He was halfway out the lab door when he paused, turned slowly, and pointed at Seungcheol-who was already crouched suspiciously close to one of the blinking consoles.
"And don't touch anything, too!"
Seungcheol held both hands up innocently like a caught criminal. "I wasn't gonna do anything!"
Cheol rolled his eyes. "You are my dad. I know you were." And with that, he disappeared down the hallway, leaving Seungcheol alone in the future... surrounded by shiny buttons and buzzing tech he absolutely was going to touch.
But of course, expecting Seungcheol to sit still was like expecting a cat to ignore a laser pointer.
He tiptoed out of the lab like a cartoon villain, peeking around corners with exaggerated caution. Every time the floor creaked, he flinched. But the curiosity was too strong-he had to see Joshua. Just a little peek. No touching. No screaming. No fainting. Hopefully.
He finally spotted Cheol heading into what looked like the kitchen. Silently, Seungcheol crept closer and peeked through the cracked-open door.
And there he was.
Joshua, standing at the sink, his back turned, sleeves rolled up, humming quietly to himself as he rinsed something under the water. Seungcheol's heart did a somersault. His knees actually wobbled.
Cheol strolled in like it was the most normal thing in the world, wrapping his arms around Joshua from behind, his face squished into the curve of his mom's neck.
Joshua let out a soft chuckle, reaching back to run his fingers through Cheol's hair. "Back?" he asked gently.
"Mhm," Cheol replied, voice muffled against his neck.
"Still mad at Dad?" Joshua teased, tilting his head slightly as his other hand continued washing. He smiled again and patted Cheol's hair, just a little softer this time.
Outside the door, Seungcheol bit down on his own fist to stop himself from screeching. "Oh my God he's so sweet, I'm gonna die-"
He was practically melting into the wall, flushed head to toe. If he didn't combust right there, it would be a miracle.
"Look at how that idiot is snuggling with my Joshua-uggh!" Seungcheol groaned under his breath, squatting behind the wall like a war general watching enemy lines.
He peeked again.
Cheol was still latched onto Joshua like a koala, and Joshua-his Joshua-was just...letting him. Smiling, even. Playing with the boy's hair. Whispering softly like they were the only two people in the universe.
"Get your hands off him!" Seungcheol whisper-screamed to no one in particular, glaring daggers at Cheol. "Ugh, look at him. So smug. So clingy. I swear to God, I-"
He's his mom, Cheol. Stop.
That damned inner voice. It stabbed him right in the conscience. Seungcheol blinked. Right. Joshua. Was. Cheol's. Mom.
He thudded his forehead softly against the wall.
"Why is this so hard for me to accept? Why is he already so attached to my Joshua?! This is unfair," he mumbled, puffing out his cheeks as his face burned in jealousy and confusion. "I'm the dad! I should be the one-wait, I am the one. But he doesn't even know that yet! And he's calling him mom like it's the most natural thing ever."
He groaned, pressing a dramatic hand to his chest.
"This is emotional warfare."
Seungcheol tiptoed deeper into the hallway, wide-eyed like a thief in his own future. His heart beat loud in his ears as he trailed a hand along the wall, peeking into rooms, trying to soak in everything without passing out from sheer emotional overload.
T.A.P. - Temporal Access Prototype - 2
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