My Baker's Dozen

54

Jihoon's POV

"Sam, I just found your spirit animal." The eight year old paused the game he was playing on the library computer to look at what I had found. His eyes widened and he started laughing at the mixture of a cat and a chick on my screen.

"It's so beautiful! What is it?" I hovered my mouse over the picture and tried to see if anyone had named said creation.

"It's a catchick." Sam's laughter caught Wonwoo's attention, and he looked up from his book to see what we were looking at.

"Why hyung, why." He sighed and sat back down in his beanbag chair to continue reading his book. It was just the three of us in the library today since Samuel wanted to play some games, Wonwoo needed some more books, and I was supposed to be working on a school project. I may have gotten slightly distracted somewhere in the process.

"How did you even...?"

"I don't know, Sam." I truly have no idea how I found this, but I don't regret not doing my project for this. This is far more interesting than the first world war. I'm sure a lot of people would love to disagree with me though.

Once Samuel went back to playing his game, I decided I should probably at least open a document to write out my essay on. I've been here for half an hour and I haven't even looked at what I'm supposed to be doing. Appa's going to be thrilled if I come home and it's not done. Especially if Sam mentions how I found him a catchick.

...

"Mingyu says we need to come home soon. I'm going to go check these out." Wonwoo announced, and I sighed. I have half a paragraph to go, but I have no idea how to word my thoughts. Korea wasn't even involved in this war, so I'm not sure what the point of this essay is.

"Jihoon hyung, you ready?"

"I'm almost done, Wonwoo, and then I have to print it." He nodded and adjusted the books in his arms while watching Samuel finish up his game.

"Did Mingyu say why Appa wants us home?" He shook his head and I quickly finished up the last paragraph before scanning it over and printing it out. Samuel then got off of the computer and the three of us walked home in the freezing cold of December.

"Is it the Americano hyung's birthday?" Sam asked, and I had a moment of panic before realizing we hadn't even had Christmas yet.

"No, that's the thirtieth. Today's the twelfth, Sam." Wonwoo answered, but it only ruled out one of the possibilities of why we were wanted at home. Mom's birthday was yesterday, as Jun hyung and Dk hyung found out, so I really had no idea why we had to come home. It's not like we skipped lunch and it was dinner time because it wasn't even dinner time. There was no point in us coming home.

By the time we got to the house from the library, my hands felt like they were about to fall off from the cold. I should really try and remember to steal someone's gloves next time.

"Uncle Baekho?" Wonwoo questioned, and I looked up from taking off my boots to see all five uncles around the house.

"Hey! We were just going to have one of us go get you three, but I guess this works." Uncle Ren said, and I was very skeptical as to why they were here. Normally they have a reason like picking up the Meanies and Chan after getting in trouble, or Appa asked them to come help us out a bit.

"Hyung, who are these guys?" Samuel whispered as he inched behind me, and I forgot he hadn't met them. I put an arm around him so he couldn't run off, and introduced each of them to him.

"Seungcheol told us he attained another child." Uncle Aron noted, and Samuel slowly crept away from the living room so he could probably go hide in his room.

"What brings you here?" Wonwoo asked as he set down his pile of books on the table, and I tried to see if Appa was anywhere in the near vicinity. Turns out he was in the kitchen starting dinner with Uncle Minhyun.

"We just wanted to stop in and say hello. Our car also broke down twenty minutes from here, so Seungcheol is going to help us get it fixed." Uncle Jr. said, and I'm surprised none of us noticed the car in the driveway. I was a bit focused on the cold, though.

I nodded to acknowledge their story, and I walked into the kitchen to ask Appa why he wanted us home. If it was solely for the purpose of having us hang out with our uncles, that was fine with me. But he knew we wouldn't stay in the library forever. Well, Wonwoo would have.

"Was there a reason other than the uncles that you wanted us home for?" Uncle Minhyun gasped from the stove dramatically.

"Are we not a good enough reason?" I knew he was just playing with me, but I sighed none the less.

"I'm just wondering." I defended, and Appa was too busy to turn around from the counter to answer me.

"Yeah, Jeonghan and Chan are sick and Joshua refuses to come out of his room today. And with five extra people in the house I don't want to accidentally forget someone if they're not in the house. Do you know where Hansol is?"

"He's at work, Appa. He should be home soon." Just as I said that, he walked through the door and shuddered at the change in temperature.

"Never mind, he's home."

"Perfect. Hansol, can you go talk with your twin?" He yelled across the room, and I watched Hansol hyung immediately go down the hall to his room. Appa honestly looked like he was very stressed out at this point, and I wasn't sure what I could even do.

"Can I help with anything?" Appa sighed and started going back and forth across the kitchen to get ingredients.

"Yeah, can you please find my sanity? I think I lost it somewhere."