vipjuly
Summary: In which Onew and Key are married and living the good life, Minho plays rugby in foreign countries, Taemin is a good baby sitter and Jonghyun is just there for little Gwiboon's entertainment.
-----
"Baby... sit...?"
There was a difference between watching a three year old with women everywhere, cameras filming the important bits and leaving out the fact that one of the nearyby women changed the kid's diaper when it was messy, leaving out the fact that they sorta kinda still, even after all that time, didn't know how to take care of a kid. They had loved Yoogeun, he was their shining star and they continued to see him even after the show ended but they were still celebrities and they still had other things to do, to focus on.
Remembering how to take care of a kid was not one of them.
Even eight years later.
"Just for a little bit," Kibum fluttered a hand as he walked by the two men standing in his doorway, their mouths agape, watching helplessly. "You'd be doing Jinki and I a favor -- ... Jinki?"
"Coming!"
The ex-leader of one of the biggest bands in kpop exited his and Kibum's shared bedroom, frowning down at his tie. "Honey, I don't think I'm doing this right..."
Kibum scoffed, "How many times have I showed you how to tie a tie? Honestly." The brunet reached out and did Jinki's tie expertly, before giving him a small peck on the lips. "Go see if Gwiboon is ready?"
Jinki nodded like the dutiful husband he was and went off in search of his - their - daughter, leaving Kibum to turn around and smile at Jonghyun and Taemin.
"She doesn't need a diaper changed or anything, before you ask, she's seven years old," Kibum said, just as Jonghyun opened up his mouth.
The older man let out a breath of relief.
"If anything just keep her occupied; make her a snack when she's hungry, feed her regular meals - I left some in the fridge, all you need to do is re-heat them - she likes to watch MTV before she goes to bed but don't let her go to bed later than eight-thirty or else she'll sleep in and not want to get ready for school in the morning. In the mornings she does good by herself just make sure she eats breakfast and has a sweater if it's cold because for some reason she thinks she's better than cold weather and that it won't bug her. School starts at nine forty-five, pack her a lunch - I left a note on the fridge with what to pack - and then she gets out at twelve-thirty and don't be late to the bus stop, she hates waiting. She's very independent so don't try to coddle her or else she'll get huffy and lock herself in the bathroom for an hour. When she wants to play, for God's sake play with her because Lord knows she's too stuck up on a normal day to ask anyone for their company."
At this point, Jonghyun and Taemin were wide-eyed, jaws slackened, and Jinki came out of Gwiboon's bedroom with the little girl in tow, slinging his jacket over his shoulder and going into his and Kibum's bedroom.
"We'll only be gone for two nights and three days so don't feel like it's the end of the world - I see that look on your face Jonghyun - and you can call us whenever you need something but please don't call me with something trivial or else I'll extend our trip to three nights and four days and it'll be Gwiboon baby sitting you two instead of the other way around."
Jonghyun and Taemin glanced down at the little girl that was holding onto Kibum's hand, her cherubic face smiling brightly, innocently.
It was terrifying.
"Alright baby," Kibum said, kneeling down and kissing Gwiboon on the forehead, reaching up to comb his fingers through her shiny black hair. "Be good for uncle Jonghyun and uncle Taemin ok?"
Gwiboon nodded as Kibum started to pull her hair up into a ponytail, pulling a hair tie off of his wrist and some clips out of his pocket to accessorize and make the ponytail pretty.
Jinki came out of the bedroom with their luggage in tow, stumbling slightly over his shoes and it was surprising that Kibum hadn't packed more than necessary. Or had between five and seven bags for just his hair products.
"Where are you guys going, hyung?" Taemin asked, kneeling down on the other side of Gwiboon and smiling, reaching up to help Kibum with her ponytail. Gwiboon giggled and swished her hair around playfully.
"To see Minho in Melbourne," Jinki said as he pushed his glasses up on his nose. "He has a tournament."
"Is that where his rugby team is now?" Taemin glanced up at the oldest man, who nodded and pulled their passports out of the inside of his blazer, checking them and making sure they had their plane tickets.
"Yeah, just for two weeks for the tournament before they head back to London." Jinki dropped one of the passports and stooped to pick it up quickly and hand all of it to Kibum, who put the items in his shoulder bag with a roll of his eyes.
"Send him our wishes," Taemin said, grinning as he stood up so Kibum could hug him.
"We will. Thank you so much for doing this guys it really means a lot," Kibum said, and the genuine thanks in his voice was enough to make Taemin shake his head.
"It's fine, hyung, you know you can count on us."
"Great! Bye~"
And just like that Jinki and Kibum gave Gwiboon kisses and hugs before they nearly sprinted out of the door, leaving Taemin, Jonghyun and the little girl in the entry way.
Jonghyun was frozen, in pretty much the same position as he had been in since entering the house, and as Gwiboon's pretty little eyes looked up at him, he recoiled slightly.
Taemin blinked, then chuckled and leaned down to whisper, "Uncle Jonghyun thinks girls have cooties."
Her cute little nose wrinkled, "Boys have cooties."
"Yes, we do," Jonghyun said, finally snapping out of his daze, edging around Taemin and Gwiboon as he made his way into the kitchen. "So you should stay far, far away from uncle Jonghyun. Preferably on the other side of the house, you could breathe in the fumes."
"Hyung," Taemin hissed, hauling Gwiboon up into his arms, the girl giggling and latching onto his neck.
Jonghyun shrugged, stealing away into the kitchen, opening the fridge to look for the beer.
"Are you hungry, Gwiboonie?" Taemin asked, voice changing to a sweet tenor as the little girl nodded, and he followed Jonghyun's path into the kitchen. "What's your favorite food?"
"Ice cream!" She responded.
"Ah, well you can't have that for lunch," Taemin laughed, setting her down in a chair at the table. "How about a sandwich?"
"With turkey and lettuce please," Gwiboon grinned - one of her front teeth was missing and it was adorable.
"You got it," Taemin said, but when he turned around his smile disappeared, the sight of Jonghyun leaning against the counter and sipping a beer instantly getting under his skin. "Hyung!" Taemin snatched the beer away and held it out of Jonghyun's reach - eight years later and he was still taller than the older man - glaring. "You're not allowed to drink."
"That's asking for suicide," Jonghyun groused, trying to reach in vain for the half empty beer bottle. "You're gonna let that go to waste?" He gave his best puppy look, already imagining Taemin dumping it down the drain.
"Nope~" Taemin brought the bottle around and to his lips, downing the rest of the contents before he put the bottle on the counter to be recycled later. "Can't waste expensive beer."
Jonghyun whimpered.
Gwiboon giggled.
Taemin smiled brightly and opened the fridge to start gathering ingredients for Gwiboon's sandwich, grabbing the remaining bottles of beer and putting them up on top of the fridge.
Jonghyun stared up at them longingly.
"There's five up there and if there's any less than that at any time you're not getting any for a week," Taemin said, sing-song voice as he sliced the crust off of the bred per Gwiboon's request, the little girl clapping in joy.
The clapping was only heard as horrible, sadistic mocking on Jonghyun's part, and it was only magnified by Gwiboon's "you won't give uncle Jonghyun any what, uncle Taemin?".
This was hell.
--
"Who's your favorite group?" Taemin asked that night, the three of them in front of the television. MTV was on the screen and Gwiboon was singing and dancing to nearly all the songs, doing Kibum proud as she twirled and rapped.
"I don't have one~" she said as she turned around and smiled at the two men on the couch.
"Favorite solo artist?" Taemin pried.
"Hmm... Hyori unnie!"
Jonghyun snorted, "She's more of an auntie now."
Taemin nudged Jonghyun in the ribs before smiling. "That's great, Gwiboon. Do you want to be famous?"
She wrinkled her nose in a way that was all too similar to Kibum's. "No, I wanna be a teacher~"
"Cute," Taemin said, before he glanced up at the clock. "Alright Gwiboonie it's bed time, go brush your teeth and get in bed and I'll come tuck you in ok?"
Gwiboon nodded and went off to go do her tasks dutifully, and Taemin stood up to stretch. He was about to follow her when arms snaked around his waist and Jonghyun's chin landed on his shoulder, lips turning to run along the expanse of the younger boy's neck.
"You know when she goes to bed we'll have the place to ourselves..." Jonghyun murmured.
Taemin shivered, but wiggled out of Jonghyun's grip. "I am not doing anything more than kissing while in the same house as achild."
Jonghyun pouted, "I bet Kibum and Jinki still screw the daylights out of each other."
"They're married!" Taemin protested, slinking away as Jonghyun creeped closer. "Besides I'm sure by now they've figured out a system on when to do it and for how long and stuff."
Puppy eyes stared imploringly at Taemin.
Taemin huffed and turned around, the whish of his long hair the last thing Jonghyun saw as he rounded a corner.
"No booze," Jonghyun said, flopping on the couch. "No sex... we better be getting paid for this."
"And we're not getting paid!" Taemin hollered.
Jonghyun curled into himself and pretended he was on an island in the middle of the ocean with no worries or care, just the sunshine, the sand, and one heavy, killer alcoholic drink.
--
Jonghyun awoke the next morning with the sound of Gwiboon shrieking, her yells echoing in the bathroom and throughout the whole of the one story, ranch-style house. He shot up, eyes wide, heart palpitating as he leapt off of the couch and stumbled over the blankets his leg was entangled in, nearly falling face-first into the floor as he practically crawled to the doorway of the bathroom.
It was shut, locked, and he could hear Gwiboon wailing inside.
"Gwiboon?" Jonghyun called out, jiggling the handle and knocking. "Honey, are you alright?"
"NO!" Was the immediate response, followed by a crash.
Taemin was behind Jonghyun almost right away, coming from Kibum and Jinki's bedroom wearing only pj pants and a ponytail.
"Sweet heart, please open the door," Taemin cooed softly, and Jonghyun blinked in surprise when the door opened and Taemin was yanked inside, the door slamming shut again with the lock of the click echoing in Jonghyun's ears.
Staring at the white surface, Jonghyun sat back on his ass, legs spread, hands on the floor and his shoulders slightly hunched.
Since when did Taemin get so...
Motherly?
He didn't want to admit that it was a slight turn-on because... well that was weird. Well getting turned on by Taemin wasn't weird but maternal instincts? If he had had a kink for that then he would have ended up with Kibum, right?
He scrubbed his face with his hands.
He and Taemin had been together for almost three years. Jonghyun, after SHINee disbanded and their contract was up, had thought about going solo... but couldn't bring himself to do it. So instead he became a vocal instructor for all the new trainees at SM and other companies that recruited him, his job serving as a little reminder that it took him and the other members so much and so long to get to where they were now and that these kids... they really were the future. Taemin had gone off to dance school so he could become a choreographer and their paths crossed when they were both recruited by SM to help the same batch of trainees, and they stuck together.
They stuck together because Jinki had kept going with his musicals, because Kibum had gone to his favorite fashion school and became a top notch designer, because Minho had gone overseas to join a rugby team.
Sometimes Jonghyun was worried that they were together only because of the fact that they only had each other.
But then he would see Taemin's smiling face, those beautiful features that even ten years later after debut were still perfect, still youthful and brilliant, and that smile would be for Jonghyun in the mornings when they woke up with Taemin's head in the crook of Jonghyun's neck, their legs tangled and hair tousled. He would see Taemin's bedhead, taste his morning breath, feel his eyelashes flutter against his cheek when he got his morning nuzzles from his content kitten.
Three years of bliss - with the occasional argument or two (or more) - and Jonghyun was afraid of the 'm' word. He wasn't afraid of commitment, oh no, he just... wasn't sure. It was confusing. Marriage was. Wasn't it? He thought so.
Well it looked like it.
But then again... whenever they hung out with Kibum and Jinki, marriage didn't look or seem confusing at all.
In fact, it was the opposite.
Kibum and Jinki were two people that one day, were meant for marriage, whether it was with each other or someone else. They were the perfect couple - they complemented each other, they fit together, and even when they argued they resolved it quickly. A lot of people would argue that Jonghyun and Taemin were like that, too, but Jonghyun... Well he was accused often of being a big kid.
Maybe they were right.
Maybe Taemin deserved someone more mature, more set in their ways, someone like...
Minho's face popped up in Jonghyun's mind and he scowled, waving a hand to erase the image from his mind.
The door in front of him opened and Gwiboon stepped out, blinking down at Jonghyun, her hair put in perfect little pig tails, her outfit neatly put together. Simple, a skirt with leggings and a sweater with a heart on it, but she was adorable, definitely Kibum's daughter.
"Uncle Jonghyun, why are you on the floor?"
Jonghyun grumbled, "Could you really not hear me trying to break in to the bathroom..."
"Taeminnie oppa! I want pancakes for breakfast~"
Taemin came out of the bathroom behind Gwiboon and ushered her into the kitchen, sending a smile down to Jonghyun, who merely flopped down on the floor.
"Why is he oppa and I'm uncle...?"
"Because you're an old man," Taemin said, sticking out his tongue as he started to mix the pre-made pancake powder in a bowl with some milk.
Jonghyun rolled over onto his stomach and whined, "Are you gonna leave me because of our generation gap?"
Taemin rolled his eyes, "Yes hyung, I'm going to leave you because you're such an ahjussi."
A pitiful sound left Jonghyun's lip as he started to inch-worm into the kitchen.
"Taeminnie ah," he crooned, chin knocking against the floor every other arch as he slithered.
"Hmmm?" Taemin mixed the batter with a fork and started to pour perfect circles onto the heated griddle.
Jonghyun appeared at Taemin's feet, tugging at Taemin's pj pant lightly.
"Don't leave me..."
Taemin paused in his cooking and glanced down, taking in Jonghyun's eyes that were wide yet downcast to the floor at the same time which shouldn't have been physically possible. A bit of his heart broke at the sight, and he crouched down to tilt up Jonghyun's chin.
"Hey... why would you say that?"
"Because I'm not a perfect boyfriend like Jinki... I don't have a future, I'm a louse, I'm lazy and I'm grumpy and I either act too old or too young and--"
He shut up when Taemin knocked him upside the head.
"Yah, don't talk like that." Taemin straightened and went to attend to the pancakes, flipping them over. "Hyung, if I didn't think you were suitable then I wouldn't date you." He glanced down to offer a small smile. "If you're worried because Kibum and Jinki are married and we're... not... don't be. I'm fine with where we are."
"Promise?" Jonghyun sat back on his butt again, legs sprawled once more and his chin tilted up as he watched Taemin putter about to get the pancakes on a plate, butter them and syrup them and set them in front of Gwiboon with a fork.
"I promise. Now will you get up off the floor? Kibum will throw a fit if you get fleas everywhere."
Jonghyun scratched behind his ear and stood up, looking a bit bashful, used to the dog jokes.
The next twenty minutes were spent asking Gwiboon what she wanted in her packed lunch, and she said kisses, so Taemin and Jonghyun tickle-attacked her into the couch and gave her kisses and tickles and her hair got a bit messed up so Taemin spent another five minutes fixing it before they walked her out to the bus stop two blocks away. They waited for the big yellow bus with Gwiboon chatting happily about her class mates and the cute boy she sat next to during arts and crafts. The bus came and Taemin and Jonghyun sent her off with a wave - not before one of her girlfriends hung out the window and said "uncle Jonghyun, I love you!!", making the older man blush lightly and wave awkwardly - and then turned around to walk back to the house, hand in hand, Jonghyun occasionally pushing Taemin off of the sidewalk into the empty street with a grin.
--
Everyone fell into a routine of taking care of Gwiboon and the house, cooking and cleaning and keeping her happy. She was an outspoken girl, very bubbly and bright, with Kibum's strong personality and Jinki's quieter attributes... and his clumsiness. She tripped and fell often and her elbows and knees almost always had Hello Kitty band-aids on them, of course topped with magic kisses. Initally she had a shine to Taemin but Jonghyun grew on her, when he would get on all fours and give her 'horsey rides' around the house despite the fact the hard wood banged up his knees pretty good.
She also discovered that Jonghyun couldn't resist crying girls and in order to prevent her from crying, or whining, or anything that wasn't a smile to be honest, Jonghyun went to extremes from horsey rides to... tea parties. Gwiboon did his make-up and put pretty clips in his hair and he tolerated it, acting effeminate as "Junghee unnie", "Princess Gwiboon"s bff for life that painted her nails and gossiped with her about what barbie her teddy bear was dating. It was euphoric and surreal, a bit, since Jonghyun had never seen himself bonding with a child (other than Yoogeun, and even that was pushing it), let alone a girl.
In the span of seventy-two hours Jonghyun had learned a lot about himself from a seven year old diva.
The only Jonghyun really had an issue with was bath time.
In that case, girls still had cooties.
--
On their last morning, when Kibum and Jinki were to be coming home in a few hours, Gwiboon was off to school and Jonghyun and Taemin were lounging on the couch, informercials muted as a scented candle filled the house with a warm, cinnamon aroma. Things were different now - instead of two helpless, scared adults thrown into a house with a child they were comfortable, sure adults that figured out how little kids tick. It was elating, it was also making their pride swell a bit because they had been thrown into a situation, and overcame it. Together.
"Taeminnie," Jonghyun said softly, his pen scribbling a few more lines in his notebook.
"Hmm?" Taemin glanced over, his ponytail high on his head, the ends of it brushing against his exposed shoulders from his favorite sweater that he purposely stretched out to make it more cozy.
"What was Gwiboon shrieking about that first morning?"
Taemin smiled, "Ah... girl things."
Jonghyun arched a brow, "Girl things."
"Mmmhmmm," Taemin hummed, hiding his smile behind a hand as he propped his elbow on the arm rest.
"And you understand... girl things," Jonghyun said, his voice still a bit flat as he stared at his boyfriend.
Taemin shrugged, "You don't?" He snickered, barely able to hide it.
Jonghyun leaned over, nearly looming, "Is there something you're not telling me, Taem?"
He could see Taemin's jaw clenching as he resisted the urge to open his mouth and laugh, as his glittering eyes turned to smile at Jonghyun.
"Are you sure you're not..." Jonghyun was practically on top of Taemin, making the younger boy squeal lightly. "A girl?"
"Hyung!" Taemin squealed loudly and bat at Jonghyun's chest, but the older man merely started to tickle the younger down into the couch.
"My boyfriend is a woman! I knew it! How could you keep this secret from me!?"
"I-" -gasp- "I'm sorry!! You said girls had cooties! Hyuuungg!!" Taemin wailed at the top of his lungs, legs thrashing, both of them being sent to the floor.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with kisses, giggles, warm touches and Jonghyun thoroughly exploring his boyfriend's body with his hands (and mouth) to make sure that Taemin wasn't really hiding any secrets from him.
--
"Kids, we're home~~"
Kibum's voice rang through the house and Taemin came out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a dish towel.
"Welcome home hyung," Taemin said, appreciating the hug that Kibum gave him, and even the kiss on his cheek.
"You didn't call once, I was almost worried," Kibum said, and it was then that Jinki stumbled in through the door with their bags... and there were considerably more bags now than when they had left.
"Ah, we all got along great," Taemin grinned, then went over to help Jinki. "Gwiboon is a wonderful girl."
"Takes after her mother, though," Jonghyun said, appearing freshly showered from the bathroom, fully dressed with damp hair, wiping away some leftover eyeliner with a towel that he hadn't gotten washed off last night.
"Oh shut up, idiot," Kibum rolled his eyes.
Taemin helped Jinki put the bags into the bedroom and they all sat around and partook in some drinks - Kibum didn't even ask why the beer was on top of the fridge, and Jinki merely smiled because he didn't like his beer cold anyway.
--
Jonghyun and Taemin bid Jinki, Kibum and Gwiboon farewell a few hours later, Jonghyun holding their overnight bag over his shoulder. Kisses, hugs and promises of getting together again soon were exchanged before Taemin and Jonghyun got into the cab at the curb, headed to the other side of the city to their shared condo.
They spilled over the threshold, the bag dropping from Jonghyun's shoulder as they both tiredly stepped out of their shoes, and as Taemin made to step further inside he was halted by Jonghyun's fingers encasing his thin wrist.
Turning around, he saw Jonghyun's big, shining eyes, pretty as they ever were, looking up into his own and there was the same look in his eyes when he had been sitting on the floor in Kibum's kitchen, lamenting about how he thought Taemin could do better.
"Hyung...?"
"Marry me."
Taemin felt his heart stop.
"What...?"
"Lee Taemin, marry me."
Jonghyun was resolute and his eyes were still big and round and watery but his stance was sure, his posture straight and confident and his fingers slipped from Taemin's wrist to his hand to his fingers, entangling their digits as Taemin slowly turned to face him. The older man was earnest, eager, and most of all he looked nervous, the slight twitching in his right brow letting Taemin know that small fact right away.
But the way he was standing there, square shouldered, tense-jawed, looking at Taemin like he might die if he was refused...
Taemin felt elated as a smile broke out on his features, and in turn, a shy smile filtered onto Jonghyun's lips as well.
"Hyung..."
"These past few days with Gwiboon... it was me, you, and a little girl and you're such... you'll be such a good parent and I don't think I did that bad either and we made a decent team, and I want... I really want that with you. You're all I've got, Taemin, you're all I want and what I need and it doesn't have to be now and it doesn't even have to be next year but please, marry me. Become Kim Taemin. Be my husband."
Jonghyun sucked in a breath and held it when he finished his speech, and Taemin chuckled, reaching up to cup Jonghyun's cheek and lean forward to kiss him.
"Yes..."
The older man's shoulders sagged, releasing the tension.
"Thank God. I thought I'd be forever alone."
Taemin laughed out loud, shaking his head and pulling Jonghyun further into their house.
"Come on ahjussi. Let's get to bed and start making that family."
"Ah," Jonghyun grinned his trademark raptor smile, following after his boyfriend - his fiance. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."
