♡︎
“And you're sure you've
packed everything?
The mosquito spray?
Kitten's blanket?”
Jisung asked with a frown
as he watched his husband
close the backpack.
“Yes, Sungie.
We'll be just fine, right bub?”
The tiny boy nodded excitedly
as he hugged his daddy's leg,
his beloved jaguar plushie peeking
out of his small backpack.
He had been looking forward
and sharing his excitement for
this adventure for over a week
now and Jisung really couldn't
help but melt every single time
his son started to ramble about
the kitten and dad quality time.
Minho had promised to take him
to a campground where the two
would go fishing and actually
stay overnight for the first time.
“Maybe we can bring mommy
a big fish!”
"Oh, really?
That's very nice of you, kitten.”
Jisung cooed at their tiny boy
and knelt down to give him one last,
big hug and a kiss on his forehead.
Akemi had really taken after his
daddy when it came to his interests
in dancing, fishing, camping and
loving cats but his issue with
eating was definitely nothing
he had inherited from either
of his parents.
He was still, even after three years,
extremely picky and sometimes
giving his poor parents a hard
time when they'd be staying
somewhere else.
But he was just a little boy with
a sensitive taste, nobody could
really blame him.
“Have you said bye to the kitties?”
At that a big gasp escaped the tiny
boy before he dashed off to his
parent's bedroom where the cats
were currently chilling on the big
bed, cute meows escaping them at
the sight of their favorite little boy.
And while Akemi took his sweet
time to pet his furry best friends
and press little kisses to their
heads as he told them how much
he'd miss them, Minho and Jisung
also used the opportunity to
say goodbye to one another.
“You're going to rest the day,
okay my love?”
The ravenette smiled as he
carefully pushed a few strands
of blonde hair behind his husband's
ear before he cupped his
chubby cheek.
“I'll meet up with Lix and Minnie
for lunch and then, after using our
wonderful jacuzzi, I'll directly go
to bed to spend the rest of the
day with our fur babies and
watching Move to heaven.”
“Don't forget to eat though.”
But Jisung could only stare at the
love of his life with sparkling eyes
at the older's worry and placed
a sweet kiss on Minho's soft lips.
“I won't, I promise.”
The ravenette smiled softly at
his husband when the blonde
leaned into the warm touch and
rested his forehead against
the other's.
“Daddy! Can we go?”
A little, squishy kitten dashed
to the entrance to hug his father's
leg again, his big eyes sparkling
with pure excitement.
“Do you want to leave
mommy so bad?”
Jisung gasped as he held his chest,
pretending to be deeply hurt
by his son's words.
“No!”
A whine left the tiny boy before
he waddled to his mommy and
hugged his leg too.
“Oh kitten. It's okay, have fun
with daddy, hm? And tell mommy
all about it tomorrow, okay?”
The little boy nodded and squished
his face against his mommy's thigh
one last time before he reached
his tiny hand out to hold his
daddy's hand, ready to go.
“Daddy?”
“Hm?”
Minho looked to his son on
the passenger seat for a quick
moment before returning his
gaze back to the street.
“What if we catch a shark?”
The tiny boy wondered as he
played with his jaguar plushie's
paws, making the stuffed canine
dance to the song playing
on the radio.
And Minho could only chuckle
at his kitten's pureness.
“Sharks don't live in lakes, bub.
They live in the big ocean, hm?”
“Really?”
“Yes. They like to swim lots and lots,
the lake is too small for them.”
The tiny boy thought about his
daddy's words for a moment,
a cute frown appearing on his
face before he turned to
his daddy with a gasp.
“I like the sea!”
“Me too, kitten. Daddy too.
Your mommy loves the ocean
very much as well. You know,
when mommy still had you in
his tummy, we went to a very
pretty beach with lots of shells.
The water was so clear.”
“Did you see fishies?”
“We did, bub.”
And Minho couldn't help but
smile when his son continued
to ramble about what kind of
fishes he liked and that he hoped
they wouldn't catch a seahorse.
“You're starting to look pregnant.”
“Well, I am pregnant.
And the doctor said I'm supposed
to start showing already.
They're twins after all.”
Felix chuckled as he ran his hand
over the small but definitely
noticeable bump pushing
against his sweater.
He had never actually made it
a secret that Changbin and him
had been trying for another child
since their daughter had turned
one but nobody would have guessed
that they'd succeed this fast
with twice the prize.
And again the freckled boy's
fiancé was convinced that they'd
welcome another two girls into
their life in a few months.
“Good luck, bro. Twice the cries,
twice the poop, twice the.. Money.
No thanks.”
Jisung snorted before he took
a sip of his iced americano.
He was glad that his son was old
enough to use the potty by himself
now and he was also extremely
happy to have his bedroom to
himself and his husband again.
No more diapers, most nights a full
night's sleep and they had their bed
to themselves again..
If you know what I mean.
“It's all part of a wonderful
journey, Ji.”
“A poopy journey.”
And while the two mommies
bickered, Seungmin only
watched them quietly.
Even after three years he still
couldn't confidently and truthfully
say that he was ready to have a
child with Hyunjin.
It wasn't that he had doubts
about their relationship.
He knew that Hyunjin was the
man he'd want to spend the
rest of his life with.
But the longer he listened to his
friends and watched them go through
their pregnancies plus giving birth,
the better he knew that this was
nothing he wanted to experience.
The nausea, the months of all kinds
of pains, the changes of his body.
He already wasn't that confident
of his body and it had been hard
to see Jisung struggle.
Not everyone embraced motherhood
as well as Felix and Seungmin was
truly scared of not being able to
recover the way Jisung did.
What if he didn't forget about
all the traumatic events the moment
he held his child in his arms
for the first time?
What if he just couldn't love
his child after going through
hell to have them?
And he wasn't sure if he was
ready to give up the life he had now
to take care of a little human.
“Minnie.”
“Huh?”
“You're spacing out.”
“Sorry guys, I can't really join
your talk about kids.”
“Well, you could.”
Felix replied with a teasing smirk
but it only needed one gentle kick
against his leg from Jisung to remind
him that not everyone felt so purely
happy about having kids.
Jisung knew that face his puppy-like
friend was making too well.
That forced smile, full
of uncomfortableness and
embarrassment but his eyes
were filled with exhaustion.
Exhaustion from hearing about
this topic and always finding excuses.
“So.. Hyunjin told Minho you're
thinking about moving again?”
“Yeah. We haven't fully
decided yet but yeah.”
“How come? I thought you were
happy with the current one?”
But Seungmin only shook
his head softly.
“It's nice, sure.
But it's so far away from
our workplaces. Hyunjin found
an apartment five minutes away
from Minho's company so I can
take the car and I only have a ten
minute drive to the hospital.
On the other hand..
Moving again is so exhausting.”
Seungmin chuckled quietly before
he took a sip of his iced americano.
“That's true. Binnie and I are
already working on the nursery
for the twins before I get too
pregnant to be helpful at all and
just choosing and setting new
furniture up in one room
is so tiring.”
“What kind of color theme have
you chosen this time?
Heejin's room is yellow, right?”
“Yeah, we chose a light green
for the twins to make it harmonize
with their sister's room.”
Felix still remembered so well
how Changbin had almost fainted
when the doctor had shown them
the two tiny beans currently growing
safely under the freckled boy's heart.
Somewhere on the road of planning
and trying for a second child, the two
had simply forgotten that there was
always the possibility for more.
But the moment the couple had
left the clinic with sonograms of
their babies in their pockets, he
had picked his fiancé up to twirl
him around, pressing a long kiss
on Felix's sweet lips.
If their twins would be just half
as adorable as their sister, they
were the luckiest parents alive.
“You're amazing, Lixie.”
He had spoken ever so gently,
tears glistening in his eyes but
his smile so wide that Felix
couldn't help but cry too.
Tears of happiness of course.
“Have you told her that she's
becoming a big sister?”
“Sure but I don't think she really
understood what we were
trying to tell her.”
Felix giggled as one hand just
naturally came to rest on
his little belly.
And again Seungmin could only
wonder why no matter what
they were talking about first,
it always ended with kids.
“Daddy! Daddy!
It's pulling!”
Akemi squealed as something
tugged on his fishing rod but
immediately became quiet when
his father shushed him gently.
“Kitten, we gotta be quiet or
we'll disturb the fishes.”
The tiny boy nodded and took
a little step back, closer to his
daddy when Minho knelt down
behind him and helped his son
hold the fishing rod.
“We'll pull the fishing rod very
carefully so the fish won't
leave or get hurt.”
Minho explained as he helped his
tiny kitten and praised his son
when Akemi did as he was told
with great care.
“Daddy, it's a fish!”
“Yeah kitten, it's a little fish!
Good job, bub!”
The ravenette’s heart skipped
a beat when his little one proudly
held the small fish without any
disgust, a big, proud smile sitting
in his face and his doe
eyes sparkling.
“Daddy!
Can we show mommy?”
“Of course, kitten.
Let's put the little fish in the bucket,
then we'll take a photo for mommy.”
Akemi nodded and stuck his
tiny tongue out in concentration
as he dropped the fish carefully in
his small, red bucket full of water.
“Good job, kitten.
Now smile!”
The tiny kitten gave his daddy
his brightest kitten smile as he
proudly held his little bucket to
show his catch and Minho couldn't
help but smile proudly too.
“Mommy will be so proud
of you, bub.”
“Really?”
“Definitely!”
Minho chuckled and turned to
his own fishing rod when he
noticed a light tugging.
“Has daddy caught a fish too?”
“Seems like it, bub.”
And after carefully placing
his little bucket down, Akemi
was immediately by his daddy's
side to watch with big, curious
eyes how his father pulled a big
fish out and took it off the hook.
“Woah! It's a big one!”
“It's a carp!”
“A carp?”
“Yeah.”
“Will we eat it?”
“We could but you don't like
fish and we've packed so many
other yummy things, hm?
Let's put them back in the lake.”
Akemi looked pretty adorable with
his little bucket hat on his head,
colorful fishies and kitty faces
embroidered on it and two red
rubber boots with polka dots
covering his feet.
He was a tiny, adorable version
of his fisherman dad.
And Minho melted every single
time he saw his kid like that.
“Bye bye, little fishy.”
The small fish quickly disappeared
into the depths of the water as Akemi
waved cutely, a pout forming on his
face when his first official catch
was gone in a matter of seconds.
“Can we try again?”
“Of course, kitten.
That's all what fishing is about.”
But instead of going to his own,
small fishing rod, the little boy
eventually ended up on his daddy's
lap with one hand on his father's
fishing rod, his eyes never
leaving the bait.
And they stayed like this until
the sun was slowly setting, tiny
Akemi safe in his daddy's hold as
they waited patiently for the
fishes to bite before they'd
pull them out together.
And every single time Minho
allowed his son to let them free.
“Look at these two cats.”
Jisung giggled to himself as he
received a selfie from his husband,
Minho smiling cutely at the camera
but their son looking utterly
concentrated at what seemed
to be the bait in the lake as he
held the fishing rod.
He had gotten home a few hours ago,
his social battery completely drained
and his longing for a nice, warm
bath stronger than ever.
Before leaving he had made a
mental note to ask Seungmin if
he wanted to have a private chat
sometime, without a hyperactive
mommy Lix needing to share his
overflowing happiness about his
kids with anyone and everything.
Jisung couldn't and never
would blame his friend, he was
very happy for Felix and Changbin
and truly wished them all the
best for their little ones.
But he understood it too well
that not everyone, especially
not someone who didn't have kids
or was currently struggling on
planning to have them, wanted
to be constantly confronted with
just this one topic.
Jisung never wanted to become
one of these people who have their
kids as their only topic for every talk.
He wasn't a full-time mommy,
giving up his personal existence
to be the most perfect mother he
could never be anyway, no matter
how hard he tried.
He had hopes and dreams and
even though his kitten took part
in many of them, he wasn't that
one dream that fulfilled Jisung.
Felix was different.
Felix had always wanted to
become a mother and he was
literally blooming in his mommy-role,
happier than he could ever be.
He had been ready to sacrifice
everything he had built up for
himself the moment he had
gotten pregnant with Heejin.
But Jisung knew that only because
he was approaching motherhood
differently, it didn't mean that he
didn't love or care for his son.
He loved his little kitten to the
end of the world and beyond and
he'd never give up their daily good
night story routine for anything else.
But he wasn't ready to give up
his job, his career, his passion.
And Minho had been by his side
every single time to wipe his
husband's tears and kiss his
forehead gently when the doubts
started clouding his mind, the guilt
creeping up his bones and gnawing
on his deepest fears.
He was a good mommy.
Maybe not good enough in a
stranger's eyes, in the eyes of a
judging society that would never approve of a trying mother, even
if they were giving everything
they could.
But he was good enough for
his husband and their little kitten.
And on most days he could
proudly tell himself that he
was a good mommy.
Because he loved and cared
for his sweet son.
“Comfy, bub?”
“Mhm.”
The little boy hummed happily
as he cuddled closer to his daddy,
his jaguar plushie pressed to his chest.
After having a yummy dinner and
some roasted marshmallows over
the campfire, Akemi was now
completely exhausted and giving
the cutest yawns every
now and then.
And again Minho couldn't help
but wonder what he did to deserve
such an unproblematic child.
He had helped his little kitten
change into his pajamas and they
had brushed their teeth together
before the ravenette had tucked
his little one in the big bed.
And not even once the small boy
had whined or complained.
“Did you have fun today, kitten?”
Minho smiled as he ran his fingers
gently through his son's soft hair.
“Yes.. I caught my first fishy.
And daddy made sausage stew.. ”
Akemi yawned cutely and rubbed
his squishy cheek on his daddy's
chest in a similar way his mommy
always did it.
“Was it yummy?”
“Mhm.. Daddy is the best..
And mommy..”
The tiny boy's eyes were already
fluttering close, another big yawn
escaping him when his dad pressed
a long kiss on his head.
“I'm glad you think this way, kitten.
Daddy and mommy love
you so much.”
But tiny Akemi wasn't listening
anymore, at least not consciously
because he had already drifted
off to dreamland.
Dreaming of catching the biggest
carp together with his daddy
for his beloved mommy.
♡︎
The cats went camping,
Sungie is resting, Lix and Binnie
are working on their multiplication skills and poor Minnie is still overwhelmed with everything :(
The last time I wrote this many chapters, I actually decided to
make a sequel.
Honestly imagining Minho and
Akemi going camping together
pulled me out of my writer's block, there's a tiny possibility I might continue here. I'm currently not in
the state for new books, new ideas
and new characters. I'd rather stay
in my comfort zone and find comfort
in the characters I've already formed
if that makes sense.
And I feel Seungmin so much
these days, poor puppy :(
I love him <3