#MOST FICS FORGET TO MAKE MUMBO NERVOUS

[weaselishmcdiesel]

clears throat this is long as hell uhhhhhhh sorry <333

so.

grian recovers very quickly after the reveal, adjusting to the fact that it’s just a party and starts mingling. as he does yknow. but mumbo absolutely noticed his shock at the reveal, and he can’t believe that he actually managed to hide it that well, so there must be something else going on

he asks grian about it, when they get a moment alone, both nursing drinks in the corner as the others prepare to cut the cake

“i— sorry if i’m reading this wrong,” he begins, stumbling over the words, “but you, uh— were you— you seemed shocked.”

grian tilts his head slightly, “what?”

“uh, sorry,” mumbo is flushed, his face turning beet red as tries to clarify, “at the reveal. of the- the party.”

grian, who had been taking a sip of his drink, chokes on his drink slightly at the words.

“oh gosh, uh— goodness,” mumbo pats his back as he sputters for a few long moments

“are you… you alright, mate?”

grian nods, with a strangled noise of agreement.

“peachy,” he adds.

“right,” mumbo’s hands have begun to sweat, he reaches one to intertwine with grian’s fingers as a comfort, “so..?”

grian squeezes his hand, “i thought— uh. nevermind.”

he looks embarrassed, more than anything, and the pit of nerves that has slowly been knotting in mumbo’s stomach loosens. he watches grian’s humiliated face, the way that his cheeks flush and his nose wrinkles, and he can’t stop a short chuckle passing his lips.

grian glares at him lightheartedly, and mumbo rolls his eyes as he tugs the smaller man towards him with their joined hands. grian slots naturally into his side, body melting until they are fitting together perfectly, as though he was always meant to be there.

he clears his throat, not wanting to drop the subject, since grian seems to be playing at being miffed more than anything.

“what did you think was going on?” he asks again, voice aloof and knowing all at once.

grian simply stares at the cup in his hand, the drink suddenly much more interesting than anything else in the room.

mumbo laughs again, a shaking giggle as he tightens his grip on grian, “c’mon man, you can’t *not* tell me, after all of this.”

their eyes meet, and mumbo observes as the other’s gaze roves over his features, taking in every detail, searching for something, before there is something hardening behind his eyes.

“i thought,” grian says slowly, carefully, “that you were going to— to ask me to marry you.”

“you—“ mumbo’s feels like one of his prototype contraptions, stuttering and buffering, before ceasing to function entirely, “you what?!”

“see?” grian’s face is on fire as he goes to bury it in mumbo’s chest, his next words muffled by mumbo’s party suit, “in my defence, you were being very suspicious.”

“so you jump straight to marriage?” mumbo whines, “gri— grian, please know that i would talk to you about it if i was planning on proposing.”

“are you saying you’re not planning on bagging me officially?” grian questions, a grin clear in his voice.

“well,” mumbo begins, indignantly, “i’d say that i’ve had you ‘bagged officially’ for a long time now.”

“buy me a ring, mumbo.”

the noise that follows somewhat resembles a deflating balloon, and the vampire finds himself wishing he was one with the floor. grian simply chuckles, pressing a kiss to his chest where he has his face buried.

they stand quietly for a second, mumbo desperately trying to recover from such an outlandish idea as they sway slightly, out of time with the blaring music.

grian is the one to break the silence first, “this feels silly.”

mumbo snorts, nodding. “it is a little silly.”

“mhm,” a sly grin creeps onto the avian’s lips, “but we’re a little silly.”

mumbo leans down, resting his head atop his lover’s, and sighs.

“i can’t believe you thought i was going to propose to you…”

“well, i can’t believe that you’re still stuck on that. it was like, ages ago- forget about it, mumby.”

“would you,” mumbo clears his throat, “would you want to marry me?”

grian suddenly pulls himself up, his features softened with fondness as he cradles mumbo’s face in his hands, “this better not be an official proposal, mumbo. you can do better than this, i believe in you—“

“no, you spoon! just… would you want that, eventually?”

grian leans forward, pressing a long kiss to his lips.

“yes,” he mumbles into the kiss, lingering for a moment more before he’s pulling away. “yes. we’ll get married, eventually. after a good proposal, something fancy.”

mumbo simply laughs, a watery smile on his lips, before scar appears in the corner of his vision to drag the pair away for cake.

PART 2/2

I FUCKING LOVE COMMUNICATION AND MATURITY AND TRUST AND VULNERABILITY WAAAAAA THIS IS SO FUCKING GOOD i can hear precisely what deflated balloon sound you mentioned your mumbo is so fucking. correct akshjdfasdj WAAAA MAX THIS IS REALLY REALLY CUUUUUTE OTLLLLLLL HIP HIP HOORAY FOR CERTAIN MARRIAGE !!!!!!!

[ticklyfluffers]

Sensitive Seeker-TF TK Fic

Repost of fan fiction of mine.

To think, it all started with just a simple gesture.

Thundercracker mused in how he had gotten to the scene he stood in now: Starscream shooting off blast after blast at Skywarp, yet the purple and black Seeker just treated the entire thing as some sort of game.

And, perhaps in some weird way, it was a game. As “‘playful” as a “self-respecting” Decepticon could be, he supposed. Yet still, he’d known he would need to separate the two (as always) eventually. Yet when to jump in was the question, as he was in no mood to have a shot of raw, stinging energy or a null ray being delivered to his facial region, should he intervene at the wrong time.

‘How did I get here, dealing with this?’ He questioned, inwardly groaning. It was a useless question, having already known the answer.

It had begun but a few short Earth minutes ago, at least, it had for him and Skywarp, yet for their Commander, it had begun but a few solar cycles ago (at least that measurement of time was fairly close to those used in this planet). Once again, Starscream noticed a, in his own words, “massive flaw” in one of Megatron’s bids to acquire more energy, and thus, just HAD to point it out and make sure everyone around him could hear it. This then led into the regular bickering, which led to the Seeker (once again) proclaiming he’d make a more suitable leader for the Decepticons, which led to Megatron “reminding” him of his place (once again), which resulted in a trip to the infirmary (once again).

And, while Thundercracker felt Starscream deserved to be told to keep his mouth shut, the blue Seeker found himself dreading what Megatron had planned for the Air Commander, as while it was Starscream’s punishment, somehow, in some way, it would affect his wingmates. Once again. Thankfully, it wasn’t overly extreme, mainly because Megatron had two locations of interest in mind, and probably declared that more worthy of his time than looking over his shoulder for his 2nd in Command’s potential assassination attempts. The Decepticon Leader had assigned Starscream and his wingmates to keep watch over the Space Bridge until the operation to seize control over the locations was completed or disregarded.

“And knowing our ‘glorious leader’, he’ll probably fail at this plan too.” Starscream grumbled to himself, arms folded over his chassis.

Thundercracker only sighed. Ever since he had come here, slag, back when was alerted of his duties, the Seeker had done nothing but complain over his leader’s orders. Of course, with a little “encouragement” from Soundwave (as in, alert Starscream he would be relieved of his wings for a good while if he didn’t do as he was told), their Air Commander (begrudgingly) accepted the assignment. Of course, now that they were here, Starscream had seen it as the perfect time to go ahead and start his tirade against Megatron again.

And suffice to say, it was beginning to get on his trine-mate’s nerves.

“Guard duty,” Starscream growled. “Of ALL the humiliating tasks he could’ve thrust on me...guard duty?!”

Skywarp began to shake, fists trembling until finally, he had finally reached his breaking point. “Is it possible for you to shut the frag up for at least a FEW cycles?! Is that too hard to ask?!”

Thundercracker was quite taken aback by the violet Seeker’s outburst. If anyone was being told to shut up, it was usually him. ‘Primus, he must be REALLY mad.’

“I’ll say whatever is slagging well please, thank you very much!” Starscream retorted, clenching his fists.

“Well go off and do it somewhere else away from me!” Skywarp argued back. “I’m getting sick of hearing that shrill dog whistle of a voice you’ve got!”

“Then get used to it, because I have no intention of stopping until I’m done!”

While he had no appreciation, let alone any sense of respect for it, since their arrival to this primitive world, some Decepticons had taken to using Earth expressions and terms in comparison to some more traditional, archaic language. The Casseticons were the worst out of these bots, outright using terms such as ‘dude’ and ‘man’, as well as copying much human cursing (a good portion of which humans based on their own bodily functions, to Thundercracker’s confusion). Skywarp, whether he had just decided that their regular curses weren’t enough, or he had been hanging out with Rumble and Frenzy on one too many assignments, decided to unleash everything that had been, as humans say, getting under his skin.

“Oh boo-hoo! You think YOU’RE the only one that doesn’t want to be here?!” the Seeker shouted, approaching Starscream. “This entire damn thing is your fault anyhow! You just HAD to go and run your mouth about how much Megatron’s plans suck and how YOU obviously had the better idea!”

“Because I do!” the Seeker Commander countered. “He wished to attack both locations at the same time, yet didn’t wish to better separate his forces into equal groups! Even if one was easier to access than the other, did he not think those blasted Autobots would just LET themselves be overtaken?!” he fumed, releasing a frustrated cry. “Bah! He had NO good reason to NOT send the Constructicons! There would’ve been no way that any of those slagging Auto-dorks would’ve stood a chance against Devastator! But NOOOOO! Apparently, they were needed elsewhere!”

“Because there was a crack in the hull,” Thundercracker interjected himself. True, he had little intention of getting involved, yet Starscream was forgetting one vital factor in Megatron’s decision. “The lower sections would’ve been at risk of getting worse and potentially breaking open. Then the entire Nemesis would’ve been flooded.”

“The pressure at the depths the ship’s at is far from enough to cause a breakage in such short a time!” Starscream argued. “We are situated in what the under evolved primates of this floating rock called the mesopelagic zone. True, we are away from the primary star of this current solar system, yet a majority of sea life in that area are perfectly capable of withstanding the water pressure. And they’re also organic, mind you!”

Skywarp scoffed. “You saying all that fancy mumbo-jumbo to make yourself sound smarter or something?”

“Hey, I WAS an accomplished scientist back in the Golden Era of Cybertron!”

“Of which you quit!” the purple and black Seeker countered. “And accomplished? That’s a fat load of shit, and you know it! I bet you only got a passing grade on whatever research logs you presented to those old farts running the academy!”

“Why you slagging piece of-”

“All right, both of you! That’s enough!” Thundercracker had decided that now was the time to step in, lest things start getting violent. Violence was an accepted part of Decepticon culture, seeing as many of their members had been forced to engage in it just to scrape by and survive via gladiatorial matches and other low ranking jobs (which didn’t house the most respectable of bots), yet the blue and black Seeker wasn’t in the mood in having to bring both of his wingmates into the infirmary because they decided to behave like a couple of Sparklings and duke it out.

That’s when the discovery had been made.

Thundercracker had pushed back against Skywarp’s chassis, yet he must’ve misjudged the distance between him and his oh-so-mature Commander (seriously, and he said Skywarp was the one who behaved like a sparkling). His servos made contact with the red and blue Seeker’s waistline, and that was when he and Skywarp heard it. It was a cross between a frightened gasp and an attempt to choke back laughter. Any anger between them had died that instant, replaced with curiosity and bewilderment. Their Commanding Officer was looking quite frazzled and on edge.

“Whoa, time out for a nano-second,” Skywarp said, lightly shoving Thundercracker off him. Nevertheless, he turned to him for confirmation. “You hear that too?” He then turned his attention to Starscream. “Hey, Screamer, what was that noise you made just now? And don’t say it’s nothing, I’ve got a witness right here!” Skywarp gestured to Thundercracker.

Starscream paled (even if there was no change of color) and stood there with wide, red optics. Nonetheless, he quickly straightened himself out and appeared to be cool and collected. “I was merely taken aback by Thundercracker’s sudden movements was all.” He explained, all the while trying to choose his next words very carefully. “You should be grateful he stepped in, lest I fire my null ray right in your face.” He glowered at the black and purple Seeker, hoping that his display would get his subordinate to back down.

But, as the humans said, no dice.

“Uh, correct me if I’m wrong-“ Skywarp began, taking a few steps toward, noticing how Starscream took a few steps back.

“And you are.” Starscream interrupted.

“But you seem a little nervous there.” The Seeker’s grinned. “All I’m asking is why you made that noise.”

Slag, Starscream thought. He wasn’t buying it. Ok, don’t panic. Just come up with another excuse. One that he surely couldn’t refute. “Well...it seems that my inner components are still a little sore from my last...disagreement with our all-wise and all-powerful leader.” He snarled that last part. Even if he were trying to get Skywarp off his back, it wasn’t all a lie. Hook had told him to take it slow for a few solar cycles for his internal repairs to mend the rest of him back together.

“Oh dear, are you ok?” Skywarp asked, an uncomfortable amount of mischievousness in his voice.

Slag. “Yes, I’m fine,” Starscream assured. “But...you shouldn’t touch me. In fact, I outright forbid it.”

Thundercracker analyzed the situation, looking back and forth between Skywarp and Starscream. He was puzzled at first regarding what had happened when he separated the two, yet given one Seeker’s predatory grin and the other’s excuses, it slowly dawned on him what was going on, as well as what Skywarp intended to do.

“Why?” He asked, taking a step towards Starscream while Starscream himself took a few steps back. “You took quite a bruising not too long ago. Maybe something is out of place or broken.”

“No! No, nothing is out of place or broken!” The SIC shook his head wildly.

“Are you sure? Because last time, you said Hook was a piss poor excuse for a medic.” Skywarp chuckled, raising his hands and spreading his servos out.

“Well, I think maybe he’s improved his craft these last few human weeks!” Starscream said, beginning to look around for any escape routes. “But...just in case, you shouldn’t touch anything! You could only make it worse!”

It was then that a familiar, magenta hue began to overtake the purple Seeker, Starscream’s optics widening in horror. “Why Starscream, I’m hurt! Do you think I’d actually hurt you?” He said coyly, optics fittingly red and devilish. “You’re my Commander, my trine-mate. It’s mine and Cracker’s job here to tend to your needs.”

Thundercracker gave a low growl, Skywarp knowing well how he hated being referred to by that name. Despite that though, he kept quiet.

“C’mon,” Skywarp cooed. Then, the magenta hue overtook his entire form, and in a flash, the Seeker was gone from sight.

“N-No! Stay away from me-“ Starscream shouted, yet was cut off when he felt digits traveling along his waistline.

“No need to be so tense.”

The reaction was immediate. Skywarp’s servos lightly stroked and scratched at the other Seeker’s ivory midsection, Starscream seizing up and doubling over, trying to get his “comrade” to release him.

“N-No! Stop it!” Starscream hollered, trying to grab at Skywarp’s hands. “I command you to-“ then out it came. “St-Sto-hoho-p!” A chortle caught in the middle of a demand (or was it a plea) to cease the infernal movements. Starscream had managed to wrench himself away from his assailant, but the damage was already done.

His terrible secret had been uncovered.

“No. Way.” Skywarp said. True, he suspected it, but to actually have confirmed blew his processor. “No. Fragging. Way!!!” He then pointed to his superior. “You’re ticklish!!!”

Now it was Thundercracker’s turn to be surprised, he looked at Starscream with bewilderment and shock. While it wasn’t a topic relatively discussed among themselves, he and the rest of the Decepticons would be fools if they didn’t acknowledge that their “hosts' ' shared more than a few qualities with the ones that had crashed landed on their planet millions of years ago. They were the only species to have similar civilizations to their own, same general body shape, they had an internal, skeletal structure that greatly resembled their own, lived as the dominant species on the planet (well, they were until the Decepticons and Autobots awoke), and fought and warred amongst themselves over the centuries. Yet when it came to the way their organic structure was put together, no one had an exact idea of how the human body functioned. Soundwave suggested gathering a few “lab rats'' and transporting them to Shockwave, yet so far, nothing else had come from that suggestion. Good thing too, Thundercracker felt such a thing was both unnecessary and, while he would never say it aloud, savage. But from what he had seen from Skywarp’s experiment, it seemed that they now were the ones to share the trait of ticklishness with the humans.

Starscream stood there, completely at a loss at what to say or do, processor scrambling to try and find something, anything, to keep the inevitable from happening. “I-I am not-AH!!!” He protested, only for Skywarp to teleport behind him and deliver a servo right in the crease where his hips met his waist. “Stop it!!!” He then aimed the weapon situated on his left shoulder in the other Seeker’s direction. “Try that again, and this null ray is going to blast you right in the face!”

Skywarp wasn’t the least bit intimidated. In fact, this just seemed to make him even more eager to go through with his plan. ”Primus, you’re acting like I’m going to kill you!”

“I’ll kill YOU if you get any closer! I mean it!” Starscream shouted, still aimed right at Skywarp’s head.

“Fine. Do it.” Skywarp laughed. “In fact, I doubt you’d be fast enough to hit me before I just warp out of the way.” He drew closer. “Well? I’m waiting.”

Thundercracker stood by, ready to jump in if things got too ugly. Starscream was cornered, he knew it, yet he seemed to be leaning much more into flight than fight. He looked to the blue Seeker as if trying to gain some support (or maybe a shield to use in case Skywarp made the first move), yet his optics mainly stayed on the third Seeker, trying to gauge what the next plan in his strategy was.

And it was then that Starscream made a critical decision. Frag it.

Immediately taking flight, Starscream transformed into his jet mode and zoomed off, leaving a long, cloudy trail as he departed.

“Oh no!” Skywarp declared, also transforming and chasing after his superior. “You’re not getting away that easily!”

“The slag do you think you’re going?! Get back here!!!” Thundercracker bellowed, yet either Skywarp didn’t hear or just outright disregarded his command, because he and Starscream flew off, leaving him alone.

Why did he always have to be the one to reign those two in?

…

“Aw, c’mon! I’ll go easy on you if that’ll get you to slow down!”

“NO!!!”

“I’m not going to hurt ya!”

“That makes it worse!!!”

“Don’t be such a baby!”

“Frag you!!!”

Back and forth the two Seekers went, Skywarp going back between promising to be ‘gentle’ with his Commander to outright declaring that resistance was futile, and Starscream shot back with threats of murder and dismemberment. All of which didn’t deter Skywarp a bit.

Seeing that the other jet was gaining on him, the Decepticon SIC went as fast as he could to where he was certain he would blow out his thrusters, yet he had to veer over to the side when Skywarp appeared before him via teleportation. He dove upwards, yet found his route blocked by the purple and black Seeker cutting him off via a barrel roll. Starscream went in the opposite direction, yet found himself cut off there as well, Skywarp just barely colliding into him.

“Hey, watch it!!!” he hollered. “You could’ve clipped my vertical stabilizer!!!”

“Then stop flying off and I won’t have to get drastic!” Skywarp shot back, yet inside his alt-mode, he was grinning ear to ear. Or at least he would be if he had any. “Try all you want, I’m not letting up anytime soon!”

“Then you’re going to be doing this for a long time because I have no intention of stop-” Starscream was interrupted by the horrific sight of Skywarp’s body being engulfed with magenta before disappearing from sight.

Oh, Primus. Oh Primus, no! Transforming into his root mode, Starscream looked around, panicking as he found himself surrounded by clear, blue skies, the sun shining high and bright. The intensity of the solar rays blinded him momentarily when he turned in that direction to look for any trace of his pursuer, yet this proved to be a fatal mistake. From beneath, the Seeker was rammed, his subordinate having decided to stay out of his line of sight long enough, and by the time Starscream realized his error, it was too late.

“Aha!!!”Skywarp seized him by the waist and immediately went to work. His servos went in and scrambled along the area he had attacked before, Starscream immediately seizing up and trying to contain the chortles that threatened to spill out of his vocals.

“S-Stop it!!!” Starscream shouted, twisting as much as he could to dislodge himself from the other jet’s hold, yet it seemed that whenever he made a movement, Skywarp just focused on another part of his midsection, the continuous switching of locations making Starscream’s processor be torn between staying still or continuing to writhe around. It was all so confusing and torturous! He was at a loss at what to do! “Stop!!! I-I comma-ha-nd you!!!”

“Hmm...nah.” Skywarp responded, continuing to scramble over the bends and angles of Commander’s midsection.

“I-I’ll kill you!!! Do you hear!? I’ll kill-” Starscream’s voice, unfortunately, chose that time to not cooperate with him. “G-Gah! N-No-hohoho!!! STOP!!!”

“Ah, there you go!” Skywarp congratulated. “Now, was that so hard?”

“Get off!!!” Starscream practically shrieked, both from frustration (and panic), yet also from the sensations that were plaguing his cerebral chamber, sensors lit a fire with horrid tingles and shocks. He only wished that they were of pain. “I-I can’t-'' he then nearly fell out of Skywarp’s arms before he was, unfortunately, caught, the torment continuing. “I can’t stay alo-ha-ft!!!”

“No problem!” Skywarp said, shutting off his thrusters. The two Seekers then began to plummet downwards.

“What in Primus’ name are you doing?! We’ll cra-ah-sh!!!” Starscream hollered, all the while trying to contain himself as Skywarp’s servos still continued to torment him.

As the ground continued to come closer and closer, Starscream braced himself for impact, yet found that it never came, magenta filling his vision before everything around him froze. He wasn’t a stranger to this phenomenon, yet it still perplexed and bewildered him that such an impulsive oaf had such an ability bestowed on him. The times were far and in between, yet whenever it happened, Starscream had gone into the strange dimension between planes of existence with Skywarp when the Seeker teleported both of them. The world looked the same as it had before, yet everything was still and silent. No movement, no sound, nothing. Nothing but their own, as if they were the only things that existed in this small pocket universe.

Then, as quickly as it began, it ended, both Seekers landing on the ground, yet far from at the velocity they were previously traveling at. The landing didn’t mean that Starscream was free, however, the lack of the need to look out below allowed Skywarp to fully focus now on the movements of his servos, which quickly went back to work.

“Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!!!” Starscream commanded, yet he was quickly shut up as giggles threatened to pour out from his vocal processor. He then lifted up his arm in an attempt to, out of desperation, fire his null ray in the other Seeker’s direction, this proved to be yet another fatal error.

Once Skywarp shot his hand underneath to scrape at the cables and joint that linked Starscream’s shoulder and upper arm, he could hold it in no longer.

“Gah!!! Gah-hahahahaha!!!” Starscream released loud and slightly hoarse laughter from his vocals, using his other arm to push back against the other Seeker tickling at his underarm. “S-Stop!!! Stop it!! Sto-hahahaha-p!!!”

“Ha! Gotcha!” Skywarp shouted in triumph, spidering along the red area that rested above his white waist just below the arm joint, this forcing Starscream to retreat into himself and cease his attempts in getting the purple and black Seeker off him. “You’ve got no chance now! Surrender!”

“Hahaha, n-never!!!” Starscream shouted back, trying to turn the opposite way to keep Skywarp away from his side. “Ge-hehehe-t off!!! Get-ah!!!” Skywarp swiped a digit just underneath the area where Starscream’s chest protruded outwards, running the servo along the rim. “Don’t touch me there-AHH!!!”

Skywarp smirked. “Why? Does it tickle?~” he asked oh-so-sweetly. “So you admit you’re ticklish.”

“I admit nothing!!!” Starscream choked in between bouts of involuntary laughter. “I’m not tick-“ he tried to finish but was cut off by more chortles forcing themselves out.

“Then what do you call this? Just a WEE bit of sensitivity?” The purple and black Seeker asked. He stroked and pinched along the SIC’s upper chest region, dipping his hands in the small, square-shaped hollows that rested by his white shoulders, this causing said SIC to try and make another grab at his hands to stop the attack. Unfortunately, Skywarp used this opportunity to dive in under Starscream’s arms and begin scribbling at the joints and cables and whatever other components he could reach. Starscream howled with laughter the moment he felt the wildly moving digits, his arms hugging around himself and clamping themselves down.”Oh great, I’m stuck. Now, what are you gonna do?”

“Wh-Wha-hahaha-t?! You ge-hehe-t them out!!!”

“Can’t exactly do that with you holding my hands down, can I?” Skywarp asked, not letting up in the slightest. “Lift your arms up and I can get free.”

“N-No!!! You’re just gonna-hahaha!!! STOP!!!”

“Hmm...nope.”

Starscream was in, as the humans would say, stitches, his body torn between twisting around and curling up into a ball in a vain attempt to lessen the sensations plaguing him. He knew well that Skywarp would go for the same areas and perhaps others if he lifted up his arms, yet, as he found out, the seams of his underarms were deathly sensitive. It was the equivalent of either having Megatron rip off his limbs versus his fusion cannon blasting him right in the chest. Neither of them was exactly pleasant options. And he didn’t care if he would be called dramatic for making such a comparison! This was torture! He needed this to stop! He HAD to make it stop!

Yet he wouldn’t beg. Not to Skywarp of all mechs. That fool would never get the satisfaction of hearing him grovel for mercy!

And speaking of members of his trine, where in Primus’ name was Thundercracker?! Useless piece of scrap-

“All right, that’s enough!” a voice called out from high above, a blue jet zooming down and transforming, landing a short distance away from his fellow wingmate and Commander. “C’mon, Skywarp, you’re going to kill him.”

“Am not!” Skywarp protested. “I’m just trying to lighten Screamer’s mood here! And from what I’ve seen, my method’s working!

Starscream tried to protest, yet had taken to tightening his lips as much as he could, strained whines coming from in between gritted, grinding dentals. Still, he managed to make out some words (though it was NOT a plea!). “G-Get him off!!! GET HIM OFF!!!”

Thundercracker sighed, crossing his arms. “You heard him. Get off.”

“Aww, do I have to?” Skywarp whined.

“Unless you want a report regarding your insubordination, I’d suggest you do so.”

The purple and black Seeker huffed and begrudgingly stopped moving his hands, Starscream immediately seizing the chance to scramble away, standing up and dusting himself off. Skywarp began to rise as well, yet Starscream pointed one of his cannons in his direction, eyeing his every movement.

“He isn’t going to bother you anymore.” Thundercracker assured.

“I should blast you in the face JUST for what you put me through alone!!!” the Decepticon SIC snarled.

“Hey, I was just trying to get something out of you that wasn’t complaining!” Skywarp countered. “You think you’re the only one that wants to be here on guard duty?”

“I’d much rather be in the company of Megatron at the moment rather than you two!!!”

“Hey, c’mon, that’s enough.” Thundercracker began, trying to cool things down, yet his Commander wasn’t having it.

“I’ve done nothing wrong to even be here!!! I was made Second in Command by Megatron himself!!! And, like it or not, that means I have the full right to question and propose any sort of adjustment or improvement to whatever backward, ridiculous, and foolhardy mission he’s got in mind!!!” Starscream shouted, clenching his blue fists. “And if that’s not enough, he had to stick me with YOU TWO of all bots!!!”

“Hey, c’mon!” Skywarp shot back. “We’re the only ones that can fly besides those damn cone-heads! And Primus knows they won’t put up with your bullshit.”

“I’ve had it up to here with yours!!!” Starscream retorted. “I don’t know why I even continue to allow myself to work with you two!!!” he then pointed to Skywarp. “You are an immature, idiotic thug that has been graced with a power that you clearly do not deserve!!!” he then pointed to Thundercracker. “And you…” Starscream paused. “You...you...well...you didn’t get here fast enough!!! I was under attack by one of my own wingmates, and here you were, lollygagging and taking your sweet time!!!”

Thundercracker was somewhat taken aback. True, this was typical of Starscream, ranting and raving about all the unfairness of the world and how he was slighted by whomever he decided had insulted him, yet the blue Seeker felt a twinge of anger flare up in his spark. “I was TRYING to keep back to make sure you wouldn’t clip a wing or something. You were behaving quite...erratically.”

“That’s no excuse!!!” Starscream countered. “I am your superior, and thus, am your utmost concern!!!”

“I was-”

“No, I’m not done!!!” the other Seeker interrupted. “You know what? You’re just as useless as Skywarp here!!! Only you’ve got no discernable skills or anything spectacular in your arsenal. I lack Skywarp’s little ‘talent’, but I come packed with null rays that can disable and render any machine, Earth or Cybertronian, useless. But you? What, the typical blaster? And such an outdated model too!!! Perhaps even one of the cone-heads would be better suited to be here in comparison to-”

Starscream got out no more before he found himself tackled to the ground. Thundercracker was on top of him and, at a blinding speed, as if in response to the SIC’s remarks regarding his skill and prowess.

“What do you think you’re-” Starscream shouted, yet soon felt his shoulder cannons being removed from his arms. “H-Hey!!! Put those back!!!”

Thundercracker didn’t answer him, continuing his work until his Commander was relieved of his weapons. Then, the blue Seeker delivered a blow to Starscream’s face when the other Decepticon tried to rise. He was disoriented long enough for him to be seized from behind, Thundercracker having ducked his arms underneath Starscream’s own and lifted them up, holding them together with one hand clasping around his wrists, effectively keeping the SIC in place.

“Skywarp,” the blue Seeker began, voice low and emotionless, yet the other members of the trine knew well what such a tone meant when it came to Thundercracker. “He’s all yours.”

Skywarp beamed and made a motion of ‘cracking’ his knuckles (even if he had none). The grin on his face filled Starscream with the utmost dread and fear. “Y-You can’t do this!!!” he protested. “I’m your superior!!!”

“Yes,” Thundercracker responded. “A superior asshole.”

“A superior asshole that’s been getting on my and Cracker’s nerves,” Skywarp said, grinning. Thundercracker despised the nickname the other Seeker had given him, yet at the moment, what was at the forefront of his mind was his Commander’s “disciplinary” session. “And since we’re both done hearing you bitch and moan,” Skywarp raised his servos up, wiggling and making clawing motions with them. “We’re gonna hear you laugh it up instead!”

And then, he went in and continued where he had left off.

Starscream had no chance to brace himself, his focus torn between trying to get Thundercracker off of him and Skywarp’s advances. The purple and black Seeker dove down and traced his servo-tips all over the red and blue Seeker’s chassis, running along the curves and bends, dipping his digits in the vents situated on his chest, and down the midsection where his cockpit was located.

“N-No!!! No-hahahahaha!!! St-Sto-hahaha-p!!! Stop!!! I or-hoho-der you to STOP!!!”

“Not happening.” Skywarp responded, now skittering along the white waist.

“You-hoohoo dare defy an or-hoho-der from your Comma-hahaha-nder!?!”

“If said Commander is being a little bitch, then yes.”

“Th-This is ahahaha-assult on a supe-hehhehe-rior officer!!!”

“Fine then. Stop me.”

Starscream didn’t answer that, knowing well that, despite himself, he was effectively rendered helpless. Thundercracker wasn’t letting him go any time soon, and Skywarp was more than content to keep tickling the ever-living shit out of his Commander. He was completely at their mercy. But he would not surrender. He couldn’t! Not to them! They wouldn’t get one word out of him that was begging for mercy!

At least, that’s what he tried to keep in mind, all the while fighting against said pleas that were forming in his processor.

Skywarp continued to let his servos dance all over Starscream’s upper half, Thundercracker keeping him immobile. The other Seeker’s added weight made struggling difficult and sometimes near impossible, and the maddening sensations made his futile attempts to escape no better. Skywarp had gone for the SIC’s underarms, Starscream’s laughter raising in volume and his struggles increasing, yet Thundercracker held him firm. Skywarp spidered down Starscream’s sides and chest, even tackling the red sections that stood upward on his shoulders. The red and blue Seeker howled with laughter, Thundercracker keeping up his efforts to hold him tight. Despite his current predicament, Starscream could at least take comfort in that the three were clearly alone out here. The only downside to that was that it was Skywarp of all bots doing the torturing! That mech left no inch of his upper body untouched, making sure to give each and every portion of it equal attention. Odd that he would be so precise given how impatient and foolhardy he was.

Having decided that he had explored all he could in that area, the purple and black Seeker shifted his attention to Starscream’s hips, dragging servos along where it connected to his waist and squeezing the sides. The Decepticon SIC continued to release mad cackles from his vocal processor, Skywarp’s servos traveling down to his inner thighs, teasing the joints and cables he could reach. The purple and black Seeker went down the other jet’s legs and reached his knees, swiping servos behind the blocky sections that essentially served as ‘kneecaps’. He even dipped his digits in the vents that rested there.

Starscream was being driven mad, his frantic struggles weakening, though whether it was due to him losing strength or some part of him simply accepting his fate, he was unsure. Regardless, he was reaching his limit and frankly, beginning to lose his mind. “W-Wait!!!” the Seeker got out. “O-hoho-k!!! OK!!! You-hoohoo-’ve had your fun!!! Stop!!!”

“Not yet,” Skywarp said. “I’ve still got a little more of you to tend to.” he then turned to the blue Seeker. “Hold him tight. I gotta feeling this is going to send him over the edge.”

“What do you mean…” Starscream asked, yet trailed off when he saw Skywarp secure his ankles, the undersides of his peds and thrusters completely exposed. Oh no. Oh Primus, no! “W-Wait!!! WAIT!!!” Skywarp and Thundercracker were quite shocked at how loud their captive had gotten, both looking at him with wide, red optics.

Skywarp then smirked. “Oh my,” he glanced at one ped he had in his grasp. “This a particularly sensitive area?” as if to demonstrate, he ran one servo down the length of the side of it, Starscream trembling and straining to keep noises from exiting his throat. “Oh hot damn!” the purple and black Seeker looked to his comrade. “Look at this Cracker! Screamer here’s got sensitive tootsies!”

Tootsies? Was that a human word? Well, whatever. Thundercracker had to strengthen his hold on Starscream, the other Seeker growing even more erratic than before.

“Not there!!!” Starscream finally threw all pride and dignity aside and went to one of his desperate fail-safes: begging. “Please, not there!!! Anywhere but there!!!”

“Why?” Skywarp coyly asked. “Does it tiiiickle~?”

“All right fine!!! Fine, I admit it!!! I’m ticklish, ok!?! There, I said it!!!”

Skywarp stopped his teasing, yet still held Starscream’s ped in his hold. “And?”

“And…” the SIC couldn’t believe he was doing this. Megatron was one thing, but these two? He would NEVER live this down. “And…” he felt a servo place itself on the underside of the ped. “And I’m sorry!!! I’m sorry for everything I said!!! You’re not useless or idiots!!!” Starscream sighed, having gained both of the other jet’s attention. “It’s just...it’s just so frustrating.” He said, lessening his struggles. “Your position means nothing, and whatever contribution you have to give is treated little better than the ramblings of a fool. How nothing you could ever say matters…”

Starscream looked away from both of them for a second, his wingmates quite baffled and confused by what they just heard. True, complaining was one of the hallmarks of their Commander’s personality, yet it was quite a rarity to hear him display such raw honesty with them. It wasn’t a completely alien event, the two having heard these supposedly heartfelt (or in their case, sparkfelt) confessions before, but they were far and in between. Yet whenever they happened, despite their probable better judgment, they listened. And Starscream, even if he didn’t say it outright, acknowledged that they were indeed listening. These moments were always awkward and generally uncomfortable for all three of them, the mood not exactly being positive but oddly calm. And neither Skywarp nor Thundercracker could tell whether these were genuine or not. Their Commander was very much what the humans called a social chameleon. Oh sure, he had his distinguishing traits, yet it seemed that whenever he had to play a certain role (aside from a duplicitous usurper), he usually took it and made it his own. He could have solid strategies and plans, he could be deadly in combat and made use of his airborne advantage well, and when, rarely, Megatron’s plans aligned with his own, he would follow it to a tee. But whether all these were just an act to get what he wanted or a rare display of inner, truthful self (even if partway), neither of the Seekers knew. And in a way, Starscream would probably have it no other way.

Skywarp looked at his partner in crime, then to his victim. “You believe him, Cracker?”

Thundercracker was silent for a moment, Starscream looking up at him with wide, pleading optics. “I don’t know. You know Starscream.”

“Oh, you think so little of me, dear Thundercracker?” The SIC asked, seemingly hurt. “I merely let my own grievances with Megatron affect my sense of professionalism.”

“And?” Skywarp asked. “You sorry for being the King of the Assholes today?”

“King of the...what!?” Starscream began to protest, yet the sensation of Skywarp’s servo kept him in his place. “Yes!!! Yes. Yes, I’m sorry. I apologize. I apologize for everything that’s come from my vocal components.”

The purple and black Seeker looked and Thundercracker and nodded his head. “You know what? I believe him. How about you?” Thundercracker remained silent, yet when his hold was loosening, he noticed Skywarp look at him with a coy, calculating smile. “I think Cracker here forgives you too, Screamer.”

Starscream sighed in relief. “Yes, well...I suppose, as the humans say, to err is, well, human. But to forgive is divine.” He tried to get up, but still, found himself being held tight.

“Hold on there! Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves.” Skywarp said. “I said I forgive you.” He then placed a servo on the underside of Starscream’s ped and dragged it down, noticing how his Commander’s face tensed up. “I didn’t say anything about letting you go. And neither did Cracker.”

Starscream’s red optics widened in terror, his fate had not been changed. “But...but you said that you forgave me!!! You have to release me!!!”

“And we will,” Thundercracker spoke up. “But, it would be bad form to leave Skywarp’s job unfinished, right?”

“Was that an actual joke from you?” Skywarp asked, genuinely surprised. It was just as, perhaps even rarer than Starscream’s “honest” moments, yet once in a while, the blue Seeker showed he was capable of humor, albeit mostly dry, but still, humor. “And yeah. I’ve only got one more place to cover. So I’d suggest you buck up and take the rest of it like a mech!”

Shit, Starscream thought, a part of him surprised that he had used a human curse. Still, the sentence had been delivered. He was doomed. “N-No, wait!!! You don’t understand!!! I can’t take it there!!! It’s too much!!! You’ll drive me crazy!!!

“Hmm...those are all rather bold claims. But you shouldn’t have told me that.” Skywarp said, eager to start his tickling torment up again. “Because now I’m going to have to see it for myself!”

And thus, Skywarp wasted no time in getting started, Starscream having no chance to maintain any semblance of self-control the moment he felt a servo quickly swipe itself back and forth on his ped. The reaction was immediate, Starscream having no chance to try and even contain himself. Skywarp traced down the entire length of the ped, the red and blue Seeker released loud and slightly hoarse laughter from his vocals, he desperately trying to twist his way out of Thundercracker’s grip.

“Skwarp!!!” Starscream hollered. “Ple-heeheehee-se!!! STOP!!!”

“Oh no, Mr. General Dickweed!” the Seeker answered back. “Forgiveness or no, you’ve been in dire need of an attitude adjustment all day today!”

“I sa-hahaha-id I was so-hohoho-rry!!!”

“And you lied to us about being ticklish. Shame on you!” Skywarp teased, continuing to scribble around on the underside of his Commander’s ped.

Starscream was in absolute hysterics, trying with all his remaining power to break free and escape his torment, yet it seemed that his fate was sealed. He was going to have to stay here and endure the continuous, soft, agonizingly light yet maddening sensations Skywarp’s servos created. Eventually, his struggles ceased, no longer having the energy to fight back. Or maybe, somewhere in his processor, he knew that he was fighting a losing battle and simply relented to those that currently had power over him. Skywarp then ceased tickling the peds, yet Starscream had no time to rest. Despite his hopes, pleas, and prayers (he hadn’t really considered himself a religious bot, yet he was singing praises to Primus at that moment in his head), Skywarp had discovered his Commander’s Achilles Heel. Literally.

“PRIMUS, STOP!!!” the SIC shrieked, living up to his name. Out of all the spots that could’ve been at the mercy (or lack thereof) of Skywarp’s servos, he knew well that one would be enough to make him go crazy. “YOU’RE KI-HIHIHIHI-LLING ME!!! I’M DY-HIHIHIHI-ING!!!”

Skywarp scoffed, yet he found this whole thing hilarious, his servos dancing along the lining of and inside Starscream’s thrusters. “Oh please. If anything, this is a spa treatment compared to what you usually get hit with from Megatron.”

“I’D RA-HAHAHAHA-THER TAKE THAT!!! OH PLEASE!!! PLE-HEEHEEHEE-ASE!!! I CAN’T TAKE ANYMORE!!!”

Thundercracker glanced down at his captive, taking a look at the Seeker’s ever-present smile he had plastered on his features, yet also of how hot he was beginning to feel how warm he was becoming. His internal systems had steadily been heating up from all the exertion of energy, yet the fact Thundercracker could now feel the heat himself signaled to him that Starscream was truly reaching his breaking point.

“Ok, I think that’s enough.”

Skywarp looked up. “Aw, why?”

“Is your processor malfunctioning? Feel how warm he is!” Hmm, now that he thought about it, Starscream DID feel like he was heating up the further along he went. Still...did he have to? “Skywarp!”

“Ok, ok! Fine!” the purple and black Seeker groaned.

Begrudgingly, he ceased the movement of his servos and raised his hands away from Starscream, who was still caught in the throughs of laughter. Yet after a few moments, said laughter began to soften and decrease, the Seeker resting in Thundercracker’s arms mainly because he couldn’t do much else. Despite there being no need to take in oxygen, Starscream was quite appreciative of its abundance, his vents taking it in and filtering out the heat that had been building up.

“Oh, and here you actually had me...going,” Skywarp said, gesturing to Starscream. “See? He’s fine!” The word ‘concerned’ was about to exit from his lips, yet the Seeker kept them back. Like the Pit he was going to say that. Starscream then glared in Skywarp’s direction. “See? Totally fine. He’s already back to his bitchy self.”

“You…” Starscream huffed, sounding as if he were short of breath despite not needing to breathe. “You think you’re VERY clever, don’t you?”

Skywarp shrugged. “On occasion, I like to think so.”

Starscream only narrowed his optics. “The moment I get my strength back up, your termination will be slow and painful.”

Despite this threat, the Seeker wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. “Yeah right. I stopped believing you after the...what was it, the millionth-and-first time you said that?”

“Well...who’s to say I don’t mean it the millionth-and-second time?” Starscream questioned, beginning to reach for his null rays, yet ultimately, had tired himself out too much to even move from where he was. As the human said, screw it.

“Are you all right?”

The Decepticon SIC looked up at Thundercracker. “Oh, so NOW you care about my wellbeing?”

“I stopped him, didn’t I?” The blue Seeker asked, pointing to Skywarp.

“And you’re also the one that restrained and let him torture me.”

“...touche.” he then began to rise. “Come on. On your feet.” he slowly hoisted his Commander up. “You’re still cooling down, so it’d probably be good to wait for a klik or two before you take to the air.”

Starscream didn’t argue with that, yet he went over to retrieve his arm cannons. Skywarp soon found the Commander’s eyes looking straight at him. Yet still, his cannons didn’t fire, though whether because he was too tired to do anything or he actually didn’t have it in him (at least at the moment), to shoot Skywarp was unknown. Yet the result was the same.

“So...now what?” the purple and black Seeker asked.

“What do you mean, now what?” Thundercracker asked. “We go back to our posts! Slag, we shouldn’t even be out here anyway!”

Starscream dusted himself off, trying to straighten out his appearance. “As soon as this is over, I’m punishing both of you.”

Skywarp mockingly gasped. “Aw, why?”

“Why?! You know slagging good why!!!” Starscream responded. “And by the time I’m done with you, a session with Megatron himself will sound exceptionally pleasant in comparison!!!”

“Oooh, that’s pretty big talk, Screamer.” Skywarp chuckled. “And just how are you going to do it?”

Starscream didn’t exactly care for how close the other Seeker was. “I...I’ll find a way. I’ll find several.”

“Of course, you do realize you’re not the only one with an advantage, you know?” And before Starscream could ask, he felt a poke in his side, the red and blue Seeker recoiling from the touch. “Y’know, I can’t help but wonder how the guys would react to this when I tell them.”

Both Starscream and Thundercracker were taken aback by what Skywarp had just said. “Why would you tell anybody?” Starscream asked.

“Because it’s adorably precious and funny.” The Seeker answered.

“You had better not!!!” Starscream ordered. “Or I’ll make your punishment even worse than Thundercracker’s!!! I’ll…” he then went over and fell at Skywarp’s feet. “Please don’t tell anyone. Please. I’m begging you.”

“Relax, he’s not going to tell,” Thundercracker assured his Commander. “Right, Skywarp?”

Skywarp folded his arms. “Only if Screamer takes back his punishment threats.”

Starscream relented. “Ok, yes. Fine. No discipline. Ok?”

The Seeker smiled. “And since you’re feeling so cooperative, I’ve been meaning to ask you some...stuff.”

Starscream did NOT like the sound of that. “What kind of...stuff??”

“Well, c’mon.” Before he knew it, the Air Commander found his trine-mate’s arm slung around his shoulder as if he were a long-time friend. “We can discuss it on the way back to the space bridge.”

Starscream groaned, not liking where this was going at all.

Thundercracker only looked on, still trying to swallow everything that had happened. Suffice to say, he found himself feeling rather...odd about it. And he could tell Starscream held this sentiment as well. Truly, it sounded unreal: he had just held down their superior while his wingmate tickled him into near insanity. Had he not seen it himself, let alone participated in it, he wouldn’t have believed it. Frankly, he was beginning to feel quite embarrassed about how he had sunk so low to be involved in something so childish, but…

“Oh, come on! It wasn’t that bad!” The blue Seeker heard Skywarp say. “You were smiling the whole time!”

“Yes, against my will!!!!” Starscream retorted, folding his arms and, for lack of a better word, pouting.

“But don’t you feel just a little bit better?”

Starscream’s red optics widened. “No! It-“ had he been human, he would’ve been red as a tomato. Odd how the meatbag’s skin changed at just the slightest amount of extreme emotion. “Hmph!!! Well...I’m not talking to you right now!!! Or in the next few Earth hours. Or tomorrow. Or the day after that. Or-“ he was interrupted by a poke, unprepared to contain the giggle that slipped out. “Do that again, and I WILL blast you this time.” He threatened.

“That makes a millionth-and-three.” Skywarp answered, unfazed.

Thundercracker continued to watch the two Seekers argue and banter with each other, noticing that, even if he would swear to Primus Himself that it wasn’t the case, since his tickling session, Starscream seemed...less irritable?

“Well, maybe that’ll be the lucky number. What’s that human saying again? Third time’s the charm?”

“I don’t think they have plus a million in there though.” Skywarp chuckled, Starscream huffing.

“Shut up.”

Thundercracker could only speculate. One could never tell with Starscream. But from watching him, he had a vague idea of what was going in his processor. And that he’d keep it a secret from everyone.

[soundofseventeen]

Can You Sit By My Side? (Wen Junhui)

Hi! I hope everyone’s okay! Please remember to help support the black community during these times and help them use their voices! Our requests are still open, but please be sure to read the conditions before requesting! (if you have no money, click here to stream this! The longer you go, the more it’ll donate!) This will be the last non requested fic I write! Lastly, happy birthday Jun!!!

Inspo: Can You Sit By My Side

Word count: 7616

Pregnancy stage: third trimester

You grunted with the effort of taking the plates down from its spot. Sure, now they chose to disappear when each of them have stuck to your side in hopes you’d ask for help. “See? You’re already making things hard for me.” You placed your hand over your tummy and sure enough, the princess kicked in response and you laughed. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?” She moved around again, loving the sound of your voice. “Why don’t you move when you hear your uncles? Guys! She’s moving.” 

It never ceased to surprise you that Jihoon was usually the first to arrive, despite swearing that he didn’t even like kids. “Is my favorite niece up from her nap already?” He frowned when he saw that she wasn’t moving. “Oh come on, are you really doing this right now?”

You took his hand and guided to where her feet currently were, placing pressure on it, and when she kicked, he jumped up in response. “I can’t tell if she likes you or just likes making your life hard. But at least she knows who you are. I can never get her to move for Mingyu.”

“That’s because no one likes Mingyu...or Seungkwan for that matter.”

“I wanna feel her kick next!” Jeonghan came into the kitchen, almost knocking the plates from your hand. “She never does it for me unless I’m singing and that’s not fair.”

You rolled your eyes but you knew he had a point. Your unborn child already had good taste in voices but she was a devious one, mostly moving around when she heard anyone singing, and it had to be a raw performance. None of that studio version mumbo jumbo. “Is the pizza here yet? I’m starving.”

“Almost and Jun is also on his way back from the Mexican place with that torta you wanted.” he shook his head. “I’ll never understand a woman’s cravings.”

“You’re just mad because you ended up with the morning sickness. And so did Seungcheol….Chan too.”

“The cravings are weird,” Joshua piped in, coming in with the jar of peanut butter in his hands. “I can’t stop eating this and I’m breaking out so bad. You better name her after me once you give birth, or at least buy me some good facial products.” He asked to touch your stomach with his eyes and you nodded, shooting Jeonghan a small smirk when you felt her kick. “Aww, princess, you’re gonna be the most beautiful of all.”

Mingyu showed up next, water still dripping from hair from being in the pool, but still drying up, and he seemed to be the only one who noticed you still needed to bring the stuff outside. He wordlessly took the plates from your hand and grabbed some plastic bags that were on the table and headed back out. He liked to think he got the worst end of the stick with his hormones being out of whack and being a little more emotional about things. He was the only one who cried when you  announced your pregnancy and when he found out you were having a girl. But that also meant he took it a little personally when she kicked him once and then never again. 

“Mingyu, you're my favorite!” You yelled out to him and she moved around, possibly in agreement. “You’re the biggest little shit I know, do you know that?” Once you ushered everyone outside, you found the rest of the boys, either diving into the pool to stay cool or setting up the table. You noticed that Jun had come home and was playing the piano like no one was around. (Oh Jun, the one thing he wanted was a piano in the backyard when you bought the house and you didn’t know why, but you weren’t complaining.) 

The tune was more than familiar and you weren’t the only one who recognized it because little Wen Meihui started moving like crazy, so you sighed, going to sit next to your husband as he played it happily. You made a face at Jihoon sampling everything that had been laid out on the table and shook your head. (Jihoon had shown the first sign of your pregnancy but no one had given it a second thought at the time, since he was a self-proclaimed foodie, but then when Hao started showing the same symptoms, you had grown a little suspicious.)

Jun didn’t stop playing even as you sat down, but he looked up and smiled at you but even then you knew he wasn’t singing it just for you. He picked up the habit of toying with the instrument when he realized he was gonna be a father, but out of nervousness. And once the little princess had grown into a baby who could hear, she started moving around every time Junhui sat down at the keys. Her favorite seemed to be “Can You Sit By My Side?” and from there, he easily became the favorite parent, which Jun would so rub it in your face in the future. And he fell in love with knowing she recognized him by his voice, often telling her about his day and putting his hands over your belly as he built his connection with her.

When he wasn’t terrified of becoming a parent, that is. With Wonwoo’s (another one with cravings...and spicy foods at that) help, they found beginner books on how to become a good father and how to be patient with you. He and Jihoon turned his home office into a nursery, complete with a Winnie the Pooh theme and baby proofed the place. Seungcheol provided the labor and drove you to your appointments and the boys just turned your house (and their dorms) upside down with clothes and toys and baby food and everything she may have needed.

You rested your head on Junhui’s shoulder, closing your eyes and breathing deeply, trying not to wince from the parade currently happening inside of you. You smiled nonetheless, overjoyed at the reception and Junhui slowly came to a stop, still in his own little paradise.

“Can I protect you by your side?” he whispered, placing a soft kiss to your nose and touching your stomach tenderly with both hands before he pressed another kiss there.

*

Newborn days:

“Jun, come on I need to feed her before I make dinner.”

“But I haven’t held Meihui in forever,” he pouted, cradling her close to his chest. “What if I have to go on tour tomorrow and can’t see her until the end of the year?” He wedged his finger between one of her hands, cooing gently.

“Jun, paternity leave is the reason why you won’t be seeing your band mates for a while. Come on you big baby.”

“Baobei, didn’t you pump? I can feed her.” He looked up at you, looking very unsure and very nervous. “Can I just hold her for a few more minutes? I-I don’t wanna let her go yet.” 

You kissed his unkempt hair, a little jealous that even though he’s been running on the same hours of sleep as you have, he looked like he was in much better shape. “Okay.”

“Can you sit by my side for a little while? I feel like I haven’t been close to you.”

“Okay.” You complied, snuggling close to his arm, hearing him recite the lyrics only loud enough for her to hear. You adjusted the little hat on Meihui’s head so she wouldn’t be cold.

“Can you believe we made someone this beautiful?” It was his turn to kiss your unbrushed hair. “What do you think she’s gonna be like?” Meihui made a small whimpering noise and Jun shushed her gently, rocking her in small motions, feeling a little smug that he was able to calm her down.

“It’s still too early to tell, but if she’s anything like you, we may have our work cut out for us.”

“But if she’s anything like you, we may have to call in our reinforcements.” He stayed quiet for a moment, then spoke again. “Did you really mean it when you said you wanted her to learn Korean?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t it be kinda fucked up to not to give your friends the chance to love her too?”

“I mean, they can always learn Chinese...it’s not that hard.” Another kiss to Meihui. “Our princess is gonna be the smartest human in the world...and the kindest.” This time the kiss was directed at you. “Thank you for giving me the best gift ever.”

You thought back to the dang piano (not the one outside but the one at Pledis...the one that still resided in Universe Factory), the reason you had gotten pregnant in the first place, and every moment that came after until right now. You would’ve done it all over again….just not anytime soon. 

“You know I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you. You know that right?”

“Wen Junhui...you told me that on our third date, when you proposed and every time it seemed like a good idea. Trust me, I know.” 

He cleared his throat. “Baobei, you know you’re the queen of my universe and I would steal all the stars in the sky for you, but I’m talking to Mei.”

Of course he was.

*

Six months old: 

“Alright my little princess, today it’s just you and me. Do you like that?” As if she understood him, Meihui smiled at him, squealing at the idea. “Yay!” he clapped his hands, and she mimicked his movements. “I knew you would.” 

After changing her diaper, he brought her downstairs, along with the swing she’d be in while he made breakfast. It wasn’t everyday he had a father/daughter day but after begging Soonyoung’s fiancee to take you out looking for a wedding dress, you agreed to it and asked Junhui if he would like to spend a day with her. (He was a little curious to see how that future would turn out. They’d both met the American tourist years back when she had been leaving the hair salon to keep her red hair intact.) 

So far, it’s been perfect. Like himself, Meihui was a late riser so he didn’t need to worry about losing much sleep, so he managed to make the bed he heard her making noise so naturally it was time to start the day. He sighed to himself, forgetting that she needed to eat too, so he placed the swing on the side of one of the walls and brought out the high chair instead. “Okay what sounds good for breakfast? I think pancakes for me, but how about you?” 

He placed her on the chair and handed her a spoon which she banged on the table to her heart’s content while he rummaged the cabinets for something for her. “I found some apple juice!” He shook one of the bottles eagerly. “Yes or no?” He poured it into one of her bottles and she picked it up after some difficulty. (A proud parent moment right there.) “Now food! It’s too early for chicken, I think you finished the peas last night...aha! Rice cereal so you can have breakfast with me!”

She drank her juice while he made his pancakes and poured himself a cup of coffee and talked to her as if she was more grown. “Now for the best part,” he rubbed his hands together while he  picked up the remote, “what to watch! I’m thinking Mickey Mouse. You?” She didn't give him an expression, so he tried again. “I would say PJ Masks but they scared you last time. Winnie the Pooh?”

“EEEEE!” 

“I thought so.” He mixed her cereal together and tapped her shoulder. “Can I sit by your side?”

He stared at her while she made more of a mess than actually eating her food, but he was endeared nonetheless. Her eyes, he noted, came out more like yours, but she had inherited his hair, both in color and type, and the freckle above her lip had become more prominent. She was perfect just the way she was.

*

Ten months old:

Jun would’ve given anything to have been able to bring you both on tour, but he knew there would have been so many new adjustments that would’ve been made and he wasn’t too keen on the idea of people laying eyes on his princess just yet. He shared whatever he could, but it was a big step to actually bring her into the public eye. Add him most likely not going up onstage just to spend time with her into the mix and the results wouldn’t be good. Plus he was a little jealous of the vocalists who could coax her into their arms. (If they wanted a child, they could go and do it themselves, thank you.) Every moment he would call you, they would all bunch around his laptop and fight for her attention. (Seungkwan and Seokmin had the upper hand here.) But it was finally over.

You had waited pretty patiently at the Incheon Airport, even with a fussy infant who missed her father. You had managed to get her to go down for a nap while you passed the time reading articles on soothing her sore gums. (Teething...probably the worst thing about having a baby.) And then when she woke up, it took everything in you to get her stop crying. She didn’t stop when you took her out of the carrier and bounced her, nor when you pointed at random things to distract her. The diaper wasn’t an issue….and she wasn’t gassy. You could hear the annoyed travelers whispering and giving you dirty looks, but you ignored them. You finally pulled out your phone and went to the gallery….a last resort for things like this.

A daddy’s girl through and through, Mei immediately stopped her wailing at seeing Junhui on the screen, on that piano playing her favorite song. You could almost swear that he had written it just for her even now, because it always calmed her down and Jun had taken it upon himself to record himself and send it to you for emergencies and it had come in handy multiple times already. Meihui clapped once (the newest thing she learned how to do) and reached for the phone and ultimately putting it in her mouth.

“Princess, we don’t eat that. I need that for things.” Which resulted in mindless babble. “You know, the insurance doesn’t cover baby drool, so if you mess it up, I have to buy a new one, right?” She looked up at you and gave you a gummy smile, unfazed. “If something happens to this, we’re stuck here.” She pulled the phone out of her mouth long enough to squeal at Jun and then squirm in your arms. Your mother-in-law had been quick to confirm that Jun couldn’t stay still and was always making noise….so yep, another point for Junhui. “Okay, fine if it keeps you happy.” You were happy that she had been born in the early fall because she could enjoy the nice clothes right now. 

A few arrivals later, the boys emerged, looking jet lagged but still scoping their surroundings and when they found you, they raced towards you (your child), in hopes of getting there first. Mingyu beat everyone, taking the child out of your arms before you could even say hi. “There’s the most beautiful girl in the world!” He pulled a lollipop out of his pocket and after taking the wrapper off, gave it to her. A lot of them, while waiting their turn, enveloped you in a hug and caught you up with the latest tour stories. Junhui finally showed up, helping a hobbling Minghao.

Once he got the younger boy into a seat, he ran to you, throwing every emotion he felt into the hug, and not minding the PDA he displayed showering you with kisses, one for every time he missed you and one for every time he woke up without you on the other side of the bed. “Hi,” he finally said.

“Hi,” you breathed, not wanting to let him go yet. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He kept you in his arms a little longer until he remembered he had a daughter that he missed dearly. He pulled away, but kept one arm firmly around you, just in case he still felt like he was dreaming. He looked around, finally finding his precious baby in Mingyu’s arms. Meihui had apparently found it funny to be licking her lollipop and then sticking it on Mingyu’s face and repeating the process whenever the lollipop would start unsticking. 

“Your hair is as quiet as the dark night…” he began quietly, “making me think of you from night ‘til dawn.” As predicted she looked around for the familiar voice as Junhui continued the tune of his song, not making any more obvious movements he was around her. He bonked his head on yours slowly, enjoying Mingyu spinning around in circles every time she almost spotted him. “If you listen to this song word by word,” he took baby steps towards her, making sure he still had a hold on you, “line by line, can you sit by my side?” Mei finally seemed to outsmart Mingyu, but she managed to turn her head before he could spin and her eyes landed on Jun.

And she cried for him, reaching for him.

*

One year old:

“Junhui, is all this necessary?” You swatted the balloons out of your face, shaking your head at his decorations. Your backyard had turned into a jungle of colors and different shapes and you had to keep yourself calm from the way you noticed an inflatable water slide hovering dangerously close to the swimming pool and you just hoped that none of your husband’s best friends would be dumb enough to use it as a makeshift waterslide.

“Oh its absolutely necessary Baobei,” he argued, keeping a firm grip around Mei hands while she walked. (She had learned to stand not too long ago and once she learned to walk on her own, it’d be game over.) “She only turns one once!” 

“I know, but couldn’t we have taken her to the park or the aquarium or something? It doesn’t need to be a big thing for her.”

“Ah-mah,” Mei called out to you. “Ah-mah.”

“Wow, that’s my big girl,” you cooed. “You’re almost there.” It took so much of your energy to squat but you managed. “Come here.”

“No. Ah-pah.” She struggled to stay in place even when Junhui directed her movements towards you. “No. Ah-pah,” she whimpered.

“She has spoken,” he said smugly. 

“You know, I’m offended right now, but when she’s a moody teenager, I won’t be.” You stood up, walked over to him, pressed a kiss to his cheek and went inside. “The pizza’s almost ready, father of the year.”

“Is there a Chicago style one for Seokmin? I swear he goes on his honeymoon with his wife and spends the entire time in Chicago and now he’s actually thinking of moving there just because she’s from the Midwest.”

“Wen Junhui, do you know you’re whipped for your bandmates?” Yes, you made a special one just for him, because you knew it’d be breaking some kind of promise. “That was the last one that went in.” You squinted at the toddler. “Tell me you’re not gonna give me a hard time today. Your father may be past the wild bachelor parties, but he still knows how to throw them. Should I be surprised if you get a chocolate fountain for this?”

His mouth dropped open. “Did you get the bank statement already?”

You exhaled, unsure why you were even surprised. “Did you get a petting zoo too?”

“I’m thinking of waiting for her fourth birthday, don’t you think...I’ll have you know that I couldn’t find one available for today.”

“Wen Junhui….”

“Wen Y/N, I want you to know that I would’ve done so much for you, but you would’ve yelled at me. I actually had to wait to get a ring on your finger just so I can do this for her.”

“Jun, we got married ages before I was pregnant.”

“Yeah, but now I have an excuse to go all out.” He let go of Mei’s hands and carried her, so he could use his hand to entwine them with one of yours. “Don’t worry my love, I just want her to have the best day of her life. I will try to tone it down from now on.” He rubbed his thumb on your knuckles.

“Next time, just tell me you wanna plan something so elaborate so I can tell you no. We’re the only ones who have a kid right now so it wasn’t necessary.” 

“Oh no, the water slide is for us, and the fountain is for you, because you wanted one.” He placed a kiss on your temple. “How much longer until DK’s pizza is ready.”

“It’ll be awhile. Why?”

“Can you sit by my side, so we can enjoy this little family time for a bit? After all, a year ago, you gave me one of the best things in life.” He guided you to the gazebo to enjoy the warm sun and maybe a little bit of alcohol to relax the tension in your muscles. Junhui sat Mei on his lap and she fell back on him, her eyes closing. “I guess she might be taking a nap.” he wrapped his arm around you and brought you close to him. “So it’s just you and me.” He puckered his lips to kiss you.

“HEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.” Someone yelled from the front yard.

“And whoever decided to show up early.” You stood up, pulled him with you and gave him a quick peck. “Alright dad of the year. Entertain our guests.”

*

Two years old

“It’s here!” Jun screamed coming in as his way of greeting one night.

You looked up at him, trying not to look afraid. The Halloween season brought out the scariest movies and even though you had grown up, it was still foolish of you to binge watch something. “What’d you get now?” You placed your hand over your heart, the racing had gone down slightly but not enough.

“It’s a surprise.” He dropped a kiss on your forehead and headed straight for the kitchen. “How was work?”

“Day off, remember?” You picked up the book that had fallen on your lap when he burst in. “Shh, I just put Meihui down for bed. I think she might be getting over a fever. She didn’t eat much tonight.”

“You know she doesn’t like carrots, right?”

You weren’t sure if the irony was humorous or horrible but you didn’t say anything. “I know; I made her soup. The chicken is for you.” You heard the footsteps going upstairs. “Hey get down here. If you wake her up, you’re putting her back to sleep.” That and you didn’t wanna be alone. “Junhui!” You shook your head. He acted as if he wasn’t going to have an entire morning with her the next day.

“Baobei,” he popped up next to you, and while you did fall off the couch in surprise (and fear), it took everything in you not to scream. “Have you-I’m sorry!”

“Help me up.” That did it; no more scary movies unless you had someone with you. “What’d you need?” It was funny but you still shot him a small glare which still took him a while to compose himself.

“Have you made any plans for Halloween?” He asked sitting next to you.

“No...why?” You hoped he didn’t rope you into something that required you to leave the house.

“Chan is having a party to celebrate his new promotion and he said we should go!”

“Can I think about it?”

“But I’ve already got the costumes,” he pouted. “Please! We’re gonna look so cute together.” 

“You mean, you and Mei are gonna look cute.”

“All three of us!” He heard slight coughing and he turned around to see the love of his life looking dazed and tired, holding the stuffed penguin Cheol had given her. “Hi Princess! Why are you up so late?”

“M-my throat,” she whimpered. “I sit...your side?”

“Okay Princess. Look, do you wanna see your Halloween costume?” He patted his lap and picked her up so she could rest comfortably.

“Scary?” she asked.

“No. It’s cute, like you.” He pressed a kiss to her to her head and then tapped your nose. “Baobei, do you have the scissors? Can you grab them please? And the box in our room? Father duties, you see.”

You shook your head but if it meant he got to take care of her, you would’ve fixed the broken window in the attic. Going into the closet scared you a little at the moment but you weren’t so afraid anymore. But you may have run back downstairs just in case something was waiting for you if you let your guard down. (That’s how it always happened in the movies.) 

Junhui was stroking Mei’s hair when you got back and showing pictures of who knows what and he met your gaze with the biggest grin you’ve only whenever he was plotting something. “Which one are you opening first?”

“The one on the couch. I think you’re gonna like it.” He kissed Mei’s cheek, not minding that she was close to falling back asleep, but he could feel that she wasn’t as warm as before.

“Pajamas? You’re making a big deal out of her costume when it’s just sleepwear?”

“Open mine next! It’ll make more sense.” You ignored his oddly gleeful expression and he made a noise when you pulled out his. “Get it Baobei? Because he saves her even though he scared her!”

Well it definitely explained why he wanted to perfect Meihui’s pigtails and that meant that the box by his feet was yours, and you could only hope he wasn’t a little shit about it. “What am I?”

“Besides my beautiful wife, my everlasting soulmate, and the mother of all my kids?” He waggled his eyebrows at you. “You’re just gonna have to open it yourself.” He kicked it over to you, and it concerned you at how light it was.

You glided the scissors overs over the tape and when you saw the green inflatable, you let out a deep gust of air, not sure whether to be annoyed or amused. “Are you fucking kidding me?” You smacked his shoulder. “Wen Junhui, I hate you.” And then you started cracking up because he was a dumb genius.

“We look good though. I’ve even been showing Meihui how to be Boo.”

“Okay but why do I have to be Mike Wazowski and you get to be Sully?”

“I mean, you could’ve been Randall because she’s scared of you.”

“Wen Junui!” You shook your head, loving the effect of feeling drunk on life he currently gave you. “Why are you so salty?”

*

Three years old

“Grandma!” Meihui jumped out of Jun’s arms and ran to her legs, squealing in delight.

“How’s my favorite princess?” She bent to her level and whispered something in her ear and stepped aside, Meihui calling out to her grandpa. She cradled Jun’s face and placed a kiss to his cheek and did the same to you. “How was Disney?”

“Exhausting. I think we’re happy to be here with you guys,” he admitted, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “I have never seen anyone get so excited over Cinderella the way she did.” 

“I haven’t been to Disneyland in years!” you exclaimed in the midst of finding your present for the in laws. “And she’s my favorite princess! You’re just jealous because I couldn’t marry Prince Charming.” You pulled out a snow globe to add to her ever growing collection. “For you.”

“Thank you, my child. Come in. I just started making tea. Are you hungry? There might be rice in the fridge.”

“See, Baobei? We didn’t stop along the way so my mom would’ve been able to feed us and now I have to tell her no.” He glanced apologetically at her. “You have such a thoughtless daughter in law, Mom. I’m sorry.”

“Why do you still give the poor girl such a hard time?” she scolded him.

“Mom, he’s just jealous because I’m your favorite.” You removed your shoes. “Thank you for letting us spend the night. It’s gonna be a long flight back to Korea and I appreciate it. Is there anything  I can help you with since your son will pass out in about five minutes?”

“I’m tired,” he pouted. “Let me go say hi to dad first and then I can tell him how you’re both so mean to me.”

“How do you put up with him?” she shook her head.

“A box of apple juice and crackers.” And no, you weren’t kidding. The older Meihui got, the younger Jun seemed to feel. He now deemed chocolate milk too sweet but if Mei was drinking it, so was he; he liked his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into triangles just like her. “But, if he’s happy I’m happy.” 

“You guys always look happier every time I see you.” She poured two cups of tea and placed them on the table, motioning for you to sit down. “I knew you were a keeper from the moment I met you. But you know that. Tell me, how is everything? Everyone?’

You dove into the events in your life back home, stemming from Vernon finally settling down with someone and dropping hints about Wonwoo’s new book coming out soon to you quitting your job and so you could spend more time with Mei who was feeling jealous now that Jeonghan had become a father to twins and had to get used to sharing the spotlight. Jun and his dad entered the room to grab drinks and Mei skipped behind them chatting their ears off about the fireworks and asking her grandpa to carry her.  Anyone that Junhui loved more than life was her favorite person in the world, and who better than that than the man who stepped in and raised Junhui as his own?

“It’s funny...Mei looks so much like you but she acts so much like Jun. It’s a funny thing.”

“Jun spends so much time with her. He takes her to work every Wednesday and Saturday, and on his days off he takes her, I don’t know where. And to think he was scared of being a father.” The nights he’d be pacing and religiously finding all the parenting sites to help him. It all seemed like a long time ago, especially when he liked to hog her now. You placed your hands over your mother in law’s. “You have the most incredible son; I hope you know that.”

She squeezed your hands. “He has the most incredible wife.”

The late afternoon progressed into dusk, with everyone eating dinner in the backyard to enjoy the breeze and the dusk brought drinks and dessert to the night until Mei was too tired to stay up, falling asleep on Junhui and you bringing out your sweater to keep her warm. Everyone called it quits a little after midnight after a card game since the day would bring traveling back home. 

“Don’t be strangers,” your father in law warned you while you waited for your flight to be called. “I want to see you all in our home more often.”

“Can I stay with them Mommy?” Meihui asked, tugging on your hand. “Please?”

“You can but then we won’t have time to pick you up.” You knelt to her level, wiping her face clean, getting rid of all the stickiness from the orange juice. “And we’ll miss you a lot.” You let go of her hand. “Now, go say ‘bye and tell them thank you.”

The tears in her eyes as she said her goodbyes hurt you more than it should’ve, but you weren’t gonna tell her you planned to spend her next birthday and Christmas with them or that they’d be visiting you in a few weeks for Jun’s birthday. It hurt you too though, but you couldn’t say anything. They waited until you cleared airport security for them to leave and even then you cried. But at least, you could go home, unpack and resume your everyday-ish life. But first the boarding.

“Baobei, window or aisle?” Jun asked you and you shrugged. “Princess, do you want to sit in the middle?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.” 

“Are you scared?” He picked her up, and let you take the window seat. He felt the need to give you a kiss on your cheek which flustered you. “Because I am. And I need someone to hold my hand. Can you sit by my side?”

She nodded at that. “Okay. Daddy? Can you sing that song?”

*

Four years old

“Hey you.” Jun removed his glasses, annoyed at how the prescription made him dizzy. He really was getting old now. He loved the days when you slept in and then left for the day with one of the boys’ wives. It meant he could be somewhat productive and he tried but he had pulled a muscle trying to remember one of his martial arts moves. He currently was on the couch, an ice pack on his knee. “What’s up? Can you sit by my side?” He picked up little Mei who looked confused.

“Daddy, Uncle Joshua called Mommy a bad word the other day.”

“He did? Do you want me to beat him up?” He was surprised to say the least. He had always been kind to you, especially when his marriage fell through the cracks and he needed a shoulder to lean on when the divorce had been finalized.

“No, can you tell him not to call her that though? It’s mean.”

“What’d he call her?”

“Y/N. I’ve never heard anyone call her that.”

He almost snickered but the look on her face told him not to do it. “ Princess, what do you think your mommy’s name is?”

“Baobei. You always call her that.”

Okay, now he saw the misunderstanding. “Her name is Y/N but I call her Baobei.”

“Why?’

“We’ve been together for a long time, and I don’t like calling her Y/N.”

“Why? Is it ugly?”

He almost lost his shit there; he really did. “No. It’s just something I call her, even before you were born...and before we got married. I like calling her that.”

“Why?”

“Well, it’s like me calling you princess. Your name is Meihui.”

“Why?”

“Because I told your mom if she didn’t give us matching names, I’d be sad.”

Her eyes widened at the realization, her mouth forming into an ‘o’, and forgetting she was so confused. “I’m like you Daddy!” She wrapped her arms around him and then pulled back. “Wait a minute. You and Mommy were together before I came here?”

“That’s right.” 

“You didn’t want me a long time ago?”

Oh no. He wasn’t about to have this conversation with her. She was too young to know how she came into this world. He was gonna let you have this when she was older and he wasn’t around. Ah shit….if she was into boys, that’d be a hard thing to explain. No, he wasn’t thinking about the sex talk and how he’d have to explain it. “Of course we wanted you! We just couldn’t find you. We looked at all the doctor’s places and then one day, we did and we took you home.”

She nodded slowly. “Why?”

*

Five years old

“Are you ready for your first day of school, Princess?” Junhui bent to her level and adjusted the collar around her neck, keeping himself busy so he wouldn’t cry at leaving her behind.

She shook her head. “I don’t know nobody. I wanna go home.”

“We can pick you up after school, Mei, and it won’t be for a long day.” You looked around for a clock, relieved that it was an analog clock so you could explain it to her. You pointed at it. “When the hands are all the way up, you can come home and we’ll be out here waiting.”

“You don’t love me anymore?”

You never did understand how kids always thought that you leaving them alone for a couple hours meant you didn’t love them anymore. But that was also partially her fault. No one told her to run to the toy section when you were getting groceries and she had lost you. Of course, Junhui looked just as offended when you recounted the story. “Of course we do. We just want you to learn. The smarter you are, the more you-” you trailed off, not sure how to finish it. She already knew her colors and could count to 10...in the three languages she knew. 

And eventually, if she wanted to, she could learn more. She needed Chinese to speak with her dad, Korean with her uncles and English because Joshua and Seungkwan insisted she’d get more opportunities in the long run. But you didn’t wanna burn her out and lose any interest she had in learning them. But right now, a private school away from the spotlight and media would do in helping her concentrate. 

“Daddy, can you sit by my side? I’m scared.”

“I wish I could, Princess, but you have to stay here and I need to talk to your uncle Jihoon about something. I’ll be here after school though, okay? And then we can go see some of your uncles, okay?”

“Can we see Uncle Hao? I miss him.”

“Only if you promise you can do this like a big girl.”

“I promise.”

*

Six years old

You looked suspiciously at the father and daughter, both covered in mud and blocking the door to go outside. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing!” they said simultaneously and beamed at you. They looked at each other, some sort of conversation between them, then back at you.

“How was work, Baobei?” He spoke first, wrapping his hand around your arm in an attempt to distract you . “Did you like it?”

“It was fine. What did you two do today?” When you had gotten home from your first job back in a couple of years, it had been strangely silent, the house in perfect shape. These days, Jun was scrubbing crayon off of the wall, or removing a carpet stain. But today, they rushed indoors dirty from head to toe and you had half a mind to tell them they’d be washing and drying off outside.

“We had ice cream!” Meihui spoke. After I did my homework, daddy said I did a good job and we went out!”

“Mm-hmm, and why are you dirty?’ You heard a thump at the door and then muffled barking. You turned to Junhui who had his hands up in surrender. “I can explain Baobei.” He opened the door slowly and in trodded a Shiba Inu as dirty as the culprits. It took one look at you and growled slightly.

“Wen Jun...hui,” you pinched your nose, at a loss for words. Even after so many years with him, he had always managed to surprise you. “Why?”

“We didn’t mean to. Honest. We really were just getting ice cream and then this little guy followed us outta nowhere. He looked like a stray and nobody was calling out for him, and Mei asked if we could keep him.”

“So you told her yes.” Naturally. He really didn’t know how to put his foot down when it came to her. 

“Baobei, look at her. She did that thing with her eyes that you do when you want something. Can you blame me?” 

No, you couldn’t but you weren’t telling him that. You knew the exact expression he was talking about because you used it one too many times on him and still use it. Then again, Junhui really couldn’t tell you no. You’ve tried that too. You really had queen of his heart titled somewhere. “Yes. It’s not that hard, watch. Mei, go get in the shower and get ready for dinner. And stay away from the chocolate chip cookies. They’re for dessert.”

“Just one Mom?” As expected, she gazed up at you. Those cookies you had realized, were her biggest weakness and would make every excuse possible to get her hands on one. “I promise I’ll eat my food.”

“No.” She turned her attention to the other person who wouldn’t deny her anything, but you beat her to it. “Don’t think about it child. He’s with me on this. And he’s also in trouble for the dog. So, upstairs, now.”

“Daddy, can you sit by my side at dinner tonight? And play that song before bedtime?” She batted her eyelashes. “I miss it.”

Yes, Princess. Shower first and then dinner. I heard it’s your favorite tonight.”

“Mom-om, there aren’t any monsters in there, right?”

“No, I had your Uncle Hoshi come and scare them away.” Children. She was somehow convinced Soonyoung was the loudest person alive and therefore, the only one who could get rid of monsters, the boogeyman and anyone who made her so much as flinch. “Please go shower.” once she was out of sight, you faced him smugly. “See? Not that hard.”

“But Baobei, I don’t wanna see her sad.”

“You’re a terrible liar, Wen Junhui,” you sighed, stepping forward and after debating the risk of getting muddy, you kissed him a couple of times, and shivered at the coldness.

“Why do you say that?” he asked between kisses.

“Meihui wanted a cat, but you know I have a weakness for these pups.” Said pup had somehow fallen asleep in the family drama and would be out a little longer. “Go shower too. I’m not letting you into our bed like that.” Or maybe you could stay a little while like this. You missed moments like this when you could forget you were a parent and you felt no responsibilities other than to mold yourself to your husband’s form.

“EWWWWWWW.”

Or not.

*

Age seven

“Are you gonna tell me, or do we have to play a guessing game?”Junhui peered over his banana split to gaze at the daughter who had been anything but smiley lately. Between his voice actor role and once again fretting the duties of a second time dad, he hadn’t time to do much else besides tuck her in at night and read a bedtime story or two. 

“I miss Cla-i-fonia,” she sighed. “Uncle Joshua took me to the beach and the movies and a lot of places with his new lady friend.” She mushed the Neapolitan together until it became an ugly color.

“Guessing game it is...are you sad you’re getting a little brother?” She looked at him grudgingly but nodded. “Why?”

“What if you love him more than me?” She sniffled, surprised at herself. “You didn’t even ask me if I wanted a brother. You just told me we were getting one.”

“Okay Princess, can you sit by my side for a moment please?” She reluctantly slid off from her spot in the booth and sat next to him. He cupped both of Mei’s cheeks with his hands. “You are my one and only, okay? You were here first, and no one’s gonna take that from you. I’m still deciding what I’m gonna call him, but you...you’re always gonna be my princess.”

“Okay Daddy.”

“Now what’s the other thing bothering you? You still don’t look too happy.”

“Are you gonna be mad?”

“At you? I don’t think so. Is it bad?”

“Well, no, but I think I might hurt Mom’s feelings.”

“Is this about your brother?”

“No. Me.” She took a deep breath and exhaled. “How come I don’t have eyes like yours? My eyes look big and circle-y like Mom’s and uncle Vernon’s. They aren’t like yours or my uncles or the kids at my school.”

“Has someone been making fun of you?”

She shook her head. “No, but when you were making me at the hospital...why didn’t you give me your eyes? Why Mom’s?”

Oh he hated genetics...and how this conversation could end. He had to think carefully because seven year olds played with toys and threw tantrums over not getting a candy bar. They didn’t ask questions like this. At least not this seriously. “I wish I could say that they ran out of my eyes when that happened, but I told Mom that I wanted her eyes for you because they’re the most beautiful ones I’ve seen. And they are my favorite.”

“Is that why you love me so much?”

Junhui cut off a piece of banana and fed it to Mei. “I love you because Mom and I made someone who turned out to be everything we wanted and more. It was scary not being a dad at first, but now, I can’t remember why we went so long without you.”

She nodded. “Okay, but Daddy, don’t give my brother your eyes. Or sing him my favorite song.”

“That song is just for you, and only you.” But also you. Meihui didn’t have to know it was why she was conceived, but that could be the family secret. “Are you feeling better now?”

“A lot. Can we go home now?” She finally smiled, revealing a couple of her missing teeth. She wrapped her arms around him. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He waited until Meihui let go and grabbed her hand. “Your hair is as quiet as the dark night…”