Chapter Text
Ni-ki has rarely been this nervous before. He tries to distract himself by annoying Sunoo and Jake (unsuccesfully), or asking Sunghoon about his visitor from earlier that week. None of them have the money for Prada shoes, and they’re not Sunghoon’s either. His feet are bigger than that. But also, he’s unsuccessful. Sunghoon dodges all questions or only gives vague, mysterious answers.
“Proof enough that it’s a guy at least?” Sunghoon huffs over the breakfast table and shoves a fork of scrambled eggs into his downturned mouth, “Stop calling him a girl.”
“He just doesn't want to think about meeting this Jungwon guy again," Jake teases him and wrestles Ni-ki out of his chair with loud protests.
"I am perfectly fine meeting him again!" Ni-ki exclaims from the ground and jabs a finger at Jake's side as the older sits up again. Which, of course, is a total lie. He spent the entire night awake anticipating the morning and rereading Jungwon's messages last night.
Private Chat: Jungwon hyung !
I'll send you my address, okay? Jieun doesn't feel like going out tomorrow :,)
that's okay! i'll come after breakfast?
Yeah, that would be great!
[1 location attached]
Second floor, apartment 209
Do you think you can make it at 11 am?
sure! my roommate can drive me before he goes on his date with his totally real lover :p
If I could find a babysitter to watch Jieun, I'd say let's stalk him >:3
but jay hyung is also "busy"
and finding a babysitter is literally why I can't leave my house lmao
I'll watch her another time you want to stalk someone then :)
We'll see ;)
When Jungwon sent the winky face, Ni-ki almost threw himself to the ground and curled up on the carpet he was pacing around on. Was that a good sign? A bad sign? He already passed the interview with Jungwon, and now he only has to leave a good impression on Jieun, too. It almost feels like meeting his in-laws. It's probably more nerve wrecking than meeting in-laws. If Jieun doesn't like him, she'll be ruthlessly honest about it. Kids can be so cruel in their opinions.
"Is that why you look dead?" Sunoo snorts and flicks his fringe out of his face, "Your eye bags look horrible."
"You're overthinking again," Jake scolds him through a mouthful of microwaved pancakes, "Don't do that. Kids like who they like. Just try not to be a menace to her and you'll be fine."
"I am an angel sent from God!" Ni-ki protests and earns himself a round of crazy laughter. "Okay, stop laughing! This is not funny."
They seem to find it extremely funny. But it's not funny, at all. Ni-ki's rent depends on this job – and his future husband! If he doesn't become Jieun's babysitter, Ni-ki will have to look for another job. And then, he will be disappointed, his roommates will be disappointed and Jungwon will be disappointed. Oh, he will be so disappointed in Ni-ki. Just thinking about it makes him sad.
"You'll do fine," Jake reassures him and waves lamely, as if all of Ni-ki's concerns would vanish with a simple gush of air, "Kids love you! And Jungwon seems to like you, too."
"You think?" If Ni-ki had the tail and ears of a dog, they'd be perked up now. Heck, he's panting like one.
Jake stares at him for a few seconds. Blinks. Once. Twice.
"No."
—
Jake has to help him with his outfit. Together with Sunoo. And Sunghoon. He wants to look like a reliable adult, but not too stiff. He wants to look warm and friendly to Jieun, but not too cute. He wants to look cool, but not in a ragged, intimidating way. Finding an outfit turns out to be very difficult with all those conditions.
"No ripped jeans," Sunghoon sighs and folds the pants back up, "You'll look like a punk."
"Ni-ki, why do you only have ripped or baggy jeans?" Sunoo drawls, exasperated, and flops onto the bed with a groan, "This is gonna take ages!"
"We don't have the time for that," Ni-ki complains as he pulls out a grey zip sweater. "Quick, someone find me a clean, white shirt to this!"
"None in your closet," Jake laughs, "You should do your laundry this week. I'll lend you one, wait." Jake rushes out of Ni-ki's room and leaves the door wide open. He basically flings himself down the narrow staircase that will be someone's death sooner or later as everybody else scrambles to find a non-crusty pair of black pants somewhere among Ni-ki's clothes. He could swear that he used to be cleaner than this.
"Found one!" Sunoo announces triumphantly and holds the pair of pants up like a trophy. Ni-ki rips it out of his hands hastily and doesn't bother to wait for anybody to turn around before he changes into them – much to Sunghoon's chagrin.
"Warn a guy, oh my God," he complains and turns around fast enough to give someone whiplash. But not Ni-ki. Ni-ki has enough on his plate taking off his shirt and waiting for Jake to come back with a new one and debating whether he should just go to Jake's or wait in his room, or go to Jakes, or wait in his room, or –
"Here you go!"
Jake pops back into the room with a wide grin and a white shirt clutched in his hand like a sad lump. Ni-ki takes it anyway and pulls it over his head. Just then, his phone chimes with another message.
Private Chat: Jungwon hyung !
Just a heads up, Jieun is a bit grumpy today "•_•
we didn't have pop tarts for breakfast
sorry ~
all good!
can we make it 11:05 am?
uh, sure?
"Sunghoon-hyung," Ni-ki slides his sweater on and zips it up. He trips over the piles of clothing on his floor. This is going to be a pain in the ass to clean up again. "We gotta make a detour."
"I'm gonna be so late to my date."
—
"You got this!" Sunghoon cheers him on from the driver's seat, Jake and Sunoo in the backseat and waiting to be dropped off for their own date. Ni-ki has no idea why they also had to get a ride from Sunghoon when Sunoo has his own driver's license and car. Probably because Sunoo is a menace on the road and Jake isn't suicidal. "Woo your man's child, baby!"
"Don't make it sound weird!" Ni-ki protests weakly as he glances back at the apartment complex they stopped in the inner courtyard. It's not very tall, a total of five floors, and the hallways are open. Still, it seems to be a fairly modern building. The walls have been painted white, and they look white, too. There are no open cables or cracked floor tiles. There even is an elevator!
"Don't be nervous," Sunghoon cheers him up, "You got this!"
Ni-ki did not get this. He doesn't. His hands are too sweaty and clammy to get anything, even the car's door. He struggles to close it after he climbs out of the passenger seat. It’s unnerving how nervous Ni-ki is. He’s just meeting a kid! He even made the effort to buy pop tarts to bribe her. The expensive ones with artificially sweet strawberry flavour (those are the best, fight him). The ones that Ni-ki actually can't afford because he's broke as fuck.
“Ni-ki, it’s 11:04 am now,” Sunoo urges him and points towards the building, “Go!”
Ni-ki lets out the most frustrated and embarrassing croak at that, turns on his heels and runs towards the building.
“The door?!” Sunghoon protests, but there is no turning back now. Ni-ki is going up to that apartment and meeting Jieun to land this babysitter job. She sounds lovely. She must look like her dad, with cute feline eyes, an idol-like nose and deep dimples.
He decides against taking the elevator. There is too much energy overflowing from his system right now, and he’s not sure why. No, he knows exactly why but he just finds it so silly. Ni-ki is long past the age for dumb teenage crushes.
With a shuddering breath, he raps his knuckles against the metal door of Jungwon’s apartment. He feels a little dizzy, and he’s definitely sweating. Checking with the back of his palm, Ni-ki touches his face and, yep, his face is warm. He wants to blame it on the fact that he ran up the stairs, but he doesn’t like lying to himself. There are only that many things he can deny, and this is not one of them. He runs a hand through the strands of his fringe sticking to his forehead to push them away from his face. That’s when the door swings open.
Jungwon peers up to Ni-ki through his beautiful lashes and a welcoming smile etched on his face. He’s dressed casually in grey sweatpants and a brown cardigan over a white t-shirt. His hair looks fluffier than last time. Has he become more handsome, too? Wow.
“Hii,” he greets Ni-ki with a flushed face, and he sounds as out of breath as Ni-ki feels. Jungwon opens the door wider to let him step in, and he toes off his shoes carefully. The entry hallway is very short. It’s barely long enough for the shoe rack to not stick out. Ni-ki spots three small pairs of shoes, one pair of sneakers, one pair of boots, and one pair of loafers, and he wants to coo because the shoes are just so small, especially next to Jungwon’s big ones, and next to Ni-ki’s even bigger ones. Is it too early to imagine himself coming home to this? Probably. “Jieun is in her room. She’s still sulking and won’t come out, but she also doesn’t want anybody in there right now, so… a cup of coffee?”
“No, thanks,” Ni-ki declines and hangs his jacket on the wall rack. He places his skateboard against the door and looks around awkwardly. Jungwon’s apartment is small. He just came through the door and basically stepped right into the kitchen to his left. A tiny, squared pop-up table shoved against the wall opposite of the kitchen with three chairs serves as the dining area. The living room is nothing more but a tiny nook to his right, laid out with a fluffy carpet and a basket for Jieun’s toys. It looks properly lived in, and Ni-ki feels like a creep trying to pry into Jungwon’s privacy and imagining what he looks like just going on about his day here. How Jungwon watches Jieun play in the living room from his laptop and work on the dining table, how they come home, and he helps her take off her shoes so she can run down the hallway to her room. Whichever of the four doors leads to her bedroom. “I’m not a coffee drinker.”
Lies. Ni-ki drinks coffee, but he doesn’t want his breath to smell like it. He remembers that, as a kid, he didn’t like it when his uncle hugged him while his breath smelled like coffee. Maybe Jieun is the same. Better safe than sorry.
“Even better,” Jungwon giggles as he goes to his tiptoes and opens one of the kitchen cabinets above the counter, “I only have hot chocolate anyway. Or, uh, strawberry milk powder.” Jungwon pulls the tin box of milk powder out of the cabinet with a lopsided grin and presents it to Ni-ki with an apologetic frown.
“Sorry,” Jungwon tells him and closes the cabinet again, “It’s Jieun’s favourite.”
Ni-ki already loves the kid.
“It’s my favourite, too,” he tells Jungwon eagerly and steps further into the apartment. It’s small, and a little cramped. It feels homey and warm. It feels like Jungwon. “Maybe you can lure her out with it. That’s what Sunoo-hyung always does.”
“For you, I assume?” Jungwon chuckles in amusement and takes out mugs from another cabinet and a box of milk from the fridge. Ni-ki’s face heats up with embarrassment again. Oh God, he can’t just say one cool thing about himself that would make him seem less like an overgrown toddler, can he? “But it’s a good idea… Can you tell I spoil her too much?”
“A little,” Ni-ki smiles mirthfully, “Are you one of those parents that let the babysitter do all the disciplining?”
“God, no,” Jungwon groans and rolls his eyes, “Jieun is stubborn. She won’t listen to anybody but me, so I just need someone to make sure nothing bad happens to her while I’m meeting clients.” Wow. Meeting clients. That’s such a grown-up thing to do. Not even Sunoo has any clients to meet, and he’s a year older than Jungwon.
“Yeah, I can definitely do that,” Ni-ki nods dutifully and watches as Jungwon stirs the powder into the cold milk. His arms draw circles in fluid motions, and Ni-ki has a terrible, terrible realisation as he keeps staring. Jungwon’s back is attractive. It looks broad and dependable and moves, holy fuck.
‘Relax,’ he scolds himself and decides it would be best to sit down at the dining table and stare at the wall. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. The wall right next to the kitchen that Ni-ki looks at even has one of those stereotypical family portraits of Jungwon and – who he assumes – Jieun. Never mind. It was not a better idea to look at that because they’re dressed in cute little sailor uniforms, and Jieun looks exactly like her dad. A carbon copy of him. She has the feline eyes and cute nose and deep dimples, and her curly hair is pushed back by a red hairband. And she’s tiny.
‘Don’t look at him.’
‘Sailor uniform – ‘
‘Don’t look at him! Don’t be an otaku!’
‘I’m not an otaku.’
‘Then why are we freaking out about a sailor uniform – ‘
‘Jungwon-hyung in a sailor uniform.’
‘No! Shut up!’
Maybe it’s the lesser evil to look at Jungwon again. Thankfully, he's done stirring the strawberry milk, so his back muscles aren't not moving anymore. Ni-ki should work out his back more. He wants to appear less lanky and have broad shoulders, too.
"I'll go and try to get her out of her room now," Jungwon tells him softly as he puts down the three cups and hurries off into the hallway deeper into the apartment. Ni-ki doesn't even get to utter his 'okay' before Jungwon is out of sight. But not out of earshot. He can hear Jungwon's knuckles rap against the wooden door, as well as his voice as he calls out, "Jieun, are you still upset? Aren't you going to say hello to our visitor?"
Ni-ki has to strain his ears a bit, but he hears the reply muffled through the door. A high pitched but assertive voice shouts, "No thanks!", followed by Jungwon's sigh.
"Come on," he urges her in a high-pitched voice. Oh God. Is this what people refer to as baby talk? Jieun is stronger than Ni-ki because he would've bolted out of that room. "I think you'll like him! His favourite is also strawberry milk. I even made some for you. Don't you want it?"
"No thanks!" comes muffled through the door again, and Ni-ki has to bite back a grin. He gets up from the chair, grabs the box of pop tarts from his backpack and jogs over to Jungwon, who is pressing his head against the wooden door.
"At least she says 'thanks'?" Ni-ki offers as his condolence and shakes the box, "Can I try?"
"Go ahead," Jungwon sighs and eyes the box of pop tarts. "Good luck."
Ni-ki is confident that doesn't need any luck. All he needs is the power of bribery and strawberry pop tarts. And maybe a little luck. Who knows how well Jungwon warned Jieun about strangers.
"Jieun-ah?" he calls out to her through the door and crouches down, "My name's Ni-ki. Can you open the door?"
"I can't," she replies with a giggle and seems to walk even further away from the door. Not by much, but enough to make her voice a little bit more stifled.
"She's too short to reach the handle," Jungwon explains to him, leaning down to whisper over Ni-ki's shoulder. Jungwon's breath fans across the side of his neck. It's warm. It smells like gum. Ni-ki falls a little deeper in love with him.
"Are you gonna be my second dad?" Jieun asks through the door, and something behind the door is being moved. It sounds like... something is being dragged across a carpet? "If you are, then I'll say hi."
Ni-ki splutters, caught off guard. How did she know?
Jungwon doesn't fare any better. He breaks into violent coughing and has to sink to his knees to hide his red face in them, so neither of them are able to answer Jieun's question.
"Sorry," Jungwon manages to whisper-yell between coughs, "Ever since she learnt that one of her friends has two moms, she's been very adamant about having two dads."
"Well, is he?" Jieun asks impatiently and whines. "I want two have two dads, too!"
"N-No," Ni-ki stutters, and his voice cracks. Great. He's so cool for that. "I'll take care of you when Jungwon-hyung has to be boring and go to work."
"My appa can be really boring," Jieun agrees, and Jungwon makes a wounded, protesting noise.
"Right?" Ni-ki decides to go along. Jieun sounds very self-assured in her opinion (that he doesn't agree with), "I'm so cool that I even brought you pop tarts! So, will you come say hi to me?"
"Can you open the door for me?"
Ni-ki silently cheers and pumps his fist in victory before he pushes the door handle down and reveals a small kid that looks no older than five, dressed in a duck onesie. Her hair is split into two neat braids that stick out from beneath the hood pulled over her head, and her bangs are almost hidden under the onesie's plush beak. He puts the box of pop tarts down in the hallway and cries internally. She's so cute.
"Jieun!" Jungwon chides and ushers her back into the room, "I told you to dress properly!"
"I am dressed properly!" she protests with more whining but lets herself be led back into the room, "We're not going outside anyway, right?" Ni-ki peers inside. He immediately notices that it's the only room where the wall colour isn't white. Instead, it's a peach pink, decorated with white butterflies pinned all over the walls. Jieun's bed is a simple wooden frame painted white, and glow-in-the-dark stars are stuck to the ceiling above. A wooden dresser is pushed into the corner where Jieun and Jungwon stand. Toys and dolls are scattered on the sheep carpet (oh God, a sheep carpet, Ni-ki is going to squeal from cuteness), and there is a singular picture frame standing on the bedside table.
"No, you don't have to go outside," Jungwon tells her patiently and opens her dresser, "You can stay at home when I go to the grocery store later, but I still want you dressed properly."
"But I'm not even going anywhere," Jieun protests, deadpan. Still, she opens her dresser and pulls out comfortable pants and a little sweater with a cat print. This will be the death of Ni-ki. He can't look at a cute kid with a shirt with an even cuter animal that resembles her a little too much and simply not be devastated. "Can papa help me dress?"
"Who," Jungwon responds, just as deadpan as Jieun. "Do I have a new name now?"
Jieun, without saying a word but with a blank face, stretches her short arm and points a chubby finger at Ni-ki. No. Her face morphs into an almost upset sulk. Oh God. She's so cute. Ni-ki will gladly be her papa.
"Can I?" Ni-ki asks, maybe a little too eagerly. Come on, Ni-ki. Don't be a creep, you just want to babysit and maybe adopt her. Maybe with force. No.
"As long as she gets changed," Jungwon relents with a sigh and steps back so Ni-ki can crouch in front of Jieun. He helps her pull down the zipper of her onesie and holds her pants to the height of her knees so she can comfortably step into the pant legs, but nothing more. Jieun is capable of putting on the sweatshirt by herself.
"Thank you!" she chirps and plants a shy kiss on his cheek. No! This is devastating! He has no other choice but to adopt her.
Jieun is oblivious to his mental breakdown. While Ni-ki is still crouched on the sheep carpet's face, she pads past him into the hallway and returns with the box of pop tarts in her hands. She holds it up without a word to show it to Jungwon and grins proudly. Jungwon doesn't react.
After a few seconds of waiting, Jieun lowers the box with the most tired sigh a six-year-old can manage, carried by an exhaustion of years she couldn't have lived yet, and states, "Pop tarts."
"I can see them," Jungwon hums, teasing. A smile plays around his lips. "Isn't our guest nice to bring a gift?"
"He is," Jieun agrees, and Ni-ki almost squeals from delight. She thinks he's nice! That's a good sign for him, isn't it? That means he can become her babysitter. "Can we make them?"
"Will you stop being grumpy then?" Jungwon asks her and fakes a pout. Cute. Adorable. Ni-ki wants to kiss him.
"I'm not grumpy," Jieun grumbles, grumpy. "We're making pop tarts." She says it with as much finality and authority as a six-year-old can manage and shakes the box. Then, as if to add an afterthought, she turns around to Ni-ki, bats her eyelashes at him and asks,
"Please, papa?"
'Anything you want.'
He can't say it out loud, of course. Ni-ki is physically and mentally stronger than a child.
"Let's go!"
He almost had it.
—
Okay, so turns out Ni-ki should have watched the pop tarts in the toaster because Jungwon's toaster is so old that it doesn't catapult the pop tarts into space like Ni-ki's does. Which is a shame. He wasn't aware that some toasters don't give everyone a jump-scare. Or that they can burn the pop tarts. And the toaster.
"I'll buy you a new one!"
He's on his knees, pleading for forgiveness. Above him, Jungwon and Jieun stand with their arms crossed in front of their chests and are glaring down at him. He ruined both, the pop tarts and a perfectly fine (if not a little impractical and old-fashioned) toaster, and now he has to pay the price. With his life. Metaphorically, because they wouldn't actually kill him, but also literally because Ni-ki won't be able to afford a new toaster unless he doesn't buy groceries for the entire month until his next paycheque – and that will be in three weeks. Maybe he'll have to take a loan for the toaster. Great. Toaster dept on top of student debt. Ni-ki will start into his real adult life and his real adult job with real adult debt.
"It's okay," Jungwon relents with a sigh and un-crosses his arms. His stance is a lot less threatening now (not that Ni-ki felt very threatened, even an angry Jungwon is a cute Jungwon), and Ni-ki almost relaxes. Until he sees Jieun's glare still fixed on him. "I wanted to buy a new one anyway. At least it didn't happen when I wasn't home to put the fire out."
It will haunt Ni-ki in his dreams. The fire suddenly sprouting from the slits of the toaster, long after he already noticed the smell of smoke but just couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, and Jungwon rushing to the kitchen counter to throw a wet towel over the flames to extinguish the flames. Jieun's shrieks sound in the background. Ni-ki is somewhere between dead and alive.
"I can pay for it," Ni-ki offers, because that's only the right thing to suggest. He broke the toaster; he can buy a new one. If he borrows some money from shady loan sharks and sells his liver. "The toaster, and more pop tarts."
"Next time you come," Jieun demands, glances at Jungwon, and uncrosses her arms, too. "Well, it's almost time for proper lunch. So, no sweets for now."
Ni-ki gapes at her. She's so responsible. Ni-ki is twenty-and-a-half years old, and he still doesn't care about whether or not he should have sweets before mealtime. What kind of parenting style is this and why is it successful? How come Jay hasn’t tried this parenting style on Ni-ki yet? (No wait, Jay is not his dad.)
“You’re right,” Jungwon agrees and pats her head. Fuck. Ni-ki wants that, too. A pat on the head. “Should we make lunch? Ni-ki, are you staying?” He looks up at Ni-ki with glistening eyes, anticipating. He has a gentle smile on his lips, as if it’s no big deal for Ni-ki to stay. For lunch. They’d have lunch together, like a family. Oh, he is so going to marry into this family.
“If it’s no hassle,” he agrees and successfully dials down the enthusiasm. “I just met this lovely young lady after all.” He smiles at down at Jieun. She returns a wide grin, even after he burnt her pop tarts. And her toaster. He's still very sorry for that. Maybe, children aren't so cruel after all.
"Then come help," Jungwon says and turns to the kitchen. Jieun follows him with a skip to her step, cheerfully despite Ni-ki almost burning down her home.
He scrambles to his feet and jumps the few steps into the kitchen, where Jungwon is already pulling fresh ingredients out of the fridge. Ni-ki peers inside, just because he's curious, and spots a few milk boxes, some tomatoes, the staple jar of kimchi in every Korean household, a bag of beansprouts, some carrots and onions. Meat. Lots of it. Jungwon takes out a package of beef.
"Can you peel the potatoes with Jieun?" he asks Ni-ki and nods into the direction of the small dining table where Jieun is already laying out old newspaper as cover. "Curry is fine, right?"
A man who cooks, and he cooks Japanese dishes? They're fated.
"Sure."
Ni-ki skips over to Jieun who's already struggling to lift the bag of potatoes onto the table with her little hands, so he comes to help her. She mutters a quiet "thank you", as if sulking and climbs onto the chair closest to the wall – and the family portrait on it. When Ni-ki turns back around after receiving two peelers, one made for children, smaller and with a plastic blade that doesn't flop around like with a normal peeler, she is sulking.
"Everything okay?" he asks her and sits down opposite of her. She takes the peeler from him without a word and sighs.
"She likes to be independent," Jungwon explains chuckling and turns around to smile at her, "Isn't that right, princess?"
"Yes," she confirms and picks up a potato. She turns it around in her hands with a scrutinising gaze and frowns. "The potatoes aren't heavy. Appa, they're small today!" She holds the potato up to show it to Jungwon with a shocked gasped.
"Yeah, it's a baby potato," Jungwon laughs. Ni-ki doesn't laugh. He also knows that small potatoes are cheaper than big potatoes. "It's you!"
"I'm not a baby potato." Jieun starts to peel the potato.
One quick glance at Jungwon and his amused smile is all it needs for Ni-ki to quickly turn away from him and pick up his own baby potato to peel, red in the face. Is it hot in this apartment? It must be, it's summer. The AC isn't turned on.
Jungwon snorts, unimpressed, but he seems to turn his attention back to the carrots on the kitchen counter, as well as the pot he puts on the stove to slowly bring the water to a boil. Ni-ki makes the grand decision of stealing another glance at him and his back. Yeah. Big mistake. Very big mistake.
He moves. Specifically, his back moves. Again.
Ni-ki tears his eyes away from Jungwon and tries to focus on peeling the baby potatoes. He is more or less successful with it. It's a lot easier to focus on Jieun swinging her legs under the table, her socked feet brushing against his knees with every kick, than the trembling of his hands, or the repeated thoughts of 'Don't stare, staring is creepy'. Heeseung once told him that Ni-ki had a staring problem – still has, apparently. And that it's very creepy. And Ni-ki doesn't want to be a creep, because what creep would be hired as a babysitter?
"Papa," Jieun calls out to him, and when Ni-ki looks up, she has a neat pile of flawlessly peeled potatoes in front of her, "Are you making chips with that?"
Ni-ki looks down to his own hands, the turquoise peeler in his left, a halved baby potato in his right. A bunch of thin potato slices on the newspaper. Great. Now he can't even peel potatoes anymore. Damn you, Yang Jungwon's attractive back.
"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," he laughs nervously and puts the potato down. It looks very sad. Sorry, baby potato. When he looks back at Jungwon again, he's already cut up the carrots and cubed the beef into bite sized chunks. "Can I help with anything else instead? I promise, I'm usually more useful."
"You can make the rice in the microwave," Jungwon constructs him patiently, and the already smoothed edges of his expression soften even more. Ni-ki jumps up from his seat eagerly as Jieun also climbs off her chair to bring her pile of potatoes to the sink to wash them. The packs of rice are neatly stacked inside a cupboard, next to colourful plastic cups. Ni-ki pulls three packs out and rips one of the lids open halfway, is already reaching for the handle of the microwave door over the oven, when Jungwon's hand stops him and gently wraps around his wrist. Tries to wrap around his wrist. Because his hand is so small, and Ni-ki's wrist is technically speaking very thin, but also not that thin.
"You know how to use a microwave, right?" Jungwon asks him teasingly and turns on the tap without looking. Jieun clambers up a little plastic stool that was leaning against the kitchen counter and starts washing her potatoes and Ni-ki's half-a-potato. Ni-ki keeps staring at Jungwon. Jungwon, and his beautiful smirk, and his tiny hand almost wrapping around Ni-ki's wrist.
"Yes," he answers after what feels like an eternity, breathless and weak, "No more attempts to burn down your kitchen. Unless I manually have to stop the microwave, too."
"Nope," Jungwon says, satisfied, and lets go of Ni-ki's wrist. He already mourns the little warmth his hand gave him. "It's fully automatic."
"Great."
"Awesome."
"Wonderful."
Jungwon stares at him, and Ni-ki stares back. Or maybe Ni-ki stares at him, and Jungwon stares back. He's not sure who started staring, but neither of them are stopping.
"Appa, the water – !"
—
Group Chat: NO MOVING OUT XX
Kim Oosun:
hows it going @Ni-ki
Ni-ki:
great!
i am having a gay panic unlike anybody else who has ever gay panicked
we're having lunch together in a bit
Ice princess:
thats so cute!
i and my man are also having lunch rn
Dad hyung:
it's "my man and I" or "me and my man"
Ice princess:
my man tells you to stfu
Kim Oosun:
tell your man to never tell my man to stfu ever again
Ice princess:
my man wants me to tell you
"no."
Ni-ki:
well MY man knows how to cook japanese!
we're destined
fated
i almost burnt down his apartment
and now i'm hiding in the bathroom to freak out
Dad hyung:
WHAT ㅠㅠ
Ice princess:
NIKI NOOOOO
Ni-ki:
his toaster doesn't pop ㅠㅠ
whose toaster doesn't pop??? ㅠㅠ
Dad hyung:
literally ours?
Ni-ki:
and how am I supposed to know that ,':|
i never toast anything
Ice princess:
hey niki
how long have you been in the bathroom
Ni-ki:
10 ish mins
Kim Oosun:
STFU
HES GONNA THINK YOURE POOPING
Ni-ki:
FUCK
—
Lunch is fun. It's almost too easy to imagine that this is Ni-ki's daily life instead of a test for him, with the smell of curry wafting through the apartment, Jieun in front of him, and Jungwon between them, seated around the small prop up dining table while Jieun happily chats away about her friends at pre-school. Ni-ki has heard more names than he can remember by this point, and Jieun doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Doesn't matter, Ni-ki is invested in the pre-school drama anyway.
In fact, he is so invested in Jieun's retelling of Wonhee sneaking away during nap time while the teacher wasn't looking that he doesn't realise that Jungwon hasn't reacted to anything that she'd said for a while now. It's only when he feels a finger dig into the side of his mouth that he notices.
He glances to the side and comes face to face with Jungwon. Their noses are almost touching. Ni-ki can feel Jungwon's breath on his lips, as well as the thumb he's got hooked into basically his mouth. He can count each of Jungwon's eyelashes as he blinks slowly at him.
"Sorry," Jungwon apologises softly and leans back, retracts his hand, "Habit. You had curry there."
Fuck.
Ni-ki ducks his head away from Jungwon's wide-eyed stare, embarrassed. How messy of an eater does he have to be for Jungwon to wipe his mouth for him like he's a toddler? Crap.
Jungwon should really turn on the AC.
"It's cool," he croaks and coughs awkwardly to clear his throat. "Thanks."
"No problem. It's, uh, cute."
Nobody says anything for a few moments. Only the ticking of the clock on the wall can be heard in the room, and the incredibly awkward silence that stretches on forever.
Jungwon is staring at him. Ni-ki only knows because he's also staring at him.
It's only when Jieun speaks up that their staring contest ends (and the tension is cut), because she just has to ask the most embarrassing thing to ever ask someone,
"Are you gonna kiss?"
Jungwon starts coughing up his lungs. Ni-ki falls out of his chair in shock.
—
"Thank you for today," Ni-ki says on his way out and fixes the strap of his backpack to prevent it from slipping of his shoulders. He's already back out on the hallway, the summer sun piercing down on the back of his head with its death rays. Jungwon is smiling at him sheepishly and nods.
"It was very nice," he agrees and taps his fingers against the door he's holding. Shit. Ni-ki should go, it's clear that he has overstayed his welcome. "So... I'll see you again on Monday?"
Ni-ki gapes in surprise. He left such a bad impression. First the burning toaster, then the potato, then his eating habits. Surely, he can't mean –
"Papa has to come back!" Jieun insists and tugs at Jungwon's shirt. "He will, right?"
"Yeah," he confirms breathlessly and exhales, "Yeah, I'll be back on Monday." Jungwon's reaction is beautiful. Ni-ki wishes he could've filmed it, the grin spreading across his face, his dimples appearing, a faint pink tint blooming across his cheeks. He holds his breath.
"Monday then," Jungwon says, still grinning.
"Monday then," Ni-ki echoes and nods. "Bye."
"Bye."
"Bye-bye!"
Ni-ki looks down at Jieun, sweet, happy Jieun and her grin that looks just like her father's, and her sparkling eyes that still hold all of the youthful innocence a child can have. He crouches down to give her a tiny high five for her chubby hands and can't help the excited giggle that escapes his lips.
"I'll bring more pop tarts," he promises her, "And I won't burn them this time."
"Good!" she laughs and high fives him again.
—
Group Chat: NO MOVING OUT XX
Ni-ki:
I LANDED THE JOB
I CAN PROVIDE FOR US NOW
Dad hyung:
CONGRATS!!!!
ayyy, good job man
Kim Oosun:
incredible
we can finally eat real food
Ice princess:
we already were eating real food
Kim Oosun:
you were sponsored by your sugar daddy
Ice princess:
my man is not my sugar daddy.
Ni-ki:
enough about your man
I WILL SEE THE LOML AGAIN
Kim Oosun:
whipped
Dad hyung:
^
Ice princess:
^
—
"I landed the job!"
Ni-ki bursts into the convenience store thinking that he'll see Heeseung behind the counter. Instead, he comes face to face with Jay, dressed totally inappropriately for work in a convenience store. In a black sleeveless and black slacks. Who the heck pairs slacks with a sleeveless? Only Jay.
"Oh, Jay-hyung."
"Hey, kiddo," Jay greets him nonchalantly, not looking up from his textbook as Ni-ki walks up to the counter and throws his backpack into the backpack corner. "Are you quitting?"
"No," Ni-ki huffs and looks around for a box of strawberry milk behind the counter. Nothing. "I just have to take the late shifts from now on. I gotta babysit in the afternoon now." Jay looks up with a curious expression and his ever-present pout on his pushing his lips out.
"Babysitting?" he asks and leans back on the stool, straightens his hunched back. "Ah, for Jungwon?"
Ni-ki wants to say 'yes'. Instead, for some reason, he says,
"Did you know I'm in love with him?"
And it all just goes downhill from there on. For Jay's ears.
[+]
"You have to call Ni-ki 'oppa', Jieun," Jungwon sighs as he tucks the covers to her chin. She's been sulking all afternoon long, and now it's way past her bedtime and they're really still arguing about it.
"But I want him to be papa," she pouts and hardly suppresses a yawn. The lights are dimmed, only her little moon nightlight turned on, and her eyes flutter shut the longer she tries to stay awake. "Why can't he be papa?"
"Because he's not," Jungwon tells her firmly and smooths the wrinkles out of her covers, "But that would be nice, right?"
"Yeah," she agrees mumbling and smiles tiredly, already slipping into the land of dreams, "Papa is very nice."
"Oppa, Jieun," Jungwon corrects her with a disbelieving laugh. This kid of his, really. "He's your oppa." Jieun whines quietly in protest and wriggles away from him.
"Fine," she relents grumpily and huffs, "Oppa."
"Good girl." Jungwon presses a kiss to her cheek, and then another. He stands up from her bed with heavy limbs and turns to leave her room, but before he does, he turns around for one last time of the day to look at her tiny form wrapped up on her children's bed. At the glowing stars sticking to her ceiling, to the sheep nightlight that Jungwon himself used to fall asleep with.
He remembers it all too well, being tucked in by his grandma and falling asleep to the footsteps of his parents returning home from work. Both of his parents. Jieun should have that, too. Two parents and a loving grandma and everything she could ever ask for and more.
"Good night, princess," he whispers, and receives no response. Jieun is already asleep. "I love you so much."