Archive of Our Own

Being the youngest was both a blessing and a curse.

It was a blessing in the sense that he got away with nearly everything simply because his hyungs couldn’t resist the innocent, puppy-dog eyes he’d shine at them in hopes of forgiveness. His age, in such cases, had worked in his favor.

Case 1, the last piece of chicken.

All 9 of them had huddled around their makeshift dining table (read: a small table that hadn’t reached past their knees that sat in the middle of their living room) to eat dinner and relax after an exhausting day of dancing and doing unspeakably embarrassing aegyo for their fans. Turns out, being an idol didn’t just mean singing and dancing, something he had learned rather quickly as he swallowed his pride and puffed his cheeks like a baby. He cringed as the events resurfaced, burying his head into the crook of Jiwoong’s arms, who had gladly welcomed him, to try and erase the shame.

In the corner, he heard Gunwook’s voice whine out, “Man, I’m so hungry, I could eat a chicken.”

Matthew perked up next to him, “Isn’t the saying, ‘I could eat a horse’? Or is that just a Canadian thing?”

“No, you’re right, but I wasn’t talking about the hyperbole. I could literally eat a whole chicken, I’m starving. Mr. Leader, are you going to let your poor children die from starvation?” he turned to Hanbin, who rolled his eyes playfully in response.

Hao walked into the room holding two cans of Zero Coke, “Should we order fried chicken then? I don’t think any of us have eaten since this morning.”

A chorus of agreements immediately surged, and Hanbin reluctantly pulled out his phone to note down all their orders, “Guys, we can’t keep ordering takeout, the manager scolded me the other day for buying you guys so much fast food.”

Hao snorted, “Oh please, you always end up eating just as much as Gunwook, and he eats as if we haven’t fed him for days on end.”

“Hyung! You’re supposed to be on my side,” he pouted, turning away from Hao who giggled fondly at him.

Soon, the chicken had arrived at their door, and there was a split second of calm as they set the food down before chaos broke out. They instantly dove in, grabbing whatever they could as they stuffed their mouths, moaning at the taste. Times like these were the only occurrences where the ZeroBaseOne dorm was silent, the usual chattering replaced by sounds of chewing and protesting groans from Ricky as Gyuvin burped in his ear.

It was peaceful, but peace had never been a prominent word in their dictionary.

It all came down to this, the last piece of chicken remaining in the lonely cardboard box that had been the only of its siblings to not be discarded uselessly on the floor. The air grew heavy with tension, and Yujin mused that it felt like those cowboy showdowns in the Western movies he had seen with Matthew. He watched as Taerae, Jiwoong, Gunwook, and Gyuvin all reached for the leg of meat simultaneously, pausing as their hands collided in the center.

Hanbin leaned back indifferently, patting his full stomach, “If you’re going to fight, take it outside so you don’t break anything. Oh, record it too!”

Jiwoong grinned wickedly, lips stretching into that of the Chesire cat’s, “As the oldest, I think I deserve the last piece for putting up with all of your bullshit constantly, don’t you think?”

Gyuvin immediately retaliated, eyes wide as he feigned betrayal, “Maybe, but I’m a growing boy who needs food to fuel his body. Hyung, do you really want to stunt my growth?”

“Dude, you’re literally like a real-life version of the BFG, I think you’ve grown enough. I need the chicken to help with my growing muscles,” Gunwook flexed his arms, nodding proudly.

Taerae scoffed, “Gunwook-ah, you picked me up and tossed me over your shoulders the other day like I was a weightless sandbag, you’ve grown enough too. I heard Chicken is good for your voice, I should get it.”

“That doesn’t even make sense, hyung!”

Yep. Like he said, chaos.

They yelled over each other, and across from him, he could see Hao pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation.

“Everyone shut up!”

The room instantly quieted down as no one wanted to go against their center when he was mad.

“It’s just a piece of chicken! We can order more if you’re that hungry, stop acting like kids.” Hao’s gaze landed on him, “How about this? Yujin will choose who gets the chicken, and the others who don’t get picked can’t complain. Deal?”

The 4 grumbled in acceptance, turning to Yujin to convince him to pick them.

Hao shook his head, “Okay, okay, settle down. Yujin, who gets the chicken?”

They all turned to him, awaiting his decision as if it would decide the fate of the universe. He glanced between the four of them, then down to the chicken, and then back up.

He had made up his mind.

He reached forward, grabbed the leg, and bit a chunk out of it, chewing slowly as he savored the taste, “Me.”

The room went dead silent, and if it were possible, he could probably hear the sound of Hanbin’s eyelashes fluttering against his cheek as he blinked slowly at Yujin.

He took another bite as he innocently widened his eyes, “What?”

Taerae was the first to speak, clearing his throat, “Well, I guess that’s that. Gunwook, do you want to play games in my room?”

“Sure, but I call the blue console!”

Just like that, they were off.

Ricky got up as well, “I’m going on a walk, my stomach feels like a balloon right now.”

Matthew had agreed, joining him as they walked to the door and grabbed their jackets. Gyuvin pulled Jiwoong up and dragged him towards his room, claiming that he needed the elder’s help with deciding what clothes to buy.

Hanbin sighed dramatically, “Once again, cleaning duty is up to me. Only when I die will you all know my worth.”

Yujin giggled, finishing off his chicken, as he helped Hanbin pick up boxes off of the floor, “You’re taking the role of being the group’s parent way too seriously, hyung. But fine, I’ll help you.”

Hao took the boxes from his hands, “Don’t worry, I got it. You have math homework that you didn’t do yet, right? Go finish it now so you can relax tomorrow.”

Yujin groaned, “Ugh, I’d rather do the dishes than my math homework. Want to switch, Hanbin hyung?”

“As if, I get migraines when I see numbers. Have fun, Yujinnie,” Hanbin’s whisker dimples peeked out as he patted the youngest’s shoulder sarcastically.

Yujin pouted as he grabbed his bookbag from his room, setting it down on the table in the living room as he opened up his math book to the first problem. He shuddered as he took in the sight of the limit questions, already regretting ever having taken Calculus. He had done a grand total of 3 problems before he had decided that the only way he could handle doing anymore was if he had a death wish. So, he slammed his book shut and leaned against the seats of the couch, tilting his face to the side to where Hanbin and Hao washed dishes in the kitchen.

Now, remember when he had said that being the youngest was both a blessing and a curse? Well, this was the curse.

While he had enjoyed being pampered by his hyungs, being treated like a literal baby was not something he had expected to be on the agenda. Sure, he may be fresh into high school, but that didn’t mean he was stupid . He knew that, his parents knew that, and his friends knew that, but it was rather clear that his hyungs, however much they loved him, could not get that fact through their heads.

They never seem to realize that though he was young, he was really fucking perceptive.

He was perceptive enough to notice that his best friend in school hated lemon cake just by the way he looked it, a slight hint of disgust hiding in the wide smile he offered as he took the pastry gifted to him by his crush. Later, Yujin had offered to eat it for him so that the girl his friend liked wouldn’t feel upset, and he was rewarded by bright eyes that screamed a silent thank you.

He was perceptive enough to know that his mom had come down with a heavy fever simply by the way she had put tomatoes in his sandwich for breakfast one day, a faraway look in her eyes as she hid the sickness behind a gentle grin. His mom knew he hated tomatoes. He wordlessly dragged her to bed, fighting against her protests as he pressed the back of his hand to her forehead, only to feel the burning skin pulse against him. He fed her medicine and helped around the house, knowing it was all worth it as he woke up the next day to the sound of her gleaming laughter.

And finally, he was perceptive enough to notice that the way his Hao hyung had looked at their leader was nothing close to the way friends look at each other.

He watched as they stood side by side, shoulders and hips pressed against one another’s as they scrubbed away at the plates. He watched as Hao turned to Hanbin, a mischievous glint flickering in his eyes as he grabbed the running faucet and turned it towards the leader.

Hanbin jumped back in surprise, the front of his shirt now soaked, “Hao hyung! Fuck, it’s sticking to my body, this is so gross.”

Hao leaned his head back in delight, bursting out in laughter.

Hanbin’s eyebrows flew up as he grinned like the devil, “Oh, you think this is funny? This is funny, huh? Let’s see how you like it!”

Hao shook his hands in front of him in protest, stepping back to escape before Hanbin pulled him in by the waist, Hao’s back pressed against Hanbin’s front in a back hug. The leader tugged the other closer to the sink and sprayed him with the water, giggling evilly at Hao’s panicked gasps as the cold liquid hit his skin through the shirt’s thin material.

Hao pinched the cloth between his fingers, “It’s so cold! Hanbin, I hate you so much.”

“You were the one who started it!” he turned Hao around in his arms, hands moving from the elder’s waist to his forearms.

He rubbed up and down, “Here, I’ll warm you up.”

Hao stared at the younger, eyes softening as they scanned his face. He looked so… in love , the expression so fiery it made Yujin gulp in surprise. Hao bit his lip, hesitating, before he stepped closer to Hanbin.

He peeled the younger’s hands off of his forearms and wrapped them back around his waist, “You know, there are other ways you could warm me up.”

Hanbin looked taken aback, as if he hadn’t expected those words, before the initial shock shifted into the same look Yujin had seen on Hao’s face seconds before.

Hanbin’s eyes dropped from Hao’s eyes to his lips, before dragging back up slowly, “Like what, hyung?”

There it was, Yujin’s cue to intervene before he witnessed something that would scar him for the rest of his life.

He sprung up from the couch loudly, making his presence known, “Hyungs! I finished my homework.”

Within a second, the elder pair jumped apart from each other, eyes widened as they stood on opposite ends of the kitchen.

“Yujinnie, you’re still here! You- we didn’t- we were just messing around and, uh, the water,” Hao spluttered as he pointed accusingly at the leader, “It was all Hanbin’s fault!”

“My fault?!?”

Hanbin’s mouth dropped open incredulously as he glared at Hao.

Yujin darted between them, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, “Um, okay, good for you guys. I’m just going to go to bed. Good night!”

As he walked away, the corner of his eye caught Hao apologetically cuddling up to a pouty Hanbin, and he shook his head in disbelief. Well, if that was the game they wanted to play, Yujin would gladly play along. 

Case 2, the mystery of the Inkigayo sandwich.

Being able to attend Inkigayo was something Yujin only thought would occur in his dreams.

He had imagined being on the stage numerous times, accepting the silver trophy as his fans cheered for him. He had even prepared a mock speech, faking tears as he spilled his heart out to his very loving audience of stuffed animals that sat in a row on his bed. He sent a flying kiss to Churro, his stuffed sloth and biggest supporter, as he sang his “encore stage”.

There were numerous moments when he would come across idols’ posts on the iconic Inkigayo stairs, and he had thought of the poses he would do if he ever got there. Now, as he sat on the very stairs, posing for a group picture to post on their Twitter account, it had simply felt unreal.

Call it stupid, but as he took in the scenery, he had known he had finally accomplished his dream.

The idea made him slightly emotional, and he slightly clung onto Gyuvin as they headed back to their dressing room. He soaked in the moment, reminiscing the endless hours he had spent dancing in his room, in Yuehua’s practice room, and even in the abandoned hallways of his school. The youth he had sacrificed, along with the aching limbs and sore throats, had all been worth it.

His trip through memory lane was interrupted as a staff member stepped into the room, asking if she could talk to Zhang Hao. Hao approached her, eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she handed him a wrapped sandwich, claiming that someone had asked her to hand this to him. Hao had accepted it with a slight bow, peering at the food intently as the staff member left.

Yujin muffled a laugh behind his hand as his eyes met Taerae’s. Of course, the Inkigayo sandwich was something none of them could forget.

They had all known what the snack was used for, even Matthew who had learned from an overly excited Gyuvin as he explained the tales behind it. Hao sat back in his seat and turned towards his giggling members, “What? Why are you all looking at me and giggling like that?”

Gunwook tilted his head, “Do you not know, Hao hyung?”

“Know what?”

Apparently, however, Hao had been the only one who didn’t know what it was for.

They all exchanged shocked looks, wondering if they should tell their center.

Hao frowned, “Okay, you’re all definitely hiding something. Tell me.”

Jiwoong coughed, “Well, Hao, it’s a special sandwich.”

Hao raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? Are there weird ingredients in here or something?”

Gyuvin cackled, “So basically, inside the sandwich-”

“There’s three layers of potato-egg salad, strawberry jam, and cabbage surimi coleslaw. Odd combination, right? That’s why it’s special,” Hanbin interrupted, laughing nervously as he rubbed the palms of his hands on his pants.

Hao shrugged, “It could be good. I’ll try it and-”

“No!”

They all turned to their leader, shocked at his outburst. Yujin watched as panic pooled in Hanbin’s eyes, and he smirked in recognition.

Sung Hanbin was jealous, and man, was it a sight to see.

He crossed his arms over his chest as he observed the man struggle to defend himself.

Hanbin clapped his hands together, “I mean- I just- I heard that mixing strawberry and cabbage together could cause bloating. Something about, um, enzymes in the foods causing additional water retention. I don’t want you to be bloated before we go on stage, that’s all!”

The members glanced at each other in disbelief, wondering how Hanbin had managed to come up with such bullshit. Yujin held his hand to stop himself from slapping his forehead, no one was going to believe-

“Oh, I’ve never heard of that, but I guess it makes sense. Thanks, Hanbin,” Hao set the sandwich down, patting the leader’s hand in gratitude.

Of course, Hao would believe him.

Before they could dote further on the situation, the staff had told them that they would be up on stage soon, rushing them into the hallway.

He hung behind, bumping his shoulder against Hanbin’s, “So, what was that about enzymes, hyung?”

Hanbin grunted, “Don’t. I can’t believe he bought that, I literally pulled it out of my ass on the spot.”

“I could tell,” Yujin avoided the elder’s arm reaching out to pinch him, giggling teasingly.

He let himself be pulled into Hanbin’s embrace as the elder threw an arm around his shoulder, “You really suck at hiding your jealousy, Hanbin hyung.”

Hanbin’s ears turned a bright red as he shook his head violently, “I wasn’t jealous! I was just looking out for him, you know, to make sure he didn’t get into scandals!”

Yujin nearly scoffed at the dumb excuse before he took notice of how scared the elder looked, like a small child who was caught eating snacks late at night by their mother.

He bit his tongue, “Oh, I see. Sung Leader is always thinking ahead, huh?”

“Yeah, and that’s how I’ve been saving your asses all this time. Did you know that Zeroses call us ‘ZeroMediaTraining’? I’m thinking of bringing a roll of tape everywhere and sealing your mouths shut whenever I deem necessary, especially Seokmae’s,” he winced, thinking back to the numerous situations where Matthew had left them stunned with his exposing.

Yujin nodded in agreement, adding his own opinions. He saw Hanbin sigh in relief, and Yujin knew that it was because he thought the conversation had been diverted successfully. He tucked the understanding to the back of his mind, he would have to come back to it some other time.

Later, as he rode back home from Inkigayo, head leaned against Hao’s shoulder as they sat silently in the car, he asked the question that had been clouding his mind the whole day.

“Hao hyung, I have a question.”

Hao shifted next to him, setting his phone down, “What is it, Yujinnie?”

He sat up straight, “Did you really believe Hanbin hyung’s reasoning about the bloating?”

Hao snorted, shaking his head, “Of course I didn’t, it was the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. I placed 1st on the CSAT in my district Yujin-ah, I’m not stupid.”

Yujin was stunned, “Then, why…?”

Hao stared down at his phone, the screen lighting up to show a picture of Hao and Hanbin at the beach.

A small smile crept on Hao’s lips as he shrugged, “He probably had his reasons. He wouldn’t lie to me for nothing, so I’ll wait until he’s ready to tell me why.”

Yujin felt himself heating up from the elder’s words. His cheeks turned red as if reflecting the light of the red heart in front of him, his hyung glowing like an embodiment of love itself.

“You trust him that much?” he whispered.

Hao turned to him, smile widening into a grin, “More than anything.” 

Case 3 was Hanbin’s dilemma.

“Hyung, the blue one looks better right? I feel like white is too light,” he tilted his phone toward Hanbin, pointing at a picture of a jacket he had wanted to buy.

He had narrowed down the colors to blue and white, and he decided to ask the leader for his opinion before buying it.

Hanbin’s eyes flickered to his phone for a second before he was focused on his own screen, “Yeah, for sure.”

Yujin frowned at the carelessness in the elder’s voice, “Really? The white one doesn’t look bad either though.”

“Uh-huh.”

Yujin huffed in annoyance, “I set your room on fire and everything you love is currently being burned to the ground.”

Hanbin nodded, “That’s great, Yujinnie.”

“Hyung! You’re not listening to me!” he whined, reaching to grab the elder’s phone out of his hand.

He held it above his head as Hanbin struggled to grab it back, “Okay, okay, I’m sorry! I’ll listen, just give me my phone back.”

Yujin pouted as he peeked at Hanbin’s phone screen, “What’s so important that you’re ignoring me anyway?”

His eyes landed on a jewelry website as columns of different necklaces popped up.

He turned to the latter, “Hyung, don’t you have enough necklaces already? Why do you need more?”

Hanbin grabbed his phone out of Yujin’s hands, ears painted a dark crimson, “It’s not for me.”

Yujin raised an eyebrow, prompting the elder to continue.

Hanbin flushed further, “It’s just- Hao hyung’s birthday is coming up, so I wanted to get him something nice.”

Yujin nodded, “What type of necklace were you thinking?”

The question seemed to have set off a fuse in the elder’s brain, “That’s the hard part, I don’t know! I thought of getting him one with a ruby since it’s his birthstone, but it’s too impersonal and I want this to mean something. I tried looking into different meanings, but I haven’t found one that fits what I feel for him, and I-”

“Hyung, breathe. You look like you’re about to burst,” he smoothed a hand down Hanbin’s arm, slightly endeared by how much care and importance the latter put into getting the perfect gift.

Hanbin dragged a hand down his face, “I just-  Hao hyung has done so much for me, Yujin-ah. I want to show him that I’m grateful for everything and that even him just silently being by my side gives me strength.”

“Blue topaz.”

Hanbin cocked an eyebrow, “What?”

Yujin grabbed his phone, typing the stone’s name into the search engine before handing the device to the elder, “Here, it’s a gemstone. Read what it means.”

Hanbin’s eyes skimmed across the screen with intent.

At last, his head shot up, lips curled into an astonished grin, “Yujin, this is exactly what I was looking for! How did you know?”

He shrugged, “I just took what you said about Hao hyung and thought of a gemstone for it. Not that hard, to be honest.”

“Not that hard? Han Yujin, I’ve spent the past three days searching for the perfect gift to get him and you figured it out in less than a minute. How long have you been keeping your genius from me?”

Yujin scoffed in disbelief, “I’ve always been a genius! You all just treat me like a baby all the time so you couldn’t see it.”

Hanbin cooed at him, ruffling his hair, “You’re right, I’m sorry. I promise that hyung will treat you more like an adult, okay?”

He nodded happily, accepting the leader’s side hug, “Now, blue jacket or white jacket?” 

Yujin snuggled into his pillow, the warmth from his blanket covering him as it lulled him into sleep’s awaiting arms. He released another yawn, closing his eyes shut as he slowly felt himself slip into slumberland.

That was, of course, until the door to the room creaked open noisily and he heard footsteps pad against the floor.

He lifted his head up to see Hao walk in and settle on his bed, toying with his phone silently.

He turned to the elder, “Hao hyung, are you not going to sleep?”

Hao shook his head, “Not yet, Hanbin asked me to stay awake a little longer. Don’t worry about me, Yujin, go to sleep.”

Too tired to protest, he nodded sleepily, “Good night, hyung.”

Hao wished him a good night back, and soon, Yujin had fallen asleep. He was having a great dream, one where he was a whole centimeter taller than Gyuvin, when a loud creaking sound had startled him awake.

He had always hated being a light sleeper.

He tried to ignore the noise and go back to sleep when his ears caught a familiar voice.

“Hao hyung? Are you still awake?” Hanbin whispered, walking closer. 

Yujin peeked an eye open in the dimly lit room to see him sit on Hao’s bed.

Hao offed his phone and turned on the small light next to his bed, “Of course, you told me to. Will you tell me why you asked now?”

“Yeah, just give me one more minute.”

Yujin’s eyebrows furrowed in perplexion, and he tried his best not to shift against the sheets. Why did he need to wait a minute?

Hao dragged his words out, just as bewildered as Yujin, “Okay?”

A minute felt like an hour as the silence stretched, but eventually, Hanbin glanced at his phone and sighed in relief.

He faced Hao, “Hyung, happy birthday.”

Realization settled in Yujin’s bones as he processed the leader’s words.

Hao giggled and Yujin could practically see the affection dripping from his voice when he said, “Thank you, Bin, but you know you could’ve just wished me tomorrow morning, right?”

“I know, but I wanted to be the first person to wish you,” he admitted, cheeks burning scarlet even in the dark.

Hao’s hand reached out to hold Hanbin’s, fingers intertwining against the blanket.

“How romantic,” he teased, his free hand coming up to pinch the younger’s cheek.

Hanbin shied away from it, “Oh! I almost forgot.” He pulled a box out of his pocket, handing it to the elder, “I got this for you, hyung.”

Hao took it with big, endeared eyes, “I thought that the sunglasses were your present for me.”

“They were, but I wanted to give you another gift. I really hope you like it,” Hanbin worried away at his bottom lip in anticipation as Hao gently opened the box.

The elder pulled the silver necklace with the Blue Topaz stone out, aweing at it, “Hanbinnie, this is beautiful.”

Hao’s face brightened like a diamond’s, holding the piece of jewelry as if it was his most prized possession. Even Yujin could admit that it was incredibly dazzling.

“Would you like me to help you put it on?” Hanbin asked, unhooking the necklace as Hao nodded.

“Should I turn around?”

“No need, just tilt your head closer.”

If the scene playing out before him wasn’t as cute as it was, Yujin would have probably thrown up all over the blanket.

He watched as the pair both leaned in, Hanbin offering a soft smile before he circled his arms around the elder’s neck to clasp the hook shut. As he tried to find the hole in the dark, Hao leaned even closer, face centimeters away from the younger’s as lovestruck eyes wandered across Hanbin’s features as if memorizing them one by one. Hanbin finally tightened it, mumbling a proud ‘done’ before he leaned back slightly. Yujin’s assumptions had been confirmed when he noted how unbothered Hanbin had been by their proximity.

Instead, the leader pushed his forehead against Hao’s, nuzzling slightly, before pulling back. While he had deduced that the pair's relationship was far past friendship, it had still shocked him when Hanbin's hand lifted to cup the elder’s cheek as he pressed a firm kiss against the man’s temple, then to his cheekbones, and then finally to his lips.

“Happy birthday, baby. I love you.”

Hao hugged the younger around his waist, “I love you too. Thank you again for the gift, it’s really pretty.”

“It’s nothing, you know I like pretty things. A pretty gift for a pretty person,” Hanbin whispered, tugging Hao closer by his necklace.

Now that, that was Yujin’s breaking point.

He sat up as he grabbed his pillow and blanket, “Okay, you two are absolutely disgusting and I’m sure if I stay here any longer, I’ll be seeing this scene in my nightmares for the rest of my life. I would tell you to get a room, but I’ll do you guys a favor and get out so you can have this one. Hao hyung, happy birthday, I’ll see you both tomorrow. Good night.”

And with that, he was shoving himself into what was supposed to be Hanbin’s bed, wrapping himself with the blanket as he fell asleep. True to his words, the pair had appeared tauntingly in his nightmares, and Yujin woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. 

When he had asked Hanbin to treat him more like an adult, this was not what he had meant.

He walked into the kitchen a couple of days later, stomach growling in hunger and eyes still puffy from sleep, when he saw what he could only describe as Hell.

Hanbin had been making coffee on the countertop, pressing the grinds into the machine as Hao clung onto his back like a touch-deprived octopus. He watched the elder press kisses into Hanbin’s neck and ears as the younger simply giggled.

Yujin instantly lost his appetite.

He cleared his throat, hoping to remind them that he was there so they could save him from his misery. He waited for them to spring apart and not act like a couple during their honeymoon, but they never did.

Instead, “Oh, Yujinnie! Good morning, did you sleep well?”

He hesitantly nodded, “Yeah, I did, but Matthew hyung’s snoring woke me up a couple of times.”

Hao chuckled against Hanbin’s neck, “I’m not surprised, he snores so loud.”

“Hao hyung, you’re literally the last person who can talk. Need I remind you that you sound like a tractor in your sleep?”

Yujin agreed, “You’re honestly worse than Matthew hyung.”

Hao sighed loudly, removing one hand from Hanbin’s waist to press against his forehead dramatically, “I can’t believe this, my son and my boyfriend both betraying me at the same time.”

Yujin blinked, surprised by the casual dropping of the title. Hao and Hanbin both peered at him as if awaiting his reaction, nervousness coating their features.

Yujin walked further into the kitchen and grabbed his favorite mug, “Hao hyung, for the last time, I’m not actually your son.”

The pair smiled at each other, relaxing at the youngest’s silent acceptance.

Hao ruffled his hair, “No, you’re definitely my son, I literally gave birth to you, Yujin-ah.”

“Have fun breaking that news to my mom,” he teased, handing his mug to Hanbin so he could get some coffee.

Hao’s mouth opened to retaliate before two bodies came stumbling into the room, one after another.

“Ricky, I swear to god, if I see one more of your fancy tubes of hair cream on the counter, I’m going to set them all on fire and roast marshmallows over it!”

Ricky swatted at the hand Gyuvin wrapped around his shoulder, struggling to escape the headlock, “It’s not my fault you thought my hair cream was toothpaste! Learn to read first, you gorilla!”

Yujin’s eyes met Hao and Hanbin’s before they all burst out in laughter, the eldest of the three rushing forward to break apart Ricky and Gyuvin. Yujin sipped his coffee in contentment.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.