@‡ Jiyong Seunghyun felt the sting from Jiyong's words, whether it was fully intentional or not. He knew he hadn't been the greatest friend ever. He'd missed birthdays and sent a card late, he would turn up drunk or high on Jiyong's doorstep. To him Jiyong had always been the best friend he could count on and he had always thought that meant something, but how could it? In the end Jiyong had been looking out of him and Seunghyun had been selfish, he was scared he would make the mistake twice and lose another friend. He felt his face flush with a warmth that didn't seem natural. He sighed. How could he prove he was different now? That he had changed and was going to be a better friend? Seunghyun wasn't sure. "Usually, yeah... And I don't expect you to stop, but I want to try helping you. I'm sorry I'm not good at this stuff." His playful tone sank into a nervous laugh as Seunghyun rubbed at the back of his neck. "Mhmm. Name one time you said no and that one time can't be when I asked you to leave me sleeping in the bathtub, that doesn't count." Seunghyun retracted his hand back, rubbing at it from the light swat. He pulled the business card out of his pocket and pushed it across the counter in front of Jiyong. "There you go momma, call away." Wanting to make himself busy whilst Jiyong called his doctor, Seunghyun raided his friend's fridge, cracking open a can of coke whilst he listened to the other speak. He grumbled, having always been carefree it was hard for him to understand Jiyong. "Alright, you're fine. Don't stop, keel over and see what happens. Die of a heart attack young, that's what you want isn't it?" Seunghyun perched against the counter nearby, angrily sipping from the can in his hand. "Mhmm, you should take your own advice sometimes." He grumbled, the sound echoed inside the can as the older man pouted, brows furrowing at the thought of losing his friend.

With a roll of his eyes Seunghyun pulled his phone out and started typing away, since he knew Jiyong's address he could get some adult toys ordered out anyways. "I'm here dummy, you can take some time to you know whilst I'm hanging out with them. Or don't you trust me alone?" He glanced up, side eyeing Jiyong. "I can do it, let me prove it?" Seunghyun was determined to be the best uncle possible now that he was clean. If he wasn't sober he wouldn't have asked but since he was now he wanted to try. He knew he would never be able to pay Jiyong back for everything he had done for the man, but Seunghyun could at least try to be supportive. "Ah, yeah. The kids don't quite understand the nuances of drug taking." He cracked another joke, the first move of self-defence. "I hope they never get it. But it's nice to hear, I'll have to stop by more. If you see them before I do tell them I missed them too." Seunghyun eyed him up suspiciously when Jiyong mentioned relaxing, being well aware of the fact that the man's understanding of relaxing was very different from his. Seunghyun would smoke a joint and Jiyong would grab the vacuum, two very opposite ideals that seemed to co-exist.

"Ah, sorry baby." Seunghyun ruffled her hair some more with a smirk despite the apology. "Don't worry I'm the pilot of this ship, I've got this." He playfully teased, lowering her down closer to his face for kisses. He peppered them all over her precious face then lifted her back up, repeating the motion a few times until they were distracted by food. Slowly Seunghyun stirred awake with a grumbling drawl, wiping his face on his sleeve. With Jin still asleep the older man shifted around as slowly as he possibly could so he didn't wake Jiyong's precious son. "Hey, if you frown like that and the wind changes your face is gonna get stuck like that." He pointed out in a low whisper. "What are you thinking about?" He hid a sneaky yawn behind his hand.

@† Seunghyun Jiyong had had the exact opposite experience. He'd grown up seeing his father self destruct, because they lost his mother to cancer. She'd chosen to keep and deliver her son instead of getting that treatment that would've saved her life, so his father blamed him. He'd often called him a cancer that can only destroy. He'd believed it growing up too. He'd even thought he was the reason for Seunghyun's problems and it was only another in a long list of reasons he'd never admitted his feelings. It was also why when Wook left him, he thought he deserved it. The small man never believed he deserved happiness, but somehow he'd been blessed with his babies and he'd do anything for them. "You do remember that I'm usually the one taking care of you, right? And this isn't the first time I've ever taken care of myself when I'm sick. Now hush before I change my mind." He really didn't have the energy or mental bandwidth to argue today, even playfully. He did laugh and roll his eyes. "Yes. I would say no. I have in the past." And everytime I considered telling you how I feel about you. He wouldn't admit that aloud though. He shook his head. "Let me do it now, before I forget." Ji swatted his hand away once he was pushed down. "I'm fine. I still have children to take care of. I don't have time to stop." He could use some tea, so he didn't object. "Of course I think you can. And you will. You just need a good reason. Besides, when you feel the need to be a kid again, you have Jihye and Changjin to give you an easy excuse. And I'll help you grow up, but like I said, we'll take it slow. One day at a time."

Jiyong nodded. He knew it was a long time, but what could he do. Even his hand didn't help much anymore. "I'll be fine. With two toddlers running around, it's not like I can get myself off anyway and don't want strangers in my house. Plus, I don't have time to meet anyone since I spend all my free time with the twins." He shrugged. He didn't have any other option so he it up and ignored his needs. "Yes. They all asked when the last time I saw you was and how you were doing. Nuna knows while the girls just miss you. They all asked me to tell you hi and that you owe them a visit when you're better. The kids think you were sick." The sub just shook his head in amusement. If for no other reason, he'd keep the male around to make him laugh. "No. I'll just sit down for a bit and relax." He didn't really know how to turn himself "off" as he always did everything. Even as a kid, if he wasn't cooking or cleaning or being , he was getting beat, so all he knew was to be busy.

Hye puffed her cheeks and whined. "Uncle. Not my hair." She giggled and squealed loudly as he lifted and wiggled her. "Look mama! I'm fwying." Ji chuckled and nodded. "I see that baby girl. Make sure you don't crash." She just continued to giggle, oblivious to anything being wrong with her uncle. Everyone fell asleep except Ji. He just sat holding his little girl, thinking about what he was going to. He wanted Hyun to get better, but he knew that wouldn't be enough. The older man had to want it too. He was also wondering if there was any chance of getting Dami to keep the kids for a night when she and the girls got back, so he could go to the club and hopefully get laid.

@‡ Jiyong [SH] All of his life the elder had felt as though something was broken inside of him, Seunghyun just didn't get it despite how many times he tried to wrap his head around the idea of dating and soulmates. How did it make sense to be tied to one person forever? People weren't built like that. He had watched his father cheat on his mother over and over again. She was heartbroken, the two fought in front of Seunghyun over it countless times, and no matter what happened both of them were incapable of the level of devotion that they had promised each other. She would cheat on him, he would find out and cheat on her, they would confront each other. Seunghyun was never going to be like that, he was never going to force someone to love him and only him forever. It didn't feel right. Still, he had "dated" some friends in the past, they had called him their boyfriend but his behaviour hadn't really changed. He couldn't. He tried to remember anniversaries, tried to arrange dates, tried to remember to call them every single day, and damn, it was exhausting. "Yeah, yeah." Seunghyun playfully chuckled, feeling smug when he won. "A teddy bear would work but it isn't warm like you are, especially when you're sick you might need help during the night." Seunghyun attempted to be persuasive for no reason other than wanting to not sleep alone for tonight, wiggling his eyebrows at Jiyong. "Would you really say no to me?" He batted his lashes, knowing how dumb he looked but if he could goof off and make Jiyong laugh he would feel better about imposing on his ill friend. "I have his card, we can do it later though. I think you should relax for a bit and try not to do much, you're pretty pale right now." Seunghyun pulled out a barstool and lightly pushed Jiyong into it. "Let me make you a tea or something?" He didn't wait for an answer and started brewing the water, knowing his friend would refuse him. "Thanks Ji, you're right. I need to take it slow... do you think I can grow up?" He shot a worried look at Jiyong, checking for reassurance because even he didn't feel sure.

"2 years?!?" Seunghyun's mouth hung open at that, shock widened his eyes and his brows skyrocketed up his forehead. He couldn't imagine going without for two weeks let alone two years. "Jiyong. I'm worried about you." Seunghyun brought the tea over and sat it down in front of Jiyong. "I know you'll say no to my help but can I at least send you a toy or something to get off with? You'll get cranky otherwise." Propping his elbows up against the counter Seunghyun leaned down to rest his chin between his palms whilst he listened to Ji speak. "That's good, I'm glad to hear it. Did they mention me? Does Nuna miss me?" He asked with a cheeky grin, jumping on the spot when Jiyong gave him the job. "Easiest interview ever! Thank you, thank you!" Seunghyun pulled him into another chaotic hug, squeezing tightly before releasing him with an apologetic whisper. "Sorry, oops. Yeah, you do. You need to have a nap or something. I can do that for sure, you can trust your new sous-chef Seunghyun at your service." He offered Jiyong a mock salute, knowing he could totally handle more but Jiyong wasn't going to just hand over his restaurant to him. If he did then something would be beyond wrong with him, something grave that caused Seunghyun to shudder at the thought.

Oblivious Seunghyun cuddled her with a ruffle to her hair, if he ever had a daughter he would want her to be like Jihye. She was smart and adorable. He lifted her into the air, wiggling her with rocketship noises as though she was blasting off into space. Seunghyun's more playful side could come out around the kids and he enjoyed acting around. In truth he had always wanted to be an actor but settled for being a model when he was rejected from a casting call and told that he would do a lot better if he kept his mouth shut. It hadn't exactly been a lie either. Seunghyun thought about it as he sat with Jin, gently pulling him onto the elder's chest so he could lean back into the chair with his legs up. Since his stomach was full too from eating over half of the pizza Jiyong had hardly touched Seunghyun pressed a yawn into the back of his palm, dozing off with his cheek pressed into the top of Jin's head.

@† Seunghyun Long before he'd ever had children to care for, the sub had become accustom to pushing his needs aside in favor of someone else. As a kid and adolescent it was essential to his survival. As a young man, it was necessary to make enough money to survive. Now, he did so to make sure what family he had were all safe and happy. Dami saw what he sacrificed for the older male and she continuously told him he should tell Seunghyun how he felt. He would never do that. He didn't want the other to be with him out of guilt only to lose him as a friend when it didn't work out. He had come to the realization that relationships and Hyun just didn't mix and he needed the stability a relationship brought. It's another reason for him neglecting himself now. He needed a master who would care about his well-being and see when he was giving too much. He needed someone who would put their foot down and tell him enough was enough or go to bed or eat or take a break. Changmin had been that until they lost him. Now it was all up to him. "Oh hush. I didn't banish you anywhere. I simply made the statement that you should sleep in a bed and not on my couch so you didn't hurt your neck and back." He did stare at him, but it wasn't the usual stare. He had no fight in him right now and cuddling sounded nice. He'd just have to keep his feelings out of it. "Fine. We can cuddle, but I'm getting you a big teddy bear to cuddle with. And keep your hands to yourself." He gave him a look, knowing how flirty his friend could be and how he could not resist that right now. "Okay. Then I'll do whatever I can to help you." He gave him a tired smile. "I'll call him. Do you have the number with you?" He wanted to know what all his friend would need to be successful. "You're welcome. You can stay here as long as you need. You know that and maybe don't try to take on everything at once. If you're going to kick this habit focus on that for now and then take another step towards growing up." He knew too much too soon would not end well and yes he knew from personal experience.

He sighed. "Yes I threw up. And unless you can get pregnant without having in over 2 years, I'm going to say no." He scoffed, but it wasn't serious. "She's doing well. The girls are too. As I said, you can stay as long as you want or need." The last thing he needed when trying to help his friend get better was to whine about his own problems. Then again, Ji never shared his struggles with anyone. "Then you can start Monday. I do not have the energy to open this weekend so the restaurant will stay closed until then. I need to get better to be around food." He sniffed to make his point. "And you can start out by helping me in the kitchen and then decide if you want to handle it on your own." He was not putting all of that on him immediately. No way.

Hye giggled and then snuggled into her uncle. She loved cuddles and without her dad, she needed a father figure. Jiyong just worried that she would see Hyun as her father figure and then be disappointed. It was okay if Hyun disappointed him, but he never wanted that for his kids. He chuckled as he watced the three roll around on the floor until the man hid behind his chair. He had already paid, so he went to get the boxes and gave the delivery man a tip. He sat the two pizzas side by side on the coffee table and smiled as Hyun helped Jin while Hye came over and crawled into his lap. She was much more clingy after losing her dad. Before, she almost never wanted her mom. He watched his son feed the older man and couldn't help but smile. He wished he had his phone so he could take a picture. It was too cute. Instead, he finished his own pizza and then he looked down at his daughter who had began to fall asleep too. He moved her so she was comfortable in his lap and sighed contentedly. He'd managed to eat 2.5 slices before he was too full to eat anymore.

@‡ Jiyong [SH] The other man had always been a grounding force for Seunghyun. Throughout their friendship they had leaned on each other and shared the burden of adulthood even from a young age. Both were still standing despite it all, though both were finding it difficult to hold on. Jiyong had never demanded anything from Seunghyun, he refused money when the latter had offered despite how Seunghyun had cleared out his fridge in the past, whenever Seunghyun had ghosted him for a month only to live in his house for weeks on end Jiyong never complained once. It was hard for Seunghyun to make friends and keep them, even though he often put their needs and wants first. He could be chaotic but thoughtful, quiet then loud, and not many understood the contradictions that were a central part of Seunghyun's being. Jiyong was a minority, a diamond in a mine of fools gold. And that was what kept drawing Seunghyun back, what had made their friendship last all these years, he was entirely oblivious to Jiyong's sacrifices. He smiled at the teasing joke and nodded. "Oh yeah, I was banished to my own room I remember. But can't we sleep together? I just want to cuddle, nothing weird this time I promise." Seunghyun threw his hands up already knowing the stare that would be aimed his way. "Thanks I'm really going to do it this time, I swear." He replied back in the same vein, knowing it was untrue, knowing that he would relapse at some point. Addictions like his were never ending and though his intentions were pure it was inbuilt into his very nature. "I just need you to have a talk with my doctor, help me figure things out." He half mumbled. It was embarrassing to admit he nedded help and his cheeks reddened from asking, but he knew Jiyong wouldn't judge him. He never had. When the younger grabbed his hands Seunghyun peered up, chewing on his lower lip before he replied. "Thanks... I just... really want to make it this time y'know? I have to grow up at some point. It feels like... since I stopped modelling, stopped partying, I got worse, really bad this time. ed up worse than ever. I don't want to be that person anymore." He squeezed Jiyong's hands in return needing some comfort.

"You threw up?? You're not, you know, again?" He gestured at Jiyong's stomach, having no idea who the father would be but making a guess anyway. "That's good, scary but good. Maybe it's best if I stay for a bit longer, just to make sure you're okay whilst Nuna is busy. How is she by the way? I haven't seen her for a while." Seunghyun ignored Jiyong's affirmations, knowing he was, quite frankly, not ok and clearly lying out of his . He pulled the shorter to his chest, hugging him with a tight squeeze. It communicated what he couldn't, that he had missed Jiyong a lot. At Jiyong's question, paired with an accusatory undertone and his hopeful eyes Seunghyun nodded. "A bit of both, I seriously need a job and I want you to feel better. My modelling contract is over since they wouldn't re-sign me because I failed the drug test so... I could really use the work and the money." Guilt was written into his features as Seunghyun glanced away for a moment.

Being pounced on by Hye, the tickle monster unleashed another fearsome attack by grabbing Jiyong's daughter and cuddling her. Seunghyun was on the floor at some point, long limbs stretched out as he playfully wrestled with the twins. He was outnumbered but laughed the loudest as they launched a counterattack, reducing Seunghyun to a puddle of thunderous tears as they tickled him. The toys had been completely forgotten about because their uncle was far more amusing. Out of breath he called a truce by crawling behind Jiyong's chair, just as the pizza had arrived. Seunghyun went into the kitchen and fetched the plates, bringing them into the living room so they could sit comfortably and eat together. Jiyong had no choice but to stay seated when Seunghyun sat Hye on his lap, helping Jin up onto the couch beside the older man. He put an arm around Jiyong's son and helped distribute the pizza between them. Hanging out together like this felt so peaceful, Seunghyun helped Jin with his pizza first then playfully accepted when Jin wanted to help feed Seunghyun his slice in return. Not long after the kids had settled down and were napping against the two men, Seunghyun kept his arm around Jin whilst he finished eating with one hand.

@† Seunghyun Jiyong had love the man in his home for a long time. Actually, since they'd first met. He had learned though, rather quickly that with his substance abuse problems, one of the triggers was stress from being pressured about relationships. He'd watched Seunghyun go through relationship after relationship because of the pressure from the other person to be what they wanted or needed instead of accepting him for who he was or not being with him. It had broken his heart a little more everytime because he never tried to make the elder into someone else. He already thought he was perfect and he was the one that always ended up putting him back together when he broke. It hurt that he was there no matter what and yet his friend never saw him as anything more. "You mean you're going to use your room this time?" He had to , but then he grew serious. "I'm glad. I'm proud of you Hyun." It was the same thing he said every time. He meant it each time too, but he no longer expected him to stay clean for long. He didn't have a support system to keep him clean. He was observing him the entire while he spoke and interrupted. "Of course I will. What do you need me to do?" How could he say no? The man was his oldest friend. And he knew he didn't have anyone else that would do this for him. The sub grabbed the elder's hands to stop him from pulling his sweater apart. "Hyeong, I'll do it. You don't need to be nervous. I'm always here for you. Whatever you need."

"Gee, thanks. I just threw up before you got here, so that's why." He shook his head with a sigh. "No. They just made sure I saw them at a couple different locations I was at. Jihye only knows because she overheard me telling Nuna when she was supposed to be playing." His kids were both sneaky. The smaller male nearly groaned at the squeeze. He loved the way it felt whenever his hyeong touched him, but he knew he needed to ignore it. It also didn't help that he hadn't had in over 2 years. "I'm fine. Really." He wasn't, but he always took care of everyone else, not the other way around. He finally caved and hugged the other male, trying very hard not to groan at the familiar smell. He looked up at him. "Do you actually want a job or are you just trying to make me feel better?" He would hire him if he was serious, but he knew he'd need to find someone soon. He really couldn't keep this up. The mom laughed as the kids squealed with delight and hugged their uncle, thanking him and begging him to play. Ji grabbed his phone and ordered one medium pizza for the kids to share and a large for him and Seunghyun to share. They had similar tastes. He then went to the living room where they all were and sat in his favorite chair as he watched the kids and their uncle. He couldn't help but laugh as his son squealed with laughter from being tickled. He watched Hye try to help free her brother only to be grabbed too. It warmed his heart to see them both having so much fun and to see Hyun clean and smiling.

@‡ Jiyong [SH] Watching Jiyong's kids play together Seunghyun smiled, seeing how adorable children could be together brightened his mood. But hanging out with Jiyong's kids had always made him feel like that. Following his close friend into the kitchen Seunghyun knew the layout like the back of his hand, he leaned against the middle counter island. One hand pressed into the corner as he held onto it. "I didn't come here to lounge on your couch for a week again, if that's what you're worried about. Actually, I um, I'm clean right now. Sober." He played with the counter edge, tapping his fingers against it from his nerves. Too many times had he shown up at Jiyong's place or restaurant as high as a kite and hungry. "So when I say coke I'm not out of my mind this time, I mean the drink, please." Seunghyun joked, a semi-forced and tense smile toyed with his lips. "It's been good, going well." He pushed himself away from the counter to stand beside Jiyong. "I saw one of those brain docs and uh, I was wondering... for the program, I need a friend to sponsor me. You have a lot on your plate so I feel bad for asking but it's just some phone calls sometimes, I didn't know if you'd be interested in something like that or not?" The anxious need to move his fingertips caused Seunghyun to pick at the hem of his sleeve, lightly pulling the woollen sweater undone.

"." Now the kids were out of the room Seunghyun cursed. "You look like me after a binging weekend, I really don't think you should be standing right now." He continued to worry with a furrowed brow, shaking off his anxious body language to rub at Jiyong's lower back. "They didn't... lay a hand on you, did they?" Seunghyun had always felt protective over Jiyong, ever since they had been kids and it poured through his body language. He moved his hand up to offer Jiyong's shoulder a gentle squeeze before he pulled back. "You know you don't have to pretend around me Ji, we've been friends for too long so cut that out. Hey, come here. Give me a hug, you look like you need one." Seunghyun held his arms out, lightly poking Jiyong's arm just to agitate him into a hug. "I'll stay, how ever long you need some help okay? I'm here." He smiled. "Luckily for you... I'm unemployed right now and you know I can cook so if you wanna hire me you don't need to look that hard." Seunghyun smiled as Jiyong offered the kids pizza and he rubbed his friend's back. "You order the pizza then put your feet up, I have some uncle-ing to do." He raised his voice as he walked back over to the kids, grabbing his backpack and opening it up. "You didn't think I would come empty handed? Hye, this is for you and Jin this is for you." He handed the two one pack each of toys. Both were spy kid sets with mini walkie talkies. Seunghyun sat down on the floor with them and helped them free the toys from their plastic prisons, taking one of the walkie talkies behind the couch so he could talk through it. "Psst. Come in. Agents. I have spotted a large tickle monster. He appears to be dangerous." He crawled around the couch and surprised Jin by tickling his sides. "Oh no he's here! He's got you!"

@† Seunghyun Jiyong didn't care overly much about appearance, especially when he was sick. Right now, he needed comfort and his old pjs gave him that. He grinned as Hye wrinkled her nose that was poked before running to play with her brother's cars. He was grateful that the two kids rarely fought. He led the older man into the large kitchen. "I'm glad you're doing better. You look well." He smiled as he got some water. "Want anything?" He didn't ever bring up his friend's problem, mostly out of respect, but secretly because it made him heartache as well. Seeing the elder struggle with his addiction was never easy, but he wouldn't let him go through that alone either. He couldn't.

"Ha, thanks. No. I don't have the energy to workout." He slouched against the island and chugged his water, hoping it would do something to help him feel better. Shaking his head, he sighed. "Not anymore. I did. It was one of my dad's friends." The other knew about the abuse he endured as a child up until he was 18 when he ran away. He knew it has been those experience that had caused the younger male to crave control in every way possible until he burned himself out of doing everything for himself. That was when he'd joined the club. Looking the other up and down and he sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm not being my bubbly, happy self. I really am happy you're here." He gave a small smile before the other felt his head. He sighed. "No, I'm fine. It's just a cold. I'll be alright. I can't call Nuna, because she's out of town, so I just have to it up. I'm good at that though." He saw the worry. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. It's why I close the restaurant early though. I need to find another chef so I'm not working from open to close everyday." He sighed. "Kids, how about we order pizza tonight? Uncle is staying with us." Both kids cheered, because they always made pizza. They knew their mom was sick, so they were trying to be good and help him.

@‡ Jiyong [SH] Seeing the little girl approach the door Seunghyun stuck his tongue out at her and when she mimicked him he smirked. She was too smart, Seunghyun was reminded of the time he was stuck in a rotating door for two hours because he couldn't jump out fast enough but here Jiyong's daughter was opening the door for him. Seunghyun smiled when he could hear Jiyong hot on her heels, lightly scolding her. "Surprise!" He gestured with jazz hands before he lightly poked Jihye's cute button nose. "Thanks, I figured I'd stop by and see how you're doing." He glanced Jiyong up and down, taking note of his pajamas that looked as though they had seen better days. Something about his friend was off, Seunghyun just couldn't quite put a finger on what. "You look like sh- shiny. Did you just workout?" He cleared his throat and peered behind him at the twins who were playing. "Is everything ok?"

Once inside Seunghyun shrugged a backpack off his shoulders, setting it down on one of the chairs. It seemed as if within the next second he had an answer to his question. "No she didn't until... well, then." His brows furrowed with concern. "You have a stalker Ji? Do you know who it is?" He rubbed at his lips deep in thought for a moment. Jiyong wasn't the type to share many of his problems, it was mostly guesswork on Seunghyun's part but he knew Jihye had all of the secrets so perhaps he could get her to talk later. "Well..." The taller of the two radiated a sense of nervousness. "I wanted to see you, it's been a while hm? And uh... it would be nice to catch up with you and the babies. I thought maybe I could sleep over like old times... but it looks like I came at the right time?" He stepped up closer to Jiyong and slipped a hand over his forehead, feeling for his temperature whilst his other hand lightly held Jiyong's shoulder. "You're so hot and not like in a hot hot way but in a... you sit down and I'll get them snacks kind of hot. Are you feeling dizzy at all?"

@† Seunghyun The small man didn't know how much longer he could do this. He was exhausted and running solely on coffee. He hated the drink, but with two toddlers who were teething, a restaurant he basically lived in and now getting sick, he knew something had to give. He didn't have time to be sick. How was he going to get everything done? He'd already closed the restaurant early tonight. He had been looking for another chef to help out, but so far no luck. He was in his bathroom now trying to make himself look human and failing miserably. He knew his body wouldn't be able to take his lack of sleep, food and rest much longer but he'd hoped to find help before he had to slow down. Nope. He'd been throwing up all evening and was thankful that his kids were content to just play and watch cartoons today. Normally they'd be bugging him to go to the park.

Wiping his face and taking a deep breath, he walked out into his bedroom and changed into his pajamas. He then went downstairs and into the kitchen. "Kids, are you hungry?" He chuckled at the chorused 'yes mommy.' He loved his babies and would do anything for them including push through being sick. He opened his fridge just as he heard a knock. Walking towards the door, his heart sped up. Jihye had the door opened already. "Hye, you know you're not allowed to open the door without me there." The little girl turned and looked at him with her big doe eyes and a pout. "But it's uncle mama." That caused his to look up and see Seunghyun. He looked good. Then again, he always had. Jiyong had never liked or loved anyone the way he had his friend. He was his first crush. His first love. The first man he fantasized about doing all kinds of delicious things to him. But nothing ever came of it. Hyun didn't see him that way, so he ignored his feelings and moved on or tried to. The feelings were still there and probably always would be. "Hyeong, what are you doing here?" He picked his daughter up. "Go play with your brother and I'll bring you a snack." He set her on her feet and watched her run off. "Come in." He closed the door behind his friend.

"I suppose Hye told you why I moved the key?" He never let Seunghyun in before because the elder knew he kept a key under the mat and left the front window open. "Stalker!" Yelled her daughter. "She's right, but what are you doing here?" He had heard the cheating comment, but chose to ignore it since it meant nothing.

@‡ Jiyong [SH] It had been a while since Seunghyun had seen the second cutest man in the world, Changjin, his sister and Jiyong. Being an uncle was serious business but Seunghyun wasn't a particularly serious person, in the past he had enjoyed being around them in short bursts. Mainly because Seunghyun wasn't very good with babies, he could barely take care of himself let alone another life and consistently being as high as a kite meant that he wasn't exactly the best sort of influence around them. He and Jiyong had known each other since school, Jiyong was always getting his kicked by some grade A jerk and whenever he could Seunghyun stepped in. His favourite method of defence was to out crazy whichever bully picked on his friend, who then sometimes had to tend to Seunghyun's head after a series of headbutts. That had been their friendship dynamic: scraping each other off the floor and patching each other back up with band-aids. It had evolved over time, from Seunghyun borrowing his couch between modelling jobs, to Seunghyun helping Jiyong out with some of his bills.

Despite Seunghyun's continual struggle with sobriety Jiyong had kept in touch, much like a doting brother would. From simple texts reminding him to do his washing to more serious check in calls whenever Jiyong was worried. Somehow, he hadn't taken issue with Seunghyun's hot and cold friendship but at the same time, it was like he had a spidey-sense attuned to whenever Seunghyun had colossally ed up and always seemed to call whenever the former needed someone to talk to. Lately, it had been particularly difficult but things were starting to look up again and Seunghyun decided to drop in as a surprise. Sometimes he would stop by Jiyong's restaurant to help out for an afternoon, give him a break to be with his babies, since when they were younger Jiyong had stopped by Seunghyun's parent's restaurant pretty much every week and knew of the latter's kitchen experience, which was something Seunghyun didn't share often, so the parent could take some time for himself. At first he had biked over to the restaurant but after staring down a closed sign for a significant amount of time, Seunghyun headed for Jiyong's house. Pulling up outside, Seunghyun tied his bike to the staircase rail and climbed up the stairs two at a time. He peeked under the mat for the key but it wasn't there. With a frown he pressed his face to the window and knocked on it.

"Ji! The key is gone and your window is locked! I can't get in... Are you cheating on me?!" He joked whilst talking into the keyhole. Cupping his eyes he peered in through the glass doors.

@† Ryeowook Hye clapped her hands happily, her tummy completely forgotten. "We make?" She looked up at him curiously, wanting to know if he'd come back to see them again. She already liked him. Looking around, she smiled. "House ig." She knew their house was big, at least to her, so maybe that meant he'd make her ice cream. She'd like that.

Both kids nodded at his question, but this time Jin spoke. "Ma like Ookie. Him say it all da time to auntie!" Hye nodded quickly. They both liked the older man and wanted him to stay with their mama. They knew Jiyong was happy with him and he was nice to them, so that was all that mattered to them. Both kids clapped, happy that it might happen.

Jiyong just shrugged and brushed it off as he always did. "I suppose anything's possible when you're left with no other options. Nuna has helped a lot though since we lost their dad. Before that though, he helped a lot. I guess it doesn't hurt that growing up I did everything, so I'm used to not having help. I don't mind though. They're my babies and I love them." He would do anything for his kids, just as most mothers would. "You're welcome." He laughed, knowing every time Wook came in, he'd know who it was. "Well I hope you enjoy. I made dessert too if you're interested."

@‡ Jiyong "Yeah we can make ice cream with different kinds of milk so we can eat it too." he said with a small smile. "Maybe I'll make you some, I do the same thing your mommy does. Just for people who live in really big houses." he said making his arms really big to show the scale of how big the houses some of the places he worked were. While most times he didn't care for the people the money was good and he didn't have to make house payments because he inherited his granddad's cabin so he lived there, so he was living pretty good..

He couldn't help but smile at the little girl's antics. He loved the idea of watching the little girl happy. If he couldn't have kids, he'd help with others to say the least. "You think mom would like that?" he couldn't help but laugh softly. "Maybe, if mommy likes me that much, and I like mommy that much when the time comes, maybe that may be a thing." he said with a small smile.

"It's not a problem Ji." he said with a small smile on his face. "It's not a problem at all. I don't understand how people can run nurseries on their own without a little bit of help on the side." he said with a small smile on his face. He took a drink of the water and smiled. "Thank you for dinner." he said before starting to make up his tacos. "Now this is something I always look forward to when I go to your restaurant, some of the people I eat with ask me why I don't get anything else, it's because it's my favorite thing you make." he said with a grin.

@† Ryeowook Although he would never admit it out loud, Jiyong wanted someone to finally take the decision away from him and make him rest while they helped him. He couldn't be selfish though, so he kept that desire to himself. He could only smile when Hye looked up at Wook with a curious expression. "Ice ceam?" The child loved it, but normally couldn't eat it.

Hye clapped happily. "Yay. Ma-ma qeen." Even at only 2, Jihye understood more than anyone would expect and looked at Wook with a big smile. "Yes! Ma-ma like." She then tilted her little head in a cute way. "Oo be kwing? Ma-ma like oo." All Ji heard was that last part, but he knew he was in trouble.

The girl smiled knowing how yummy her mom's food was. When he said he'd help her wash her hands, she raised her arms to be picked up and hugged his neck when he did. Looking over at the two, he nodded. "Thank you." Normally he had both kids and even something as simple as hand washing turned into a big mess. He was grateful for the help even though he would ask for it. When both kids were settled, he put sippy cups of juice in front of them and went to get water for him and Wook. Coming back, he sat them down. "Enjoy." He then put food on both of his children's plates and smiled as they immediately began to eat.

@‡ Jiyong He couldn't help but smile at the other man. He had circles under his eyes the size of small countries. But he didn't question it. This man ran a restaurant and took care of twins. That in itself was an accomplishment. "It is really good too I use it to make ice cream too." He said with a smile.

He chuckled at the little girl in his arms. "And your mom is the queen looking for the perfect person to be his king...." He said right into the little girl's ear. "Do you think we can find that person for him?" He whispered softly into the little girl's ear so that jiyong couldn't hear. "I think he'd like that a lot right?"

He laughed softly at the small girls remark. "I will don't you worry....this is my favorite thing I eat it all the time at your mommy's restaurant." He said with a small smile. "Come on then, we should go and get your hands washed first...then we can get you in your chair to eat yeah?" He said standing hye still in his arms. "I'll be back Ji-" he was gonna call him Jiji like he always did but he didn't want to confuse Hye. He took the little one to the restroom the others came out of. Helped her wash her hands and brought her back putting her in her chair.

"Just water's fine I don't want to drink in front of the kids." He said softly.

@† Ryeowook Jiyong nodded slowly, deciding to get some for Jihye and see if she liked it. It might be a good option for nights when she was still a little hungry and it was bedtime. "I'm fine. I'm not exhausted." That may not have been entirely true, but he had tea to give him that caffeine boost he needed. Being exhausted was part of being a single mother. He'd accepted that and loved his babies too much to complain. "I'll get some for Hye though." He shivered as Wook said he wasn't being rude because he was so close.

It was funny. Since Jin had gotten a little older, the kid had become very aware of how his mom was feeling and he was protective. It was cute because he was only 2, but he seemed to think he was 22. Seeing how his mom smiled anytime Ryeowook was mentioned told the toddler this man was someone who could make his mommy happy. He liked him too. He played with him like his mommy did. Hye clapped. "Hye pwincess? JiJi pwince?" She looked up at him with big eyes as Jin kept stacking.

She nodded. "No. Hye eat. Oo eat oars." The twins knew what Ji was making and they loved it too, so he knew Hye would at least eat a little. Seeing Wook with his princess brought tears to his eyes and oddly made him at the same time. His kids were his world and to see someone else care for them the way he did it was the iest thing he could imagine, but now was not the time for that.

Lifting Changjin, he carried him into the dining room and put him in his high chair. "Um, I forgot drinks. Wookie what would you like?"

@‡ Jiyong He nodded his head. Because he wasn't wrong because it was thicker. "You're not wrong, but it's also sweet and it's also not dairy as well. Very good for exhausted cooks with bad tummies. You should try it too see if it works for you." He said with a small smile before leaning in and whispering. "You weren't being rude baby." He came back and smiled.

When it came to it kids always flocked to ryeowook he never knew why, maybe he gave off that motherly aura or something. Maybe they realized there was something physically wrong with him that kept him from having kids and they wanted to keep him company. When he took the twins he didn't know how fast they would react to him. And here he was holding the shy one and building a house with the other. "We aren't building a house anymore are we this is turning into a castle....where little princes and princesses live." He said before jiyong came back.

"You wanna try eating little one? Or can the big wookie eat your portion?" He asked hye before tickling her stomach a second before going back to rubbing it again.

@† Ryeowook Jiyong quickly shook his head. "No, no. I wasn't trying to be rude. I appreciate the suggestion. I just wasn't sure if it would have the same effect. I thought oat milk was thicker." He rarely used it so he wasn't entirely sure. It did look more like animal milk though. He returned the smile. "Thank you."

Watching his son for a few moment, he sighed in frustration. He felt like he should just be happy with his kids and not need a new man in his life, but he wanted Wook to want him so bad it sometimes hurt. Was he too needy? Is that why everyone left him. Jin stacked blocks on top of the ones Wook laid and the concentration the child used reminded the sub that his son was turning into a perfectionist just like him. He wasn't sure if he liked that. His little girl laid her head on the older man though and so Ji finally nodded. While in the kitchen, he laid out all the toppings for the tacos and cooked the meat. It didn't take long. When he was done, he went back to the living room to find Hye curled up on Wook her thumb and watching her brother. She never got this comfortable with other people.

"Dinner's ready. Jin, let's go wash your hands." The little boy clapped and ran to the downstairs bathroom.

@‡ Jiyong "I'm sorry I didn't mean to in. I'm pretty sure you could do it with any non-dairy milk, my mom just liked oat because it was more the same...look of milk I guess." He said with a small smile on his face. "So just do it with your normal milk, it would do the same thing." He said with a smile.

When he sat down with the younger child and he brought over his blocks and shakes his head. "There's no reason to apologize. Of course I'll build a house with you." He said starting to build the foundation of the house before the little girl was handed off to him and he held her carefully. "I got this. You go and take care of important stuff, right kids?" He asked with a grin.

@† Ryeowook Jiyong watched his...he suddenly wasn't sure what Ryeowook was to him and he had hoped they'd figure that out tonight, but he looked at his friend talk to his princess. He watched her knowing how Jihye was shier than her brother, but also could be spontaneous. When the little girl nodded while leaning into her mom, he looked at Wook. "She drinks almond milk. I'm not sure I have oat." He bit his lip wondering if he should get some tomorrow.

Jin looked from Wook to his mom and back before smiling big. "Yes! Oo make ma hap-hap..." Ji smiled at his son. "Happy baby." "Yes dat." He was clearly proud of himself for knowing this. When the big man sat down with him, Jin waddled over with his tonka trucks full of blocks. Ji just shook his head and mouthed 'sorry' at Wook. "He loves to build things." He dumped the blocks out in front of Ryeowook and smiled, showing his little teeth. "Bill house peese." He was about to object, but Hye started reaching for Wook. This seriously surprised the sub since she never did that, but he shrugged and handed his daughter to the elder male. "I'll just go check on dinner and Hye do you want some warm milk?" She nodded. "Okay. I'll be right back." He went into his kitchen.

@‡ Jiyong Wook entered the house and looked at the little girl in jiyongs arms and looked at her smiling. "You know what my mama used to do for me when I was sick? My mama would lie me on my back on her lap and rubbed my tummy and gave me hot oat milk because my tummy doesn't take milk well, are you the same as me?" He asked with a smile.

He hasn't seen a child this excited in a long time and he got down to the younger boys level. "If I was would you approve of me?" He asked. "I see your mama all the time at the restaurant, I do the same thing your mama does. I cook too." He said with a smile as he got down on the floor and sat cross legged. "So what are you playing then?" He asked before looking up at Ji. "Bring her down I'll make sure she's okay..." He said. "Don't want to have her interrupting your cooking huh?" He said motioning to the little girl in his arms. "You wanna come and sit with me?" He asked the little girl.

@† Ryeowook Ji had honestly finally decided to invite him after his talk with Woonie and being basically told to open up to him. He was still scared that once he did, Ryeowook would see how messed up he was and want nothing to do with him, but he figured he needed to take that chance, because otherwise he'd never know for sure. When he'd initially invited him, he had indeed intended to just make him dinner. At the time, Dami was supposed to have the kids for him, but she'd had an emergency and couldn't. That just meant Wook would be meeting them tonight too. This was huge and very nerve wrecking for him, but he knew he needed to do it.

One of the few things Jiyong had loved since childhood were flowers, so when it got warm, he'd planted flowers and the kids would play outside even now when he took care of them on his days off. In the boyfriend department, it had been a while for Ji too, but he was usually okay with that. He had his toys after all and his kids always came before his needs.

Smiling when he saw Wookie, he nodded. "Hi. Won't you come in?" He moved back so he could. "This is Jihye." He looked at his daughter who was hiding in his neck and smiled. "Can you say hi Hye?" She looked at the new man and her lip trembled. "Hewwo." The mom sighed. "She's not feeling well." He led him into the living room. "This is Changjin. Jin, can you say hi?" The little boy jumped up and ran to Wook with his little Rilikumma in his arms. "Hi. Oo ma-ma boyfend?" Jiyong blushed and sighed. "Jin, I told you don't listen to everything your aunt tells you." The boy pouted, but looked at Wook. "Oo pway wif me?" Realizing he hadn't answered his question, he smiled at his son. "I'm making your favorite." It didn't hurt to have the man frequent his restaurant.

@‡ Jiyong When Jiyong invited him to his place he was kind of thrown for a loop, he wasn't sure what to make of it. The past little while they had been mostly meeting at the club, or the restaurant. He had never actually had him meet him at home. He had to admit it was kind of a nice change to say the least, it was something that he thought of as a big step. He had to admit sometimes he really wanted to hear him say he wanted him to say he wanted to invite him home. He knew that tonight was just for dinner though. He knew about the other's children and he had a feeling that he was going to be introduced, and he loved kids.

He walked up to the house and he couldn't help but smile, he liked doing little things to his house to make it look cute on the outside, he had a little cabin that he had inherited from his granddad and he wasn't giving that up for anything, he loved it too much. He walked up to the door and suddenly got a little nervous. Ryeowook didn't really get nervous, this was....a rather boyfriendish thing to do and he hadn't had a proper boyfriend in a while. Maybe this was going to change.

He raised his hand up and knocked on the door, so when he opened the door he kind of just stared at him in mom mode. "Hi JiJi." he whispered looking at him and then smiling a beaming smile at the little girl in the man's arms. "Hey there, my name is Wookie..." he said to the little girl in his boyfriend's arms. "So JiJi...what's for dinner?" he said ruffling the little girl's hair softly as to not throw her off.

@† Yusaku [SH] [] Thanks

@‡ Jiyong [] Okay. Will do!

@† Yusaku [SH] []For now, yes please.

@‡ Jiyong [] Do you want to just have your name on this house then? I'll go ahead and put the other one up for sale again for you.

@† Ryeowook Jiyong sat down after changing both kids and himself. Changjin was wet, but Jihye had gotten sick all over him. He had expected it given that his nuna had mixed up the babies bottles. His princess was like him and couldn't tolerate dairy. Plus all the jumping and bouncing hadn't helped at all. Now that everyone was clean and dry, he decided to sit for a moment and just watch the twins play. They were such happy babies which of course made him happy.

He had invited Ryeowook over for dinner and to finally meet the twins. Things were going well between them and he thought it was time. Even with Wookie being a switch, they still had fun and he couldn't wait to surprise him after their friends' engagement party.

Both of his kids were now walking and talking which could end up being a problem although they were a little delayed in their speech. The doctor had told him with twins that this was perfectly normal and not to worry. So he just continued to talk to them and they were improving each day. "Mama hungy. JiJi hungy." He smiled at his daughter who couldn't yet say Jin. "Alright princess, are you hungry too." She nodded. "Okay. Can you both wait a few more minutes? I have a friend coming over who wants to meet you and he's going to have dinner with us."

His children looked at each other and grinned before screaming. "Boyfend!" He frowned. "Where did you learn that word? "Ji-na say ma-ma have boyfend." He sighed but smiled at them. His niece who was named after him had always wanted him to find someone who made him happy. The only problem was that whenever he did, it didn't last. When the doorbell rang, he stood, but Jihye had other ideas. "Up ma-ma." He sighed, shook his head and lifted her into his arms before going to the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened it, knowing tonight would determine if Ryeowook would want to stay with him or not.

@‡ Dongwoo [Wife of Jay] @† Yusaku [SH] [Can I keep this house and you can put the other back for sale?]

@Master Changwook Jiyong grinned gleefully as he danced around the living room, picking up the rest of the babies' toys and clothes. He was grateful that his Nuna had taken the kids for the week. She'd though it was cute that he'd "bought" his own boyfriend, but Ji was always one to help where he could and the money went to a good cause. Now, he was just waiting for Wook to get home. He had thought about this and knew what he wanted to do. While he could technically tell his boyfriend what to do and he would do it, the sub had a better idea. He went upstairs and put the twins stuff where it went and then went into their room and got into the shower. After he was clean, he went downstairs and into the kitchen to find the things he needed. Once he had the syrup, whipped cream and cherries, he walked back upstairs and laid across their bed. He was completely and that was the way he wanted his boyfriend to find him. He had one more trick up his sleeve that would wait until he heard Wook outside. He was so glad he'd won the bid on his master.