continues and looks down quickly to stop his cheeks from turning red.

Sunghoon obediently pulls back his arm, murmuring a soft "Thank you."

He steps back to give Sunoo space so he can grab everything from the locker.

Nari is still in deep slumber when they leave the building and make their way to their car. It's a black limousine which looks really luxurious. Sunoo has no interest in cars, so he doesn't know what car exactly it is, but it looks very luxurious and expensive. 

Sunghoon puts his daughter in her seat in the back, fastens her seat belt and drapes a blanket over her so she stays warm.

Then he turns to Sunoo and grabs Nari's stuff from his hands to put it into the trunk.

Sunoo tries to ignore the buzz that goes through his body from where his and Sunghoon's hands just touched.

Nari's father comes back to Sunoo and opens the passenger door, so the teacher can sit down. 

Sunoo swoons internally over this gentleman-move, and sits down into the passenger seat.

Moments later Sunghoon puts the car in reverse to get out of the parking spot and onto the road.

They head deeper into the city and Sunoo soon realizes that they're nearing Gangnam. 

He's already calculating how long it will take him later to get home. At least an hour, when he takes the bus. A taxi would be faster, but also more expensive.

"Thank you so much for staying with Nari," Sunghoon suddenly speaks.

His eyes are fixed on the road, but he glances quickly at the younger to show him that he has his full attention. 

Sunoo shakes his head.

"Really, you don't need to thank me. For one, it's my job, and for two, I really like Nari."

"Still, I'm grateful. And I'm also pretty sure that Nari wouldn't have wanted to stay behind with anyone else. You're her favorite."

Sunoo giggles, thinking how she's also his favorite, but he's not allowed to say that.

Instead he says: "I feel honored!"

Sunghoon snorts as he turns a corner and drives over one of the bridges that cross the Han River. Ok, so not Gangnam.

Soon, they're nearing Hannam-Dong and Sunoo realizes just how rich Sunghoon must be, when he can afford to live in such a neighborhood.

However, they don't go towards The Hill or UN Village, but to a more subtle area that has many single family houses instead of the luxurious housing complexes that many other famous people live in.

Sunghoon turns the car into a street that is lined with high walls on each side. The walls are made of different stones and bricks, fitting the mansions that are sitting on top of and behind those walls.

Sunoo sees garage doors in some of the walls, as well as stairs that lead up to gates where one can enter the property. 

Everything looks very closed-off and highly luxurious at the same time.

They arrive at a sleek, gray wall with an anthracite garage door. As soon as the hood of the car is close enough, the door starts to lift and opens up to an underground parking lot.

Sunghoon maneuvers the car inside and lights turn on automatically. 

There are parking spots for six cars, but only one is occupied right now by a dark green SUV. The thought of Nari’s mother enters Sunoo's mind and suddenly he's not so excited for the pizza on the couch anymore. This car has to be hers, which means she's at home. Sunoo groans internally.

What kind of situation has he gotten himself into? 

Sunghoon parks his car next to the green one, and turns off the engine. He looks back at Nari, who's still in deep sleep, and then back to Sunoo.

"We've arrived."

Sunoo nods with a small smile. The whole atmosphere is somehow strange. He himself feels strange. He's excited to talk some more with Sunghoon, but he's also nervous about Nari’s mother. 

Sunghoon gets out of the car without another word, and Sunoo follows suit. 

The figure skater walks around the car to open the back door and take out Nari.

The little girl only squirms slightly, before she lets out a deep sigh and cuddles up to her father.

Sunoo feels soft from looking at these two - the father and the daughter make such a sweet picture.

"We can leave her things in the car. Let's take her to bed," Sunghoon says before making his way over to a white door in the wall.

Sunoo follows him quickly, through the door and up some stairs that lead them to a huge living room area with an adjacent kitchen. 

Sunghoon walks through the living room to another flight of stairs that lead upwards. Before he goes up, he turns back to Sunoo.

"How about you choose a pizza already? I'll be back in a second, after I put her to bed."

Sunoo nods and watches Sunghoo go upstairs with the little princess.

He takes a look around as he sits down.

The living room area consists of a huge white couch with black and white pillows. Opposite the couch are two armchairs that look really comfy, and between them there are two low tables made of marble.

The kitchen is open and in contrast to the living room, completely black. 

The house looks really luxurious and clean. However there are toys scattered around the fireplace and leftovers from breakfast on the kitchen counter. As he leans back a sudden squeak makes him jump and he pulls a toy trumpet from behind the pillow.

On the coffee table there's a picture book, still open on one page with a mug and a sippy cup sitting next to it. Sunghoon and Nari must have read it together. The image in his head makes him smile.

But his smile soon disappears as he remembers that there must be a Mrs. Park and that it could very well be her that had read that book with Nari. 

Subtly, he looks around, scanning the room for any indicator for a third person in this household, especially a woman.

They didn't come through the front door, so he hasn't seen any slippers. There are no things lying around that indicate that a woman is living here, either. And there's nothing about her in Nari's file. So the chances are good that she's non-existent in their lives, but then there's that second car in the garage.

Sunoo pouts, he's about to get a headache.

"Are you alright?"

The voice makes him jump and he looks up to see Sunghoon standing next to the couch. He must have come down while Sunoo was speculating about Nari's mother.

He blushes from being caught and from looking at Sunghoon clad in sweatpants and a hoodie. He looks so soft in this big, fluffy hoodie, and Sunoo imagines for a moment how it would feel to cuddle up to him. 

He clears his throat, willing his blush to go away and nods, "Yes, I'm alright! I was just thinking about something!"

Sunghoon nods and sits down next to him. He seems tense and a little awkward. 

"Okay. I apologize that I dragged you here, I was a little afraid Nari would wake up and not see you if I left you behind, and that would have been a disaster. I - I simply can't deny her any wishes, I know that's stupid and not really good, but she's my everything, and if I can make her wish come true, I will. So, yeah, if you - if you don't want to be here, it's fine. Nari is fast asleep. I'm sure she won't wake up until tomorrow morning. I can call you a taxi and you can finally go home."

Sunoo wants to answer, but once again his stomach is quicker as it let's out a loud growl.

Sunghoon looks at him, as surprised as Sunoo feels, before he snorts.

The younger one buries his head in his hands with a groan.

"Or I can just order the pizza and you can finally get some food," Sunghoon says with an amused tone.

Sunoo thinks it would be better to leave.

He's so confused from the whole situation and he really shouldn't be there, but he also needs food. And he loves pizza.

So he peaks from behind his fingers and looks at Sunghoon. The older one has a small smile on his lips and the awkwardness seems to be gone.

Sunoo's heart skips a beat when he meets his eyes that also hold the amusement and sparkle in an alluring way.

Sunoo is really in deep shit. And he will get deeper.

"Yes, please get me a pizza," he mumbles humbly, head still in his hands. He hopes that his fingers can cover at least some of the deep red that surely shows on his face. 

Sunghoon nods without another word, and grabs his phone to place the order.

Sunoo is glad about the moment of peace. He uses it to lightly pat his cheeks and pull himself together. 

But who's to blame him?

He's sitting on the couch of a father of one of the kids he's taking care of, who is not only a celebrity, but also hot as hell and so cute when he takes care of his daughter. He has no idea who the mother is, but his little stupid heart decides to ignore that completely each time it skips a beat when said father throws a look in his direction. And on top of that his stomach seems to have a thing for embarrassing him even more each time it growls and announces that it's hungry. And right now this hot and successful, but somewhat awkward man over there is ordering them pizza for dinner.

Can things get even stranger?

Sunghoon puts his phone on the table and turns to Sunoo.

The younger one immediately sits up straight.

"It will take about 15 minutes. Do you want something to drink? And, maybe, take your jacket off?"

Sunoo looks down at himself and realizes that indeed he's still wearing his jacket - and his shoes! How impolite!

He jumps up, immediately taking off his jacket.

"Oh, yeah, uhm, also, my shoes-"

He surprises Sunghoon with his action, who jumps up as well and holds up his hands - either to take his jacket or calm him down, Sunoo doesnt know - loses his balance and plops back down on the couch. 

They both stare at each other for some seconds that tick by in awkward silence, until Sunoo can't hold it anymore and bursts into a fit of giggles. 

Sunghoon groans and buries his face in his hands, while also chuckling.

Sunoo takes his jacket off completely and breathes in deeply.

Sunghoon also takes a deep breath and stands up again, this time steady on his legs.

He reaches out his hand to grab Sunoo's jacket, his lips tugging upwards a little.

The strange and awkward atmosphere seems to have dissolved somewhat, which makes Sunoo relax immediately. 

"I'll take the jacket to the wardrobe."

"Thank you. Can you also tell me where the door is? I wanna take off my shoes, I don't wanna be rude."

"Oh! No, I don't think it's rude! But, sure, follow me."

Sunoo does as he's told and they pass the kitchen to get into a little hall, where Sunoo sees all their shoes - children's and man's shoes, no woman's - and the entrance door with a wardrobe, in which Sunghoon now puts his jacket.

Sunoo takes off his shoes and slips into the slippers Sunghoon offers him.

Together they make their way to the kitchen, where Sunghoon once again offers him a drink.

Sunoo gladly accepts the glass of water and takes one big gulp.

Sunghoon cleans the remains from his and Nari's breakfast, and Sunoo can't help but love the view of this famous figure skater cleaning up after his daughter in a hoodie and sweatpants.

Sunoo stays quiet all the time, but the silence between them isn't as awkward and tense anymore.

When Sunghoon is done, he also gets some water for himself and they go back to the couch.

They sit down and suddenly the awkward atmosphere is back.

Sunoo clears his throat and takes another sip from his glass. But it's already rather empty; he really doesn't know what he will do when it's all gone. 

Sunghoon clears his throat and Sunoo looks at him, thinking he wants to say something.

And indeed, he starts talking.

"So, tell me, how is Nari at school? Is she nice to the other kids?"

Sunoo doesn't have to think for too long to answer.

"Yes, she's nice most of the time. It doesn't mean she's mean or anything, but she knows what she wants and she's often a mood maker with the other kids. But, she's also very caring and wants everyone to be nice to each other!"

Sunoo can't help but mirror the big smile that appears on Sunghoon's lips. He looks like the proudest dad. It just shows how much he cares for his little girl.

"She's really stubborn sometimes, isn't she?" 

Sunoo thinks for a moment before he answers, "I wouldn't say stubborn more like headstrong. She has her wish and her idea and that's what's right for her. And often she's right about it. She tries to tell it to the other kids as nicely as possible. But some of the other children are really sensitive."

"Oh, does she make the kids cry?"

"No! Not on purpose. As I said, some children are very sensitive and Nari is quite headstrong, so they take it worse than they should. She is a sweet little girl!"

Sunghoon chuckles and nods.

"Yeah, she's very special."

Sunoo thinks this might be a good time to ask about Nari's mother, but just then the doorbell rings and Sunghoon gets up to get their pizza.

They eat on the couch, chatting some more about Nari and the other kids at school. Sunoo would love to talk more about Sunghoon and his life, but he can only imagine how much Sunghoon always have to tell about his life in interviews and such, and he doesn't want to intrude any further. 

After the pizza is finished, they both lean back on the couch and let out a deep sigh, bellies full.

Sunoos' eyes land on the clock on the wall and he jumps in surprise when he sees that it's already past 10 PM.

"Oh my God, it's so late already!"

Sunghoon also looks at the time and nods.

"Yes, wow we've talked for some time."

Suddenly, his eyes are fixed on Sunoo and an unreadable expression flashes through them.

Again, Sunoo wants to inquire further, but his phone starts to ring.

He pulls it out of his pocket to see that Jungwon is calling.

He bows his head in apology to Sunghoon and picks up the call.

"Where the heck are you? Has this amazing Mr. Park still not picked up his daughter? What an-"

"Jungwon!"

Sunoo turns away from Sunghoon, hoping that the older man didn't hear any of it.

"We had dinner and forgot the time. I'm going home now! But I'll probably need an hour or so by bus. But I'm going home now, don't worry."

He hears Jungwon let out an annoyed sigh.

"Ok. I stay up until you're home."

Sunoo giggles, the younger one is really a sweet friend.

"Ok, mom."

"Don't mom me! At least one of us has to be the adult! See you later. Bye!"

Sunoo hangs up and turns back to Sunghoon to apologize for the disturbance.

"I'm sorry, that was my roommate. I think it's time I get home. Thank you for the food!" 

He gets up and bows, and Sunghoon mirrors him.

"I thank you for staying behind with Nari and taking care of her! I am so sorry this interview took so long."

Sunoo shakes his head and smiles at him brightly.

"She's a sweetheart, it's fine!"

He makes his way over to the hall to get his jacket and his shoes. He thinks he saw a bus station somewhere along the way, but he's sure Naver will navigate him there easily. When he's done grabbing his things, he turns back to Sunghoon and bows again.

"I'll be on my way! Thank you again for the food."

Sunghoon nods and bows as well.

"I thank you. Oh, and…"

Sunoo stops from reaching for the door handle to leave the house. He looks back at Sunghoon, waiting for him to continue.

Sunghoon clears his throat and massages his neck awkwardly.

"I - I called you a taxi. It should be here any second."

A taxi? Sunoo's eyes get big and he shakes his head.

"No -"

But Sunghoon holds up his hand.

"No, please, let me do this for you as a compensation for keeping you behind for so long. It's already paid for. It should get you home faster!"

Sunoo remembers what he said to Jungwon earlier on the phone, how he would take at least one hour to get home. He groans internally.

"Sunghoon, no-"

Sunghoon shakes his head again.

"No, Sunoo. Let me at least do this. You know Nari will kick my ass if she learns that I did nothing to get her Noo Noo home safely."

Sunoo can't help but snort as he imagines how Nari would indeed be beyond mad if her Dada didn't take care of him properly.

Still, he's not okay with this.

Before he can protest even more though, the honking of a car disturbs them.

"Your taxi is here," Sunghoon points out.

Sunoo sighs, defeated, and nods.

"Thank you so much. I appreciate that a lot!"

He bows as lowly as he can, showing his gratitude.

When he gets up, Sunghoon is looking at him, again an unreadable look in his eyes.

Sunoo gives him a little wave and steps out of the house. He crosses the garden that lies in the darkness, only the little path from the door to the gate illuminated by fairy lights.

Sunoo finds himself thinking that he would love to see the garden in the daylight one day.

He walks out through the gate, and indeed a taxi is parked at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the street. 

After he gets in, he tells the driver his address and leans back into his seat.

The lights of Seoul's nightlife flicker past the window as the taxi drives through the night, and he tries to grasp what exactly has happened in the past hours.

He's only sure about two things though: he has a crush on Park Sunghoon, and his belly seems to have a mind on its own.

Chapter Text

It’s finally a weekend where Sunghoon can relax.

His entire schedule is clear and it’s one of the most important weekends because Nari has her dance recital later in the evening and they have to get ready to head over to the performance hall in just a couple of hours. 

When he steps out from his shower, the sun is already starting to dip below the city, painting the sky in a palette of oranges and pinks. After such a hectic week of practices and interviews, he’s ready for the weekend; spending it with Nari doesn’t sound so bad, either. He knows she’ll be happy. She’s been pouting at him lately for being at the rink too often anyway. 

Heading into his bedroom, Sunghoon tosses his towel into the hamper and starts digging through his closet. He’s not really sure what to wear to the dance recital tonight. Since Nari’s started nursery school, she’s only had a couple and each time, he’s always struggled with figuring out what to wear; he’s either in his formal clothes for interviews and events or living in his comfortable sweats and oversized tops. He doesn’t think any of those are good choices. 

He probably should go shopping more often… but… those crowds at the shops. He shudders. It’s exhausting to think about. 

In the end, he manages to find a pair of dark jeans way in the back of his closet and pairs it with a simple striped top, adding a short sleeve button-up on the outside. Even if the morning and afternoon hadn’t been hot, he couldn’t be sure what it was going to be like at night. Too lazy to style much of anything else, he lets his blonde hair fall naturally, keeping some of his bangs in front of his eyes. 

That should be good enough. 

“Nari?” He calls as he makes his way out of his bedroom and into the living room. “Did you get your tutu on?” There’s a bunch of her toys still on the sofa that haven’t been put away yet. He suddenly remembers back to when Sunoo was over. Ugh, Sunoo probably noticed how messy his house is but was too kind to even say anything. Suddenly, feeling self-conscious, Sunghoon hides a stuffed puppy and a firetruck behind one of the pillows. He’ll clean it up when they’re home. 

“Can dada hwelp with my hair, pwease?” Nari asks from her bedroom.

Sunghoon shoves the last toy under one of the cushions and then goes to Nari’s bedroom. He smiles the second he sees her. She’s standing by her bed, dressed in her pink leotard and the tutu. She even has her white tights on. 

“Look at you,” he coos, walking over to her. “You look like a little princess!”

“Dada!” She giggles. 

“Can you show me a move?”

Nari puts her finger on her mouth like she’s thinking and then breaks out in a big smile. She throws her hands out and does a spin, balancing on one foot. “Ta-da!”

Sunghoon picks her up into his arms, twirling her around. She laughs and holds on tight around his neck. “You’re going to be amazing tonight, princess, I know it.”

Once Nari is back on the ground, her small hands fly up to her hair. “Dada, you messed up my hwair!”

“Alright, dada is sorry,” Sunghoon chuckles. “Here, sit down, princess. We have to finish getting you ready.”

Sunghoon guides her to sit in between his legs on the floor, grabbing her hairbrush that’s on the bedside table. He ties her hair into a bun high on the top of her head and secures it with a pink scrunchie to match her tutu and leotard. He usually doesn’t struggle with doing her hair too much because it’s short. Honestly, he prides himself on being able to handle it and will tell anyone pretty much whenever he gets the chance (Jay and Heeseung just tell him to shut up about it). Nari wiggles in Sunghoon’s lap, too excited to contain how happy she is. 

“Try not to roll around in your toys before we leave, okay?” He teases. Nari huffs and juts out her bottom lip. “There,” he says, finishing her little bun with a couple of strands of hair loose on the back of her neck. He kisses her forehead and pulls her up. “You look so pretty, let me take a picture. Grandma probably wants to see you.”

“Dada…,” Nari whines, "You always think I look pwetty and Gramma sees me all the time!”

It isn’t anything new, but Nari always gets just a little bit fussy before a dance recital because she gets nervous, even though she always ends up performing perfectly. Sometimes, it’s hard to get her to listen when she’s in the middle of having one of her moments. 

“You know Grandma likes it when you wear your tutu. If she finds out that you had dance and I didn’t send her pictures from it, she’ll kill me, yeah?”

Nari purses her lips and sighs, dragging herself up to stand to make a cute pose. She holds out her fingers in a V and puts her hand by her mouth with a smile. Sunghoon snaps a couple of photos for his parents, Heeseung and Jay, and then saves a couple for his gallery because of course he has to; half of the pictures in his phone are of Nari, maybe even more than half, like Nari playing, Nari eating, Nari making cute faces when she sleeps. Sighing, Sunghoon puts his phone away into his pocket. She really is growing up too fast. 

“Okay, do you need to go potty before we leave?” 

“No,” Nari tells him. She scratches at her leg, pouting. “But my twigts are itchy! I can't wait to wear my jammies when we go home.”

Sunghoon laughs, scooping her into his arms. “Sounds good.”

By the time they arrive at the performance hall, there’s already a good number of people inside and a hum of activity going around. The last time he had been here was when Nari first started her nursery school. She’d been so scared being on stage for her first time, she started crying, afraid that she would mess up everything she’d learned and forget. He had to hold her and wipe her tears away until she calmed down and he told her that as long as she was having fun and being with her friends made her happy, that was the most important part.

Guiding Nari through the crowd, they head towards backstage. The lights in the auditorium are dim and Nari giggles as they pass through a few of her classmates. Once Nari sees Yumi, her best friend, she lets out a squeal and runs over to her. 

“Nari!” Yumi laughs. 

“Yumi!” Nari throws her arms around Yumi in a tight hug, giggling.

Sunghoon joins them just a couple seconds later. “Nari, did you say hi to Yumi’s mom too?”

Nari giggles shyly and steps back to bow at the young woman that’s standing behind Yumi. “Hewwo, Ms. Moon.”

“Why, hello there, Nari. Are you excited for tonight?”

“Yes! I pwacticed a lot and showed Dada some of my moves.”

Sunghoon bows politely and Nari takes his hand gently, wrapping her small hand around two of his fingers. He’s seen Yumi’s mom, Moon Eunbi, a couple times before whenever there’s events at the nursery school. He doesn’t really like to stand out. Among the crowd of mostly middle-aged women, his young age and silver moonlight hair usually makes him the center of attention. If it’s not that, then it’s the fact that they see his face on TV. Yumi’s mom has never mentioned it around him and he’s always liked her for that.

“Sunghoon-ssi, I was wondering if you were able to make it tonight!”

“I wouldn’t miss it,” Sunghoon tells her, smiling. “I have the weekend off from work so I’m spending it with Nari. Is your husband here?”

Beside him, Nari and Yumi are too busy looking at and fawning over each other’s tutus. 

“He’s already in his seat. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if he falls asleep halfway through.” Eunbi gives Sunghoon a playful wink. 

“Sunghoon-ssi?”

“Is that you, Park Sunghoon?”

Sunghoon jumps. He sees a couple of other moms heading this way from around the corner and he recognizes them as the same pretty, young, and single moms that are always interested in hearing about his life, namely his personal life. He dunks his head, taking Nari’s hand. 

“We have to finish getting ready,” he says. “See you in a little bit?”

He ducks out of there before the ladies approach him, leaving behind a laughing Eunbi.

“Okay, princess, we just have to put your headband on and then I have to go sit down,” he says as he takes them near the corner where a few of Nari’s other classmates are getting ready with their parents. He waves to an older couple when he passes by. Kneeling to Nari’s height, he straightens out her tutu and makes sure her flats are tied tightly. “But you’ll be with Niki, remember your dance teacher?”

“Niki, Niki!”

“Listen to him, don’t just ask him to pick you up all the time.”

Nari reluctantly agrees. “But I like Uncle Niki.”

“Niki knows you like him, sweetheart.” Sunghoon shrugs off Nari’s backpack that he’s been wearing for her. He just has to put her headband on and then she can join her classmates. He’s digging through her extra set of clothes, her snacks, but there’s no headband. “Nari, did you bring your headband with you?” He asks.

“I pwut it in my backpack,” Nari pouts, spinning in her spot.

“I don’t see it,” Sunghoon mumbles, looking into the other pocket. He checks the main pocket again, just in case he missed it but still, no headband. “Did you leave it at home?”

“No,” Nari insists. “I pwut it in there, I did.”

“It’s not in here, princess,” he says with a sigh. There’s absolutely no time for them to drive back home to check either. “Can you remember where you could have left it?”

Nari takes a shaky breath. “I-I can’t wemember!”

Sunghoon sets her backpack off to the side and immediately holds her. Her eyes immediately fill with tears. “Okay, okay, take a breath, princess,” he tries. He tries to soothe her by rubbing her back. She sniffles as her arms curl around his neck. “Where did you leave it last?” He can see the small group of Nari’s classmates gathering nearby, holding hands and giggling while they form a line. 

“Dada not listening!” Nari shrieks suddenly. 

Then the tears start flowing before he can stop them. Nari bawls , her big eyes blurring with tears and her cheeks red and splotchy. Sunghoon hesitates. She hasn’t had a tantrum like this in public in such a long time and it doesn’t help that there’s already so much going on backstage before the start of the recital. Nari throws her head back and sobs. 

“Alright, I’m sorry, princess. Dada is sorry, okay? I’ll find your headband.” 

He tries to kiss her cheek but she just turns her head away from him, rubbing at her eyes. He even tries to distract her and make her laugh by pursing his mouth and crossing his eyes like a fish. 

“I nweed my headband!” She sobs, completely ignoring everything he’s doing. 

“Nari–,”

“Sunghoon, is everything okay?”

Sunghoon looks up to find Eunbi with Yumi, a concerned furrow between her eyebrows, and Yumi is clutching onto her mama’s dress, looking so scared for Nari. 

“Ah, I just–we can’t find her headband and there’s no time for me to head home to look for it now,” he sighs, running his hand through his hair. “I’m so sorry but do you maybe have an extra one I can borrow for tonight?”

“I don’t want Yumi’s, I want mine!” Nari insists. She lets out another sob, hiccuping through her tears. “I want mine! I want mine!”

“Oh, no, I’m sorry, Sunghoon, I don’t. Maybe… maybe you can ask Niki? I saw just a minute ago, I think he’s with the kids now.”

Sunghoon lets out a breath and picks Nari up. “Thanks,” he says in a breath as he starts to head further into the back. 

“Princess, can you please take a breath for me?” He groans, patting Nari on the back. She shakes her head at him and sobs into his neck. 

Thankfully, he spots Niki near the corner, sitting on one of the chairs with his phone and bobbing his head to music. 

“Niki! Niki, I need your help!”

Niki jerks in his chair, one of his earbuds falling out and onto the floor. “Hyung, you scared me!” He accuses. Then he spots Nari sobbing and immediately gets up from his seat. “What happened?”

“We can’t find her headband. Please tell me you have extras.”

Niki flinches. “I don’t. Shit, I’m sorry.”

Sunghoon groans, bouncing Nari in his arms. “She’s not happy with me right now but there’s no time for me to head home to try to find it.”

Niki bites his lip, thinking. “Where did she leave it last?”

“She can’t remember.”

“I want Noo Noo!” Nari suddenly screams through her sobs. 

“Nari, he’s not here right now, you’ll have too–,”

“No! Noo Noo knows!” 

Sunghoon looks over to Niki, pleading with his eyes. 

“Did she leave it at the school?” Niki asks. He reaches out to playfully pinch Nari’s cheeks, only it really does nothing to soothe her. She continues sobbing with wet cheeks. 

Shit . It sounds like she might have remembered where she last left it. The school isn’t as far away as their house but he still doesn’t have enough time to drive there and back without missing the first of the recital and there’s no way Nari would want to be left there without him. 

“I have to go get it,” Sunghoon sighs. There’s no other choice.

“Wait, hyung, you can–I think you can call Sunoo hyung. He should be home right now and–,”

“No, no, I can’t. I can’t bother him with something like this.”

Nari suddenly stops sobbing. “Noo Noo?” She asks softly, taking a breath. 

Niki bites his lip, thinking. “I’ll watch her, Hoon. Just call Sunoo.”

Niki fires off a message to him with Sunoo’s number before he even has a chance to say anything else. Without arguing, Sunghoon hands Nari over to Niki, who holds her and pats her back as she cuddles into her neck. “I’ll be right back, princess, just have to make a phone call, okay?”

“For Noo Noo?”

“For Noo Noo. Stay with Uncle Niki.” 

Sunghoon grabs his phone from his pocket and heads into a quieter corner. Honestly, he doesn’t even know how calling Sunoo is going to help. Sunoo’s probably not even going to pick up a call from a number he doesn’t even know and–

“Hi, this is Kim Sunoo!”

Sunghoon swallows a thick knot in his throat.

Sunoo sounds… exactly like he does when he’s at the nursery school, with his cheery greeting and that beautiful tone he uses when he sings to the students.

“Sunoo? H-hi, this is Park Sunghoon. Um.”

“Oh! Mr–Sunghoon-ssi, I… didn’t know you had my number! Is.., is everything okay? You sound a bit like, you’ve been running around.”

A small smile breaks out on Sunghoon’s face. “You’re not entirely wrong. It’s Nari’s dance recital tonight.”

“Ah, that’s right! She mentioned that to me the other day.”

Sunoo giggles and Sunghoon ignores the flip his stomach does.

“Well, actually. Nari forgot her headband and she has to go on stage in like, a few minutes and she thinks she left it at the school but. Shit , I’m sorry, the school isn’t even open right now because it’s Saturday night and I didn’t mean–you’re not working now either so–”

“Sunghoon.” Sunghoon stops breathing at the sound of his name. “It’s okay,” Sunoo chuckles on the other line. “The teachers, we’ve all got spare keys for situations exactly like this. You need me to go find it?”

Sunghoon takes a breath and lets out a relieved sigh. “I… I don’t know how I can repay you for doing that, Sunoo, really.”

“Oh, don’t worry, we can talk about that later. I’ll meet you, okay? See you in a few minutes!”

The line goes dead.

“A few minutes?” Sunghoon mutters. Sunoo’s place must be nearby for him to be so sure that it’ll only take him a few minutes. It makes sense anyway if Sunoo is close to the school as well. Does Sunoo live alone then? Maybe he’s with his roommates? Oh, shit, that means he must have interrupted whatever Sunoo is going to do on his Saturday night.

Now he feels like a complete idiot because he couldn’t even remember to check to see if Nari left her headband before leaving the house and Sunoo has to come and help him. With a sigh, he heads back to Nari and Niki, hoping that he didn’t just ruin the rest of her night. 

Nari is still crying when he comes back to her, except she doesn’t seem as upset. He kneels to her level, wiping her eyes again while she sniffles softly. “Nari, are you still upset?”

Nari shakes her head, fingers gripping onto Sunghoon’s shirt. “I’m sowwy.”

Sunghoon kisses her forehead. “I’m glad you’re feeling better, princess.”

“Did you call Noo Noo?”

“I did.”

“What did Noo Noo say?”

“He said he’s on his way now.” 

Nari nods, “So we wait for Noo Noo.” 

“Hyung, are you going to be okay with Nari? I have to get ready with the kids soon but if you need–,”

Sunghoon shakes his head. “Niki, you’ve really been a big help.”

Niki rubs the back of his neck, shy. “It was nothing, hyung. You know how much I love Nari.”

Sunghoon snorts, “Nari loves you too. She was going on about you earlier.”

“Really?” Niki mumbles, his cheeks turning pink.  

“Hey, why are you blushing?!” Sunghoon accuses. 

“I’m not!” Niki crouches down to take both of Nari’s hands in his. “I’ll see you in a little bit, right? We have to get you your headband first.”

Nari nods enthusiastically and a smile finally appears on her face.  

Waiting for Noo Noo, it turns out, doesn’t take long. Sunghoon’s making last minute adjustments to Nari’s outfit, making sure her tights and leotard don’t have any holes or any other kind of rips, when he sees Sunoo backstage, only… Sunoo doesn’t look like the Sunoo he’s met.

This Sunoo is all made up. This Sunoo is wearing a snug crop that hugs his narrow waist perfectly and loose, high-waisted jeans over what Sunghoon thinks is fishnet and his entire outfit is pulled together with combat boots and a choker. 

Sunghoon’s throat goes dry.

He can’t take his eyes off of Sunoo, even when Sunoo’s eyes land on him and Sunoo bounds over to him and Nari, holding Nari’s headband. Right, that’s the entire reason Sunoo is here. When Sunoo gets closer, he even notices the pretty shade of glitter that’s decorating the ends of Sunoo’s eyes. 

“Noo Noo!” Nari cries out, holding her arms out.

“Hey, princess!” Sunoo greets. He bends down and Nari steps into him for a hug. “I heard you were looking for something.”

“I-I couldn’t fwind my headband and Dada tried lwooking for it, too, and I got upset,” Nari starts, rubbing her eyes.

Sunoo rubs her back. “Oh, I’m sorry that happened, Nari but you know what, I think I have what you need.”

When Nari pulls off of him to step back, Sunoo hands over her headband. Nari’s eyes grow big. “My headband!” She smiles. She throws herself against Sunoo again. “Thank you, Noo Noo!”

“You’re welcome!” Sunoo playfully squishes her cheeks together. “Can I put it on for you?”

Nari nods and stands up straighter so that Sunoo can place the headband on carefully. He’s sure not to touch the rest of her hairstyle so he doesn’t mess it up. 

“There,” Sunoo says. “A real life princess.”

Nari giggles and turns to face her dad. “How do I look?”

Sunghoon kisses her forehead and brushes some strands of hair back for her. “Like the most beautiful princess,” he echoes. Nari beams and does a cute little bow. Chuckling, Sunghoon pats her on the butt. “Now go see Niki, he’s waiting for you.”

Nari squeals and runs over to where Niki has been with her other classmates. 

Then Sunghoon is left with Sunoo. He sneaks a glance over to Sunoo, taking in a peek of skin at his midriff as Sunoo stands up. 

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Sunoo bows politely, his face burning. In his rush to get to the performance center on time, he’d completely forgotten to greet Sunghoon. He just hopes that Sunghoon doesn’t notice how flustered he is. He reaches up and pulls his top down a bit, self-conscious at some of the curious glances thrown their way. 

Sunghoon shakes it off, smiling softly. “I think you just made her entire night,” he says. “Thank you.”

Sunoo smiles and bows again. “It was nothing. I live close to the school so it didn’t take me very long. She left it on one of the back tables so I can see how it could be forgotten.”

“Sunny hyung!”

Sunghoon and Sunoo both turn at the sound of Niki’s voice. He’s heading over, balancing Nari on his hip while she’s going on about a book she’s recently read with him, like she’s forgotten she had a tantrum just a few minutes ago.  

“Niki?! What are you doing here?”

Niki looks at Sunoo like he’s grown an extra head. “Hyung, I mentioned I was teaching the kids’ dance class, didn’t I?”

Sunoo sputters, “I didn’t know you meant these kids!”

“I literally said your class…”

Sunoo flushes and notices how Sunghoon is staring at him with those dark eyes of his. He swallows, feeling like Sunghoon is just completely looking through him. “I must have forgotten…”

“You must have “forgotten” telling me you were close with Sunghoonie hyung too.”

“Niki, aren’t you busy right now?” Sunoo snarks, pleading with his eyes for Niki to go away.

Sunghoon isn’t sure what to make of this strange but definitely amusing situation. Part of him wants to see more of this bickering but another part of him is too preoccupied with trying not to stare at Sunoo’s midriff. 

“Alright, I’ll leave, but only because I have to. By the way, you look good, so sexy. Are you heading out somewhere?” Niki grins at Sunoo. 

Sunoo kinda wants to smother Niki right now. 

Thankfully, before he can get his hands on Niki, someone is calling out for him to finish getting ready. Sunoo grins and waves. “Bye, Niki! Looks like you’re needed.”

Grumbling, Niki heads back to his corner. 

Sunoo sighs, “I swear, he may look cute on the outside but on the inside, he’s a gremlin.”

A silence falls suddenly around them once Niki has left them alone. It’s mostly staff and teachers that are tending to the children for the last few minutes before the lights dim and the music starts so there’s that feeling of anxiety of having everything perfect so that nothing goes wrong. 

“Oh, um, here. You’re probably cold, showing all that s-skin,” Sunghoon clears his throat, shrugging off his shirt so that he can wrap it around Sunoo’s shoulders. 

“Oh, no, it’s okay! Really, Sunghoon, I-,” Sunoo can’t help the relief that floods him when Sunghoon’s outer shirt is draped over his shoulders. The aircon in the theater is much colder than he’d anticipated. “Thank you,” he mumbles, his cheeks flushing again. “I hope Nari wasn’t too upset with you?”

“She hasn’t had a tantrum like that in a while,” Sunghoon admits, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he watches Nari line up with her classmates. She notices him looking and giggles, jumping in her spot and waving. She looks over to Sunoo and waves to him as well. “She’s usually pretty easy going but like you said, she can be quite headstrong and she definitely wasn’t happy with me. It’s okay though, she’ll forget all about it by tonight.”

Sunoo smiles softly and there’s this weird sensation in the pit of Sunghoon’s belly. It feels like he’s sick, like he’s taking a deep breath just before pushing off on the ice in his skates. He gnaws on his bottom lip, nervous. 

“Sunoo, you know, you can stay and watch Nari’s recital. I-if you want! I’m sure you’re busy, you’re all dressed up like that, so you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I know Nari would love for you to stay and-and…,”

Sunoo’s surprised, his eyes widening as he looks at Sunghoon. “Are you sure, Sunghoon-ssi? I don’t want to interrupt your time with Nari or anything? I think she’s probably just happy to spend time with you, I don’t want to...” Sunoo stops himself, swallowing when he catches the hint of a smile on Sunghoon’s face. 

“Sunoo, stay. Please?”

When the lights in the theater dim, he and Sunoo sit just a couple rows from the stage. While he knows Sunoo is really excited to see Nari and her classmates perform, Sunghoon can’t help but notice some of the stares directed towards them . Most of the audience consists of parents and moms so it could totally be Sunoo’s outfit that’s setting them off. Sunoo also still has his shirt draped over his shoulders, so it’s not like they can see his crop top and the rest of his outfit anymore.

He’s used to it by now because of his job. He worries more about Nari and how it will affect her as she gets older. He tries not to be obvious when he peeks over at Sunoo. Thankfully, Sunoo is too busy with taking photos to even notice he’s being stared at and whispered about. It’s like Sunoo isn’t even bothered by it. He sees Sunoo settle further into his seat and wrap his shirt tighter around his shoulders, smiling to himself.

It’s then that a nursery song starts playing and the audience quiets down. Sunghoon leans over to Sunoo, whispering. “It’s starting.”

“Do you see her?” Sunoo whispers back, keeping his eyes on the stage to see if they can spot Nari.

“Not yet,” Sunghoon shakes his head. 

Sunghoon says it with a pout but Sunoo doesn’t point that out.

“There she is!” Sunoo points, jumping in his seat and clapping along with everyone else. 

When the lights shine brighter, Nari is standing near the far right side of the stage next to Yumi, smiling so wide with her hands on her hips, that Sunoo thinks her jaw will ache later. Grabbing his phone, Sunoo takes a few pictures once the kids start their routine. 

Sunoo really just wants to melt. 

All the kids seem to be enjoying themselves on stage. They spin, move their arms and legs, but Sunoo can’t take his eyes off of Nari, as much as he would hate to admit it. She has the biggest smile on her face and it’s obvious that she’s trying to find her dad somewhere in the audience. 

Sunghoon tries to get Nari’s attention by making a heart over his head with his arms. Sunoo presses his lips together, trying not to laugh. 

On the stage, Nari holds Yumi’s hands and does a spin. 

“She’s adorable,” Sunoo gushes while he takes another picture with his phone and then saves it into his gallery.

Sunoo doesn’t notice the smile Sunghoon has on his face when he looks over to him.

By the end of the night, Sunghoon is exhausted.

They had to sit through another hour and a half of performances from the different age groups up to middle school before it’s finally over and time to go home. Sunghoon and Sunoo wait on the stage for Nari. Her classmates are all filing out one by one and running to their parents when they spot them. Sunghoon politely waves to Yumi’s mom, who’s holding a sleepy Yumi in her arms. Sunoo bows to her when she passes by and tells her that he’ll see Yumi on Monday.

Nari is one of the last kids to step out. She’s holding Niki’s hand and practically pulls him along with her to run over to where Sunghoon is waiting. “Dada! Noo Noo!” She throws herself at Sunghoon with a squeal. “Did I do good?”

Sunghoon kisses the top of her head and picks her up. “You were the best, princess! And grandma is going to be so happy to watch your dance. I took a lot of videos for her.”

Nari giggles and reaches out for Sunoo. “Noo Noo, did you see me?”

“I did! You know, I think you were the best out there,” Sunoo whispers playfully. He reaches out to hold both of Nari’s small hands and squeezes them affectionately. 

It’s not until Sunoo pulls back and mindlessly adjusts his jeans that Nari notices. She purses her lips together, holding onto Sunghoon’s neck. “Where you going, Noo Noo? Your clothes are pwetty.”

“Ah, you know, I was meeting a friend but… your dad invited me to stay and watch and I’m glad I did.”

“Thank you, Noo Noo!” 

Sunoo smiles, letting Nari squeeze her two fingers around his hand. “I’ll see you on Monday, okay?”

Nari pouts at Sunoo. “Where are you going now?”

“It’s late, I’ve gotta get home,” Sunoo chuckles. 

“Okay…,” Nari agrees.

But to Sunoo, she sounds disappointed. She’s really too adorable.

“And we have to get you home, miss. It’s almost your bedtime,” Sunghoon says, trying to ease the situation for Sunoo. He doesn’t want Nari to be demanding of Sunoo’s time. “But you’ll see Noo Noo on Monday at school, like he said.”

“See you Monday, Noo Noo!” 

It’s not even two seconds later that Nari lets out a yawn and rests her head on Sunghoon’s shoulder. 

“Sunoo, how far do you live from here? I can drop you off, Niki too.”

“Oh no, I’m not letting you do that, Sunghoon-ssi, especially when Nari is already falling asleep. Don’t worry, I’ve got Niki with me, he’ll walk me home.” Sunoo grabs Niki by the arm and pulls him to his side. 

Niki has been “packing” his stuff up but really, he’s just trying to listen in on the entire conversation. 

Sunghoon’s eyebrows go up into his forehead and he looks between Sunoo and Niki. “Uh…”

“You didn’t know?” Sunoo smiles. Sunghoon thinks it’s pretty how Sunoo’s eyes look curled into half-moons. “Niki’s one of my roommates!”

“O-oh, right,” Sunghoon clears his throat, avoiding the knowing grin that Niki aims his way. 

It’s quiet but it’s comfortable when they start shuffling out of the theater with the last of the families, not wanting to wake Nari from her sleep. Sunghoon takes her to the car and Sunoo follows along beside him, chatting quietly. Niki walks patiently behind Sunoo a bit, his hands in his pockets. There’s definitely a cozy vibe right now that he’s not willing to ruin.

He’ll grill Sunoo about it later, though.  

When they arrive at Sunghoon’s car, Sunghoon unlocks it and puts Nari into her car seat in the back. Sunoo silently notes that it’s the same car Sunghoon had used to take him to his house the other night. Nari stirs a bit once Sunghoon gets her strapped in but she stills once Sunghoon lets her gently hold onto one of the stuffed animals in the car. Sunoo wants to coo. Sunghoon shuts the car door, turning to him. There’s a mild breeze in the air now that the sun has set and Sunoo wraps his arms around his bare torso when he feels goosebumps rising on his skin. 

“Keep it,” Sunghoon suddenly says. 

Sunoo looks over to him, confused. 

“My shirt, You can… keep it since you’re walking home.”

“Oh! O-okay, are you sure?”

Sunghoon shrugs. “You can return it to me next time.”

Sunoo smiles, tilting his head a bit. “Alright. Next time. Have a good night… Sunghoon-ssi.”

“Goodnight, Sunoo.”

It isn't until Sunghoon is in his car, pulling out of the parking space with the radio playing softly and Nari sleeping peacefully in the back, that he lets out a deep breath. It's that same nervous tugging in the pit of his belly again as the image of Sunoo's bare torso, the image of his soft smile and bright eyes, flashes in his mind. It feels good and all he knows is that he wants to see Sunoo again. 

Chapter Text

“Alright. Next time. Have a good night… Sunghoon-ssi.” Niki mimics Sunoo's voice again, soft and gooey like the way he spoke to Sunghoon. Well, at least that's what Niki thinks.

Sunoo doesn't agree. He spoke to him in his normal voice.

A smack lands on the back of Niki's head and Sunoo shoots Jungwon a grateful smile.

He's really the best best friend one could-

"Sunoo's voice isn't that deep. You need to use a higher pitch," Jungwon comments.

Well, best friend my ass.

But he knows he deserves this slander. After all, he canceled his plans with Jungwon at the last minute and bailed out to run to Sunghoon when the man called. Of course Sunoo felt guilty, and Jungwon had pouted when he came home after the recital. But Sunoo did his best to apologize by giving him his best puppy eyes and cuddling him all night. At least he got a cuddle back from Jungwon in the morning - until the younger woke up enough to remember whom he was cuddling and gave him an evil eye. Sunoo spent the remaining weekend following Jungwon around like a lost puppy, and apologizing to him. Therefore, he's fine with that bickering now. He probably deserves it.

Sunoo takes his empty bowl and brings it over to the sink to rinse it quickly.

Then he goes to get his shoes before going to work, not even sparing his friends a look.

"Oh come on, Sunoo!!!" Jungwon jumps up and runs over to him, throwing his arms around him to give him a bear hug. 

Sunoo smirks, but quickly composes himself and pulls a face at the younger. He slips on his shoes, Jungwon-bear still attached to his hip. 

"You can't even let me have a crush on some guy in peace! You guys are the worst," he whines. This only makes Jungwon giggle and hug him tighter.

"You're just too adorable!" 

Sunoo rolls his eyes and quickly turns to give his best friend a hug. He's glad Jungwon isn't mad at him anymore. Then he gives them both a wave with his hand.

"I'm out for work. See you later!"

With that he leaves the apartment.

When he arrives at school, Jake is already there. They greet each other before Sunoo goes through all the rooms to close the windows Jake has opened when he arrived earlier to air out the rooms.

When he gets back to the office, Jake has already prepared two mugs with coffee, and they sit down to chat before the first kids arrive.

"How was your weekend?" Jake asks as he takes a sip of his coffee. 

Sunoo is about to start telling him about everything that happened, but as a picture of Sunghoon pops into his mind, he's immediately blushing and giggling to himself.

Jake stops his hand midair from where it was about to lift his cup to his lips.

He gives Sunoo a curious look.

"Must have been a very good one," he comments with a raised eyebrow.

Sunoo clears his throat and fidgets with his cup. 

"Well, I met-"

"Good morning everyone!" 

Eunsook's head pops into the room and she gives them both a little wave. She walks over to the little wardrobe in the corner of the room and puts down her things.

Jake gives Sunoo a quick look that clearly says 'we're continuing this later'.  

Later comes when it's Eunsook's turn for nap duty.

Jake and Sunoo can sit down in the office and take a break - and talk about the weekend. This morning, when the kids were arriving, Sunoo 

"Shoot," is all that Jake says as soon as they have closed the door and sat down.

"Well, I was planning to go out with Jungwon, to some new club that opened in Itaewon."

"And?"

"Well, Sunghoon-ssi called me."

"Sunghoon as in Park Sunghoon? Nari's father?"

Jake gives him a surprised look. He doesn't look mad or anything, though, which Sunoo is glad about.

"Yes. They were at Nari's recital and needed help. Nari had forgotten her headband at school."

"And you got it for her?"

"Yup," Sunoo answers and gives him an awkward grin. 

Jake snorts.

"Damn, you got it bad for him, don't you?"

Sunoo is relieved that Jake seems not to care that they actually shouldn't get close to the kids' parents.

He bites his lips, still feeling a little guilty, and nods.

Jake laughs in response.

"Well, at least you admit it. And what do you think - does he like you too?"

Sunoo puffs out his cheeks, he really doesn't know. He shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know - but I hope so?"

Jake smirks and nods.

"Well, I cross my fingers. He's a good catch!"

The older one sounds genuine, happy for Sunoo to be falling for Park Sunghoon. Sunoo appreciates that - Jake is really a sweetheart and he's glad they ended up being colleagues. 

He tells him more about the recital and how Nari danced and how cute she looked. When he's done, Jake is smirking at him.

"Damn, you're not only whipped for the father, but also the daughter," he comments with a smile.

"Oh God, no, I don't want it to look that I'm preferring one child over the others-"

Jake waves him off.

"No, I know. But it may seem like this to the other parents. Some of them may have seen you at the recital as well. Just, be careful."

Sunoo nods. He has never thought about this. He really needs to show everyone that he's not picking Nari over the other kids (even though he is). He needs to keep it professional, it's his job after all.

Staying professional becomes a little easier over the next few days, as Nari is often dropped off or picked up by Sunghoon's manager or coach, and each time Sunghoon comes himself to pick up his girl, Sunoo makes sure to be busy in one of the other rooms.

He doesn't like it, he wants to talk to Sunghoon, even if it's just a 'hi' or 'bye', but he also knows that they shouldn't be seen together that much.

He also contemplates whether he should text him or not, but he simply doesn't know.

At school, when he's playing with the kids, no one cares that Nari often sticks to his side. It has always been like this and everyone is used to it. Therefore, the other kids don't care. 

Why do adults always have to make everything so complicated?

It's a week and a half after he had the talk with Jake that he has to cross the hall to get something from the office, and it's just the time that the kids are being picked up. 

Out of the corner of his eye he sees that Sunghoon is the one to pick Nari up, and his heart skips a beat. However, Eunsook is already speaking with Sunghoon. 

The teacher can't help it and peeks at Sunghoon, admiring his profile and the way one of his canine teeth peeks as he's now laughing along with Eunsook at something Nari said. He must have stared a moment too long because next he knows Nari spots him and starts calling for him.

"Noo Noo!! I'm going home! Dada is here to pick me up!!!" She squeals in excitement and claps her tiny hands, and Sunoo can't help but smile at her, although his heart drops when both Eunsook and Sunghoon, along with some of the other parents, look his way.

"That's fantastic, Nari! Have a wonderful day, everyone!"

He tries to include all the kids as he now waves at all of them. The parents nod and make their way outside and Eunsook turns back to Sunghoon.

However, the eyes of the blonde man are still fixated on him. Sunoo feels his heartbeat increase as he meets eyes with him. The look is unreadable, but it looks like his eyes are seeing the loveliest thing in the universe. Sunghoon's lips pull into a sweet smile and his eyes become soft. Sunoo feels as if someone is caressing his cheeks lovingly. A cough from Eunsook pulls him back to reality. He gives Sunghoon a small smile and nod, before turning around and quickly making his way into the office.

He shuts the door behind him and leans on it, trying to calm his wildly beating heart. 

When he has calmed down enough, he walks over to the desk, where he has to look for some documents. He passes the mirror that's next to the wardrobe, and halts. 

Something pink just flickered through the mirror. He looks inside - and gets a heart attack. 

Some of the girls had been playing hairdresser earlier and had put different hair clips into his hair. He had taken them all out - but one. A huge pink and yellow flower hair clip is still inside his hair, shining brightly. 

Sunoo groans and buries his face in his hands. Sunghoon just saw him like this - he's so embarrassed!

Later that day, when Sunoo is back home, cuddled up with Jungwon on the couch, watching a true crime series, his phone beeps with a new message. Sunoo is confused who would text him - Jungwon is next to him and Niki is out with his colleagues from dance school. Maybe Jake needs something?

His breath hitches when he sees it's a text from Park Sunghoon. 

He quickly opens it and reads.

That hairdo today was really pretty.

Sunoo groans and puts down his phone. Jungwonn looks up from where his head was lying on Sunoo's arm. 

"What's up?"

Sunoo holds out his phone to the younger one.

"Hairdo? What happened?"

The older one tells him and Jungwon can only giggle.

"Awwww, come on! He's complimenting you on it! It wasn't too bad!!"

"I know… Still, it's embarrassing!"

"How about you turn it into some flirting? Come on, the Sunoo I know can flirt like a champion! And there's definitely no parents or coworkers to judge you here!"

Sunoo has told his friends about his concerns, and he's grateful that they support him with everything they have. It only takes him a moment to nod and type back an answer.

I'm a pretty boy after all ;)

Before he can let the nervousness get the better of him, he presses the send button.

It only takes a few moments before his phone vibrates again with an incoming message.

That you really are. The prettiest.

Jungwon, who has been peeking over his shoulder, squeals in excitement and kicks his legs. Sunoo feels his face flush from the evident compliment. However, he enjoys it really much, he loves the feeling that buzzes through his body from being called pretty, and that by Park Sunghoon himself. He feels bolder and decides to continue that game some more.

Only for those who want to see it.

"Woaaaah," Jungwoon snorts and pats his shoulder as he giggles.

An answer comes promptly.

I want to see it. Every day.

He feels his heart skipping a beat and the butterflies going off inside his belly. Whatever doubt he had in his head that Sunghoon might not like him back, evaporates instantly. 

"Damn, you got it bad," Jungwon grins next to him.

Sunoo grins back.

Yes, he got it bad. And he loves it.

The following week he and Sunghoon exchange messages on a daily basis. Sunoo goes about his daily routine, but as soon as 7 PM passes, his phone beeps with a message from Park Sunghoon. They flirt, talk about their days, flirt, complain about their jobs, and flirt again. 

Sunghoon doesn't pick Nari up for the whole week and on Friday the little girl tells Sunoo that her Dada has an upcoming 'compwetition' and he is 'pwacticing a loooooot'. She tells him that sometimes he doesn't have the time to take her to bed, and then uncle Jay or uncle Hee do the job. This also means that he texts Sunoo from work, while he is busy preparing for some competition. 

Sunoo smiles happily to himself when he realizes that Sunghoon really takes time out of his schedule to talk to him. 

"You look pwetty when you smile," Nari comments as she looks up from the book they have been reading together with Yumi. 

A little finger pokes his face and he looks down at Nari's friend.

"Pwetty dwimples," is all that Yumi says. Sunoo snorts, these two are really adorable.

They go back to reading the book and come to a page where the animals celebrate someone's birthday.

"Nari's bwirthday is soon, too!"

Sunoo looks up in surprise and quickly checks the calendar on the wall that has everyone's birthday on it. And indeed, Nari's birthday is a week from now.

"Right, sweety! Will you have a party?"

She beams up at him as she nods.

"Yes! Dada said there will be a hwuuuuuge pawty!"

She claps her hands excitedly and Sunoo giggles.

"Well, you have to get many presents, so it better be a huge party!"

Nari grins and nods. Sunoo isn't sure that she understands what he meant, but it's okay. 

A moment later Eunsook looks inside the room and calls for Nari, as she's being picked up.

Sunoo is sure it's uncle Jay or uncle Hee again, so his heart skips a beat when Eunsook speaks the next words.

"Your Dada is here!"

Nari is just as surprised as she squeaks and jumps up, running towards the hall without sparing Sunoo or Yumi a second glance. Eunsook giggles and follows her, and suddenly Sunoo feels jealous. 

He wants to be the one to speak to Sunghoon in person. Not her. 

He wants to smile at him. Not her.  

He closes the book and quickly takes Yumi's hand.

"Come on, Yumi, let's see if your mom is already here as well."

The little girl is confused, but follows him nonetheless.

They step into the hall and Sunoo's eyes immediately lock with Sunghoon's. A warm feeling spreads inside his chest as it seems that Sunghoon has been looking for him as well. 

Eunsook is busy with putting on Nari's shoes and there's no one else in the hall, Sunghoon being really early for pick up. 

Sunoo decides to use this moment and throws a flirty look at Sunghoon. He bites his lower lip and puts his hand up against his ear, fingers folded except the thumb and little finger, so it's practically a phone. He signals him with it, and Sunghoon grins and winks at him, nodding. Sunoo feels the blush creep up his cheeks as Sunghoon's eyes are fixated on him.

They have to cut their flirting, as the entrance door opens and indeed Yumi's mother steps in. Sunoo walks over to her, Yumi still holding his hand. On the way he passes Sunghoon closely, closer than needed, as the hall is wide enough for three adults to pass each other easily. He enjoys the buzz that's going through his body as he steps past Sunghoon, and he knows that either one of them would just have to lift a finger to make them touch. 

The magical moment is gone the next second when Yumi runs to her mother and Eunsook gets up from where she has been crouching down to tie Nari's shoes. 

More parents come to get their kids and Sunoo is soon busy greeting everyone and calling for the kids. 

However, he always checks for his favorite girl and her father, but at one moment he doesn't see them anymore as the hall gets a little crowded. 

A soft touch to his lower back makes him jump a little, and when he turns around he sees that it was Sunghoon, who pushed himself past Sunoo, Nari on his arm, to get to the door and go outside. The older one doesn't look at him anymore, but Sunoo is sure that he felt the touch. 

He waves back at Nari, who's swinging her tiny arms around to say goodbye to everyone, and enjoys the view of the broad back of her father. 

He wishes that one day he could be in his arms just like Nari is right now. 

That night he gets a text from Sunghoon in which the older one apologizes that he can't call, nor text much as he has forgotten he had to go to an event. He promises to call Sunoo the next day, and Sunoo blushes from the sweet consideration Sunghoon shows. 

Later that evening he finds out that it was a charity gala, as he browses his social media accounts and stumbles across pictures from that event. There are many pictures of actors and idols, and among them Park Sunghoon seems to fit right in.

He's gorgeous and elegant, and Sunoo feels a little jealous pang in his chest when he sees several pictures where he poses with different people for the cameras. 

The captions and comments swoon over his charm and discuss who fits him best. Of course, netizens agree that he should marry this actress or that female idol. 

Sunoo locks his phone with a pout and throws it on the other couch. Now his mood has soured a little. Jungwon is out with his colleagues from work and Niki is in his room, doing research for an upcoming dance competition he wants to participate in. 

For a moment he thinks about texting Jake and asking him to go out to a club or something, but he doubts that this would improve his mood. 

Finally, he decides to just go to sleep. 

Something buzzes and Sunoo shakes his head to get rid of the buzz. It doesn't stop and he flicks his hand out to knock it out, but he only touches air. The buzzing stops for a moment, and he sighs, relieved. 

However, the next moment it buzzes again and Sunoo groans and buries his head deeper into the pillow.

The buzzing doesn't stop and he finally has enough.

He sits up, grabs his phone and is about to throw it against a wall, when he sees the name on the display - Park Sunghoon.

His breath hitches and he almost falls out of his bed as he struggles to not throw the phone away, but instead pick up the call. 

In his haste he practically smacks the phone against his head and groans from the pain. 

Unfortunately, he has just picked up, and a very worried Sunghoon speaks next.

"Sunoo? Are you okay?"

Sunoo buries his face in his free hand, willing the ground to open up and swallow him, but that would also mean that he can't talk to Park Sunghoon anymore.

"Sunoo?"

"Ah, yes, Sunghoon, hello, good morning."

 He peeks at the window to make sure that it's really already light outside and not the middle of the night. Luckily, the sunrays are falling through the window into his room. 

"Oh God, yes, good morning. I'm sorry, did I wake you? I haven't slept in on a weekend since - well since I have Nari."

Sunoo rubs his face to wake up more and shakes his head.

"No, I mean, yes, I was still asleep, but it's bright outside already, so high time that I get up!"

Sunghoon chuckles and Sunoo decides that he would love to hear this sound every Saturday morning for the rest of his life. And every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday…

"Sunoo?"

"Huh?"

"So, uhm, maybe you know that Nari's birthday is coming up."

"Oh, yes! She reminded me yesterday. It's next Friday, right?"

"Yes, correct. So, uhm, I was wondering…I mean, Nari- Nari is going on about how she wants you to come to her birthday. And yeah, well, that's why I'm calling. Would you come to her birthday party?"

Sunoo feels a swarm of butterflies going off inside of him and he has to physically restrain himself by clasping a hand over his mouth to not start squealing in happiness.  

He forms a fist to absorb the energy inside of him and takes a deep breath.

"Yes, I would lo-"

Suddenly something pops up in his head. He said party. So there will be other kids. And probably their parents as well. Oh no.

"Sunoo?"

"Ah, well. How do I say it?"

"What is it? It's okay if you don't want to…"

There's a sad tone to Sunghoon's voice and Sunoo can't stand it.

"No, no! I mean, I want to come so badly it's just - there will be other kids from the nursery school, right?"

"Yes."

"And probably - probably their parents too, right?"

There's a silence for some moments before Sunghoon answers again.

"Oooh! Yes, I mean, they are supposed to bring them and pick them up, but the parents are not invited."

Sunoo nods, however this doesn't really resolve his concern. He doesn't want the parents to think something is going on between Sunghoon and Sunoo. 

"Are you concerned that they might get suspicious over the nature of our relationship?"

Sunghoon just hit the nail right on the head.

"Yes. I mean, I am not embarrassed about what we have - whatever this is. But, well, people talk and I don't want them to suspect anything."

"I understand, I really do! How about, I just tell them that Nari wants you to be there and I gladly invited you as a support. I mean, there will be about 8 kids, I can't handle them on my own anyway."

This actually sounds like a decent explanation.

"And at the end of the day it's their problem, what they want to think. Nari wants you at her birthday party, period. And that I like that idea quite a lot can stay between you and me."

Sunoo snorts from the words, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks. 

Sunghoon chuckles, sounding as relieved as Sunoo feels.

"Do we have a deal, Sunoo?"

"Yes, we have a deal. When and where is the party?"

"Next Friday here at our house. If you can be here around 3 PM that would be great. The kids are supposed to get here by 6 and hopefully leave again around 7."

"Alright, that sounds good. Does the princess have any birthday wishes?"

"I'm afraid that's something you have to ask her yourself."

Suddenly, Nari's voice is heard from next to Sunghoon, demanding his attention.

"I have to go, the princess needs her servant to read her a book."

Sunoo giggles, the butterflies buzzing through every nook and cranny of his body now.

"Alright. I'm looking forward to Friday, Sunghoon."

"Me, too. I'll text you later!"

"Okay, bye."

They hang up and Sunoo immediately throws himself back in the pillows, squealing into the soft fabric while kicking his feet up. 

He already can't wait for next Friday.

A knock on the door pulls him back to the present.

Moments later the door opens and a very tired and a little sick looking Jungwon shuffles into his room. 

"Did you drink too much last night," Sunoo asks, concerned.

Jungwon nods with a pout.

"Do you need cuddles?"

Jungwon nods again.

Sunoo almost coos at him, he's so adorable when he's needy. He makes space in his bed and opens his arms. Jungwon dives right in and under the covers. 

Niki joins them some minutes later and they spend their weekend at home, sobering up, watching movies, playing games, and sharing their ideas on what Sunoo should get for Nari.

Sunoo ends up buying a set of nail polishes along with a picture book, both Frozen themed. 

Sunghoon texted him that evening after they had called in the morning, telling Sunoo some more about the planned party. The theme was Frozen and all the kids were supposed to come dressed up as a Frozen character. Nari wanted to be Elsa, so no one else was allowed to choose this costume. Although Sunoo wouldn't have had a problem dressing up as a princess, Sunghoon said that only the kids had to wear costumes.

Still, Sunoo thinks it's a good idea to fit the theme at least a little.

That's why he's wearing light blue jeans right now with a fluffy, baby blue cardigan. It looks like he's naked underneath the cardigan, but in fact he's wearing a white tube top - however, Sunghoon will definitely not know this. He can't wait to see the surprised and curious look on the older's face. He also styled his hair extra fluffy and put on blue contact lenses. 

The escalator takes him up from the subway station. The weather is nice, not too hot, nor too cold. Sunoo has a bag with him where he carries his purse and a jacket, in case it gets colder at night when he goes home.

However, right now he doesn't need it as the sun shines down on him warmly. 

With a skip in his step he makes his way over to Sunghoon's neighborhood. He has maps opened on his phone, just in case he gets lost. 

He walks up a hill from the subway station, and the neighborhood changes quickly. 

Instead of shops and restaurants, the streets are framed by tall walls that hide the rich and famous that live here. There's no one else on the street, and Sunoo is sure that the passengers of the black car that just passed him must have looked at him curiously. 

About five minutes later he reaches a wall that looks familiar. 

Instead of using the garage to enter the house, like last time he was here, he walks up some steps to a black gate. After pressing the bell, he waits for the gate to open.

A sudden click indicates that something happened, and indeed the gate swings open a little.

Sunoo pushes it open some more so that he can step in. 

He shuts the gate quietly and takes a look around.

He's standing at one end of a huge garden, the gras trimmed and lush green. A small path leads from the gate, where he is standing, to the house that's on the other side of the lawn. It's more of a mansion than a house, the walls facing the garden all made of glass. 

The glass doors on the first floor are all opened widely and there's a huge table standing in the middle. It's decorated with plates and cups, all clearly Frozen-themed.

Outside on the patio there is a trampoline and little cars and horses to sit on and drive around. 

A figure appears next to the dining table and waves at him. 

It's Sunghoon, who's wearing black slacks with a deep blue pullover. It accentuates his broad shoulders and gives a stark contrast to his light blonde hair. Sunoo feels his heart beating like crazy.

He's just about to say hello, when a light blue and silver something comes running around the corner and crashes into his legs. 

"Noo Noo, you're here!!!"

It's Nari, who's wearing an Elsa costume and has her dark hair done into one big braid. 

Sunoo looks down at her and pats her head.

"Hello birthday girl! Happy birthday, princess!"

He crouches down to give her a hug before he holds out the bag which holds his presents for her. She takes it and looks up at Sunghoon.

Sunoo follows her gaze and has to chuckle as he catches Sunghoon staring at him, or rather, the skin that is showing underneath his neck. 

He knew what he was doing when he put that outfit on, and he's happy to see the immediate effect it has on Sunghoon. 

Nari has to nudge her father with her tiny fist to get his attention. 

Sunghoon's eyes quickly switch to her.

"Yes, sweety?"

"Dada, can I already open the pwesents?"

"No, let's open them all together later, when all your guests are here!"

Nari pouts as she doesn't understand why she has to wait with opening the presents. 

Sunoo taps her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Nari, don't be sad! Just imagine how many more presents you will have later to open! That will be so much better than opening only this now. And your friends will be there!"

Suddenly, she smiles widely.

"Ok, Dada, you can put the pwesents over there."

Sunoo snorts when he hears how she's commanding her father, and quickly tries to cover his snort with a cough.

Sunghoon gives her an amused look, but bows down nonetheless to take the bag out of her hand.

"Whatever princess Nari wishes."

Nari pouts and stomps her feet.

"Elsa! I'm pwincess Elsa!"

Sunoo clamps his mouth shut to not burst out laughing. Sunghoon gives him an amused side eye before he bows once again to his daughter.

"Pardon me. Whatever princess Elsa wishes."

Nari nods, now satisfied with the answer. 

Sunoo puts his bag on the couch as Sunghoon puts his presents on a table that's pretty empty right now, but will probably be filled with presents soon.

"Do you need help with something, Sunghoon?"

The older one nods and points over to the kitchen.

"I was just making fresh ice teas for the kids. Maybe you can help me?"

Sunoo nods and goes over to the counter, where fresh fruits, already brewed tea and empty jugs are lined up. 

Nari shuffles out into the garden to play while Sunghoon comes to the kitchen.

"I was thinking one berry ice tea, another one with lemon and the last one with peach," the older man explains as he points to the different fruit.

Sunoo nods and starts preparing the berries by rinsing them in cold water. 

Together, they work next to each other silently for some time.

At some point they both have to turn around to get something, and they almost crash into each other and fall over. In the last moment Sunghoon steadies them by putting his hands on Sunoo's shoulder. Or rather - his wrists as his hands are dirty from cutting the peaches and he probably doesn't want to soil Sunoo's clothes.

Once again Sunoo sees Sunghoon's eyes flicker to his exposed skin along the collar of his cardigan. 

Sunoo smiles devilishly before looking up at Sunghoon timidly. He feels his cheeks flush and sees the exact moment that Sunghoon realizes that he has been caught.

His cheeks redden and he quickly takes a step back.

"Uhm, sorry, I was-"

Sunoo giggles and lets his hand softly touch his shoulder.

"It's okay, nothing bad happened."

He gives Sunghoon a wink before stepping around him and towards the counter where the knives are. 

When they step back to their working station, Sunoo thinks he feels a light buzz working between their bodies. As if on autopilot they gravitate towards each other from time to time, and Sunoo loves it. 

Soon, they're done with the preparations and take the jugs over to the table. Now Sunoo also sees all the other stuff that is on the table - cookies, muffins, small bowls with different sweets and a huge, empty plate close to where Nari will probably sit. 

Sunoo points to it.

"Will she have a huge cake?"

Sunghoon takes a quick look outside to make sure his daughter is not listening or looking their way, before he nods at Sunoo.

"Yup," he whispers, "it's also Frozen themed, I hope she will like it!"

"Oh, I'm sure she will LOVE it!"

Sunghoon gives him an appreciative smile.

Sunoo thinks he could really get used to this man smiling down at him.

Next, they put little presents for everyone, as Nari wanted her guests to have presents as well, not only her. She chose little bracelets with Frozen pendants. Sunoo wants to cry from how adorable she is. 

Ten minutes later the doorbell rings and the guests start to arrive. 

Yumi and her mother are the first one, and Yumi's mother is surprised to see Sunoo there. 

The kids' parents usually know him in jeans and a plain shirt, so he's sure his styling today is surprising for them. 

However, he tries to push away any negative thought and greets the kids just as Sunghoon does. 

Soon, everyone has arrived and the garden is filled with 8 kids that look like they've come fresh out of the Frozen movies. 

There are 5 Annas in different dresses, one Kristoff, one Olaf and one Elsa, alias Nari. 

The parents bid their goodbyes and wish them lots of fun before they leave.

After the kids have played with each other for some time, Sunghoon asks Sunoo to gather them all around the table while he gets the birthday cake. 

Nari has just sat down in her chair, when Sunghoon steps out of an adjacent room, a huge, double-tiered cake in his hands. It's baby blue with silver ornaments and an Elsa figurine on top. 

Next to the figurine there's a candle and as Sunghoon puts the cake down, you can see the word Nari written on top. It's really pretty, just like the Birthday girl, and Sunoo quickly gets his phone to take pictures. 

Nari is overjoyed and blows out the candle in excitement. 

Then Sunghoon starts cutting the cake and Sunoo assists him in giving it to the kids after taking enough pictures. Finally, everyone has a piece on his plate and something to drink, and Sunghoon and Sunoo can sit down. 

They sit on opposite ends so that each of them can assist four kids with eating. 

From time to time their eyes meet across the table, and Sunoo feels a tingle go through his body each time his eyes meet a smiling Sunghoon. 

When everyone has had enough cake, it's time to open the presents. 

Sunghoon and Sunoo quickly clean up the table so Nari can get started. 

She gets different toys and books, and finally it's time for Sunoo's present.

"This is Noo Noo's!" She squeals in excitement when Sunghoon puts the bag in front of her. 

"Right, sweety."

Sunghoon pulls out the first present and gives it to her so she can unpack. 

She does that quickly and smiles happily at the book in her hands. 

"That's the one we always read together at nursery school," Sunoo explains and blushes a little when Sunghoon gives him a soft look. 

"Thank you Noo Noo!"

"There's more, sweety," Sunghoon says and pulls down the other, bigger present. 

Nari's eyes light up and Sunoo chuckles from the obvious bliss the bigger present already gives her in contrast to the book. 

She rips off the paper and inspects the package.

"What's that, Noo Noo?"

"That's nail polish. You can make your fingers prettier with it."

Sunoo smiles at her.

"Oooh, can you make Nari's fingers pwetty with this, Dada?" She asks Sunghoon, who has clearly never done someone's nails.

"Uhm," he starts awkwardly, sending a pleading look to Sunoo.

The younger one chuckles before he steps in.

"Can I show you how it's done, Nari?"

"I think that's a great idea," Sunghoon quickly adds. "He gives you the present, so he can show you!"

Nari acts as if she's thinking really hard before she nods happily. 

"Ok, Noo Noo, paint nails!"

Sunghoon takes the package and puts it on the table to the other unwrapped presents.

"Noo Noo can paint it later, okay? How about you go play with your friends outside?"

The kids at the table cheer and so does Nari.

They all climb down the chairs and run outside into the garden.

Sunoo makes his way towards Sunghoon, picking up the dishes from the table. 

When he's close to Sunghoon, he nudges him with his shoulder.

The older one looks at him immediately, a surprised look in his eyes.

"I'm Noo Noo now to you too?" Sunoo teases with a smile on his lips.

"Uhm-" Sunghoon blushes, lost for words.

Sunoo feels bold, throws a quick look outside, making sure the kids are occupied, before he stands on his tiptoes and whispers into Sunghoon's ear.

"You can call me Pretty, too."

Sunghoon makes a surprised noise and Sunoo quickly retreats, taking the dishes into the kitchen without giving him a second look. His heart beats like crazy and he loves it.

Two hours later they played all different kinds of games, ate more sweets, took many pictures, and finally, the parents arrived to pick up their kids. 

One of the boys - Hanbin, who is dressed as Olaf - suddenly runs towards Sunghoon, giving his long legs a tight hug, before pulling on his pants.

Sunoo has to hold himself back not to snort as a snowman is clutching to Sunghoon's legs. 

The blonde man finally crouches down and Olaf whispers something into his ear. Sunghoon chuckles at the little man and pats his head, smiling at him sweetly.

Then Hanbin makes his way over to his mother, who's waiting for him at the gate. 

She takes Hanbin's hand and waves at Sunghoon.

"Have a good night Sunghoon-ssi! See you on Monday at school!"

She ignores Sunoo completely as she flips her hair back dramatically and walks out the gate. Sunoo definitely didn't miss how she eyed him earlier when she had brought Hanbin. When Sunghoon had explained that Sunoo was there to help him with the kids, she had asked why he hadn't asked her. Luckily, Yumi's mother had changed the topic quickly because that situation could have become really awkward.

When the gate falls close, Sunoo sighs, happy that this woman is gone. 

However, he can't think much more about Hanbin's mother as someone is pulling on his pants. He looks down to see Nari standing there.

"Noo Noo, do nails."

"Ohh, yes!"

Sunoo looks back at Sunghoon, who's cleaning up.

"Let me help your dad first…"

"It's okay, Sunoo. You two pretties go do your nails and I will finish cleaning up."

Sunoo knows he blushes when he hears the nickname. He snorts. 

Sunghoon is a fast learner. 

"Yesss," Nari cheers and grabs Sunoo's hand to pull him to the living room. 

They sit down on the couch and Sunoo helps her open up the package of nail polishes.

"Shall I start with your nails? Then you can do mine."

"Yes! One hand Dada, one hand Noo Noo!"

"Oh, sweety, I don't think my nails should-" Sunghoon starts answering from where he is putting glasses in the dishwasher, but Sunoo quickly signals him to stop talking. 

Nari's face is scrunched up as if she's about to start crying. Sunoo signals Sunghoon what's going on and luckily, the older one understands.

"Okay- okay, sweety I'll be with you in a second! Let Noo Noo show you how to do it and I'll be with you in a second."

Sunoo nods at him as Nari calms down and picks up one of the nail polishes. 

She holds it out to Sunoo. It's blue and it glitters.

"This! On Noo Noo."

"Ok. And which one do you want? So I can show you first how to do it."

She picks a pink one and lets Sunoo do her nails on one hand.

"Other hand, Dada!" She demands and starts doing Sunoo's nails.

She is doing a pretty good job for a four year old, and Sunoo thinks it's adorable how she's sitting there, her tongue peeking out of her mouth as she concentrates to do it correctly. 

She's done with Sunoo's last nail when Sunghoon joins them on the couch.

"Wow, Nari, you're doing amazing!" He pats her head softly.

"Thank you, Dada! This is for you."

She holds out a silver nail polish, which makes Sunghoon not look too happy.

Sunoo leans over to him to whisper into his ear.

"You can get nail polish remover at every convenience store. Don't worry."

Sunghoon just nods with an unhappy smile and lets his daughter paint the fingers on his right hand.

"Now Noo Noo paint Dada's hand! And Dada Noo Noo's. And Dada Nari's!"

The man nods and follows the girl’s plan. Sunoo has to giggle when he sees how clumsy Sunghoon is when it comes to painting nails. However, it just gives him an opportunity to help him do it, which also means he's touching him A LOT for that. 

After all their fingers are painted, Nari lets out a huge yawn before she lays down and puts her head in Sunghoon's lap.

He strokes her hair carefully, looking down at her with loving eyes.

Sunoo feels honored to be able to perceive this scene. It's beautiful how this tall and handsome man cares for his little daughter. 

Suddenly, Sunghoon looks up and catches Sunoo looking at him.

The younger one quickly averts his eyes, feeling his cheeks flush.

After some moments of silence, Sunghoon speaks.

"Thank you for coming by today and helping me with the kids."

Sunoo looks up and mirrors the smile that Sunghoon is sending him. 

"My pleasure, it was fun!" 

They look at each other in silence, no words are being spoken to not wake Nari, but Sunoo feels as if their eyes speak more than enough. They caress each other and probe a little further, just by using their eyes. In the end, Sunghoon's eyes flutter down to the exposed skin along the collar of Sunoo's cardigan. 

Suddenly, the younger one has an idea.

He lifts his hands and unbuttons the top button. 

It's pure joy watching the emotion flutter across Sunghoon's face - from shock to confusion to excitement to curiosity.

Sunoo opens the next button, and the next, and the next. 

He enjoys how Sunghoon's eyes are fixated on his hands, how he has halted all movement and breathes cautiously, making sure not to wake Nari from where she has fallen asleep in his lap. 

Finally, Sunoo has unbuttoned all buttons and he puts his hands down to pull the cardigan apart. He waits until Sunghoon's eyes look back up into his before he gives him a smirk and pulls the cardigan apart in one swift motion.

He literally sees how Sunghoon catches his breath. His eyes glide across Sunoo's body and the tube top he's wearing. Still, his belly is exposed as well, and he loves how Sunghoon's eyes halt there for a moment.

Sunghoon throws his head back on the head rest and closes his eyes.

"You're insane."

He speaks quietly, still making sure to not wake Nari. 

Sunoo chuckles softly before he answers.

"I thought I was pretty."

Sunghoon groans lowly.

"That too. Damn. Too pretty."

Sunoo enjoys the butterflies that are once again set free inside of him. 

He buttons up the cardigan and laughs when he sees Sunghoon's disappointed face as he does so. 

"I think it's time for me to go home."

Sunghoon looks down at Nari before he nods at him. It's clear that he isn't too happy about it, but there is no other choice. 

"I would drive you if I could."

"I know," Sunoo smiles at him as he gets up. "But you have a baby girl to put to bed. I'm a big boy, I can get home on my own."

"Still. Text me when you're home, okay?"

Sunoo nods before he grabs his backpack.

"Talk to you later, Sunghoonie."

"Talk to you later, pretty."

Chapter Text

It’s early in the morning and Sunghoon skates around the ice rink, playing with his gloves. 

He hasn’t had the energy to put in the practice he wants for the competition that’s only a few weeks more away and he has a confession: it’s because his mind has been occupied lately with Sunoo and practice is the last thing he wants to do. His practice is coming up on its second hour and he honestly hasn’t done shit other than skating around and completing moves that he’s been able to do since he was little. He has to do something, he tells himself. 

Pushing off the wall, he sets up for a triple axel, one of the most difficult jumps in the sport. It requires an extra half revolution in addition to three jumps. At the last second, he throws his body up… 

And lands on his butt.

The image of Sunoo’s narrow waist hugged perfectly by his tube top popped into his mind and then he thought about what it would feel like to wrap his arm completely around Sunoo’s waist. That took him out of his focus. He lies down on the ice, spread out like a starfish, and sighs. He really has it so bad. Letting out a groan, he decides to cut his practice short and skates off the ice, tearing off and stuffing his gloves into his pockets. 

He needs to see his two best friends because he’s in the middle of a crisis.

With Nari at her grandparents’ place, Sunghoon makes his way to Heeseung and Jay. 

It’s been a couple weeks since Nari’s birthday party and he and Sunoo have stayed in constant communication. Throughout the day, they exchange text messages, even moving to talking on the phone when they’re at home. 

He feels like a teenager again, having his first crush; all those giddy feelings, those butterflies–they’re back and he honestly doesn’t know how the fuck to handle them so he needs help, like badly. When he pulls up to Heeseung’s apartment, he can spot Jay’s parked car just a little further up ahead. They’re probably gaming together like they usually do on their days off. Sunghoon actually had the day off too but figured pulling himself out of bed to get some practice done was something he needed to do after slacking off so much.

Maybe Heeseung won’t kick his ass after hearing that.

When he makes his way to Heeseung’s floor, he presses the electronic doorbell, waiting until he hears footsteps running on the other side of the door, and then Heeseung’s pretty face greets him, a bit of surprise appearing with his raised eyebrows. 

“Hoon? What are you doing here? You have the day off.”

“Hoonie’s here? Shit, I think one guy just stole our cargo, Hee.”

Sunghoon hears Jay’s voice from the living room as Heeseung gently brings him inside before Heeseung is rushing back over to Jay, screeching about doing some damage control. Heeseung looks like he wants to rip his hair out. Sunghoon wants to laugh and presses his lips together, taking a seat on the floor and resting against the sofa next to Jay, watching the TV.

“Park Jongseong, I swear. I thought you said you’ve played this before!”

“What, I didn’t do anything,” Jay argues. He pushes his glasses up onto his nose, looking around with shifty eyes. 

Sunghoon sits down, a bit harder than he means to, and lets out a groan. There’s probably already an ugly purple bruise forming on his ass from falling on the ice earlier. 

“Did you practice today?” Heeseung asks. 

“I tried to but… I didn’t get much done,” Sunghoon admits, running his fingers through his hair with a sigh.

“How come?”

Sunghoon swallows, a knot forming in his throat. “Uh, I was distracted?”

“Distracted by what It’s okay to have an off-day once in a while, you’re not a robot,” Jay asks Sunghoon, his eyes never leaving the TV screen. He’s been around Sunghoon long enough to know that his friend is having trouble with admitting something out loud. Being an athlete, Sunghoon is a perfectionist by nature and is always the hardest on himself. 

“... Sunoo.”

Sunoo and Sunoo’s waist, Sunoo’s collar bones, Sunoo’s skin…

Sunoo is the distraction. 

“Sunoo? As in Nari’s teacher?” Heeseung pauses the game, essentially ignoring Jay’s protesting groan. “I didn’t know you were so close.”

“We’ve started talking lately, you know, outside of work. He was at Nari’s dance recital and her birthday. He’s really good with her and she likes him a lot.”

“Oh, well, that’s good, isn’t it? What are you worried about?”

“Do you like him?” Heeseung asks.

Sunghoon looks over at Heeseung then to Jay. “I… can’t,” he says.

“Hoon…”

“I can’t,” Sunghoon says again, like he’s trying to convince himself. “It’s–he’s, I don’t want him to have to deal with everything I have to. I told him I wasn’t worried but he’s right, people talk and I can deal with it, I’m used to it, but Nari and Sunoo… and you know what happened with–,”

“Fuck all that,” Heeseung interrupts. “What do you feel about him?”

At the mention of his feelings about Sunoo, Sunghoon’s stomach fills with butterflies. 

Sunoo is…

“He’s amazing. He’s sweet and funny, and god, so fucking pretty, I get nervous just looking at him.”

“Whoo, you’ve got it bad, Park Sunghoon!” Jay whistles, grinning.

Sunghoon groans, leaning his head against the sofa and looking up at the ceiling. He’s never felt this conflicted before and with Nari, it makes it harder. He definitely can’t just stop seeing Sunoo, not that he wants to anyway, but it would devastate Nari if he had to. It’s obvious that she’s grown an attachment to him and he can’t tear her away from Sunoo like that. 

It’s too complicated. 

“Have you told him?”

“No, definitely not,” Sunghoon tells Heeseung immediately. He feels the tips of his ears going red and tries not to draw attention to them because he knows Jay will never let him hear the end of it. 

It doesn’t work. Jay reaches over and playfully tugs on his earlobe.

“You’re like a schoolgirl with a crush, Hoonie, it’s cute,” Jay coos. 

Sunghoon playfully slaps Jay’s hand away. He lets the silence settle in comfortably around them with just the joyful music of the video game playing on in the background. Despite Heeseung and Jay being his coach and manager respectively, they’re also his best friends. They’ve been with him through everything for the last few years and he trusts no one else other than them. 

“You know, I haven’t had feelings for someone in such a long time.”

“Nari takes up all your time.”

Sunghoon nods, “It’s just been me. You guys know her mother hasn’t been in the picture since she was born.”

“Has Nari asked about it?”

Sunghoon shakes his head at Jay. “I don’t even think Nari remembers her, she was so little.”

“You could always talk to Sunoo about it,” Heeseung offers. “Take him out one day and you guys can talk about it. Who knows, you could be overthinking this whole situation, Hoon.”

Jay agrees, nodding his head with a thoughtful look on his face. “That’s a good idea. You need to see how Sunoo feels about everything. You won’t know if you haven’t even brought it up to him.”

He doesn’t need to ask, he already knows how Sunoo will feel about it.

Sunoo will find that it’s too much to be with someone like him, a single dad who’s in the spotlight as a well-known athlete in Korea. 

“I don’t know, maybe Jay is right. This is a little schoolgirl crush of mine and it’ll go away and I can just focus on the Ice Cup.” He can’t afford to be distracted then. “And Sunoo… Sunoo shouldn’t have to be with a single dad like me.”

Heeseung and Jay share a look.

Something tells them that Sunghoon doesn’t actually mean that. 

When he leaves Heeseung’s place, he stops by his parents’ to pick up Nari. 

She had been happy to see them when he told her in the morning because Gaeul will be there and she hasn’t seen the puppy in a long time; the last was probably at least a month or two ago. When he arrives at their house, he knocks on the door so that he doesn’t surprise them and punches in the code. 

The door unlocks and he steps through. “Mom? Dad?” Shutting the door behind him, he toes off his shoes and leaves them by the door. The air con has the house nice and cold inside, an instant relief from the mild heat outside. 

“Hoonie? Is that you? We’re in the living room!”

He hears his mom from further into the house and makes his way over, cutting through the foyer. His childhood home always seems so small now compared to when he was just a little boy. He always tells his parents now that they don’t work as much anymore to just leave the house behind and go travel like they’ve always wanted; Europe, Hawaii, Thailand. But his parents insist that if they aren’t around, no one would be there to watch Nari.

As soon as he steps into the living room, he sees Nari fly towards him and hug his legs. “Dada!” She squeals. 

“Hey, I’m here,” he greets softly. “Are you ready to go home?”

His mom follows behind Nari, getting up from the sofa and coming over to give him a hug. 

“Hi, mom,” he says, bending down to wrap his arms around her. She’s always been a petite woman but he towers over her now. “How are you?”

“Fine, fine,” she says, waving him off. “Nari just woke up from a nap and had her lunch.”

That means she’s going to have a lot of energy for the rest of the day until dinner. Bending down, he picks Nari up and gathers her into his arms, pressing a kiss to one of her round cheeks. She giggles and cuddles into his neck. “Did you have fun today with grandma and grandpa?”

“Mmhmm!” Nari nods. “Gwampa showed me pwictures of Dada when he was small like me.”

“Oh, really?” Sunghoon looks over to his mom, groaning. “Not the skating ones?”

“You know your father, he loves showing those off.”

“But Dada had black hair.” Nari purses her lips and takes a strand of his hair between her small fingers. “Hair not black anymore.”

Sunghoon chuckles and shakes his hair by her face like a wet dog shaking water off its fur. “I bleached my hair this time, princess.”

“What is bweach?”

“It’s like… when you take the color out of your hair.”

Nari’s eyes go big. “Oh! Then I want pink hair! Like Noo Noo!”

“Oh? Who’s Noo Noo?” 

“H-he’s one of Nari’s nursery teachers,” he tells his mom. He’s keeping it extremely neutral in case his mom asks questions, questions he’s definitely not ready to answer while he’s holding Nari because she’s just too smart for her age and notices everything. 

Still, he notices how his mom gives him the eye before she smiles like it’s nothing and changes the subject. Sunghoon clears his throat, feeling his ears going hot again.  

“Right.” His mom turns to Nari and pinches her cheek playfully, smiling. “Well. Want to say bye to Gaeul before you go, Nari? She’s going to miss you so she’ll give you kisses all over your face.”

“Aww, okay,” Nari says, nodding. She holds her arms out and lets her grandma take her. She’s going to miss Gaeul. She always asks Dada if they can babysit Gaeul but Dada tells her that it’s hard because Gaeul will be by herself everyday because of how often they have to be gone and that Gaeul will get lonely.

“Where’s dad?”

“He went on a walk with our neighbor,” his mom says with an amused shake of her head. “Honestly, that man probably isn’t going to be home until later. He and Hwanhee will talk each other’s ears off about the old days.”

“Sounds like dad,” Sunghoon snorts.

“As long as it’s not me that has to sit for hours listening to him. Honey, do you want any tea before you leave?”

“Isn’t it too hot for tea?”

“Nonsense! Drinking the right tea will actually help cool down your body. It will be quick. By the time Nari is done saying bye to Gaeul, you’ll be finished. Besides, you can tell me about this Noo Noo and why Nari is so interested in him.”

He knew it.

There’s no way he can hide anything from his mom. With a sigh, he gives in, nodding. 

There’s an outdoor park that he likes to take Nari to whenever he visits his parents and he thinks it’s the perfect day for it. It’s not too warm or humid out and he doesn’t want to risk Nari getting heat stroke if she plays around too much without drinking any water. He tries to get her to drink it, but at her age right now, she prefers juice or milk. 

He’s thankful that the park is pretty much empty at this time except for a handful of other kids with their parents. 

There was another time when he brought Nari here on their way home from his parents’ place and because of how crowded it was on the jungle gym with the swarm of kids, Nari and another little girl were bullied away from playing on it. He never wanted to get into someone’s face so badly than at that moment. Nari’s outspoken but she’s also nice and wants everyone to get along so she just grabbed that other little girl’s hand and went to play in the sandbox without causing any problems.

So he settles on one of the benches nearby, enjoying the slight breeze through his hair.

“Nari, let me tie your hair up, okay? You don’t want to get it caught in something while you play.”

Nari plops down in his lap, swinging her legs and humming a song. 

In the morning when she was getting dressed, he knew he wanted to take her out to the park because it’s such a nice day so instead of letting her wear a dress since it could be difficult to play in, he gave her a choice of matching with him or wearing whatever she wanted.

She ended up wanting to match. She’s wearing a pair of blue denim overalls with a striped black and white t-shirt and combat boots matching with his pair of blue jeans and a striped black and white t-shirt as well. 

Grabbing an extra hair tie that he always keeps around his wrist, because Nari will lose them or leave them everywhere and never be able to find them again, and a brush from her bag, he pulls her hair up into a sleek ponytail and then ties it into a bun on the top of her head. 

“You need sunscreen too, before you end up looking like a tomato,” he mutters as he digs around for the small tube of sunscreen. He always packs for her because her baby skin is so sensitive, he doesn’t want her to burn. When he finds it, he uncaps it and squeezes some onto her hands. “You remember how to spread it onto your face?” He asks, chuckling when Nari purses her lips together, thinking.

“Hmm, oh! I start with my cheekies!”

She starts to spread the sunscreen around on her cheeks in slow circles. 

He presses his lips together to stop from cooing out loud at her. There’s really no way to describe what he feels whenever he looks at her. It seems like she’s growing up and getting bigger every day and he honestly doesn’t like it. He wishes Nari could stay this small and cute for the rest of her life. 

Nari catches him watching her and tilts her head. “Dada okay?”

“Dada thinks Nari is so cute,” he tells her. He brushes her bangs back as she starts to spread the sunscreen onto her forehead. Some of it doesn’t get rubbed in all the way so he helps her. 

Nari puffs her cheeks out. “Dada always says that. But you never tell Noo Noo he’s cute.”

Sunghoon’s mouth drops open.

He can’t believe he’s just heard that from Nari’s mouth. Her sass meter is on high today, it seems.

“W-what,” he sputters, his cheeks going red. “What do you mean, princess?”

Nari huffs, putting her hands on her hips. “Dada never tells Noo Noo he’s cute,” she repeats to him. “I never hwear Dada say it.”

“Nari, I see him when he’s at school. It’s not good for us to talk like that when he’s working.”

“Why?”

“Because… there’s other kids around, sometimes their parents too, and they’ll hear it.”

“So Dada and Noo Noo talk together. You tell Noo Noo he is pwetty and cute.”

It’s not that easy, he wants to tell her. He really can’t just go up to Sunoo when he’s at work and tell him that he thinks he looks beautiful and pretty every day, how he thinks about putting his hands on Sunoo’s narrows waist or how he ; however, there’s no use in arguing with a strong, opinionated four year old. 

He sighs, nodding. “I’ll tell him next time, okay?” He’s weak, so weak, to her. 

“Okay! I go over there now!” She replies, pointing towards the sandbox that’s next to the spring riders. 

It’s like she’s completely forgotten what she’s just talked about with him. 

“Stay where I can see you, please,” he says, shaking his head. Nari is quite something. 

Just a few minutes after Nari arrives at the sandbox, there’s a little girl who approaches her. She has her sandcastle built halfway when the girl taps softly on her shoulder. Nari turns around, cleaning her hands free of sand. 

“Can I help you?” The girl asks.

“Okay! I just make a sandcwastle. What’s your name? I’m Nari.”

Dada always told her to introduce herself to new friends. 

“I’m… Mina,” the girl mumbles, shy, when she lowers herself into the sand next to Nari. “The sand is squishy.”

“I know!” Nari squeals. She picks up some sand in her fists and squeezes. “Sand at the beach is squishy too.”

“Do you like the beach?” Mina asks.

“Mmhmm! My dada takes me all the time.”

Mina grabs one of the plastic shovels and scoops some of the wet sand into a mold. “Can I add the sand here?”

Nari nods and scoots over to make some space for Mina to pour out the sand. The castle isn’t big yet but once they add more and more sand, it will be the biggest castle at the park!

She’s been so focused on building the sandcastle with her new friend Mina, that she doesn’t even realize the rest of the park is starting to fill up with other kids. She and Mina have finished one side of their castle but they want to add animals to it too for everyone who will be living inside. 

When Nari takes another mold from the pile to fill with sand, they’re approached by a woman wearing a big sun hat with a tote bag with flowers on it. Nari thinks it’s cute. 

“Mina, honey, are you–oh, hi there. What’s your name?”

Nari looks up at the woman, blinking. “Nari.”

“Nari? That’s a pretty name. Are you Mina’s new friend?”

Nari looks over to Mina and then back at the woman. “Yes! We make a sandcastle togetwerr.”

“You’re such a big girl, playing by yourself. Where’s your mama?”

Nari purses her lips. “Dada is over there watching me.”

The woman turns to see where she’s pointing at. Nari doesn’t understand why. Dada is over there making sure she’s okay. Dada is always close by. She should go back to Dada now and see if he misses her. Patting the sandcastle she made with hard work, she gets up from her spot, brushing the sand from her knees. “Bye, Mina!” She says. She waddles her way back to her dad. 

When Sunghoon sees Nari approaching, he grabs her bag and throws it over his shoulder, catching her as she runs over to him and giggles. “Hey, princess, ready to go home?” He asks. 

“Yes, I’m getting hungwry,” Nari says. 

“Alright, let’s go home and get some dinner,” he chuckles, running his fingers through her bangs. She holds her arms up and he picks her up, resting her on his hip as they make their way back to the car. 

While Nari had been playing, Jay emailed him his schedule for the next few weeks. In addition to his practices, there’s interviews and events he has to attend for the Ice Cup. He groans, just thinking about it. 

It’s going to be a busy, busy few weeks and he’s already sure he’s going to have Jay or Heeseung take Nari for him so he doesn’t have to drive all the way to his parents. It always makes him feel bad when his job keeps him so busy, especially with him being on his own with her. 

And his thoughts stray back to Sunoo, as they always do lately. 

He wonders about the littlest things about Sunoo, how long he’d been teaching at the nursery school, if he has siblings, what ice cream flavor Sunoo likes. He realizes he actually doesn't know much about Sunoo. Maybe his friends are right. Taking Sunoo out wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Well, but he has no clue. He doesn’t know if Sunoo likes to go out for dinner or if he prefers to stay in at home. 

Before he realizes, he and Nari are back at home. 

He’s settling on the sofa after helping Nari wash up for dinner. He thinks the both of them would enjoy something delivered for once since he knows Nari is hungry from being out most of the day and he’s honestly too lazy to do at least an hour of cooking at this time, so delivery it is. 

Nari is spread out on the sofa with her coloring book and crayons, humming along to one of her favorite Disney movies, Frozen, of course. He’s seen it hundreds of times with her, to the point where he can recite the lines with the characters. Nari’s taste changes frequently; if it’s Frozen this week, it’s Moana the next or something entirely different so he just tries to keep up with her the best he can. He likes to think he’s not that old where he can’t keep up with current trends. 

Within half an hour, the delivery arrives and they’re digging in.

He sets up Nari’s plate with half of the jajangmyeon and the other half with rice and meat. “Nari?” He calls from the kitchen. “What do you want to drink, princess? Banana milk?” 

Nari comes shuffling into the kitchen just a few seconds later. “Yes, banana milk,” she says.

Sunghoon grabs the small container of milk from the refrigerator and hands it to her. “Do you need me to open it for you?”

“No, I do it.”

She’s adamant on trying it on her own. She grabs the straw that’s attached and tries to stab it through the seal of the opening, poking her tongue out in concentration. Her first try doesn’t work and she puffs her cheeks out. 

“It’s okay, you can try again.”

Nari scrunches her face but nods, looking determined. Sunghoon thinks that her second try will be the one that gets it. Being as stubborn as she is, he knows she’s going to keep trying until she gets tired of it. 

Nari pokes her straw through the seal and her face lights up in a big smile. “I did it!” She cheers, bouncing on her feet. 

“You did it!” Sunghoon smiles. “Good job, princess.”

Giggling, Nari takes a big sip of her milk through the straw. 

“Okay, should we eat in the living room while watching the movie?”

“Can we?” Nari gasps. 

“Sure, we just have to be careful not to make a mess, right?”

“Right! Let’s go, dada, before the food gets cwold.”

Sunghoon grabs both of their plates, chuckling, and follows behind her. “Alright, lead the way.” He settles on the sofa with Nari and she sits next to him, smiling happily, as she starts to eat. She’s not yet familiar with using chopsticks so instead, handles her fork perfectly, twirling the noodles around before putting it into her mouth. 

“Did you have fun being out today? I think it’s been a while for you, huh?”

“I like it! I like making fwiends, like Yumi.” 

“You do have a lot of friends,” Sunghoon points out. 

“Do you have someone you like, Dada?”

“I like my friends too, uncle Hee and uncle Jay.”

“No,” Nari shakes her head. “Yumi said, like is diffwrent and fwiends are diffwrent. Yumi told me Yumi mama has a fwiend and her fwiend likes,” she pauses and lowers her voice down to whisper, like she doesn’t want anyone else to know. “A boy. Dada can’t tell Yumi.”

“Okay, I won’t. It will be our secret,” Sunghoon whispers, holding a finger to his lips. Yumi’s mom’s friend is probably meeting someone new after she and her husband separated. He doesn’t really have an idea who but he hears the gossip sometimes. That’s the downside to being around the community; the talk goes around. That’s why he’s so worried about Sunoo. “Big people like Dada have special friends too. I think Yumi’s mom has a special friend.”

Nari looks up at him, blinking her big eyes. “A special friend?”

Sunghoon scratches his head, thinking. He’s never really had this type of talk with Nari before but honestly, it isn’t surprising. She’s getting older, she’s asking questions and he’s always thought himself as prepared for moments like these, especially since she’ll question about her mom one day. It’s still a scary thing. 

“Yeah, a special friend… like someone you care more about than your other friends? Someone you feel like you want to hold hands with or you want to be around all the time and they make you happy.”

“Does Dada have a spewcial friend like that?

“I… want to but it’s hard for someone like Dada.”

“Why?”

“Because Dada’s face is on TV sometimes so that makes it hard.”

Nari turns quiet then and uses her fork to push her noodles around on her plate. Sunghoon notices the change in her demeanor right away. It’s easy to. Nari is usually bubbly and energetic and right now, it seems like there’s something weighing on her mind.

He reaches out and brushes her bangs back from her eyes. “Can you tell Dada why you look frustrated?”

“Sometimes, kids at swchool ask me why I don’t have a mommy and I tell them I only have a daddy.”

“Do you want a mommy?”

Nari shakes her head. “No, becwause I already have Dada and Dada loves me.”

“I do love you,” Sunghoon mumbles as he helps Nari twirl some noodles onto her fork. “I love you very much.”

“Does Dada want a mommy?”

“Well, the person Dada will like can be a boy or girl, someone who will want to hold my hand too. That’s why it can be hard.”

He’s not even sure if Nari will understand everything he’s saying. He thinks she’s still quite young but she always surprises him with what she says. She’s a big girl and doesn’t let him forget it. 

So when Nari suddenly scoots over and wraps his arms around his neck in a hug, he’s surprised, pleasantly surprised. He rubs her back, smiling. “What was that for?”

“I don’t want Dada to be sad, okay?” Nari sits back down on the sofa and giggles behind her hand. Her dada can be so silly sometimes. “So Dada likes pwetty boys too, pwetty boys like Noo Noo?”

“Yeah, like Noo Noo,” he chuckles. 

“So Dada will tell Noo Noo on Monday at school. Don’t forget!”

Something tells him she won’t let him forget anyway.

When he drops Nari off at school on Monday, he runs into Sunoo. 

It’s still a bit early so Sunoo is busy with getting the classroom together. It’s a bit funny. He’s been to the school so many times but there’s some things he can’t believe he hasn’t noticed, like the cubbies for the kids inside of the classroom and the corner where there’s a couple short shelves of picture books or how the walls are decorated in drawings and paintings. While he’s trying not to look obvious, his eyes catch on Sunoo in the corner of the room, putting mats out on the little tables so he doesn’t notice him standing in the doorway yet. 

Of course, it’s Nari that comes to the rescue. 

“Noo Noo!” She cheers. 

Sunoo looks over to them and his face lights up with a beautiful smile. Sunghoon thinks his heart rate just doubled and he takes a deep breath. He forces himself to smile and not just completely melt at Sunoo’s expression. 

“Good morning, Nari! How are you? Did you have a good weekend?” Sunoo asks. He takes Nari’s hands in his, smiling.

“Yes! I stayed home with Dada a lot.”

“Oh? What did you do that was fun?”

“Dada took me to the park and I got to play with sand! Right, Dada?” Nari stares at him, her eyes big and dark, as she waits. 

“Um, princess, why don’t you go ahead and put your things away in your cubby?”

“Okay!” Nari holds the straps to her backpack and skips towards the other side of the classroom. Her pigtails swing through the air and her sneakers are the kind that light up each time she takes a step.

“She begged me for pigtails this morning,” Sunghoon says once he and Sunoo are alone. 

“You’re a softie,” Sunoo teases, reaching out and holding onto his elbow.

He scoffs playfully, watching Nari stuff her backpack into her cubby. “She takes full advantage of it.”

“As she should. Did you have a good weekend?”

“Yeah, it was nice spending time with her and I got some practice in too, so. Yeah.”

“That’s good. I know you said you’ve been busy lately.”

For the first time since they’ve met, it seems there’s not much to talk about and it’s all his fault. He knows what he wants to say to Sunoo but he can’t. 

“Well, I guess I should head out. Got another practice to get to.” He keeps his hands in his pockets because if he doesn’t, he’ll reach out and fix that one strand of pink hair that always falls into Sunoo’s eyes or straighten the adorable peach pin that’s attached to the front of Sunoo’s apron. 

“O-oh, okay. Um, I’ll just see you later then?”

Sunoo sounds so fucking devastated and Sunghoon wants to kick himself. He feels even worse when Sunoo bows to him and quickly disappears into the back room just as a few other kids are making their way into the classroom. The door shuts with a bang that sounds loud even over the voices of excited kids.

Chapter Text

"Any plans for tonight?" Jake asks as they make their way to the bus stop.

The last child was picked up about half an hour earlier and after cleaning up quickly, Sunoo and his coworker can finally call it a day. 

"Yeah, I'm meeting my sister and my niece later. Haven't seen them in a while and they're in the city," the younger one answers. 

"That sounds nice."

"Mmhm," Sunoo answers, not really agreeing with Jake, but also not wanting to explain anything to Jake.

His family isn't a topic he likes to talk about. After all, he's the black sheep of his family, the gay son that's doing what he wants and does not care about what his parents want for him.

Only, that he really cares. But what they want from him is nothing he can give them - a loving wife, a happy marriage and one or two children.

He remembers when he came out to his parents, after spending his youth and teenage years confused and lost, and often alone - how he had hoped for acceptance and understanding, but all he got were hard looks and eyes that glanced at him as if he had grown two heads. 

He's glad Jake doesn't say any more and also doesn't ask further questions. Soon, the bus arrives and they continue their way home. 

Sunoo arrives home with about half an hour of time before he has to get to the café where he will meet his sister. At least she has always been supportive of him and his choices.

When the pink-haired man enters the café, he immediately spots Seoyeon, who's sitting at one of the tables at the window, her baby girl in her lap and a mug of coffee in front of her.

She looks up as she hears the jingle of the door, and a wide smile spreads on her lips. She waves her hand enthusiastically and beams at him.

Sunoo can't do anything but smile right back at her. He makes his way over and is greeted by a tight hug with Eunji, his one-year-old niece, being squished in between them.

"Hi Noona! Hey, Eunji, sweetheart," he coos at the little girl that smiles right back at him. Her baby hair is in two tiny pigtails, decorated by small yellow bows. She's wearing a white dress with yellow smileys all over. Her feet are clad in socks and yellow sandals. A look back at Seoyeon makes him realize that she's also wearing yellow in the form of a fluffy sweater, combined with a white skirt. There's one single yellow bow in her hair. He chuckles about his sister's fashion choices. 

"So good to see you, Sunoo! Here, will you take Eunji for a moment? I'll get us something to drink!"

With that she pushes the toddler into his arms and swirls around to go to the counter.

Sunoo snorts, his sister is as lively and sweet as ever.

Eunji must have inherited that from her mother, as she now reaches for Sunoo's pink hair and happily pulls on his strands.

She giggles as she does so and Sunoo can't help but cool at the little princess in his arms. 

A thought of Nari and how she would get along with Eunji flutters through his head, and he can't help but smile when he imagines the two girls playing together.

Maybe in another life.

Seoyeon returns with a tray that holds a piece of cake and two mugs.

One mug is filled with steaming coffee, the other one with silky hot chocolate.

She puts the tray on the table and takes Eunji back.

"Thanks for holding her. If I would leave her on the floor, she would be out the door in a second!"

Sunoo chuckles and nods, he can imagine how agile the little girl must be.

He takes a closer look at Seoyeon. She looks happy and lively, as ever, no traces of being tired from motherhood, as some of the moms at nursery school sometimes look like.

"So, how have you been?" Seoyeon asks before taking a sip from her steaming mug. Eunji reaches for it, but her mother is quick to put it down on the table where Eunji can't touch it. Instead, she gives her a napkin, which the girl immediately pulls apart. She's making a mess, but she's having the time of her life given the huge smile her lips are showing.

Sunoo snorts. Damn, babies have such a great life.

"I'm doing good. Work is the same as always, and Jungwon and Niki are also chaotic as ever," he finally answers before drinking some of his chocolate.

Seoyeon nods with a smile.

"Right, these two! They were always very special, in any aspect! I'm glad you're living with them."

"I'm glad, too."

Some moments go by where they don't say anything, just observing Eunji as she shreds the napkin to the tiniest pieces.

Seoyeon clears her throat and Sunoo looks back at her.

"Mom and dad are thinking of you."

Sunoo snorts before he shakes his head lightly.

"I don't think so. At least, they're not thinking of me in a favorable way."

"Sunoo, that's not true."

"No, save it, Noona. I remember their last words clearly. Dad told me to not step foot back into his house ever again as long as I'm - and I quote - faggot. And mom? Her last words were even more painful. Because there were none. She just turned away."

He takes a deep breath after the words have left his mouth. His knuckles are white from holding onto the hot cup with too much strength. His palms will probably be deep red from the heat, given the pain he feels now surging through them from holding onto the hot porcelain for too long.

He lets go at once and leans back.

When he looks back at Seoyeon her eyes show nothing but understanding, care, and love. Sunoo doesn't know how he deserves such a sweet sister.

She doesn't say anymore, just nods and gives him a soft smile.

"I love you nevertheless, Sunoo."

He sighs as he feels the comfort from her words seeping I to his bones. She's an angel.

"I love you too, Noona. Always. And I love this little princess here so much!"

He reaches across the table and pokes Eunji's chubby cheek softly. The girl squeaks and looks up at him, giggling along to his soft laughter.

He wishes he could see both of them more often. Actually, his hometown is just a two hour drive away, but he knows that he is not welcome there. Not in his parents' house, nor in his sister's, as her husband is just as much of a homophobe.

The only moments they can meet is when his sister makes the trip to Seoul, and Sunoo is really grateful for that.

They spend their remaining time with some more hot chocolate and cake, talks about Sunoo's life in Seoul, and Eunji's growing up. Any topic regarding their family is avoided, and Sunoo doesn't wanna have it any other way.

Much too soon Seoyeon looks at her phone and sighs.

"I need to go, Sunoo. I need to catch the bus in 30 minutes or else I won't be home before 9. And Eunji needs her sleep!"

"Of course, Noona!"

They both get up and Seoyeon hands Eunji over to him once more.

"Hold her for a moment please, I need to use the restroom before we leave."

Sunoo is grateful for the opportunity to cuddle his niece some more. She smells of her mother's perfume and baby powder. Sunoo loves this smell.

He accompanies them to the bus stop and waves farewell as they drive away from him.

Sunoo ignores the small pang of loneliness as he makes his way over to the bus stop heading home.

Guiltily, he thinks about his friends and colleagues, and how he's surrounded by people that love and care for him.

Out of the blue, Sunghoon's face pops up and Sunoo blushes. 

Yeah, this man is there for him too, isn't he? Well, at least he was for some time, but his behavior was strange the last time they saw each other at school.

Also, he hasn't heard from him in a while.

Sunoo pouts.

As if they have a telepathic connection, his phone rings with an incoming call by none other than Park Sunghoon.

He quickly picks up.

"Hello?"

"Sunoo-ssi? Ah, I'm sorry that I disturb you after work, but, uhm-"

It sounds as if he pulls away from the phone and says something to someone in the background. A voice that sounds like Nari's answers sleepily, before Sunghoon is back on the phone.

"So, uhm, Nari said something about a teapot and a handle and that it's a rhyme and you told her about it today. Now she wants to hear it, but I don't know it, and she refuses to go to sleep unless she hears it once more!"

Sunoo giggles softly, adored by the panic in Sunghoon’s voice.

"Yes, yes, it's the rhyme 'I'm a little teapot'."

"Oh thank God, you know it. Can you tell me so I can tell her?"

A whine is heard from the background and then Sunghoon speaks again.

"Ok, can YOU tell her? She demands to speak to you."

Sunoo snorts again, Nari is such a princess.

"Her wish is my command."

"Oh, not only your command, mine as well," Sunghoon answers exhausted before the phone is moved.

"Noo Noo?" Nari sounds beyond tired when she speaks into the phone with her sweet voice.

"Hey, Nari baby, you wanna hear 'I'm a little teapot'?"

"Yes, pwease…" She yawns, and Sunoo is pretty sure she will be asleep before he even comes to the end of the first line.

"Ok! How about your Dada puts me on speaker, so you can get comfy and don't have to hold the phone?"

"Oki…Dada 'peaker!"

Sunoo smiles from hearing her little lisp.

"Alright, Sunoo-ssi. You're on speaker," says Sunghoon moments later.

Sunoo clears his throat before he focuses on using his lullaby-voice, quiet and calm. 

"Ok. Let's start-

I'm a little teapot short and stout,

Here is my handle, here is my spout,

When I get all steamed up hear me shout,

Tip me over and pour me out."

There's no sound for some moments after he has finished, and for a second he asks himself if the line is dead, but then he hears some rustling. 

"She's asleep, thank you, Sunoo," Sunghoon whispers into Sunoo's ear and goosebumps shoot across the younger man's skin.

He feels his cheeks heat up and is glad that Sunghoon is not in front of him.

"Ok, good. You're welcome," is all he can say.

He thinks that the call will end now, but then Sunghoon speaks again, this time loud and clear he must have stepped out of Nari's room.

"How are you, Sunoo? How was your day?"

"Ah, it was fine. Everyone was eager for the weekend. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Practice takes up a lot of my time! But today and tomorrow is reserved for Nari. I feel like I haven't spent much time with her lately, and I miss her."

Sunoo smiles as he once again sees the soft side of Sunghoon shine through.

"Oh, I bet she will love every second with you!" 

"I hope so!"

Sunoo has to leave the bus at the next stop and he gets ready to get off.

Sunghoon must have heard the shuffling as he insists to end the call now, saying how Sunoo must be happy to be home soon.

Sunoo doesn't argue that he would be just as happy to talk some more to him, and says goodbye as he gets off the bus.

He opens his apartment's door to dim lights from the living room.

 Hanging up his slippers, he makes his way further into the apartment, only to be met with a living room that looks more like a huge bed than a room in a house.

Mattresses are squeezed in front of the couch where the coffee table once stood, pillows and blankets towering on top of it.

The TV is turned on to Mario Kart, and the coffee table holds some snacks and drinks.

Niki and Jungwon come shuffling over from the kitchen area, spotting a stunned looking Sunoo.

"Hi bestie!" Jungwon gives him a side hug while passing and Niki follows suit.

"What's going on guys?"

"We just thought it would be nice to have a game night! We all seem to have been so busy during the past weeks! Besides, I got a promotion at work and felt like celebrating," Jungwon explains with a huge grin.

"Woaaah! Congrats, Wonie!"

Sunoo cheers as he jumps forward and pulls his friend into a tight hug. If anyone deserves a promotion, then it's definitely Jungwon. 

The younger man giggles happily before pulling Sunoo's bag off of his shoulder.

"And now let's get comfy and play some games! We've already ordered Pizza, it should be here soon."

What follows is a long night of gaming and eating pizza, with some beers in between. Especially Jungwon drinks some, as he says he wants to celebrate his promotion. Sunoo joins him for some rounds, but he drinks everything a little slower than the younger one. 

When they fall asleep it's around 4 in the morning and they all have at least a tipsy buzz going through their system and silly smiles on their faces. 

The next day Sunoo wakes up from the sun rays hitting his face through the windows. He tries to stretch his body out, but his right arm and legs are blocked from movement by some kind of weight lying on them. He uses his free hand to rub his eyes, getting rid of the tiredness, before he takes a look at what is weighing him down. Or rather, who. 

Niki is cuddled up to his right side, holding his arm captive as a pillow. Jungwon is snuggled against his left side, his legs intertwined with Sunoo's. 

He chuckles as he takes in his two younger friends in their cute sleeping positions. 

Unfortunately, he can't coo over them any longer as his bladder makes itself known. Sunoo tries to get out of their grasps carefully and not wake them up. At some point they both finally turn away with an annoyed grunt and Sunoo is free to go to the bathroom. 

He comes back to the livingroom and realizes that he's not sleepy anymore. However, he doesn't want to wake his friends, so he starts putting the trash away quietly before going back to the bathroom and taking a shower.

When he comes back into the livingroom after getting dressed again, Jungwon is still asleep while Niki is already playing Mario Kart again, a bag of chips next to him from which he snacks some right now.

Sunoo pulls a face, chips for breakfast somehow doesn't sound very appealing to him. 

The youngest of the three friends doesn't seem to notice Sunoo's disgusted face as he holds out a controller to him.

"Wanna drive?"

"No, thank you. I better prepare some breakfast first. I bet Jungwon will have a hangover after the amount of beer he drank last night."

"Well, he wanted to celebrate his promotion after all."

Sunoo nods.

"Sure. But he will have a headache today, I'm pretty sure. Do you want some normal breakfast, too?"

Niki raises an eyebrow and looks at the bag of chips. 

"What's not normal about this?"

"Well…"

Jungwon groans and suddenly sits up. He looks around with half opened eyes. "Why are you guys so loud?" 

"Hangover soup is coming," Sunoo comments and goes into the kitchen.

The three friends spend the day on the couch, gaming and eating food. Well, Sunoo and Niki do it like this, Jungwon is lying down most of the time, complaining about the lights being too bright or the TV too loud. 

At some point Sunoo's phone lights up with an incoming call. It's from Sunghoon, and he would lie if he said that his heart doesn't skip a beat when he sees his name on the screen. 

"Hello, Sunghoon-ssi," Sunoo speaks into the phone after picking up. Immediately, both Jungwon and Niki turn their heads towards him. 

"Hello, Sunoo. Uhm," Sunghoon sounds somewhat nervous, which Sunoo finds adorable. The older one clears his throat before continuing.

"I'm sorry to call you on your free day, but, uhm, so Nari is asking about you."

In the background Sunoo indeed hears Nari speak.

"Noo Noo there?"

He can't help but smile when he hears her asking for him.

"So, yeah, uhm, she was wondering if you had some free time and would like to come by."

Sunoo can't help but smile mischievously.

"Does Nari want me to come by, or you?"

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Niki's and Jungwon's eyes become big, and he's satisfied when he hears Sunghoon splutter over the phone.

"Well, of course, uhm, I have nothing against you coming by. Quite the contrary."

He breathes the last part so it's almost inaudible. Sunoo's heart makes a somersault and he can't help but grin widely.

"Okay," he says happily.

"Okay?"

"Mhm, okay, Sunghoon. I'd love to come by."

"I will also cook dinner, of course!"

"Thank you, but I'm not only there for the food."

"Alright. Still, thank you."

"Let me see…" Sunoo pulls back the phone to check the time before speaking into it again, "I think I can be at your place in an hour, so around 4?"

"That's perfect. Let me know when you arrive at the station, Nari and I will come to pick you up."

"Alright, I'll text you."

They hang up and immediately Jungwon and Niki attack him with questions.

What was that about?

Are you going on a date?

What did he say?

Sunoo quickly answers everything before getting up and changing into some nicer clothes. 

He puts on jeans and a black tank top. On top he wears a salmon colored shirt that he buttons up. However, he feels playful and plans to open it later at Sunghoon's place and let his soft belly give the older man a little whiplash. 

Niki and Jungwon give him a careful once-over when he emerges from his bedroom.

"I hope you're wearing a tank top underneath…" Jungwon comments and Sunoo grins as he pulls the shirt up and reveals the tank top.

"That's my boy," his best friend grins. "Ok, I think you're set. Whatever you do tonight, have fun, and use protection."

"Oh come on," Sunoo complains as he puts on his shoes, "I'm not a hoe. I just wanna show him what I have."

"Whatever you show him, take a taxi home when it gets too late," Niki advises.

Sunoo smiles at him, and nods. He's the youngest of them, but he's really sweet and grown up, and sometimes acts like the oldest out of them. 

Sunoo grabs his bag and keys, waves at his friends and is out the door.

After entering the train he texts Sunghoon to let him know when he will arrive at the metro station. 

He's excited to see Sunghoon and Nari, and has to stop himself to not run up the stairs as he exits the train. As he steps onto the street, Sunghoon and Nari are rounding the corner and come into view. 

Sunghoon is wearing jeans and a hoodie under a jeans jacket. Sunoo is a little confused about the outfit, as it's really hot and a hoodie under a jeans jacket seems somehow too warm for this weather. Nari's hair is in pigtails and she's wearing jean overallsl with a purple t-shirt. She's on a pink tricycle and speeds up as soon as she spots Sunoo.

"Nari, slow down!" Sunghoon calls as he rushes behind her.

Sunoo giggles and crouches down as the little girl arrives in front of him.

"Noo Noo!" She exclaims excitedly and jumps off her tricycle. 

"Hi, sweetheart!"

He hugs her back as she throws herself at him.

"I came with my bwike!" Proudly, she points at her vehicle.

"Nari, please slow down, baby!" Sunghoon scolds her softly as he now arrives as well.

Nari looks up at him with a pout.

"I'm sowwy, Dada. But Noo Noo is here!"

Sunoo snorts as Sunghoon tries to look at her strictly, but fails immediately and instead gives her a soft look. 

"Still, you have to look to not collide with someone!"

"Ok, Dada. Nari will do better!"

Sunoo wants to coo at her and cuddle her, she's so cute.

"Ok, I know, baby. You're always doing your best." He pats her hair softly and Sunoo is positive that he will melt into a puddle any second now from the cuteness of the interaction.

Sunghoon looks up at him and catches him staring, which results in Sunoo jumping up in surprise. The older man chuckles and points to the direction where he and Nari came from.

"Shall we?"

Sunoo nods and Nari gets back on her tricycle.

They walk back to Sunghoon's house, Nari always a little in front of them.

Sunoo can't help but imagine what it would be like to be in a relationship with Sunghoon and having walks like this more often. He feels himself blush at the thought of it and turns his head away slightly, so that Sunghoon won't see it immediately if he looks at him.

They reach the house some minutes later and go inside through the garage. 

Again, there are two cars parked beside each other and Sunoo suddenly remembers how he still doesn't know anything about Nari's mother.

However, he doesn't have time to think about it as Nari pushes her tiny hand into his and pulls him towards the stairs that lead up into the house. 

"Noo Noo, let's pway!" She demands on their way up. He hears Sunghoon chuckle as he follows them some steps behind them. 

And indeed, Nari continues to pull him into her room where her toys are scattered all over the floor and bed. 

Sunghoon comes in after them and a look of shame flickers over his face. He rubs his neck awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't clean up before you came over."

Sunoo smiles and waves him off.

"Did you forget that I work at a nursery school? Toys all over the place is my working environment."

"But you're not here for work!" Sunghoon answers and Sunoo can't help the flutter in his stomach.

"I know, Sunghoonie. I just wanna say, it's really okay!"

Only when he sees Sunghoon's eyes getting big and his cheeks blushing, does he realize what he just called him. He clears his throat and quickly turns back to Nari, who's obvious to everything that's being said between the adults as she arranges her plushies around a little table.

Sunghoon coughs before he speaks.

"I will prepare dinner, you two have fun. I hope Jjajangmyeon is okay?"

Sunoo doesn't turn back, just nods as he busies himself to help Naris in setting up the tea party that she's apparently planing with her toys. 

He hears Sunghoon shuffle out of the room and exhales a small breath. 

Sunghoonie? What the heck?

About half an hour later Sunghoon calls them for dinner. Sunoo quickly helps Nari clean up her room a little before the little girl again grabs his hand and leads him to the dining room. 

The plates are already filled with the noodles and the black bean sauce that smells delicious and makes Sunoo's mouth water.

Usually, Jungwon is in charge of cooking at their apartment, but he was clearly not in any shape or form today to feed him and Niki. Sunoo can only cook up Ramen and apart from that they just snacked on sweets. A warm meal together with all the side dishes that decorate the table is really something else.

"Wow, that looks amazing, Sunghoon."

After he has taken in the set table, he looks up at Sunghoon, who's in the kitchen getting glasses for them. 

However, he has taken off the jeans jacket and now Sunoo sees why he had it on in the first place - the hoodie he is wearing is not a complete hoodie as the sleeves are missing. Therefore, his arms are on full display, and boy, does Sunoo wanna do something to these arms. Preferably lick or bite them.

Sunghoon doesn't have huge muscles, but his biceps are still muscular enough to be evident. And the way the tendons underneath his skin strain with each movement makes Sunoo feel things. He gulps.

Sunghoon comes over to put down the glasses on the table and Sunoo is pulled out of his stare when Nari pulls on his hand. "Noo Noo, chair pull out!"

Sunoo nods and pulls the chair out for her automatically. 

She's sitting at the head of the table, while Sunghoon and Sunoo take a seat on either side of her. 

Sunghoon clears his throat as Sunghoon fills their glasses with water and gives him a sweet smile.

"Enjoy, you two."

Sunoo nods, looking up carefully to meet eyes with Sunghoon, trying to not stare at his arms. 

"Thank you, Sunghoon-ssi, you too."

Sunghoon chuckles, "Ssi? Wasn't it Sunghoonie before?"

Sunoo promptly chokes on the bite he has just taken of the food. 

Sunghoon is quick to push the glass of water towards him, a mischievous grin decorating his face.

Sunoo is surprised by the sudden impish atmosphere, but if Sunghoon can flirt, so can he. He pouts after he has swallowed the food correctly, giving Sunghoon his best puppy eyes.

"I'm sorry, your sexy arms have distracted me a little."

Now it's Sunghoon's turn to choke on his food.

Nari points at his glass, "Dada, drink water!"

Sunoo presses his lips together to not laugh out loudly as Sunghoon quickly follows his daughter's instructions. 

The remaining supper goes by rather quietly, however, Sunoo can't help to reciprocate the fiery glances he gets from Sunghoon from time to time. But with Nari there they can't flirt loudly in case she catches some stuff and repeats it somewhere else. 

The meal is delicious, Sunoo hasn’t eaten such good food in some time.

After they're done, Nari demands to play some more. 

Sunoo nods, but decides to take off his shirt as he feels warm from eating the food just now. 

Carefully, he unbuttons his shirt and is elated when he sees Sunghoon freeze in the middle of getting up from the table. He practically hears Sunghoon's breath hitch when the tank top underneath appears, along with the skin of his belly. 

Nari, who has already come down from her chair, reaches up and squishes his skin.

"Not cold, Noo Noo?"

Sunoo giggles and shakes his head.

"No, sweety. I feel really warm after eating your dada's yummy food."

The little girl nods, "Yes, dada's food is best!"

Sunoo smiles and pats her head. 

Sunghoon clears his throat.

"Nari, sweety, how about you go back to your room and play a little while dada and Noo Noo clean up here? We'll come play with you afterwards."

Nari pouts a little, but after Sunoo promises her that he will read her her favorite book before she goes to sleep, she shuffles off happily.

They clean the table slowly, bringing one item after the next to the kitchen. 

Each time they pass by each other Sunoo feels as if they're getting closer. 

When everything is on the counters, Sunghoon starts putting the remaining food into containers and Sunoo loads the dishwasher. They're back to back, and at one point Sunoo turns around to get the remaining dishes, but that's also the moment Sunghoon turns around for whatever reason, and they bump into each other. 

Automatically, Sunoo reaches out his hands to steady himself somewhere and grabs Sunghoon's shoulders. The fabric of the hoodie is rather thin and Sunoo can feel his muscular shoulders perfectly. He feels a shudder run through his system as he realizes that Sunghoon has also reached out to steady himself - and his hands are now on Sunoo's - naked, thank you crop top - waist. 

Sunoo bites his lower lip as he slowly looks upwards until he meets Sunghoon's eyes.

Eyes that are looking at him with an expression that Sunoo can only describe as longing. 

Suddenly, he feels Sunghoon's thumb draw small circles onto his skin and he can't stop his breath from hitching in anticipation.

Sunghoon stares at Sunoo before his eyes wander across his face and stop at Sunoo's lips. He gulps before parting his lips slightly. His eyes wander back to Sunoo's eyes, caressing him just as softly as his thumbs that are still massaging Sunoo's sides. 

All of a sudden, the pressure of Sunghoon's hands on his waist intensifies and Sunoo lets out a heated breath, his arms closing around Sunghoon's neck as he's being pulled closer. 

There's not even an inch left between their noses and Sunoo is about to combust any second now.

Sunghoon's eyes flutter back to his lips.

"May I kiss you?" Sunghoon breathes into the space between them. 

Sunoo feels like he's in heaven, the question making him feel all kinds of things, but especially the reassurance that this is the right thing to do.

He doesn't give him an answer, but instead leans forward and connects their lips. 

The surprise is successful as Sunghoon squeezes his waist suddenly before relaxing again and kissing Sunoo back a moment later. 

Sunoo loves the feeling of Sunghoon's lips on his, it's soft and sweet and a soft contrast to the rather tight grip the older man had on his waist. 

They exchange some careful kisses, exploring each other's lips delicately, making sure that the other feels good. After some moments they pull back, but not too far, only to stare into each other's eyes, both trying to find out what the other feels. 

Sunoo is exhilarated when he sees Sunghoon's eyes darken somewhat. He beams as he dives back into a kiss, this time letting his tongue peek out carefully after some moments. 

Sunghoon immediately responds by using his tongue to pry Sunoo's lips open even more and dipping his tongue into his sweet mouth.  

Sunghoon kisses him like he's some delicious meal which needs to be savored slowly and deeply. The buzz that starts at the points where their bodies are touching and runs through Sunoo's whole system, makes him shudder in bliss. 

When they break the kiss to gasp for air, Sunoo is mesmerized by Sunghoon's flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips. 

"You're so pretty," Sunghoon whispers and Sunoo preens from the praise. 

Sunoo wants to answer, but suddenly there is the patter of little steps and they both take a step back just moments before Nari comes from the corridor that leads to her bedroom. 

"Noo Noo? Dada?? Nari wants to pway!!!"

They both clear their throats and Sunghoon turns around towards his daughter. 

"Alright, baby, we're coming!"

However, one of his hands remains on Sunoo's waist and the pink-haired would lie if he says that he doesn't like this. 

Without looking back at him, Sunghoon loops one finger into the hoop of Sunoo's jeans before pulling him along towards Nari's room.

It's past 7 when Sunoo cleans up Nari's bedroom while Sunghoon goes to the bathroom with her to get her ready for bed.

When they come back to the room, Sunoo is sitting on the floor next to her bed.

Nari suns over to him and jumps into his arms.

"Noo Noo read!"

Sunoo giggles and nods, "Yes, sweety, show me which book you want me to read for you."

She shuffles to her little bookcase and pulls out a book. 

Sunoo looks up at Sunghoon, who's giving him a soft look, his eyes occasionally flickering to Sunoo's waist. 

There's no chance for Sunoo to react in any way, as Nari is already coming back with the book. She gives it to Sunoo and climbs into her bed. 

Sunghoon steps closer and gives her a kiss on her forehead.

"You're not staying?" Sunoo asks, surprised.

Sunghoon shakes his head, "Nope. The princess only wishes for you to stay."

As Nari gets comfy underneath her blanket, Sunghoon leans closer to Sunoo to whisper into his ear.

"I'll be on the couch, waiting for you."

Sunoo blushes immediately, but before he can say anything, Sunghoon is already stepping back and out of the room. 

"Noo Noo, read!!" Nari demands the next moment and pulls Sunoo out of his stupor. 

Obediently, he starts reading. 

However, he's sure he won't be able to repeat the story afterwards, as his mind is constantly occupied with Sunghoon. Luckily, Nari is tired enough to fall asleep quickly. 

He reads on for some more minutes, just to make sure that she's really deep asleep before he puts down the book and sneaks out the room. 

The hall is dark, the only light coming from the direction of the living room. 

Sunoo stops for a moment, straightening his clothes and taking a deep breath. He's confident, but Sunghoon still makes him nervous.

Quietly, he makes his way to the living room. 

There are only some lights on in the room, basking the environment in a soft hue. 

Sunghoon is sitting on the sofa, looking at his phone. There are two glasses filled with red wine on the table. 

Sunoo clears his throat as he steps closer, and Sunghoon looks up.

He gives him a bright smile, the dim light illuminating his features beautifully.

Sunghoon puts the phone on the table and pats the spot next to him on the sofa. Sunoo obeys and sits down, shuffling as close as possible to the older. 

Nari's father reaches for the glasses and gives one to Sunoo.

"I hope you like red wine."

Sunoo nods. He doesn't really care about it, but he's also not averse to it. 

They clink their glasses before taking a sip. The wine tastes light and sweet with a fruity addition. Immediately, Sunoo imagines how the remainder of the alcohol would taste on Sunghoon's lips. He steals a glance towards Sunghoon and feels butterflies in his stomach when he meets the older's eyes that are already on him. 

With a sudden burst of self-confidence he grabs Sunghoon's glass and puts it back on the table next to his own. Then he stands up, but only to turn around and push back Sunghoon to climb onto his lap. 

To say that Sunghoon looks surprised is an understatement, but he composes himself quickly and lets his hands wander up from Sunoo's thighs to his waist. 

Sunoo intertwines his hands behind Sunghoon's head and shuffles around a bit to get into a better position. 

Sunghoon holds onto him tightly all of a sudden.

"Let's not go there, yet, Sunoo."

At first Sunoo doesn't know what he means, but when the realization hits him, he blushes. 

"I'm sorry," he answers quietly, looking down abashed.

"Oh Sunoo, your switch between innocent and naughty will definitely give me whiplash one day," Sunghoon whispers back while starting to sub small circles into Sunoo's skin. 

Sunoo pouts and looks at him innocently. 

"I said I'm sorry," he whines.

Sunghoon groans and pulls him closer.

"How about a kiss as an apology," he whispers into the air between their lips. 

Sunoo dives right in, suddenly realizing how much he wanted to kiss Sunghoon again. 

This time the kiss turns into open-mouth and all-tongue kisses quicker, the temperature rising quickly. Sunoo buries his hands into Sunghoon's hair while the older massages his waist sensually.

Sunoo doesn't know how much time passes or where the sudden thought comes from, but out of nowhere he remembers the second car in the garage and the uncertainty about Nari's mother.

Harsher than he intended he pushes Sunghoon away and leans back.

The older man is clearly confused as he comes back from the trance of kissing they both had just been in.

"Sunoo?" He asks in a soft and confused voice.

The younger man is quick to put his hands around his neck again, in a way to assure him that he still wants him.

"I'm sorry, I-" He doesn't really know what to say or how to start, scolding himself internally.

"Hey," Sunghoon whispers and squeezes his waist softly. There's nothing alluring about it, just care and concern. "What happened? Did I do something wrong?"

Sunoo is quick to shake his head, "No! Oh God, no. I'm just - It's me. I'm wondering about something."

"Ok. No problem. What are you wondering about?"

Sunoo takes a deep breath, trying to find the right words, not wanting to sound accusing or anything. He looks down, looking for the best way to form his question.

"So I was wondering about Nari, uhm, I mean not Nari, but you and Nari's- uhm, Nari's mom…?"

When there is no answer, he looks up only to find Sunghoon looking at him with open eyes.

"What about Nari's mother?"

Sunghoon blinks, thinking about the question before he answers.

"Yes, of course Nari has a mother." 

Sunoo is wrecking his brain to come up with a follow-up question, but Sunghoon seems to understand finally.

"But she's not present. She's also not relevant. Neither in Nari's life, nor in mine."

Sunoo exhales in relief.

Sunghoon snorts and reaches up one hand to pat Sunoo's hair softly.

"Did you really think I would start something with you if I was in a relationship?"

Sunoo immediately shakes his head, "No, I mean, I didn't think that, really. It just bothered me somehow…"

The older man gives him a soft smile and cups his face, letting his thumb stroke softly over Sunoo's cheek. Sunoo loves the touch and leans into it, mirroring his smile.

"No one has my interest the way you have it, Kim Sunoo. I promise."

Sunoo blushes and rubs his cheek against Sunghoon's palm, closing his eyes to enjoy the soft feeling to the fullest. "Ditto," he whispers. 

A second later he feels Sunghoon pull him closer and soon Sunghoon's lips are back on his, kissing him sweetly. Sunoo purrs as he slips closer, his arms locking behind Sunghoon's head. 

He doesn't want to leave their proximity ever again.

Chapter Text

To say that Sunghoon isn’t nervous about the International Ice Cup would be a lie. 

No matter how many competitions he’s competed in, how matter how many hours he’s put into his practices, he never lets himself get cocky over his abilities. He’s learned long ago that just one mistake, one second , could change everything. 

The competition is coming up soon and he has one thing he does as part of his routine to get ready: he doesn’t think about it until the day of, because if he doesn’t think about it, then he won’t worry himself into a never-ending, downward spiral. He’ll be relaxed and more focused when he needs to be. It’s weird but it works, ever since he was a little boy.

In the morning, he wakes up to get Nari ready for school. 

He dresses in his practice clothes of a thin hoodie and track pants before he’s heading into Nari’s bedroom to wake her up. Inside, her little head of black hair sticks out from underneath the blanket. Smiling, he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and brushes her hair from her eyes. She stirs, muttering sleepily to herself, and then opens her eyes. 

“Morning, princess. We have to get you ready for school.”

Nari rubs at her eyes. “I’m slweepy,” she pouts. 

“I know you are, but you get to see Noo Noo today.”

“Noo Noo,” Nari mumbles. “Pretty Noo Noo.”

“Noo Noo is very pretty, yes,” Sunghoon chuckles. 

He’s instantly brought back to the night where they shared their first kiss, and then many more after that. Since then, he’s been contacting Sunoo a lot more, feeling like the worry he had earlier is becoming more manageable. There’s still a part of him that had been nervous but that all went away the moment they kissed and he felt Sunoo’s soft skin under his fingers. 

It takes Nari a little bit longer to be fully awake. She hides under her blanket some more, burying herself like a worm, until Sunghoon tickles her sides. She squeals and jumps up on her bed with her arms out. He picks her up and brings her into the bathroom to wash up. 

While Nari washes her face and brushes her teeth, Sunghoon usually does her hair for her at the same time so that’s all she has to do afterwards is get dressed and have her breakfast before heading off to school. He sections her hair and pulls them up into two space buns on top of her head with two yellow scrunchies. Nari is busy rinsing out her mouth when Sunghoon hears his phone vibrate in his pocket. Setting her brush down on the counter, Sunghoon grabs his phone to unlock it with a message from Sunoo. 

He smiles, already opening the keyboard to reply to Sunoo’s good morning. 

How is our Noo Noo doing this morning~?

What’s with the Noo Noo? Is Nari there with you!?

She’s here, we’re getting ready for school

Keep it PG, Sunghoon-ssi

You weren’t worried about keeping it PG the other night…

Well, Sunghoon definitely didn’t have a problem with it, either. Actually, that night is all he’s still thinking about. Having Sunoo on his thighs, his warmth against him–he hasn’t had that in a long time and it was only then, when he was touching Sunoo’s soft skin, that he realized how much he wanted it. 

I knew you were going to bring that up, Park Sunghoon…

Not gonna lie, I keep thinking about it

It takes Sunoo a few seconds to reply to that and suddenly, Sunghoon feels like he might have said something wrong, that maybe Sunoo regrets it. 

“Dada, who you talking to?” Nari asks. She turns around on the stepstool to face him, her cheeks puffed out. 

“Did you wash your face too?” He asks as he puts his phone back into his pocket, trying to change the subject so that she doesn’t catch on that he’s flirting with her teacher. 

Nari nods and bares her teeth in a smile. “And my tweeth!”

“Good girl. Let’s go get you dressed and have breakfast, okay?” Sunghoon says as he brushes some stray hairs back from her face. Nari puts her hands on her hips and shakes her head. “You don’t want breakfast?”

“No bweakfast until Dada tells Nari. Is Dada talking to Noo Noo? Dada smile is so big!”

Sunghoon sighs and helps Nari step down from the counter. There’s no point in hiding it. Nari will eventually find out or if she doesn’t, she’ll keep interrogating him until he breaks. “Yes, Dada was talking to Noo Noo. I told them we’ll see him in a little bit when we drop you off at school.” He gives her butt a playful little slap in the right direction towards her bedroom. “Now, go get dressed, okay? So you can see him before the other kids.”

Nari’s face lights up in a big smile, like she’s just understood what he means, and she skips down the hall to her bedroom. With another fond sigh, Sunghoon makes his way into the kitchen to start their breakfast. Once he’s alone there, only then, does he open his messages back up to see Sunoo’s reply. 

I keep thinking about it too

See you in a little bit?

Thankfully, none of the other children have arrived yet when he pulls up to the nursery school. He likes to go a bit earlier for this very reason and he’s not afraid to admit that. If he gets to see Sunoo before anyone else then it’s a good start to his day. 

As soon as he sets Nari down on the ground, she runs inside to her classroom, completely forgetting to grab her backpack from him. Sunghoon just follows along behind, a knot forming in his stomach the closer he gets to Nari’s classroom and the closer he gets to hearing that sweet voice he’s gotten used to. 

“Noo Noo!” He hears from inside the classroom. 

“Nari! Look at you, you look so pretty today. Is your dad here?”

“Dada outside! He wanted to see Noo Noo todway so he wanted to go early.”

He’s never felt so exposed, by his own daughter, no less. Sighing, he heads into the classroom, peeking his head around the corner with a wave and immediately spotting Sunoo crouching down in front of Nari and holding her hands. He clears his throat softly and Sunoo looks over to him, his eyes curling into half moons from his smile and his cheeks soft and pink.

“Nari,” Sunghoon says, entering the classroom. “Can you put your backpack away?”

Nari nods and heads back over to him to take her backpack, humming as she walks over to her cubby. 

“Honestly, she’s happier to see you more than me these days. You two are practically glued at the hip,” Sunghoon says to Sunoo.

Sunoo smiles, his eyes sparkling bright, as he grabs his apron from the rack. “Are you jealous, Sunghoonie?”

“Maybe just a little bit,” he jokes. He’s going to take advantage of the fact that it’s just the two of them right now. There’s probably only a few minutes left until school starts and the crowd of kids will come pouring in and Nari is busy looking through her backpack to notice them. “Do you need help with anything?” He asks. Sunoo is putting his apron on and he steps forward to help him tie it behind his back for him. Sunoo hums and stands there quietly as he ties the knot. 

“Well, since you’re offering, you can help set up the tables. Jakey and Eunsook aren’t going to be here until a bit later so it’s just you and me for now, Park Sunghoon, and I’m going to work you hard.”

Sunghoon laughs, his dimple appearing in his cheek. “Okay, I’m ready. Do your worst, Mr. Kim.”

It actually isn’t bad.

He helps Sunoo with setting up all the kids’ tables. There’s place mats so that the paint doesn’t stain the tables, little trays of crayons and colored pencils, and he sets bottles of paint right in the middle. Everything in the classroom is mini, from the tables and chairs, to the bookshelves and the counters. It’s all too adorable and it makes him think about how small and cute Nari is. 

He can’t stay for long though. 

If he’s late for practice, Heeseung will probably ground him. 

When he finishes, Sunoo is sitting on the floor with Nari in his lap, smiling about something as Nari plays with his hair, and Sunghoon can’t ignore the way butterflies are fluttering in his stomach. It’s a scene that’s all too familiar lately, like something straight from a fairy tale.

“So this is what you two have been doing while I’ve been working hard, huh?”

“Dada can join me and Noo Noo!”

Sunghoon smiles, reaching out to take her small hands. “I can’t today, okay? I have to head to work soon and do you remember what Dada told you in the car? I won’t be here to pick you up today but uncle Jay will.” Sunghoon turns to face Sunoo, who’s just been listening quietly as he sits there. “I have an interview today so Jay has to pick her up.”

“Okay,” Sunoo mutters, turning around to face Sunghoon. “I hope you have a good day then,” he says, smiling softly. 

“Actually, do you… would you want to swing by the rink when you’re out? Jay can take you home, too.”

“Really?” Sunoo asks, his eyes big. “A-are you sure? I don’t mind taking the bus or anything, Sunghoonie.”

“Nah, Jay won’t mind,” Sunghoon insists. Sunoo gives him a look that says he isn’t convinced. “I promise. Right, princess?”

“Mm-hmm! I love Uncle Jay. Uncle Jay is nice and funny. Does that mean I get to go see Dada and pway with Noo Noo today?”

Sunghoon flushes and clears his throat, his eyes glancing over to Sunoo quickly. “Would the princess like that?” 

“Yes!” Nari cheers, clapping her small hands together. “I get to pway with Noo Noo today.” She throws her arms around Sunoo’s neck in a hug.

“I’d like that too,” Sunoo replies. 

Sunghoon smiles. He can’t wait either. 

“Oh, and Sunoo? You probably shouldn’t wear a crop top this time unless you want to freeze.”

Sunghoon is in the middle of making his round inside the ice rink as part of the last bit of practice. He’s already changed back into his training clothes following a lengthy interview with one of the country’s biggest, most watched sports channels, their highlight being the upcoming competition which will feature fellow athletes from all over the world.

He still isn't trying to think much about it. 

If anything, it’s like he has a new sense of motivation and maybe, he wants to show off a little bit. Sunghoon skates around the rink, the cold biting across his cheeks and the tips of his ears even though he’s burning up underneath his top at the same time. He went through his routine for what seems like the 100th time, just to be ready. 

Heeseung is off to the side, giving his own interview as his coach with the last few remaining reporters that are covering the competition. At this time, when everyone is slowly getting out of work, it’s not yet busy. There’s a total of three ice rinks at this specific recreation center. In addition to a soccer field, basketball and volleyball courts, there’s a separate building for the ice sports. There’s one group of teenagers who are practicing ice hockey with their coach, one rink is empty and not being used, and the last is being used by Sunghoon. 

When the competition starts, the entire city will cover the streets with ads and banners. 

Sunghoon finishes his stretches on the bench when he notices the swarm of reporters around Heeseung breaking out in laughter at the end of his interview. Heeseung bows politely, a shy smile on his face, with a couple of reporters swooning over him. Sunghoon snorts. Heeseung’s charisma doesn’t go unnoticed. Once the chatter of excited reporters and camera men dies down, Heeseung jogs over to Sunghoon, letting out a breath, and pushing his glasses back onto his nose bridge.

“I don’t know how you do it, Hoon. All those cameras and microphones in my face…”

“You get used to it after a while,” Sunghoon says. 

“I’m glad you’re the athlete, not me. So how are you feeling?”

Sunghoon shrugs, stretching out his hamstrings. “I’m not too worried.”

“You looked good out there, totally relaxed.” Heeseung mutters something to himself and nods. “Are you hurting anywhere? Jay can schedule something for you before next week. I don’t want you keeping it from me if you’re in pain, Hoonie, you’ve been practicing a lot.” Lightly, Heeseung squeezes one of Sunghoon’s thighs. 

Sunghoon yelps, ticklish, and playfully pushes Heeseung off of him. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” Sunghoon tells him. Really, he appreciates everything Heeseung does for him other than being his coach. They’re friends first before anything else. 

“Are you sure? Maybe an ice bath? You haven’t done one in a while. Or a massage can help.”

“Aww, so you do love me,” Sunghoon says in a baby voice and grinning so that his dimple shows. 

“Not as much as Sunoo does.” 

Sunghoon walked right into that one.

“Wha-? H-he doesn’t love me, I–”

“Geez, you’re so flustered already, Hoon, it’s cute! You better pull yourself together before he sees you.”

Sunghoon blinks. “He’s not–”

Heeseung just smiles and throws his arms over his head to wave at someone Sunghoon can’t see. “Jaaay!” 

Sunghoon turns, only to be met with Sunoo’s pretty face walking towards him and Heeseung. Beside Sunoo is Jay holding Nari. He must have practiced for so long that he completely forgot that it would be time for Jay to pick up Nari and Sunoo and drive them over. He’s instantly up from the bench, ignoring Heeseung’s knowing little smile, and runs over to greet them.

“Dada!” Nari cheers, running into his legs with a crash and wrapping her arms around them. 

“Hey, princess, how was school?” Sunghoon asks as he lifts her into his arms. She’s wearing her coat now because she hasn’t gotten used to how cold the ice rink can be. 

“It was fun! We got to pway outside today with teacher Jakey and Noo Noo!”

Sunghoon’s eyes glance over to Sunoo, who’s standing and waiting patiently as Nari continues to tell her dad about her day at school. They smile softly at each other and it’s then that Sunghoon realizes Sunoo’s wearing his shirt, the one he let Sunoo cover himself with during Nari’s dance recital. 

His throat goes dry from seeing Sunoo wearing his clothes. 

“-and then I kicked the bwall into the net!”

“Did you really?” Sunghoon gasps, surprised.

“She made the goal of the day,” Sunoo chuckles, reaching out and rubbing her back. 

Nari smiles.”See! Are you happy, Dada?”

Sunghoon kisses Nari on her forehead. “I’m very happy, and very proud of you, Nari.”

Nari giggles and claps. She’s very proud of herself too.

Sunghoon puts her back onto the ground and she stays by his side, tucking herself into his legs. He smiles, running his fingers through her hair. He also doesn’t miss the soft expression on Sunoo’s face. Nari must have had such a fun-filled day with him at school today. “So I see you’ve met Jay, officially. He didn’t… say anything weird to you in the car, right?” Sunghoon asks. 

Jay puts a hand on his chest. “I would never! I only told Sunoo about that time when you got your pants caught in–”

“You said you’d never bring that up again!”

“Jay might have mentioned something about that.” Sunoo giggles behind his hand, his eyes sparkling bright with a challenge.

Sunghoon kinda wants to just kiss him instead. 

Jay glances at Sunghoon and then at Sunoo, then between the two of them. He clears his throat, “Come on, little lady, let’s go say hi to Hee.”

Nari holds her arms out for Jay and he takes her into his arms, listening as she tells him what she learned in school about farm animals. 

“She’s really loved, huh?” Sunoo says with a fond smile on his face.

Sunghoon sighs, agreeing. “They really help me out with her,” he says referring to Jay and Heeseung. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to stop by to see you today after school.”

“To see me or to pick up your daughter?” Sunoo teases. 

“Both, of course.”

“It’s okay, Sunghoonie, I understand that you were busy. By the way, I’m totally kidding. Jay only said good things about you,” Sunoo reassures as he wraps his arms around himself. “

Sunghoon’s eyebrows pull together. “Are you cold?” He steps towards Sunoo and rubs his hands on Sunoo’s bare arms, trying to warm him up. 

“I’m really sensitive to the cold,” Sunoo pouts. 

Sunghoon chuckles. “I guess you picked the wrong guy to involve yourself with then.”

Sunoo just smiles and looks up at Sunghoon. “Something tells me I'll get used to it.”

“Dada! Noo Noo! Come here!” Nari calls out all of a sudden.

“We’re coming,” Sunghoon tells her. He’s reluctant to step away from Sunoo, especially since Sunoo is still feeling cold, so instead, he guides Sunoo over to Nari with his hand on the small of Sunoo’s back. 

“This place is huge,” Sunoo comments as he takes in the complex. 

“There’s more spaces outside like a volleyball court too.”

“I think Jakey and Niki would love this place, they’re all about the sports.”

“And you’re not?”

Sunoo snorts, “I have a black belt, Park, that’s good enough for me, but don't be surprised that I can kick your ass if I have to.”

Sunghoon’s eyebrows shoot up. He’s genuinely surprised because he had no idea. “Uh, that’s, well-,” he clears his throat. “I wouldn’t mind that at all, actually…”

Sunoo just smiles and holds Sunghoon’s arm, pulling him along. “Come on, Sunghoonie, let’s not keep them waiting.”

“Sunoo, hi,” Heeseung greets once Sunghoon and Sunoo join the rest of the group. 

Sunoo waves politely and smiles. He doesn’t know either Jay or Heeseung very well but they’re always fun and nice when they pick Nari up from school and Nari also always goes on about how she loves both of her uncles very much. Again, just solidifying how much she’s loved, like Sunoo had said earlier. 

“How’s working at the nursery school?” Heeseung asks.

“I love it,” Sunoo starts. “I definitely couldn’t handle all those kids on my own but they’re all  really cute and I basically get to have fun at work all day.”

“Noo Noo is the best!” Nari blurts out. 

“I think Nari is the best.” Sunoo reaches over and pinches one of her cheeks, making her giggle. 

“Noo Noo, can I show you my ice skwating?”

“You can skate too?”

“Dada showed me!” Nari says excitedly. 

Sunghoon beams, smiling so widely, his cheeks pull up. “I taught her a bit when she was just starting to walk.”

When she was smaller, he had taken her to the rink with him for one of his practices and strapped tiny ice skates onto her feet. As he went around the rink, he held her little hands in his and guided her between his legs.

“Is there anything you can’t do, princess?” Sunoo smiles. 

Nari puffs out her cheeks, “Fly.”

That makes everyone crack up. Heeseung kisses her cheek and Jay takes her over to the counter to get her a pair of skates.

“Sunoo, what about you? Think you want to try some figure skating?” Heeseung asks. “I mean, you’ve got the best teacher around.”

“Oh, I don’t think I can, I don’t even know how to stand on skates.”

“Don’t worry, pretty, I can teach you. I’m the best, yes?” Sunghoon sees Sunoo playfully roll his eyes at him and pouts. 

“Could your head get any bigger, Park Sunghoon?” Sunoo sighs. “Fine, but if I break a bone, my friends will never forgive you. Jungwonnie knows taekwondo, just so you know.”

Sunghoon takes Nari first. 

Once Jay helps her lace up her ice skates with fasteners and pulls the zipper to her coat up, Sunghoon guides her onto the ice. He holds his hands out for her and waits as she carefully steps over the threshold onto the ice. Jay holds her from behind and Heeseung and Sunoo are watching off at the sides in casual conservation of how long Heeseung has been Sunghoon’s coach. 

“Okay, Nari, do you remember what you have to do?” Jay asks as he holds Nari. He doesn’t let go until she’s ready. 

“I hold Dada’s hand,” Nari says, staying in Jay’s hold with her arm out on the side board for balance.

Sunghoon skates over to her with his hands out. “Can you step out for me?”

Nari nods and holds both of her arms when Jay lets her go. Sunghoon catches her, holding onto her hands and pulling her gently with him. “Remember to keep your legs straight, sweetheart, so that you don’t fall.”

It takes Nari some getting used before she’s able to fully relax while standing up. The last time he had taken her must have been months ago so he isn’t surprised that she’s forgotten some of her skills. She’s smart and a fast learner though. It barely takes any time for her to get back into the rhythm. 

Sunghoon starts slowly at first, skating backwards and pulling her along with him as he does slow circles around the rink. She’s so small and cute, all he really sees is a puffy coat with legs following him. With her cheeks puffed out and round in concentration, she holds his fingers tight in her hands. 

“You’re doing fine, Nari, keep going.”

“It sliwperry.” 

Nari whines when one of her feet slips out underneath her. She grabs onto Sunghoon’s hands. 

“That's okay, we just try again, right? Dada will catch you if you fall. Push off with one leg first, just like that, and then push the other one behind you.”

They make their way around the entire rink and by the time they arrive at the starting point with the others, Nari is flushed from the cold and giggling. She steps back onto stable ground and runs over to Sunoo. “Did you see me, Noo Noo?”

“I sure did, you did amazing, Nari!”

“Are you going to skwate now, Noo Noo?”

“Uh, well…”

Sunghoon lifts her up and pulls the hood of her coat over her head. “Don’t worry, princess, I’m going to show Noo Noo how to skate, just like how you did. You want to go with your uncles to warm up?”

Nari smiles wide. “Mm, can I get hot chocolwate too?”

“Of course,” Sunghoon says, kissing her on the cheek. He hands Nari over just as Jay comes up and takes her. “I’ll come get you in a little bit, okay?”

Nari nods and throws her arms around Jay, squeezing him tight. Heeseung joins them and they make their way in the opposite direction, towards the small concession stand. Sunghoon is left alone with Sunoo and he skates over to the stand, not forgetting to do a quick little axel, to show off a bit. “How about it, Kim Sunoo?” He says when he skates a figure 8 in front of Sunoo. “Ready to get on the ice?”

Sunoo makes a face but nods. Just a few minutes later, he stands at the edge with Sunghoon helping to lace up his skates. 

“It’s just like rollerblading,” Sunghoon says, tying Sunoo’s skates for him. 

“On ice.”

Sunghoon rolls his eyes and takes Sunoo’s hand. “You’ve got the best teacher, don’t worry. Okay, just step over that and hold onto me.”

Sunoo whimpers a bit, squeezing Sunghoon’s hands, as he lifts his leg up and down. The first step is over and it’s not so bad. Maybe he can do this. Sunoo steps down with his other leg. Sunghoon keeps a tight grip on Sunoo and slowly pulls him towards the middle. “W-wait, Sunghoon, not so fast!”

“Just keep pushing off with each foot. I’m holding you so you won’t fall.”

It isn't as easy as Sunghoon says it is.

Sunoo thinks he looks more like a baby giraffe trying to learn how to walk. He's seen the figure skaters on TV before. They look like they're dancing on ice, the way they do their spins and jumps through the air. He's not graceful at all.

Sunghoon just holds onto Sunoo as he slowly skates them around the rink. Skating behind Sunoo, he holds him from behind, hands on Sunoo's hips. "See, you're doing good," he mutters by Sunoo's ear. "It gets easier the more you do it." 

He doesn't know how long they skate together. 

He just sees Sunoo's red cheeks from the cold of the rink and the way Sunoo's eyes curve when he smiles and he can't help himself. With his arm around Sunoo's waist, he pulls Sunoo into him. Sunoo yelps, clutching his arms and ready to yell at him, when he takes the chance and kisses Sunoo. It's sweet, just a quick press together, but he feels the shudder roll all the way down his back. The night they spent together flashes in front of his eyes, the way Sunoo felt on his lap, his warmth, how soft his body was.

He's in for a surprise when Sunoo deepens their kiss by playfully flicking his tongue against his lip.

Sunghoon groans and pulls back, "We should be careful, pretty. What would Nari say if she saw me kissing her teacher?" 

"She'd probably bring it up at school and ask me in front of everyone," Sunoo teases.

Sunghoon knows that's true. Nari is too smart for her own good and she'd come marching into her classroom to ask Sunoo what they were doing together on the ice.

With a quick glance over Sunoo's shoulder, he can see that Jay, Heeseung and Nari are still in line at the concession, waiting for their warm drinks. So he risks another kiss. Sunoo hums happily into it and Sunghoon smiles against Sunoo's lips.

"I wanted to ask you," Sunghoon starts when Sunoo breaks the kiss and smiles up at him. Fuck, he can barely think straight when Sunoo looks at him like that, like he's the only one in the world. "The competition is next week and I was wondering… if you wanted to come? Y-you might think it's boring and long, but Nari will be there and you can bring your friends too and-"

"Sunghoon."

Sunghoon stops his rambling when Sunoo takes his hand and laces their fingers together. 

"I'll be there."

.

When the day arrives, Sunghoon is ready.

He wakes up early, even before the sun’s up, to shower and change, before he has to meet Heeseung and Jay at the stadium. There’s the interviews, opening ceremony, getting dressed; all the preparation that goes into it, he’ll never get tired of the jitters he gets from the excitement. 

Once Nari is dressed and they have a quick breakfast, they hop into the car and make their way.

It’s already buzzing with activity when he gets there. Parking is full and the banners that signify the competition are waving high in the wind. Sunghoon takes Nari out from her car seat and sets her on the ground, taking her hand to walk her inside so he can get registered. He’s even stopped on his way there for photos with news crews firing questions at him.

“Park Sunghoon! How are you feeling about today’s competition?”

“Do you anticipate taking the gold today for men’s singles?”

“How does Park Sunghoon get ready for something like this?!”

“Do you have a pre-competition ritual, Sunghoon?”

“Uh, I really don’t,” Sunghoon answers shyly. “I just try not to think about it until the day off. Thankfully, this little one keeps me pretty distracted.” He holds Nari in his arms against the wall of photographers. Nari smiles and waves her little hands at them. Sunghoon doesn’t let Nari get in front of the media like this unless it’s for an event or special occasion. He wants to keep her away from all of it as much as possible because she’s still so young.

The group melts at her angelic smile and shutters from their cameras go off like a timer. 

“Is this little Nari?” One woman asks. “How old is she now?” 

“She’s just turned three.”

“And is there a Mrs. Park here today?”

“Is Nari thinking of going into her father’s footsteps as well with skating?”

Sunghoon doesn’t particularly like this aspect of being in the spotlight so he’s thankful when he spots Jay coming over to rescue him. The reporters suddenly turn their attention on Jay, chasing after him. 

“Jay, Jay! Who do you think is Sunghoon’s biggest competitor? Is it Somchai from Thailand or Elias from Sweden, maybe?”

“Sorry, everyone! We have to get Sunghoon-ssi ready so no more interviews. He’ll be available after, thank you!”

Sunghoon lets Jay whisk him away towards the safety of the dressing rooms. Once he’s back there, he lets out a breath. All the commotion has died down and he finally has a moment to himself. He doesn’t need a fancy dressing room but Heeseung always insists that it’s to help him be as comfortable as possible. There’s a TV attached to the wall and a long, glamorous vanity surrounded by round led bulbs and a couple plush chairs and seats. Setting Nari on the ground so she can be comfortable on one of the chairs, Sunghoon hands Jay his bag so he can start changing out of his training clothes and into his outfit. 

He gives Nari her coloring book and crayons so that she has something to keep herself entertained. It’s going to be a while before he goes on; the singles’ rounds are the highest anticipated event and they’re always near the end of the competition. 

“Heeseung is bringing Sunoo and his friends so he said he’ll be here soon,” Jay tells Sunghoon as he takes a spot on the seat beside Nari. He takes a look at his watch. “Do you need anything? You’re not on until later.”

There’s not much more he can do now. He’s got all the practice that he could possibly do and now, he just has to wait. It helps that he’s with his friends, safe and comfortable. When he finishes, with Jay making last minute fixes to his hair so that, in Jay’s words, “you look like an ice prince for your Sunoo”, a couple of knocks on the door get his attention.

In walks Heeseung, followed by Sunoo. 

“Noo Noo!” Nari cheers. “Are you here to watch Dada?”

Sunoo steps into Sunghoon’s dressing room, bending down to greet Nari. “I am,” he says, smiling. 

“Dada is the best,” Nari nods. “He’ll win for sure.”

Sunghoon chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “What if Dada doesn’t win?”

Nari purses her lips together, thinking. “Then Dada is still the bestest!”

Sunoo can’t help the soft feeling that overcomes him. Nari really loves Sunghoon so much. He reaches out to hold her hands. “Hey, Nari, guess what? Teacher Jakey is here too, and Niki. Do you want to go say hi to them? I want to say something to your dad, is that okay?”

“Kay!” Nari agrees right away. 

Heeseung and Jay get the hint. Heeseung takes Nari’s tiny hand and walks her out of the dressing room. “We’ll be back before you go on, okay?” Then Heeseung’s eyes shift between Sunghoon and Sunoo. “Don’t get too distracted.”

Sunghoon tries punching Heeseung’s shoulder, only to have Heeseung dodge at the last second and cackle, with Jay behind him. Nari waves and follows Heeseung and Jay. Then it’s just Sunghoon and Sunoo left in the quiet, but it isn’t awkward or stifling; Sunghoon’s always noticed since the first meeting, how Sunoo can make him feel so at ease. 

“I just wanted to say good luck,” Sunoo says. “You’ll do amazing and Nari will still think you’re the best even if you don’t win.”

Sunghoon laughs at Sunoo’s teasing. “And what about you? Will you still think I’m the best?” He steps in closer to Sunoo. There’s a moment where either of them say or do anything. Sunghoon takes in the fresh smell of Sunoo’s shampoo in his hair and the way his skin is so soft and smooth, and it’s Sunoo who makes the first move, resting his hands on Sunghoon’s shoulders and pulling him down for a kiss. 

Sunghoon wraps his arms around Sunoo’s narrow waist and kisses him, his hand absently rubbing along Sunoo’s back. Sunoo sighs into the kiss. It makes Sunghoon kiss him harder, gently squeezing at Sunoo’s waist and nipping at his mouth. He brings his tongue out and playfully traces Sunoo’s bottom lip. In the back of his mind, he wonders if Heeseung and Jay are standing just outside his door, able to come back in any second, but in the back of his mind is also how Sunoo fits perfectly in between his arms.

“Of course I will,” Sunoo replies when he pulls back. He’s a bit dazed; his lips are swollen and his eyes look dark and unfocused. 

The image isn’t going to leave Sunghoon’s mind anytime soon. 

He brings Sunoo into him and feels when Sunoo starts playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He shudders and takes a deep breath to speak his next words. “I might need another kiss to be convinced.”

Sunghoon thinks the rush he gets from skating doesn’t compare to kissing Sunoo.

.

It isn’t until the early evening when Sunghoon steps onto the rink.

Overhead lights flood him and the ice rink and the rest of the stadium is dark. The cheers make his heart pound. From where he’s standing, he can’t see where Sunoo is sitting with Nari and his friends. Heeseung and Jay are close to him though, most likely watching from the side, and that, along with all the support from Sunoo and his friends, is all he needs. 

He takes a deep breath as the track starts, the cold of the stadium washing over him, and he skates; he skates of being free, like a bird soaring through the sky, the wind in his hair. He skates of leaving it all out there on the ice, where nothing else matters but him. He jumps and spins, takes off and lands.

Sunghoon skates of falling in love. 

.

The winners are announced and the audience roars. Park Sunghoon takes gold.

.

Sunghoon walks back into his dressing room with a loud celebration when he opens the door. 

“Congratulations!”

Jay pops the cork to a bottle of champagne, letting it spill over the neck and all the way down to the floor. Heeseung snaps hundreds of photos of him, with him, with them, before he and Jay attack him with hugs and head rubs. Sunghoon throws his fingers into a V by his face and smiles into a selfie.

“Thanks, everyone,” Sunghoon says, flushed. His arms are full of flower bouquets and he sets them off onto the vanity as Nari makes a beeline for him. 

“You did it, dada!” 

“I did it!” Sunghoon lifts her into the air and swings her around. 

Nari squeals, holding onto his hands for dear life. “What will you do now, dada?”

“You’ve got a couple interviews once we’re finished here,” Heeseung starts as he grabs his phone and looks over the schedule. “But other than that, you’ve got nothing else for the rest of the night. We have to celebrate our winner, don’t we?”

Jay shares a look with Heeseung. 

“Club?” Jay asks.

“Club.”

Sunghoon doesn’t argue with that. 

After getting dressed, Sunghoon meets with the rest of the group. Sunoo is waiting for him with Niki and Jake by the rink. At this time, most of the audience has already left the stadium, leaving just a few bodies lingering behind. 

Sunghoon catches Sam Neil, one of the American figure skaters, and his partner Amanda, from the couples’ event. He didn’t get to watch their set but they took home the gold. Somchai, from Thailand, sees him and gives him a nod as a bunch of reporters crowd in front of him. He has his bouquet and his silver medal around his neck. Sunghoon waves to him, nodding back. 

In front of him just a few steps away, is Sunoo with his friends. 

“Yo, Park Sunghoon!” Niki calls. 

Sunghoon chuckles and jogs over to them. There’s one face he doesn’t recognize and he must be Sunoo’s best friend. Sunoo pulls at a popper and Niki has a noise maker, already spinning it around in his hand and making noise. 

“So how does it feel to be a winner?” Niki asks, holding out his noise maker like it’s a microphone. 

“It’s alright,” Sunghoon shrugs, playing it casually.

Niki scoffs. “He’s just trying to be polite,” he whispers to Jungwon.

“Hi, I’m Jungwon, Sunoo’s other best friend,” Jungwon says. 

“And you already know Jake,” Sunoo adds, holding his hand under Jake’s chin to introduce him. 

Jake smiles and does a cute pose by fluttering his fingers under his chin and pursing his lips. “I get to meet the famous Park Sunghoon after all this time, officially. Sunoo’s always talks about you.”

“Everyday, all day!” Jungwon chimes in. 

“I do not!”

“It-it’s okay,” Sunghoon laughs, “I’ve grown pretty fond of him too.” 

“Pretty fond, huh?” Niki says. 

Sunghoon feels his ears turn hot and glances over to Sunoo who’s sporting a pretty flush on his cheeks. 

“I should have never brought you guys along…” Sunoo sighs. “So are you celebrating with Heeseung and Jay tonight?”

“They wanted some drinks so we’re going to the club,” Sunghoon nods. “Actually, do you guys want to go too? I mean, you were all here to support me tonight, I’d be an asshole not to extend an invitation. I have to drop Nari off at my parents’ but meet us at Neon Nights in a couple of hours?”

Riki reaches over to high-five Jake. “Hell yeah!” He cheers. 

“Let’s do it! You guys in?” Jake asks, turning to face Sunoo and Jungwon. 

The smile on Sunoo’s face tells Sunghoon everything. 

.

Sunghoon doesn’t even know if a couple of hours is enough to get ready. Once he heads back home to pack Nari’s things so she can spend the night with his parents, he has to drive back to his house again to get ready. That all probably takes him close to an hour. 

Sunghoon doesn’t so much shower as he rinses himself clean of all the confetti and champagne from the celebration earlier. When he steps into his bedroom to get dressed, running a towel over his hair, he stops in his tracks. It hits him suddenly. He has no idea what he should be wearing. The last time he’d gone clubbing was for Heeseung’s birthday and that was almost a year ago. 

Wanting to tear his hair out, Sunghoon grabs his phone to call up Jay, knowing that Heeseung will be with his manager anyway. Jay picks up on the second ring. When he uses Jay’s Korean name, he means it. “Jongsaengie, I need help.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, what do I wear?”

“Something sexy!” Heeseung shouts from the background.

“Something sexy,” Jay says. 

Sunghoon rifles through his closet for something “sexy” but he knows he doesn’t have a lot of time to think about it unless he wants to show up late to his own party. He pretty much has either training gear or just casual clothes, trousers and button-downs taking up most of the space in his closet and he doesn’t think those are sexy enough. 

“Wear some tight jeans,” Jay adds. “They’ll make your legs long.”

“And Sunoo won’t stop staring at your ass.”

“Are you guys already on your way there?” Sunghoon asks, trying to ignore how his stomach flips at Jay’s comment as he searches for his pair of ripped, black jeans. He finds them deep in his closet, along with a black rock band tee. He’ll probably tuck the shirt into the waistband and then drape a denim jacket over his shoulders, just in case it gets cold. 

He doesn’t know if it’s sexy but at least he looks the part of a bad boy. 

Does Sunoo even like bad boys? Maybe he looks too much like a thug, too intimidating. Maybe he should take off the chain that’s dangling from the belt loops or maybe–

“Did you find something to wear?” 

“Black jeans and a tee?” 

“And combat boots.”

Sunghoon leaves his bedroom to look by the front door for his black pair of Doc Martens. 

“And your hair, do that thing where you part it down the middle and have your bangs in your eyes. Sunoo won’t be able to resist!”

Sunghoon really isn’t sure what Jay even means because his hair is always parted down in the middle. Still, he nods and tells Jay that he’ll meet them at the club in a little bit. Hanging up, Sunghoon drops his phone on the sofa and goes into the bathroom to finish getting ready. 

By the time he arrives at Neon Nights, there’s a line around the corner and it isn’t even midnight on a Friday yet. It’s easy to spot all the girls in their curve-hugging dresses and their guys sporting shiny, expensive watches and jewelry. He parks just a few streets over and walks over. The bass is so loud from inside, it vibrates on his skin. 

His phone buzzes in his back pocket as he makes his way inside the club. He unlocks it to find a message from Sunoo, telling him that they’re on their way. He just replies that he’s inside and he’s trying to find Heeseung and Jay for their table. Inside, colorful lights bounce off every surface and corner. The music blares from the speakers and it’s already packed. 

He hasn’t felt this in a long time, the feeling that the hairs on his arm are standing up and the feeling of the music flowing through him. Sunghoon finally spots Heeseung and Jay at a round table near the bar and they wave him over. 

“Hey!” He greets his friends over the loud music. “Sunoo said they’re on their way!”

“Okay, we’ll wait until everyone gets here for your celebratory shot!” 

The crowd starts to move like one as the time goes by and when Sunghoon happens to glance over at the entrance, his breath catches in his throat. It’s like the bodies just part naturally and his eyes land on Sunoo, only this Sunoo has shiny black hair and he’s wearing what looks like a black tube top under a blazer and black trousers with a thick, black choker. Sunoo doesn’t see him just yet so Sunghoon takes it upon himself to head over and see Sunoo himself. 

When he gets closer, Sunoo finally sees them and it’s also then that Sunghoon notices Sunoo’s wearing blue contacts; they’re so bright, they’re glowing within the dark corners of the club. Sunghoon doesn’t even get to catch his breath again when Sunoo smiles at him, waving cutely. His stomach is in knots as he approaches Sunoo and his friends.

“Sunghoonie!” Sunoo calls.

When Sunghoon is close enough, Sunoo instantly has his hands on him, holding onto his arm. He wraps his arm around Sunoo’s waist and starts to guide him through the crowd. “Our table’s over here!”

Behind Sunoo is Jake, Jungwon and Niki, who look equally as stunning as Sunoo does, but perhaps he’s a bit biased. Sunoo is absolutely gorgeous and he doesn’t hesitate to let him know. He slows down, letting Sunoo’s friends go first, and Sunoo looks back at him, eyes big in confusion. 

“Sunghoon?”

“I–you look, wow , you look gorgeous tonight.”

Sunoo’s expression softens and he reaches back out to hold Sunghoon’s arm. It looks quite possessive but Sunghoon isn’t complaining. “Wonie said I should go for a different look tonight so he helped me dye it. Do you... like it?”

“Kim Sunoo, you want to kill me, don’t you?” Sunghoon groans. “The pink hair made you pretty but the black hair? It’s just sexy.”

Sunoo chuckles, something dark veiling his bright eyes. “Maybe just get you all hot and bothered instead? You don’t look too bad yourself, Park. I like the bad boy look.” 

He wants to tell Sunoo that he's hot and bothered even when Sunoo is doing something simple like tending to Nari or whenever Sunoo bends over to grab something for the kids and the back of his shirt rides up. Anything and he feels like he needs to drink an entire bottle of water in that moment. He's weak to Sunoo, always has been since first seeing his soft smile.

His eyes drift down to the peek of skin of Sunoo’s midriff, his skin feeling so soft under his palm. “They’re going to do shots in a little bit, but do you want a drink first?” 

“Hmm, are you going to be drinking too?”

“Nah,” Sunghoon smiles. “You know I prefer wine. Plus, I have to drive home tonight anyway so if you and your friends want to get shit faced, you don’t have to worry about calling a taxi.”

Sunoo giggles and wraps his arms around Sunghoon’s neck. “I’ll take that shot. Dance with me afterwards?”

Sunghoon tightens his hold on Sunoo. “Whatever you want.”

He leads them back to the table where he’s pleasantly surprised to see Jay’s arm around Jungwon’s waist and Heeseung leaning into Jake and fixing his hair for him. He looks back at Sunoo, only to see the same expression on Sunoo’s face. 

“When did this happen?” Sunoo asks, his mouth falling open.

“I want to know too,” Sunghoon adds, his eyebrow raised. 

With Sunoo standing in front of him, he settles behind, one arm still holding Sunoo by his waist and absently stroking his skin. Beside them is Niki, sipping his pop through a straw. The fact that Niki isn’t drinking alcohol reminds him of how young Niki is sometimes, how young Sunoo and his friends are too. When Niki is dancing, he becomes a different person.

“So,” Sunghoon starts, eyeing his manager and coach. “Care to explain this?”

“You too, Yang Jungwon.”

“Why aren’t you interrogating Jake too?!”

“Oh, I will, don’t worry,” Sunoo sasses, taking a glance over at Jake as well. Jake looks like he’s just seen a ghost. “But you first.”

“Uh, well, Jay and I realized that we actually have a lot in common!” Jungwon starts. His smile practically takes up his entire face. 

“In the few hours since you guys met?” Sunoo teases.

“Yes.” Jungwon flushes high on his cheeks. “And we’re going out for lunch later in the week.”

“Heeseungie’s taking me out too,” Jake adds.

“Oh.”

Sunghoon sees Sunoo visibly deflate, like Sunoo’s accepting it. Chuckling, Sunghoon rubs his waist in order to soothe him and tell him that it’s okay. He’s glad that Jungwon and Jake have hit it off with his two best friends too. Jay’s always said that he doesn’t date seriously because he’s so busy and Heeseung’s last relationship didn’t end well because he was cheated on. After that, he was more hesitant to put himself out there. 

Sunoo reaches over to Jungwon to pull him into a hug and then grabs Jake and pulls him in as well, saying something to him that Sunghoon can’t catch but it must be good because Jake flushes a bit and playfully swats at Sunoo’s shoulder. Heeseung smiles as well, ducking his head shyly. 

“This is all really cute.” Niki clears his throat when the entire table looks over to him. “Just saying,” he shrugs, feeling shy all of a sudden. Grinning, Sunoo reaches his hand out to ruffle Niki’s hair. Niki yelps and rushes to fix his hair. 

“Well, we have more than one thing to celebrate tonight then?” Sunghoon says.

The bartender arrives at their table with a tray of shots just a couple minutes later. Heeseung passes the glasses around until they all have one, save for Niki, who is just as happy to have his Coke. They all raise their glasses in the middle and celebrate with a loud cheers! , bumping their shots together. 

Music pulses through Sunghoon’s body like a heartbeat.

He has no idea what time it is or how long they’ve been here, just like having Sunoo pressed against him is one of the best feelings in the world. This entire day has been a high that doesn’t seem like it’s fading anytime soon. He tightens his hold around Sunoo’s waist and Sunoo’s throws his head back onto his shoulder. It doesn’t seem like their friends are around either.

The last time he and Sunoo saw Jay and Jungwon, they were dancing and Jake and Heeseung were still sitting at the table with their drinks, laughing and looking so adorably cozy. Niki disappeared on his own, and Sunoo told him that meant Niki most likely found a pretty girl to dance with. He’s just glad that their friends are all getting along. In a way, it’s like they were all meant to meet. He still can’t believe what’s all happened in the last couple of months. 

Especially with Sunoo.

With that thought in mind, Sunghoon moves his hand up on Sunoo’s tummy, moving it absently in little circles. He can feel the moment Sunoo’s skin prickles with goosebumps and he leans down to speak near Sunoo’s ear, his lips brushing the sensitive helix. “Is this okay?”

“It’s perfect,” Sunoo tells Sunghoon. 

Sunghoon accepts Sunoo’s consent with a quick squeeze to Sunoo’s waist. With how close they are, he picks up on the sweet scent of Sunoo’s shampoo, something fresh and wild that reminds him of summer and sunshine, like coconut and something floral. He noses along Sunoo’s jaw, his cheek. “I can’t keep my hands off of you.”

“Then don’t, Hoonie.”

The nickname bleeds something hot in the pit of his belly. 

Sunghoon closes his eyes, using it as a moment to take a breath. He’s not drunk; the one shot isn’t affecting him at all, yet it’s like all his inhibitions crumble away around Sunoo and his mind is foggy with Sunoo’s scent. Sunoo turns in his hold and has his arms around his neck. Sunghoon opens his eyes again, placing his hands on Sunoo’s narrow waist, and pulls him in close, so close that Sunoo grinds down on him. He hisses, gripping onto Sunoo as a jolt of pleasure fires through him. Sunoo grinds down again and pushes his knee in between his legs.

“Sunoo,” Sunghoon groans. “Baby, if you keep doing that–”

The pet name slips out and his face explodes with heat when he realizes Sunoo’s heard it too, with the way Sunoo freezes in his hold. Colorful beams of light bounce off of Sunoo’s face, his hair, his collar bones, and still, he looks so pretty. 

“You can… say it again, Sunghoonie.”

Sunghoon swallows, nodding. “Okay. Baby, can I kiss you?” Sunoo smiles, already leaning into him. The kiss tastes a bit like the vodka shots they had earlier, somewhat bitter, with an underlying peach flavor from Sunoo’s lip oil. He cups Sunoo’s pretty face with his hands, rolling his tongue with Sunoo’s and then dragging his teeth over his lip, and Sunoo moans, his small hands holding onto Sunghoon’s wrists gently. He can’t describe what it’s like to have Sunoo’s lips against his; all he knows is that the butterflies in his stomach don’t just flutter, they’re rampaging. 

What they aren’t aware of, unfortunately, is the couple of curious bystanders near the bar, two younger males with drinks already in their systems, watching them with spiteful eyes. 

Chapter Text

The very second Sunoo cracks his eyes open, his phone vibrates like that’s all it knows how to do. Half-awake, he digs under his pillow for where he thinks he had left it last night. After Sunghoon dropped him, Niki and Jungwon back home, he collapsed into his bed, not even bothering to change out of his clothes and into his pajamas. He barely even drank but all he remembers is Sunghoon’s gold medal, Sunghoon’s big hands on his body, holding him, Sunghoon’s soft kisses, some dancing and then stepping out of the club when the sun was starting to come up.

Stretching out the kink in his lower back, Sunoo pads around his bed for his phone, that’s still buzzing. “Where is–”

His bedroom door slams open and he’s suddenly staring into Jungwon’s wide eyes. Niki towers behind him, holding his phone up with a concerned expression. 

“Did you check your phone yet?” Jungwon asks. 

“No, I’m barely awake,” Sunoo says. “It’s been going off for like, 10 minutes.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Sun.” 

Sunoo’s eyebrows pull together. “Why not? What’s wrong?” He watches as Jungwon and Niki share a look together and then avoid looking back at him. “What is it?” He asks again. 

“Someone… saw us,” Jungwon starts. “Someone saw you and Sunghoon last night, kissing.”

“It’s all over the internet, I don’t know if–”

Fuck, is all Sunoo can think. 

He doesn’t even hear the rest of what Niki is saying; it’s just white noise static in his head. “My phone.” He has to find his phone. He scrambles out of bed and throws his blanket to the floor, his sheets to the floor, trying to find where the buzzing is coming from. 

Jungwon walks into his bedroom to help Sunoo. “Did you check under your pillow?”

“Or look in between the headboard,” Niki offers. 

Sunoo grabs his pillow to throw it to the side when he finally finds his cellphone underneath, the screen lighting up with alerts and messages. When it vibrates again, he picks it up. “Hello?”

“Sunoo? I’ve been trying to reach you! It’s Jay. Whatever you do, don’t… don’t look at the news, okay? It’s, it’s not good. Someone saw you guys last night and there’s pictures everywhere. Have you seen it?”

Sunoo swallows except there’s a knot lodged in his throat. “N-no, I haven’t, but Jungwon and Niki told me the same thing. What… where’s Sunghoon?”

“Look, I don’t know what to tell you right now, Sunoo. Hee and I are trying to figure out who leaked the pictures to the press but… it’s not looking good.”

“Hyung, what does that mean? Did something happen? It’ll be okay, right? I mean, Sunghoon and-and Nari…” He takes a breath and hears Jay sigh on the other line.

“I’ll call you when we know more.”

Jay hangs up. 

“Fuck,” Sunoo curses, scrubbing his hand through his hair. How did one night of celebrating Sunghoon’s win go so horribly wrong? He can’t help but think that it was his fault - his fault for putting his hands on Sunghoon, his fault for kissing Sunghoon without thinking about what it could mean for him. 

“What did he say?” Jungwon asks. 

Sunoo shakes his head and sits down on the edge of his bed. Niki joins him on one side and Jungwon takes a seat on the other. “They’re trying to find out who took the pictures but they have no idea.” Sunoo fidgets with his phone in his hands. He knows he should listen, that he shouldn’t go online and see what everyone is saying about them, about Sunghoon. He needs to know, though. 

He unlocks his phone and clicks on his notifications, heart beating like it’s going to pop right out of his chest. 

‘Is one of Korea’s most eligible athletes gay?’

‘Park Sunghoon, gold medalist, seeing a man?’

ICE PRINCE OF KOREA, PARK SUNGHOON, HAS A SECRET LOVER 

All the headlines are the same, all the comments are the same, speculating who the mystery boy Sunghoon was in the club with.

doesn’t park sunghoon have a daughter too? Where did she come from then?!

He should have been more careful if he’s in the spotlight…

The pics are so dark tho? How can anyone tell who that is with him?

Shhiitt and he just got the gold medal for his win too HAHA

Sunoo feels sick all of a sudden.

Not knowing what to do, he dials Sunghoon's number. He knows it's a bad idea and he's really not surprised when the other doesn't pick up, but he is just too worried.

Sunoo hangs up again before looking up and being met with two pairs of soft eyes looking worriedly at him.

He sighs and puts down his phone, display down. He better not look at anything else now.

Jungwon puts a hand on his shoulder and massages him softly. Niki cuddles up to him from the side, holding him tightly. Sunoo is grateful for his friends, he doesn't know what he would do without them. They're his support system when worse comes to worst - like now.

At least it feels like it.

"How about you take a shower while hyung and I prepare breakfast?" Niki suggests with a caring tilt of his lips.

Sunoo sighs, but nods. Jungwon and Niki make their way out of his room moments later. 

Sunoo can't resist and picks up his phone once more, dialing Sunghoon's number again. And once again, he doesn't pick up. 

He frowns as he shuffles over to the bathroom, almost cries as the hot water drops hit his skin, and full on pouts when he sits down at the table, a bowl of his favorite cereals in front of him.

Jungwon reaches out his hand to pat Sunoo's. 

"It will be alright. Let some time go by and the public will forget. For now, you both have to stay low. Especially Sunghoon hyung."

Sunoo just nods, pout not disappearing from his face.

He spends the day with Niki and Jungwon, lazing around, eating unhealthy foods and watching reruns of their favorite dramas. He hates that it feels like a breakup. 

By the time the evening rolls by, Sunoo has called Sunghoon several times, never getting an answer, and in the end the call goes straight to the mailbox. This is so unlike the Sunghoon he has encountered during the past days, that he's worried sick for him.

However amazing that night at the club was, just as heartbroken he is right now. That night he goes to bed with a heavy heart and a huge desire to see Sunghoon again as soon as possible.

Only, that he doesn't.

The pout stays on his face for the next few days.

Nari gets dropped off by an older couple, who Sunoo assumes are Sunghoon's parents.

When pick-up time comes around, Sunoo makes sure to be in the hall or close to it, but each time it's either Jay or Heeseung who pick up the little girl. 

Sunoo tries to talk to them at least, but there are always other parents around, and Sunoo knows how curious they all are. People who are part of high society love gossip, even more when it's not about them, but someone they actually know personally.

All he gets from Heeseung and Jay are pitiful looks and caring pats on the shoulder.

Even Nari, who walks up to him as soon as she enters the school, can't cheer him up completely. When he plays with the kids and teaches them new things, he's the funny and cute Sunoo, but underneath it he pouts and mopes. 

By the end of the week Sunoo is beyond sad. He misses Sunghoon like crazy and feels hurt whenever his calls go straight to voicemail. 

It's after nap time and he's sitting in the reading corner with some of the kids. One after the other is being picked up, until only Nari and he are left behind. 

They're browsing through the book, but Sunoo doesn't really focus, his mind lost somewhere in the thoughts of Sunghoon.

A sudden jab to his cheek makes him jump up.

"Noo Noo! You're not lwistening!" Nari complains with a huge pout.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, sweety! Tell me again, please."

She pushes out her lips and shakes her head. Then she looks down, sad.

Sunoo panics. No way in hell will he make Nari cry! He would never forgive himself.

"Aww, sweety, Nari, what's up? I'm sorry, I was distracted. But Noo Noo will read to you now!"

She shakes her head, the pout staying on her lips. "You're the same as Dada. Dada is also not lwistening. Always looking sad."

 Sunoo's heart sinks as he hears the words.

"What do you mean?"

"Dada is sad, like Noo Noo. He doesn't smile or lauwgh."

Sunoo pulls her into a tight hug and strokes her hair.

"I'm sorry Nari that we're making you sad! I will do better, I promise!"

A knock on the door frame let them both look up.

It's Jay who's standing at the door and waves at them.

"Hi, princess! Hi, Sunoo. I'm here to pick Nari up."

Sunoo lets the little girl go and she skips to her uncle. Jay bends down to her and says something which makes her walk out into the hall, while Jay waits for Sunoo, who got up to follow some moments earlier.

When he steps in front of Jay, the older nods.

"Hi, Sunoo."

Sunoo just nods, not even answering before coming straight to the point.

"How is Sunghoon?"

Jay sighs and shrugs his shoulders. "He gets by? He's frustrated with the media and how they made a big deal out of it."

"Well, we do live in a society where homosexuality isn't really accepted."

"Yes. And that sucks."

"Tell me about it," Sunoo says before pressing his lips together. He experienced his fair share of homophobic attacks ever since he came out during his high school days. People are just nasty, and teenagers can be even worse. But he's proud of who he is now and he will definitely not hide it. And he also wants Sunghoon to be free. 

"I wish I could do something to make him feel better. Nari said he's sad."

The older man nods, "True. He should be celebrating his medal, instead he's hating the world right now."

"And the world deserves it."

Again, Jay nods.

"I'm ready, uncle Jay!" Nari says as she comes back with her backpack in hand. Jay nods at her before he turns back to Sunoo once more.

"It's about a week since the news broke out. I think the worst has died down now. Nari has a sleepover with Heeseung tomorrow night. I thought you might want to know," Jay says and winks at him.

Before Sunoo can say anything to this new acquired information, Jay has turned on his heels, picked up Nari and is out the door. 

Different thoughts swirl through Sunoo's head - should he go there? Should he try calling him first? What if Sunghoon throws the door closed in his face? But didn't Nari say that he was also sad? It must be that he's also missing him, isn't it? What will Sunoo do if Sunghoon rejects him? What if he has decided that it's not worth the hassle? That the public opinion is way too important? 

Sunoo gulps. 

"Are you okay?" Jake asks as he steps out of the room where the kids take their naps. He must have cleaned it. "Sunoo?" 

Sunoo snaps out of his thoughts and looks at Jake.

"Hyung!"

"Yes?" Jake looks at him suspiciously.

"Which way should I go? The easy one or the risky one?"

The easy one would be to just let it go, cry a little (or a lot), and slowly give up. The risky one would be to go to Sunghoon's house and try to talk to him. Maybe there will be reporters, maybe someone sees him again, but then he would also see Sunghoon and could make this right.

Jake thinks for a moment, regarding Sunoo calmly.

"Definitely not the easy one."

"Huh?" Sunoo didn't expect this.

"Listen, the easy one is always the straight way, right? And we both know that you're anything but straight, Kim Sunoo. Take the risk. If it hurts, you'll get through it."

For a second Sunoo wonders why it feels as if Jake knows exactly what's going on, but then why wouldn't he? They didn't talk about the articles, but Jake has probably also seen the news, and he was also at the club, so he most definitely knows about it.

Jake sighs and takes a step closer, patting Sunoo's shoulder softly.

"Go get your man, Sun! Hee and I will babysit Nari anyway."

Sunoo stares for a moment.

"Wait! What? 'Hee and I'???? When did THAT happen?"

Jake grins and just waves him off, disappearing into the office and leaving behind a gaping Sunoo. 

He's nervous.

No, that's an understatement. He's about to pee his pants although he used the bathroom just before he left his apartment.

Niki and Jungwon had spent the day with him, making him look gorgeous. 

Sunoo is wearing loose beige pants and a soft blue cardigan on top. And underneath the cardigan there's - nothing. At first he wanted to wear a tube top, but then decided that he felt adventurous and not wear anything underneath. He put on soft makeup and shiny gloss, making his lips pop. To top it off, he put in blue lenses, making his eyes match the color of the cardigan.

When he stepped out of the bathroom, Jungwoon and Niki both swooned. 

"Damn, if he doesn't devour you when he sees you, he's an idiot," Jungwoon grinned. 

Sunoo snorted and threw a pillow at his face. 

Now he's standing at the stairs down to the metro station, which he has just exited. 

He put on a face mask, a black coat and a black cap, just to make sure that no one would recognize him from the pictures, in case there were some reporters. 

After taking one deep breath, he starts walking towards the direction of Sunghoon's house. 

For a brief moment he thought about taking a taxi because no one in this neighborhood takes the subway and then walks around. Most people here use their cars or a driver to get them somewhere. But the chances are high that there are reporters around, and a taxi would have let him off straight in front of the door. At least, while walking, he can just walk by if he catches someone's attention. 

And indeed, as Sunoo rounds the corner, he's met with two black cars that are parked right opposite the garage and the stairs that lead up to Sunghoon's property. 

He does his best to not look suspicious as he walks straight on, not glancing at the cars, nor the stairs up to Sunghoon's house. 

He disappears around the next corner and walks some more meters before stopping and leaning against a wall. 

Looking back, he's glad that they didn't follow him. 

But how will he get to Sunghoon now?

He sighs in frustration and pulls out his phone. He dials Sunghoon's number and waits for him to pick up. 

But, of course, he doesn't.

Sunoo groans in frustration. Then he opens his messenger and types a furious message to Sunghoon.

Hoonie! I am outside your house but I can't come in because there are reporters outside. I know it's risky, but I simply MISS YOU SO MUCH! What should I do? 

He doesn't care that he sounds whiney, this is exactly how he feels. 

He almost jumps when his phone chimes with an incoming message.

Oh my God, Sunoo, what are you doing? Gosh, I miss you too, so much, but this is dangerous! If they see you, they will crowd you!!!

Sunoo huffs and types a reply.

I know Hoonie, and I'm not dumb. They didn't see me. I am around the corner. Opposite that traditional hanok with the black door.

Seconds tick by before an answer arrives.

Go up that street for about 50 meters, then turn right into a back alley. It's between two walls. The first door on your right leads to my garden. I'm waiting. 

Sunoo's heart skips a beat as he quickly pockets his phone and runs up the street. And indeed, after about 50 meters there's a small alleyway on the right. 

It's narrow, so cars wouldn't be able to drive through, and even if a person comes from the other side, it would be difficult to pass each other. 

Sunoo takes a quick look around, sees no one, and sprints into the alley.

He almost misses the door, as he's running so fast. 

Making a full break, he tries to calm his breathing first before knocking on the door. 

He knocks the tune of a children's song, so that Sunghoon knows it's him. 

It doesn't take long before the door swings open, a hand grabs him, and he's pulled inside, the door in the alley falling shut as if no one has ever stood there.

He comes face to face with Sunghoon, who's staring at him in bafflement. 

Sunoo takes off his cap and mask and grins at Sunghoon.

"Hi!"

"Fuck, you're insane," Sunghoon sighs as he closes his eyes. 

Sunoo's heart beats like crazy as he looks at the handsome man, whom he has missed so much during the past days, and who looks amazing in his sweatpants and gray hoodie.

Then Sunghoon's eyes pop open and he pulls Sunoo into a bone-crushing hug.

"I've missed you so much," he whispers into Sunoo's neck and the breath that hits him makes the younger shudder in bliss. 

His arms close tight around Sunghoon before he answers.

"I've missed you too. So much."

They stay in this hug forever, it seems, but then it's over way too soon when Sunghoon leans back and looks at him. His arms stay wrapped around Sunoo's body, which the younger one happily registers.

"What should I do with you?" Sunghoon asks quietly as he stares into Sunoo's eyes, their bodies pressed against each other from the waist downwards. 

Sunoo feels a spark light up inside of him and he pulls Sunghoon closer again until there's only little space between their faces.

"How about kissing me?" Sunoo whispers.

Sunghoon inhales sharply and his grip on Sunoo intensifies.

The younger can't help the smile that spreads on his lips when he confirms for himself that Sunghoon is still just as head over heels for him as he is. 

Sunoo leans in to connect their lips, but Sunghoon pulls back quickly and turns away, but not without grabbing his hand and pulling him across the lawn towards the house. 

They walk past the pool and into the living room, where Sunoo remembers Nari's birthday party took place. This feels like ages ago already.

Sunghoon lets go of his hand and closes the windows and the curtains. Sunoo raises an eyebrow - why would he need to close the curtains when there's a high fence around the property.

"You never know how good they can climb," Sunghoon says when he catches his look. He helps Sunoo shrug out of his coat and cap to hang them up. 

Suddenly Sunoo realizes what kind of life Sunghoon must be living and how the things happening right now might be scary and stressful for Sunoo, but for Sunghoon they have probably occurred in some way or another before. How horrifying must this be!

Sunoo lowers his head, feeling guilty that he fell for Sunghoon and made his way over today.

"Hey," Sunghoon speaks softly and a hand softly cups Sunoo's cheek to push his face upwards. 

Their eyes meet and Sunoo can't see anything but care in them. 

"I'm sorry for recklessly deciding that I should come here and see you. I just missed you so much and I was so sad without you and Nari told me you're also sad, so I thought-"

He's silenced by Sunghoon's lips landing on his, capturing them in a soft kiss.

Sunoo is a bundle of nerves in an instant, all reason forgotten, all guilt washed away and replaced by fire and lust shooting through his veins.

When they separate, Sunoo lets out a sigh and opens his eyes, but only half-way.

Sunghoon is breathing just as heavily as Sunoo, pulling back from his lips only slightly and keeping his hand on his cheek, cupping it gently.

"It's okay, baby. You gave me a heart attack when you came here, but only because I don't want you to be targeted by the press. I freaking love having you around, having you close, being able to do this to you…"

And then he dives back into a kiss, this time deepening it quickly, and pushing his tongue in between Sunoo's lips. Sunoo opens up willingly, welcoming his sensitive touch.

His hands automatically wander to the front of Sunghoon's hoodie and he grabs the fabric, in dire need of something to steady him as the kiss makes his heart race and his legs wobble.

But before they can go any further, Sunoo has to tell him something first. 

As much as he hates it, he pulls away from his kiss.

Sunghoon looks confused and Sunoo finds it hot as hell, how his mouth is slightly open in surprise, lips already swollen. 

"I just want you to know that I don't care about all that. All I care about is you, Sunghoon. I want you, and nothing else. Let them come at me, I'm willing to take them on."

Sunghoon snorts and something sweet and deep sparkles in his eyes. It makes Sunoo's heart skip several beats and he suddenly feels as if he's burning.

Before he dives back into the kiss, he lets his coat fall to the ground.

Sunghoon's eyes follow the movement and land on Sunoo's cardigan and the rather deep cutout.

He sucks in a breath.

"Kim Sunoo, is there anything underneath this cardigan?"

Sunoo smirks smugly and leans in, putting his lips directly onto Sunghoon's ear.

"How about you find out?"

Sunghoon doesn’t answer him right away and Sunoo takes that moment to take in just how pretty and beautiful Sunghoon is. It’s weird, it’s like he’s seeing Sunghoon for the first time all over again; he runs his fingers through Sunghoon’s light hair, smooths his thumb over Sunghoon’s jawline, presses a kiss to Sunghoon’s little nose where his mole is. 

“Nari is with Heeseungie and Jake and she won’t be home until tomorrow,” Sunghoon starts. Sunoo doesn’t miss the way Sunghoon’s eyes flicker down to his mouth before they’re back to staring into his eyes. “So you have me all to yourself.”

Sunoo swallows thickly and a knot forms in his lower belly.

“Don’t tell me that, Sunghoon-ssi, or else I’m going to be selfish.”

“I want you to be selfish, pretty.”

Sunoo pulls Sunghoon back on him for a kiss. In the back of his mind, he feels them moving. Sunghoon leads him somewhere, away from the large, open windows, away from the doors, and his feet follow along with Sunghoon’s. He’s pressed against a counter and when he pulls back, they’re in Sunghoon’s kitchen. Sunghoon runs his lips along the slope of his neck and he grips Sunghoon’s shoulders, breathing heavily. Heat sweeps over his entire body, like he’s sporting a fever, and he rests his forehead against the middle of Sunghoon’s chest. Sunghoon’s arms come up around him, guiding him back, and he gets the hint and sits himself on the counter, letting Sunghoon step in between his legs. 

Once Sunoo is settled, Sunghoon is on him again.

Sunghoon teases Sunoo with soft, playful kisses. They’re all over his face, on his cheeks, his forehead, his nose, until he’s whining for more and pulls Sunghoon back down to his mouth instead. Sunghoon smiles into the kiss and he brings his legs up to wrap around Sunghoon, pulling him close. 

Then Sunghoon’s hand sneaks under his cardigan, cold fingers trailing along his abdomen before they’re going up, up to swipe across his nipples. Sunoo shudders, tightening his legs around Sunghoon, and moans. 

“Cute,” Sunghoon coos, keeping his thumb over Sunoo’s nipple.

“I didn’t realize you were such a tease,” Sunoo huffs, playfully pushing at Sunghoon.

“I’m sorry,” Sunghoon chuckles. “I’ll make up for it.”

Sunghoon more than makes up for it.

Sunoo brings his fingers into Sunghoon’s hair when Sunghoon pulls his cardigan down a bit to expose his shoulder and starts kissing and sucking at his neck. It’s like he’s a teenager again, sneaking off to his bedroom with a boy and touching him for the first time, feeling Sunghoon’s hands on his body. Sunoo moans when Sunghoon moves to suck a hickey just underneath his ear.

Sunoo flops back onto the counter, resting on his elbows and body going limp at how ridiculously fast he’s getting aroused and he’s just noticing it now - the sweat on the back of his clammy neck, the anxiety crawling in his stomach, his fingers shaking with excitement. He thinks he might be leaking precum into his underwear at this point and they haven’t done anything other than kiss. A wave of heat sweeps across his cheeks, making him flush. He blames it all on Sunghoon for being so hot. 

Not that he’s complaining. 

Glancing down, Sunoo watches as Sunghoon pushes his cardigan up to his chest, leaving his midsection on display. Before he can ask Sunghoon what he’s doing, Sunghoon starts kissing around his navel, around his belly button. Sunghoon swipes a fat, wet stripe along his hip bone, all while looking up at him with those dark eyes of his, and he moans, sucking his lip in between his teeth. 

“You’re so pretty,” Sunghoon tells him, dragging his mouth and dotting kisses all across the expanse of Sunoo’s belly. 

Sunghoon’s tongue is hot and slick on him and he can’t help but think about what that tongue would feel like if it was dragging along the other parts of his body. He’s definitely hard now and when Sunghoon notices it too, the air around them fills with a buzz that Sunoo feels prickling his skin; there’s no way Sunghoon couldn’t notice it . The second their eyes meet, nothing else needs to be said. He takes a hold of Sunghoon’s hand and brings it in between his legs.

Sunghoon lays his hand on him, rubbing him, feeling him, through the thin fabric of his pants and more precum soaks into his underwear. 

“Do you want me to take care of this for you?” 

“Hoonie, p-please,” he begs, squeezing his eyes shut at the pressure Sunghoon puts on him with his hand.

“How do you want it?”

“Anything,” he tells Sunghoon. He just wants anything. Sunghoon palms him just a bit harder, making him whine. 

When Sunghoon pulls back, fingers on the waistband of his pants, Sunoo pauses, not even sure enough to take a breath. His heartbeat pounds in his chest, his palms clammy. Sunghoon drags his pants down his legs and drops them to the floor. Next is his underwear and then he’s bare and open to Sunghoon’s dark, unwavering eyes. 

He sees Sunghoon swallow, Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat, and has the sudden urge to hide behind his hands. He’s never shy in moments like these but with Sunghoon, it’s different; everything feels new and foreign. 

“You’re staring.”

Sunghoon chuckles, dipping down to kiss Sunoo on his hip bone. “You’re just, you’re pretty all over, Sunoo-ssi, I can’t stop staring.”

Sunoo groans, his ears turning hot like they’re burning. His body likes the praise too, apparently, because once Sunghoon wraps his hand around him and gives him a slow stoke as if Sunghoon’s testing it out, his cock leaks precum right onto Sunghoon’s kitchen counter. He really wants to just disappear into a fucking hole now. 

Thankfully, that thought passes just as quickly as it appears.

Sunghoon starts with just slow, steady strokes. Sunoo is aware of his own heavy breathing between them as the arousal builds in the pit of his belly. He hasn’t had anyone touch him like this in such a long time and the excitement and all the feelings that have developed for Sunghoon since their meeting are bubbling to the surface.

“Do you like this? Want me to go slower?” Sunghoon asks, pulling Sunoo from his thoughts. 

Sunghoon presses his thumb just underneath the head of Sunoo’s cock, into the frenulum, and Sunoo whines, holding onto Sunghoon’s wrist so that Sunghoon doesn’t stop. 

“Just, don’t stop, Hoonie, please.”

Sunghoon nods, swallowing back the spit that’s pooling in his mouth from having Sunoo spread out on his kitchen counter like this with his thighs wrapped around him. He keeps his thumb under the head of Sunoo’s cock and presses a kiss to Sunoo’s thigh, keeping his mouth there and gently scraping at the skin with his teeth. He strokes Sunoo again, using the precum to make the slide of his fist smoother. 

It makes Sunoo moan and Sunghoon captures his mouth in a kiss, flicking his tongue at his lips playfully. Sunoo giggles into the kiss and pulls Sunghoon down further on top of him. The tension is slowly leaving his body the more Sunghoon touches him and arousal fills him instead, hot and thick. 

He’s caught completely off guard when Sunghoon puts his mouth on him. 

His fingers slide into Sunghoon’s soft hair and he bucks up into Sunghoon’s mouth. “Hoonie, ah, fuck,”  he moans.

“Such naughty words from such a pretty mouth,” Sunghoon teases, easing off of Sunoo to lick the corner or his mouth. “What would the preschool think of this, hmm, pretty?”

Sunoo squeezes his eyes shut, feeling himself leak onto Sunghoon’s tongue when Sunghoon slips his cock back into his mouth and sucks around him. He runs his fingers through Sunghoon’s hair and Sunghoon moans around him, his tongue dipping into the slit of his cock and then dragging around the head in a thick, wet circle. Some spit dribbles down Sunghoon’s chin.

The cold surface of the counter presses into his lower back but even that doesn’t help to cool him down.

It feels like the temperature of Sunghoon’s kitchen has gone up to 100 degrees and he wants to shrug his cardigan off. His back sticks to the granite top with sweat and there’s nothing he can do about how uncomfortable it is except lie back on his elbows and let Sunghoon suck him off. 

He’s not going to last much longer anyway, not with how Sunghoon is staring at him while he drags his tongue over the head of his cock or how Sunghoon has his lips around him and sucks. 

“I-I’m so close,” Sunoo moans out. 

Sunghoon nods slightly and gives his cock a suck and that’s all it takes to have him coming. 

Sunoo comes with Sunghoon’s name falling from his lips, the heat in his belly finally unraveling at the seams. Sunghoon takes his mouth off of him but still keeps his hand there to stroke him through his orgasm as it leaves his shaking and panting. Sunghoon rubs the underside of his cock and a fat glob of cum manages to leak its way down onto the counter.  

Once his heartbeat has stopped rushing through his ears, Sunoo flops back down onto the counter, breathing heavily.

“Did I-was that okay for you?” Sunghoon asks.

Sunoo doesn’t believe what he’s hearing. He sits back up to face Sunghoon, who still has him caged in with his arms on either side of him. Leaning up, Sunoo wipes the bit of saliva and cum that’s still sticking to the corner of Sunghoon’s mouth. This close together and he can smell Sunghoon’s cologne and shampoo. 

“Park Sunghoon, did you miss it when I came, all over your counter, I might add?”

Sunghoon chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck shyly as his cheeks flush with color. “It’s just been a while so I didn’t think-”

“It doesn’t matter. I really loved it.” Sunoo takes Sunghoon’s face in his hands and pecks him on the mouth.

Sunghoon nods, dazed at the pretty flush that’s decorating Sunoo’s cheeks. “Okay,” he mutters.

When Sunghoon leans in for another kiss, Sunoo wrapping his arms around his shoulders, Sunoo feels it–Sunghoon pressing against his belly. Sunghoon is hard and even though his legs are still shaking from coming, heat crawls into the pit of his belly again. 

He doesn’t think they’re finished yet. He hopes they’re not finished yet.

When Sunghoon notices Sunoo’s big eyes darting across his face and then down , he flushes again. “S-sorry, I’m just, I didn’t mean–, I wanted to see you too, I’ve missed you so much, I hope you don’t think I wanted to see you just for this-that’s not…”

Sunoo breaks through Sunghoon’s apology with a tired yet sweet, little giggle. He brushes Sunghoon’s bangs back from his eyes and tucks it behind his ear. Sunghoon turns to kiss his palm. “Sunghoon, it’s okay. Jay told me that Nari was with your parents tonight so I thought it’d be the perfect opportunity for me to come over to talk, but well…”

“I don’t think we’ll be doing much talking tonight, Sun.”

Sunoo draws his lip in between his teeth, thinking about his next words. 

“I don’t think we will either, but I’m okay with that if you are.”

Sunghoon is more than okay with it. But his expression turns serious and he’s quiet. “I... I want to tell you something first, baby.” 

“Okay, you can tell me, Hoonie. I want to know everything about you.” 

Sunghoon lets out a deep sigh, dipping his head just a bit so he can’t meet Sunoo’s eyes. “Before, when you asked about Nari’s mom? I said she wasn’t a part of our lives and she’s not. Haewon was a girlfriend and we dated for a bit but it wasn’t serious. Shit, I can’t even remember her parents’ names anymore, pretty. That’s how brief it was. Then, she told me she was pregnant one day and wasn’t ready. So, I told her I’d take Nari. She ran off with my manager after that.”

Sunoo smooths his fingers through Sunghoon’s hair. His heart feels like it’s breaking open with each word Sunghoon tells him. That explains why Sunghoon is so guarded about his personal life and protective of Nari, why he only keeps Heeseung and Jay in his circle. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Hoonie.” 

“It’s been… I thought all I needed after that was Nari, to take care of her well enough so that she wouldn’t know the feeling of not having a mom,” Sunghoon continues, letting Sunoo play with his hair and taking Sunoo’s legs to wrap around his waist so he can stroke at his thighs.

The entire time Sunghoon is telling him this, Sunoo doesn’t stop the soothing motion of his fingers in Sunghoon’s hair. 

“I hooked up with this guy later on and well, I found out I didn’t exactly hate it…” Sunghoon confesses with a pretty flush on his cheeks. He clears his throat before speaking again. “And then I met you and it’s like everything that happened in the past doesn’t matter anymore. I want to move forward with you, Sunoo, if you can take a package deal.”

Sunoo’s heart wants to burst from his chest. 

That’s all he’s been wanting, too. 

Bringing Sunghoon down on top of him, Sunoo kisses him like it’s the last thing he’ll do. Sunghoon’s arms tighten around his waist, moaning into the kiss. Sunoo thinks he’s never heard a more beautiful sound. When they pull apart, Sunghoon rests his forehead and he reaches out to take Sunghoon’s face in his hands.

“I can’t imagine my life without you and Nari anymore.”

Sunghoon smiles. No, he absolutely beams . His nose scrunches up and his dimple appears in his cheek. “You don’t know how nervous I was, telling you all of that.” Sunghoon lets out a breath, leaning his forehead against Sunoo’s shoulder. 

“So even Park Sunghoon can get nervous, huh?”

Sunghoon scoffs playfully, “I haven’t been normal since I met you, Kim Sunoo.” 

Sunoo giggles and Sunghoon nuzzles into his neck, pressing a kiss there. 

“Come on, pretty, let’s go somewhere a bit more comfortable, yes?”

Sunoo nods, his throat going so dry that he doesn’t think he can even answer because the implication behind Sunghoon’s comment is crystal clear. Sunghoon pats his thigh and he wraps his arms around Sunghoon’s shoulders so that Sunghoon can pick him up and hold him by his thighs. He yelps and holds on tight while Sunghoon mentions that he’ll clean up their mess on the counter later. 

Sunoo can’t help but become extremely curious to where Sunghoon is bringing him. Until now, he’s only seen the main parts of Sunghoon’s house like the living room and the kitchen. He hasn’t been anywhere near Sunghoon’s bedroom, though. 

The lights hanging from the ceiling dim and Sunghoon brings him down a hallway that’s just past Nari’s bedroom and then he’s facing a black door. Sunghoon tugs it open and then kicks it closed behind them, not even needing to bother with locking it and that makes Sunoo’s belly jump.

He’s dropped onto the bed and Sunghoon slots in between his thighs. 

Then it hits him. He’s inside Sunghoon’s bedroom, he’s lying on Sunghoon’s bed, a bed that just swallows him up, it’s so big, but it’s soft and plush and he suddenly doesn’t ever want to leave. The sheets are white, accented by pillows and a blanket of a muted mauve color. The rest of Sunghoon’s bedroom is also full of neutral colors. 

Black dressers, black desk, black lights on the ceiling. Even the hardwood floor is dark wood.

What makes the bedroom so Sunghoon is the pile of worn ice skates in the corner and some of Nari’s toys that are scattered on the rug. Pictures of Sunghoon decorate the walls. There’s Sunghoon with his best friends, with his parents, but the pictures that Sunoo sees the most are of Nari, from when she was a baby to even more recent ones, like of her at her dance recital wearing her leotard and tutu. 

But the best part, he thinks, are the two floor to ceiling windows where he can see the stars blinking overhead in the night sky. 

“Do you like it?” Sunghoon asks, bringing Sunoo’s attention back to him. 

Sunoo hums, wrapping his arms around Sunghoon. “It’s very you, very simple but cozy at the same time.”

“Is that a good thing?” Sunghoon chuckles.

“I like it.”

“I’m glad,” Sunghoon mutters as he traces his fingers along Sunoo’s bare thigh. “Since the princess isn’t here tonight, you don’t have to worry about, um.”

Sunoo waits for Sunghoon to finish but all he sees is Sunghoon’s cheeks going rosy again, along with the tips of his ears. He wants to tell Sunghoon how cute he thinks he is, only he stops himself when he realizes that maybe there’s a bit more going on. 

“Are you getting nervous again, Sunghoonie?”

“Just a little bit,” Sunghoon admits. 

In hopes of easing Sunghoon’s anxiety, Sunoo takes Sunghoon’s hand and places it on his chest, right on top of his heart, to let him feel the ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump of his heartbeat. 

“It’s okay, I’m nervous too. I haven’t been with anyone for a while, either.”

Sunghoon leans forward and presses their mouths together in a sweet kiss. “I wanted to say that we have all night so you don’t have to worry about being home at a certain time.”

Sunoo smiles. “I like the sound of that,” he says before he pulls Sunghoon to him for a kiss. 

He feels Sunghoon’s big hands on his body, exploring his skin with his fingers, until they reach the hem of his cardigan. Sunoo doesn’t even know why he still has the silly thing on because right now, it just feels uncomfortable clinging to his overheated body. Sunghoon touches the soft fabric. 

“Can I take it off for you?”

“You can do anything you want to me.”

Sunghoon starts unbuttoning his cardigan, his fingers brushing against his skin each time he moves to the next button and when they’re all undone, Sunghoon slips his cardigan from his shoulders, dropping it to the floor. 

Now, he’s naked and he burns with arousal from how Sunghoon’s eyes take in his body. 

Then, Sunghoon proceeds to shrug off his hoodie and lets it join Sunoo’s cardigan on the floor. Sunghoon is on him again, kissing little, wet kisses from his neck down to his midsection. When Sunghoon pulls back and shifts to drape Sunoo’s legs over his hips, he leans up on one arm to kiss Sunghoon again.

He can’t get enough of him.

Sunoo runs his hands all over Sunghoon’s torso, cups his narrow waist. He knew Sunghoon was fit because his sport demands it, but he’ll never get tired of seeing Sunghoon’s fair skin and his long, toned limbs. He kisses Sunghoon while Sunghoon just keeps his arm around his waist and strokes one of his hip bones. 

When Sunghoon sets him back down on the bed, he sees him reaching over to dig through the draw of the bedside table.

Sunghoon brings out the lube and a package of condoms.

It’s real now, Sunoo thinks. He didn’t doubt it before, definitely not, but now it’s like a confirmation of sorts, that they both want this as badly as the other does. 

“It’s been a couple of years so I had to go out and buy a new pack, j-just in case.” Sunghoon clears his throat and uncaps the lube. “Let me know if I’m doing it wrong. Can you lie back for me, baby?”

Sunoo doubts Sunghoon will do anything wrong. 

Sunghoon’s always catered to him and it must come second nature to him because Sunghoon is a dad and is always looking out for everyone around him. Settling himself against one of the many puffy pillows, Sunoo relaxes from the soft kiss Sunghoon presses to his temple and lets him move back in between his legs. Sunghoon uses his hands to hold his thighs open and squeezes the lube onto his fingers. 

It’s a slow start at first. 

Sunghoon rubs his wet fingers around his hole, just to get him to enjoy the feeling, and Sunghoon is concentrating so hard by the scrunch of the eyebrows. It’s absolutely  adorable and he wants to tell Sunghoon, but he also doesn’t want to break Sunghoon’s concentration. 

Then there’s a pressure between his legs and Sunghoon’s finger slips into him, wet and cold. 

“Is it okay?” Sunghoon asks him in a soft voice.

He nods, darting his tongue out to wet his lips. “It’s okay.”

“I’ll add another one then, okay? Gotta get you nice and stretched out for me.”

Sunghoon’s words fill his belly with butterflies. He can’t wait for Sunghoon. 

He feels another finger inside of him. The stretch is uncomfortable, but bearable and he has to get used to it all over again. Sunghoon presses around inside of him gently, using the slip of the lube to help loosen him. 

“Still doing okay?”

“C-can I have more lube, Hoonie?”

Without even questioning anything, Sunghoon obliges and squeezes more lube down in between his cheeks and then he's slipping his fingers out to rub at his hole to give him a chance to catch his breath. 

He’s starting to sweat with how hard he’s holding himself back. 

Sunghoon eases two of his fingers back inside and this time, they slip into him without any effort.

“There you go, baby,” Sunghoon praises. “I can feel how relaxed you’re getting. It’s good?”

Sunghoon is searching for that spot and when he finds it just a bit deeper inside and brushes against it, Sunoo moans, his head thrown back onto the pillow and breathing hard.

It’s ridiculous how sensitive he’s already feeling. He thinks he could even come like this, with just Sunghoon’s fingers fucking into him, that’s how aroused he is; he’s hanging on by a thread and they haven’t even gotten to the best part.  Before he realizes how much time has gone by, he’s hard , again, his cock flopping back against his belly and smearing precum onto his skin. 

“Ah, fuck, it’s good,” Sunoo moans.

“Yeah?” Sunghoon bends down to kiss Sunoo on his belly and then licks up the sweat that shines on Sunoo’s neck. “Do you want me to keep going?” Sunghoon asks as he pumps his fingers.

Sunoo moans again, squirming and toes curling in the sheets, as his entire lower body starts to throb. “As much as I can tell you’re loving it, I can’t be the only one naked. Let me see all of you.”

Slipping his fingers out, Sunghoon chuckles as Sunoo gets up and helps himself to the drawstring on his sweatpants, undoing them in just a couple of moves and then tugging the waistband down along with his underwear. Finally, Sunoo takes Sunghoon out. 

Sunghoon’s cock is pretty. That’s it. It’s just pretty and pink and hard, and the head looks like it’s so soft. Sunoo plays with it a bit by rubbing his thumb underneath the head, feeling hot all over when Sunghoon moans and tries to hump into his hand. 

“You’ve been waiting for so long, haven’t you, Hoonie? It’s so hard right now.”

“Sunoo,” Sunghoon moans, throwing his head back. It’s the first touch he’s had since Sunoo has come over and it already makes him leak all over himself. “I want you so bad, fuck.”

“I want you, Sunghoonie. Will you give it to me?”

Just like that, the thread snaps. 

Sunghoon tugs his sweatpants all the way off and presses Sunoo back into the pillows, kissing him hard and deep. It’s all tongues rolling and biting. Sunoo lies back onto the bed and his shiny, black hair fans out around him. Sunoo looks up at Sunghoon, cheeks flushed, eyes clouded dark with a fan of straight, feathery lashes. 

Sunoo is absolutely beautiful like this. 

Heartbeat rushing in his ears, Sunghoon grabs the package of condoms and pulls one out, using his teeth to rip it open. He rolls it onto himself and pours lube into his palm to slick his cock with. Sunghoon positions himself between Sunoo’s legs. “Will you tell me how you like it, pretty?”

“Y-yes, yeah, okay,” Sunoo replies. His mind is too muddled to think of anything sexy to say when Sunghoon is right in front of him, on his knees, his cock in his hand, but it doesn’t seem like Sunghoon minds anyway; Sunghoon just looks down at him, his eyes dark and mouth kiss-bitten.

Sunghoon pushes into him. 

His body reacts, tensing up on instinct. But it doesn’t hurt.

All he feels is pleasure , thick and hot, flooding every inch of his body. 

He digs his fingers into Sunghoon’s shoulders, a noise that’s stuck between a moan and a gasp bursting out of his mouth. Sunghoon stretches him out so fucking good, being thicker and harder than his fingers, and his cock drips precum onto his belly without stopping. This sensation, he hasn’t felt it this good before.  

“Sunghoon,” he moans, “Sunghoon, Sunghoon.”

Sunghoon sighs, completely blissed out. “Oh, fuck, you feel so good, why didn’t we do this earlier?”

Sunoo waits patiently with a soft giggle, lazily brushing Sunghoon’s hair back, as Sunghoon continues sinking into him until he bottoms out. Sunghoon pants against his shoulder and he feels his hole throbbing around Sunghoon’s cock, sporadically tightening and untightening. 

He’s dizzy with arousal at this point, so lightheaded like he’s floating.

When Sunghoon starts to move, pulling back slowly and then pushing back into him, Sunoo knows he isn’t going to last very long. 

Sunghoon holds his legs open and holds them back against his chest with his hands under his knees, keeping him tight around him. 

“You’re just sucking me in, baby,” Sunghoon says. Sunoo groans, trying to fight off the sweep of heat on his cheeks. Sunghoon gets into his rhythm quickly. Using his hips, he fucks into Sunoo with steady thrusts, gradually moving harder and deeper when Sunoo relaxes. “Feels good?”

“Down a little, Hoon, it’s-,” Sunoo breaks off in a moan when Sunghoon brushes into his spot and every time that happens, the knot in his belly winds itself tighter and tighter. “It’s right there, it’s right there, ngh. You’re so good.”

“Anything you want. I can’t believe I’m doing this with you right now. You’re so perfect, Sunoo.”

The praise makes Sunoo drip all over himself.

“You liked that, didn’t you?” Sunghoon rolls his hips into Sunoo and starts to pull out all the way. Sunoo whines at Sunghoon and wraps his legs around his waist to get him to move again. 

Sunghoon can never deny Sunoo anyway.

Sunghoon pushes back into Sunoo and starts up again. He doesn’t stop and Sunoo can only hold onto him and take it, take the way Sunghoon pounds into him and how their thighs slap together until his skin is probably red and sensitive. He’s so fucking grateful that Sunghoon doesn’t have any neighbors close by.

Sunoo keeps his hold on Sunghoon tight, trying to move with him by rolling his hips up every time Sunghoon sinks into him. Sunghoon goes in deeper and Sunoo’s legs shake. Sunghoon pulls noise after noise out of him, moan after moan, mewls. He’s too loud, maybe, too eager for it, as he pulls Sunghoon close. Sunoo didn’t think he was even capable of making such sounds, but it just proves to him one thing, that Sunghoon knows what the fuck he’s doing. A long time ago, my ass, Sunoo huffs internally. 

Sunghoon is just doing that thing where he’s being humble again. 

He doesn’t get much further into his thoughts than that. Sunghoon slows his pace, pulling him away as he teeters from that edge. He fucks him slow now, rolling hips into him like he wants Sunoo to feel every inch of him and Sunoo does, every hard inch of Sunghoon’s cock slides into him wetly, stretches him out perfectly. Sunghoon kisses one of the hickeys he’s left earlier on his neck and then swipes his tongue over it. Sunoo shudders. 

“Hoonie, can you-can you touch me?” He asks. His voice is soft and breathy and he moans when Sunghoon fucks into his spot once more. 

“You need to come?” Sunoo nods up at him, his mouth in a pout. Sunghoon pecks Sunoo on the lips and wraps his hand around him. “I’ll get you there, pretty. I got you, you’re so cute.”

It all falls apart from there. 

It takes just a couple more passes of Sunghoon’s fist on him, less than a minute, and Sunoo comes, the knot fraying and finally snapping. It starts deep in the pit of his belly, in his balls, and his body freezes, prostate throbbing when Sunghoon fucks into it to drag his orgasm out. Sunoo spills all over himself, all over his belly and his thighs, digging his fingers into Sunghoon’s back as the pleasure bleeds hot into him so much, it’s overwhelming.

He squeezes his eyes shut, tucking his face into Sunghoon’s shoulders, shaking, blood rushing in his ears. 

Sunghoon groans from the sting of Sunoo’s nails but that really only drives him to fuck Sunoo faster. He pulls Sunoo in closer to him and kisses the side of Sunoo’s neck. “Fuck , gonna come,” he murmurs against the skin there. 

Sunoo hums tiredly, wrapping his arms around Sunghoon. “Come for me, Hoonie. You can do it”

Sunghoon’s orgasm hits him so hard, he thinks it’s very possible that he could black out; he hasn’t come like this in a long time, it feels like he can’t stop coming. Sunghoon tries not to fall on top of Sunoo and squish him but he can’t hold himself up any longer with the way he’s shaking, his cock trying to empty everything hot and sticky into the condom; Sunoo can even feel how Sunghoon’s cock pulses.

Sunghoon lets out a breath and Sunoo catches him when he eventually collapses onto him.

The comedown is gradual.

It’s quiet in Sunghoon’s bedroom while they catch their breath.

When their heartbeats have finally slowed down, when some of the sweat has dried from their bodies, Sunghoon shifts himself to pull out, careful not to spill anything from the condom. It makes a disgusting wet sound and he tosses it into the trash beside his bed. 

Sunoo pulls Sunghoon back on top of him and rubs his hands along Sunghoon’s back, cooing soft words to him that Sunghoon can’t fully catch. It’s cute. Sunoo sounds sleepy. 

“What was that?” Sunghoon asks, a fond smile on his face.

Sunoo lifts his face from Sunghoon’s shoulder. “I can’t feel my legs.” He’s going to be aching tomorrow, for sure. His ass of course. His hips from Sunghoon holding his legs back so long and his back. Sunghoon chuckles and flushes and he feels Sunghoon lean down to kiss the top of his head. “I’m so tired,” he tells Sunghoon, hiding a yawn. Sunghoon brings him in for a soft kiss and the butterflies come alive in his stomach, fluttering around like they’re in a frenzy.

“Did you, did you enjoy that? Did I do good?”

Sunghoon looks like a puppy eager for his treat and it’s sweet; he just can’t resist the teasing words that leave his mouth. 

“You fucked me within an inch of my life, Sunghoon. I more than enjoyed that, I loved it.”

“You’re really going to kill me one of these days. Do you want to wash up and head to bed? You probably need to take those lenses out before they make your eyes itchy.” Sunghoon runs his thumb along Sunoo’s lower lash line. “I have clothes for you, too, since you’re spending the night with me.”

Washing up sounds too good right now. He would love to stay in bed with Sunghoon longer, to feel his warm, naked body against him, as he’s drifting off to sleep, only he’s sticky with sweat and lube, and it’s uncomfortable as fuck. 

“Hmm, will you get in with me?”

“I don’t know, the tub is pretty big but we might have to get in real close.”

He doesn’t mind that at all. 

Chapter Text

Sunghoon is used to waking up early. If it isn’t getting ready for practice and training then it’s helping Nari and making her breakfast before she has to head to school so, like usual, he stirs awake from the warmth of the sun sweeping across his cheeks and stretches in his bed, turning over to grab his phone to check his schedule that Jay emails to him every morning.

Only, it’s not like usual, because the moment he lies on his side, he feels Sunoo’s body pressing into him, his head tucked under his arm, and everything from last night flashes in front of his eyes. 

So that’s why his body aches.

It’s not from training but from how tightly Sunoo had wrapped his legs around him to pull him close and how hard he moved his hips so he could hear all those cute noises from Sunoo. Even his shoulders hurt from where Sunoo had dug his fingers in and asked for more. 

He wraps his arm around Sunoo’s waist and presses his nose into the top of his head, smiling once he feels Sunoo slot his leg in between his and mumble sleepily into his chest. After they had cleaned up and he helped Sunoo wash everything off for him, he let Sunoo borrow some of his sweats and they fell back into his bed with some cuddling and late-night conversation before sleeping. It was the best sleep of his life. Sunoo looked absolutely beautiful under the light of the moon washing over him and when he’d kissed Sunoo goodnight, he felt giddy like he was a teenager again. 

It was obvious to himself that he had fallen hard for Sunoo. 

Seeing that there’s no set time for them today, he wants to let Sunoo sleep in. Gently shifting so that he doesn’t wake him up, Sunghoon slips out of his bed quietly, kissing Sunoo on his forehead, and heads into the bathroom to wash up and brush his teeth. All of their clothes are still in a messy pile on the floor and he thinks about how he would have been perfectly okay falling asleep warm and naked with Sunoo last night too. 

When he’s finished in the bathroom, Sunoo is still sleeping peacefully on his bed. He dresses in a soft pair of sweatpants and grabs a t-shirt on his way out. He heads into the kitchen, thinking that Sunoo would enjoy a hot breakfast when he wakes up. First, he wipes the counter clean from their little session the night before. It probably wasn’t the best idea to mess around in the kitchen but he was just too eager to get his hands on Sunoo anyway after not seeing him for days. 

It had been hard not knowing whether or not the media had gotten ahold of Sunoo too during those days they were separated. 

After that, he steps into the living room to turn the TV on low, just to have some background noise while he starts frying eggs. Just as he gets them going, the smell filling into the rest of the house, his phone goes off with an email. He knows it’s Jay at this time, emailing him his schedule. 

It’s clear for the entire day. 

He opens the message that’s attached.

Hoon, I’ve cleared your schedule for today. I think it’s best to keep a low profile for a while, until this all blows over, so you, and Sunoo (Yes, I know you’re together with him right now), enjoy the day off and be careful. We’ll talk about it later.

Sunghoon takes a peek out of the window that’s facing the garden in the back. He doesn’t see any suspicious black vehicles or camera crews stalking around in front of the gate to his house this morning. That means they must have moved on when they realized there was no way he was going out to face them anytime soon. He sighs, running his hand through his hair. 

It’s probably best for him and Sunoo to stay in for the day. 

He had hoped that maybe they could head outside anyway, to enjoy the nice afternoon together, just the two of them. Instead, Jay’s words are nagging at him as if Jay was right there in person. They have to wait for this to blow over. 

He thanks his manager with a quick message and puts his phone back into his pocket. He isn’t going to open up any social media regarding this “issue” or to check up on it. It’s no one’s business who he dates. Unfortunately, he’s in the spotlight at times and any dating rumors would be likely to make it to the headlines. With all of his time spent with Nari since Haewon left, he’s never had to worry about that kind of gossip, until now.

When he shuts off the stove, he sees Sunoo shuffling into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. The sweatpants he let Sunoo borrow are a bit long on him so he looks so small and absolutely adorable with the bottoms of the sweatpants dragging on the floor. 

“You didn’t wake me up,” Sunoo pouts.

“You looked too cute, I didn’t want to interrupt your sleep,” Sunghoon says as he walks over to Sunoo and wraps his arms around him in a hug. Sunoo smiles and leans up to kiss him. Sunoo tastes like mint and peach. It’s the lip oil he always puts on that makes his lips shiny and pink. He also helped Sunoo with his skincare last night and now, Sunoo’s skin is soft and glowy. “Good morning, are you hungry for breakfast?” He asks as he takes Sunoo’s face gently in his hands and caresses his thumbs along Sunoo’s lower lash line.

“I am hungry,” Sunoo replies, leaning up for another kiss. “I got a message from Jungwonnie, he said we’re welcome.”

Sunghoon chuckles, “So that’s why Jay cleared my schedule. They must be hanging out.”

“Jungwon may be cute but he’s also sneaky,” Sunoo says fondly.

“Remind me to definitely thank Jungwon then. Jay also told me that we should probably be careful for the next few days until this has blown over. I would take you out today, pretty, but... ”

Sunoo nods, agreeing. “It’s okay, Hoonie, I think what Jay said is a good idea. Besides, that just means we have the house to ourselves, doesn’t it?”

Sunghoon rubs his hand along Sunoo’s back, caressing him over his sweatshirt. “Nari won’t be back until later today.”

“Does that mean we can…” 

He feels Sunoo’s hand sneaking under his t-shirt to caress along his tummy and his skin prickles with goosebumps.

“We can,” he says, putting his hands on top of Sunoo’s and lacing their fingers together. “But you need to eat first, Kim Sunoo. Sex on an empty stomach isn’t a good idea.”

Sunoo snorts. “Didn’t stop us yesterday.”

“Yesterday was an exception because I had missed you so dearly, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on you.” Sunghoon just smiles when Sunoo rolls his eyes at him, his cheeks pink. 

“Come on, Park Sunghoon, let’s go eat.”

He’s happy to accept Sunoo’s help with making the rest of their breakfast, even if it does mean that he gets to wrap his arms around Sunoo’s waist from behind and kiss his shoulders or the back of his neck to make Sunoo giggle and squirm.

It’s a wonder they don’t burn their breakfast when Sunoo turns around in his hold and keeps kissing him until they’re both breathless when they part.

Sunghoon settles on the sofa in the living room with a movie playing and Sunoo sits beside him, eating from his plate of eggs, ham, toast and fruit. For Sunghoon, it’s rare for him to have such a quiet morning with Nari so it’s a bit different that he doesn’t have to worry about anything; he can settle on the sofa for the rest of the day with Sunoo if he wants.

“Oh, is this Nari?” Sunoo asks, setting his plate down for a moment.

Sunghoon sees him grabbing the picture frame from the center of the coffee table to take a closer look. It’s a photo of Nari as a baby and sleeping in Sunghoon’s arms while Sunghoon is looking down at her. 

“That was when Nari was leaving the hospital. My mom took it,” Sunghoon says with a soft smile on his face.

“She’s so adorable!” Sunoo squeals. “I love babies so much. I wish I could have seen her as a baby.”

“I have a photo album full of Nari I can show you later, pretty. I was so relieved when she turned out to be such an easy baby, especially since I was on my own.”

Sunoo nods and places his hand on Sunghoon’s knee. “Does she ever ask about her mom?”

“No, Nari doesn’t remember her and I don’t have pictures of her, either. She’s told me that some of the kids at school have asked her about it before.”

“Will you ever tell her?”

He actually doesn’t even know. Of course, he’s thought about it, that he would tell her when she’s older. His parents have told him that they’d always support him and his decisions with Nari no matter what, and they have since the beginning, whether it was being there at the hospital to always watching Nari when he’s busy. Nari may not have a mom but she has the next best things in her life.

“I think it wouldn’t even make a difference. How do you miss something you’ve never had, you know?”

“Anyone can see how well you’re doing with her, Hoonie. You’re a good dad and you’re all she needs.”

Sunghoon sets his plate down on the table next to Sunoo’s and pulls him into his lap. The TV continues on in the background, playing the ending credits to the movie they had been watching. He rests his hands on Sunoo’s hips. 

“And what if Nari needs you too? If you didn’t know, Kim Sunoo, she absolutely loves you.”

“And I… really love her. She means a lot to me.”

“Well, what do you think of becoming more of a permanent presence in her life? In my life too.”

He sees Sunoo’s eyes widen just the slightest before a soft smile appears on his face. 

“I’d really like that, Sunghoon.”

Sunghoon cups the side of Sunoo’s face and Sunoo leans forward into him for a kiss. It’s a kiss he hopes tells Sunoo just how much Sunoo means to him, how much Sunoo means to Nari and he can’t imagine his life being the same as it was now that Sunoo is a part of it.  

Once they pull back, he caresses the corner of Sunoo’s mouth with his thumb. “I’d really like that too.”

He and Sunoo are cuddling on the sofa, legs tangled under a blanket, when the doorbell rings and Heeseung’s voice chirps happily through the intercom. Sunoo is dozing off against him and when he shifts to get up from his spot to get the door, Sunoo stretches and opens his eyes, blinking sleep away. 

“That’s Hee and Nari,” he tells Sunoo.

Sunoo rubs his eyes and stretches before sitting up with a smile on his face. “I almost fell asleep on you. You’re super comfy.”

“I don’t mind,” he chuckles, pressing a kiss to Sunoo’s lips.

Sunghoon heads to the door and as soon as it’s opened, Nari crashes into his legs and wraps her arms around them. 

“Dada!”

Sunghoon smiles, rubbing the top of her head. “Hi, princess, did you have fun with your Uncle Hee?”

“Yes, and Teacher Jakey was there too!”

“Oh, really?” Sunghoon asks, acting surprised as he picks her up.

“I saw them holding hands,” Nari whispers to him before she’s giggling.

Sunghoon catches how the tips of Heeseung’s ears are red when Heeseung steps into the house, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. 

“She didn’t see anything more than that, Hoonie, I promise.”

Sunghoon snorts, “Are you sure that’s all you did?” He teases, knowing fully that Heeseung is telling him the truth. “Did you want to stay? It’s almost time for dinner.”

“Nah, it’s okay, I have to get back to Jake. Did Jay-”

“Oh! Noo Noo is here?”

Sunghoon looks over to where Nari is looking just as Sunoo comes around the corner, waving to Heeseung and smiling, and then greeting Nari with a squeeze to her cheeks.

“I’m hanging out with your dad today.” 

“Yay!” Nari cheers. “I miss Noo Noo!” 

Sunghoon kisses Nari on her forehead and passes her over to Sunoo. “You want to play with Noo Noo for a bit? I have to talk to Uncle Hee.”

Nari nods and holds her arms out for Sunoo. Sunoo smiles and takes her, resting her on his hip, and walking back to the living room as Nari starts to tell him about her day.

Once Sunghoon is left alone with Heeseung, he has a feeling he knows what his coach wants to talk about.

“Jay told me to take it easy for now,” Sunghoon sighs. “Until this all passes.”

Heeseung nods. “We’ll talk about it more, it’s getting late right now, but just know that Jay and I are backing you up 100%, okay? You and Sunoo have our support, whatever you guys decide. I know you care for him a lot.”

“Thanks,” Sunghoon mumbles, feeling like he can take a deep breath. He’s always trusted Heeseung and Jay and now, to hear that they trust him and believe in him as well, is affecting him more than he thought. Perhaps it’s because of what’s been going on or perhaps it’s everything that he and Sunoo talked about that’s making him feel this way.

He wraps his arms around Heeseung’s waist for a hug, Heeseung rubbing his back in return.

“It’ll be okay, Hoon. We’ll talk more later, yes? Now, go back to him.”

“Have a good night, Hee, and Jake too.”

Heeseung flushes again and smiles. “He’s really cute, I like him.”

Sunghoon smiles. 

He really is so truly happy to hear that his friends are more than getting along with Sunoo’s. The fact that there’s romance in the air just tells him that everything will somehow work out. 

Still, he can’t help but tease Heeseung, just a little bit.

“Remember to be safe, hyung.”

Heeseung’s ears turn as red as his cheeks and he sputters. “We’re not, we didn’t–you and Sunoo should be safe!”

Sunghoon shrugs. “Don’t worry, we were.”

After a couple more teases, Heeseung heads for his car and pulls out of the driveway. It’s getting dark now, the sky a mix of blues and purples and the moon is hanging high like a white disc. Sunghoon watches until Heeseung is gone and then shuts the door, locking it. He dims the lights in the foyer and heads back to join his two favorite people.

Sunoo is sitting on the floor in the living room playing with Nari. She has her backpack open and is putting little flower clips into Sunoo’s hair and telling him how pretty he looks. When she spots her dad, she smiles. 

“Am I interrupting?”

“Dada! Look! Noo Noo is pwetty.”

“He is very pretty,” Sunghoon says. He takes a spot next to Sunoo on the floor and brushes Sunoo’s bangs from his eyes. 

“Nari was just telling me how much fun she had with Heeseung and Jake.”

“Uncle Hee is always lwooking at Teacher Jakey and tells me how pwetty Teacher Jakey is, like you and Noo Noo, Dada. You like Noo Noo, rwight?”

Sunghoon borrows one of Nari’s flower clips and clips it into Sunoo’s hair. “I do like Noo Noo,” he says, never taking his eyes off of Sunoo.

Nari smiles and suddenly jumps up from her spot. “Can I get my nwail poliwsh? I want to pwatice on Noo Noo.”

“Of course you can, princess!” Sunoo says.

Nari runs to her bedroom, giggling.

“You’re so embarrassing, oh my god!” Sunoo says once Nari is in her bedroom. He playfully slaps Sunghoon on the shoulder. “How do you expect me to keep a straight face with her when you say stuff like that?”

When Sunoo tries to slap him again, Sunghoon just grins and catches his hand, holding it to lace their fingers together. Sunoo pouts and Sunghoon just pulls him into his lap, making Sunoo yelp.

“But I do think you’re pretty, Kim Sunoo.” 

Sunoo holds onto his shoulders as he brings him into a soft kiss, playfully pecking Sunoo’s nose and cheek until he’s squirming and laughing, before he goes in for a kiss on his lips. 

“Not that I’m complaining, but is this okay to do in front of Nari? We haven’t told her yet.”

“I think she definitely knows already, pretty. But how about we take her out sometime and tell her then?”

Sunoo wraps his arms around Sunghoon and presses their foreheads together. “I think that’s a great idea.”

At that moment, Nari comes bounding back into the living room with her nail polish set and sits down across from Sunghoon and Sunoo. Sadly, Sunoo shifts off of his lap and settles on his knees to help Nari pick a color. 

“What color do you want, Noo Noo?”

“Whatever you want, princess. Can you choose for me?”

“Okay! Hmm…” Nari purses her lips as she thinks, her tiny hands sorting through her bottles of pinks, blues, purples. There’s also glitters and silvers, and even oranges. She ends up deciding on a baby blue color and starts to paint Sunoo’s index finger, her lips pursed together in concentration. 

“I think now would be a good time to start dinner,” Sunghoon says. 

“Do you need help, Hoon?”

“It’s okay, pretty. I don’t think Nari would forgive me if I took you away from her.” He leans forward and pecks Sunoo’s cheek. “I’ll call you guys when it’s ready.”

Sunghoon doesn’t spend too much time in the kitchen.

He’s too eager to get back to spending the rest of the night with Sunoo and Nari so he makes a quick stir fry with rice. On the table, he sets out a couple of glasses of wine for himself and Sunoo and Nari gets her favorite banana milk. It won’t take long for Nari to pass out after eating dinner. She’s had an exciting day with Heeseung and Jake and soon, all of that will catch up with her and she’ll just knock out into bed.

Sunghoon heads back into the living room after everything is all done, only he doesn’t get too far when he hears a sweet voice singing a lullaby. He peeks around the corner, seeing Nari sitting in Sunoo’s lap and painting his nails while Sunoo is softly singing to her. 

He stands there and listens for a bit.

There’s a warmth filling his chest and his heart beats loudly in his ears. It’s the same feeling he gets when he remembers holding Nari for the very first time at the hospital and not believing that the tiny baby in his arms was his, or whenever Sunoo smiles at him and his eyes curve into pretty half moons. 

Sunoo catches him watching and flushes. He smiles and makes his way over to them, the butterflies in his stomach threatening to come into his throat. Nari sits up when she sees him approach and sets the bottle of nail polish down. 

“Did you finish with Noo Noo’s nails?” 

Nari smiles big and giggles. “I think Noo Noo looks so pwetty!” 

Sunoo spreads his hands out for Sunghoon to see. “What do you think?” 

“Why, Miss Nari, I think you did an excellent job! You might have to charge extra for your services this time.”

“Oh, no! What can I do? I don’t have enough money, I’m so sorry!” Sunoo cries, playing along. “Can I pay you with a kiss instead?”

Nari looks at him, thinking hard and Sunghoon has to scoff lightly. She is the one and only queen between them. 

“Okay!” Nari eventually says. She holds her face out and turns her cheek. 

“Thank you so much, miss!” Sunoo says as he pecks her on the cheek. She giggles and holds her arms out to be picked up. “I’m hungwry now.”

“Alright, little lady, let’s go have some dinner,” Sunghoon chuckles, smoothing Nari’s hair back as he picks her up. 

“Yay! Come on, Noo Noo!” 

After dinner, with their bellies happy and full, it’s back to lying out on the sofa. While he and Sunoo watch a drama, casually sipping on wine and sharing a blanket, Nari reads and plays on the floor with a pop-up book about animals. 

“Dada, look at the dweer! It looks like Uncle Hee,” Nari giggles as she holds up her book for Sunghoon to see. It’s a picture of a deer grazing in a field while the other deer are drawn walking around in the background. “And this is Uncle Jay!” Nari flips to the next page where there’s two black cats curled together and sleeping. 

“He even sleeps like that too,” Sunghoon jokes. 

Nari giggles behind her hands and then yawns, rubbing at her eyes.

“Speaking of sleep, are you getting sleepy, Nari?”

“No, I’m not tired yet,” Nari shakes her head at her dad.

“Are you sure about that?”

“I want to stay up with Noo Noo.”

“Dada and Noo Noo are going to bed soon too, princess,” Sunghoon says, trying to convince her. “We’re going to clean up and then get you into bed so you have a few more minutes to play, okay?”

“But what about–is Noo Noo staying with Dada tonight?” She asks, her eyes big and curious when she looks between them. 

Sunoo reaches out to hold Nari’s hands. “Yes, I hope that’s okay with you?”

“Noo Noo will slweep with Dada then?”

Sunghoon clears his throat, feeling his ears growing hot. He isn’t sure now is the right time for that kind of conversation. “Yes, sweetheart, we’re going to sleep, just like you.”

Just when they think Nari is going to ask more questions due to her ever growing curiosity, she eventually nods and yawns again, going back to reading.

Sunoo, however, just gives him a knowing little smile.

He’s loading everything into the dishwasher when Sunoo comes into the kitchen and offers to get Nari ready for bed. 

“She looks like she’s about to fall asleep any second,” Sunoo says. 

“She’s not used to staying up this late,” Sunghoon laughs. He wipes his hands on a dish towel and then hangs it up. “Plus, she probably tired herself out with Hee and Jake. It won’t take long for me to put her to bed.”

“I can do it, Hoonie.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind-”

“Park Sunghoon. Let me do something for you for once, okay?”

“Okay,” Sunghoon says, swallowing at the use of his full name. That means one thing: there isn’t room to argue with Sunoo. He steps forward into Sunoo and brushes his bangs from his eyes. “Thank you,” he mutters, running his lips along Sunoo’s jawline to drop kisses there.

“For what?” 

Sunoo looks up at him, his head tilted slightly, and he can see Sunoo’s pretty, long lashes.

“For… everything, really. For being brave and coming to see me, for being so good to Nari, for… making me feel things I thought I wouldn’t be able to again.” 

“Oh, Sunghoonie, you don’t have to thank me for that.” 

Sunoo reaches up and pulls Sunghoon into a kiss. 

He’s lying in bed, scrolling through his phone, while he’s waiting for Sunoo. After he finished up in the kitchen, he gave Nari her bedtime kisses and let Sunoo take over with full confidence that he could handle anything. He is a bit worried about Nari becoming cranky because she’s sleepy but he thinks it’s nothing Sunoo isn’t used to, with being around her and the other kids at school on a daily basis, so he tidied up the living room a bit, got himself into bed, and is now waiting.  

It all feels very normal to him, like something he can get used to and the thought brings a nervous flutter through his belly.

There’s a soft knock on the door and Sunoo comes into his bedroom, smiling as he shuts the door behind him.

“Hi,” he greets softly, sitting up. “Did Nari give you a hard time?”

“She’s a sweetheart,” Sunoo says. “I got her bathed, she brushed her teeth and dressed in her pajamas for bed.” Sunoo approaches the bed and Sunghoon scoots over to make more room for him. Sunoo ends up in his lap instead. For a second, Sunghoon is surprised but he recovers instantly, leaning against the headboard stroking along Sunoo’s spine. “You know what she asked me? She asked if I liked you and I told her that I do and she said she knew it because you’re smiling again. Oh, she also said she saw us kissing earlier. I think we’ve corrupted your daughter, Park Sunghoon.”

He groans, resting his forehead on Sunoo’s shoulder. “We’re not going to be able to hide anything from her now.”

“This could be a good thing. Maybe it won’t come as such a surprise to her when we end up telling her.”

“Hmm, you’re right. I’m sure she’ll be happy about it. She loves you more than she loves me.”

Sunoo chuckles, “Well, I don’t blame her, Park Sunghoon. I’m very lovable.”

Sunghoon wraps his arm around Sunoo’s waist and suddenly tackles him back on the bed, keeping one of his legs resting on his hip, and making Sunoo yelp. Sunoo looks up at him, his cheeks taking on a ruddy shade and his gaze growing dark and heavy. He pushes Sunoo’s t-shirt up to reveal his tummy.

There’s still hickeys decorating his skin from the night before but some of the spots have started to lighten and fade. That just simply won’t do. He needs to see more of his hickeys all over Sunoo’s body, needs to hear Sunoo moan and feel him squirm underneath him as he takes the skin between his teeth and sucks. 

“Nari’s asleep?” He asks, kissing along Sunoo’s neck. He brings his hands out to cup Sunoo’s waist and moves to suck at one of his nipples. 

“Knocked out as soon as I turned on her night light,” Sunoo replies, fingers sliding through Sunghoon’s hair as he moans softly.

“Good, because I think it’s time for the adults to have some fun, yes?”

Pulling off, Sunghoon starts to tug Sunoo’s sweatpants down his hips and thighs. Sunoo helps him by lifting himself up a bit and he slides them down with ease. He’s back to dropping kisses all along Sunoo’s exposed midriff and takes his time sucking the sensitive parts of Sunoo’s body like his inner thighs and his hip bone. 

But Sunoo’s also making it hard for him to think straight when he keeps rutting up into him and trying to press their hips together. 

So, in turn, he palms Sunoo, rubs him between his legs until Sunoo is hard and leaking precum into his underwear. Sunoo pulls him against him and moans.  

He playfully nips at Sunoo’s mouth. “We’re going to have to be quiet, pretty, unless you want Nari waking up and knocking on the door to ask what’s wrong.” Sunoo shoves his hand into his mouth, muffling his moan, when he wraps his hand around his cock and starts to stroke him, all while leaving soft kisses all over his body. 

And all throughout the night, he takes his time, working Sunoo open with his fingers and then sinking slowly into him, again and again until they’re both sated and too spent to move.

Chapter Text

Sunoo stretches his body under the hot shower, trying to get the ache out of his muscles. It's a good ache, though, especially when he thinks about where he got it from. Memories of the past night flash back and he can't help but sport a huge grin when he remembers the feeling of Sunghoon buried deep inside of him, moving lazily in and out, only to thrust hard and fast suddenly, chasing his high. 

He shakes his head, it's better to not think about it. He doesn't want to get hard now, doesn't want to go another round for the sake of his body. Tomorrow, he has to go back to work and as a nursery teacher he has to be flexible, crawl on the floor and at times let the kids jump on him - he's already afraid how he will manage with his body like this. So sex is a no go for today. 

After finishing his shower he gets dressed in yet another pair of sweatpants and a shirt that belong to Sunghoon and are a little big on his frame. He doesn't care, he loves it. 

When he comes into the kitchen, Sunghoon has already set the table and prepared breakfast, the smell of cooked eggs and bacon filling the air. 

Sunghoon is just placing a bowl of fruits in front of Nari when Sunoo steps to the table.

The older gives him a soft smile and pecks his cheeks. Sunoo giggles before taking a seat. Nari munches on a piece of apple while looking at them intently. 

It feels like she's deciding whether he's doomed or not. 

Suddenly, a huge grin breaks out on her lips, "Noo Noo and Dada got the cooties!"

Sunghoon, who was just about to drink some coffee, chokes on his drink and starts coughing uncontrollably. Sunoo laughs and nods at Nari.

"Yup, we got the cooties. Please don't tell anyone!"

Nari pulls a face, "Eeeew-", but then she nods, looking at him secretively.

"I promise I won't tell anyone," she whispers so loud that probably even someone in the next room would have heard.

Sunoo tries not to laugh and instead mirrors her face, "Okay, pinky promise?"

He holds out his pinky and he hooks her tiny one with him immediately.

"Pwinky promise!"

Meanwhile, Sunghoon has survived the choking hazard and just chuckles at them. His eyes brim with redness from almost choking on his coffee. 

"Oh, Nari…"

"Yes, Dada?" She grins at him innocently, as if she knows exactly what she has just done while at the same time she's the purest angel on earth. 

Later that day Jay comes by and picks Sunoo up to take him home. They're all grateful for the tinted windows on Korean cars, but Sunoo makes sure to not get spotted by hiding in the legroom behind Jay's seat. Only when they have driven for 5 minutes and are far away from Sunghoon's house, does he sit up properly. 

"What do you think, how long will it take for the media to calm down?" He asks Sunghoon's manager while putting on a seatbelt. Sunoo doesn't have a problem with keeping everything a secret, but he really doesn't want to go back and forth between his and his boyfriend's place by hiding in the legroom of a car. 

Jay shrugs his shoulders, "No one can tell. Luckily, Sunghoon isn't an idol or actor, so I assume it will be over in some days. Maximum a week."

4 days.

That's how long it takes for the media to completely turn away from Sunghoon and find another noteworthy incident. This time it's about some actors who apparently had a chat group where they offered and sold girls and talked about how to drug and use them. Sunoo is beyond disgusted by these individuals, but in secret he's also glad because this means the media shifts their focus there and finally leaves Sunghoon alone.

This also means Sunghoon starts bringing Nari to school again, and so they get to see each other again more often. 

Not that they don't see each other apart from school. On days they don't meet up, they make sure to call each other. Often, they fall asleep while still on the phone. 

When they meet up on the days Sunoo isn't spending time with Jungwon or Niki, or Sunghoon isn't at the ice rink, they cook together, have dinner, or watch a movie with Nari. It becomes a routine pretty quickly, and Nari seems to just accept it as it is.

In fact, she's the first to jump right into Sunoo's arms the moment he steps into their house. And although Sunghoon pouts because then his chance to give Sunoo a quick kiss is gone, Sunoo is beyond happy that she loves him so much. 

On a Friday evening, two weeks after the media had finally found a new story, the three of them are sitting at the dining table, fried chicken filling their plates with some side dishes for the adults and chicken nuggets for Nari. 

"So, how was your day at school, sweety?" Sunghoon asks as he puts a piece of chicken on Sunoo's plate. The younger smiles up at him, loving the caring gesture. 

"It was gwood," Nari answers as she pushes a nugget into her mouth. 

She chews, a thoughtful look on her face. Then, suddenly, she perks up.

"Yumi told me a swecret!!" She half-whispers, half-shouts. 

Sunoo and Sunghoon both look at her with big eyes, mirroring her serious look.

"Really? That's great!" Sunghoon answers, his voice full of respect.

"Yes," Nari whispers proudly, but then her face falls.

"Nari, baby, what is it? Why do you look so sad?"

The girl looks around, as if she's checking that there's nobody around. Then, she looks back at them.

"It's a swecret, I can't tell you. But I want to," she pouts.

Sunghoon visibly relaxes and Sunoo has to suppress a giggle. She's too adorable.

Sunghoon reaches out his hand and takes hers into his. "You are right, sweety. If it's a secret, you can't tell anyone."

She looks up with puppy eyes, her bottom lip jutting out into a pout. "Not even Dada?"

"Hmmm, it depends on you. I won't tell the secret to anyone, if you don't want me to. But you don't have to tell me, if you want to keep it a secret as well. Is it something bad?"

Nari thinks for a moment and shakes her head.

"I don't think so. Is Noo Noo liking Dada bad?"

The two men look up in surprise and at each other. Then Sunghoon turns back to his daughter.

"No, sweety. It's not something bad."

Relief washes over her features and she nods.

"Then Yumi's swecret isn't bad, too!"

Sunoo smiles softly. He has an idea what Yumi's secret is about. He meets Sunghoon's eyes, who's visibly trying to suppress a laugh. 

"Well, then I'm sure you can tell me and Noo Noo, sweety."

"Oh, I can also leave-" Sunoo starts, but Nari is quick to react.

"No! Noo Noo can know too! Noo Noo can keep swecrets, right?"

He smiles and pats her hair softly, "Of course. I will keep Yumi's secret."

Nari nods and takes a deep breath, as if she is preparing herself for a huge step she is about to take. 

Sunghoon and Sunoo wait patiently for her to continue. 

"Yumi likes Eunwoo!!!!" She whisper-shouts quickly before clamping her mouth shut and taking a look around as if she fears being caught. 

Sunoo has to turn away quickly in order not to burst into laughter. 

Sunghoon clears his throat and when Sunoo looks back at him, he's clearly doing his best to not laugh out loud. 

"I'm happy for Yumi," he smiles at Nari. "Is there also someone you like?"

Nari looks at Sunghoon, thinks for a moment and shrugs her shoulders.

"I like Yumi."

Sunghoon is about to say something, but Nari then turns to Sunoo, reaches out her tiny hand and squeals, "And I like Noo Noo!!"

Sunoo melts on the spot and grabs her hand while Sunghoon snorts and nods. 

"Yeah, I like Noo Noo, too, sweety."

The younger blushes, but takes up all his courage and mouths a "Me, too" at Sunghoon.

He's happy to see his cheeks turn rosy in an instant.

When they lie in bed that night, they talk about everything and nothing, their bodies clad in fluffy pajamas, intertwined with each other. They agree to go out together with Nari soon and although Sunoo shares his concern that the media could pick it up again and spread shit about Sunghoon, the older assures him that he doesn't care and that if Sunoo wants to be open about their relationship, so does he. 

And Sunoo wants it. He wants the world to know who his boyfriend is, and also who Sunghoon belongs to. 

He cuddles up to him when he feels his eyes falling shut, burying his nose in Sunghoon's neck.

The last thing he feels is a soft kiss to his hair before he falls into deep slumber.

The following Monday is a day just like any other at nursery school. Sunoo reads books with the kids, plays with them and prepares their lunch before Jake takes them to their beds for nap time. 

While Jake is occupied with the kids, Sunoo cleans the dining table from the dishes and the remains of food that are scattered across the wood. He turns on the dishwasher about 15 minutes later, and goes to the office to take a break. A quick glance on the baby monitor tells him that all the children are asleep and Jake is just getting out of the room quietly.

Moments later he comes into the office as well and Sunoo hands him a bottle of water while the older sits down at the desk. He will probably fill out the schedule, where they write down each day what they taught the kids, what they had for lunch and so on. Celebrity parents are nosy and want to know every single thing about their kids' lives. 

Sunoo lets him work and plays on his phone, avoiding social media and gossip pages on purpose. 

"So, how's everything with Nari's dad?" Jake asks after some time, and Sunoo looks up to find him leaning back on the chair and looking at him.

Sunoo puts down his phone before he answers, "Everything is good. Great, actually. He's the sweetest."

Then, he remembers something, and smirks.

"How are things with you and Lee Heeseung?"

Jake's eyes immediately become wide and he opens and closes his mouth like a fish. Sunoo snorts and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to shock you!"

"No, uhm, it's okay. I'm just- just surprised, you know," Jake explains and looks down, fidgeting with his fingers. 

Sunoo wants to coo, he has never seen his friend and colleague so shy. And if he looks closely, there seems to be a light red tint to his cheeks. Oh Lord.

"I didn't want to shock you! I just know because Nari told us about you and Heeseung hyung. I hope it's okay that we know?"

"Ah, of course it's okay, Sunoo! I'm fine with you knowing. I'm just not used to talking about it. It's all so fresh and new, and actually, we haven't put a label on it yet. It's just nice being around each other. And doing - things."

Sunoo sputters and almost spits out his water that he had just taken a sip of. 

"Ooookay - I'm not sure I wanna know more! But as long as it feels good, it doesn't have to have a label, does it?"

Jake nods, a shy smile on his features, "You're right. And it feels reeeeeaaallly good."

The shy smile turns into a satisfied grin and Sunoo feels his face blushing.

"Oh God, Jake, stop!!! I won't ask anymore, ok? Please, no more!!!" He squeals and buries his face in his hands. Jake laughs and Sunoo can do nothing more but to quickly divert his thoughts somewhere else before he starts imagining whatever Jake and Heeseung are doing. 

That following Friday Sughoon picks up Nari and Sunoo from nursery school. They contemplated long if he really should do it, but then they agreed that Sunoo and Nari would just wait with Jake until the very end, until every other kid was picked up, and then Sunghoon would come by and pick them up.

As soon as Nari spots her father's car, she lets Sunoo and Jake know, who were checking the rooms one last time. 

"Dada is here! Noo Noo!! Dada!!!"

"Yes, Nari, I'm coming!" Sunoo comes speed walking from the kitchen into the hallway and picks up their stuff. Nari is jumping around in front of the door. The nursery teacher halts for a moment and looks softly at her, taking in her adorable excitement. 

"Damn, you're pretty attached," a voice suddenly whispers next to him and he jumps. It's Jake, who has stepped out of the office. He gives Sunoo a knowing smirk. 

Sunoo wants to answer, but a squealing Nari interrupts them.

"Uncle Hee! Uncle Hee is there too!!"

And indeed, a second car pulls up next to Sunghoon's and Lee Heeseung steps out. Sunoo throws a knowing glance at Jake and bursts into laughter when he sees his friend's face in a deep shade of red.

"You're one to talk, Jakey! Who's got it bad now?"

Jake doesn't say anything, just grabs his jacket and bag and steps to the door.

"Let's get out of here, shall we, Nari?" 

The little girl jumps in excitement and runs outside as soon as Jake opens the door for them. Sunoo snorts and follows them, waving a quick goodbye at Jake and Heeseung before sitting in the passenger seat while Sunghoon buckles up his daughter.

After getting behind the wheel, Sunghoon leans over and presses a soft kiss to Sunoo's cheek.

"Hi, baby! How was your day?"

Before Sunoo can answer, Nari is once again faster.

"It was nice! We had bwocolli for lunch and then we read the pengu book. Noo Noo sang with us. And - ohhh - Dada, Dada! Yumi and Eunwoo held hands!!" She blabbers on before bursting into a fit of giggles and the two men can't do anything but join her in her excitement. 

On the drive to Sunghoon's house, they talk about the upcoming amusement park date that they planned for Saturday. Sunoo is just as excited as Nari and he tells her about all the rides they can go on. Nari has never been to such a place before and when they arrive at home, she's buzzing with anticipation.

"Can we go to sleep?" She asks as they step into the house.

Sunghoon raises his eyebrow, "Why? Are you tired?"

"No, but then Saturday is here faster! Noo Noo said we have to sleep just once and then it's Saturday!"

"Oh, no, sweety, it doesn't work like that!" Sunoo is quick to correct himself. He gets down on her level and explains to her that they can't speed up time. She's not too happy with this, but as she is a brave girl, she nods and walks off to her room to play. 

Sunoo is devastated.

"I'm so sorry I gave her such false hope!"

Sunghoon chuckles and pulls him closer, "Don't beat yourself up. Sometimes, she's just too excited for her own good."

"But as a nursery teacher I should know better."

"No, no," Sunghoon says and buries his nose in Sunoo's hair, "you can't know the quirks of every single one of the kids. You're just learning more about Nari and it's fine."

Sunoo hums and cuddles up to him. They end up on the couch, Sunoo in Sunghoon's lap, their arms around each other. 

"This feels nice," Sunoo mumbles, his head leaning on Sunghoon's shoulder.

Sunghoon hums in agreement as he draws circles on Sunoo's back through the fabric of his shirt. 

"So, what do we wanna do tonight?" The older asks after some time. 

"Mhhh, I don't know. What do you want to do? I thought we would just stay home and watch TV?"

"We did that the past few days and weekends."

"I mean, we're going to the amusement park tomorrow, we don't have to go outside today."

"Hmh… How about we invite the guys?"

Sunoo sits up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean your friends and my friends. Our friends. Pretty much all of them are already hooking up with each other anyway. So they know each other, and wouldn't it be nice to have everyone here for dinner? And then maybe play some games?"

"We pway games?"

They look over the back of the couch to see Nari standing in the living room. She must have gotten out of her room some moments ago. She comes around the couch and scrambles onto them, finding a seat in Sunoo's lap, who's sitting in Sunghoon's lap. 

"What games?" She continues, still waiting for an answer.

Sunghoon gives Sunoo a quick glance and when the younger nods, he explains to her.

"Noo Noo and I just thought about asking our friends to come over and have dinner together and then play some games. Is that okay with you?"

"Fwiends? Like Uncle Jay and Uncle Hee??"

"Yes. And Jakey, and Noo Noo's friends Niki and Jungwon."

"Okay! When are they coming?" She smiles without even thinking for a second. Sunoo snorts. Nari really loves people.

"Noo Noo and I will call them now, ok? We ask them to come as soon as possible, yeah?"

"Yayy!" She squeals in excitement before jumping down and going back to her room "to get weady" as she says. 

Around 7 PM the doorbell rings and Sunoo goes to open it. It's Jay with Jungwon and Niki. Some minutes later Jake and Heeseung also arrive and Sunoo lets them in as well. Sunghoon is occupied in the kitchen.

"Just as if you're already living here," Jungwon comments quietly when Sunoo leads them to the dining table that he has set before they arrived.

Sunoo feels the blush on his cheeks, but he doesn't say anything. It indeed feels as if he's already halfway to living here, given the amount of time he has spent here over the past weeks. 

"Actually, we were planning to sleep at my place tomorrow because the amusement park is closer to our apartment than his house," Sunoo explains. He completely forgot to tell his friends and roommates about it.

"Ohhhh. Should we leave then?" Niki asks with a mischievous grin as he overheard their conversation.

"Ugh, no! Nari will be with us?" Sunoo groans and gives him a soft bump to the shoulder.

"Dinner's ready!" Sunghoon calls from the kitchen where Heeseung and Jake are helping him right now by bringing the food over to the table. Jay is playing with Nari by making her fly, but he's also making his way over to the dining table now. 

They all sit down and take in the feast Sunghoon has cooked: Kimchi stew, along with rice and bulgogi as well as Tteokbeokki and several side dishes.

"Did you make all these side dishes???" Sunoo asks, surprised. 

Sunghoon chuckles and shakes his head. "No, my mom brought them by this morning."

"Aaah," Sunoo nods. "They all look amazing."

"Let's dig in, then. Everyone, enjoy!" Sunghoon raises his glass and they all clink their glasses, everyone making sure that they clink their glass with Nari too, who sits at the head of the table like the little princess that she is. Sunoo and Sunghoon sit on each side of her and Sunoo realizes that this must be how families are sitting at a dining table. Suddenly, he feels all mushy and soft, and he loves the place he is in right now.

They dig into the food, all talking together and soon it feels like they have all been friends for years.

After dinner Sunoo helps Nari get ready for bed, although she doesn't want to go to sleep yet, which is understandable as she doesn't want to miss the fun. However, Sunghoon reminds her that when she goes to sleep, the next day comes quicker and they can go to the amusement park. This is enough for Nari to give all her new and old uncles a kiss on the cheek and march towards her room. Sunghoon follows her to tuck her in, while Sunoo is left with the others, who all look like they have just seen the love of their lives. 

"Is she always so adorable??" Jungwon asks, his eyes gazing softly after Nari. 

"Yup, she's a princess. A very sweet princess," Sunoo says and grins. 

Sunghoon comes back about fifteen minutes later. Sunoo and the others have cleaned up the table and the kitchen and are just settling down in the living room. 

Sunoo, Jungwon and Jay are sitting on the sofa, while Niki, Jake and Heeseung have sat down on the floor. Sunghoon sits down next to Sunoo and immediately pulls him closer, putting his arm around his shoulders. Jungwon gives Sunoo a smirk from the side, and Sunoo just sticks out his tongue to his best friends.

"Are you okay?" Sunghoon asks and Sunoo feels himself blushing from being caught in such a childish act. It doesn't help that Jungwon bursts into a fit of giggles. 

Sunoo gives him the evil eye before turning to Sunghoon. "Everything's fine, Hoonie. Wonie is just being his annoying self."

"Lies!" Jungwon protests.

"How old are you again?" Niki asks, his tone somewhat lethargic from being used to their bickering. 

"Older than you, you're a baby!" Jungwon scoffs and Sunoo jumps right in by nodding along to Jungwon's words.

Now it's Niki's turn to look at them in annoyance. "Remind me, why am I friends with you again?"

Sunoo grins widely and Jungwon gives him puppy eyes.

"Because you love us!"

Niki groans and buries his face in his hands. The others chuckle along to the friends' exchange. 

After everyone has calmed down a little, Sunghoon suggests playing some games and after a quick evaluation of the options, they end up playing Mario Kart. 

Sunghoon is surprisingly good at it and Sunoo is - well, let's say, he ends up being in the very last place after several races, even though Sunghoon tries to help him in between. 

That night Sunoo goes to bed with a very big pout on his lips that even Sunghoon's cuddles and kisses can't wipe out. However, his heart is full from the happy time he spent with his boyfriend and their friends, and he thinks he can very well get used to this. 

Sunoo jerks up from sleep when a weight lands on his belly, followed by a squealing voice that chants "Fun park, fun park, fuuuunnn park!!!"

Of course it's Nari who apparently is already wide awake and ready for the amusement park. 

Next to him, Sunghoon groans and pulls her from Sunoo's lap.

"Sweety, Baby, Nari, it's still so early," Sunghoon's sleepy voice complains.

Sunoo pries one eye open to check the time - indeed, it's not even 7 yet and the park doesn't open until 10.

"But we have to eat bweakfast and get weady and go there!!!"

"Can we have five more minutes, sweety? The alarm will go off then anyway," Sunghoon tries to bargain and surprisingly, Nari agrees.

"Okay." She settles in between them and is soon sandwiched between their bodies, both their arms wrapped around her and each other. 

Sunoo sighs in content and lets the sleep take over again.

Only that Nari has other plans.

"Noo Noo?" She whispers so loud that you can actually not call it a whisper anymore. 

He doesn't react, he just wants a little more sleep. 

But then - "Noo Noo?" 

This time, the words are accompanied by a little finger that pokes his cheek and wanders to his nose.

The touch tickles him and he can't help but crease his nose in response.

"Noo Noo??" 

Now she's poking his cheeks repeatedly.

He sighs and lets his eyes flutter open.

Nari is staring down at him and so is Sunghoon, who has his eyes open and looks at him with a tender look in his eyes. 

Sunoo gives him a smile before his focus is pulled back to Nari.

"Noo Noo! Will it be scary?"

He's confused by the question. "What will be scary?"

"The fun park?"

"Aw, no baby, it won't be scary! We won't do things you're afraid of, I promise!" 

"Ok," Nari beams, "can we get up now?"

Sunoo closes his eyes, doing his best not to groan. He would really have loved to sleep some more.

"Nari Baby, how about we get up and let Noo Noo sleep a little longer, hm?" Sunghoon asks his daughter quietly and although Sunoo feels a little guilty, he appreciates that his boyfriend wants to give him some more sleeping time. 

They played games until 2 in the morning, so they got only five hours of sleep. But that's how it is with kids - there are not many mornings to sleep in anymore. 

"Thank you, Hoonie," Sunoo mumbles when Sunghoon gets up and takes Nari with him. 

Sunoo gets another 30 minutes of sleep before Nari is back and pokes his cheek again. 

"Noo Noo, get up! We have to pwepare our lunch box!"

Sunoo opens one eye to see Nari standing in front of the bed. Sunghoon comes into the bedroom a moment later with a guilty look on his face.

"I'm sorry, pretty, but she wants to prepare the lunch boxes with you!"

Sunoo yawns and wills his eyes open. He gives them both a smile and nods.

"It's okay. I'm coming."

The clock strikes ten and the gates to the park open. There are some younger couples and families with kids in front of them, but overall it's rather empty. Sunoo hopes that it stays this way. They are led inside and walk across a bridge towards a huge castle.

Nari is walking between them, holding both their hands. Sunoo looks down at her and sees her eyes sparkling excitedly. 

"A cawstle!" She cheers and jumps up and down. 

"Of course, only the best for my princess!" Sunghoon smiles down at her. 

Nari giggles happily as they make their way into the park.

They are greeted by two large raccoon mascots, one dressed as a gentleman in a suit and top hat, the other dressed as a lady in a pretty dress.

The lady raccoon leans down to Nari and moves her hands as if she's in awe to see her. The little girl giggles and drops a curtsy, and Sunoo wants to melt on the spot from her cuteness.

They make their way further inside the park, Nari commenting everything she sees with a loud "oooh" or "aaaah", occasionally cheering "Dada, look!" or "Noo Noo!!!".

Sunghoon and Sunoo have a blast seeing her reactions and they cheer with her each time she finds something exciting. They plan to go on all the rides that are for kids, wanting to give her the best time. 

Around noon, and after checking out about half of the park and going on three rides, they sit down for lunch. Sunghoon, who has carried around the backpack with their food and drinks, takes out their lunch and puts it on the picnic table they found in one corner of the park's food court. Sunoo and Nari thank him for carrying it so well and the three dig in happily.

They just finished their food and are about to pack things up again, when two women approach their table. They seem to be about their age, maybe a little older. 

"Excuse me," one of them says with a shy smile on her face. Her eyes are set on Sunghoon. Sunoo feels uneasy. 

Sunghoon, polite as he is, looks up at her and the other woman, "Yes?"

"Are you the Park Sunghoon?" She asks and Sunoo purses his lips. He knew there was a high chance Sunghoon would be recognized when they go out, but now that it's actually happening, it still feels strange.

"Um," Sunghoon throws a look at Nari and Sunoo before he continues, "yes, I'm Park Sunghoon."

"Ooooh," the women squeal so loud that Nari jumps up in surprise. She was minding her own business by talking to her penguin plushie, but now she looks up in surprise. Sunoo puts a protective arm over her shoulder and pulls her close. 

The women look over at Sunoo and Nari briefly before turning back to Sunghoon.

"And this must be your daughter? Nari, isn't it?" 

The woman who's asking turns to Nari and leans down towards her. Sunoo thinks Nari will cower away, but instead she sits up straight and nods.

"Yes, I'm Nari, who are you?" Sunoo and Sunghoon both hold back a chuckle, Nari sounds feisty.

"Oh, sweety, I'm a big fan of your father!" The woman explains and flutters her eyelashes at Sunghoon. Sunoo hates it.

"What does fan mean?" Nari asks, as eager to learn something new as ever.

"That means that I like him a lot."

Nari nods and thinks for a moment. And then she asks: "More than Noo Noo?"

Sunoo freezes and Sunghoon looks just as baffled.

"Who is Noo Noo?" The woman asks, visibly confused.

Nari points at Sunoo. "This is Noo Noo, my tweacher. Dada likes him a lot. They even k-"

Sunoo is quick to put a hand over her mouth and start tickling her. Luckily, she is immediately distracted by the tickling and doesn't continue her sentence, nor throws a tantrum.

"I appreciate that you're a fan of mine, Miss. And you're correct, this is my daughter. We're having a little fun today on our day off. May I ask you to let us enjoy our day in peace?" Sunghoon speaks in a soft and very diplomatic voice. He gives the women a sweet smile, which clearly affects them both as they blush furiously and giggle. 

"Oh, yes, yes, of course! May we just ask for an autograph?" They hold out a notebook and a pen and Sunghoon nods before jotting down his signature. 

They bow and thank him before going back to where they came from. However, Sunoo sees them talking and looking back several times before they reach the table they sat at. 

"I'm sorry, Sunoo. This was annoying, I know."

Sunghoon sounds really apologetic and Sunoo feels bad immediately.

"Oh, no, Hoonie, it's okay. That's how it is when I'm dating a celebrity," he winks at him and smiles. "I was just jealous, that's how I am."

Sunghoon reaches for his hand and intertwines their fingers on the table.

"I'm also jealous. But I promise you, there's no one I want, but you."

Sunoo beams at him and nods, "Me, too, Hoonie."

Sunghoon grins and strokes his fingers softly. "Now, shall we go on?"

"Yessss!!!" Nari squeals  in excitement and claps her hands. They get up and Nari immediately grabs Sunoo's hand.

"Noo Noo! Let's go!"

It seems as if she feels that Sunoo was a little upset some moments ago and she wants to cheer him up. Once again he realizes what a wonderful little girl she is and how he doesn't want to miss her anymore. 

When they get back to Sunoo's apartment it's 4 PM and Nari is taking a nap in the backseat of Sunghoon's car. 

After they had gone on more rides and bought some souvenirs, they had sat down to eat ice cream and to tell Nari what kind of relationship they had. Sunghoon practically asked her if it was okay that Sunoo would be with them for a long time, and she happily agreed. Sunoo wasn't sure she had fully understood what it meant, but she was still so young, so it was understandable that she didn't get the whole concept of love and romance yet. Heck, even some adults never understood it fully.

Anyway, she had been happy that Noo Noo would be present in her life from now on for a long time, and Sunoo and Sunghoon had both let out a sigh. They wouldn't have known what to do if she had suddenly pushed Sunoo away. 

Sunghoon parks the car in a free spot and they both get out. While Sunoo takes their bags, Sunghoon picks up his sleeping daughter and they make their way upstairs.

Niki is home, watching a drama when they step in.

"Hi!" He waves at them lazily and turns down the volume when he sees a napping Nari. 

"Is she asleep?" He whispers as Sunghoon sits down on the other couch. 

"Yes, fell asleep some moments ago. The day was long and exciting," Sunghoon explains in a voice just as quiet. He puts her down on the cushions of the couch and gets up to take off his jacket quickly before sitting back next to her and making sure she doesn't roll off the cushions.

Sunoo busies himself in unpacking the bags and putting everything away before he comes to the livingroom to join them. He smiles softly when he sees that Sunghoon has laid down on the couch as well and is cradling his daughter in his arms while also dozing away. Niki is focussed on the drama again, and Sunoo tiptoes around the couch and joins him. 

The younger one throws him a glance before looking back at the TV.

"How was your date?" 

"Sweet," Sunoo smiles as he remembers the exciting day at the amusement park.

"How did Nari like it?"

"She was exhilarated! She laughed so much and had so much fun, no wonder she fell asleep."

"Relatable. Even your prince is tired," Niki snorts and points at Sunghoon.

Sunoo can't help but smile as he gazes at his boyfriend napping with his daughter. 

"Jungwon is out with Jay hyung. He will probably come home late tonight."

Sunoo nods. "Ok. Cool. Should we order some take out for dinner?"

Niki agrees and together they scroll through the options. Half an hour later Sunghoon wakes up again and looks around a little confused. 

Sunoo giggles as he observes him until Sunghoon's eyes land on him.

"Hi pretty," he mouths. 

Niki makes a gagging sound and Sunghoon and Sunoo both throw him an annoyed glance.

He grins at them before focussing on the movie again.

Another 30 minutes later Nari wakes up from her nap. As soon as she's fully awake, she starts jumping around Niki, demanding him to play with her. She has taken a liking to him from the very first moment they met, and Niki can do nothing much but stop the drama he was watching and play with her. 

Sunoo and Sunghoon take it upon themselves to order the food and set the table, and the four spend a nice and calm evening before heading to bed. 

Sunoo is the first to wake up on the next morning as Nari's leg pokes into his side in an uncomfortable way. As soon as he has found a comfortable position again, his bladder urges him to go use the restroom.

When he comes back to his bedroom, Nari is sitting in the middle of the bed, fully awake, drawing circles on her father's shirt. 

Sughoon is lying on his belly, turned away from her, probably trying to get some more sleep before he has to get up. Sunoo feels butterflies going off inside of him as he observes the father-daughter moment. The urge to wake up to this every morning overcomes him, and before he can jump back into the bed with them both, a soft knock sounds on his bedroom door.

He opens it a little and peeks out, meeting Jungwon's eyes.

"Morning, bestie," the younger greets him with a huge grin. He came home at some point last night, Sunoo heard the front door.

"Hi," Sunoo whispers to not wake Sunghoon.

Before they can talk any more, tiny hands grab Sunoo's leg and push him aside. Nari steps in front of him and waves at Jungwon.

"Wonie!" She exclaims happily and Jungwon immediately falls to his knees to greet her. What a fitting metaphor for all of them when it comes to Nari - falling to their knees. 

"Hi, princess! How are you?"

"Good! I'm awake!"

"I see that," Jungwon snorts and pats her head. "Is your dad still sleeping?"

"Yessss," she pouts. 

"Hmmm, how about, Niki and I take you to the playground?" Jungwon asks and throws a questioning gaze at Sunoo.

Sunoo thinks this is a splendid idea and nods at Nari when she looks up at him as well.

"Can I go, Noo Noo?"

"Sure, princess. If you want to."

"Ask Dada?"

"Hmmm, how ab-"

Suddenly two arms appear around Sunoo's midriff and he's pulled back against a well-defined chest. Sunghoon hooks his chin on his shoulder before mumbling sleepily.

"What's going on here? Why are you all so loud?"

Sunoo is about to answer, but something hard pokes against his butt and his breath hitches.

Jungwon notices the reaction and gives him a confused look before answering Sunghoon.

"I was just wondering if Niki and I could take Nari out for breakfast and to the playground, hyung." 

Sunghoon presses tighter against Sunoo and noses at his neck.

"Mhm," he hums, the vibration making Sunoo's legs weak, "sounds good to me if Nari wants it."

"Yes!!! Pwayground with Niki and Wonie!!" Nari squeals and runs out of the room. 

Jungwon chuckles as his eyes follow her. Then, he looks back at the two and smirks.

"And you two, please at least wait until we're gone, okay?"

Sunoo blushes furiously and nods while Sunghoon hums in agreement and starts nibbling on his neck. 

"Guys- can I at least get Nari's clothes before you jump on each other?" Jungwon complains about their touchiness. 

"Yes, of course!" 

Sunoo grabs Sunghoon's arms and pushes him back towards the bed.

"Let me just give Wonie her clothes," he explains when Sunghoon starts to protest.

He grabs Nari's bag and her penguin plushie from the bed and hands it to Jungwon, before wishing them lots of fun and shutting the door. 

When he turns around, Sunghoon has already laid back down on the bed, but his shirt is now gone. 

The subtle sunlight that falls from in between the blinds paints specks of light on his skin, making his abs glow beautifully. 

A visible tent in his Calvin Klein boxers makes Sunoo's mouth water and he goes back to the bed as fast as he can. 

Sunghoon sits up and welcomes Sunoo with open arms, immediately responding to the kiss that Sunoo dives right into. Sunoo ends up sitting in his lap, his arms around Sunghoon's neck, his ass pressed against his hard-on, and their lips and tongues dancing together in a heated dance. 

They only lean away from each other when the need for air becomes unbearable. Sunoo gasps as he looks down at Sunghoon, his dark eyes blown wide, staring heatedly at him, and his lips slightly swollen. Sunoo can only imagine that he must look just as aroused, especially when he looks down at his crotch. 

He lets his fingers comb through Sunghoon's hair and enjoys how the older's fingers wander underneath his shirt and grace his skin there.

Sunoo bites his lips before he leans forward and whispers into his ear: "I wanna ride you."

He feels Sunghoon's reaction as his member twitches against his ass and Sunghoon squeezes his skin underneath his shirt.

"Oh, I would love that," he whispers and starts licking Sunoo's neck. The sensation is wonderful and Sunoo can't do much but throw his head back and let him suck and nibble on his sensitive skin there.

Soon, Sunghoon's fingers find their way to Sunoo's nipples and flick them softly. The feeling makes him jump and let out a surprised sound. 

"Shh, baby, I'm not sure they're gone yet."

Sunoo remembers his roommates and friends only faintly, already so engulfed in the feeling of Sunghoon's touches and kisses.

As if Jungwon and Niki have heard something, Jungwon suddenly calls from outside the door: "We're leaving!"

A second later there's the click of the front door closing, and Sunoo's whole body starts to vibrate in anticipation.

Sunghoon pushes his shirt up and above his head, so Sunoo can get out of it quickly. Immediately, his exposed skin is attacked by Sunghoon's lips, sucking and licking along his chest down to his tummy.

Sunoo giggles when his kisses tickle his waist, and draws in a sharp breath when Sunghoon's lips close around one of his nipples and suck. 

"Lube? Condom?" Sunghoon asks between his kisses on Sunoo's body. They both would like to take their time, but they also know that the next playground isn't too far and Nari could change her mind quickly, so a long foreplay is not on today's agenda. 

"In the drawer," Sunoo answers and starts sucking on Sunghoon's shoulder. He loves how his soft and fair skin stretches across his muscles there. 

Sunghoon leans over, one hand on Sunoo's back to keep him steady, and opens the drawer.

"Uhm," he starts and Sunoo stops his ministrations and looks over. Sunghoon is holding a bottle of lube. "Where are the condoms?" Sunghoon asks, confused.

"I- oh, damn, Jungwon!"

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure I had a package there some weeks ago. I can only imagine Wonie or Niki taking them. Should I go ch-"

Sunghoon's hold on him tightens when Sunoo is about to get up from his lap. His thumb draws little circles into his skin and he bites his lips when Sunoo looks down at him in confusion. 

"How about," Sunghoon starts, his eyes zeroing in on Sunoo's lips before flicking back up, "we do it bare? I'm clean."

"Oh," is all that Sunoo says at first. And then: "OH."

He hasn't done it bare in a long time. Actually, only once so far with an ex-boyfriend that he thought would stay for good. He knows it's a big step, one that shouldn't be taken easily. But - this is Sunghoon. They had sex before. They trust each other and they l- like each other a lot. Sunoo might even use the word 'love' for what he's feeling for him. So, it should be okay, right?

"Babe?" Sunghoon asks, concerned. "If you don't want to, I'll go and look for it at Jungwon's room, or-"

"No. No, it's fine." Sunoo takes a deep breath and puts his arms around Sunghoon's neck, creating a little private bubble between them.

"I want to do it bare with you, Hoonie. I want to feel you. All of you. I'm clean, too."

Sunghoon gives him a sweet smile, one so precious and full of care, Sunoo makes sure to take it all in so he never forgets about it.

"Okay, pretty. Thank you," Sunghoon whispers before he leans forward and slots their lips together.

The kisses become heated again very quickly, and their hard-ons grow again to full length. 

Soon, their boxer shorts are gone and Sunghoon starts prepping Sunoo. His fingers are gentle at first, massaging the lube into Sunoo's skin, making sure that everything is nice and slick. 

Sunghoon sucks on his skin and leaves love bites everywhere, while his fingers start entering him one by one. Sunoo enjoys being spread apart. 

When he feels like he is ready now, Sunoo grabs the bottle of lube and slicks up Sunghoon's cock. The older inhales sharply when Sunoo massages his member, leans back against the headboard of the bed and lets him prepare him. 

Finally, the drag of his hand is nice and smooth, and Sunoo brings Sunghoon into position. He squats over him, one hand on the headboard to steady himself and the other on Sunghoon's cock to guide him, and lets himself down slowly. 

Sunghoon holds him by the waist to give him some steadiness, and in the next moment Sunghoon's tip prods against his hole.

Sunoo takes a deep breath and sinks down further. As soon as the head is inside, the push gets easier and he lets him enter until he's halfway in. Then it gets too tight and Sunoo has to pull him out again until only the tip is still in. With the next move he already gets penetrated a little deeper.

He repeats the movement until Sunghoon bottoms out and they both groan in pleasure. 

Sunoo opens his eyes, which he didn't know he had even closed, and meets Sunghoon's eyes that gaze heatedly at him.

"Hm?" He hums.

"Fuck, you look so pretty, babe. You sitting down on my cock just now was one of the hottest things I've ever seen."

Sunoo giggles and blushes, but a sudden thrust from Sunghoon makes his voice hitch and he has to hold onto his shoulders to not fall over.

"Hoonie," he squeals.

"Yes, babe? Don't you want to move?"

Sunoo nods and lifts his hips a little before sinking down again. They both moan in pleasure, the feeling of skin on skin adding to both their delight. 

They build up a rhythm with Sunoo moving up and down and Sunghoon meeting his hips halfway with unhurried thrusts. 

Although Nari and the others could be back soon, they still choose to move languidly and enjoy every single drag. This time it's about feeling each other with every fiber, rather than getting off quickly. 

And Sunoo is in heaven. Doing it bare feels so much better than with a condom, and he can't get enough of it. Soon, Sunghoon's cock hits his sweet spot and Sunoo jolts up in pleasure. 

"Mmmh, that's the spot?"

Sunoo nods to Sunghoon's question before being pulled forward a little. 

He steadies himself on Sunghoon's chest and looks up.

"Kiss me, pretty," Sunghoon whispers and Sunoo obediently leans forward. 

Their lips meet lazily, just as their crotches do, and soon they have a sweet and intense rhythm.

Sunoo's whole body seems to be made up of pleasure, every spot on his skin and inside of him feel alight with fire. But not a fire that's blazing, but rather a warm and content fire that warms every bit of him. 

This doesn't feel like sex, at least not like the sex he used to have. This feels like making love, and this realization makes a wave of emotions run through Sunoo. 

He feels fuzzy and loved, and so full, he's afraid he's about to spill over. 

"Babe, you feel so good."

Sunghoon's words are whispered into his ear, lips touching his earlobe softly before nibbling on it. Then his lips are back on Sunoo's and kiss him, warm and fulfilling. 

The constant up and down of his hips tires Sunoo out, which Sunghoon seems to catch up on soon, as he asks Sunoo to change positions.

Sunoo agrees and lays down on his back. Sunghoon enters him only a moment later, the penetration once again intense and slow. 

However, Sunghoon's slow movements speed up after some time, his orgasm approaching. 

Sunoo also feels the heat in his abdomen intensifying and his own peak rising. 

He's the first to come undone, spilling his load over his belly. Sunghoon continues to thrust into him through his high, and when he himself comes, shooting his cum into Sunoo, the younger is pretty sure he's in heaven. The feeling is amazing. 

They collapse next to each other and Sunoo immediately cuddles up to Sunghoon, ignoring the gross feeling of his cum on his belly and the wetness between his ass cheeks.

"We should take a shower," Sunghoon mumbles, sleepily.

Sunoo hums in agreement, but suddenly he feels so tired, he thinks a little sleep first won't be too bad. 

He pulls the blanket over their bodies and throws his leg over Sunghoon's legs.

"Just five minutes?" He suggests and Sunghoon chuckles sleepily in response.

"These five minutes also mean that you have to change the sheets afterwards for sure."

Sunoo yawns. "That's fine. I have you to help after all."

Sunghoon snorts but nods.

"True. I'll help you."

They're just about to drift off into sleep when there's the faint sound of the apartment door opening, followed by hurried footsteps.

Suddenly, the room's door bursts open and makes them both jump up in surprise.

Jungwon is standing in the door, breathing heavily, as if he just ran up the stairs.

"Wonie?" Sunoo asks in confusion.

Jungwon just shoves a phone into their faces. 

There's a picture on the screen. A picture of Sunghoon, Sunoo and Nari at a picnic table. It's the picnic table at the amusement park, where they sat down and had lunch. Nari's and Sunoo's faces are blurred out, but Sunghoon is clearly visible. He and Sunoo are holding each others' hands on top of the table, and Sunghoon looks at Sunoo lovingly. 

The fans, Sunoo thinks. The women that approached them there, asking for Sunghoon's autograph, must have taken it. 

Sunghoon lets out an annoyed breath. 

"Does Jay and Heeseung already know?" He asks.

"They're on their way here," Jungwon explains before he throws a pitiful glance at Sunoo.

Sunghoon puts an arm around his shoulder and pulls him closer.

"It will be alright, pretty."

Chapter Text

The notifications from Sunghoon’s phone buzz constantly and against his better judgment, he swipes his phone to unlock it. Though he really shouldn’t. It’s been a few days since his and Sunoo’s date was leaked on the internet, again, and the peace they'd established has been broken. 

He parks his car in the garage and shuts the engine off. While the neighborhood is silent at this time, Sunghoon didn’t want to risk anything further and had asked if Heeseung could take both Nari and Sunoo home for him while he finished the rest of his day training with Jay. It’s like they’re back to the beginning of this whole scandal. Close, yet so far apart. 

When he goes through all of his notifications, thankfully, it’s just the parents’ group chat that’s set up by the school but as he goes to read his most recent messages, his relief is short-lived. 

It’s full of gossip. 

Everyone is wondering who he was out with, with only the blur of faces to make their guesses by. Others think they have already figured it out and Sunoo's name gets mentioned more than once with not-so-nice words following. He sees Yumi's mom, Eunbi, leaving comments about it not being anyone's business who Sunghoon is dating and whether or not it's Sunoo in the pictures, it doesn't change the fact that Sunoo is one of the best teachers there. 

Sunghoon sighs, leaning his head back on the headrest of the driver's seat. A headache starts pounding behind his eyes and all he can think of is how good it feels to finally be home right now. He sends a quick thank you message to Yumi's mom and shoves his phone into his pocket, making his way into the house. 

From the outside, it's quite dark. It looks like just the kitchen light is on inside. That means Sunoo is still awake. Sunghoon smiles softly, already feeling like a weight has lifted from his shoulders as he unlocks the front door and anticipates seeing his boyfriend's pretty face.

He steps through, shutting the door behind him and locking it before shrugging his hoodie off and leaving all his stuff behind to cross into the living room. 

"Sun?" He calls out into the silence. "I'm home."

Oh, how long has he been wanting to say that out loud. 

"Sunghoon?"

The light in the living room turns on and Sunoo comes padding in from around the corner, smiling softly. 

“Hi,” Sunghoon greets softly, reaching out to Sunoo for a hug. He presses his nose into Sunoo’s hair, taking in the scent of his own shampoo and conditioner that he keeps in the bathroom and likes to use. Sunoo must have showered earlier once Jay had taken him back to the house. Sunoo smells like him and he doesn’t realize how much that means to him until this very moment.

“Long day?” Sunoo asks, wrapping his arms around Sunghoon’s waist and kissing him along his jawline. 

“Too long,” Sunghoon replies. He rests his chin on the top of Sunoo’s head. “I couldn’t really concentrate on training. I’m just glad to be home.”

“I’m glad you’re home too,” Sunoo says. “Nari’s sleeping so we can just do nothing for the rest of the night.”

“That sounds amazing, honestly.”

Sunoo chuckles and steps back to pull Sunghoon along with him into the kitchen. “Have you eaten yet? We can order something.”

It’s an easy decision to make.

Sunghoon doesn’t feel like cooking and it’s only himself and Sunoo eating anyway so delivery it is. They order a set that’s pretty much going to fill them up for dinner and when Nari wakes up, she’ll have fried rice, which she loves. 

When Sunghoon’s finished ordering on his phone, the notifications from the parents’ group continue again. He hasn’t checked them since he was driving home but now, it seems like there’s more notifications than before. He swipes through them, a furrow set between his eyebrows.

“Everything okay?” Sunoo asks when he notices the scowl on Sunghoon’s face. 

Sunghoon sighs again, leaning into the touch when Sunoo reaches out to smooth down his hair in a gesture of comfort. He shoves his phone back into his pocket. “It’s the parents’ group I’m in for Nari. Looks like they’re talking about our date now too.”

“As hard as it is, we can’t let it affect us, like Jay and Heeseungie said. That’s what they want and they’re not important, right?”

Jay and Heeseung had been fed up with all the gossip that followed. Unfortunately, without knowing who the women were that had approached them, there was nothing that could be done. The best thing is to give it some time and let it pass. They declined any and all interviews about the “scandal” and since it’s nearing the off-season of his sport, Sunghoon is able to stay at home more often. He won’t have another competition until the winter. 

Sunghoon is just grateful for their support, not that he’s surprised. He knows he can rely on Jay and Heeseung anytime and for anything. 

“No, they’re not,” Sunghoon says, agreeing. “I worry more about you and Nari, being dragged into this.”

“Remember what I said, Hoon, I’m willing to take them on with you.”

“I remember.” He leans into Sunoo again and kisses the top of his head, smiling. “Thank you.”

When their dinner arrives, it’s eaten mostly in a comfortable silence with the TV on and when they’re done, Sunghoon loads up the dishwasher and they head on, off to bed. Sunoo settles himself against the headboard and Sunghoon slides his head into Sunoo’s lap, letting out a contented, little sigh as he feels Sunoo’s fingers slotting through his hair. Sunoo takes a pause in reading on his phone to press a kiss to his forehead and he smiles, leaning his chin up for a kiss. He’ll also always be content to fall asleep like this too, his head cradled on Sunoo’s lap.

“What’s this? Are you pouting?” Sunoo teases.

“I want a kiss on the mouth this time.”

Sunoo flushes, taken a bit by surprise at Sunghoon’s honesty and Sunghoon just smiles and puckers his lips at him. With a playful roll of his eyes, Sunoo indulges him, pecking his lips and teasing him and then finally, keeping their lips together in a deeper kiss. He moans softly when Sunoo swipes his tongue at him and reaches up to hold Sunoo’s pretty face between his hands, stroking one of his cheeks with his thumb. 

When they pull apart, he’s panting slightly, lips a bit swollen, and rests his forehead with Sunoo’s. 

He doesn’t go for just one kiss. It’s another and then another, until something hot swells in his chest, threatening to burst. It makes the pit of his belly fill with butterflies and leaves him in a shiver. Sunghoon swallows the lump in his throat. He gazes into Sunoo’s light eyes and Sunoo looks back right at him, with only just a bit of confusion on his face as he smiles, probably wondering why he’s staring.

But he can’t not stare.

Sunoo is beautiful, and has always been since the first time he laid eyes on him in the classroom. 

Keeping his hold on Sunoo, he drops soft kisses along his neck, on his throat, his jawline, to have Sunoo giggling and squirming that the kisses are ticklish. The sound of Sunoo’s laugh, his soft breaths, even the way he sighs when he’s feeling good, makes Sunghoon’s heart beat so fast, he thinks it will pop right out of his chest. 

Thankfully, he gets a good distraction when Sunoo suddenly crawls into his lap and wraps his arms around his shoulders. 

“We’re not going to bed yet, are we?” Sunoo asks.

“I was thinking about it,” Sunghoon teases. He keeps his face neutral, seeing if Sunoo will take the bait.

“Okay.” Sunoo shrugs and starts to move to his side of the bed. “Goodnight.”

“W-wait, I was joking.” Sunghoon reaches to hold Sunoo’s waist from behind, his hand rubbing at his tummy. 

Sunoo doesn’t budge. 

So he tries again. 

Tightening his hold around Sunoo, he presses a kiss to the back of his neck, until Sunoo relents and squirms around to face him, probably ready to nag him, but Sunghoon doesn’t give him the chance. He kisses Sunoo to shut him up, smiling when Sunoo kisses him back and wraps his arms around his shoulders and tries to fit himself underneath. 

He dances his fingers across Sunoo’s torso, feels Sunoo’s soft skin prickling with goosebumps.

The heat builds between them. It’s hard not to be affected by Sunoo when Sunoo kisses him like it’s all he knows, like it’s all he needs. He swipes his tongue playfully along Sunoo’s lip before he’s back to kissing him fully, hot and slick, moaning each time he meets Sunoo’s tongue. His thumb brushes over Sunoo’s nipples, teasing, and Sunoo rolls his hips up into him, pulling back to moan. 

Sunghoon takes that moment to start kissing along Sunoo’s tummy as he continues keeping his thumbs over Sunoo’s nipples. Sunoo giggles cutely and complains about how ticklish the kisses are and Sunghoon moves on to take one of his nipples into his mouth, rolling his tongue over it as Sunoo moans and slips his hand into his hair to hold him there. 

He shifts a bit to get more comfortable and ends up rubbing his bulge against Sunoo’s. Sunoo’s breath hitches and he takes another swipe at Sunoo’s nipple with his tongue. 

“Sunghoonie,” Sunoo calls softly as he reaches out to take Sunghoon’s hand to place it between his legs. “Touch me.”

Sunghoon indulges Sunoo with how cute he’s being by moving in for another kiss, taking his legs to wrap them around his waist. 

Sunoo’s mouth is swollen pink and it just makes him want to kiss Sunoo more and keep kissing him until his jaw aches and he needs to breathe. That feeling swells in his chest again and he takes a second to pull himself together. It’s the warm, fuzzy feeling he’s been noticing whenever he’s around Sunoo lately and just seeing Sunoo and his pretty smile is enough to make his worst day into the very best.

He’s ready to drag Sunoo’s sweatpants down his legs but their moment is interrupted by a series of buzzes from the nightstand. 

“That’s mine,” Sunoo says, his eyebrows pulling together. 

Sunghoon scoots away from Sunoo a bit so Sunoo can grab his phone. Sunoo’s face falls as soon as he unlocks the screen. 

“What is it?” Sunghoon asks, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. 

“The director of the school. He wants… to see me first thing tomorrow morning.”

When Sunoo looks back up to him, he’s never seen Sunoo so worried.

Sunoo heads back to the school with a knot in his stomach. 

It hasn’t settled down, ever since last night when he received the email from the director, because he has a feeling he knows what it’s about. When he wakes up, Sunghoon takes him back to his apartment to get ready and Jungwon is already in the kitchen eating breakfast and gives him a supportive hug, the moment he walks in. He had told both Jungwon and Niki what happened when he was with Sunghoon, that the director wanted to discuss something with him. 

Sunoo wraps his arms around his best friend, trying not to let the negative thoughts take over.

“Whatever happens, just know you have us, okay, Sunny? We’ll get through it with you. Do you want us to come too? Niki’s just finishing getting dressed.”

Sunoo smiles softly and takes Jungwon’s hand. “It’s okay, Sunghoonie is going to take me this morning.”

Jungwon nods and squeezes his hand. 

“What do you think he’s going to say?”

“I don’t know but it probably isn’t going to be good,” Sunoo sighs. 

He’s been trying to convince himself that this nervous feeling could all be in his head and that he’s perhaps just thinking about the worst case scenario; unfortunately; he knows better. His relationship with Sunghoon wouldn’t be such a big deal if everyone was accepting of it. The news, the media, the circle of parents involved with the school – he’s being called in because they’re questioning his personal life. 

When Niki steps out from the shower and joins them in the kitchen, nothing has to be said. He spots the worry on Jungwon’s face and the absence of sunshine in Sunoo’s eyes and knows. “You’re heading off now?” He asks. 

“I should get going,” Sunoo tells his friends sadly. 

He would love for Jungwon and Niki to come with him. It would make him feel like he has at least a little bit of control over the situation. Sunghoon even had to convince him so that he wouldn’t have to shoulder this all alone. 

It’s not that he doesn’t want his friends and his boyfriend there, he just doesn’t want to pull them into this any more than they have to be, especially Sunghoon. 

“Let us know what happens, okay?” Jungwon says, taking Sunoo’s hand again. 

Niki nods, “And tell me if I need to kick anyone’s ass.”

Sunoo chuckles and wraps his arms around Niki’s waist. Niki rubs his back and he lets out another sigh.

The drive to the school seems like it takes hours. It’s just him and Sunghoon and there’s no one on the road yet with how early it is. Nari gets to stay with her grandparents because they both agreed that it might not be the best idea to have her at school while the “situation” is still going on. Even though Sunghoon holds his hand, caresses his fingers, Sunoo still feels like he can’t calm himself down.

When Sunghoon pulls into the parking lot and shuts the engine off, Sunoo takes a deep breath and lets it out.

“Do you want me to come in with you?” Sunghoon asks.

“I think it could make the situation worse,” Sunoo replies, smiling sadly.

“I’ll wait for you out here then.” 

Sunghoon pecks Sunoo on the cheek. 

Sunoo takes Sunghoon’s hand into his, giving his fingers a squeeze. “Thank you.”

With another deep breath, Sunoo gets out from the passenger seat and makes his way into the school.

They haven’t officially opened yet so he sees Eunseok immediately when he approaches. She smiles at him, like she does every morning when they see each other, so either she doesn’t know why he’s here early or she knows but just doesn’t want to say anything. 

Jake, on the other hand, doesn’t hide his expression. His eyebrows pull together in the middle and he immediately tries to pull him into a hug, only hesitates at the last second and then steps away, bowing over his shoulder.

“Mr. Kim?”

Sunoo hears the director’s voice before he sees him. When he turns, he spots the middle-aged man standing further down the corridor a bit where his office is. Sunoo bows politely, walking down the quieter than usual hall towards the director. 

He’s only seen and spoken to the him, Mr. Hwang, a handful of times, pretty much only when there’s a problem with a student or a parent. Right now, he knows it’s either of those. It’s himself that’s the problem. When he approaches Mr. Hwang’s office, he’s beckoned inside. He bows again and shuts the door behind him, quickly spotting Jake watching him from the classroom.

Taking a seat in the chair across from Mr. Hwang’s desk, Sunoo tucks his hands into his lap, ready for whatever needs to be said. 

“Sunoo, I’m sure you know the reason why I called you in early today so I’ll get right to the point. We have a strict policy here regarding our prestigious clientele and their families, and it’s come to my attention from the news circulating online that you are involved with one of the parents, Park Sunghoon. Not to mention, it is a… same sex relationship, is it not?”

Mr. Hwang stares at him over the rim of his eyeglasses. 

Sunoo’s intimidated but he’s never been afraid to speak up for himself.

“Neither of us want to hide it any longer, sir, so yes, Park Sunghoon and I are in a romantic relationship together.”

It feels good to say it outloud. Actually, Sunoo just kinda wants to scream it for everyone to hear. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Hwang doesn’t look as impressed. 

The man lets out a loud sigh and rubs his eyes underneath his glasses. “I can’t say that is acceptable. The school has a reputation to uphold. What would they think about–well, with something like this going on? I’m giving you two days, Sunoo, to think about what you need to do. We can’t have all these rumors and gossip floating around, especially when there are children involved. You understand, don’t you? You will end this relationship with Park Sunghoon and pretend it never even happened, that it was all rumors and gossip. It would be a tragedy to lose you since you are one of the best.”

There’s absolutely nothing that he needs to understand. It should be the others Mr. Hwang needs to talk to because his personal life has nothing to do with how he does his job and he does his job well and Sunghoon, he could never leave Sunghoon or Nari. They’re a part of his life now.

There’s only one choice for him to make. 

“I don’t need two days then, sir. I’m not coming back.” 

Mr. Hwang pauses, resting his arms on his desk. “You do realize what you’re saying to me?”

Sunoo nods, swallowing down the lump in his throat. “Yes, and I’m sorry that it’s come to this. I’m good at my job, Mr. Hwang, but if you can’t see that, regardless of what’s happening in my personal life, then I have no place here anymore.”

It hurts, every bit of it hurts. 

He won’t see his kids anymore, or Eunseok and Jake. He won’t get to see their smiling faces first thing in the morning or get their hugs, hear their laughs and excitement over every little thing they do. As one of their teachers, he’s been there through all their achievements and now, he won’t be there anymore to celebrate with them.

Sunoo’s chest burns and he fights back the tears blurring his vision. He’s not going to cry in front of this man and his bigoted thoughts. 

“You can clean up your space by the end of this week.”

Sunoo nods, getting up from his seat. He folds his hands in front and bows. “I’ll be out of here by then.”

Mr. Hwang doesn’t regard him when he slips out of the office quietly.

When Sunoo shuts the door behind him, he takes a shaky breath. That’s it, it’s all over now. He takes a second to wipe his eyes and pull himself together before he heads back out. He doesn’t spot Eunseok so she’s most likely getting ready to greet the students but Jake is close by, spotting him the second he’s out. Sunoo smiles softly and walks towards him. Jake already has his arms out in a hug.

Sunoo steps into Jake’s arms. “Jakey, I’m sorry, I… we won’t be working together anymore. I quit.”

Jake pulls back, his eyes wide. “Are you serious?”

“He said I had to break up with Sunghoon,” Sunoo starts, reaching up to wipe his eyes again. Jake frowns and helps him wipes a tear on his cheek for him. He sniffles. He’s already going to miss Jake’s sweet and caring personality. His heart breaks just a bit more. “And I can’t do that. I… I love him, Jake. So I quit.”

“Oh,” Jake breathes out. “Does Sunghoon know?”

“I haven’t told him yet,” Sunoo shakes his head. 

Jake nods and pulls Sunoo into another hug, rubbing his back. “I’m proud of you, Sunny, for standing up for yourself and Sunghoon even though it’s hard. The parents and the kids here don’t deserve you.”

Sunoo gives Jake a tearful, little laugh. “I have to go tell Hoon now, but I’ll message you later, okay?”

“You better.” Jake playfully ruffles Sunoo’s hair.

At that moment, Sunoo can already see a couple of parents walking into the school with their kids over Jake’s shoulder. He better leave while he still can. He takes another breath to prepare himself to break the news to Sunghoon.

What he doesn’t notice, however, as he leaves in the opposite direction towards the doors, is Jake walking down the hall towards Mr. Hwang’s office. 

.

Sunghoon is nervous. 

He couldn't stand waiting in the car so now he's outside in the fresh air, taking deep breaths, as he leans against the driver's side door. He should have never gotten himself involved with Sunoo. It's his own fault. Sunoo had such a wonderful job and because their relationship is out in the open, he's ruined it, before it could even start.

He doesn't know what to do. 

He can't just let Sunoo throw his job, his career away, for him when Sunoo loves it so much. 

Although Sunoo had told him not to worry, it's all he's doing. He thinks he might even call Jay and have Jay do something, anything , about it. A part of him is nervous for the start of the school day. They’re here earlier than usual, but he knows the students will start showing up any second now and they’ll see him and they’ll see Sunoo, and them together.

The gossip will never end. 

Sunghoon paces around the back of his car, hands in his pockets, when he spots Sunoo coming out of the building.

He freezes, waiting for Sunoo as he approaches. 

“Hey,” he says, smiling. “How did it go?” He gets his answer when Sunoo throws himself at him and cries into his chest. The world comes crashing down around him. This is what he was afraid of, that Sunoo would have no other choice than to be forced out from his career for him, for them. He wraps his arms tight around Sunoo and holds him, pressing his lips to the top of Sunoo’s head. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” He rubs Sunoo’s back in an attempt to soothe him but inside, Sunghoon is seething. 

He wants to tell everyone in the school to go fuck themselves because they lost someone so incredibly special and kind and loving, all because they don’t agree with their relationship. The nursery prides itself on the privacy it offers for the families and still, he and Sunoo haven’t had their privacy since the beginning. 

It’s bullshit. 

But right now, he has his boyfriend to worry about. Sunghoon just keeps holding Sunoo and rubbing his back, also dropping soft kisses and pets to his head, until it seems like Sunoo’s calmed down. He wipes the tears from Sunoo’s eyes with his thumbs and holds him into his chest in another hug, resting his chin on top of Sunoo’s head.

“Can you tell me what happened?” He asks.

Sunoo sighs and keeps the side of his face pressed into Sunghoon’s chest. “The director said we needed to end our relationship, that this wasn’t good for the school.”

Sunghoon hears his own heart breaking. That’s it. It’s over between them. 

He swallows thickly, feeling like his legs are going to give out and he’ll collapse to the ground. “O-oh, okay, um. I’m sorry that you have to do that.”

“I’m not sorry because I resigned, Sunghoon. I quit.”

Sunghoon can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

“Sunoo, w-what? Are you–baby, you love your job. I’m not going to let you do that. I’ll go in there right now and I’ll tell him that it’s all my fault and that–”

“Sunghoon. I love my job but I love you more and I’m willing to give it up if we can’t be accepted. I love you, Sunghoon, and I don’t want to hide us anymore.”

Sunghoon thinks it’s very possible he’s going to faint now, or cry, or do both. Fuck. His heart is beating so hard, he might just get cardiac arrest at this point. 

Sunoo loves him. Sunoo loves him.  

“I love you too, Sunoo, so much.”

He gathers Sunoo back into his arms and it feels so, so good to finally say the words he’s been thinking about for a while out loud. He loves Sunoo, ever since he’d seen that bright smile of his and heard that sweet voice, ever since Nari brought them together, and now, he can’t imagine his life without Sunoo. It’s funny how things work out sometimes. 

He kisses Sunoo. It’s a soft kiss, one that he hopes shows Sunoo just how much Sunoo’s carved a spot in his heart, in Nari’s heart, for the rest of their lives together. Sunoo smiles into the kiss and he feels Sunoo reaching up to hold his face. He presses his forehead against Sunoo’s. 

“I love you,” he says again. “And I’ll support you in whatever you decide to do.”

“Good, because you’re stuck with me now, Park Sunghoon.” Sunoo smiles and pecks Sunghoon on the mouth. “I love you too.”

They’re standing there, fingers laced together between them, when Jake suddenly comes running through the entrance doors. 

“Sunoo, wait!”

“Jake?” Sunoo asks, turning around. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Jake finally reaches them and places his hands on his knees, catching his breath. “I went to talk to Mr. Hwang too and said a few things to him that have been on my mind.”

“Oh, Jake, I hope you didn’t get in trouble because of me. You need to be here for the kids too. You and Eunseokie–”

Jake nods, smiling softly. “It’s okay. I resigned too.”

“What?”

“I quit. After you told me what he said to you, I just–I can’t stay here either, not if they’re unwilling to accept us.”

Sunghoon notices Sunoo’s eyes welling with tears again and he smiles softly, rubbing Sunoo’s back. 

“You didn’t have to do that for me, hyung.”

“Oh, what’s with the hyung now? What happened to Jakey?” Jake teases. 

Sunoo flushes. “D-don’t you think we’ve known each other long enough? But… it’s because I respect you, hyung. You’re one of my best friends.”

Jake is about to reply when Sunoo throws himself forward into him for a hug. He staggers back but holds Sunoo close.

“Thank you,” Sunoo says to him. 

Jake smiles. “You’re welcome, Sunny.”

Sunoo pulls back from the hug and wipes his eyes. “So, what do we do now?”

“Um, well, actually, I’m supposed to meet Heeseungie after work today so I don’t think I can join you guys,” Jake says, a shy smile on his face and his cheeks pink. 

“I can drop you off?” Sunghoon suggests. “It’s not a problem.”

“Actually, why don’t you two join us too? Heeseungie will probably want to hear about all this, right?”

“Okay, yeah, that’s a good idea. Let’s all go together then?” Sunghoon agrees.

Sunoo bounces happily on his toes and squeals. “Is this like a double date?”

“I guess it is…” Jake mutters, shy. 

Sunghoon feels Sunoo’s small hand reach for his to lace their fingers together and his stomach fills with butterflies again. 

Yeah, he really does love Sunoo. 

Chapter Text

"Heeseungie will be here in 10 minutes," Jake informs them as Sunghoon pulls the car into the parking lot of a small cafe on the outskirts of town. 

They decided it would be good to meet somewhere where not many people come. Sunghoon remembered this place, as he often came here to get a coffee while on the way home from the ice skating ring. 

They exit the car and walk inside, the interior giving off a comfortable vibe with lots of cozy looking couches and many plants and greenery scattered across the room.

Behind a wooden counter a young girl looks up from her phone and greets them with a sweet smile.

"Welcome to Café Namu! What can I get you?"

They greet her back and order their drinks, Sunghoon paying for them.

"I'll bring you your order in a minute," she smiles some more and gestures for them to take a seat. 

There aren't many guests in the cafe, so they have lots of options to choose from. Sunoo spots a table in the very back of the room, with a cozy looking couch on each side,  surrounded by plants standing and hanging in pots. It looks very secluded and somewhat safe, and Sunoo walks over without looking back at Sunghoon or Jake. 

"This corner looks nice," he states as he steps to the table, and sure enough Jake and Sunghoon are just behind him. Together, they take a seat - Sunghoon and Sunoo on one couch, and Jake on the other, leaving space for Heeeseung to sit next to him when he arrives later. 

Sunoo immediately sits closer to Sunghoon and the older winds his arm around him, pressing a soft kiss to his hair. 

He sighs and leans his head on Sunghoon's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Sunghoon asks, concern clear in his voice.

Sunoo nods and gives him a small smile. He's still sure about the way he chose, but leaving a job behind, especially one you love so much, is never easy.

"Yes. I am alright. I'm just a little sad that I won't see the kids again."

His eyes jump over to Jake, "And you, Jakey, what were you thinking?"

Before the older can answer, the barista arrives and brings them their drinks. After she left and everyone takes a sip of his drink, Sunoo focuses on Jake again, still awaiting an answer.

Jake shrugs his shoulders and grins at Sunoo.

"I simply hate the way our boss treated you and made you choose. Besides, what's so wrong about you two dating? Nothing, in my opinion."

"But-" Sunoo starts to argue, but Jake holds up one hand to stop him from continuing.

"No buts, Sunoo. Actually, I was thinking for some time now about quitting the job. It annoyed me how in some way everything was dictated by the rich and well-off parents - no offense, Sunghoon!"

Sunghoon shakes his head as he takes another sip of his coffee, "None taken."

"So, what were you planning to do after quitting?" Sunoo asks. 

However, before Jake can answer, they're disturbed by a surprised voice, "You quit?"

They look up to find Heeseung standing in the opening between the plants that leads into the little seating corner they sit in. 

Jake gives him a guilty smile, "Hi, hyungie."

Heeseung just nods at Sunghoo and Sunoo and plops down next to Jake.

"You quit?"

Jake nods before he explains, "Yes. The director gave Sunoo nothing short of an ultimatum - either he breaks up with Sunghoon or he would lose his job. Sunoo made the decision for him. And well, I joined him."

Heeseung stares at him for some moments, visibly shocked by Jake's decision. But then his face changes to one of approval and he nods.

"Well done," he says with a sweet smile as he pats Jake's hair softly.

Jake's face turns red in an instant and he looks down shyly. 

Sunoo and Sunghoon burst out laughing, surprised by Heeseung's attitude, but also enamored by Jake's reaction.

The waitress steps to their table and puts down Heeseung's coffee order. As he is still occupied with staring lovingly at Jake, Sunghoon thanks her and she scurries off. 

Jake clears his throat and Heeseung snaps out of his love bubble and diverts his attention back to his surroundings.

"I'm sorry they made you choose," he addresses Sunoo. 

The younger nods with a smile, "Thank you. I appreciate that. But really, they don't deserve me if they don't accept me."

Sunghoon pulls him closer all of a sudden and presses a kiss to his cheek, making a surprised sound escape Sunoo's mouth.

"This is so true, pretty. They don't deserve you. And they don't deserve Nari. I will withdraw her from this school."

"Oh, no, but she needs to go to school! She loves learning new stuff. And what about her friendships? She has some good friends there," Sunoo protests. He doesn't want her to lose her friends because he isn't accepted there.

"I understand, but you know Nari, she can adjust very well and find new friends anywhere. Besides, I think the only important other kid there for her is Yumi. And I'm pretty sure I can work out something with Yumi's mother so the girls can still meet up."

Sunoo pouts, still not very satisfied with the situation.

"Actually," Jake clears his throat, "as I said before, I thought about quitting for some time now. And that was because I was planning to open my own nursery school."

Sunoo is pretty sure that his face mirrors that of Sunghoon and Heeseung, who are both looking at Jake in surprise. No one expected this.

"Your own nursery school?" He asks, wanting to make sure that he heard right.

Jake nods, proudly, "Yes. There are public nursery schools, which are good, of course, but they can't really focus on the individual child as they're packed and the kids have to learn everything as fast as possible. Then there are private nursery schools, where only the kids from rich and wealthy families can attend. And there the parents dictate pretty much everything. I want to open a school, where it doesn't matter how much money a family has, and still every child gets the chance to learn individually and at their own pace."

Sunoo likes the idea. He likes it a lot. 

"And how will you fund it?" Heeseung asks and Sunoo is glad about the question because he himself didn't think about that at all.

"Public funding and donations by those who can afford it. But this is still something I have to figure out, find some sponsors and write down a business plan. It's not planned into detail, yet. However, now I can really start to focus on it."

With a satisfied grin on his lips Jake picks up his cup to take a sip of his coffee and leans back. Sunoo admires him for the confidence to come up with such a plan. And even though it's not thought-through yet, he feels a burst of motivation and positivity, which leads him to speak the next words.

"I'm in!"

All heads snap towards him and he feels a little twitch of panic. Is that really a good idea? Shouldn't he look for something stable? At the end of the month he has to pay his rent and he has to eat everyday, too. But Jake's enthusiasm is just so contagious.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees Sunghoon's lips pull into a small smile.

"Well, then," the older says and looks back at Jake and Heeseung, "I guess you have a business partner and a teacher right here, Jake. Plus, I think I just found Nari's new Nursery School, which I would like to support with a huge donation."

Jake splutters on the coffee he was just about to drink. 

"You wanna donate already?" He asks while coughing.

Sunghoon nods, "Yup. I think the idea sounds fantastic. And I wouldn't prefer anyone else for Nari's education but you and Sunoo."

Heeseung nods along to Sunghoon's words.

"I think the plan sounds really good, Jake. I'm pretty sure I can give you some financial support as well."

"What-" 

Sunoo can't hide his smile when he sees Jake tearing up. It's adorable how he was so confident in his plan before, but now seems so overwhelmed by the support he's getting from everyone.

He feels an arm snake around his waist and is pulled into Sunghoon's chest. Soft lips touch his earlobe before Sunghoon whispers to him.

"I'm so proud of you, baby. I'm always on your side." 

"I love you."

. one month later .

The whispers behind him are a little surprising, as is the sound of the phone camera taking a picture. Sunoo thought the uproar was over, but it seems that there are still people that can't believe how open Sunghoon and he are about their relationship.

However, Sunoo has learned to live with it and ignores them as he puts two bottles of milk in their cart. 

Sunghoon had issued a statement on his social media outlets the evening Sunoo had quit his job. The ice skater had announced that he is in a happy relationship with another man and that he asked everyone to be happy for him. Then he stated that he would take a break from ice skating to focus on his private life. The response was huge - from the public and the fans. The comments and articles varied from celebrations of their relationship and congratulations on it, to hate and name-calling. They had expected both and made sure to focus on the positive feedback. Sunghoon got messages on his private phone as well, many from the other parents from the nursery school. Most of them were evil. He successfully shut them down by telling them in the group chat that it was no ones business and that he would take Nari out of the nursery school. After that he exited the chat and they left him alone. Only Yumi's mother contacted him again, congratulating them and asking which school Nari would change to. Sunghoon told her about Sunoo's and Jake's plan, and she said that she would talk to her husband about investing as well. Sunoo had been elated and decided that this woman was amazing.

"It's not nice to take pictures of others!"

Sunoo snorts as he hears Nari's voice behind him scolding someone. 

He turns around and indeed, Nari is standing in front of a woman, who still has her phone up, directed at Sunoo. The little girl is holding a package of fruit loops, but that doesn't hinder her eyes from shooting daggers at the woman.

The woman pulls up her eyebrows in surprise, but before she can say anything, Sunghoon steps next to his daughter and pats her hair softly.

"My daughter is right. It's not nice taking pictures of someone without their consent."

The woman looks up and squeals in surprise. "Park Sunghoon?"

It takes everything in Sunoo to not roll his eyes. 

"Yes, indeed that's me. And that's my daughter. And that man over there, whom you took a picture of, is my boyfriend. I'm pretty sure he didn't consent in that picture you took of him. So, please delete it."

The woman opens and closes her mouth like a fish before she nods and proceeds to delete the picture. Then she holds out her phone for Sunghoon to check, but he just shakes his head and points to Nari.

"Show her."

The woman gives him a strange look, but does as she is told. 

Nari uses her finger to swipe back and forth through the woman's gallery, and finally nods. Then she turns around swiftly, spots Sunoo, and runs over with a huge grin.

"Noo Noo, I got Fruit Loops!!!"

Sunoo giggles and scoops her in his arms so that she can throw them in the cart. He ignores the woman as she isn't worth more of his attention anyway.

"Good job, Nari! Shall we have them for dinner today???"

"Not on my watch!" Sunghoon argues as he steps towards them. "We're having Tteokbokki tonight. I walked through the whole store to get the sauce," he pouts as he throws a package of the sauce into the cart. He grabs the handle and starts pushing it forward, as Sunoo is now occupied with carrying Nari.

Sunoo and Nari pout at each other, sigh mutually and follow Sunghoon.

"Ok, dada," Nari says, saddened.

"Ok, daddy," Sunoo purrs.

Sunghoon suddenly stumbles and holds onto the cart to find his balance again. 

Sunoo puts on a satisfied grin and walks past Sunghoon and towards the cash register, swaying his hips a little more than usual.

That night they fall asleep entangled under the sheets after several rounds of sweet and intense sex. Sunoo can't believe how lucky he is.

. two months later .

Sunoo huffs as he finishes sweeping the floor in the hall.

It's the middle of August and only one day before the new school year and with that the opening day of Tiny Blossoms nursery school. Sunoo can't believe they made it this far and actually managed to find a building, get the money to buy it and prepare everything just in time for the new school year to start. 

They will start with one group of 12 kids, one of them being Nari. It's not much, but it's enough for the two of them. Jake pokes his head out of the office and looks at Sunoo.

"All done?"

"Yup, all done. We only have to open again tomorrow."

Jake grins back at him, just as excited as Sunoo.

A knock on the entrance door sounds and Sunoo looks up to see Sunghoon and Nari standing on the other side of the glass. Sunghoon is half covered behind a huge bouquet of flowers. Sunoo's heart skips a beat as he quickly walks over to the door to open it for them.

"Hi, you two!"

"Noo Noo!" Nari jumps up and down in excitement, but Sunoo's attention is on Sunghoon, who holds out the flowers to him after giving him a soft peck as a greeting.

"Hi, pretty. I brought you some flowers. I wanted to be the first before the big day tomorrow."

"Thank you, Hoonie. They're lovely." 

He takes a deep breath to inhale the scent of the bouquet. It's cute how Sunghoon remembered that hibiscus are his favorite flowers. 

Jake comes to them and greets Sunghoon and Nari before turning to Sunoo.

"I will go now. See you tomorrow at 7?" 

Sunoo nods and promises to lock everything up and meet Jake here the next morning.

"See you tomorrow, Jakey!"

The older grins and gives him a quick hug before leaving the building. 

Sunoo puts the flowers in a vase in the office before he walks Sunghoon and Nari around the rooms. They have one big room with a corner for reading and another for playing. A glass door leads into a small garden behind the building. Another one leads into the room where the kids can take a nap. From the hall one can get into the office, the bathroom and the small kitchen. 

It's much smaller than the school they worked for before, but it's theirs and Sunoo can't wait to work again. 

Nari runs over to the book corner while Sunoo and Sunghoon stand in the doorway. The older puts his arms around Sunoo's waist from behind and hooks his chin over his shoulder.

Sunoo leans into him and puts his own hands above his.

"Are you excited?" Sunghoon asks quietly.

"Mhm… and scared."

"What are you scared of?"

"What if the kids are unhappy? What if they don't like it here? Or, what if the parents have issues? Jake and I are responsible for everything here."

Sunghoon presses a soft kiss to his temple.

"I understand. But I also know that you are amazing, pretty. Kids love you and so do the parents. Believe me, they never said anything negative about you, until they found out about us. But their homophobic asses don't define you. You're an amazing teacher, and you will do well! Jake and you have so much knowledge already and whatever obstacles you may come across, you will overcome them!"

"I hope so."

"And I will be here, all the way, whichever way. You have my full support."

"I mean, most of this here is thanks to your donation, Hoonie."

"Yes, but that's just money. It comes and goes. I don't care about it, babe. I care about you and about our daughter."

Sunoo's breath hitches.

"Our-?"

Sunghoon is quiet for a moment, as if he said something wrong, but then he clears his throat.

"I mean, you're already a huge part of my and Nari's life. I was thinking you could stay forever - and become Nari's dad one day?"

Sunoo feels like his heart is about to burst, it's filled with so much joy. 

He smiles happily and turns around in Sunghoon's arms, putting his own around Sunghoon's neck.

"I'd love to," he whispers before capturing Sunghoon's lips with his own, sucking on them gently at first before deepening the kiss quickly.

"Eeeew - cooties!" 

They can't help but laugh about Nari's comment as they pull away.

"Ok, ok, princess. Let's get home, shall we?"

The little girl comes running over and grabs each of their hands with her own.

"Let's go hoooome!" She cheers.

Once again, Sunoo can't help but be thankful for these two. 

The next day is opening day and the new kids are just as excited as their parents and as Sunoo and Jake. They spent the first hour showing the parents around and then the first parents leave to let them take care of the children. Some parents stay behind as not all the kids are so keen on staying away from their mothers and fathers, but that's nothing unusual, and after another hour Sunoo and Jake are alone with the kids.

Yumi's parents also transferred her to this school and together with Nari she helps Sunoo and Jake by playing with the other kids and helping those, who have the very first day at nursery school, to have a good time. 

After six hours the first day at the Tiny Blossoms nursery school comes to an end. 

Sunoo waves goodbye to Yumi, who has just been picked up by her mother, and walks back into the classroom. 

Nari is helping Jake clean up the toys, so Sunoo decides to go and clean the kitchen. 

Half an hour later the entrance door swings open and Sunghoon walks in together with Heeseung, Jay, Jungwon and Niki. 

"What are you guys doing here?" He asks in surprise when he spots them.

"Celebrating the opening of your school, teacher Sunoo!" Jungwon grins as he holds up a box that looks like the ones that hold cakes.

As he looks at his other friends, he realizes that everyone holds something in their hands - from the cake to cans of beer and bags of chips. 

Together they sit down at the dining table for the kids and share the snacks and drinks.

They're just about to dig into the cake, when the doorbell jingles.

Sunoo gets up quickly to check who just came in, and stops in surprise when he spots the guest. 

It's his sister Seoyeon with Eunji in her arms.

"Noona?" He says, baffled. 

"Sunoo, hi!"

She walks up to him and pulls him into a hug.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard you're opening your own school, how can I not come by and congratulate you?"

"How-? Who?"

"Jungwon's mom told mother. And she told me."

Sunoo feels a little stab from the mention of his mother. He hasn't heard from his parents since he left home, and he doesn't want to talk to them anyway. They hate that he's gay and they showed it clearly. 

"Who's this?" Sunghoon, who steps next to him, asks as he puts an arm around his waist.

Immediately, Sunoo leans on him. He's his safe place.

"My sister, Seoyeon. And my niece Eunji."

Sunghoon looks surprised, but quickly bows to her.

"Hello. My name is Park Sunghoon. Nice to meet you."

He holds out his hand and Seoyeon shakes it with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Park Sunghoon-ssi. You're a figure skater, right?"

Before Sunghoon can answer, Jungwon comes out of the classroom.

"Seoyeon Noona??"

"Oh, hi Jungwonie!"

"What are you doing here? Just in time for the cake. Come on! And, oh my God, Eunji git so big!"

He pulls Seoyeon into the classroom, leaving Sunghoon and Sunoo standing in the hallway.

"Are you okay?" Sunghoon asks as he turns Sunoo towards him.

Sunoo shrugs, "Honestly, I don't know. You know, my family isn't very supportive of me, especially my parents. Noona just stayed out of it mostly. But, I mean, she has her own life as well."

Sunghoon caresses his face softly before speaking again.

"Maybe she just never knew what was going on between you and your parents. Maybe you two just need to talk it out at some point."

Sunoo nods. He knows Sunghoon is right. His sister never did anything bad to him. She never fought for him, either, but maybe that would have been expected too much in the first place. 

"Right now," Sunghoon says and pushes his chin up with one finger, "let's focus on you and your achievement - which is this school. You did it, babe. You opened your own school. You're doing amazing and I'm proud of you."

Sunoo lets the words sink in and smiles up at his boyfriend. He reaches for the hand that's under his chin and kisses Sunghoon's fingers. 

"Thank you, Hoonie."

"Anything for you, babe."

They share a tender kiss before going back to the others to join them for the celebrations. 

. three months later.

Nari zooms past Sunoo like she was born for the ice rink. 

"Baby, watch out!" Sunoo calls after her, watching in horror as she speeds up even more.

"Don't be such a grinch, Appa! It's not that fast."

Sunoo sighs, but doesn't say anymore. Instead, he stays in the middle of the rink and watches her doing her laps around him. 

Some moments later there are voices from the door to the locker rooms and soon Sunghoon and Heeseung come into view, with a group of five kids in tow. 

Sunghoon, Heeseung and Jay have started giving figure skating lessons a month ago to less fortunate kids whose parents can't afford the training. They reached out through the nursery school, in hopes to find interested kids among the siblings of Sunoo's pupils. And indeed, they got 10 kids who wanted to learn figure skating. 

Today is the first lesson for the first group, and although Sunoo offered to stay away with Nari, Sunghoon said it was okay for them to come by. This first lesson was to find out how secure the kids were on the ice. 

"Nari, let's give them some space, Sweety. Make smaller circles," Sunoo calls to her when she skates by.

"Ok, Appa!" 

Sunghoon looks up and waves at him before focussing on the kids and talking them through the first steps of today's practice. 

A small boy seems very promising as he is already safely skating around only after two minutes, while the others need some more time to get used to the slippery underground.

At some point the boy skates over to Sunoo and smiles at him.

"Hello!"

"Hi," Sunoo smiles back.

"I'm Eunwoo! Who are you?"

"I'm Sunoo. Nice to meet you, Eunwoo."

"Nice to meet you too! How old are you? I'm 7."

Sunoo chuckles, "I'm 22."

"Ok. You're pretty."

Sunoo grins, "Thank you. You're handsome, too."

Eunwoo nods, self-assured.

"If you wait for me a little, I will marry you, when I'm an adult!"

He burst out laughing as he nods at the boy.

"Well, thank you, Eunwoo for your interest. But I'm already taken."

"What? No!"

Sunoo smiles and shrugs his shoulders, "I'm sorry, Eunwooni, I'm really happy with my boyfriend."

The boy pouts and Sunoo could fall for him immediately.

However, Sunghoon comes skating by and breaks their little moment.

"Eunwoo, come back to us, please. Don't bother other guests on the rink."

"But Sunoo is pretty! And I'm already way better than the others," he answers him. 

Sunghoon raises an eyebrow and looks at Sunoo, who's trying hard to hold back his laughter. The older suddenly puts on a challenging grin and skates to Sunoo, putting an arm around his waist and pulling him closer.

Eunwoo looks at them in confusion.

"Well, sorry, buddy, but he's mine."

Sunoo laughs out loud and claps his hand softly on Sunghoon's shoulder. 

Eunwoo pouts, turns away and skates back to Heeseung and the other kids.

"Hoonie, are you seriously competing with a child?"

"If he tries to snatch you away from me, then I'd even compete with the pope himself."

Sunoo giggles, "You're not even religious."

"True. But I heard he's someone important."

"Yah! Sunghoon, stop flirting and come over here!" Heeseung calls form the other side of the rink.

"Go," Sunoo pushes Sunghoon lightly, but the older pulls him back and quickly gives him a peck on the lips.

"See you later, babe."

"Bye!"

Seconds after Sunghoon skates away, Nari zooms by.

"Appa! Can I get ice cream after this?"

"Isn't it too cold?"

"It's never too cold for ice cream!"

Well, she's not wrong.

"Okay. Shall we go then?"

"Okay, Appa!"

Chapter Text

Two years later

Sunghoon sighs as he unpacks the last cardboard box and sets it off to the side, carefully taking the plates and dishes out of the plastic wrapping to stack them on the counter. It’s been a while since he’s done this so he wonders if the exhaustion he’s feeling is from all the unpacking they’ve been doing. It took a few months, from finding the right house to getting approved, to selling his old house and then finally, purchasing. Now, they’re moving in. 

New house, new neighborhood, new beginning. 

It’s smaller than their previous house and still has everything they need, and, the important thing is, it’s closer to Sunoo’s school and Nari’s elementary, which were the two main reasons why they ended up buying. It’s a split level house in a quiet neighborhood that still offers privacy with its surrounding gates. The living, dining and kitchen areas are on the first level and Nari’s bedroom, his and Sunoo’s bedroom, and the playroom are upstairs, away from the noise and activity downstairs.

Outside, and it’s arguably Sunoo and Nari’s favorite spaces, are the terraces that face both the twinkling city below and the rolling hills beyond. With the help of their friends, the large backyard is decorated with string lights and outdoor seating and also hosts a pretty garden that’s full of flowers and shrubs. It’s away from the noise and still lively at the same time. Sunghoon loves it. 

Sunghoon also can’t believe Nari is already going into kindergarten once summer is over. 

She’s gotten so big, it seems like he brought her home from the hospital just yesterday. He couldn’t stop sulking the entire day after he registered her for kindergarten and Sunoo still likes to tease him about it. There’s a few months for summer break and then she’ll be heading off to school in the fall.

It’s amazing how time flies. 

He puts the stack of plates and dishes into the cupboard overhead and arranges the glasses and wine flutes beside them. Tonight, they’ll pop open a bottle and celebrate. It’s also the last day of school before summer break, so after washing his hands and drying them, Sunghoon heads on upstairs.

Nari’s bedroom is the first room on the right after the stairs. When he approaches, he knocks on the open door, leaning against it and letting her know that he’s there. 

“Hey, princess, looks like you’ve got everything set up in your bedroom already.”

After buying the house, Nari got to choose and decorate everything in her room. The walls are white with one accent wall that’s a mint green color. A canopy hangs from the ceiling over her bed, just like the princess she is.

Now that she’s no longer a toddler, a lot of her old toys were donated. She still keeps her dollhouse in the corner of her room along with the toy chest, but the biggest addition is her bookshelves full of books, thanks to her appa. 

Nari turns to face Sunghoon from where she’s sitting on the rug with her toys. “Almost! I just have my toys to put away.”

“You want to take a break? We have to go pick up Appa soon and get some lunch.”

Nari runs over to him and throws her arms around his legs. “Okay!” She agrees. “I’m getting hungry.”

Sunghoon chuckles and smooths down her fishtail braid. “Appa did a good job with your hair today. It looks pretty.”

Nari smiles and replies, “Better than you, Daddy.”

Sunghoon snorts. Nari’s picked up so much of Sunoo’s personality, Sunghoon doesn’t know how he’s going to survive with the two very outspoken and stubborn loves in his life but he wouldn’t change it for anything.

Smiling, he reaches out for Nari’s hand. “Okay, let’s go get Appa.”

It’s a half day to celebrate the final day of school. 

Sunoo is busy cleaning off the tables and chairs and Jake is finishing up with putting away the snacks for next time. The day had been busy, full of laughs and also, some tears. Most of their kids were excited to finally be on vacation but others, a lot of the younger ones, were sad to leave their Noo Noo and Jakey. 

Sunoo always gets emotional when he has to say goodbye to them. He won’t be able to see their chubby, little faces for a while. There’s only a couple of kids waiting to be picked up by their parents, a little boy, Kwan, with his younger sister, Aera. He’s keeping his eyes on the siblings playing on the floor while he wipes down the paint that’s dried up on one of the tables. 

“You can’t play with this, it’s mine! I grabbed it first,” Kwan suddenly cries. 

“That’s not fair, oppa!”

“Too bad!” 

Their interaction catches Sunoo’s attention and he turns just in time to see Aera sitting back, defeated, with watery eyes and puffy, red cheeks. He knows what’s coming. 

She lets out the most heartbreaking sob and Sunoo drops his towel to run over to her, picking her up and cradling her in his lap. She cries into his apron, her hands balled up into tiny fists. 

“Kwan-ah, you know you don’t treat your sister like that. There’s plenty of toys, okay? We have to share,” he says while he strokes Aera’s hair in an attempt to get her to calm down. “Why don’t you play with this truck with your sister?”

“Oppa never shares with me,” Aera cries.

Hearing that, Kwan settles back, hugging his knees to his chest. “I’m sorry,” he mumbles. “I got too excited.”

Sunoo smiles softly, “It’s okay to be excited. It’s really fun playing, huh?”

Kwan hands the truck over to his sister and holds her hand. “Here, Aera-yah, you can play with it.”

Aera stares at the truck for a bit before she wipes her eyes and climbs out of Sunoo’s lap onto the floor, taking it from her brother. 

Sunoo sighs. Crisis averted. He says a few more comforting words to them and then goes back to finish his cleaning. Siblings, he thinks. He remembers his fights and arguments with his own sister. Since the opening of the center, Soyeon’s always makes time to visit him to catch up. It seems like their parents haven’t changed, but he doesn’t bother himself with it anymore. After a long talk with his sister, he’s glad they’re able to move forward from them, together. 

It makes him even happier that Eunji gets along with Nari and that Soyeon and Sunghoon are close as well, like brother and sister.  

“Sun?”

Jake’s voice breaks Sunoo from his concentration. He stands up and brushes his apron off, heading towards the door where Jake is waiting with his backpack and iced coffee. Sunoo snorts, holding back a tease. Jake’s been on an iced coffee binge ever since Heeseung introduced him to it.  

“Hey, all done?”

“I’m heading out,” Jake says. 

“Okay, I’ll finish closing up here,” Sunoo replies. “Hee’s picking you up?”

“Yeah, we’re going to head back to his hometown and meet up with his family for a bit for the summer.”

“That’s going to be really nice, I’m glad you two are spending time together.”

“But we’ll all get together to celebrate you and Sunghoonie’s housewarming, don’t forget.” 

Jake pulls him into a hug and Sunoo hugs him tight. “I want to hear all about it when you guys get back. Be safe, okay?”

Jake grins. “Oh, don’t worry, we never are anymore.”

“I meant the drive, oh my god!”

Jake just cackles and runs out the door down the hallway, dodging Sunoo’s playful kick.

Sunoo flushes. It’s not like he and Sunghoon are any different either. He knows Jake and Heeseung have been committed to each other in a serious relationship for a while now and it really shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that. Honestly, he’s even wondering if Jungwon and Jay are at that stage too. Jungwon hasn’t said anything to him. Now, he really wants to know. He tells himself to message Jungwon about it later.

With a sigh, Sunoo pats his reddening cheeks, and heads back to cleaning. He can’t be thinking about his friends’ sex lives right now, even if he is nosy.

Kwan and Aera have settled down into their toys quite a bit, quietly playing with each other instead or arguing, so he figures he can finish up his duties now. Needing a distraction, he grabs the remote and turns on the TV. The background noise it provides will keep him entertained until Sunghoon arrives to pick him up. He picks a news channel and grabs the broom to start sweeping. 

“And in breaking news this morning, the National Assembly has approved and signed off on a new law allowing single families to adopt children. This is a highly supported bill and has been gaining traction lately with public protests and campaigns and now, finally, it has become official. We have an interview with…” 

Sunoo stops sweeping, his attention focused directly on the TV.

He’s been following this issue for some time and after the media stopped covering it for a while in favor of other news, he’d forgotten all about it. The past couple of years, he’s built this incredible life with Sunghoon, with Nari, and there’s just one more thing he wants: a baby – a soft, round baby to dote on and care for, a soft, round baby to love. 

His heart pounds just thinking about it. 

His eyes watch the TV screen but he isn’t hearing much. All he’s thinking about is the fact that they’re allowing singles to adopt children now. That means he and Sunghoon can have a baby together. He’s so caught up in thinking about how this could all actually work out, that he doesn’t even notice his boyfriend and their daughter coming in, until Nari crashes into his legs. 

“Appa!”

Sunoo blinks out of his thoughts and smiles when he sees Sunghoon coming into the classroom. He caresses Nari’s head and reaches down to kiss her cheek. “Oh, look who it is!” He greets her happily. “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re here to take you out for lunch, Appa,” Nari tells him, blinking her big eyes at him, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, right, I must have forgotten. Just let me clean up and we’ll head out, okay?”

Nari nods at him and runs over to play with Kwan and Aera, not even caring that she doesn’t know them at all.

He shakes his head, smiling, and turns to face Sunghoon, already stepping into his open arms. He presses his face against Sunghoon’s chest, taking in the scent of his cologne. It still makes his stomach mad with butterflies. 

“Hey, gorgeous,” Sunghoon says, pressing his lips to the top of Sunoo’s head in a soft kiss. “How was your day?”

“I already miss the kids,” Sunoo sighs. 

Sunghoon smiles and runs his fingers through Sunoo’s soft hair. He knows Sunoo always gets quite attached to the kids at the daycare and it’s hard for him to see them go, even for a few months.  

“Don’t worry, you’ve got a big kid you can still spoil at home, remember?”

“Don’t remind me,” Sunoo groans. “I will be sad when she starts school, too. It’s going to be so quiet in the house without her.”

Sunoo’s thoughts go back to having a baby. It would be the perfect opportunity for them then. Nari will be starting kindergarten and they could be at home with the baby. Sunghoon has more time now since he’s coaching and his time at the daycare isn’t as hectic in the summer months either. Sunoo brings his lip in between his teeth, thinking. 

“Hey, you’ll still have me,” Sunghoon complains. 

Plus, Nari would be the best big sister. 

She would absolutely love a baby in the house. That way, she wouldn’t get as lonely. They even have the space too now that they’re moved into the new house. The playroom can easily be turned into a nursery and then an extra bedroom when the baby gets older. 

This could work. This could totally work, Sunoo thinks. He just needs to talk to–

“Sunoo? Baby, you okay? You spaced out for a minute there.” Sunghoon reaches down to stroke one of Sunoo’s cheeks. 

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, just a bit tired from today.”

Sunghoon pulls Sunoo into a tight hug, swaying them lightly, and kisses the top of his head again. “Let’s get you some food and head home, you deserve it.”

Smiling, Sunoo leans up and kisses Sunghoon’s cheek. “Thanks, Hoonie.”

It doesn’t take longer for Kwan and Aera’s parents to arrive. They apologize profusely, complaining how the traffic had been backed up because of an accident earlier in the day, and Sunoo just does his best to assure them that it’s no problem at all and that he had company to keep him from being too bored. 

He tells them to wait a moment so that he can go ahead and get Kwan and Aera for them. 

“Oh, I can do it for you, baby,” Sunghoon offers, wiping his hands dry on the front of his apron.

“Hoonie, it’s fine,” Sunoo says.

“You’ve been on your feet all day. I got it.” 

Sunoo’s mouth pulls into a pout. Sunghoon has been helping him finish with the rest of the cleaning, even washing the rest of the dishes so they can be put away. He ends up nodding. “Okay, I’ll just go get my stuff then.”

Sunoo grabs his stuff from the back but he doesn’t let his eyes leave Sunghoon and it isn’t because he doesn’t trust his boyfriend. He’s been noticing Sunghoon whenever he stops by and helps out, that Sunghoon is absolutely great around the kids. Of course, that’s not a surprise. Sunghoon is already a dad and taking care of kids isn’t something that’s new to him. 

He watches Sunghoon because he’s been getting that feeling, that longing , again. 

Sunghoon picks Aera up and holds her in his arms, most likely telling her that her parents have arrived to pick them up, because her face lights up in a giant smile, and then he also takes Kwan’s hand and walks over with them. Sunghoon smiles at something Kwan says that Sunoo can’t hear from where he’s standing. It makes Sunghoon laugh and his dimple appears in his cheek and his nose scrunches. 

His stomach explodes with butterflies again. Sunghoon is the perfect dad. 

His thoughts keep him distracted while Sunghoon talks to the parents. He’d never been with Sunghoon while Nari was a baby and when he sees Sunghoon with the small kids at the daycare, and even the baby siblings of some of those kids, he tells himself that they could have that too, if Sunghoon feels the same. 

Maybe Sunghoon doesn’t. Maybe Sunghoon is fine with the way things are and doesn’t feel the need or desire to have another baby. He’s sure that Sunghoon taking care of Nari alone wasn’t the easiest and maybe, Sunghoon is completely done with wanting to care for another baby. 

Sunoo doesn’t know what to do. 

Sighing, he approaches Sunghoon just as Kwan and Aera’s parents bow and get ready to leave with their kids, and pulls on a smile. 

“Have a good summer!” He says, waving to them with both of his hands and bending down to give Kwan a high five.

“Bye, Noo Noo!”

“Bye, Hoon Hoon!”

“Bye!”

When he and Sunghoon are left to themselves, he turns to Sunghoon, teasing. “Hoon Hoon? I might have a new nickname for you now.”

“Yeah? What happened to Daddy?”

Sunoo yelps and smacks his hand over Sunghoon’s mouth. “Park Sunghoon.”

Grinning, Sunghoon pulls Sunoo to him, holding him with his arms around Sunoo’s waist to draw him into a kiss. 

Sunoo giggles into it and lets Sunghoon lift him up a bit as he holds on tight to him. 

“Are you hungry?” Sunghoon asks before kissing Sunoo again. 

“Starving.”

“Then let’s go get you some food. Nari, are you ready to go?”

“Coming!” Nari runs over to them and Sunoo picks her up. “Let’s go, Appa, Daddy!”

Sunghoon heads out first, helping Sunoo with carrying his things, and Nari shuts off the lights. 

That night, Sunoo lounges on the sofa with Sunghoon, and Nari is squished in between them, watching her favorite Disney movie. He’s seen it so many times with her that he knows exactly what’s going on, even when his attention is still focused on the earlier morning. 

Once he closed the daycare, it was officially summer and he went out to a nice lunch with Sunghoon and Nari. It was at a cute teddy bear themed cafe, which Nari really loved as well. All the desserts and even the main dishes were made in the shape of bears. Both he and Sunghoon will have more time at home during the summer. Sunghoon will still have his coaching from time to time but it won’t be as busy as it is during the school year. 

That means, it could be the perfect time for them to start thinking about adopting and get all the paperwork they need and possibly, have their baby by the end of the year at the earliest. 

The more he thinks about it, the more possible it seems. 

He just has to talk to Sunghoon. 

With the movie still playing on the TV, Sunoo takes a second and glances over to Sunghoon. Nari’s still so engrossed in the movie so Sunghoon takes that opportunity and has his arm around Sunoo’s waist, his fingers lightly stroking along the skin of his belly. Sunoo puts his hand on top Sunghoon’s and Sunghoon looks over to him, smiling, before he turns back to the TV. 

“Look, Daddy, your favorite part is coming,” Nari says. “The part when the song comes on.”

“How did you know that’s my favorite part?”

“Because I hear you singing it all the time!”

Sunghoon laughs and playfully tickles Nari’s side, making her squirm and laugh. 

Sunoo really, really , wants a baby.

Soon enough, towards the end of the movie, Nari falls asleep. She spreads herself out with her head in Sunoo’s lap and her legs across Sunghoon’s. Sunghoon chuckles and strokes her hair softly. 

“I think it’s time to put the princess to bed.” Sunghoon starts to get up from the sofa and takes Nari into his arms. She mumbles sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. “Want to say goodnight to Appa?”

Nari opens her eyes and smiles a little bit, “Night night, Appa.”

“Goodnight, princess,” Sunoo says as he holds her little hand. 

She falls back asleep on Sunghoon’s shoulder. 

“I’ll be right back, baby.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting for you,” Sunoo tells him.

Sunghoon blinks at him and clears his throat, the tips of his ears turning red, when he starts to make his way upstairs. 

Sunoo pours himself another glass of wine and then one for Sunghoon while he waits, a sudden wave of nerves filling him. Sunghoon is a bit tipsy from the wine, a bit languid and loose, so maybe now is the perfect time to bring it up. He knows he shouldn’t be nervous. Sunghoon is and has always been the most loving, softest person he knows, so there’s no reason he should be hesitating. 

But it isn’t like they’re discussing what to have for dinner tonight. It’s much more important than that. 

Sunoo takes a sip of his wine to get ready just as the credits start to roll. 

Off to the side, Sunghoon comes down the stairs, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. 

Oh, Sunoo is really suffering tonight. Sunghoon knows what it does to him when he’s soft around the edges with messy hair and baggy sweats. Sunoo takes another sip, another gulp , until the wine is all gone. 

“Well, she’s probably going to be out until tomorrow morning,” Sunghoon says as he sits back down on the sofa. 

Sunoo keeps the wine on his tongue, tasting the sweet grape along with the bitter tinge. 

“What did you guys want to do tomorrow?” 

The ending song of the movie stops and another one starts up.

“It’s supposed to be pretty nice this week.”

Sunoo thinks about Sunghoon holding a baby, a baby falling asleep on his chest.

“With everyone on vacation, it’s just the three of us for a bit.”

He thinks about Nari playing with the baby, being a big sister.

“Sunoo.”

Sunoo snaps back to reality. “Y-yes, that sounds good.”

Sunghoon just chuckles and reaches over to pull Sunoo into his lap. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours? You’ve been distracted all day.”

“I’m… just thinking.”

“Okay.” Sunghoon brushes Sunoo’s hair from his eyes. “About what?” 

“I…”

Sunoo isn’t sure how to bring it up, not with how Sunghoon is looking at him, with a pretty flush across his cheeks from the wine, with those beautiful dark eyes of his that tell him that he’s both concerned and waiting to listen. 

“I’ve been thinking about–I want a baby.”

Sunghoon chokes on his wine. 

“Baby, I’m not… I think that might be a challenge. I don’t think we’re equipped for that. I think–”

Sunoo smiles, wrapping his arms around Sunghoon. “I know, idiot,” he teases softly. “I want to adopt a baby. I want us to adopt a baby, Sunghoon. I think we can do it. Nari is getting older and maybe, if we have a baby, if she has a sibling, she won’t be lonely. Just imagine them playing together, right? And I just think about you and how you’re so good with the kids at the daycare and with Nari too and…” 

Sunoo takes a breath. 

He doesn’t realize he’s had just so many thoughts about it bottled up that the second he opens his mouth, it all comes spilling out. He should have waited when they both weren’t feeling the effects of the wine. 

“Okay.”

Sunoo’s eyebrows pull together. “Okay what?”

“Okay, we can adopt a baby. To be honest, I’m a bit surprised you haven’t talked about it until now but I can tell you’ve been thinking about it.”

Sunoo just gives Sunghoon a look. 

Sunghoon laughs, continuing. “Baby, I notice how happy you get when babies come to visit the daycare or when we’re out and you see baby clothes and get so excited by how small and cute they are, how you love baby onesies and booties. I know you love Nari and it weighs on my mind sometimes that you weren’t able to be with her when she was a baby, so I’d love to adopt a baby with you.”

Sunoo finds it hard to breathe. There’s a lump in his throat and his belly fills with butterflies. “Do you really mean it, Sunghoon? We can adopt a baby together?”

Sunghoon just presses a kiss to Sunoo’s lips, smiling. “We can adopt a baby together.” 

Sunghoon couldn’t be more perfect. 

Sunoo falls onto their bed and pulls Sunghoon on top of him, his hands feeling Sunghoon’s stomach and then traveling up towards his chest. He takes his time taking in Sunghoon’s toned muscles, his small waist, his biceps, all while Sunghoon dots kisses all along his neck and shoulders. The wine is swimming slowly and lazy through his blood, through his mind and body. Sunghoon kisses him along his jawline and he brings Sunghoon back up for a full kiss, whining with impatience.

Sunghoon smiles, kisses Sunoo on the mouth, and slips his hand underneath his top to caress along his side, his fingers grazing over Sunoo’s nipple. He dips his tongue into Sunoo’s belly button and Sunoo moans, threading his fingers through Sunghoon’s hair.

Sunghoon pulls back, thumb rubbing circles over Sunoo’s nipple. “Guess we can start on making that baby now, huh?” 

“Why do I even like you?” Sunoo squirms and presses his hips into Sunghoon. Sunghoon’s bulge meets his and he moans again when Sunghoon’s thumb works at his nipple. 

“You love me.”

Sunoo rolls his eyes playfully. Okay, he might love Sunghoon just a little bit. 

The bottle of lube is always close by. At this rate, Sunoo knows they’ll be needing it sooner than normal. He’s horny and he wants his boyfriend, so it doesn’t take long to have him stretched out around Sunghoon’s fingers. As much as he loves foreplay, he’s impatient to get into it. The lube slips and slides on his skin, squelching loudly, as Sunghoon continues to sink his fingers inside of him, holding his legs back for him until his knees are almost touching his ears, by draping his arm across the backs of his thighs. 

Sunoo feels like he’s going crazy. 

It’s something he’s used to, Sunghoon dragging it out and teasing, but for some reason, he’s more wound up than usual. Maybe it’s because Sunghoon agreed on them adopting a baby and all the excitement he’s getting from that, all the love he’s feeling, all the scenarios he’s imagining with Sunghoon and their baby, is making everything worse, in the best way possible. 

Sunghoon presses into that sweet spot of his and he leaks precum onto his belly, his legs shaking. 

“It’s good, pretty?” Sunghoon asks, kissing him affectionately on his thigh. 

“Yes,” Sunoo moans out. “Please, Hoon, just–I can’t wait anymore.”

“What do you want?”

Sunoo groans. “You know what I want, Park Sunghoon.”

Sunghoon looks at him, tilting his head in a way that makes him look like a wide-eyed, curious puppy. Sunoo sees right through it.

“I don’t know, Sunoo, it could be anything, really.”

Sunoo wants to scream. He groans again and pulls Sunghoon back to him into a kiss. He nips and bites at Sunghoon’s lips until Sunghoon is moaning and his fingers press deeper into him. Moaning, he clamps his legs together as more precum spills from the head of his cock. Sunghoon’s teasing seems like it’s been going on for hours. He’s so hard, he thinks he’ll come any second now as long as Sunghoon keeps his fingers inside, and his belly is wound tight, the heat of arousal spreading into every vein, every nerve.

Sunoo reaches down to wrap his hand around Sunghoon’s wrist, making him pause. Sunghoon kisses his neck before he pulls back to look at him. “Don’t you want to come inside of me, baby?” He asks, fluttering his eyelashes and lowering his tone just enough so that he feels Sunghoon pause, his fingers still inside of him but no longer moving. 

“Not if you kill me first by saying that.”

Sunoo giggles softly and pulls Sunghoon back onto him. “I love you,” he says, pressing the words into Sunghoon’s collarbones and neck in a trail of kisses. 

Sunghoon hums into the delicate kisses Sunoo gives him. “I love you too. Are you good?” He asks, his lips trailing along Sunoo’s neck.

“I’m good, Hoonie,” Sunoo mutters as he takes Sunghoon's face in his hands to kiss him. Teasing, he reaches down to wrap his hand around Sunghoon and gives him a slow stroke. “Can’t wait to have you inside me.”  

There’s no word to describe how it feels when Sunghoon finally sinks into him. He takes Sunghoon easily. To him, it’s like their first time all over again. He digs his fingers into Sunghoon’s back, his legs hugging Sunghoon’s hips, and Sunghoon kissing a path down on the heated skin of his neck. Sunghoon knows exactly what he likes, so he starts off with deep, slow rolls of his hips, trying to get him to feel every bit of him as he sinks inside.

It’s absolute heaven. 

Sunghoon is thick and hard, stretching him out perfectly each time he slides his cock into him. He loves the pressure, the push, how Sunghoon is firm with him, yet gentle at the same time. 

“Your legs are shaking, pretty, do you like it that much?”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying,” Sunoo groans as Sunghoon chuckles at him. 

Of course, the pout doesn’t stay on his face for long anyway. The way Sunghoon is moving his hips is a pretty good distraction. Sunghoon brushes by his spot on the first couple of experimental thrusts and it makes him leak all over his belly. It seems like every nerve in his body is exposed. He’s wrung tight, the arousal pooling deep in the pit of his stomach becoming tighter and tighter as Sunghoon fucks into him.

“You feel so good,” Sunghoon moans as he continues sinking into Sunoo. He pulls out, leaving the head of his cock still inside and watching how it catches on the rim of Sunoo’s hole. 

“Just like that, Hoonie, right there,” He moans, his nails sinking into Sunghoon’s back. “Please, it’s so good.” The slow, long drag of Sunghoon’s cock makes him want to cry, it’s so good. His toes curl and he takes his legs back from Sunghoon’s hips to tuck them back against his chest, letting Sunghoon sink that much deeper inside of him. 

Sunghoon groans from the sting of Sunoo’s nails and rocks his hips into Sunoo at the same angle, again and again and again, pulling out all sorts of pretty sounds they’ve both gotten used to trying to hold back whenever Nari is at home. “Are you afraid Nari is going to hear us?” Sunghoon asks as he rocks his hips. “She’s going to be so happy to be a big sister, you know.”

“Sunghoonie,” Sunoo moans, pushing his hips back to meet Sunghoon. The smacking of their thighs filling their bedroom makes his ears burn hot.

“What should we give her? Baby brother or sister?”

“B-brother, a baby brother,” Sunoo manages through the fog in his brain. 

“Yeah? That’d be cute,” Sunghoon mutters, kissing Sunoo’s along his belly and then up towards his chest. “What if we tell her you’re pregnant tomorrow?” 

“Ohmygod, you’re-,”

Sunghoon reaches between Sunoo’s legs to stroke him. “You liked that, didn’t you? You’re leaking all over yourself.”

Sunoo wants to smack the stupid, pretty smile off of Sunghoon’s stupid, pretty face because he’s right. Precum drips onto his belly at the thought of him carrying their child. Even though they both know that would never be possible, something about it makes him harder, makes his heart beat along with Sunghoon’s as he pulls him in close, with Sunghoon slipping his hands underneath him to hold him by his shoulders.   

He keeps his legs tucked into his chest and Sunghoon starts to pick the pace back up.   

“Imagine how you'd look with a big, round belly,” Sunghoon continues, whispering by Sunoo’s ear. “Can’t even see your own toes, your belly is so big.”

He imagines it, imagines Sunghoon lying his chin on his belly, imagines Sunghoon singing softly to their baby, imagines Nari putting her small hand on it to feel the baby kick. It’s fucking embarrassing and he loves it at the same time. Sunghoon drags his tongue along his belly before reaching his nipples to take one between his teeth. 

Sunoo threads his fingers through Sunghoon’s hair with another moan passing through his lips. His breaths come out in deep pants as Sunghoon continues dragging his tongue over his nipple. The slide of Sunghoon’s cock inside of him is thick and wet. Arousal bleeds hot through his veins. 

Sunghoon fucks him, makes love to him, until he’s shaking and sweating and desperate to hit that peak. His orgasm is so close, twisting uncomfortably tight in the pit of his belly. Sunghoon uses his big hand to caress across his belly before bringing his hand down between his legs to wrap around his cock. He shudders, precum slicking up Sunghoon’s hold on him. 

“Getting there, pretty?” 

“Mmhmm, can’t wait to have your baby, Hoonie. Put it in me, make me pregnant.”

Sunghoon chokes on his breath but recovers instantly, tightening his grip around Sunoo’s thighs and putting all the force he has into his hips to fuck into that spot that will drive Sunoo dumb with pleasure. 

“I’ll give you that baby and anything you want.”

Sunoo’s heart pounds in his chest. Sunghoon still manages to give him butterflies. 

“I love you so much,” he says. He wraps his arms around Sunghoon, leaning up for a kiss. Sunghoon fucks into that spot right at that moment and he digs his fingers into Sunghoon’s back again, his moans swallowed up by their kiss. Sunghoon thrusts into him like it’s the last thing they’ll do. He holds him close and he presses his mouth into Sunghoon’s neck, another moan falling from the tip of his tongue. Sunoo feels his eyes roll back as another drag of Sunghoon’s cock against him curls his toes. He even feels bigger than usual and the stretch has him clawing at Sunghoon’s back for more. 

A wave of pleasure completely overwhelms him; he’s shaking, almost on the verge of tears, and mind on cloud nine and it’s not only because it feels so good.

It’s because it’s Sunghoon , because of the softness in Sunghoon’s eyes when he looks at him, because of the way his hands touch and hold him like he’s the most precious thing in the world. He always feels overwhelmed in intimate moments like this, whether they’re having sex or not, because just having Sunghoon close to him is enough to have him near tears. 

“I love you too, baby.”

There’s not much that Sunoo remembers after that. All he can do is feel. 

Sunghoon pushes so deeply into him, he doesn’t even have a second to let him know. He comes right then, spilling all over his belly and shaking through his orgasm, and even then, Sunghoon doesn’t stop. Sunghoon fucks him through it until he’s oversensitive and whining, and speeding up his thrusts with chasing his own high. He runs his hands all over Sunghoon’s broad back and holds onto him, urging him, while he comes down panting and his heartbeat frantic.

“That’s it, Hoonie. You’re so good for me, aren’t you? So good. You’re going to put that baby inside me, right?”

“Gonna come inside you, gonna give you that baby.” 

“I can’t wait,” Sunoo giggles, pressing his lips to Sunghoon’s neck. 

Sunoo just sucks him in, all wet and sticky heat, and he doesn’t even need to move very much anymore. He pushes in one final time and then stays lodged deep inside of Sunoo. That way, Sunoo can feel every inch of him as he slides back and forth, moving his hips lazily. Sunghoon loves that Sunoo takes it too, even though he’s already come once. 

It’s easy to push Sunoo into another orgasm like this, when he’s still sensitive and in the middle of coming down.  

“I’m… gonna come, pretty,” Sunghoon moans where he has his face tucked against Sunoo’s neck.  

Sunoo tightens around Sunghoon, whispering filthy things into his ear, and that’s what makes Sunghoon come and come hard. He comes like he’ll never stop, moaning Sunoo’s name like a mantra. 

Sunoo, Sunoo, Sunoo…

Sunoo can feel Sunghoon’s cock pulse inside of him and then it all spills out and down onto the bed. Sunghoon continues rutting against him, drawing out the aftershocks of his orgasm. With how sensitive he is, each time Sunghoon sinks into him again, it feels like he’s going to come again. Sunghoon keeps like that until he goes soft and eventually, has to pull out. He falls onto Sunoo and Sunoo holds him, just letting Sunghoon come down, with his fingers carding through his hair and his breathing gradually evening out. 

It’s hot, it’s messy, and Sunoo wants to do it until the morning.

.

The next day, Sunoo is sitting at a picnic table with Nari at the park while they wait for Sunghoon to grab their ice cream. After spending all night rolling around in bed, with a bit more in the morning before waking up, they decided it would be the perfect time to tell Nari about their plans. They need her approval too, of course, since she basically runs the house. The sooner they can figure everything out, the sooner they could be bringing their new baby home. 

Nari is sitting on his lap while he fixes the space buns in her hair. Her hair is growing long now, past her shoulders, and he’s starting to run out of ideas of new hairstyles for her. He’s honestly just the tiniest bit nervous to tell her. It’s a huge step, for all of them, and despite Nari being so headstrong and outspoken and never afraid to show her feelings, it’s a completely new experience, bringing home a baby,

He ties the space bun and secures it with a tie that has a bow. “There you go, sweetie, I think it’s tighter now,” he says, brushing her bangs back from her face.

“Thank you, Appa,” she mutters as she tries to take a picture of a butterfly that’s landed on the table with his phone but it flies away before she can get a good shot and she pouts.

Around them, birds sing their morning songs and the flowers are open and bright. He may be nervous, but at least the beautiful, warm afternoon keeps him calm. Just a couple minutes later, he spots Sunghoon coming their way, holding their ice cream in his hands. He waves at Sunghoon, feeling a soft smile form on his face. 

Sunghoon’s dyed his hair back to black and it makes his eyes and eyebrows more intense than they usually are, and he’s so fucking pretty. Sunoo can’t stop his ogling, even when Sunghoon sits down across from them and puts the cups of ice cream down. He eyes the beauty marks on Sunghoon’s face and the straight slope of his nose and sighs.

His boyfriend is just so gorgeous.

“Here, baby. Mint chocolate for you and strawberry for the princess.”

“And let me guess, tiramisu for you?” Sunoo smiles. 

Sunghoon takes a scoop of his ice cream. “My favorite.”

Feeling like a complete lovesick fool, Sunoo leans over and brings Sunghoon into a kiss. He tastes the chocolate and coffee and pulls back, licking the corner of his lip. Sunghoon has that same look in his eyes as the night before. Sunoo bites on his bottom lip. 

“Cooties,” Nari deadpans, looking between them. 

“Well, you see, princess, when two adults love each other–”

“They kiss, a lot,” Nari finishes for Sunghoon. “I know. You and Appa do it all the time.”

“That’s exactly right,” Sunghoon beams. “And since you’re such a beautiful, smart young lady, Appa and I wanted to ask you something.”

Nari looks back to Sunoo, then to Sunghoon again, a worried look on her face. “What’s wrong? Is Appa and Daddy okay?”

“We’re fine, sweetie. Actually, we’re doing better than fine.” He kisses the top of her head and glances over to Sunghoon, who smiles and nods at him. “We were thinking… how would you like to be a big sister, Nari?”

It’s silent at the table.

Sunoo glances over to Sunghoon again, already on alert if Nari bursts into tears. 

“It’s about time! I’ve only been waiting forever for Appa to have a baby.”

“Huh?”

“Daddy put a baby in Appa, didn’t he?” 

Nari suddenly puts her hand on his belly and starts to rub it. 

Sunoo feels so bad that he has to crush her expectations. He puts his hand on her smaller one, moving it along with hers. “Oh, Nari, sweetie, that’s not how–”

“Yes. Yes, I did, princess.” 

Sunoo can’t even say anything to that because Nari looks all too happy and Sunghoon, well–he’ll just have a little talk with his boyfriend later about letting their princess think he’s going to be carrying a baby. Last night’s activities immediately replay behind his eyes and he clears his throat to distract himself. Sunghoon, however, just smiles at him like he knows what he’s thinking about.   

Nari grins.

“I’m going to be a big sister.”

That night, with knots in his stomach, Sunoo submits his application, his and Sunghoon’s fingers laced together the entire time. 

A few months later

Sunoo takes Sunghoon’s hand and leads him across the furniture section to where all the baby stuff is. It’s been a constant in their routine lately. Every time they’re out or grocery shopping, there’s a pit stop to shops and boutiques and stores to pick up baby clothes, toys, socks, booties, and everything else that they could possibly need. Sunghoon thinks they have plenty already, with the nursery being full of toys, books, clothes, and even with the toys that Nari doesn’t play with anymore, but with the way Sunoo’s face lights up with the prettiest smile when he can’t resist holding a pair of the tiniest baby socks in his palms to show him, Sunghoon doesn’t argue.

He’ll let Sunoo buy anything and everything he wants.

“What do you think of this?” Sunoo asks when his eyes land on a beige onesie that is patterned with little bears all over the fabric. “There’s even a matching cap, too.”

“I think he’ll like it very much.”

“You said that about the other one,” Sunoo chuckles.

“And I think he’ll like both.” 

Sunoo pouts and puts the onesie into their basket. “You’re just saying that to make me happy.”

Sunghoon just chuckles and leans forward to kiss the pout from Sunoo’s face. “Just seeing you smile makes me the happiest man in the world so that’s all I need. Buy whatever you want, pretty.”

Sunoo snorts. Park Sunghoon is ridiculous sometimes. Ridiculous, but sweet. He pulls Sunghoon along towards the rest of the section. “Okay, Hoonie, now you choose something.”

Sunghoon hums and walks along the aisles, Sunoo following behind him, squealing every now and then at how adorable baby clothes and shoes are. Sunoo picks up a newborn dress with a giant sunflower right in the center and shows it to Sunghoon. 

“This is so cute! And that one too,” Sunoo says, pointing to a dress and leggings set with ladybugs on it. 

“You sure you’re okay with adopting just one baby?” 

“I can’t help it,” Sunoo groans, resting his chin on Sunghoon’s shoulder. “Everything is so cute.”

“I can’t imagine how much you’d spoil Nari if she was a baby again,” Sunghoon says. He kisses the tip of  Sunoo’s nose and then walks them towards the newborn section. 

“Park Sunghoon, you spoil the fuck out of her.”

At this point in the adoption process, there isn’t much left to do. Their case worker, Yoona, has been an incredible person to work with and has been with them for every step of the way. Once the application was submitted, she immediately got in touch and scheduled numerous meetings to get the process going. It was intense – background checks, financial histories, employment histories, homestays conducted and approved to make sure the environment is stable and then, finally, after months and months, they met Haneul.

But adopting an infant has its challenges. 

They know little about Haneul’s birth mother because she had wanted a closed adoption. They know her name is Hana, that she is quite young without the means to care for a baby and she had agreed immediately that they were the perfect couple to adopt him after hearing about Nari. Her story really touched Sunghoon and they were completely understanding of Hana’s decision. If Haewon, Nari’s mother, had decided to give Nari up for adoption instead of leaving her to Sunghoon, everything would have been different. It’s a difficult decision to make and they can only hope that Hana will have a safe and healthy pregnancy.

In the end, Hana moved forward with the decision and so did they and within a one more trimester, just a few weeks, they’ll be bringing him home. 

Now, the rest of the time waiting is spent making sure they have everything they need for him. All of their friends have helped too. In fact, all of their friends insisted on being there for them if they needed anything. Heeseung and Jay always buy things for the baby and Jungwon, Niki and Jake are ready for babysitting. Sunoo has full confidence in them, of course, and it’s really touching to know that they care so much for Haneul and he hasn’t even arrived yet. 

They can’t wait for Nari to meet her baby brother.

Sunoo is still browsing when Sunghoon suddenly hands him a hanger. It looks like a winter set, complete with a fluffy coat, long pants, mittens and booties. Then, Sunghoon hands him another and another, until he’s holding two sets of winter clothes and a couple fluffy bath towels while the rest of their basket is filled with teething toys and stuffed animals for Haneul to cuddle with.

While they’re waiting in line for the cashier, Sunoo grabs one of the onesies and runs his fingers over the soft fleece to feel how soft it is. This is really it, he thinks. They’re as ready as they can be and before they know it, they’ll be bringing him home, to them, to Nari. Nari, who is already taking her big sister responsibilities seriously with helping with the decoration of the nursery and choosing the calming, neutral colors of the walls; even with setting up the crib and placing the toys all around for Haneul. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

Sunghoon’s chin on his shoulder pulls him from his thoughts and he puts the onesie down to hold Sunghoon’s arms as he feels Sunghoon wind them around his waist. 

“I’m just, I still can’t believe it,” Sunoo says. “I can’t believe we adopted a baby and we’re bringing him home soon and he’ll be ours and Nari will be able to meet him and–I’m happy. I’m so happy.”

Sunghoon presses a soft kiss to Sunoo’s temple and then turns so that they can share a kiss, pressing his lip to Sunoo’s and stroking his cheek. “I’m so proud of you, Sunoo. All your hard work paid off and you’ve accomplished everything you wanted. Now, we’re having a baby.” 

Sunoo flushes prettily. It honestly isn’t just because of him. Sunghoon’s been there for him since the beginning, ever since he laid eyes on a light haired stranger who stepped into his classroom with a cold, guarded look, when underneath, all he wanted was someone he could share his life with, someone who could love him and his daughter. Sunghoon opened his heart to him and he will always tell people that he’s the one that won a gold medal in life because he gets Sunghoon and he gets Nari. 

There’s nothing better than that.

“Sunghoon, baby, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without you.” Sunoo tilts his head up for a kiss, Sunghoon chasing after him with a series of ticklish pecks that make him giggle. It feels like his heart is about to leap right out of his chest. Wrapping his arms around Sunghoon’s neck in a hug, he takes in the comforting scent of Sunghoon’s cologne and shampoo. It’s the scent he’s recognized as his safe space, his comfort, his home for the past couple of years. 

He closes his eyes and sighs. Sunghoon kisses the top of his head. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Sunghoon. You’re still stuck with me, for the rest of your life.”

To Sunghoon, that doesn’t sound bad at all. 

.

A few weeks later, they get the call from the hospital in the middle of the night. 

.

Nari walks through the quiet corridors of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit holding hands with Sunghoon on one side and Sunoo on the other. After a drive to the hospital, it’s early in the morning, the sky still dark outside despite the heat already settling in. Hana had been in labor for 12 hours until Haneul was ready to come into the world. 

It’s a mess of emotions inside of Sunoo. He’s wondering about how Hana is doing, he’s excited to meet Haneul, and just a bit tired from the early morning chaos of waking Sunghoon and Nari up to head to the hospital.  

“So this is where babies stay after they’re born?”

“Not all of them,” Sunoo hears Sunghoon say to Nari. “Some of these babies are sick and can’t go home until they’re better and the others, well, they can’t go home because… there’s no one to care for them.”

“Like Haneul?”

“Just like Haneul.”

“But we’re taking him home, right? Where’s his mama?”

With that, Sunoo feels Nari’s hand slip from his. He turns and sees Sunghoon crouching down to her level to take her hands. 

“Haneul’s mom, she… she can’t see us right now but you know what she told us? She said you’re going to be the best big sister to him and she’s so happy that he gets to go home with you,” Sunghoon says. 

Sunoo watches, a soft smile on his face, and a heavy weight in his stomach. He really can’t put into words just how much he and Sunghoon sympathize with Hana and what she has to give up. It’s painful that they can’t meet her. If they could, he’d wrap her up in the biggest hug for allowing them to do something so special. 

“Did she really?” Nari asks, her eyes growing big. She stays quiet for a bit, thinking, and then nods at Sunghoon, determined. “Then I will be! I’ll be the best-est big sister to Haneul.”

Sunoo reaches out to stroke her hair. He’s not sure how he’s going to handle the rest of this day when it seems like Nari is already acting like the queen she is. “You ready to meet your baby brother?”

“Let’s go!” 

Nari stomps off ahead of them to the waiting room. 

Sunoo smiles and lets out a sigh. He’s watching Nari when Sunghoon’s hand presses on his lower back, rubbing. 

“How are you feeling?” Sunghoon asks. 

“I’m… okay, I think. Happy, nervous. How about you?” Sunoo runs his fingers through Sunghoon’s hair and takes a moment to scratch his nails gently against Sunghoon’s scalp.

“Hmm, tired,” Sunghoon says, pressing his head into Sunoo’s palm. Sunoo chuckles and pulls Sunghoon to him. Sunghoon wraps Sunoo in a hug and kisses the top of his head. “It’s like seeing Nari when she was a baby all over again.”

“Are you going to cry, Park Sunghoon?”

“We’ll see.”

Sunoo laughs and rests his head against Sunghoon’s chest, closing his eyes. It’s now or never.

The walk to the waiting room feels like it takes hours.

It’s quiet and warm once they step inside and after the nurse greets them and gets everything checked-in, they’re waiting again, sitting on the love seat, while soft instrumental music plays through the speakers. Sunoo fidgets with his hands in his lap and Sunghoon sits behind him, rubbing his back every now and then and it’s a much needed distraction from the whirlwind inside of him. Nari sits patiently beside them.

His heart stops when the door opens and the nurse steps through, holding a bundle wrapped up in a blanket in her arms. 

“Sunoo-ssi? Sunghoon-ssi? This is Haneul,” she says. 

Sunoo thanks her quietly and she slips out through the door, leaving the four of them in the warmth of the room. He’s holding Haneul in his arms before he even realizes it. Haneul is tiny, barely taking up any space in his arm, and he’s cooing softly while he sleeps. His cheeks are round and pink and he’s already got tufts of dark hair covering his head. He’s absolutely beautiful. 

“He’s… he’s perfect, Sunghoon,” Sunoo whispers. Being as gentle as he can, he cradles Haneul against his chest and rubs his back while the baby continues sleeping. 

That’s when Sunoo realizes: he’s the one that’s crying.

He sniffles and smiles through his tears. “I’m crying,” he blurts out, like it isn’t the most obvious thing.

Sunghoon chuckles and pulls Sunoo into his arms. “Yes, you are.” Sunghoon wipes Sunoo’s tears for him and then presses their foreheads together, letting Sunoo step carefully into his arms while he’s still holding the baby. “How does it feel?”

Sunghoon has an idea of what Sunoo is feeling. 

The first time is always an emotional roller coaster. He was brought to tears the moment he held Nari. She was probably just as small as Haneul is now, and just as pink and round. He held her, this tiny human being in his hand, and knew from that moment on that he would do anything to protect her. Sunghoon reaches out and strokes Haneul’s tiny fist. The baby coos and turns to tuck his face into Sunoo’s chest. He really is perfect. 

Haneul hasn’t even opened his eyes yet and Sunghoon would do anything for him. 

“Like we’ve got the perfect family.” Sunoo leans up for a kiss and passes Haneul over to Sunghoon. His heart swells in his chest as he watches Sunghoon nuzzle his face into Haneul and kiss his cheek. “Hey, princess, come meet your little brother. Remember how Daddy showed you the right way to hold him?”

Nari nods and gets up from the love seat. She approaches them quietly, like she’s afraid of waking Haneul up and Sunoo can’t help but notice how she’s already treating him like he’s the most fragile thing in the world. When she gets close enough, Sunghoon shows her how to hold her arms out and then places Haneul by the crook of her elbows.

“He’ll just naturally curl into you, that’s it. Just like that.”

When Haneul gets settled in the comfort of Nari’s arms, he falls right back asleep.

Sunoo can’t help but notice the small smile he has while he’s sleeping. 

“He’s tiny.”

“A lot of babies are small when they’re born. You were, too.”

“Do we get to take him home today?” Nari asks.

“There’s still some paperwork Appa and I have to finish but he’ll be home with us soon.”

“Then we’ll stay here with him as long as we can,” Nari says. “It’s okay, Haneul-ah, your big sister will take care of you!”

She doesn’t leave them any other option anyway because she takes Haneul and sits back down on the loveseat.

Sunoo lets out an amused chuckle, shaking his head. All the pressure lifts from his shoulders when he lets out a big sigh and steps into Sunghoon’s waiting arms. He still can’t believe it all. It’s like he’s still stuck in one of his dreams and he’s afraid to wake up and have it pulled from his grasp. Sunghoon kisses the top of his head and then he pulls back so he can tilt his chin up for a kiss.

“Are you ready for the next chapter of our lives, baby?” Sunghoon asks him. 

Sunoo hums, keeping his arms around Sunghoon’s waist. “With you and Nari with me, I can do anything,” he says. “But I think there is one tiny thing we’re missing, though,” Sunoo adds. 

Sunghoon is taken aback by surprise. He thinks for a minute and really can’t think of anything else that could be missing.

“What’s that?”

Sunoo just smiles. 

“Getting married.”

The End