ateez family au

o12

"Daddy San stole my nugget!" Yunho complained, taking one of San's remaining nuggets.

"No I didn't! Hey, give it back!"

And then the fighting began again. Whatever was going on today, it was driving Hongjoong crazy. It was literally the first night Seonghwa wasn't with them and the boys just acted out of character. Hongjoong loudly sighed. "Hey. Boys" he then said with his sternest voice, silencing the whole table. "What's wrong with you today? You never fought, never did the things you did today. What's wrong?"

His kids lowered their eyes for a silent minute. "It's so weird that Papa didn't gather us up to do our little yoga thing before dinner..." Mingi quietly said.

"Normally me and Papa rewind a little bit of school stuff on Sundays..." Yunho admitted scratching his neck.

"And we paint together with the colors we got for our birthday!" San commented, Yeosang nodding in agreement.

"Papa yells a lot at Uuyoung to not do things. But he gives Uuyoung a lot kisses"

Then all pairs of eyes fell on little baby Jongho. He was nibbling on his food, let it down and for a second it looked like he was about to say something. Everyone held their breath. Was their youngest going to speak now? And Jongho tired, really hard. But everything coming out of his mouth was babbling. He tried saying Papa, trying to express that he missed him. But it sounded more like a quiet "Bwabuwa" which made him angry. So he kept on babbling the closest he could get to Papa. "Bwa... Bwa"

The whole table cooed at him, trying to say his first words. Hongjoong's heart broke seeing Jongho, Yunho, Mingi, Wooyoung and San and Yeosang missing Seonghwa so bad. And he wasn't even gone for long. He was clearly not enough, he couldn't keep up with the way his husband got to learn how to handle their kids. That Seonghwa wasn't here stressed his kids out. But this was his chance, he was at home now, this was his chance to give his family the time they had deserved over the years. "I miss Papa too... But wouldn't he be sad if he knew how sad you are? Papa was always here, taking care of all of you and me, now he can get a little rest and take a lot of care of himself. Sometimes, a person needs time for feel even better. So let's don't make Papa feel sad about him taking a little time for himself, ah?"

His children pressed their lips together. What their father had told them made sense. They didn't want Seonghwa to feel bad because he took had time for himself. No, their Papa had been always there for them, they didn't want him to feel sad about it too.

Hongjoong took the silence as an agreement with what he had just said. "Then let's try our best now okay? Let's make him happy, ah?"

On that another round of silence followed but this time his kids' faced were much happier. They nodded agreeing in giving their best for themselves and Seonghwa. After that, the dinner went way more peaceful than before. They got along, noone stole nuggets and no fighting over food.

After dinner had ended they all cleaned up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher together, well except for Jongho and Wooyoung. The chore was done pretty fast with four additional pair of hands. As Jongho's bedtime was a little earlier Hongjoong decided to call Seonghwa now, having the feeling his husband was dying to get a call from them. So, he gathered everyone up in the living room and started a video call. Seonghwa must have waited on his phone for this because not a second later, the screen of Hongjoong's phone changed to his husband's smiling face. "Ah! I thought you forgot about me!" he jokingly said.

"Nonono" San immediately responded, waving his hand at the camera.

"This is so weird normally we're waving at Daddy..." Mingi commented on the side and hid from the camera. His new haircut should be a surprise.

"How are you doing? Is everything okay? What did you eat for dinner?" Seonghwa asked.

"Oh, everything is fine! We had a pretty chilly day" Hongjoong lied to not freak his husband out.

"Daddy made dinosaur nuggests for dinner!" Yunho answered.

"How was the flight? How's the hotel?" Hongjoong asked to change the topic from how their day has passed.

"Oh the flight was okay, the hotel is too. I've met a lovely couple earlier, they showed me this restaurant. They have great food there..." Seonghwa told them all about his day, the couple and the island he wanted to explore a little more tomorrow.

Before it got to late, Hongjoong took the phone and brought it a little closer to him and Jongho, who was sitting in his lap and leaning against his chest. "Our big boy here has to go to sleep in a little, just to say good night" Hongjoong said.

Jongho's little sleepy eyes lit up when he saw Seonghwa on the screen waving at him. The baby tried to grab the phone but his arms were a little too short. "Bwa... Bwa" he babbled, nearly making Seonghwa in the other side cry.

"Aww Papa loves you, baby" he cooed sending him kisses. "But you need to go to sleep now okay? Daddy will tuck you in, ah? Sleep well" Seonghwa added waving goodbye at his youngest.

Hongjoong gave the phone to Yunho so they could all take turns in talking to Seonghwa. They all told him how much they misses him already but that their Daddy had everything under control. And Seonghwa belived them, well until it was Mingi's turn and he was blinded my the light his nearly bald head was reflecting.

"Surprise!" he shouted smiling and laughing, showing off his new haircut.

"Oh. Oh. Baby. You look so... Different. Where is your hair?" Seonghwa asked, tried his best in concealing his shock and anger at Hongjoong. So much to everything is fine. From there on the boys explained what had really happened in the hours he was gone.

Meanwhile in the bedroom of the wedded couple, Hongjoong had gotten Jongho ready to tuck in. He had changes his dippers, washed him with a washing cloth and warm water - just like Seonghwa did - but him in his pajamas and got him to let out a little burp which only he could make sound oh so cute. Just as his yawning.

"Okay little man, all the tension out of your little stomach, fresh dippers on your butt and you got washed and here... Your favorite pacifier. Time to go night night" Hongjoong placed him in his crib, turning on his little star light, that projected a starry nightsky on the ceiling. And at last turned on the music box, that played a long, soft melody.

Jongho's eyelids were getting heavier, slowly closing. The youngest had no bad sleeping habit at all, in comparison his brothers were way worse. The baby slowly drove off to sleep and when Hongjoong heard his little snores, he made his way to as silent as possible.

When he went downstairs he sent the boys up to get ready for bed too, as their bedtime was nearing too. Yunho have him his phone back, Seonghwa still on the line. Now it was his turn to talk. But little did he know what was coming.

-
The first time my mom had left me and my sibling with our father, I had cut their hair. I was four and they were bald.