🍃 summary: after one reckless mistake too many, your parents send you away for the summer in hopes that a few months in the countryside with your grandmother might finally straighten you out. you fully intend to count down the days until you’re free again…right up until a bug loving little boy and his father begin making the mountains feel a little more like home.
❀ pairing: single dad!anton x f!reader
❀ genre: single parent au, slow burn, rich kid au, found family
❀ word count: 2.3k
⟶ chapter warnings: mentions of a flesh wound/blood. let me know if anything else!
🌱a/n: this is the last planned mini, unless a request is sent that can inspire a new one no more are in the outline to be written! main chapters are posted every friday at 12pm est.
m.list
This week, Minyoung’s science program is focused on photosynthesis, plants and the role they play in the environment. In the four days since the lesson began, he’s returned home each afternoon with another fact to share, explaining over dinner that trees clean the air and flowers help bees make the food everyone apparently needs to survive.
Also within those four days, he has managed to turn Anton’s garden into a classroom and laboratory.
You sit cross-legged in the grass beside Anton while Minyoung crouches on his other side in a pair of gardening gloves that are too large for his hands, the fingertips bending every time he tries to pick something up. He refuses to take them off though. According to him, real gardeners wear gloves and because Anton has his on Minyoung must wear his too.
“What does photosynthesis look like?” he asks, peering closely into the flower bed as Anton works around a row of hydrangeas.
Anton loosens the soil around its base with a small hand rake. “You can’t really see it happening. The leaves take in sunlight and carbon dioxide from the air then the roots absorb water from the soil. The plant uses all of that to make the energy it needs to grow.”
Minyoung’s brows furrow behind his glasses. “So sunlight is plant food?”
“Kind of, sunlight gives the plant the energy to make its own food.” Anton answers patiently.
“Why can’t people do that?”
“Because we don’t have chlorophyll.” He says calmly.
“Can we get chlorophyll?”
You glance at Anton, curious to see how he intends to handle that one but he only pauses long enough to consider his answer. “Not in a way that would help us the way it helps the plants.”
You snort at his genuine disappointment. He ignores you, already moving on. “Why do worms live in dirt?”
“Because it keeps them cool and gives them food,” Anton answers patiently, pressing one gloved hand into the ground to steady himself. “They eat things in the soil and while they move around, they make little tunnels that help air and water reach the roots.”
Minyoung nods, absorbing the information as if a pop quiz is at the end of this. “Do plants breathe underground?”
“Not the same way we do, but the roots need oxygen.”
“Can roots drown?”
“They can.”
“Do flowers know when it’s raining?”
Anton pauses, glancing toward him. “They don’t know the way people know things but they respond to water and sunlight.”
Minyoung considers that for several seconds before asking, “Do they get scared too when there’s thunder?”
You lower your face to hide a smile, already anticipating Anton’s answer. He never dismisses any of Minyoung’s questions, no matter how many or how strange they become. He gives each one the same careful attention, sometimes admitting that he doesn’t know and promising they can look it up later.
“I don’t think plants get scared but storms can damage them, so we protect the ones that need help.” Anton says eventually.
Minyoung looks toward the flowers, his expression looking concerned. “How?”
“Well lots of ways, one of them is we can move smaller pots somewhere covered.”
Satisfied, Minyoung turns back to the dirt and begins digging a hole beside one Anton has already made, though his is barely deep. Anton watches him for a moment then reaches over and gently adjusts the angle of the shovel without taking it from him.
You have contributed almost nothing to the gardening so far. Anton invited you over after Minyoung returned from his program and wanted nothing more than to lean about the plants with his daddy and noona. So now you’ve spent most of the afternoon sitting between them while Anton explains roots, soil acidity and why some plants need more sun than others.
You told yourself you came because Minyoung asked. That explanation becomes harder to maintain each time your attention drifts away from the flowers and toward Anton instead.
The sleeves of his shirt are pushed to his elbows, exposing his forearms every time he reaches into the garden bed. There’s a faint smear of dirt along one cheek that neither he nor Minyoung has noticed and his hair keeps falling over his forehead whenever he leans forward. Every few minutes he brushes it back with his wrist only for it to fall into the same place again.
“Noona,” Minyoung says.
You blink. “Hm?”
He stares at you through his glasses. “Daddy asked you something.”
Your gaze shifts toward Anton, who is already looking at you ammused. “I asked if you could pass me the shears.”
“Oh!” You reach toward the small collection of tools spread over the grass and pick up the first thing that looks correct.
Anton glances at what you’re holding. “Those are pruning scissors.”
You look between the tool and him. “Is that not what you asked for?”
“The shears are beside your knee.”
You lower your eyes and find them less than an inch from your leg. Minyoung lets out a small sigh, visibly disappointed in your performance as a gardening assistant.
“You’re not paying attention, noona.” He informs you.
“I am paying attention!” You defend.
“What did Daddy say about roots?”
You open your mouth then close it again. Anton’s smile widens.
“They…” You glance toward the flower bed as if the answer might be written somewhere in the dirt. “They’re underground…?”
Minyoung stares at you while Anton laughs softly and holds out his hand. “Shears, ____.”
You pick them up and pass them ove. His gloved fingers brush yours when he takes them and the contact leaves warmth trailing across your knuckles.
Minyoung immediately begins asking another question about whether flowers can grow without soil. Anton explains hydroponics while trimming away a few wilted stems, showing him where to cut without damaging the healthy growth beneath it. Minyoung leans close enough that Anton eventually places one hand against his shoulder and gently moves him back from the blades.
“Can I try?” Minyoung asks.
“Not with these.”
His face falls. “Why?”
“They’re sharp.” Anton tries to reason.
“I’ll be careful!” Minyoung whines.
“I know but your hands are too small to control them properly.” Anton sets the shears down and reaches for a smaller hand rake instead. “You can loosen the soil around this one.”
Minyoung accepts the replacement reluctantly. He begins scraping at the dirt with far more force than necessary, muttering something about being old enough for sharp tools.
You reach for the shears before Anton can move them farther away. “I’ll do it.”
Anton raises one brow. “You?”
Minyoung looks between the two of you. “But noona wasn’t listening before! Why does she get to use them!”
“Thank you, Minyoung,” you say flatly.
Anton tries to hide his smile by turning back toward the flowers. “Only cut the brown ones. Leave anything green.”
You shift onto your knees and lean closer to the plant, studying the cluster he indicated. You hold up the wilted flower and cut with a pleased little smile.
You turn to the two ready to be praised but see that Minyoung is already distracted by a beetle crawling near his shoe. Anton however, looks over. “Good job.”
The praise is so simple and sincere that it makes your cheeks heat. You turn back toward the plant before he can see it on your face and reach for another dead stem.
Minyoung gasps from beside Anton. “Daddy, look!”
Anton bends toward the insect while Minyoung points excitedly, launching into a rushed explanation of what he thinks it might be. You glance over too, slightly interested in the way Minyoung rapid fires potential species.
Unfortunately for you, you’ve never been good at multitasking. The blades close against the side of your finger instead of the stem. A sharp sting shoots through your hand and you suck in a breath, dropping the wilted flower into the grass. You stare down at your finger, watching a thin line of red appear along the skin before blood begins gathering.
Anton is still answering Minyoung’s question and so neither of them notices. You clench your first to sotp the bleeding, annoyed more than anything. It hurts but not enough to justify interrupting Minyoung’s excitement or making Anton stop what he’s doing. You turn the shears handle-first and hold them out to Anton when he turns back for them.
He takes them without looking, continuing to listen to Minyoung’s hypotheses. You tuck your injured hand against your lap and press harder, trying to dull the sting.
For a few seconds, it works but then Minyoung’s eyes shift toward you. His entire expression changes. “Daddy!” he says suddenly.
Anton glances over. “Hm?”
“Noona’s bleeding!”
Anton’s head turns quickly and the shears drop. His eyes find your curled hand then the small trail of blood that has slipped between your fingers and reached the side of your palm dirtying your skirt.
“It’s a small cut,” you say immediately.
He reaches for your wrist. “You’re bleeding.”
“Barely.” You say waving him off with your good hand.
Anton carefully uncurls your fingers and examines the cut, his mouth pulling into a faint frown. Minyoung shifts closer on his knees, trying to see around Anton’s arm.
“Is it bad?” he asks.
“No,” Anton reassures him, though his attention remains on your hand. “Go get the first-aid kit for me please. It’s under the sink in the downstairs bathroom.”
Minyoung nods once, his face becoming intensely serious at the assignment. He scrambles to his feet, nearly trips over his own feet and races toward the house before Anton can remind him not to run.
You watch him disappear through the back door. “That seems excessive.”
Anton rises and keeps hold of your wrist. “Let’s go inside.”
“Anton, it’s literally a tiny cut!” You try to reason.
“And it needs to be cleaned.”
You allow him to pull you to your feet and walk you into the house and straight toward the kitchen, his hand remaining loosely wrapped around your wrist the entire way. At the sink, Anton removes his gardening gloves and turns on the faucet. He tests the water with his fingers before guiding your hand beneath it.
The cold stings enough to make you flinch. Anton’s eyes lift immediately. “Sorry.”
“I’m fine.”
He keeps your finger beneath the water and uses his thumb to carefully clean away the blood around the cut. Once it is clear enough to inspect, he turns your hand slightly beneath the kitchen light.
“It looks like a flesh wound,” he says.
You stare at him. “A flesh wound?”
He hums. “It’s shallow but we should bandage it so it doesn’t get infected.”
Before you can answer, rapid footsteps pound down the hallway. “Daddy! Daddy, I got it!”
Minyoung appears around the corner carrying the first-aid kit with both arms wrapped around it. One of his gardening gloves is still on while the other is missing entirely.
Anton turns off the water and reaches for a clean towel. “Thank you, buddy.”
Minyoung lifts the kit toward him proudly. Anton takes it and sets it on the kitchen island while you sit on one of the stools, holding the towel around your finger.
Minyoung immediately begins climbing onto the island beside you.
“Minyoung, not on the counter.” Anton says, opening the kit.
Minyoung places one knee onto it anyway. “But noona’s hurt!”
“Yes, and I don’t want you to be next. Feet on the floor please.”
Minyoung pauses just long enough to look at him then lifts himself the rest of the way onto the island, outright disobeying him. Anton fixes him with a stern look. Minyoung ignores it completely in favor of scooting closer to you, pressing his shoulder against your arm and rubbing one small hand slowly up and down your side. “Deep breaths, noona,” he says.
You look down at him. “Deep breaths?”
He nods. “That’s what Daddy tells me when I get hurt.”
Across from you, Anton takes the towel from your hand and checks the cut again before opening a small antiseptic wipe. You press your lips together, fighting the laugh threatening to escape. Minyoung looks genuinely worried, his brows pulled together while he continues rubbing your arm.
“I’m fine, bug,” you assure him.
Minyoung nods again. “Daddy’s taking good care of you.”
Your eyes flick toward Anton. He doesn’t look up, focused on cleaning the cut but you notice the small smile across his face as he reaches into the first-aid kit for a bandage.
He peels away the wrapper and wraps it carefully around your finger, smoothing the edges down with his thumb. “There, all done.” He says.
Before you can pull your hand away, Minyoung takes it between both of his and leans forward. He presses a small kiss directly over the bandage then looks up at you. “Daddy does that for all my boo-boos.”
You glance at Anton, who has decided to busy himself with cleaning up the wound supplies. Minyoung releases your hand only to place one of his own against your thigh. His face turns serious then. “Noona, you can’t use sharp things anymore,” he tells you. “You can only water the plants.”
You can’t help the laugh that leaves you this time.
Any time oc and anton start to be intimate, it is almost immediately interrupted by Jia's doings 😭😭 like after Minyoung's bday party and now when they're I'm Anton's office and Jia's lawyer shows up 
does jia know abt minyoung’s science fair project? has she offered to help him?
this is fully addressed in chapter 9 but no ! he did tell her about his summer program though. he didn’t ask her to help with the project bc it genuinely didn’t occur to him and she didn’t offer bc she didn’t know.
ngl i went into chap 7 blind I DIDNT READ ANYYY WARNING AND BOOYYY DO I TELL YOU I WAS SHOCKED AT THE B00BSUCKING WBAHABAHBAHABAAHBAHABAHAHABAH I LOVE IT THO! EVERY SINGLE MOMENT THEY HAVE IS ALWAYS INTERRUPTED ITS SO FUNNY
LMAOOO fun fact i had to tweak the outline so much bc i strayed so far from it 😭
WHY IS SHE SUING ANTON FCK SHE CHOOSE TO SIGN HER RIGHTS AWAYY OMFG UGH IM SOOOO MAD SHE SHOULD PROBABLY SPEND 24HOURS WITH MINYOUNG BEFORE ANYTHING UGHHH
would anton, minyoung and oc play pranks on each other?
yes! it’s mostly minyoung and ____ pulling pranks on anton while he pretends to be scared for minyoung’s sake. ____ and anton played a prank on minyoung once saying some of his beetles had escaped from their enclosure and it caused minyoung to cry because he was worried they would get hurt or someone would step on them.
he wasn’t very happy for the rest of the day after they revealed it was a prank.
