Fisherman AU
Onew lives in a small community next to a river with his six-year-old son, Taemin. He’s a fisherman, he catches most of the fish that’s sold at the local market, and he’s been teaching Taemin how to fish so he can start helping him with the business once he’s older. Taemin loves it, doesn’t even whine or complain when Onew wakes him up before dawn on the weekends so they can go out fishing. Taemin does, however, insist that Onew carry him from the house and over to small dock on the river where they keep their boat. Onew doesn’t mind.
“Tomorrow you have scouts right after school,” Onew tells Taemin while they eat dinner on Sunday night. “Don’t forget to pack your uniform so you can change after school, okay?”
“I already packed it!” Taemin tells him, grinning. Onew grins back.
“Then can you help me do the dishes after dinner?” Onew asks.
“Yes!”
They continue talking while they eat dinner - fish they caught that morning with vegetables that Onew grows in the backyard. After dinner, Taemin stands on a chair and dries the plates after Onew washes them.
“You have an hour before bath time,” Onew tells him when they’re done, “so do you want to watch TV, or do you want to try and play chess again?”
“Chess,” Taemin insists. “I want you to teach me.”
Onew smiles; he’s been teaching Taemin how to play chess the last couple weeks, and he’s coming along rather well. He’s watched Onew play against his friends, and he’s always been very interested in it. But after half an hour of chess on the back deck, Taemin squishes his cheeks in his hands and pouts at Onew.
“Daddy, can I play soccer instead?” he asks.
“Sure, baby. Just help me put the pieces back first, okay?”
“Okay!” Taemin is quick to put the pieces back in the bag, and then he moves to hang off Onew’s arm. “Will you play with me?”
“Come on,” Onew laughs, picking Taemin up to carry him down the steps. “Let’s play away from the garden.”
Taemin has a habit of accidentally hitting the ball right into the garden. It’s never a big deal, but he always gets very worried when it happens. Onew has assured him plenty of times that his soccer ball isn’t likely to hurt any of the plants, but Taemin says he doesn’t want to take any chances.
At seven o’clock, after half an hour of kicking the soccer ball around, Onew marches Taemin right into the bathroom to give him his bath. It’s twenty minutes of hair washing and giggling at bubbles, but then Onew gets Taemin in his pajamas and brings him out to the living room to read him a story on the couch. Taemin starts dozing off around eight, and he snuggles inside the blanket Onew wrapped around the both of them. That’s when Onew whispers that it’s bedtime, and he carries Taemin into his bedroom to put him down and tuck him into bed. Taemin instantly grabs at the teddy bear that was on his pillow, and he doesn’t even open his eyes.
“Nightlight,” he whispers, hugging his bear close to his chest.
“It’s already on, baby,” Onew whispers, pulling the blankets up around Taemin’s shoulders. “Sleep tight, Taeminnie.”
“Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” Taemin mumbles back, and Onew chuckles a bit.
Before he goes to bed himself, Onew makes sure all the doors and windows are locked, and he checks in on Taemin one last time. He finds him fast asleep, and Onew smiles at him. He also leaves the hall light on, and Taemin’s door slightly ajar.
