dad jokes //// sulay

forty-seven.

(a/n: yo, does anyone wanna make me a cover for this book? i like the yellow n stuff but i think a real cover would look better. just tag me if any of you guys do end up making one, plz don't message me because i can't message back since i used a fake email for this account. okay thank youuuu, plz enjoy the story!)

"well?" junmyeon asked, sitting on opposite ends of the dining room table from yixing, "are you gonna say something or are we going to spend more time sitting in silence like we have been for the past two hours?"

"so, jaemin moved in," yixing said awkwardly, "you kinda just... let that happen."

"well yeah, i'm not gonna let him end up in the system," junmyeon frowned, "and i'm definitely not gonna let him end up in the streets, so yeah. jaemin moved in. it's fine. he already had his own room here."

yixing nodded, "you're a good mom, junmyeon."

junmyeon nodded. he knew. he prided himself on being a good mom.

"and because of that, i've decided not to sue you for custody," yixing said. junmyeon sighed in relief. at least that isn't happening.

"but i have conditions," yixing said. junmyeon rose an eyebrow.

"yeah?"

"i have a reputation to uphold. we'll come out to the public as a married couple. we'll say we kept our relationship a secret and we wanted to shield anson from cameras because we wanted him to have a normal childhood," yixing said, "also, you'll have to move in with me."

"no," junmyeon replied, "we're not getting married, we're not coming out to the public, and we aren't moving."

"in which case, i'll see you in court," yixing said, getting up from his seat. junmyeon frowned.

"wait. sit," junmyeon said. yixing smirked, knowing he'd have his way.

"we can come out as married," junmyeon permitted, "but we aren't actually going to be married. if you buy me a ring i'll wear it but our relationship will be fake. also, you move in here. all of anson's stuff is here and this has been his home since he was born. i'm not gonna suddenly pack up and leave because you have access to a lawyer."

"separate rooms, of course," yixing said. junmyeon nodded.

"of course," junmyeon said, agreeing to the terms reluctantly.

"it's settled then?" yixing asked, raising an eyebrow. junmyeon nodded.

"you know, i pictured this moment a lot of times. us getting married, i mean. it never happened like this," junmyeon said. yixing stood up, getting ready to leave.

"you brought this upon yourself," yixing replied. junmyeon nodded yet again.

"i know. that's why i agreed to this," junmyeon said, "you know, yixing, you're gonna make a great dad, whether i like it or not. we should pretend to get along. for anson."

yixing nodded, "very well. i'll see you tomorrow, wife."

"later, husband," junmyeon scoffed, yixing leaving. it was then that junmyeon let his hard exterior fade, bottom lip quivering. he took a deep breath, blinking away tears. he had cried way too much recently. his life seemed to be a never ending cycle of just sobbing.

junmyeon got up, going to his room.

"damn it," junmyeon cursed, flopping onto his bed.

"m-ma?" jaemin's soft voice made out. junmyeon looked to his door, where jaemin was standing.

"hey, sweetheart, what're you doing up?" junmyeon asked, "how much of that did you hear?"

"all of it," jaemin said, walking to the bed and crawling onto it, "it's okay. i won't tell anson."

"o-okay," junmyeon's voice cracked, "i'm sorry, you probably don't need me to be all emotional right now."

"ma..." jaemin trailed off, "...why doesn't she want me?"

"oh, baby," junmyeon sighed, his own struggles suddenly forgotten, scooping jaemin up and sitting him on his lap like he was still a toddler, then rocking him back and forth, "i don't know, honey."

"is it- is it me?" jaemin started to cry, "i didn't- i didn't mean to make her so mad."

"no, baby, it wasn't your fault," junmyeon hushed him, "it's not your fault."

"t-t-then why?" jaemin sobbed, burying his head into junmyeon's chest, "is there something fundamentally unlovable about me?"

"shh, baby, it's not you," junmyeon said, letting jaemin wet his shirt, "it's not you."

"why doesn't she love me like she's supposed to?" jaemin sobbed loudly, "she's supposed to."

"it's her fault, it's not yours," junmyeon said, "it's not because of you."

minutes that felt like hours dragged by, jaemin slowly sniffling his way to dry eyes.

"ma," jaemin said, catching his attention, "don't you love him?"

"yeah. yeah, baby, i love him," junmyeon nodded.

"doesn't he love you?" jaemin asked.

"not- not anymore, sweetheart," junmyeon made out, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"it's not your fault either," jaemin whispered. junmyeon shook his head.

"you don't know what you're saying, honey," junmyeon said, "it was my fault-"

"he's a success because of you," jaemin said, "because of your sacrifice. it was just as hard on you as it was on him. he got his company, and you got anson. only fair."

"yeah, well," junmyeon said, "i didn't do it correctly."

"no way would have been correctly," jaemin said, "you did it the way you did it and it worked, so it was correct. it wasn't your fault either."

junmyeon nodded.

"i think he still loves you," jaemin said, crawling under junmyeon's covers, "he still loves you, he just doesn't know how to say it."

"no, baby, he stopped loving me a long time ago," junmyeon shook his head, "he hates me now. what i did- that's unforgivable."

"he's not mad," jaemin yawned, junmyeon getting under the covers and pulling the small boy close. jaemin didn't know what he was saying- he was sleepy and he was five. but a part of junmyeon really wanted to believe him.

"he's not mad at you- how could he be? he loves you, after all."