#fullerhouse

“what’s the rush?” hongjoong asked, leading goeun to the front door. goeun, however, had been silent the entire time as her frantic mother snatched her shoes from the drawer by the door. “gayoung, is it work?”

“yes! it’s work,” she responded in an exclamatory way. “i’m so sorry, sweetheart, i forgot that mommy has work today. is it okay if uncle hongjoong takes you instead?”

goeun nodded and hugged gayoung before she fled for work. hongjoong followed soon after, goeun’s small hand in hongjoong’s bigger hand. he opened the door and assisted his niece in the backseat, making sure she was in the carseat safe and sound with her backpack right next to her. he stopped for a moment, turning to goeun to have a small chat with her. “this is uncle’s first time attending a mommy and me class, and you’re gonna have to help uncle with what to do. okay? ah, you’re so cute.”

his phone vibrated, and it was a text from his sister about the address. hongjoong shut the door and made his way around the car, silently cursing in his head that he couldn’t relax for the day.

and they were on the road to the class. music blasting from the radio, and to his surprise goeun wasn’t crying in the back. maybe she woke up on the good side of her small little bed this morning. the thought of goeun waking up from her cute little bed made hongjoong’s insides go fuzzy, he loved his niece.

“ah, is this it?” he asked himself, eyes squinting through his glasses to make sure that he was in the right place, otherwise it would have been embarrassing. “okay, this is it.” hongjoong went ahead to find himself a parking lot, he was beginning to feel nervous about coming to a stranger’s house for a said mommy and me class. what do they even do? is he going to be the only guy? “alright, goeun, are you ready?”

“i’m ready!” she chimed, a wide smile on her face that became the reason why hongjoong’s heart melted. he got out of the car and assisted goeun yet again to get out of her carseat and out of the car. “my backpack!”

“oh, right! your backpack,” hongjoong said in a forgetful manner. he reached in and grabbed the pink sparkly backpack and slung it on his shoulder, closing the door and locking it before fixing goeun’s little black dress and taking her hand. “you know the kids here, right?”

“yes,” she simply replied.

he nodded, feeling assured that maybe he won’t be as lost as he thought he would be. he knocked on the door, greeted immediately by a woman who looked rather surprised that a young man showed up at her door. “who are you.. exactly?”

“oh! i’m um- h-hongjoong, i’m goeun’s uncle,” he stammered, plastering a nervous smile. “my sister had to go to work- she forgot she had work.”

“oh! welcome back, goeun!” the woman greeted, and goeun was gone in an instant. hongjoong watched her little figure run inside the quaint house. he smiled and bowed his head, walking in the house after goeun. “my name is ahseong, i hold all of the mommy and me classes here.”

hongjoong’s eyes travelled from the floor to the ceiling of the house, nodding to what ahseong was telling him. he took in all of the pieces and furnitures of the house, from the bigger pieces to the smaller ones. he took note of how the living room had a number of family pictures, either on tables or the walls. it was nearly similar to his home.

ahseong led him to the backyard, where a group of female adults gathered with children running around the garden. he stepped out, eyes blinded by the sun now coming out. the ladies all turned to him, and he froze for a second. ahseong followed after him, introducing him to the ladies with such delight.

“this is hongjoong! gayoung’s uncle,” ahseong said, her hand resting on hongjoong’s shoulder. the ladies smiled and waved at him, saying their hi’s and hello’s. hongjoong went to walk himself to where they were, already feeling a bit awkward knowing he was the only guy there.

“gayoung is such a delight,” one of the ladies said, a few of them agreeing. hongjoong found himself conversing comfortably about his niece, laughing and complimenting the children. he got to know the five ladies in the group, although one girl showed up with a little boy in the garden.

“i am so sorry, we’re late!” she huffed, placing the boy’s blue and red backpack on the table with the rest of the backpacks. she made her way to the group, dusting her hoodie and composing herself.

hongjoong found himself not being able to take his eyes off of her.

she looked about his age, and she was cute- that he knows. he was genuinely interested in the girl. ahseong did the honors and introduced her to hongjoong, bowing his head and nodding in acknowledgment. “hongjoong, this is y/n. she’s the same age as you so, i bet both of you can relate on something!”

“i bet we can,” hongjoong said, chuckling right afterwards and praying to god that he wasn’t making anything or everything awkward. he was already mentally slapping himself for even letting such chuckle. ahseong left both hongjoong and y/n alone, busying herself with the kids. of course, this left hongjoong in quite a panic. “so.. is the little boy yours..?”

she laughed upon hearing hongjoong’s question, which made him want to bury himself to the ground. at the same time, his heart skipped a few beats when he heard her laugh, it was adorable. if he had the chance to tell her that her laugh was cute, he would even if she says she hates it and that it sounds like a dying whale (don’t even try me we’ve all said that phrase at least once in our life). is this what falling in love feels like? 

“no, he’s my nephew, actually,” she said, her lips pulling into a smile after her fit of laughter. hongjoong nodded, taking in the information that she also has a nephew like him, except hongjoong has a niece. “his name is andrew. i know, very typical.”

hongjoong watched the little boy she came in with, how he and goeun played with each other during the mommy and me class. maybe he’d learn a lot of things regarding child care in this class, and maybe he’d learn a lot of things about y/n.

the class were fine, hongjoong obviously had to engage in something he had never done before. goeun was there to help him, and she got a lot of laughs from her uncle hongjoong. and before he knew it, the class was already over.

“uncle hongjoongie,” goeun’s little voice called from his side. he adjusted the hot pink strap of her sparkly backpack on his shoulder and held her small hand, looking down at her with a hum as a response. “i want mcdonald’s.”

“we’ll buy mcdonald’s on the way home, how’s that?” hongjoong suggested, opening the front door for goeun to exit. to his surprise, he ended up holding it for all of the mommies- even y/n. she let andrew walk out with goeun for extra play time, and hongjoong’s heart started beating madly. “oh, hey!”

“thank you all for coming!” ahseong exclaimed, arms spread out as she ushered hongjoong and y/n out of her house and walk them to their cars. hongjoong really wanted to ask y/n for her number, in case there’s another mommy and me class and she would be attending. “have a safe trip!”

“hey,” y/n said, walking to the car parked right next to hongjoong’s. “goeun is a delightful girl. and she’s adorable!”

hongjoong smiled at her kind words, debating whether or not he asks for her number now or when the topic of goeun passes over. oh, what the hell. “thanks, i’ll let gayoung know you guys said that. actually.. i- uhm.. m-may i have your number?”

she paused, staring at his face and this fueled hongjoong’s embarrassment. out of all the places he could’ve asked for her number, it’s a mommy and me class. hongjoong looked away, feeling a tad bit humiliated that she asked a girl for her phone number. he doesn’t even know if she’s single!

“okay,” she said, and hongjoong’s body was washed with relief.

“hang on one second,” hongjoong excused himself, opening the door to buckle goeun in her car seat before he forgets. y/n, on the other hand, watched and observed him. she watched how he communicated with his niece as he made sure she was secured in the car seat. hongjoong pulled away and shut the door, turning back to y/n who was leaning against his car this time. he handed her his phone, unlocked and everything.

“you’re very willing to give your phone to me,” she said as she input her number into his contacts. while she was at it, she named her contact in her own accord and even chose a picture from his gallery. he didn’t seem too fazed by it. “what if i run off with it?”

“why would you, though?” hongjoong said. she returned his phone with the contact info on the screen, and he chuckled at the picture she chose. “thank you for putting in your name.”

“no problem,” she said, pulling away from his car and heading to get into hers. she turned one last time to him, “i’ll expect a text?”