𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗦 ♡

T.A.P. - Temporal Access Prototype - 2

Seungcheol paused.

Then grinned, shamelessly. "So... Joshua really is your mom, huh?"

Cheol groaned, backing away. "Duh. Why do you think I keep calling him Mom?"

"And you're super soft for him."

"Again-duh. He's my mom for a reason."

A pause. Then Cheol looked at him suspiciously.

"...Are you crying?"

"I'M NOT CRYING-YOU'RE CRYING!" Seungcheol sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, snorting. "He called you his baby, didn't he?! He kisses you goodnight every day, huh?! Does he hold your hand when you're sleepy?! Does he-"

"STOP imagining my life like a cheesy drama!" Cheol whined, pushing him back toward the machine. "That's it! We're leaving!"

"Nooooo! I want to be your mom's husband, too!"

"You ARE! You're just the younger, more annoying version!"

With that, Cheol shoved a still-whining Seungcheol back into the time machine. The lights flickered, energy built once again, and Seungcheol only had time to scream, "Tell Mom I said hi!! And that I love him!!!"

Cheol stared at the disappearing form of his ridiculous dad and muttered under his breath, "No wonder Mom needs three cups of tea a day to survive you."

The time machine buzzed violently, sparking once before letting out a pffzzzzzt and going completely dark. A second later, it spat Seungcheol out like a piece of bad candy, tossing him unceremoniously onto the floor with a loud thud.

"AHHHG-ouch, my butt!!" Seungcheol groaned, sitting up and patting his behind with a wince. "Why is it always my butt?!"

Cheol blinked, standing in stunned silence before letting out a dramatic groan and storming over to the machine. "No. No. No no no. No. What the hell happened now?!"

"I think..." Seungcheol trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward, sheepish smile, "...it ran out of charge."

Cheol's face dropped.

Both eyes widened.

He turned slowly-painfully slowly-toward Seungcheol with the look of someone who had just witnessed a historic tragedy.

"...That means..." Seungcheol continued with a hopeful little shrug, "we might need to... you know, wait it out. Here. Together. For a while."

Cheol let out a sound that could only be described as a soul leaving a body. "This. Is. A. NIGHTMARE!!" he yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "I got stuck in the past. With my dad. Who is currently a teenager. Who is whipped for my mom. Who is also a teenager. This is illegal. This is immoral. This is-"

"A bonding experience!" Seungcheol chirped.

Cheol stared at him like he was the final boss of stupidity.

"This is hell."

"Cheol...? Are you home?" came a gentle voice from the hallway-soft, sweet, and so painfully familiar that it made Seungcheol freeze.

His eyes sparkled. "Damn... even his normal voice sounds like a melody..." he whispered, practically swooning.

Cheol turned to give him the most annoyed glare in existence.

"Get a grip, old man," he hissed. "And stay here. Don't go anywhere. Don't."

Before Seungcheol could blink, Cheol yanked off his jacket, tossing it aside like he'd done this a million times before. He straightened himself, cleared his throat, and called out, "Yes, I'm here, Mom!" His voice had instantly taken on that chirpy, slightly sweeter tone, the one all kids use when talking to someone they adore.