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Jeno loves his father more than anyone else in the world. Okay, maybe he loves his twin brother just as much, too – but Appa is the one who makes them breakfast every morning and kisses their cheeks before they go to kindergarten and picks them up after school with a big smile on his face and tucks them into bed every night, so Jeno thinks Mark will probably understand if he loves Appa just a tiny bit more.
He and Mark just turned six a few weeks ago, so Jeno is big enough now to be able to see that even though Appa loves them as much as they love him, he gets a little tired and sad sometimes. Jeno thinks it’s mostly because Appa doesn’t have a husband to help him, like how his cousin Donghyuck’s parents, Uncle Taeyong and Uncle Johnny, have each other.
(He even hears his uncles reassuring Appa about it one night. None of them know Jeno is listening at the time – he woke up to get a glass of water but stopped outside the kitchen when he heard them talking. And of course he knows that it’s bad to eavesdrop, but Appa sounds so sad when he says, “I think romance just isn’t in the cards for me,” that Jeno can’t keep himself from listening anyway.
“You’ll find someone, Doie,” Uncle Taeyong says, patting Appa’s arm gently. “There’s no need to rush it.”
“Yeah, you’re a catch,” Uncle Johnny says. Then he kisses Uncle Taeyong’s lips (gross!) and adds, “It runs in the family.”
“Maybe,” Appa says, but he still looks really upset. “I just – I love my boys so much, you know? And I want the best for them, but it’s just me, and – and I’m exhausted.”
Jeno thinks he’ll always remember the expression on Appa’s face, because it’s one Appa has never let him or Mark see before. And he decides right then and there that he never wants Appa to look like that ever again.)
Hearing that conversation makes Jeno realize that taking care of two children without someone to help must be very tiring, and even though Appa has Jeno and Mark, he’s still lonely. Jeno doesn’t like that at all, so after that night, he decides that he’s going to find someone who will take care of Appa the way he takes care of Jeno and Mark.
At first, he doesn’t have much success, because the only adults he sees are the teachers at school and at his dance classes, and Appa already knows them but none of them have ever shown any interest in him before. After realizing that he probably needs some help, Jeno asks Mark and Donghyuck to join him in his planning. Donghyuck is a year younger than them, so he always thinks that everything they do is a good idea, and he agrees right away. Mark is more hesitant at first – “What if Appa gets mad at us for doing things without permission?” – but he’s eventually convinced by Jeno and Donghyuck both giving him puppy eyes and pouting a lot.
Even with the trio working together, though, they still struggle to find a good choice, because apparently, even all three of them combined don’t know that many adults. Then, one day, Donghyuck runs into Jeno and Mark’s apartment from his own across the hall, vibrating with excitement. “Mark-hyung, Nono-hyung, guess what? Jaehyun-hyung is moving in with us soon!”
Jeno exchanges a confused look with Mark before turning to Donghyuck. “Who’s Jaehyun-hyung?”
Donghyuck huffs impatiently. “He takes care of me sometimes when Daddy and Appa want to go out together. And now he’s moving here to be a teacher, and since he’s Daddy’s friend from college, he gets to stay with us because he doesn’t have his own house yet.”
“So he’s gonna be our neighbor?” Mark asks.
“Yeah!” Donghyuck says eagerly. “And so maybe he can become Uncle Doyoung’s husband! Because even though he’s old, he’s a bit funny and cool and handsome. And he’s good at taking care of me, so maybe he could be a good daddy for you.”
From Donghyuck’s description, this Jaehyun-hyung does sound like he could be a good husband for Appa, but Jeno isn’t fully convinced yet – Appa deserves the best, after all. “But how do you know he knows how to take care of other kids besides you?” he asks. “And maybe he’s only good at taking care of one kid, but he can’t take care of me and Mark at the same time.”
Donghyuck shakes his head insistently. “No, I know he can since I’m not the only one he takes care of! Nana is always there with me too.” Jeno momentarily thinks the name “Nana” is kind of odd, but then he remembers that his own nickname is “Nono,” so he changes his mind and decides that it’s cute instead.
Mark nods, looking determined. “Okay, then when we meet him too, we can see if he would like Appa and Appa would like him.”
So with this plan in place, Jeno anticipates the arrival of Jaehyun-hyung with a combination of eagerness and nervousness. He really hopes that Jaehyun-hyung turns out to be as good as Donghyuck says he is so Appa doesn’t have to be lonely anymore.
The day finally comes when Jeno and Mark leave their apartment to walk across the hall to Donghyuck’s, only to find an unfamiliar man standing outside it with a few boxes in his arms. Mark, being the friendlier of the two of them, speaks right away. “Hi, mister! Are you the one who’s moving into Hyuckie’s house?”
The man smiles at them, and Jeno notices that he has dimples, which makes him seem very kind and sweet. “Hi! And yes, I’m moving in with the Suh-Lees. My name is Jaehyun, so you can just call me Jaehyun-hyung, like Hyuckie does.” He sets the boxes on the ground before crouching down so he’s at eye level with them. “Are you two going to be my new neighbors?”
“Yeah!” Mark says cheerfully, and Jeno joins him in bowing respectfully. “I’m Mark and Jeno is my brother. Actually, he’s my twin, but we don’t look alike.” Jeno offers Jaehyun-hyung a wave from next to Mark, feeling a little shy.
“It’s really nice to meet you both,” Jaehyun-hyung says, and he sounds like he means it. He glances around the hallway carefully. “Is it okay for you to be out here by yourselves, though? Where are your parents?”
Jeno and Mark are saved from having to be the ones to explain that they have a parent, not multiple, because at that moment, Appa opens the front door, one hand on his hip and the other holding their slippers. “Boys, how many times have I told you that you need to wear your shoes before you leave the house, even if you’re only going across the hall?”
“Sorry, Appa,” Jeno mumbles guiltily. It’s one of Appa’s main rules, but it’s an easy one to forget when they’re excited to get to Donghyuck’s house as quickly as possible.
“We didn’t mean to,” Mark adds, looking as regretful as Jeno feels.
“Um, uh, hi,” Jaehyun-hyung suddenly interrupts before Appa can respond. He must have stood up when Appa came outside, because he isn’t crouching anymore, and Jeno looks up at him curiously – doesn’t he know interrupting is rude? – only to stop and stare in fascination at how strangely pink Jaehyun-hyung is. “Are you my new neighbor too?”
Appa blinks in surprise, looking at Jaehyun-hyung for the first time. “Hello,” he says, and his voice sounds a bit weird. “Do you live here? I live here.”
It’s a very odd thing for Appa to say, Jeno thinks, because it kind of answers Jaehyun-hyung’s question, but not really. “That’s great!” Jaehyun-hyung says eagerly. “I live here too!” He somehow turns even more pink before adding, “Once I finish moving in, I mean. I will live here too. For a bit.”
“Great!” Appa says in that same odd voice. “You must be Johnny-hyung’s friend, then?”
“That’s right,” Jaehyun-hyung says. “I’m Jaehyun Jeong. I’ll just be staying with Johnny-hyung and Taeyong-hyung until I find a place of my own.”
“Doyoung Lee,” Appa says, finally bowing politely. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Jaehyun-hyung bows too, smiling widely. “It’s really nice to meet you too. I hope we’ll be able to see each other more often.” He looks at Jeno and Mark again. “And I’d love to get to know Mark and Jeno better, since Hyuckie is always talking about them. I could probably recite their whole life story already, but it would be nice to hear some of it from the source.”
Appa laughs loudly at that. Jeno wonders why, because it was funny, but not that funny. “Well, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunities to hear all kinds of stories from them. I guess you might already know this, but Taeyong-hyung is my brother, so they’re going to be in and out of your place visiting their cousin all summer.”
Jaehyun-hyung nods and grins. “I’ll look forward to that, then.”
Appa and Jaehyun-hyung start talking about boring adult stuff like jobs and schedules after that, so Jeno mostly tunes it all out and focuses on their expressions instead. Jaehyun-hyung seems very enthusiastic and excited to talk to Appa, his eyes bright and his dimples very pronounced, and Appa’s face looks a bit red, but his smile is the one that only comes out when he’s extra happy.
Jeno meets Mark’s gaze as the adults keep chatting, and he immediately knows they’re thinking the same thing – Appa clearly likes Jaehyun-hyung already, and Jaehyun-hyung seems to feel the same way about Appa. And that means one thing – they have to find a way to get Jaehyun-hyung to marry Appa.
~~~
After that day, Jeno and Mark start seeing Jaehyun-hyung a lot. There’s no school, so they spend their days running between Donghyuck’s apartment and their own, depending on which house has food that was cooked most recently. And when they’re in Donghyuck’s apartment, Jaehyun-hyung is usually in charge of taking care of them, since Uncle Taeyong and Uncle Johnny don’t have to take turns working from home now that Jaehyun-hyung is there.
Jaehyun-hyung is a lot of fun, Jeno discovers. He likes to joke around and play games with them, and he’s also really smart and helpful when they do more challenging things like building Legos and putting together puzzles. Jeno likes that Jaehyun-hyung never treats them like they’re babies, either – he talks to them just like how Appa and his uncles do, and he always listens carefully to everything they say and replies thoughtfully and sincerely.
Early on in the summer, Jeno and Mark get introduced to Donghyuck’s friend, Nana, because Jaehyun-hyung still babysits him even though he moved houses. Nana turns out to be a boy named Jaemin who’s the same age as Donghyuck, and who Jeno gets along with right away. (In fact, they get along so well that within just a week, Jeno deems Jaemin to be his best friend, and Jaemin’s whole face lights up as he declares that Jeno is his best friend too.)
Unfortunately, even though Jeno and Mark spend time with Jaehyun-hyung often, Appa doesn’t have much of a chance to do the same, because he has to work. Jeno sometimes sees them talking to each other, and they both seem happy, but he can’t really tell if Jaehyun-hyung actually likes Appa enough to be his husband, the way Uncle Johnny likes Uncle Taeyong.
(There is one memorable time where Jaehyun-hyung asks Jeno a few questions about Appa. Jeno has a bit of a cough, so he can’t go to dance practice, and he and Jaehyun-hyung are waiting for Appa to return from dropping Mark and Donghyuck off when Jaehyun-hyung turns to him. “So Jeno-yah, it’s just you, Mark, and your Appa who live together? No other parents?”
Jeno shakes his head. “We just have Appa. He says that we’ve never had any other parent who matters, and that he loves us enough to be our Appa and our Eomma.”
Jaehyun-hyung nods in understanding. “And you don’t mind that, right?”
“No! Appa is the best!” Jeno says immediately. “So I don’t care that we only have him, because I love him most out of everyone in the world.” He pauses, looking up at Jaehyun-hyung intently. “But I know that he’s a bit sad sometimes. He tries to hide it, because he doesn’t want me and Mark to be sad too, but I’m a big boy, so I still know he feels alone. So I want to find someone who can take care of Appa well and make sure he’s happy.”
“That’s very sweet of you, Jeno-yah,” Jaehyun-hyung says, ruffling Jeno’s hair with a smile. “And I think it’s great that you look out for him like that. He definitely deserves it.”
And that makes Jeno feel more hopeful. After all, if Jaehyun-hyung already agrees that Appa deserves to have a good partner, then surely it’ll be easier to get him to see that he could be the perfect fit.)
Then one day, Appa sits Jeno and Mark down on the couch, the way he does when he has something important to tell them. “I’m going to be traveling for a business trip this week,” he says, looking a little worried. “And since your uncles and Donghyuck are on vacation right now, Jaehyun is going to stay here and look after you while I’m gone. You two will be on your best behavior for him, won’t you?”
“Yes!” Jeno and Mark say together. “We promise we’ll be really good,” Jeno adds, determined to make Appa proud, and also hopefully make him look good so Jaehyun-hyung will like him more.
Appa smiles and kisses their cheeks. “I know, sweetie. You’re the two best little boys in the world, after all.”
“We’re not little!” Mark tries to protest, but he collapses into giggles along with Jeno when Appa pulls them both into his arms and tickles their sides playfully.
“You’ll always be my precious little babies, no matter how big you get,” Appa says warmly. “I love you very, very much.”
Jeno wraps his arms around Appa, hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek. “We love you too, Appa! Most in the whole entire world.”
The day Appa leaves, he presses lots of kisses to Jeno and Mark’s cheeks, gives them lots of hugs, and thanks Jaehyun-hyung lots of times for agreeing to look after them. “It’s my pleasure,” Jaehyun-hyung says, smiling reassuringly. “I promise I’ll take the best care of them.”
Appa smiles back, and it’s his soft, sweet smile that he saves for people he really cares about – it makes Jeno happy to see that Jaehyun-hyung has already become one of those people. “I know you will.”
Jaehyun-hyung living with them is very different from him just looking after them at Donghyuck’s house, Jeno quickly learns. At Donghyuck’s house, being with him was more like having another uncle who has a mix of Uncle Taeyong’s strictness and Uncle Johnny’s playfulness, but in their own house, he’s more like Appa than anything else.
He makes every meal for them, and he doesn’t let them play games on the Switch until they’ve taken baths and eaten dinner, and he reads to them after tucking them into bed. It isn’t exactly the same, because Jaehyun-hyung likes playing on the Switch with them while Appa doesn’t, and he’s not good at doing voices for their bedtime stories like Appa is. But Jeno enjoys it all, because he thinks this is probably what having another parent feels like – and if that’s true, then he can understand why Appa would want a partner.
(There’s one incident in particular that solidifies this thought in Jeno’s mind. Towards the end of the week, he wakes up in the middle of the night, crying from a bad dream where all his friends and family get on a plane and fly away without him. Normally, when he has dreams like that, he goes to Appa’s bed and cuddles with him until he falls asleep again. And Appa isn’t here now, but Jaehyun-hyung has been a good parent too, so Jeno decides to try and see if he can cuddle with him instead.
Appa gave Jaehyun-hyung permission to sleep in his room, so Jeno climbs into Appa’s bed as usual and tries to sniffle as quietly as possible as he shakes Jaehyun-hyung’s shoulder. “J-Jaehyun-hyung?”
Jaehyun-hyung groans softly and opens his eyes a little, squinting up at Jeno. “Wha–” His eyes shoot open fully when he notices Jeno’s tears. “Jeno-yah, what’s wrong?”
“I h-had a bad dream,” Jeno whispers, wiping at his eyes furiously. “Everyone was g-gone because they all l-left and I was all b-by myself. C-Can I sleep here, hyung?”
“Of course you can,” Jaehyun-hyung says without hesitation, wrapping his arms around Jeno and pulling him under the covers gently. Jeno immediately snuggles into his chest, hiccupping as he tries to stop crying. Jaehyun-hyung pats his back soothingly, rocking him a little as he coaxes him back to sleep. “It’s okay, sweetie, you’re okay. None of it was real, because you aren’t alone, I promise. You have Mark, and your Appa, and your uncles, and Hyuckie, and Jaeminnie, and me, too. And we’re never going to leave you.” It’s just as comforting as the way Appa always hums a song and kisses his forehead to help him sleep again, and Jeno lets out a soft sigh as he drifts back into a peaceful slumber.
In the morning, Jaehyun-hyung wakes him up with a big hug and a sweet smile, and Jeno realizes that he doesn’t want Jaehyun-hyung to be Appa’s husband just so Appa can be happy anymore – he wants it so Jaehyun-hyung can be his dad, too.)
In the evenings, they video call Appa, and as the week goes by, Appa and Jaehyun-hyung talk to each other more and more familiarly. In Jeno’s mind, it feels a lot like they’re starting to become more like a family, and he loves the idea of that a lot.
“The boys haven’t been too difficult, have they?” Appa asks during one of their calls.
“We’re being really good, Appa!” Jeno says, eager to reassure him.
Jaehyun-hyung laughs and ruffles his hair. “Jeno is right, they’ve been amazing. No trouble at all.”
Mark jumps in excitedly. “Jaehyun-hyung even said we’re easier to take care of than Hyuckie and Nana too!”
“And Nana isn’t even that hard to take care of,” Jeno adds, because he thinks it’s important to point out that his best friend isn’t as big of a troublemaker as Donghyuck is, and Jaehyun-hyung still finds looking after him and Mark the easiest.
Appa smiles at them, and Jeno can feel his affection even through the screen. “That’s wonderful to hear. I’m proud of you, boys. Keep being good for Jaehyun until I get home, okay?”
Jeno nods immediately, and Mark does the same next to him. “We will!”
“I definitely don’t think they’re going to cause any problems for me,” Jaehyun-hyung says. “You’ve done a really incredible job raising them.”
Appa turns a bit red. “Thanks, Jae.” He suddenly coughs a moment later, hurriedly adding, “I mean – you’re okay with me calling you that, right?”
Jaehyun-hyung has a kind of silly grin on his face that makes his dimples look even deeper than usual. “You can call me whatever you want, Doie.”
Appa's cheeks become even redder. “Careful,” he says, his voice a little shaky, but he has a small, shy smile on his face too. “I might just take you up on that.”
Somehow, Jaehyun-hyung looks even happier at that. “I would love it if you did.”
Things change a bit after Appa comes home from his trip. Jaehyun-hyung starts dropping by their house sometimes, bringing flowers for Appa and gifts for Jeno and Mark. Some days, he stays for dinner and helps Appa cook and wash the dishes. He even helps Jeno and Mark with their math homework once they start first grade and bring home worksheets full of addition and subtraction practice problems.
A couple of weeks after school starts again, Appa sits Jeno and Mark down on the couch to have another talk with them. This time, Jaehyun-hyung is with him too. “Boys,” Appa says carefully. “You’ve noticed that Jaehyunnie has been coming over a lot, right?”
Jeno and Mark both nod. “It’s good that he does!” Mark says. “I like it most when you both cook, and then we all eat together.”
“I really like that too, sweetie,” Appa says with a smile. He looks at Jaehyun-hyung and takes his hand before turning back to the two of them, his expression becoming serious. “Which is why I – we – wanted to ask you: would you two like it if he starts being around even more?”
“Like he comes to live with us?” Jeno asks eagerly, because he can’t think of anything better than that. He looks at Jaehyun-hyung intently. “Will you live with us, hyung?”
Jaehyun-hyung laughs softly. “Well, maybe not just yet. But if you two would be okay with it, then I might start joining you for your family movie nights, or sleep over with your Appa sometimes, or come with you guys when you go on weekend trips.”
That still sounds good to Jeno, so he nods again excitedly. Next to him, Mark does the same, before asking, “Does that mean you’re a couple like Uncle Johnny and Uncle Taeyong?”
Appa and Jaehyun-hyung both look a bit surprised and turn a little pink. “Not exactly like them,” Appa says slowly, “but yes, we are a couple. You understand what that means?”
Jeno is quick to answer, confident that he’s right. “It means you like each other a lot and take care of each other and hug and kiss each other all the time and help each other look after me and Mark!” It must have been the correct answer, because Appa and Jaehyun-hyung both look very proud and happy and fond as they open their arms for him and Mark to hug them.
And Jeno doesn’t hesitate. He throws himself into Appa’s arms, and as he feels Mark next to him and Jaehyun-hyung hugging all of them together, he thinks he wants to stay like this forever – safe and happy with three of the people he loves most.
~~~
Jeno wakes up with a start, his mind buzzing with excitement. It’s unusual for him to wake up without Appa or Jaehyun-hyung coaxing him out of bed with the promise of breakfast, but today is a special day. He sits up and faces the other side of the bed, nudging Mark’s sleeping form. “Mark! Markie, wake up!”
Mark lets out a little whine. “Too early,” he mumbles, his eyes still closed as he clings more tightly to his stuffed cheetah, his favorite toy ever since Jaehyun-hyung gave it to him as a present a few months ago.
“But Mark,” Jeno says insistently, “Appa and Jaehyun-hyung are taking us to the amusement park today, remember?”
Mark’s eyes fly open at that. “The amusement park!” Jeno smiles at him encouragingly, and Mark returns it, his face lighting up. “I remember now!”
“Let’s go see if Appa is awake,” Jeno says, his enthusiasm doubled now that Mark is up too.
They jump off the bed and run down the hall together to Appa’s room. Just before they go inside, Jeno grabs Mark’s sleeve as a thought strikes him. “Wait! What if Jaehyun-hyung slept over again last night?” He started doing it back when he and Appa revealed that they’re a couple six months ago, but he’s been doing it a lot more recently, especially within the last month.
A mischievous grin spreads across Mark’s face. “Then we’ll have to wake them both up!” Jeno mirrors Mark’s expression, and the two of them push open the door so they can make their way into the bedroom.
Just like Jeno predicted, Jaehyun-hyung did sleep over last night, and he and Appa are still fast asleep with their arms around each other. They look peaceful, with little smiles on their faces, and Jeno turns to look at Mark worriedly. “Do you really think we should wake them up?”
Mark pauses, considering the question. “We can wake them up really gently,” he finally says. “We won’t yell or jump because that might make them upset.”
Jeno is struck with an idea. “Oh, I know, we can give them hugs! I can hug Appa and you can hug Jaehyun-hyung!” Mark nods in agreement, delighted at the suggestion.
They carefully climb up and crawl across the mattress until they reach the head of the bed. “Ready?” Mark whispers loudly, and Jeno nods eagerly. “Okay, now!”
It only takes a few moments for Appa to wake up. He opens his eyes and tries to sit up, but Jeno is still basically on top of him, so he can’t. “What – Jeno-yah? Is that you?”
“It worked!” Jeno exclaims happily. “Good morning, Appa!”
Appa stares at Jeno for a moment, looking a bit confused, before turning to Mark, who’s hugging the still-asleep Jaehyun-hyung. “What the f- I mean, what on earth are you two doing?”
“We didn’t wanna make you and Jaehyun-hyung sad when we made you wake up,” Jeno says. “So we thought we shouldn’t jump or yell and we decided we should just give you hugs!”
The smile that spreads across Appa’s face is one of Jeno’s favorites, because it’s the one he gives them when he’s feeling extra affectionate. “That was very thoughtful. I’m proud of you both!” He presses a kiss to Jeno’s cheek and leans across Jaehyun-hyung to kiss Mark too. “Do you want me to help you wake up Jaehyunnie?”
“Yeah!” Jeno and Mark both say enthusiastically.
“Well,” Appa says, gesturing for both of them to lean closer so he can whisper his next words to them, “hugs work really well, but you know what works even better?” Jeno and Mark both shake their heads, their eyes wide with anticipation. Appa smiles conspiratorially at them. “Kisses!”
Mark gasps. “I’ll do it!” He places a kiss on Jaehyun-hyung’s cheek excitedly, but Jaehyun-hyung only moves a little without waking up. He looks at Appa, pouting. “It didn’t work!”
“Let me try!” Jeno crawls over Appa so he can reach Jaehyun-hyung’s face, but Jaehyun-hyung doesn’t wake up when Jeno kisses his forehead either. “Appa, how come he’s not waking up?”
“Hmm.” Appa taps his chin like he’s thinking hard about how to fix the situation. “Maybe he needs me to try too. What do you guys think?” Jeno and Mark both nod eagerly, and Appa pinches their cheeks fondly before turning his attention to Jaehyun-hyung. “Jaehyunnie,” he sings softly. “The boys want you to wake up now.” Jaehyun-hyung just moves slightly again, and Appa laughs quietly before pressing a kiss to his nose and another to his lips. (Jeno wrinkles his nose at the sight – even though he’s happy that Appa has Jaehyun-hyung to be gross with now, it’s still gross.) “Rise and shine, sleepyhead.”
Jaehyun-hyung groans and opens his eyes halfway. “What’s going on?”
“Jaehyun-hyung! You’re awake!” Mark says happily, his arms still around Jaehyun-hyung’s shoulders.
“Mark?” Jaehyun-hyung rubs his eyes sleepily and looks around. “Jeno? What are you two doing up already?”
“You and Appa said we’re going to the amusement park today!” Mark reminds him. “So we woke up so we can get ready!”
Jaehyun-hyung and Appa exchange an amused look. “Oh, is that so? You didn’t just come to surprise us because you love us so much?” Appa says teasingly. “We’re hurt!”
Jeno gasps, scandalized, scrambling to reassure Appa with hugs, and he’s sure Mark is doing the same with Jaehyun-hyung. “Of course we love you, Appa!” Jeno says earnestly. “But we wanna go to the amusement park too!” He looks at Appa and Jaehyun-hyung, his eyes wide. “Please!” he adds quickly, remembering his manners.
“Well,” Jaehyun-hyung says, and he sounds just as fond as Appa always does. “Since you asked so politely.”
Mark lets out a cheer. “Yay! Thank you!”
“Okay, boys,” Appa says, finally sitting up properly. “Why don’t you go get dressed and brush your teeth, and we’ll make some breakfast? You can pick out your clothes by yourselves today, right?”
“Yeah, we can!” Jeno says eagerly, jumping off the bed and running back to his and Mark’s room with Mark right behind him. As they get ready, Jeno turns to Mark. “Do you think Appa and Jaehyun-hyung will say yes if we ask if Nana and Hyuckie can come too?”
Mark pauses in the middle of putting toothpaste on his toothbrush. “I think they might,” he says. “They like to be with Uncle Taeyong and Uncle Johnny just like how we like to be with Hyuckie and Nana.” Jeno nods – he thought the same thing, but he feels more confident now that Mark has agreed. He decides that he’ll ask once they’re done getting dressed.
After they brush their teeth and change out of their pajamas, they race to the kitchen and find Appa at the stove. “We’re all ready!” Mark says proudly.
“Wow, great job!” Appa smiles at both of them. “Breakfast is almost finished, so you boys can just sit at the table for now.”
Jeno sits in his usual spot, fidgeting in place for a few seconds before blurting out his question. “Appa, can Nana and Hyuckie come to the amusement park too?”
“And Uncle Taeyong and Uncle Johnny!” Mark adds.
“Hmm, I don’t know,” Appa says as he brings over two bowls of food. “Why don’t you call them after you’re done eating and ask if they want to come with us?”
“Ask if who wants to come with us?” Jaehyun-hyung asks, stretching as he enters the kitchen and dropping kisses on the tops of Mark and Jeno’s heads as he passes them. He finally stops behind Appa and wraps his arms around Appa’s waist, kissing his shoulder lightly. “I thought it was going to be a Lee-Jeong family outing.”
“Last time I checked, Johnny-hyung and Taeyong-hyung are family,” Appa points out in amusement, playfully pretending to push Jaehyun-hyung off him. He turns around and kisses Jaehyun-hyung (ew!) a second later, smiling when Jaehyun-hyung hugs him more tightly. “Unless you’ve suddenly decided that my brother needs to be disowned for some reason. Which you’re not allowed to do, by the way. If anyone is disowning Taeyong-hyung, it’s me.”
“I would never deprive you of that opportunity.” Jaehyun-hyung shakes his head, laughing softly and giving Appa another kiss on the lips. (Why do they keep doing that in front of Jeno and Mark? Jeno definitely doesn’t want to see it, and he’s sure Mark doesn’t either.) “I was just wondering who the boys were so eager to invite. Though I guess I should have known that they’d want their favorite uncles to come along.”
Appa laughs too. “Their best friends, too. Of course Jeno was never going to pass up the chance to invite Jaeminnie.”
Jeno decides he has to speak up to defend himself and by extension, Jaemin. “We haven’t seen Nana for so long!” he says, his eyes wide. “The last time we saw him was two whole days ago at school!”
Appa smiles, exchanging a look with Jaehyun-hyung. “Yeah, it’s really been too long, huh? Well, like I said, you can call and see if they’re busy once you’re done with breakfast.” He pulls out another bowl for Jaehyun-hyung’s breakfast. “And you better eat something too, mister. Don’t think I don’t know that you skipped dinner again yesterday.”
Jaehyun-hyung grins sheepishly. “Sorry, Doie. I was lesson planning and lost track of time.”
“I know.” Appa sighs, brushing a strand of hair off Jaehyun-hyung’s forehead. “But you need to take care of yourself too, babe.”
“Yeah,” Jeno says earnestly. “You have to eat so you can be strong! Otherwise you can’t lift me and Mark anymore since we’re big boys!”
Jaehyun-hyung melts into a fond smile, ruffling Jeno’s hair affectionately. “You’re right, Jeno-yah. I promise I’ll eat more. And you keep eating a lot too so you can get tall, just like your Appa and me, okay?” Jeno smiles happily up at him through a mouthful of food and nods, satisfied with his promise.
“I finished!” Mark says, displaying his empty bowl proudly. “Can I go call them now?”
“No, wait for me!” Jeno says, his words muffled by the food in his mouth. “I wanna talk to Nana!”
“Sweetie, don’t talk with your mouth full, you know that,” Appa says, before turning to Mark. “Mark, remember that you still have to put away your dirty dish. And then you can call Uncle Taeyong, but wait until your brother is finished before calling Jaemin’s parents, okay?”
“Okay, I will.” Mark carefully puts his bowl in the sink, then rushes to find Appa’s phone. “Jeno-yah, don’t take too long!”
Jeno remembers to swallow his food before he replies this time. “I won’t! I’m almost done!”
The sounds of Mark talking to Uncle Taeyong drift into the kitchen from the living room, and Jeno finishes up his breakfast, watching Appa and Jaehyun-hyung smiling and laughing together as they eat too. He loves seeing them interact like this (as long as they don’t start kissing, of course), because Appa always looks so relaxed and content, and Jaehyun-hyung always looks at Appa with hearts in his eyes, which is how Jeno knows he loves Appa a lot. It’s exactly what he wanted for Appa back when they first met Jaehyun-hyung, and it’s the best feeling in the world to know that Appa really has that now.
After his bowl is empty, Jeno hurriedly brings it to the sink before stopping to give Appa and Jaehyun-hyung quick hugs, and then he runs into the living room to call Jaemin. It doesn’t take much convincing, in the end – Uncle Taeyong and Uncle Johnny already agreed to join, and Jaemin’s parents are close friends with them, so they say yes too.
An hour later, they’re all at the amusement park, walking around in two groups – Jeno and Jaemin want to ride all the most thrilling rides that they meet the height requirement for while Mark and Donghyuck only like the calmer rides, so Jaehyun-hyung and Uncle Johnny bring Jeno and Jaemin where they want to go and Appa and Uncle Taeyong stay with the other two. They meet back up in the mid-afternoon, when Jeno and the other kids start feeling hungry.
Since the adults don’t want them to go on any rides too soon after eating, they walk around the park for a while, the four kids sharing two sticks of cotton candy between them. As they wander, Jeno spots a claw machine with a little stuffed Cinnamoroll inside. They’re all walking fairly slowly, so he has plenty of time to fixate on the toy as they pass by. “Mark,” he whispers to his brother. “Do you think Appa and Jaehyun-hyung will let me try to get Cinnamoroll?”
Mark follows his gaze. “I don’t know. Maybe if we ask really nicely they might say yes?”
Of course, Appa notices their whispering right away, because he’s always trying to make sure they’re safe and happy. “Mark, Jeno, are you two okay?”
Jeno looks away from the game hurriedly. “We’re fine, Appa.”
“Are you sure?” Appa asks, spotting the claw machine. “Do you want one of those toys?”
Unable to lie to Appa, Jeno nods slowly. “I like Cinnamoroll,” he admits quietly.
With a slight smile, Appa turns to Jaehyun-hyung, who’s been walking this whole time with an arm wrapped around Appa’s shoulders. “What do you think, Jae? Jeno wants the Cinnamoroll toy.”
Jaehyun-hyung returns the smile, pretending to think about it for several moments. “Hm, should we let him try once?”
“Please?” Jeno asks, pouting a little.
“Of course, Jeno-yah.” Appa ruffles Jeno’s hair affectionately as they all start walking over, Mark and Donghyuck racing ahead in excitement while Jaemin stays next to Jeno, clinging to his arm. “Let’s go rescue Cinnamoroll.”
It’s immediately obvious that the game is designed to be nearly impossible to win. One attempt is definitely not enough, so Appa and Jaehyun-hyung let him try lots of times in a row.
“Isn’t Cinnamoroll too hard to get?” Jaehyun-hyung asks when Jeno tries and fails to grab the toy with the claw for the sixth time. “Do you want to try something else, Jeno-yah?”
“No, stay loyal!” Appa says. “We can save him. We have to stay committed.”
“You can do it, Nono-hyung!” Jaemin chimes in, beaming at Jeno with his usual bright smile. “I know you can, because you can do anything!”
Jeno nods, feeling energized. “Okay, I’ll try again!” And this time, with the combined encouragement from Appa and Jaemin, Jeno finally succeeds. “We got him!” he cheers happily, showing off the toy. “We rescued him!”
“You did a good job, Jeno-yah,” Appa says with a proud smile. “See, you should never give up on what you want. It’s worth it to keep trying until you achieve your goal.”
Jaehyun-hyung smiles. “Come on Doie, let him enjoy his victory. You can give him a life lesson later.” He takes Appa’s hand and kisses his cheek, which Jeno takes as his cue to leave the adults to themselves – they might start kissing on the lips right in front of him again otherwise.
In any case, he’s distracted by the awe in Jaemin’s eyes as he looks at the Cinnamoroll toy. And in that moment, he decides, since he already has his little puppy plushie that Jaehyun-hyung gave him, Jaemin deserves a plushie of his own too. “Here, Nana,” Jeno says, holding the toy out to Jaemin. “I rescued him, but now you can look after him.”
Jaemin looks between Jeno and Cinnamoroll with wide eyes. “But...but he’s yours! I don’t want to steal him from you.”
Jeno smiles and gives Jaemin a hug. “It’s not stealing, I promise! I’m giving him to you because you look like you like him a lot.” He offers Cinnamoroll to Jaemin again, and this time, Jaemin accepts, cradling him gently in his arms.
“Thank you, Nono-hyung,” Jaemin says, hugging the toy close to him. “You’re the best!” And then he surprises Jeno by leaning in and giving Jeno a kiss on the cheek. Jeno feels his whole face become very warm all of a sudden, because getting a cheek kiss from Jaemin feels very different from getting one from Appa or Mark or Donghyuck. But before he can say anything, Jaemin pulls away again and takes Jeno’s hand, smiling delightedly. “You have to help me take care of him, though, okay? It can be like we’re Cinnamoroll’s mommy and daddy!”
Jeno has a lot of thoughts about having someone to be a parent with now, because he’s seen firsthand how much happier Appa is these days, even without Jaehyun-hyung officially being his husband. So it feels like the most obvious reaction in the world to squeeze Jaemin’s hand and promise, “Of course I’ll help you, Nana. We’ll be the best mommy and daddy ever for our Cinnamoroll.” And Jaemin’s smile is big and bright the way Appa’s is when Jaehyun-hyung gives him little gifts, and Jeno thinks he understands, all of a sudden, why Jaehyun-hyung always wants to hug and kiss Appa so much. For now, he sticks to walking a little closer to Jaemin’s side and holding his hand a little more tightly for the remainder of their walk, the way Jaehyun-hyung does with Appa.
The rest of the day goes by quickly, and Jeno is very tired when they leave the park, though not as much as Donghyuck and Jaemin – Donghyuck is already sleeping in Uncle Johnny’s arms, and Jaemin’s head keeps almost falling onto Jeno’s shoulder. Jeno does his best to hold him up until Appa sweeps Jaemin into his arms too and carries him the rest of the way. Even with his brain fuzzy with exhaustion, Jeno still notices the way Jaehyun-hyung immediately moves closer to Appa, wrapping a supportive arm around his waist as they walk.
Once they reach their cars, Jeno lets Jaehyun-hyung buckle him in and then leans his head against the headrest of his carseat as his eyes droop shut. By the time they reach home, he isn’t asleep yet, but he feels too tired to open his eyes, so he pretends that he is actually sleeping. He hears Appa and Jaehyun-hyung whispering to each other, followed by the sounds of the car doors opening and closing, and then the air turns a little chilly as the door next to Jeno opens.
The next moment, he feels Jaehyun-hyung’s careful hands unbuckling his seat belt and ruffling his hair. “Jeno-yah,” Jaehyun-hyung says softly. “Are you awake?”
Jeno knows it’s bad to lie, but he’s curious about what Jaehyun-hyung will do, so he keeps his eyes closed. Jaehyun-hyung just laughs quietly, and then he lifts Jeno out of his carseat, holding Jeno securely against his chest. Jeno feels safe and comfortable in Jaehyun-hyung’s arms, and he can’t help letting out a soft sigh, nuzzling into Jaehyun-hyung’s neck as he’s carried up the stairs to their floor.
“Thanks for carrying him, Jae,” he hears Appa say as they walk into the apartment.
“Of course,” Jaehyun-hyung says, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Jeno’s head. It gives Jeno the same warm, content feeling of being loved that he gets when Appa does it. “He had a long day.”
“He’s littler than me, so he gets more tired sometimes,” Mark chimes in seriously, and Jeno can perfectly picture the look on Mark’s face. It makes him happy, somehow, that even though Mark is only eight minutes older than Jeno, he still likes to look out for Jeno like he’s his big brother.
Appa and Jaehyun-hyung both help change Jeno out of his day clothes and into his pajamas, and then he’s tucked into bed with his puppy plushie in his arms. Jaehyun-hyung pulls the covers over him, and he lets out a happy little sigh as he snuggles under them. “Thank you, Daddy,” he says drowsily. “I love you.” He’s not really thinking about what he’s saying – he just knows that the words feel right. He thinks he hears a quiet gasp of surprise, but he’s too sleepy to try to figure out who gasped or why.
When he finally falls asleep, he dreams about a world where Jaehyun-hyung lives with him and Mark and Appa permanently, and Donghyuck and Uncle Taeyong and Uncle Johnny always come over for dinner, and Jaemin visits every single day so they can take care of Cinnamoroll together, and they all get to be a big, happy family forever.
(In the morning, Appa is still asleep when Jaehyun-hyung comes into Jeno and Mark’s room, looking a bit nervous. “Hey, boys,” Jaehyun-hyung says, and his voice seems strangely unsteady. “I have a really important question to ask you.”
“What is it?” Mark asks before Jeno can.
Jaehyun-hyung takes a deep breath. “I – I really like your Appa a lot. You know that, right?”
Jeno secretly thinks that it’s kind of a silly question. Of course they know that – why else would Jaehyun-hyung always hug and kiss Appa all the time and smile so sweetly at him and laugh at all his jokes even when they aren’t that funny? He doesn’t say any of that, though, because he doesn’t want to seem rude or mean. “We know!” he says instead. “And Appa really likes you too, and so do we!”
“I’m really happy to hear that,” Jaehyun-hyung says, and he smiles at them, looking a little less nervous than before. “Because the thing is, I, well, I think of you two as my own sons. Like – like I’m your dad.” He swallows, looking between the two of them. “Is that...is that something you would be okay with, or that you would want?”
Jeno exchanges a look of wide-eyed excitement with Mark. They stopped actively trying to make it reality after Appa and Jaehyun-hyung told them they were a couple, but they never forgot their goal of finding Appa a husband, and now here Jaehyun-hyung is, asking if he can fill that exact role. “Yes!” they say together.
Mark is practically vibrating with anticipation as he continues, “Does that mean you’re marrying Appa? And you’ll live with us for real?”
“And we can tell people that you’re our Daddy from now on?” Jeno is quick to add. “And we can say ‘I love you,’ like how we do to Appa?”
Jaehyun-hyung’s eyes look a little shiny, like maybe he’s about to cry, but then he laughs, and he looks really happy. “Well, I still have to ask him if he wants to marry me first, but yes, I would like to marry him and live with you for real. And if you want to call me your dad and say ‘I love you,’ then of course you can. I love you guys too, and your Appa, of course. So much.”
“Appa will definitely say yes, he loves you just like us!” Mark says, and Jeno nods in agreement because it’s true. “And then we can be a real family.”
Jaehyun-hyung – no, Daddy – sniffs softly and wipes at his eyes hurriedly. “We already are,” he says, his smile bright and radiant. “But if you’re really okay with me officially marrying your Appa, then we can make sure that the rest of the world knows it too.”
And when Daddy asks Appa to marry him two weeks later and Appa says yes, Jeno and Mark are right there to give their parents (parents! Two of them!) lots of hugs and kisses. And for once, Jeno doesn’t think it’s gross when Appa throws his arms around Daddy’s shoulders and kisses him for a long time, because this kiss means Appa isn’t lonely anymore, and he never will be again.
Their family is finally complete.)