Work Text:
Minseok rushed down the street that led to his apartment that he shared with Baekhyun and Jongdae. The snow that was drifting down over him just a few minutes ago had picked up speed and was now causing Minseok to squint in order for him to see ahead of him. Minseok wasn’t the worst with the cold, but the mixture of the cold air and the heavy falling snow was enough to make his bones shiver.
He should have worn the extra layer that Jongdae insisted he wear in the morning, but Minseok brushed him aside, claiming that it would be too hot once he got to work. Case 424 of when he should’ve listened to his lover instead of insisting on his stubborn ways.
He would’ve been fine if his car didn’t refuse to start up at the end of Minseok’s work day. The lawyer was eager to get home, wanting to beat the traffic and get warm inside of his cozy apartment with his loved ones. Instead he was heading home several hours later than planned minus his beloved silver BMW sedan. Minseok had called the insurance company, which took way too long to arrive, and then clambered onto a bus while grumbling to Baekhyun over the phone. Baekhyun laughed at Minseok’s misery in which he responded with the promise of locking the designer out of their bedroom. Minseok’s lover ended the call with the promise of food which eased some of his irritation. He was still going to lock Baekhyun out though.
So Minseok was all too eager to get dry and warm, eat some good food, and cuddle with Jongdae while listening to Baekhyun’s whining and pouting outside of their locked bedroom. The thought itself was enough to put a smile on the lawyer’s face and he hurried his steps, wanting to get home even a second quicker.
Minseok and Baekhyun were legally married. The two had known each other since they were in high school, they got married as soon as Minseok finished law school, and Baekhyun got a solid foot into the fashion industry.
That was where they met Jongdae. Jongdae was an up and coming singer who began to endorse Baekhyun’s line. It hadn’t been smooth sailing from there; Jongdae was concerned over intruding in on a married couples life, Baekhyun was concerned over whether Jongdae would feel left out for not being officially married to either of them, and Minseok was concerned about how the general public would take a celebrity dating a man, two men. Overall, there were a lot of concerns. But, they made it work.
And the three of them couldn’t have been happier.
Minseok was expecting the smell of warm food, and the embrace of either Jongdae or Baekhyun when he stepped into their apartment. But, instead he was greeted with a much different image than the one he was looking forward to. As soon as he opened the door to the complex, he found that it was void of any smell of food, and it was eerily silent. Minseok frowned while carefully depositing his shoes into their designated shoe cabinet; were Baekhyun and Jongdae asleep? It was a bit later than he usually came home, but still way too early for them to go asleep. Baekhyun’s idea of bedtime was around 4 in the morning, while Jongdae just slept whenever he could to make up for his constantly shifting work schedule as a singer, although on the days he was home he would typically either stay up or wake up for Minseok.
Minseok walked down the front corridor of his complex and walked into the living room, blinking at the image in front of him. He stopped walking and stared intensely, the lawyer looked around him, and gave himself a pinch on the arm to make sure that he wasn’t hallucinating. Maybe he wasn’t as immune to the cold as he thought and the temperature did something to his brain. Once he came to terms that the image he was seeing was indeed real, he opened his mouth and, “-what the fuck.”
Jongdae looked up from the little boy who was sleeping fitfully from his lap with a startled look. He raised his hands and shushed Minseok, as if he was the weird one. Meanwhile, Baekhyun was fast asleep on the ground besides another unknown child who was also sleeping while clutching Baekhyun’s hand.
Minseok stared incredulously at Jongdae, but despite not knowing the children, he abided by the singer’s shush, that didn’t mean he didn’t want answers though. Jongdae slowly shifted the child out of his lap, settled him down next to Baekhyun, and then stood up, but not before covering the sleeping trio with a light blanket. The singer, who had bleached his hair a ashy blonde for his recent promotions, wrapped an arm around Minseok’s waist and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheeks while navigating the dumbfounded lawyer to the kitchen.
“You must be hungry. I heard from Baek about your car breaking down-” Jongdae started to talk after sitting Minseok down on one of the counter top chairs. He proceeded to the fridge, bringing ingredients out of the fridge while continuing to talk as if there weren’t two unknown children fast asleep in the living room. “-do you want noodles or rice? I can-”
“Did Baekhyun kidnap those children?” There was a snort behind Minseok, he turned around with the speed of light and glared at the culprit of the noise.
Baekhyun walked into the kitchen. He was scratching his bleached near white hair while yawning wide. He looked at Minseok with a sheepish smile and crowded the older male with a big hug.
“Seok-hyung thinks I kidnapped them. What do you think of me to think that way?” Baekhyun pouts, not detaching himself from Minseok, so he did the next best thing by smacking the back of the designer’s head. That did the trick and Baekhyun scurried away. “That hurt hyung!”
“Explain to me what is happening.” Minseok glared at Baekhyun, clearly enunciating his words. “Right. Now.”
Jongdae set down a bowl of food in front of Minseok, before going back to their alcohol fridge and bringing out three beers and placing them on the counter top. He took a seat and gestured for Baekhyun to do the same. Baekhyun chose to sit across the counter besides Jongdae, and away from Minseok’s wrath.
“Is anyone going to explain to me what is going on? Or is this some sort of prank that you two pull every other week.”
Baekhyun who was acting like one the children in the living room just a few seconds ago let out a sigh and cracked open one of the beer bottles before taking a swig of it. Minseok raised one eyebrow, Baekhyun didn’t drink. It wasn’t that his tolerance was so low that one beer would knock him out, but the younger didn’t even enjoy the notion of drinking or the taste of alcohol. So the fact that he was guzzling one right now.
Minseok waited for Baekhyun to finish, but not before he shot a glance at Jongdae who just offered him a comforting smile.
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Minseok looked down at the children who were now sleeping on the bed in their guest bedroom. Kim Jongin and Do Kyungsoo is what Baekhyun said their names were. Jongin was 5 years old, while Kyungsoo was 6, they were half brothers to each other, and nephews to Baekhyun.
Right after Baekhyun hung up on Minseok earlier in the evening, their doorbell had rang to reveal Baekhyun’s younger sister on the other side of the door. Baekhyun didn’t have the best relationship with his family, he left home as soon as he was an adult, and his sister had ran away at approximately the same time. He vaguely remembered what Baekhyun’s sister looked like, but it had been 15 years since both of them last saw or heard from Baekhyun’s sister. But despite that she had somehow managed to find Baekhyun’s home address.
Before he could figure out what was happening, his sister had apparently introduced the children as his nephew’s, gave a bag filled with meagre belongings, asked him to take care of her children, and left. Baekhyun said that she promised she would come back as soon as she sorted her business out, but he had no way of reaching her.
Minseok listened with dumbfounded silence before realizing how torn Baekhyun had looked. He still had a lot he wanted to say, but he said they could talk more tomorrow before enveloping the younger into a tight hug, Jongdae joining them a few seconds later.
Minseok and Jongdae had moved the siblings into the guest bedroom, careful not to wake up the sleeping children. Baekhyun had already retired to their bedroom, no doubt exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions he had gone through just a few hours before. Jongdae wrapped Minseok in a back hug while the elder was observing the children, his head nuzzled Minseok’s own and smiled.
“They’re so cute aren’t they.” Minseok gave a hum of agreement, but he couldn’t help but feel the sympathy towards the kids.
Their mother had all but dropped them off at their uncle's place, but they had never met each other before. It must’ve been terrifying for the siblings, and Minseok didn’t even want to imagine what they had been through in order for their mother to make such a rash decision.
“Let’s go to bed. You can formally introduce yourself tomorrow instead of staring at them like a creep.” Jongdae noticed Minseok’s concern and attempted to ellevate the lawyer’s mode by taking a teasing jab at him. Minseok closed his eyes and leaned against Jongdae’s head.
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Minseok awoke to the sound of a child crying. Why was there a child crying? Last he checked, he hadn’t had any kids, he was as gay as-
The lawyer bolted awake, and leapt out of the bed. Baekhyun’s kids, no, not exactly Baekhyun’s kids, but close enough. Minseok rushed to the guest bedroom and opened the door to find a small child comforting another smaller, much tanner child. He frowned trying to remember which kid was which, he knew their names, Kyungsoo and Jongin, but he forgot which child was Kyungsoo and which was Jongin. How he passed the bar exam, and was able to recite legal codes, was a mystery to him as well.
Of course, the abrupt sound of the door opening only made the crying child cry harder, and the other one looked over with fearful eyes. He hugged the crying kid tighter as if to protect him from the frazzled, unknown man that burst into their room. Minseok panicked, not sure what to do, so he proceeded to put his hands up and stop his movements.
“Hi Kyungsoo and Jongin. I’m not here to hurt you.” Minseok winced. This was not a good start, so he attempted a different approach. “You know your uncle Baekhyun right?”
The crying child eventually stopped his bawling and turned to look at Minseok with curious eyes. He was still crying, but it was beginning to subside. The two boys nodded slowly. “My name’s Minseok. I’m friends with your uncle.” Minseok took a cautious step forward. “I heard you were gonna stay with us for a while. Can I know your names?”
The boy holding the formerly crying one didn’t say anything and instead stared at Minseok. The lawyer was never going to say it out loud, but he had to admit to himself that he felt slightly intimidated by the child’s stare. He faced criminals, frenzied media, and various other people throughout his career with composure, but the kid’s gaze was enough to make Minseok hesitate.
“I’m Kim Jongin.” The crying one wiggled out of Kyungsoo’s embrace, Minseok assumed he was Kyungsoo if he wasn’t Jongin. Jongin made slow movements towards Minseok, and was eventually standing in front of him.
Minseok crouched down so that he was eye level with the child. He stretched out his hand. “Nice to meet you Jongin. I’m Minseok.”
“Are you really friends with uncle Baek.”
“Yes. I’m also friends with Jongdae, I’m pretty sure you met last night.” Jongin’s face brightened up at the singer’s name.
“I know Jongdae! Hyung and I like to watch him on TV.” Minseok felt a sense of pride while Jongin’s face turned into a frown. “But I thought his name was Chen. So I don’t think uncle Jongdae is the same person we see on TV.”
Minseok snickered, but before he could say anything else Kyungsoo walked over to Minseok. “I’m Do Kyungsoo. Thank you for letting us stay here.” He bowed down at a flustered lawyer.
“Of course. You guys are welcome anytime.” Minseok looked out the window and noticed that it was still dark, a quick glance at the clock notified him that the time was 4 in the morning. “Are you guys hungry? It’s really early in the morning.”
Jongin pulled on Minseok’s sleeve and smiled sheepishly. Minseok’s heart may as well have jumped out of chest from the cuteness. “Jus’ a little bit.”
Minseok hummed. It was pretty early, and he reckoned the boys needed more sleep, or more he could use more sleep as well. “How about I heat up some milk for you.”
After the two boys nodded eagerly. He led them into the kitchen, Jongin holding his hand while Kyungsoo trailed behind quietly. Minseok set to heating up a pot with the milk after sitting the boys down, while he was preparing the milk he saw a tin of powdered hot chocolate.
“Kyungsoo, Jongin. Do you guys want some chocolate in your milk?” Jongin nodded frantically, while Kyungsoo shook his head.
“Mama said sweets aren’t good for your teeth.” Jongin frowned.
“Oh. Then no for me too.”
Minseok could tell that Jongin was upset, so with a smile. “A little bit isn’t too bad for you either.” Jongin’s face lights up like Christmas lights, and Kyungsoo begins to show some interest.
“May I please have some too?” The lawyer smiles down at the children and ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair.
“Of course.”
Kyungsoo and Jongin inhaled their drinks, and bashfully asked for more to which Minseok complied. After the trio had their serving (or servings for the boys) of hot chocolate, Minseok led the kids to the guest bedroom. He tucked them in, said good night and was about to go back to his room when Jongin grabbed his hand.
“Will you stay with us?” Minseok was surprised, he understood that the boys were young and scared, but to ask a complete stranger to stay with them was surprising. “Mama always slept with us, cause she said she had to protect us in case big bad men took us away.” Minseok’s heart wrenched, he had no idea about the lifestyle that the boys led, but.
Kyungsoo nodded next to Jongin, his tiny body looking as if it were being eaten by the big duvets covering the bed.
“But, what if I’m a big bad man?” Minseok crouched down next to the bed, not letting go of Jongin’s hand. The boy grabbing his hand shook his head frantically while giggling.
“You’re not a bad man. You gave us hot chocolate.” The lawyer let out a breathy laugh. He was going to have to have a conversation with the siblings later, not everyone that gives them sweets is a good person. But, for now, he was tired, and the boys needed some sleep so he scooted them over and climbed onto the bed next to them.
“Okay then. But promise you two are going to sleep.” Jongin gave a cry of joy while he echoed promises after Kyungsoo.
It took awhile for the boys to fall asleep. They whispered to each other, to Minseok, giggled for a few moments before exhaustion got the better of them and they eventually succumbed into silence. Minseok followed shortly after. He had a full week of legal proceedings and finished the week off by greeting two young children into his house, he was long overdue for a fitful sleep.
❄️🍼❄️
Minseok growled. He just wanted to sleep without interruption, but here he was, being awakened for the 2nd time that night by unwelcome noises. He opened his eyes, not being able to open them more than into tiny slits, and when he turned his head he was greeted with Jongdae and Baekhyun, cooing expressions on their faces.
He let out an internal groan and tried to shift, but quickly found that he was unable to. Jongin had all but successfully managed to find an ideal sleeping location on Minseok’s chest, and Kyungsoo had his arms wrapped around Minseok’s own in a vice tight grip. So Minseok resorted to laying on his back while two children trapped him in, vulnerable to Baekhyun and Jongdae’s snickers and not so subtle photo taking.
Eventually, Kyungsoo started to wake due to the obnoxious giggling done by the intruders. Once gaining some consciousness, he got a look at the older duo standing inside of their room, got up and gave a ninety degree bow.
“Good morning.”
Minseok watched with an open mouth while Jongdae and Baekhyun squealed and cooed at the young boy. Kyungsoo stood back up and looked flustered, unaware of what to do with the two grown men fawning over him, he looked back at Minseok with a panicked expression and he was two seconds from joining the menaces in front of Kyungsoo.
Thankfully for Kyungsoo, Jongin started to stir on top of Minseok, distracting him from the cuteness the wide eyed boy was emitting. The lawyer expected Jongin to move again from him, but instead he blinked sleepily at Minseok, closed his eyes and snuggled into him. “So warm.”
Of course this brought upon even louder cooing and more clicks of the camera. Minseok brought his arm over his face and groaned, but even he couldn’t deny the warm, fluttery feeling that was starting to spread inside his chest.
❄️🍼❄️
Kyungsoo was standing on a chair, leaning forward to stare at the pot in which Minseok was currently mixing together some vegetables and meat to make a stew. Minseok glanced nervously over at the boy, he was leaning too far forward and he was worried that Kyungsoo would fall and hurt himself, so Minseok took a hand and slightly pushed the young boy back.
“We don’t want to get hurt now do we?”
Kyungsoo gave a slight nod while frowning. “Can’t see very well.“
The lawyer hummed, not paying much mind to what Kyungsoo said, instead he picked up a spoon with the contents of the pot on it, blew on it and fed it to the small boy. Kyungsoo accepted the spoonful immediately, and chewed with intent, not speaking for a few moments. Minseok felt as if he was awaiting the verdict of a tiresome trail as he watched Kyungsoo eat.
“I think it needs more salt.”
Jongdae let out a loud laugh from the counter behind the two working on the food. He currently had Jongin on his lap, the two working on a colouring sheet.
Minseok smiled over at Kyungsoo and ruffled his hair. The siblings had now been staying with them for just short of one month. At first Minseok was reluctant to let them stay, they had no idea how to care for children, and they didn’t have the time to do so, all three men having a hectic schedule due to their successful career.
But, Baekhyun had looked at Minseok with watery, puppy-like eyes, while Jongdae let out whines simultaneously. Minseok had cursed at the two, they both knew too well that he couldn’t resist their puppy faces and they had abused it. Thus, Kyungsoo and Jongin began to live with them.
Baekhyun had exhausted all of his resources trying to find his sister, but came up with no results. Jongdae had suggested hiring a private investigator, but they all agreed to wait a little bit before they went to such extent.
Meanwhile, the trio was getting to know the siblings and were falling in love a little more with them with each passing day.
It didn’t seem as if they were abused like how Minseok originally feared. But, it also didn’t seem as if they had the most easy upbringing. From what he had gathered, their mother was almost never around, leaving Kyungsoo and Jongin alone for hours on end, and once for a few days. Jongin said that she always left enough food and money for them, but it was still unsettling for Minseok to know that their mother had left a five and six year boy alone for days.
Baekhyun’s sister had left them with all of their personal information and some belongings, meagre as they were.
But, despite seeming like they did not receive a lot of love from their mother. The siblings were more than ready to receive Minseok, Jongdae, and Baekhyun’s love. They were shy for the first few hours, but they warmed up to them and acted as if they had known each other all their life.
The trio quickly learned that Jongin had a talent for dancing. Minseok danced a bit when he was young, but it was Jongdae who caught on. Having to do some choreography for his music, and encountering many skilled idols and dancers throughout his career, Jongdae asked Jongin if he had ever learnt to dance professionally before.
Jongin had shook his head with a pout. “Mama said lessons are too expensive.” They signed him up for lessons right away, starting as soon as the new year started. Minseok was certain that he had never seen a child look more ecstatic.
It was hard to know more about Kyungsoo. He was playful, but seemed to restrain himself at times, and always hesitated before sharing more about himself. It was only when Minseok deemed that he should start to learn how to cook, because, “no, Baekhyun. We can’t feed them take out for every meal, they’re growing kids. They need home cooked meals”, that Kyungsoo showed avid interest.
From then, Kyungsoo watched over Minseok while he cooked. And the two became the designated chefs for the household, although at times, despite being the adult, Minseok felt like he was learning more from Kyungsoo than Kyungsoo was from him.
Overall, the apartment became louder. Baekhyun and Jongdae were always loud to begin with, but with two children added into the mix, Minseok’s head was spinning.
Jongdae belted out chords and songs throughout the day, and Kyungsoo would sit next to him before humming along as well. His voice gaining more confidence and getting louder with each day.
Squeals of laughter and shouts of joy could be heard from Baekhyun’s office where Jongin had designated himself as the designer’s personal assistant. Drawn with fascination at the designs that Baekhyun whipped up. Baekhyun was over the moon, he had, as quoted, “gained my own personal barbie doll. He just lets me dress him up without any complaints hyung!”
The chic, minimalistic lover’s suite was transformed into a family suite in a matter of days. Minseok wasn’t sure how to take that. But, when Minseok was drawn from his thoughts by Kyungsoo tugging on the sleeves of his shirt, asking if they could bake cookies next, and Jongin stretching his arms out with a mug asking for more hot chocolate.
Minseok couldn’t help but think that this was okay.
❄️🍼❄️
Like that, another month passed by. Christmas flew by, and the new year started. Minseok, Jongdae, and Baekhyun came up with an elaborate system to take care of the kids. Since Baekhyun mostly worked from home it was a lot easier, but he still needed help. So, Minseok started to take home cases more often, it was easy for him to do so unless he had meetings with clients. And they worked around Jongdae’s schedules, thankfully he had wrapped up his new album two months ago, so his schedules weren’t as bad as when he was in full swing of his promotions.
Everything was so new to them. Minseok had no idea how to care for children, Jongdae and Baekhyun just as clueless as he was, but they made it work. But, it wasn’t a surprise that they were to miss a few things from time to time.
“Kyungsoo, you can’t be too close to the television.” Jongdae stepped forward and scooped the boy who practically had his face right in front of the TV. Kyungsoo squirmed in Jongdae’s arms.
“But, I can’t see from far away.”
Minseok frowned, lifting his head up from the files that he was reading on the couch. Recalling moments when Kyungsoo stood too close to something, or squinted at objects a bit too harshly. “Soo, come here.”
The lawyer directed Jongdae to position Kyungsoo a few feet away from himself. He took a pen and scribbled a few numbers onto the back of one of his papers and he lifted it up for the upset boy to see.
“Can you read this?”
Kyungsoo squinted, before shaking his head. “I can’t see it. Everything’s so blurry all the time.” The boy looked as if he were on the verge of tears. “People get mad at me, but everything’s so blurry, is not my fault.”
Minseok’s heart ached for the young boy. He couldn’t believe it took two whole months for them to realize that Kyungsoo desperately needed glasses.
Jongdae and Minseok took Kyungsoo to the optometrist right away. Two hours later, Minseok and Kyungsoo walked out hand in hand to Jongdae who was waiting in the car. Kyungsoo scrambled into the back seat.
“Look, look! I got glasses! I can see, everything looks so clear. I didn’t know people could see like this!” Kyungsoo bounced in his seat the whole ride back home. Minseok looked back, feeling a strange warmth spread through his body. He smiled, the boy was beaming and staring out the window as if he were introduced to a whole new world.
Minseok knew that he wasn’t the only one feeling that way, because Jongdae reached over to take Minseok’s hand, squeezing it afterwards. The lawyer looked fondly over to Jongdae and then back towards Kyungsoo.
He could get used to this.
❄️🍼❄️
Soon enough, four months had passed.
They were at Jongin’s dance recital. Minseok, Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo sat in a line towards the back of the auditorium. Jongdae was clad in a mask and thick framed glasses, with a baseball hat pushed down, covering most of his face, for obvious reasons.
Kyungsoo bounced in his seat, excited to see his brother perform. The lights dimmed and the performance started.
Jongin was beautiful. He had only started to learn ballet three months prior, but his small figure filled up the entire stage. He moved with way too much grace and elegance for a five year old boy, and Minseok couldn’t help but feel a rush of emotions while watching the performance.
All of a sudden, he felt Baekhyun lean into his shoulder, and was it a sniffle that he heard? Minseok chuckled silently before taking Baekhyun’s hand into his.
The recital ended far too quickly. Jongin rushed up to his brother and his uncles, excitedly asking if he did good. His face lit up after receiving the onslaught of praises.
They took the kids out to a family diner afterwards. The boys stuffed themselves silly. Jongin said that he could eat more than Jongdae, and like the child that Jongdae was, the two started to partake in an eating competition.
Baekhyun filmed the whole thing, while Minseok refilled their glasses with water and wiped the mouths of not only Jongin and Kyungsoo, but Jongdae and Baekhyun as well.
❄️🍼❄️
Sometimes they would ask where their mother was. None of the adults were sure how to answer that question. Baekhyun eventually explained that their mom was on vacation somewhere far away. The boys took it in, and Minseok expected them to ask more questions or cry saying that they wanted to see her.
Instead, they just nodded, but he knew that, that wasn’t the end of that.
A few weeks later they would ask again.
The same answers were given. Most of the time they just nodded. Sometimes Jongin would cry. Although Kyungsoo never did.
When Jongdae asked if he didn’t miss his mom, he would just shrug, “I like it better here. Wish I could stay here forever.”
Would it be bad if Minseok started to wish the same?
❄️🍼❄️
Disaster struck at five months.
Jongdae was suddenly busier. He became one of the mentors for a new program that trained singers, and it ate up a lot of his time. He had been apologetic, and even considered rejecting the offer, but Minseok and Baekhyun simply just pushed him out the door.
Minseok had left the house one day to attend a quarterly meeting of the law firm he worked at. He had felt slightly bad for not showing up at the office as much, but he still did all his work, and won the majority of his cases, so he didn’t feel that bad.
The lawyer slumped back in his chair groaning. This meeting had been a particularly long, particularly dry meeting. These meetings were never fun, but it was especially worse that day, and all Minseok wanted to do was go back home to his lovers and the siblings.
The door to his office opened abruptly, and he raised an eyebrow at the person who walked in without knocking. There was only one person in the office who would do that.
“Hello, Junmyeon.”
Said man sauntered over with a smile and plopped down on one of the chairs facing Minseok’s desk, but not before setting down a cup of coffee.
“It’s becoming very rare to see your face.” He took a sip of his own coffee, a knowing grin on his face. “The younger lawyers are starting a thread. Kim Minseok Sightings.”
Minseok scoffed, taking the cup of coffee that Junmyeon offered.
Kim Junmyeon was a close friend and colleague of Minseok. They met in college and eventually got hired at the same firm, climbing the ranks together. Junmyeon knew why Minseok wasn’t at the office often anymore. He had even met the boys, falling in love with them quicker than even Minseok had. And on occasion, mysterious boxes filled with toys would even show up on their footstep, but Junmyeon wasn’t fooling anyone.
“Hey, when’s the next time I can come over. I wanna see the boys again-”
Minseok was about to respond, when he got cut off by his phone ringing. It was Baekhyun. “Hello-”
“Hyung.” Minseok stood up straighter, Baekhyun sounded panicked. “I-I wasn’t looking and Jongin knocked over a hot pan, and - oh gosh - they’re both crying so much.”
Minseok could hear the siblings crying in the background. “Are they hurt-”
“Kyungsoo got burned. I’m driving to the hospital right now, but - I don’t know - they won’t stop crying, and-”
Minseok stood up. He grabbed his jacket, and started to frantically look for his car keys. “Okay, okay - hey, calm down - I’ll meet you at the hospital. No, Baek. It’s not your fault - okay, I’ll see you soon.”
Junmyeon stood up, concern written across his face. “What happened.”
“Kyungsoo got burnt. They’re going to the hospital right now. Sorry Junmyeon I gotta go-”
Before Minseok could leave, Junmyeon stopped him. “Let me go with you. I know you’re thinking the same thing that I’m thinking. So I’ll go ahead to the hospital, you grab whatever you need to.”
Minseok hesitated, he shifted from one foot to another. On one hand he wanted to rush to the hospital, but on the other he knew that Junmyeon was right. “Okay. Thank you.”
The younger lawyer smiled at Minseok, and they both rushed down to their respective vehicles.
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“We need the legal guardian to sign Do Kyungsoo out of the hospital. Byun Baekhyun is not on any of the records, and is not even listed as the secondary contact. If the legal guardian doesn’t respond, we are going to have to call social-”
Baekhyun was about to cry. Where was Minseok? He started to fret, and he could feel Jongin tense up besides him.
Baekhyun had rushed the kids to the hospital, and Kyungsoo got treated immediately. He started to run into trouble when he attempted to sign the child out of the hospital. Baekhyun was at a loss of what to do when Junmyeon came in at just the right time. The lawyer started to argue with the hospital staff, and that was great and all, but where the fuck was Minseok.
Just when Baekhyun was about to call Minseok for the nth time, he ran through the doors with short breaths.
“You just need something to prove that Byun Baekhyun is someone that is accountable for Do Kyungsoo, correct?” Minseok walked straight past Baekhyun and Jongin and right up to the hospital staff who was previously arguing with Junmyeon.
“And who might you be?”
Minseok straightened up, and Baekhyun could tell that his lawyer mode was on. He knew the situation was outrageous for him to even entertain such thoughts, but he couldn’t help it. Minseok just looked damn hot when he had his lawyer mode on.
“I’m Byun Baekhyun’s husband.” The staff shot Minseok, a scathing look that made Baekhyun livid, but the lawyer continued on, unbothered. “I have legal documents proving that he had legal authority over Do Kyungsoo in any instances that the legal guardian cannot be reached.”
He shoved some papers into the hospital staff’s hands, in which he looked it over with a pensive face. He eventually sighed, before passing the papers back to Minseok. “I can accept it this time, but you need to get the legal guardian to submit those papers herself for the records at the hospital.”
Both Minseok and Junmyeon gave a nod of acknowledgement. And then they were all back home within an hour.
❄️🍼❄️
Minseok had invited Junmyeon to stay for dinner, and Jongdae came running through the doors within the next two hours. He put the boys to bed, and joined the adults at the table, the atmosphere sombre.
Baekhyun was the first to break the silence. “Is this going to be an issue in the future?” Jongdae looked over to Minseok, watching for any movements.
Minseok nodded, but it was Junmyeon that spoke. “You have documents that your sister gave you that depict you as a secondary contact. But, that can only get you so far. We either need your sister to legally acknowledge you as a secondary guardian or-”
“But, we can’t contact her! I tried, but she just showed up, left the kids, and disappeared! I-”
“Let Junmyeon finish talking.” Minseok interrupted Baekhyun to which Junmyeon gave a nod.
“What we can do is file a request for guardianship. From what I know Kyungsoo and Jongin have stayed with you for five months?” Nods were shared around the table. “So, at the six month mark. We can file for guardianship without the parent there. You’re going to need proof, and evidence for not being in contact with your sister throughout this whole time, and neglect the kids may have faced from before. And since Minseok is legally your spouse, he will be granted guardianship as well, although-”
Junmyeon shot the singer a glance. Jongdae picked it up right away and waved his hand. “It’s fine.” Minseok took Jongdae’s hand into his own, and noticed a glimmer of sadness in Jongdae’s eyes before it vanished.
The younger lawyer continued to speak. “But, guardianship doesn’t mean you have full custody over the children. Technically speaking your sister can come in and take the children at any time. Although there is the option of adoption which is relatively easy after guardianship, especially if the mother is absent.”
The trio agreed instantly. And Junmyeon set to work immediately, listing out the procedure, telling them to gather all the documents that they needed.
And like that seven months had passed. At the end of the seventh month, Baekhyun and Minseok had legal guardianship over Kyungsoo and Jongin.
They went out to celebrate that night. Loud chatter and peals of laughter ringing through the restaurant.
Jongdae had brought a music producer to the celebrities. Chanyeol was a close friend of Jongdae, the two produced all of Jongdae’s music since day 1 and he was always a welcome presence in their lives. Although this was the first time that Chanyeol met the kids. After Jongdae wrapped up his last album, the tall music producer went to the States to support another artist and he had arrived back in Korea the previous night.
The kids were immediately taken by the producer. His infectious energy only seemed to elevate the kids own playfulness and they were now currently in an intense war of seeing who could stack the most ketchup packets on top of one another.
Jongdae had slipped out in the midst of the chaos, Minseok waited a few moments before he followed the younger out the door.
The singer was spotted in a dark alleyway next to the restaurant and he was fidgeting with a box of cigarettes. Minseok walked over and took the box from Jongdae’s hands softly. “Who would think that the nation’s voice had such a nasty habit of smoking?”
Jongdae looked over and smiled sheepishly as Minseok took a spot next to him and leaned against the wall. The streetlights were dull, but it was enough to cast a soft light over Jongdae and despite being together for years, Minseok still marveled at the chiseled features that made up the singer’s face.
“I wasn’t going to.”
Minseok hummed, and the two men fell into a comfortable silence before the lawyer spoke up. “Does it bother you?” Jongdae looked over with a quizzical expression, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. “The fact that you don’t have legal guardianship, while Baek and I do.”
Jongdae looked away, not speaking for a few moments. “I know that I shouldn’t feel this way, but sometimes it- it’s a little frustrating.”
This was an issue that Minseok knew loomed over the trio since the beginning, it was also a reason why he was hesitant to include Jongdae into the mix at the start. But, he didn’t regret it, and he wasn’t about to let Jongdae regret it either.
“I know it’s a lot easier said than done, but-” Minseok took Jongdae’s hand into his own. “Just because the law doesn’t recognize us, and just because you don’t have legal guardianship over Kyungsoo and Jongin. It doesn’t make you any less of a husband to me and Baekhyun, and it doesn’t make you any less of a person that is responsible for the kids.”
Jongdae was silent. After a few minutes, he let out a sigh and looked to Minseok. Admiration and gratefulness drowning in his eyes. “I love you hyung.”
Minseok smiled. “I love you too Jongdae.”
❄️🍼❄️
Time flew by quickly.
Soon enough it had been a year since Kyungsoo and Jongin had been dropped off at their flat. They had their ups and downs, raising two young children was not an easy task, but Minseok, Jongdae, and Baekhyun made it work. And they could not have been happier.
The trio never considered getting kids, they never discussed it, it was always a possibility, yet it was never discussed. But, they all quickly came to realize that this was what they were missing in their lives. They never felt a void, or felt as if something was missing, but it just made so much sense with Kyungsoo and Jongin in their lives.
Perhaps this realization was what caused Baekhyun to come crashing into their home one night, sober enough to find the right apartment, yet too intoxicated to walk in a straight line.
Minseok had put the kids to bed, and Jongdae was still out filming. So when Baekhyun came clambering into their house, Minseok was the one responsible for getting the designer to wash up and into proper night clothes before depositing him onto their bed.
Baekhyun giggled the whole time, and dragged the older lawyer onto the bed with him. Minseok laughed as he let himself be manhandled into the ideal pillow for Baekhyun.
The two talked in hushed whispers, before Baekhyun went silent and Minseok could tell that there was something on the younger’s mind. He didn’t push though, years with his hyperactive husband had taught Minseok that the younger would only talk when he was ready to. So they stayed in comfortable silence until Baekhyun spoke up.
“I don’t want them to leave.”
Something ached in Minseok’s chest, but he stayed silent. Waiting for Baekhyun to elaborate.
“I know it’s selfish of me. But, I don’t want her to come back and take them with her. I’ve never felt this way before hyung. I never felt so happy - so full.” Baekhyun’s voice wavered, and Minseok tightened his grip around him. “I love them so much, and I-I can’t see a future without them.”
Baekhyun had maneuvered himself so that his face was pressed against Minseok’s chest, and by the way that the designer started to tremble softly, and Minseok felt a damp spot grow on his chest. He knew that Baekhyun was crying.
“Hey. Hey-” Minseok spoke softly, lifting Baekhyun up so that they were face to face. He pressed his forehead against Baekhyun’s and wiped away the silent tears that were falling from his eyes. “No one’s going to take them from us. Even if your sister comes back and takes them with her, we’re gonna use any means possible to make sure that they stay in our lives. Okay?”
Baekhyun gave a muted nod, and Minseok smiled, affection poured into his expression. “Just because we don’t get to see them everyday, doesn’t mean we are any less important to them or them to us. Remember that.”
The designer closed his eyes and nodded once again. But, Minseok could feel some of the tension rise from Baekhyun’s shoulders. “Yeah. Yeah. Thank you hyung.”
Minseok leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on Baekhyun’s lips. “I love you Baek.”
“I love you too hyung.”
❄️🍼❄️
The trio sat around the counter top. Grim expressions on each of their faces.
It was 11PM, Christmas eve.
All three of them had spent the past month gathering Christmas presents for the siblings that they had just managed to wrestle into bed. Baekhyun was probably the one that was most excited for Christmas, perhaps even more than the sleeping siblings.
He said that this was the first Christmas with Kyungsoo and Jongin where the siblings were a hundred percent comfortable with them. The first Christmas where they knew enough about the siblings to actually get them gifts they would like rather than blindly shopping for gifts as they had done last year. To put it simply, Baekhyun was passionate about this year’s Christmas. And maybe that was why he was fuming at Jongdae.
“I cannot believe you forgot it at the studio.”
Jongdae stared at Baekhyun with a wounded expression. But, Minseok intervened before the situation escalated. “Baek, it’s travel vouchers. We can just tell the kids we’re going to Disneyland and go pick it up tomorrow.”
Baekhyun stared at Minseok as if he had grown horns. “No!” He wailed. “They need to be the ones to open it first thing tomorrow morning. That’s the whole joy of it, you can’t even suggest that we just tell them, and rid them the joy of finding out for themselves!”
Jongdae groaned and whined. “Baekhyun. I doubt they’d even know what it was if we don’t tell them that it’s tickets to Disneyland.”
The designer looked enraged, and Minseok couldn’t hold back a scoff at the absurdity of the situation. Baekhyun looked over at Minseok with an expression that imitated an angry pup. The lawyer smiled while raising both of his hands in a surrender pose.
“Okay, okay. I’ll just go pick it up from the studio right now. Will that make it better?”
Baekhyun growled. “No. I’m going to go pick it up so that we make sure to bring back the right envelope, and Kim Jongdae is going to drive because he’s the one that messed it up in the first place.”
Jongdae whined, and Minseok cracked a smile. “Well you two better get going then. We all know Kyungsoo and Jongin are gonna wake up bright and early tomorrow.”
Baekhyun ran to grab his jacket, while Jongdae got to his feet grumbling. Minseok laughed and pecked the whining man on the lips. “Drive safe Dae.”
Baekhyun grabbed Jongdae’s hand and dragged him towards the door. “C’mon!” The two clambered out the door, but not before they bid their goodbyes to Minseok.
Baekhyun called out, “love you hyung.” His body already out the door.
“You better be up when we come back. I expect to have a couple of beers before we pass out.” Jongdae commented, but he still kissed Minseok on the cheek.
Soon enough the duo left and Minseok was left inside a silent apartment. He cracked his neck and wandered over to the living room, picking a book he was meaning to read and falling down onto the couch.
The silence was rare, and Minseok was going to take every last second to treasure it.
When Minseok finally looked up from his book, he noticed that the time was already 1AM. Worry immediately spread through his veins, it shouldn’t have taken more than an hour for them to go to the studio, find the tickets, and come back. The studio was only a 20 minute drive away, and even accounting for the time that they took to find the tickets, they should’ve been back an hour ago.
Minseok picked his phone up. No missed calls or messages.
He was about to call Jongdae, when his phone rang startling the lawyer. It was Baekhyun. He let out a sigh of relief and picked up the call, ready to chew the younger man out, but-
“Hello?” An unknown voice. As fast as the relief came, it vanished, replaced with an impending sense of doom. “Is this Kim Minseok?”
Minseok’s hands were shaking, but he managed to emit a squeaky noise of agreement.
“This is Seoul National University Hospital. There’s been an accident-” Ringing, impossibly loud ringing.
“Casualties.”
“Death on impact.”
“Please come as soon as possible.”
“Condolences.”
❄️🍼❄️
Everything had passed by in a blur. Minseok remembers vaguely that he had stumbled to the hospital in one piece after calling Junmyeon to look after the kids.
He remembers a cold, sterile hallway. White concrete walls. A cold room. An enormous metal cabinet. Jongdae and Baekhyun looking too pale, unmoving, silent.
Minseok remembers himself shouting, telling his lovers to wake up, telling them that it wasn’t funny, praying that this was another one of their pranks gone too far.
He remembers a plastic bag handed to him filled with their wallets and phones and an envelope. He remembers crumbling to the ground laughing, but also hysterically crying while holding the envelope.
Sorry for your loss.
They were so young.
So talented.
It’s a shame.
He remembers throwing a remote at the TV that headlined the news of a singer and a designer passing away in a car accident.
Whispers of people behind his back. Hands of people touching him in an attempt to mimic comfort.
He remembers two little faces looking terrified in a sea of adults in black. He remembers bowing to those adults. Shaking hands.
Minseok remembers sitting in front of two frames that held the pictures of his entire world. Crying, shouting, screaming for them to come back.
There was a black car. A satin piece of fabric around his neck as he carried his loved one.
There was one constant throughout those memories, and that was the ringing inside his head.
The ringing never disappeared, not even for one moment.
“They want to take the kids Seok.” Junmyeon spoke softly to Minseok who was currently sitting on the coach, an empty expression on his face.
They, were probably Baekhyun’s parents. Minseok had met them for the first time in years at the funeral, they looked shocked to know about the existence of Kyungsoo and Jongin, but they didn’t say much other than shoot the mourning lawyer a nasty look.
Who knew that they were planning on making their grand re-entrance in such a way.
But, Minseok barely registered his friend's voice, much less the fact that Baekhyun’s parents had thought that they had the audacity to even think that what they were doing was okay.
He was too caught up with his own emotions. His head was ringing, only a dull hum compared to what it had been before, but still a constant in his head since the moment that he received the horrid call. His face may have looked blank and empty, but there was a war happening within Minseok. He felt too much, hurt too much, and he himself was so, so close to just letting the war end him as well.
“We can fight them back on this. They have no grounds to take the children, just because they’re related by blood doesn’t mean they can just take them away, you have legal guardian-”
“-I don’t have any confidence.” Minseok wasn’t looking at Junmyeon. “I can’t raise the kids by myself.”
And like a dam, everything broke and realization flushed over Minseok in thundering waves. He had been trying so hard to retain his emotions, trying so hard to avoid the fact that they were really gone.
They really just left without him. He was without his other halves, and he was all, all alone.
That stung.
He must’ve started to cry, because Junmyeon looked like he was panicking. He tried to draw the older into an embrace to which Minseok pushed away.
“They did everything. They took care of the kids, I didn’t do anything. What right do I have to take care of the children.” Minseok was shaking, his words didn’t make sense. “I can’t take care of them alone. I’m nothing without them - I can’t - oh god, they’re gone Junmyeon.”
Minseok looked to his friend with wide eyes, tears flowing free without restraint. “They’re gone.”
Junmyeon couldn’t find any words to say, nor would any words have provided the distraught man in front of him any reassurance. So he just pulled the shaking man into him, his hands brushing through his hair constantly. Minseok stayed like that for a while, unable to stop his endless tears.
Eventually, Junmyeon led Minseok to his bed, and to which he followed like a robot, not wanting to do anything, not caring. The younger man tucks Minseok into bed. “What are we gonna do about the kids?”
Minseok doesn’t say anything for a while. “I don’t have the confidence to raise them by myself Myeon.” Junmyeon tightens his grip on one of Minseok’s hands and nods.
He doesn’t blame the older lawyer, yet he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. Eventually he leaves, he tells Minseok to remember to eat the next morning, to wash himself, and take care of himself. Minseok doesn’t respond.
He may have stopped crying, but it had only left him with a bigger, gaping hole. Minseok stared blankly at the ceiling. He almost wished that he were crying, anything would’ve beat the tightening emptiness that was wrapping around Minseok like a vice.
He missed them so much, only a week had passed, but the lack of their presence was so significant Minseok struggled to move one step within their flat without seeing some form of them lingering. He didn’t know how long he could hold out until, he was never going to be able to escape their presence, and it was going to continue to haunt him until the day he couldn’t be haunted anymore.
He squeezed his eyes shut. The humming in his head started to get a little louder, escalating to a high pitched ring. Minseok whimpered, the ringing was getting constantly louder, almost becoming unbearable. Just when he thought he was going to pass out from the ringing, it stopped as someone grabbed his arm and started to shake him.
“Uncle, uncle, are you okay?”
Minseok opened his eyes, and saw Jongin kneeling next to him on the bed, and grasping Minseok like his life depended on it. Despite the dark room, and Minseok’s unraveled state, he could make out the worry laced around Jongin’s words.
Instead of reassuring the young child with words, Minseok just nodded. Jongin frowned, and he lied down next to him, and started to cuddle with him.
“Hyung says you’re sad. He said we should give you space, but I don’t want you to be sad anymore.” Minseok stiffened, before shifting so that he was facing the younger.
Minseok tried to give a reassuring smile and lifted his hand so that it was stroking Jongin’s hair. “Are you sad because uncle Baekhyun and uncle Jongdae are gone?”
Choking back another sob, Minseok nodded. Finding small comfort in having Jongin so close to him. “I miss them too. But, uncle Jongdae said that if we miss people we have to stay strong because if we end up meeting them later, we have to show them a better version of ourselves.”
Minseok was there when Jongdae had told Jongin this. He was comforting a distressed child, crying over his mother, yelling that he wanted to see her, that he missed her. He had no idea that Jongin took his words so deep into his heart.
“I asked uncle Baekhyun if I could start calling uncles dad.” Jongin snuggled in closer to Minseok, his words slightly muffled due to speaking into Minseok’s chest. “I never got to call him that. But, can I start calling you dad?”
He was glad that Jongin wasn’t able to see Minseok’s face, because if he had, he would’ve seen him crying.
“Of course baby.”
“Does that mean I can as well?” Minseok turned his head back to see Kyungsoo standing at the entrance of his door, shifting from one foot to another.
“Come here.” Kyungsoo hurried over and into Minseok’s outstretched arms. He brought the younger boy in so that he was now lying down on the other side of Minseok. “You don’t even need to ask.” He leaned down and left a small kiss on the top of Kyungsoo’s head.
Jongin giggled, “me too! Me too!”
Minseok smiled, perhaps the first smile since the incident. He turned his head and kissed Jongin on the cheek.
The trio talked into the night, Jongin constantly giggling, and Kyungsoo hushing the younger whenever he got too loud. Eventually, the siblings lulled into a deep slumber, and Minseok was left once again staring up at the ceiling.
He fell asleep soon after however, Jongin and Kyungsoo’s weight on either side of his body was enough to provide him with the comfort that he needed.
❄️🍼❄️
Minseok was sitting on a patch of grass, he closed his eyes and leaned back on his palms, relishing in the slight breeze that whistled through him. He got nostalgic whenever he came back to this place, it took a while before he could show up without breaking down, but now it became a sort of safe haven for him.
Minseok would come whenever there was something he wanted to share, wanted a space to think to himself, or, not as often as before, but whenever he felt like he was drowning and wanted to relieve a certain comforting presence.
He straightened his position, crossed his legs, and leaned forward, a wistful smile on his face.
“It’s been a while Baekhyun. Jongdae.”
Years had crept by since the incident in which he lost his loved ones, but now it felt like all those years had passed within a few blinks of his eyes.
Minseok had made up his mind to fight for Kyungsoo and Jongin. Not just for the children’s sake, but also for Jongdae and Baekhyun. The ruling ultimately ruled in Minseok’s favour, Baekhyun’s parents had no connection to Baekhyun’s sister other than blood ties, and thus they had no authority over the siblings.
Raising the siblings however?
It wasn’t easy.
Minseok, Jongdae, and Baekhyun had all done equal parts in taking care of the children before, and the abrupt shift to taking care of two children alone was a struggle. He got into fights with the siblings, Kyungsoo ran away for a few hours at one point a few years back, they got injured, and sometimes Minseok’s heart broke, especially whenever the teenage boys would scream insults at him.
Minseok knew not to take it to heart, he had done the same when he was younger, and teenage boys really didn’t think before speaking, so he knew they were all done out of pure rage at the moment. It didn’t make it hurt any less though. It was rough.
They always apologized though. Jongin would come into his room with teary eyes and hug Minseok while apologizing, not letting go until he was certain that Minseok wasn’t hurt anymore. Kyungsoo would bake something for the lawyer, silently sliding over a baked good with eyes downcast. Minseok could never stay mad at them, he was weak for the two boys. Always have been since the night he first served them hot chocolate.
Junmyeon and Chanyeol had also been a big help. They helped out whenever they could, bringing over food, babysitting when Minseok had to attend emergency meetings, Minseok was sure he would not have been able to make it this far without their help.
Baekhyun’s sister never showed up either. Not even for the funeral. Minseok never bothered to look for her, and for a few years he lived in fear that she would show up one day and whisk the children away. She never did. And Minseok was more than okay with that.
That wasn’t the only hard part though. Perhaps the hardest part was how much Minseok missed Jongdae and Baekhyun.
There had been one too many sleepless nights where Minseok cried himself to sleep. Too many blank stares at anything that would remind him of his lovers. So many mornings where he woke up and saw the faces of his loved ones before they disappeared and he was only left with the devastating reminder that they were gone.
So Minseok devoted his every being to raising the boys, and any spare time he had he immersed himself with his work. Wanting any distraction from the fact that Baekhyun and Jongdae were gone. It wasn’t long before he ran himself raggard and fainted in the middle of the office, waking up to two petrified children, and an earful from Junmyeon.
It did get better over time, or maybe Minseok just got better at ignoring the ache that was always upon his heart.
Chanyeol had at one point expressed to Minseok that he wanted something more with the older man, Minseok had recoiled so harshly at the time, sometimes he still felt bad for how he had reacted. But, the tall man had been relentless, and over time Minseok slowly started to grow a soft spot for the younger man.
It wasn’t until Junmyeon yelled at the lawyer that Baekhyun and Jongdae wouldn’t want him to keep living that way followed by a silent spell from the latter, that Minseok realized that maybe. Maybe, it was okay if he moved on.
Chanyeol did help. He was never quite enough to fill the void that Baekhyun and Jongdae had left, but Minseok discovered that Chanyeol filled in other parts of him that the previous two never had. And he was okay with that. He will always miss and treasure the moments he had with Baekhyun and Jongdae, but he also found himself looking forward to the future he held with Chanyeol. And Chanyeol respected that.
So like that, a total of 12 years had passed.
“Kyungsoo just left to go back to the States, he only has one more year of culinary school and then he said he wanted to come back to Korea. Oh. And Jongin’s new album sold over a million copies. Aren’t you proud of our boys? They grew up so well-” Minseok smiled at where Baekhyun and Jongdae were laid to rest. His bright smile turned a little wistful, but he found that he wasn’t as devastated as before. “You know - Chanyeol asked me to marry him. That’s okay with you guys right?”
The wind blew a tad bit harder, as if giving Minseok an answer. “I miss you guys.” He teared up a little bit, but not from sadness.
“Even if I found one more person to love, the fact remains that I’ll always love you two as well.”