When you overhear the declaration, with so much certainty, you can’t help but laugh. This wasn’t the first time that Jackson had said this, it was just the first time he’d said it to someone other than you. It still seemed to ridiculous no matter how many times you heard it.
The boys were over on one of their free days. Nowadays, a lot of their free time was spent here, and the majority of that reason was to do with the bundle of joy you’d added to their family unit not too long ago. They wouldn’t miss out on the chance to spend time with their favourite nephew.
And now, they were to bear witness to Jackson’s crazy theory.
“He doesn’t hate you,” you insisted. Jackson continued to look unconvinced, lips pressed together into a straight line. “He doesn’t,” you persisted, and reached out to brush his hair back from his face.
“What makes you think that Chao hates you?” Yugyeom questioned, rolling his lips to hide his grin.
You stood up, brush down your skirt to straighten it and announce, “I’ll show you.”
Your son was nearly one, and you cannot believe it has been nearly a year since he first came into the world. It seemed like it was both a lifetime ago and only yesterday that you were heavily pregnant with backaches and itchy nipples and struggling with the added pressure of having an idol’s first child. It was still hard – parenting was a completely different experience than you’d ever really expected – but you wouldn’t trade anything for the time you’ve had.
Chao is playing in the middle of the room, on his playmat with his toys carefully placed around him. He was babbling to himself, only sometimes forming actual words but otherwise keeping himself thoroughly entertained. He was like his father in that way – he couldn’t stand the silence and loved hearing himself. In the future, you might be in for a hard time but at this day, it’s nothing short of adorable.
“Cho, Cho,” you called to him, and your son looked up. He waved at you and repeated the word “mama, mama, mama” until you picked him up to settle on your hip.
Chao is the copy of his father – the same soft browned skin, the same wide eye shape holding a look so expressive. He even had the same offended expression, mouth open, eyes wide that both father and son manage to make adorable. But Chao has your chubby cheeks, your cupid’s bow, and your nose, that Jackson said scrunched up in the exact same way as you when he was upset about something.
You cooed at your son, nuzzling into his cheek with the tip of your nose, and he bounced in your arms, legs beginning to straighten in his excitement. A mama’s boy this one.
“Okay, watch,” you instructed and turned to beam at your boy, “Kisses.”
“Kisses,” Chao echoed, the word thick with his heavy tongue. You pressed your lips to his cheek quickly.
Jackson pushed himself to his feet and approached his small family. His hands went to your waist almost automatically. “Kisses,” he said.
“Kisses,” Chao copied and angled himself towards his father. Jackson blew a raspberry into his soft cheek to make him giggle.
“Kisses,” Jackson repeated, looking at you. He shuffled closer, made to brush your lips together when –
“No!” An indignant shout from your arms and little hands are pushing against Jackson’s chest.
“Yes,” he persisted and leaned in again to the same result – Chao’s shout, shoving at his chest and a pouty face.
“Kisses,” you said and peppered kisses onto his cheek. “Kisses.” But when you tilt your head upwards for Jackson to reach –
“No!”
Again, the same thing happened. You snorted into Chao’s cheek, shoulders shaking as you tried to suppress your laughter. Beyond Jackson’s shoulder, you saw the boys sniggered and smiled, wide and gummy.
“Come on dude,” Jackson whined. Chao pushed his bottom lip out, wavered and then turned to put his face into your neck.
He tried one more time, and once he was rewarded with an assured slap to his jaw by his son, he stepped back and gestured towards the boy in your arms.
“See, hate.”
Jackson flopped back into his chair and was greeted by jeers and mocking aww’s. Jinyoung patted his stomach with a patronising grin on his face.
“He just wants what’s best for his mama, don’t you?” you teased, and Chao laughed happily, kicked his legs and snuggled closer.
“I helped bring him into this world, why does he have to do this to me?” Jackson complained. Mark put his head into his hood so that it would muffle his laughter.
“Helped,” you arched one eyebrow, “More like featured.”
Jaebum threw his head back when he laughed and batted at the pillow Jackson threw at him in retaliation. Chao cackled and bounced in place.
“Yes baby, daddy’s being silly, isn’t he?” you mocked and Chao repeated the words “’illy daddy” a few times before laughing again.
“Kisses for Uncle JB,” you said and move closer. JB beamed when Chao said his name – “JayBee, JayBee, JayBee” – and took him into his arms, happily kissing his cheek.
“Kisses for Chao,” JB said and kissed the boy again.
“Kisses,” Chao repeated and spun to face BamBam, pushing his lips out into a kissy face.
“Kisses for the little man,” BamBam nodded seriously and accepted the affection offered.
“Hey, no fair,” Youngjae complained, moved onto his knees so he was sitting in front of JB and put his hand on Chao’s back so the boy turned to look at him. He grinned his sunshine smile and Chao returned it – he always smiled when Youngjae was around. “Kisses,” Youngjae declared.
“Kisses,” the baby boy nodded dutifully and rocked forward to mush his face into Youngjae’s jaw.
It was moments like this that made you feel warm on the inside. Things were hard at the beginning – the suddenness of the new responsibility in your life, the unexpected love you felt for a man who you had to share with so many others, the amount of contact between these two different worlds. But in times like these, those hardships meant nothing because your boy – both of them, big and little – were loved and cared for and always would be.
Mark was climbing over Yugyeom to get to his favourite kid, repeating that he’s “hyung and besides, Chao likes me best”, who in turn was crushing Youngjae between JB’s legs and his stomach in the urgency to get to Chao before Mark does. Youngjae complained loudly but was ignored. Jinyoung avoided the chaos altogether by moving around the back of the sofa to lean over JB, but every time he moved closer to join in the game, Bam’s was there to put his hand over his hyung’s face and shove him back, taking the kisses for himself.
It was completely ridiculous and yet.
Jackson’s hand went to your hips and urged you back onto the sofa with him, settling between his legs. His arms wrapped around you and his chin lowered to rest on your shoulder. Your body curved into him and his warmth, your own hands moving to rest on his, fingers stroking unidentified patterns into his forearm.
“Love you,” Jackson murmured into the shell of your ear.
You turn your head to bump your nose into his cheek. “Love you too.”
He moved his head. You felt warmth breath on your lips and it makes you flick your tongue across your bottom lip in anticipation. He noticed, and the corner of his lips quirked upwards into a smug smirk. You might have elbowed him for such a thing but then his nose his brushing against yours and he’s so close to closing the distance and –
“No!”
Laughter bubbled and filled the room, even as you and Jackson jerk viciously apart, startled by the unexpected noise. In the mass of his uncle’s bodies, you can see Chao’s frowning face, eyebrows furrowed, nose scrunched. Mark had fallen backward in his amusement and Yugyeom had followed, bringing Youngjae down with him as they clung to each other and belly laughed. Jinyoung was bracing himself against the back of the sofa. Jaebum had folded in on himself and BamBam was trying to get Chao to high-five him.
Jackson groaned loudly, unhappily, and buried his face in the back of your neck. “Hate.” He hissed out.
You would have, once again, reassured him of that not being the case, but you were too busy smothering your own laughter to manage it.
vanilla chai latte: are you in love?with yugy’s long awaited haircut? hell yea i am!! but okay in reality i am not, at least not with someone that i am attracted to. so not yet !!
herbal tea: you’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?i love the pumpkin spice scented candles !! or a peach scented one~
