Chapter Thirty-three (1/1)

The week passes by, finally making it Seokmin's birthday.  The boy jumped and screamed in delight as he spinned around his and Woozi's room.  The shorter looked at him with an annoyed glare, folding his arms and shaking his head. "Can you please grow up?"  He said angrily.  "You're going to be a teenager like me soon, so act like it."  He clenched his fists and watched Seokmin's eyes look brightly at him. "Hyung~  A twelve year old isn't a teenager."  He waved his finger.  "Besides, what makes you so mature?  Just because you have the whole elementary school building bowing at your feet, doesn't make you any more mature than me."  Seokmin put his hands on his hips. Woozi rolled his eyes and turned away from the younger.  "Whatever, just enjoy your day."  He said, walking out of the room.

Seokmin silently followed Woozi down the stairs, wearing the most blank expression he could make.  He put his hands together and looked at the kids walking in with gifts.  How they're not jumping around like he was.  How they didn't cheer when he came into their view.  "Dokyeom,"  Jeonghan waved, "come here, I have a surprise for you."  Seokmin walked up to him and bowed.  "Father Jeonghan,"  He said, raising his head. Jeonghan huffed.  "Don't be a growch like Woozi.  Enjoy your birthday.  You're only ten, not thirty."  He said as he put a handmade party hat on Seokmin, securing the stretch cord under Seokmin's chin. Seokmin grew a small smile before trying to mask it.  "I saw that,"  Jeonghan whispered, "just go have fun.  Don't worry about what Woozi said to you.  I want you to be the light of every day, Seokmin."  He said, going on his knee to look up at Seokmin. The child looked into Jeonghan's smiling eyes.  "Why does it feel like I'm growing apart from Woozi..?"  Seokmin asked, looking at the kid in the distance.  "I'm trying to catch up to him, but he's just so.." "He's different, Seokmin."  Jeonghan held Seokmin's shoulders.  "But you two will always be close to each other.  Even if he seems to want to push you away, there will always be a string in him that's connected to you.  And he'll pull on that string to bring you right back next to him when he needs you."  He assured before kissing Seokmin's cheek. Seokmin smiled and kissed Jeonghan back.  "Thanks, Daddy."  He gained his bright smile back. "That's my little sun.  Now go outside and have some fun.  Cheol-daddy just set up the bounce house."  He pointed. Seokmin cheered and ran out of the house.  He saw his father in long sleeves and pants, followed by a hat and mask.  He ran up to the covered male and hugged him tightly.  "I love you, Daddy~"  He jumped up to put his legs around Seungcheol's waist. "I love you too, Seokmin-ah~"  He said, spinning Seokmin around slowly.  He put down his mask for a moment, leaning in to kiss Seokmin's cheek. The child wanted to be funny and moved his face so that their lips went together.  "I wanna go down the slide~"  Seokmin said with laughs as he saw Seungcheol's wide eyes.  "Okay, okay, let's go~"  He went up to go down with Seokmin.

Jeonghan watches the two keep going down the slide and then into the bounce house with the other kids.  A picnic would have been nice, but they seem to be having fun here too..  He sighed in relief.  Seokmin will still be able to grill with Seungcheol, so it's not totally different. He took the meat out of the sink as it's done thawing out.  He put it in the fridge for when Seungcheol wants to start grilling.  He picked up his tea cup and watched some of his other kids playing different games with each other. Adorable..  Joshua was helping Wonwoo learn how to ride a bike a friend brought over.  His attention tears away from the kids to hear the doorbell. "Ah, Jun's friend is here."  He put his cup down and walked to the front door.  "Hi there, Chenle, Juni's outback."  He let the child and his father come in.

The two then meet Jun outside.  "All the guests are here, the meat is finished, and so now I can go outside."  Jeonghan cracked his neck while opening the glass door. The doorbell goes off again before Jeonghan steps out.  He looked back toward the direction of the front door before looking all around the backyard. "Oh!  How could I forget?  Hoshi's friend!"  Jeonghan went back into the house and sprinted to the front door. Opening the door, he's greeted by no one.  "Hel-"  He looked around.  He walked out of the house and looked at the cars, no one was around.  He then turned to look around the property, no one was around.  "That's odd.." He turned around to the door before seeing a basket on the welcome mat.  Inside the basket is a baby.  "Where did you.."  He looked around and went to the basket.  The door in front of him opened more and Jeonghan looked up in shock.  Seungcheol locks eyes with the younger before looking down at the child.  The older pulled down his mask.  "Is that.." "He just came out of nowhere, Cheol!"  Jeonghan furrowed his eyebrows.  "I came out, and he wasn't here.. but I turned around, and there he was!"  He explained.

Seungcheol backed up for Jeonghan to come into the house.  They sat down against the wall together while studying the baby's face.  "Look, his eyes are light brown."  Jeonghan pointed out. "And his hair is blonde."  Seungcheol mentioned.  They looked at each other with confusion.  "Oh, the letter."  Jeonghan looked around the basket.  "Where is it..?" "Is it outside?"  Seungcheol was about to stand. "Here it is."  Jeonghan found it under the blanket.  "Here."  He handed the letter to Seungcheol.

Seungcheol took the paper out of the envelope and unfolded it.  He cleared his throat. "Dear Parents,   In one world, you thought you were dreaming; in another world, you thought you were awake.  A sense of twilight mixed with a switch of a crow has gotten you two a child that was made with two-world love.  Hansol Vernon Choi comes from New York, USA, another world than you two.  Take care of him well!" Jeonghan looks at the child and tries to think back.  "When.. when did we make him?"  He wondered. "Last week, remember when Woozi gave you aspirin?"  Seungcheol put the letter down. "Yeah, but-" "Woozi switched it.  He gave me aspirin and you my allergy pills.  You were kinda.. in and out of it that night."  Seungcheol said with a small smile. "Oh.."  Jeonghan remembered.  "I thought that was a dream, honestly.." Seungcheol laughed and shrugged.  "At any rate, we have this little boy now.  Seungkwan's gonna get jealous though."  He thumbed the boy's cheek.  "Oh, go out and give attention to Seokmin. I'll feed him before putting him in our room with Seungkwan."  Jeonghan instructed.  They kiss very briefly before parting ways.

***

Seokmin watched Seungcheol turning the meat on the grill outside.  He has a front row seat to see the meat being cooked for him.  Other kids and adults were around the grill too, but Seokmin was at the center.  He was right next to Seungcheol, watching him flip the meat and add seasonings and other things that will make it tasty. "Seokmin-ah,"  Seungcheol looked at the boy, "do you want to cook a little?"  He offered. The boy looked at him.  All he could see were Seungcheol's eyes beaming right down at him.  They were smiling at him, even if he couldn't see Seungcheol's lips.  Even if he couldn't see his eyebrows, Seokmin knew that the adult was being honest with him.  "Yes."  He said maturely. Seungcheol handed the tongs to Seokmin before carefully picking the child up.  "Don't be afraid of the pops, and make the meat the color you want it."  Seungcheol instructed as he put a new batch of meat on the grill while other guests ate some of the just-cooked meat with their noodles and lettuce.

Jeonghan watched from his bedroom window.  "Your daddy's such a nice man,"  Jeonghan commented, stroking Seungkwan's hair, "I can't wait for him to teach the others how to grill too."  He kissed Seungkwan's forehead and then the baby's cheeks and lips.  Seungkwan slapped him in annoyance.  "Okay, okay.."  He sighed.  "I hope you kids meet someone like Seungcheol one day."  He raised his eyebrows. "I'm not old enough to be a grandpa just yet, but I'm wondering what your gorgeous kids are going to be like.."  Jeonghan thought aloud.  "Will Joshua start dating soon?  Oh, I can't imagine it."  He shook his head. "You're my babies, you're not old enough to date yet."  He whispered to Seungkwan.  "I won't let you."  He put the child in the crib and looked at the clock.

He kissed the sleeping babies and exited the room.  He walked out of the house and saw Seokmin eating his grilled meat with Woozi.  The older was silent while eating with Seokmin, humming at the flavor.  Jeonghan then walked up behind the covered parent, putting his arms around Seungcheol's waist. "Love?"  Seungcheol asked and received a hum.  "What's up?"  He asked as he cleans off the grill gently.  "Are they growing up too fast?"  Jeonghan muttered, watching Hoshi and Jun spinning around and doing martial arts together with laughs.  "Last year, Seokmin was learning about rain.  Now he's learning about his body and how to cook." Seungcheol put down his scrubbing brush and turned around to face Jeonghan.  He took off his glove to cup Jeonghan's cheek.  "They're not going to be babies forever, Jeonghan.  Stork babies grow at their own pace.  "Mingyu knew how to cook certain things before Hoshi did.  Joshua knew how to spell his name before Wonwoo did."  He gave examples.  "But just because they're growing up doesn't mean they're going to leave us, Jeonghan."  Jeonghan nodded and furrowed his eyebrows.  "I just.. I want them to be kids for longer."  He whispered.  "Joshua's already grown so much, look at him."  Seungcheol turned around to see the teenager running around with kids from Mingyu's class.  "But he's still our child, Jeonghan.  Remember that."  He said as he looked back at Jeonghan.  "He's still our baby that we love and adore. "Even when he's our age, I still want to hug him, kiss him, and hold him tightly."  Seungcheol said softly.  "And even if he tries to fight it, I will get a hug from him each day."  He chuckled. Jeonghan smiled and laughed a bit.  "Okay.."  He looked into those big eyes.  "I'm in love tonight.."  He whispered. "I know,"  Seungcheol held the younger's hips, "I'm in love with you every night, and every day, and every minute."  He leaned forward, pulling down his mask, and putting their lips together.

Joshua watches the kids run off.  He sighed and looked toward the back door of the house.  He saw his parents kissing.  He raised his eyebrows as he watched Seungcheol holding Jeonghan's body protectively.  His grasp on Jeonghan was gentle but strong at the same time.  He could see the smiles on their lips and their eyes closing as they drift off to their own land. His eyes break from their moment to look down at the grass.  He sat down and put his knees to his chest.  He peaked back at the parents who ended their kiss but small kisses followed up after it.  He watched as they fought breaking eye contact while Jeonghan backed up into the house.  He watched Seungcheol reluctantly turn back to the grill when Jeonghan ran further into the house. Joshua then looked at the grass.  They're so happy together..  He sighed as he watched the grass wave in the small breeze.  Even the blades were together.  He stood up and slowly walked to Hoshi and Jun. "Hey, you two need to help me."  Joshua said with a smile.  "It's getting late, we need to round up the kids for the parents and send them off."  He instructed. Jun looks at Hoshi before bowing.  "You trained well, Hoshi." "You taught well, Jun-laoshi."  Hoshi bowed back. They look at each other seriously for a few more seconds before laughing.  Joshua smiled sweetly at the two hugging.  He looked away and then went to some of the kids who were throwing their trash away and cleaning up after themselves.  He walked the children to their parents and bid them a good goodbye.  He bowed respectfully to the parents and waved to the kids.  Jeong-dad used to do this for his mom, right?  I should take the role seriously.  He nodded to himself as he envisioned himself in Jeonghan's shoes. He’s at the front door and giving coats to the parents and telling them to have a safe journey home; telling the kids that he would see them again soon and to behave themselves.  Jeonghan then walked up to him. "Did you enjoy your night, Joshuji?"  Jeonghan asked, putting his arm around Joshua's waist. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"  Joshua asked as he waited for more guests to come by. Jeonghan shrugged.  "I've noticed your stare has been a bit far tonight,"  He commented, "is there something on your mind?"

"Nothing too much.. just that I need to act more mature."  Joshua looked Jeonghan's way.  "Like you said, I only have a little longer until I graduate, there's nothing wrong with preparing early."

Jeonghan sighed and shook his head.  "You're still young, Josh.  Don't act like an adult yet.  Have fun while you're still young, because when you grow older, you'll realize you can still have fun.

"Being an adult with a job doesn't change anything."  Jeonghan said, realizing himself that he's been concerned about the same thing."Thanks, Dad."  Joshua smiled honestly.  "My friends at school have been growing up so happily.  They are excited to not be young anymore.  They go through each phase eagerly without giving a second thought.

"I guess I'm just a weak person who hasn't caught up yet.."  He said sadly. Jeonghan sighed and turned to look at the child.  "When I was your age, not everything was the greatest for me.  I figured out things that I shouldn't have found out about just yet."  He replied. "Like what?"  Joshua asked. Jeonghan chuckled.  "I'm not going to go into too deep of detail, but just know that my body was growing too.  And I let my confused feelings into the wrong man's hands."  He started.  "My first boyfriend was a mess, Joshua.  I wish I never let my young self be like that.  But you have an advantage, Son. "I won't let you get into that kind of danger."  He held Joshua's shoulders.  "Just let time tell you what you need to do.  Don't force yourself to grow older like Woozi's doing.  Don't force your feelings, otherwise you'll do something you'll regret for the rest of your life." Joshua looked into Jeonghan's eyes.  "You had someone before Cheol-dad?"  He asked.

Jeonghan nodded with a sigh.  "I've had three other experiences, Joshua."  He started.  "The first one I just mentioned was just me being confused with my emotions.  The second one was not paying attention and just wanting to be adored.  The third one was that I wanted false hope. "And lastly your father,"  He continued, "the man who promised me hope.  He promised me happiness and love, something I never thought I would have." Joshua looked at Jeonghan's small smile before making sure no one was coming by.  "When we received you, Joshua, I was so scared and confused.  I didn't know what to do aside from taking care of you."  Jeonghan was honest.  "I only guessed I made your formula correctly.  I only guessed that you needed to potty or sleep. "I was so scared that I would accidentally do something wrong, and all the love I put into our relationship would have been wasted."  Jeonghan wiped a tear that was forming.  "I was afraid that Seungcheol wouldn't wait for me when mom wouldn't let me contact him at all." "Dad,"  Joshua held Jeonghan and looked around, "let's go somewhere else."

He walked Jeonghan to a downstairs bedroom.  Joshua sat Jeonghan down on Mingyu's bed and he sat next to him.  "I'm sorry for making you cry, Dad."  He said with guilt. "It's not your fault, Joshua."  Jeonghan held the boy's shoulder.  "I wish Seungcheol was my first boyfriend, I would have grown up so much happier.  We probably would have had you sooner though."  He laughed a bit. Joshua looked at him and sighed.  "You really thought Cheol-dad was going to abandon you?"  He asked. Jeonghan nodded slowly.  "I didn't want to think like that, but everytime something got tough for me, one of those men left me or made it worse."  He sighed.  "Joshua, promise me you'll take your time growing.  I don't care if you're looked at weirdly, I want you to be comfortable and growing at your own pace. "I want you to be happy."  Jeonghan said, holding both of the child's shoulders.  "Just like Seungcheol made me happy, I want to make you happy, Joshua.  That was my goal ever since you were on my doorstep.  My goal was to make sure you were happy and healthy, then making sure I was fed." Joshua widened his eyes at Jeonghan's confession.  "You-you starved yourself?" Jeonghan chuckled a bit.  "Times were different.  Seungcheol didn't have the executive position he has now.  There was no office room.  There was no coming home to dinner.  The only thing we ate was a small plate of chicken."  He explained.  "You couldn't imagine how many stares we got when you were healthy and we were thin."

Joshua sighed and looked down.  "I'm sorry." "Joshua, look at me."  Jeonghan commanded and Joshua obeyed.  "We made sacrifices so that you could grow happily.  And because of those sacrifices, we're thriving.  But our goals haven't changed.  We want smiles on your faces each day."  He cupped Joshua's cheeks. Joshua slightly smiles at Jeonghan's big smile.  "Thank you, Dad.." Jeonghan leaned forward to kiss Joshua's cheek.  "You'll never be judged by me or your father if you ever just want to step back and act like a child.  Because we're all children inside."  Jeonghan held the boy's hands.  "Even Seungcheol likes to play around the sprinkler from time to time."  He chuckled. Joshua laughed too.  "Thank you.." 

Meanwhile, Joshua's slight depression is still hanging over him..

<3