Wednesday
Despite the now shining sun ablaze in the sky (it couldn't have been more different to Monday) Jisung couldn't have ran the distance to Minho's house. He wouldn't want to mess up his outfit, or be overly sweaty since it wouldn't be presentable. Today Jisung was dressed out in a blue turtleneck sweater and baggy grey overalls that were only fastened to one side, with a set of classic white vans adorning his feet. He was also wearing his glasses, but only because he'd ran out of contact lenses. The blond thought he looked kinda cute in the fit, a notion that Felix had shared with him when Jisung sent his friend a photo.
It wasn't too hot outside just yet, as it was only 8:45 in the morning, but Jisung was hoping for it to cool down or he might just regret wearing such a heavy woollen jumper. Still, the walk was a once more pleasant stroll as Jisung set off for Minho's house. To be honest he was really buzzing with excitement for his first day babysitting Heijin and Heihyun, mostly since the two young kids just seemed so kind and sweet for their age. Not at all bratty or rude. Minho really raises them well. The brunette was also another big contributor as to why Jisung was so damn happy to be working this job. The blond couldn't quite put his finger on why, but he'd already grown to like Minho a lot. Just as, y'know, a peer, a person, an adult that he now knew as the man he babysat for. Yeah, in that way.
Jisung reached the house, rang the bell and then stepped back to wait to be let in. The door gave a click, and the blond glanced up as it swung open to reveal Minho. The older was wearing a long, smart black coat over a white shirt and similar black suit pants. His deep brown hair was lifted from his face so that his forehead was uncovered, styled upwards without a single strand out of place. His sharply circled eyes brightened when he saw Jisung standing there, and his face creased as he smiled cordially.
"Hey Jisung, well done for arriving on time."
"Thanks, and hi, yeah."
There was silence for a couple of seconds, in which both boys found themselves blushing for no reason. "Come on then," Minho chuckled, "the boys are dying for me to leave so that they can have you for the day." Jisung cracked a smile, following the brunette inside the elegant home. From the door to the living room, Heihyun popped his head round the corner like a shy little puppy. His eyelashes fluttered from the draft of Jisung closing the door as he stared up at them in doubtless fretfulness, still reasonably unsure of the blond being there.
It's not that Heihyun didn't like Jisung. On the contrary, he found the teen to be extremely friendly and not at all what he'd expected older kids to be like. It was only because of what had happened with the previous babysitter that had Heihyun overly cautious. He didn't want to cause his dad any more trouble by upsetting Jisung, and he also didn't wish to see Heijin scared either. Although from the way Jisung now gave him an admirable and warm smile, Heihyun almost felt like he didn't need to be worried at all.
"Hey Mister Jisung."
"Heya Heihyun, have you
had something to eat yet?"
"Mhm, Heijin has nearly
finished his now."
"What did you have?"
Minho smiled as Jisung bent down and sat back on his heels, starting off a conversation with Heihyun that made the brunette step out from his little hiding spot of the door frame. He couldn't help but continue to watch the two chat, heart twisting when Jisung got his son to laugh. It was such a raw, wholesome moment seeing as no one had ever held such a connection to his sons before besides Minho himself.
A small shout came from the living room, nothing urgent but more so to notify a presence. "Is Jisung here!!" The blond's already wide smile twinkled at the sound of delight in Heijin's voice, subconsciously ecstatic that the two boys already liked him. Heihyun beckoned Jisung forward to follow him into the living room, which the older did, leaving Minho still fixated on the spot where the other two had been. Jisung poked his face round to look at the older brunette, eyes shining.
"Earth to Minho?" Minho blinked and looked up at Jisung, before coughing and awkwardly rubbing one of his temples.
"Yes, sorry." Jisung only giggled and ducked back into the living room, giving Minho a chance to curse at himself and then go along too.
Heijin was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, small hand wrapped around a spoon which he was using to eat his yogurt. When Heihyun led Jisung in, the 4-year-old placed down his bowl as carefully as he could while hurrying before speeding over to throw himself around the blond's knees like he had done on Monday.
"Hi Jisung, I'm so excited for today!!"
"Hi to you too, Heijin. I'm excited too!"
"He hasn't stopped talking about you coming round today." Jisung peered round at Minho, balancing himself since his legs were clamped together in Heijin's hug.
Minho smiled, then briefly glanced at his watch. "I should get going," he commented, bending down and holding out his arms towards his two sons, "aren't you gonna say goodbye to me?" Heijin immediately released his grip from around Jisung's legs and ran to his dad, who pulled both him and Heihyun into a hug. The blond stood and watched silent bliss as Minho showed his kids in kisses, making them squirm in childish delight.
He must really love them.. Did something maybe happen with their mum?
Jisung chose to not think about that. It wasn't his place to, although the question remained, lingering at the distant back of his mind. Minho looked up at Jisung, who now was the one to have zoned out.
"I'll keep my phone on while at work so you can call if there is an emergency."
"Oh oh, yes okay."
Jisung grinned to make it look like he'd been paying attention, to which Heijin told him "Jisung is so silly." The blond pouted, pretending to be hurt, making Heijin giggle and clap his hands. Minho let go of the two young boys and stood up, gently running his hands over his coat to smooth the creases. The brunette glanced at Jisung meaningfully, before waving to his sons and backing out the living room door. Jisung got the hint and went out too, seeing Minho to the front door.
"I can't thank you enough Jisung
for taking this job, you don't
know how much it's helped me."
"Why you thanking me?
I should thank you for paying me."
Both boys chuckled, each one internally noting how nice the other's laugh was. Minho gave a sigh as he stepped out into the glistening sun, eyes scrunched from the bright light. "I'll be back around 6 o'clock, okay?" Jisung nodded firmly. The older gave a lopsided smile, finally wandering down towards his car and unlocking it with a beep. Jisung meanwhile remained by the door, wanting to watch Minho go. As he started up the car, Minho waved again to the blond boy standing in his doorway before pulling out of the driveway and onto the main street.
Jisung kept his gaze on the car as it disappeared out of his sight, eventually stepping back inside and shutting the door with a secure click. Turning, he was met with Heijin and Heihyun looking up at him in expecting excitement.
"So," the blond clicked his tongue, "what did you two boys wanna do today?"
~~~
Higher Level Maths? I thought we did this stuff in year 11.
Jisung was a little confused to say the least at what he'd been put into. He was sat on the living room floor with Heihyun and Heijin opposite him, and in front of his crossed legs was a maths text book. It was open on a page all about algebra and equations, weird considering this text book was one the blond used back in year 11 yet algebra was done in year 10. Maybe it's only weird for me.
Heihyun and Heijin peered at the older boy inquisitively, obviously waiting for him to use the material offered to him. "You two, really want to do maths?" Jisung questioned slowly, raising his eyebrows.
Heihyun nodded assuringly. "Of course, we always try to do work every day. Plus Heijin likes maths more than learning English." The dark-haired boy gave a nod at this, pouting just at the mention of having to talk in another language.
Jisung hesitated. Should I ask? It wouldn't hurt right? Clearing his throat, the blond asked "so you guys don't, don't go to school or anything?" Both kids shook their heads in unison.
"Nope, we don't go to school. That's why dad needed you as a babysitter." Heijin exclaimed, clasping his hands together.
"We were hoping," Heihyun added, "that it would be okay with you to help us with our home schooling?" Jisung brushed off his questions and smiled just as eagerly. He loved maths, and to be quite honest was glad the two chose to do it over English. The blond could speak it, he just found it really boring. Maths in its own way was like a language itself; unique, complex and much more interesting than any language spoken by people.
"Of course, so you want me to go over algebra?"
"Either that or quadratics, they seemed fascinating!"
"Well we'll do algebra first, since you'll need that a little for quadratics."
Jisung pulled the textbook towards him and turned it so all three of them could read the pages. The blond was concerned about how easy this kind of material was going to be for the 4- and 5-year olds, considering it was at high school level. But as they began, Jisung came to realise that Heijin and Heihyun were curiously intelligent. Both found it really simple to follow along with the older's explanations, completely wrapped up in the formulaic ideas that came with this complicated subject.
Either they're amazingly smart, extremely eager to learn or I'm just a better teacher then I'd judged. Or all three.
Heihyun especially was incredibly quick when thinking of solutions, tapping away on his ice cream calculator if need be and answering Jisung's practice questions in a snap. Heijin was good too of course, asking lots of questions so he would fully understand and decorating the notes he made with his multicoloured array of glitter gel pens. Needless to say Jisung was very impressed, and the blond was also having fun too (if you can even gain joy from solving equations).
"Mister Jisung, where did you learn to be so good at maths?"
"My school, it's one of my
main subjects. I'm aiming to
be a maths teacher when I'm older."
"You're a very good maths
teacher, Sungie!!"
Jisung nearly went into cardiac arrest from Heijin nicknaming him 'Sungie', and blushed further at the compliment. These kids were just too sweet and pure for this world. As the blond regained some composure, he heard Heihyun ask "What's school like?" Jisung thought for a moment, trying to figure out the best way to give an answer.
"Being honest, it's not all that. It can be stressful at times and the teachers can be harsh, but it's also really helpful to learn new things." Jisung smiled, just as Heijin's hand shot up into the air. The dark-haired boy seemed to be taking this home schooling seriously. "Yes Heijin?" Jisung asked sincerely, not wanting to patronise the young boy.
"Can I tell you what I wanna be?"
"Of course you can."
"Okay, well, I wanna either
work in a bakery or with animals!!"
"You like animals?" Jisung asked, pushing the textbook to one side so he could face Heijin comfortably.
"Yep," Heijin replies proudly, "especially bunnies. They are just so so so cute!!" Jisung cast his mind back to when he saw the boys' room on Monday, and all the photos and drawings of rabbits Heijin had decorated his wall with.
"What about you Heihyun?" Jisung said, moving slightly so his attention was on the brunette. Heihyun looked stunned for a moment, before answering "I want to be like my dad, work with medicine. Mostly in surgery." Jisung's eyes widened, captivated by the boy's set choice of what he wanted to be. Plus surgery made the blond feel a little queasy.
Minho is a doctor, hm? Jisung didn't really know what that information added to anything, he just always found people who worked in that field to be, I don't know, attractive?
The three continued on with their learning after that, getting so absorbed into the work that they didn't even see the time fly by. The only notion they got that it was around lunch time was when Heijin's stomach gave a rumble. The boy looked embarrassed, whispering a small "sorry".
"Hey it's okay, it's probably about time we had lunch anyway."
Jisung picked himself up and headed to the kitchen, standing with his hands on his hips as he wondered what he could even make for the two. Starting at the fridge the blond assessed his ingredient options. There were some cold pork slices and bread, as well as other things to fill sandwiches with. Jisung rooted around a bit more, finding some carrots, tomatoes and cucumber too. Good, pork sandwiches and salad it is then. I'll check with the boys to see if that's okay. The older boy turned to call down the hall to the living room where he'd left Heijin and Heihyun to play for a bit.
"Guys, is sandwiches and salad okay for lunch?"
"Ooh yes please!!" Heijin shouted back, followed up by Heihyun adding "Can you add mayonnaise to mine please, Mister Jisung?"
"Of course, Hyun!" Jisung resumed picking out all the stuff he'd need to whip up a nice lunch, deciding for himself that he'd just have the salad since he'd have a bigger dinner later on. The blond hummed as he worked, concentrating on slicing up the vegetables and washing them clean, all the while keeping an ear out for the faint chatter and occasional giggles of the two boys in the next room. After splitting the salad into three separate bowls he found in one of the cabinets, Jisung continued by tearing up the pork slices and layering them onto the fresh wholegrain bread.
He added mayo to one of them and sprinkled the tiniest amount of pepper on top of the meat as well, just for flavour. To finish it off Jisung arranged it all nicely on a set of plates, placed them all on the island table and served with some glasses of water. The blond felt kind of proud of his work, as he always did when he cooked or baked for someone besides himself, even though this wasn't exactly a high skilled meal, he still earnt that same sensation from it.
"Heijin, Heihyun, lunch is ready," Jisung announced, laughing to himself as he heard the scrambling of feet come his way. He sat down in front of his own bowl just as the two boys came through the door, hoping up onto the stools across from the older. Heihyun stared at his sandwich in wonder, picking it up and taking a bite. Clearly the brunette was fond of food, because after complimenting Jisung on his cooking skills Heihyun was already halfway through. However Jisung noticed how Heijin was glancing at his salad sceptically, not looking at all pleased with the idea of it being there.
"Is your salad okay, Jinnie?"
"Well.. it's just that I don't like carrots."
Jisung felt a twang of guilt; he had actually assumed Heijin would like the orange vegetable in correlation to his love of bunnies. Instead of taking the salad back to remove the carrots, the blond, for reasons unbeknownst to even himself, chose to say "well, rabbits like carrots don't they?"
Heijin gave a small huff, looking Jisung dead in the eyes with a minor sulky attitude. "Well, I'm a bunny who doesn't like carrots." The blond tapped his chin thoughtfully, trying to think of a way to get the young boy to eat the food without seeming forceful. Maybe finding the source of his hatred for it, and from the way Heijin was now glaring at the carrots in his bowl Jisung guessed it was a pretty deep dislike.
"Why don't you like carrots then, Heijin?" To this, Heihyun was the one who responded.
"He doesn't like the texture, since they're slimy." The brunette stated matter-of-factly, before starting on his own salad and humming every so often in delight at the delicious food. This through Jisung for a loop, since typically carrots had a much crunchier texture. Then it came to him.
"Ahh, I know," Jisung turned to smile at Heijin, who was still pouting but now was looking questioningly up at the blond, "you don't like carrots when they're cooked?"
"They have to be cooked, don't they? You can't eat raw carrots." Heijin said blankly, chocolate brown eyes blinking. Jisung shook his head quickly, picking up a carrot of his own and bringing it to his lips.
"No no, you can. Watch." The blond bit down on the orange stick, making it crunchy between his teeth. That sound made Heijin's mouth fall open in complete shock- he never knew you could have any vegetables raw. Trying it for himself the dark-haired boy picked up a carrot, copying Jisung's action and chomping down on it. The more he chewed it, the more his eyes lit up with fascination.
"This is so much nicer. Imma eat raw carrots all the time from now on!" Even Heihyun laughed at that, feeling happy that Jisung had not only taught them something new and provided them with a lovely lunch, but he'd actually gotten his little brother to eat a carrot. Dad'll be overjoyed, we've never seen Heijin enjoy a carrot so much before!
The group continued to eat and chat, Jisung listening to all the things Heijin and Heihyun chose to share with him as well as telling them a little bit more about his life too. It wasn't until Heijin and Heihyun were discussing whether or not Lance should've gotten with Keith or Allura, a topic the blond knew very little on as he hadn't ever seen the show these characters were from, that Jisung was left to his own thoughts.
I wonder what Minho is doing right now.
~~~
Minho scribbled something down onto the form before handing it over to his patient. "There you are Mr. Sohn, that explains all the details for your injections. Oh, and please come back immediately if your eye gets any worse, and I'll run a full scan." The patient thanked the brunette graciously, slinging on his coat and heading to the ward door. As he reached it, someone from the outside opened it first. Chan swiftly stood back to let the man through first, bowing as he left then proceeding into the room, letting out a long exhale. Minho chuckled softly as his co-worker and friend set some more papers down on the desk.
"Poor guy, he really goes through
a lot, doesn't he?"
"I know, he is so set on getting on
with his life that it pains me
to tell him that he needs to rest."
"Do you think his eye will get worse?"
"I really hope not, worst case scenario it's infected or something has happened to the retina, but I pray it doesn't come to that."
Minho flicked through the papers Chan had handed to him, but then dropped them back onto the desk. "God I didn't even thank you, Chan. That babysitter you found me is honestly perfect!" Chan chuckled, shrugging it off humbly.
"Oh it was nothing, anything to keep you from leaving. I don't give a fuck what the others say, you're the best doctor in this clinic, in the whole building." Chan often got defensive about what the other GP's tended to spread about Minho, and the brunette could sense his friend was getting a little riled up. Not that he cared what the other workers said about him; he knew he wasn't really liked in his ward, but that wasn't the point of the job. Besides, he had Chan to stick with him, and really that was the only friend in his work place he needed.
The two had met some time ago when Minho first went to medical school. Chan was in the sector above and was responsible for giving the newbies a tour. The two ended up hitting it off right away, staying together all throughout the course and then applying to the same hospital. That could've been one of the main reasons the two were less than favoured by the rest of their clinic, but they didn't give shit.
"Chan, language" Minho teased as the older helped himself to the water dispenser in the corner of the room, "you know you can't use those words here." Chan rolled his eyes as he glanced at the younger, sipping his water from the paper cup.
"Trust you to tell me off for swearing. Anyway I should get back, I think I have Miss. Jung and Miss. Ahn coming for an appointment soon." Minho nodded, rolling his chair back over to his computer to enter the information Chan had delivered into a digital document. The moment his friend left the room, allowing the door to shut noiselessly behind him, the brunette's desk phone began to ring. Minho picked it up without question, dressing it to his ear and answering in his usual professional fashion.
"Doctor Lee Minho speaking."
"Hey Minho. Didn't know
you'd be at work."
Minho's heart jolted in his chest, grip tightening round the device as he heard a familiar female voice down the other end of the line. "You clearly fucking did," he replied back, already breaking his own rule by cursing, "otherwise you wouldn't have called my work number." Whoever was on the other end of the call made a disgruntled noise.
"I'm back in town for
the next week or so. I want
to come see the kids."
"No, you aren't going to
go anywhere near either of them."
"Excuse me what right
do you have to refuse me
of seeing my own fucking sons?"
"Since I gained full custody. Now if you
don't mind I have work to do."
"You still can't do this, Minho.
I'm their mother for fucks sake."
That statement made Minho scoff in forced amusement. This bitch has the fucking nerve.
"Please, you were never their mother."
With that Minho slammed the phone back onto its hold, the ring of the line going dead low from beneath the internal speakers. One phone call had thrown Minho into a bitter mood. He wasn't just furious that she had even thought to contact him, but upset and worried about his sons too. He knew it wouldn't end there, she would try all she could to see Heijin and Heihyun, even if that meant breaking in through the back window of the house.
Something else hit Minho too. Is Jisung now potentially in danger? The more the brunette chose to concentrate on it, the more it seemed like a totally possible option. He quickly pressed his fingers upon his temples, trying desperately to think of anything but the news he'd just heard. Fixating finally on a single, positive question, Minho thought aloud to himself.
I wonder what Jisung and the boys are doing right now.
~~~
The day soon started drawing to a close, and Minho found himself back in his car driving back home. The anxious nausea had settled in the pit of his stomach as the thought of nothing but this afternoon's phone call. He wasn't to mention it to Heijin and Heihyun, (not that he ever would talk about her in front of his sons) and he also wouldn't tell Jisung it either. The poor teen didn't deserve to have any baggage dumped on him, so no, Minho would just keep it to himself no matter how much it ate away at him.
Once he arrived home the brunette paced up the steps, feeling like a zombie who was passively making his way inside. But then he heard the laughter from the front room, and the squeaky voices of something that was causing the yells of joy, and Minho seemed to lighten back into his own senses. Coming into the living room the older found Jisung sat with two toy plushies, one in each hand. He was putting on a unique voice for each, acting them out as if they were alive so that they made a conversation with each other and himself.
The play had Heijin in an utter giggle fit, meanwhile Heihyun sat with a wide grin on his face that only got more radiant as Jisung advanced the quirky little story of the plushies. Minho stood at the door in awe, just to admire how the blond had the two boys so entertained. Jisung himself seemed to be earning far too much joy from the activity, blush darkening by the second and laughing every time Heijin fell backwards or Heihyun clapped his hands. It was such an endearing sight for Minho to experience, and for a moment it replaced the pricking pain that was preoccupying his heart and thoughts.
Jisung was so engrossed in his performance that he didn't notice Minho's entrance, but after a brief glance at the door he almost jumped out of his skin. If the blond had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to now. The heat spread to his ears, making them bright red as his arms fell to his sides. Jisung felt so flustered with the way Minho was smiling down at him, and for a second the blond could've sworn he saw a flash of something in the older's eyes.
"Dad," Heijin rolled over and sat up, waddling over to Minho and dragging him to sit down with them, "Sungie is putting on a show, you need to watch!" The brunette saw Jisung's expression go into panic, so instead of putting the blond through anymore suffering Minho hastily said "I think Sungie is a little tired now, hun." Heijin pouted like a little baby duck, but did not protest further. Minho made eye contact with Heihyun, who smiled at the ground shyly so as not to completely display his enjoyment of Jisung's show.
Although Jisung had somewhat gotten used to Heijin referring to him as 'Sungie' in the short span of time he'd been awarded the name for, he certainly felt something different when it was Minho saying it. Not that he minded, but it was a distinctive sensation that washed over the blond when it happened. Holding his bizarre (what he labelled 'teenage') emotions inside of him, Jisung placed the plushies onto the carpet and looked back at Minho while the brunette talked to the two kids.
"Now why don't you two go play in the garden so dad can put together the dinner. It's light and dry enough for the trampoline." Heijin liked the sound of that suggestion and began nagging his brother to come with him. Heihyun of course obliged, following the younger boy out the room and through the kitchen. Minho chuckled, then felt how Jisung's gaze was on him. Looking back at the blond, the two made comfortable eye contact for a few seconds.
In that time frame Jisung noted how Minho's sparking eyes faltered, as if there was something pending on his mind that was causing him trouble.
"You alright Minho? You
look kinda unsettled."
"Oh no, I'm fine
Jisung don't worry."
"Now you see that tells me you're not fine. Come on, I'll make you a drink"
Just as Heijin had held Heihyun's sleeve, Jisung took a hold of Minho's coat and pulled him to the kitchen, making him sit down as the blond busied himself in making some tea. He's so thoughtful for a teenager. Minho started to stare at the back of Jisung's head, noticing how fluffy the bleached locks were and how lowkey cute he looked in overalls and a sweater. The brunette released where his mind had trailed off to and he rubbed his eyes, dismissing his thoughts for another time.
Jisung had boiled the kettle and poured it into a mug, steeping the tea bag in the water and asking "do you take milk?"
"Yes please."
"How many lumps?"
"Oh just one thanks."
"And sugar?"
Minho quirked an eyebrow at Jisung's words, which were apparently a joke that only the blond understood. Jisung waved his hand while silently laughing to himself, adding the sugar cube to the cup before retrieving the milk from the fridge and pouring that in along with it. "So," the younger began, setting the cup down in front of Minho, "what's on your mind? That is, if you wanna talk about it?" The brunette took a gulp of tea, the drink calming him down almost instantly and making him feel a bit more comfortable to talk.
"I just had a.. Troubling phone call at work"
"Oh, a patient? Heihyun
told me you were a doctor."
"No, not like that. It's, it's more than complicated."
Jisung nodded acceptingly, not pushing Minho to explain any further. "How did the boys enjoy their day?" The brunette asked, wanting to move the conversation away from his afternoon.
"Really good, I think," Jisung replied, clearly not giving himself enough credit. From what Minho could tell his sons absolutely loved the blond teen to bits, from the nickname to the joyful reactions to the mini performance held when the older had got back. It was plain to see Jisung really had a way with kids, and Minho felt like he had to express that in some way.
"I can tell they are already just as fond of you as I am." The words didn't exactly come out the way Minho had intended them to, and the compliment had sounded so more natural and so less creepy in his head, but luckily Jisung didn't seem to find it creepy at all. The blond's cheeks turned pink again as per usual, and he pressed his glasses back up against the bridge of his nose.
"Awh, thanks Minho. I'm quite fond of you too." Jisung tried to just push similar words to Minho's past his lips so his 'teenage emotions' didn't interfere. Not that Minho had meant it in a way that may have sparked certain feelings inside of the 17-year-old. Why would he mean it in that kind of way?
The two found themselves wrapped in strong eye contact once again, only this time it felt less so awkward and more so wondering. Wondering about something else being inside of the other. Wondering about the translations of their inner affections. Wondering in what sort of way should Jisung and Minho liked each other.