childlike love ✾ kim yugyeom
word count: 6909
genre: hospital!au, fluff
pairing: Pediatrician!Yugyeom x Pre-School Teacher!Reader
description: he’s a big baby and you wouldn’t mind taking care of him too.
“Everybody inside!” One of the teachers call. “Let’s go, kids! We have a fun day ahead!”
You smile, watching the parents drop their kids in their classrooms. As per usual, you are waiting by the front door for your kids, having a quick word with each of the parents to calm them down. It is always the same, even though you’ve been teaching their kids for almost a year now– will they be okay? or call me if they need me! As a pre-school teacher, you are used to these kind of requests, and you only smile and assure them that everything will be okay.
“Okay,” You mutter, looking around the classroom and counting the children. “We’re only missing–“
“She’s here!”
Your head snaps to the side to see little Choi Minjae grabbing tightly onto a man’s neck as he runs into the school. Knowing for a fact that that is not her father nor her mother, you slowly approach the stranger, eyes trained on the little girl in his arms, looking for any sign of discomfort, but you see none. She looks pretty comfortable with him, so you smile, feeling a little more at ease.
“Good morning, Minjae-ah!” You say softly once she’s on the ground and next to you. Her shy giggle makes your heart warm up and you pat her head as she hugs your legs.
“Goo’ morning, Ms. Y/L/N,” She smiles and then looks back at the man. “Bye-bye, Uncle Yugyeom!”
He waves back and high-fives her with the promise of coming back to pick her up in five hours.
“I’m sorry for barging in like that,” He says looking at you with a light blush tainting his cheeks. “Youngjae called me thirty minutes ago and told me was caught up in the hospital and his wife has been away on a business trip and–“
“It’s completely okay,” You smile, trying to calm the ranting man down. “Next time, however, could you just ask that either Mr. Choi or Mrs. Choi call the principle and let him know that there will be another guardian coming?”
“Of course!” He smiles. “I’ll ask him as soon as I leave here. I’m Yugyeom, by the way. Kim Yugyeom.”
“I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” You shake his hand and look in the classroom, noticing that the kids are starting to get antsy. “I have to go, but it was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Kim!”
He makes a face and laughs. “Yugyeom, please. I’m too young to be Mr. Kim.”
“Yugyeom, then,” You wave. “See you in a few hours when you come to pick Minjae up.”
“See you, teacher.”
You chuckle at the nickname and go inside, clapping your hands excitedly to get the children’s attention. It’s time to start the day. As always, the kids are incredible; there are a few fights here and there but nothing that interrupted with the flow of the classroom. What you love the most about teaching pre-school kids is seeing their development with basic understanding, starting to make sense of storytelling and memories. You love each of them with your whole heart, even if you had a few favorites. The bell signals the end of the school day and you smile, feeling exhausted but content.
“Good bye Ms. Y/N!” Some kids shout as they run to their waiting parents. You wave and watch as they get picked up by their guardians, always on the lookout for anyone that seems strange to one of the kids. You are leaning on the door, watching everyone go, when you feel a weak pull on your pants.
“Ms. Y/N?”
You look down to see Minjae hugging her yellow backpack tightly, eyes wide and confused.
“Yes?” You smile, crouching down to match her height.
“Where is daddy?” She asks, voice dying down in the end. You can hear the sadness of being left behind and you pet her head lightly.
“Daddy is working, Minjae-ah,” You say slowly. “Remember? Daddy brings babies to the world to make people happy! But your Uncle should be here soon, he said he’d come pick you up today.”
“Uncle Yugyeom?” She asks and you nod. “But Uncle Yugyeom works with daddy… so isn’t he busy, too?”
“Yugyeom is also a doctor?” To say you are surprised is an understatement. You knew that Minjae was smart, but her train of thought it a bit advanced for someone that’s only four.
“Yes,” She nods and sits down on the floor, pulling on your hand until you are seated too. “He takes care of the babies daddy brings into the world.”
Oh, so he’s a pediatrician?
“That’s nice, isn’t it?” You get up and bring her some paper and crayons. “What do you want to be when you grow up, Minjae-ah?”
“I want to be a doctor!” She says firmly and you assumed that would be her response. Her father is a doctor and everyone in her life seems to work in the medicine area. “But not like daddy, I don’t like babies. I want to be a doctor like Uncle Mark and Uncle Jaebeom.”
“And what do these uncles do?”
“They save people who are dying.”
You choke on air. “W-what?”
“I don’t want people to die, Ms. Y/N,” Minjae says with an odd softness to her voice. “So I want to save them.”
“That is very brave of you, Minjae,” You say and you hope, you really, really hope that in the future, when she is grown and haven’t thought of you in years, she’ll remember these words. “I’m really proud of you. I’m sure your parents and uncles are, too.”
“We are.”
Minjae is on her feet instantly, running to the tall man at the door. He is still wearing his white coat and you chuckle a bit, getting up from the floor, as he leans down to hug his niece; the hight difference making you coo in adorableness.
“I’m sorry for being late,” He sighs, and looks at you. “A patient ran late and–“
“It’s completely fine,” You nod at him. “She is a wonderful kid and we had a good time while waiting.”
“I see that,” He points at the drawings on the ground, where colors are mixed and matched. “Minjae always has a good time with you.”
“Oh, did she say that?” You ask, looking at the child resting on his lap. She giggles and nods.
“I did, I did!” Her little arms wave around and you laugh. “Can we go, now? I’m hungry…”
“Of course!” Yugyeom nods. “Thank you again, Y/N.”
“No problem,” You smile, waving. “She’s always welcome.”
“Oh! I already talked to the principal, by the way,” He says with a big smile. “I am not sure exactly when Youngjae will need me to come pick her up so they put me down as a permanent guardian.”
“That’s great, thank you for talking to him,” You smile.
“No problem! See you whenever Youngjae is busy!”
As they walk away, you can’t help but smile widely, thinking of this odd man and how you just know you’ll see him again. You also think about how much you want to see him again and you shake your head, laughing at your own foolishness.
No way a man like that is not already taken, you think starting to clean the classroom. And even if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t choose me, that’s for sure.
——————————————
The things about accidents is that you never see them coming, but somehow, it’s always your fault. It’s supposed to be a simple painting exercise; you tell the kids that they can draw whatever they want– family members, friends, animals, shapes. It’s all up to them, and later, you’d put them all on the wall to let everyone see each other’s work.
Things go south when Jaemin, a very excited and energetic little boy, decides to grab the blue pain on the top shelf by himself. He’s usually like that and that’s why you always keep an eye on him, but today you are busy helping Mina with mixing blue and yellow to make the perfect green, and you don’t see Jaemin climbing on a chair and reaching for the heavy pot of paint. You make it fast enough to stop the whole thing from collapsing on top of the child, but he’s already crying from falling off the chair and hitting his head on the floor. In consequence, the cabinet falls on top of you, and you wince as pain shoots through your body, but you forget about it quick enough, pushing it back in its place and scooping Jaemin up in your arms.
“Are you okay?” You ask, hands softly roaming around his head, looking for any sing of blood, and thankfully you find none. Still worried, you call for a substitute teacher for a while so that you can take Jaemin to the nurse.
He’s still crying desperately once you get to the nurse’s office, but you don’t see the sweet old lady that is usually sitting by her desk; instead, there is a note of absence, and you can’t help but panic for a moment.
“What the f–“ You stop yourself before you scare the little boy even further, and you almost run to the principal’s office. “Sir, I need the guardians list.”
“What happened?!” He asks, alarmed. Chanyeol is a very competent worker and he deeply cares for the children under the care of the employees in the school, but he’s never been good with emergencies. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh–“
“Chanyeol,” You breathe out softly, trying to calm both males in the room. “I need the guardians list. Now.”
“Yeah– okay!” He is moving as quick as possible and soon enough you find what you need.
Kim Yugyeom.
The number is scribbled next to his name and you are quick to dial it, barely letting him speak before interrupting.
“Hello, this is Kim Yugy–“
“Yugyeom!” You call in relief. “I am so sorry to call you during work hours, but we had an accident and the nurse is not here and–“
“What happened?” H asks, and you hear some ruffling on the other side of the line.
“One of the kids fell on his head,” You mumble quickly, ashamed of yourself even though you know that it’s not your fault. “He won’t stop crying. I’m really sorry to be calling you, but Minjae mentioned you’re a pediatrician and the nurse is not here.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
He got there in seven, along with Jaemin’s mother.
“What happened?” She asks rudely, looking at her crying son and then at you. Sighing, you pull her aside, allowing Yugyeom to rush to the crying kid.
“We were painting and Jaemin tried to reach for something on a high shelf,” You start to explain, knowing that nothing you say will change the way that this mother is looking at you– it’s all your fault, her eyes say. “He didn’t call for me and instead decided to climb on a chair. The cabinet fell and I was able to stop it from falling on him, but he fell off the chair and seems to have hit his head on the floor…”
“And where were you while all of that happened?!” She shouts, finger pointing directly to your face. You understand the anger, she’s a mother after all, but the disrespect starts to get to you and you have to take a deep breath.
“Ma’am,” You start calmly. “There are about fifteen kids in the classroom, and I try my best to watch over all of them, but it’s only me in there. I’m sorry that Jaemin got hurt, but I was helping other kids and–“
“You should’ve paid more attention to him!” She screams and at this point Chanyeol and Yugyeom are watching you two carefully. “He got hurt because of you!”
“Ma’am–“
“Is this what I pay this school for?!”
“You’re scaring your son.”
Everyone stops and looks at Yugyeom.
“Excuse me?” The mother mumbles, looking at her child as he hides behind the doctor’s legs.
“You are scaring your son,” Yugyeom repeats, voice soft yet serious. “You are deliberately disrespecting the woman he sees as authority in the classroom, and that he cherishes so much, and you are scaring him. I’ll have to ask you to control yourself.”
“And who the hell are you?!”
“Dr. Kim Yugyeom,” He offers her his card. “I know Ms. Y/N and she called me over to do an assessment of his condition. Your son is perfectly fine, ma’am, just scared. If it wasn’t for Ms. Y/N, however, I am not sure what could’ve happened.”
“Yu–“
“Now let me take a look at you,” He says, pulling you to his side and sitting you next to Jaemin. “I saw you flinching… please turn around and raise your shirt.”
“This is not appropriate in–“ You try to push him away but he’s bigger and stronger than you.
“I am here as a doctor and you are my patient,” He whispers so that no one besides you can hear him. “Now please, a cabinet fell on your back. It must’ve hurt.”
“Is my teacher hurt, Doctor?” Jaemin asks grabbing your hand as you allow Yugyeom to slightly raise your shirt.
“She is, a little bit,” He probes your skin and you recoil in pain. “But she is a strong woman and she protected you.”
“She really did!” Jaemin says excitingly. “Ms. Y/N ran really fast, mommy! She didn’t let the things fall on me.”
“You have cuts and bruises all over your back,” Yugyeom says after cleaning the injuries with rubbing alcohol. “What the hell was on that cabinet?”
“Books, paint, and other stuff,” You wince once again and only allow yourself to breath normally when he puts your shirt down.
“You’ll be fine, but you need to clean this once a day,” He sighs, turning you around to look at him. “Do you have anyone to help you?”
You hesitate, but end up nodding.
“Just in case your lying,” Yugyeom offers you his card and you take it. “You can call me. I promise I don’t bite.”
“But I might…” You whisper to yourself as he leaves, putting the card in your back pocket.
——————————————
You don’t hear from or see Kim Yugyeom for the next week or so. Cleaning your back with the disinfectant is probably the hardest part of your day, but you manage. You keep working, if your back is constantly hurting when you pick kids up or when they accidentally hit you as they run by; you refused to stop because of a stupid injury.
It’s Friday and you just got home, and only after a steaming shower that you realize two things: you are craving ramen and you don’t have any at home. You quickly put on some shoes and make your way to the market nearby your apartment, walking slowly as you enjoy the cold air and the beautiful snow. You’ve always loved the winter and how comfortable the nights turned once it is cold; people are out on the street, huddled together, laughing as they enjoy warm snacks by the river. You smile sadly, overwhelmed with a sense of loneliness above everything else, and you enter the market.
“Ramen, ramen, ramen…” You mumble to yourself, trying to find the right isle to turn into.
“It’s the next isle,” Someone says from behind you and you quickly turn around, finding yourself face to face with Yugyeom carrying Minjae on his shoulders. “Hi.”
“Hello,” You say, amused with the view. “Here for ramen too?”
“Yeah, Minjae has been wanting some all day so…” He shrugs and the little girl giggles as she bounces on his shoulder.
“Hi Ms. Y/N!” She shouts and you wave. “Uncle Yugyeom, can I have some strawberry milk?”
“We can go get it after you chose your ramen,” Yugyeom says and smiles at you, nodding at the selection with his chin. “Which one for you?”
You laugh and chooses the jjajangmyeon flavor, already giddy with excitement to get home and eat this with some snacks.
“Good choice, good choice,” Yugyeom muses, a smirk playing on his lips. “But predictable.”
“Oh really?” You ask, squinting at him. His playful demeanor makes you join his antics. “What would you recommend then, Doctor?”
“Ah,” He looks up at Minjae and they do a weird exchange of glances, and they both look at you. “We all know nuclear ramen is much better.”
“My insides will melt if I eat nuclear ramen,” You gasp. “I can barely eat spicy tteokbokki!”
“Weak,” Minjae says, nodding to herself.
“Hey!” You say, laughing at the four-year-old.
“Uncle Mark told me that all the other uncles are weak because they can’t handle spicy food,” She explains. “And Uncle Mark is never wrong. That’s why he’s my favorite.”
“I thought I was your favorite?” Yugyeom gasps, removing her from his shoulders and carrying her in his lap.
Minjae shake her head. “It’s Uncle Mark.”
“That’s gotta hurt,” You mumble, eyes wide in surprise with how daring your student is. “Really.”
“But I love you, too,” She says, patting his head and wiggling to be put down. “I’ll go get the milk!”
“Yah!” Yugyeom shouts, still in shock. “I cannot believe this!”
“Honestly,” You sigh, patting his shoulder in an understanding manner. “Me neither. She talks about you so much that I definitely thought you were the favorite…”
He nods, and looks at the hand on his shoulder, bitting his lip.
“She talks about you, too, you know?”
You take a step back, retrieving the hand. “She does?”
“Oh yeah,” He laughs, and you love his laugh– it’s loud and vivid. “We all know about the pretty teacher.”
“The pretty teacher?” You echo, laughing incredulously. “Is that my official title?”
“Of course,” The two of you walk through the isles, looking for Minjae, and you see the way he looks at you sideways, hiding a smile. “It fits you.”
“I see,” You blush, looking down. “You fit your title, too.”
“And what’s that?”
“The big baby,” You giggle and walk ahead as you hear him gasping. “Let’s go, we need to find the small baby.”
“Yah!”
You leave, giggling like a teenager. The rest of what was supposed to be a quick trip to the market is surprisingly fun. You learn that Minjae is staying with Uncle Yugyeom for the weekend because it’s her parent’s wedding anniversary; you also learn that Yugyeom is putty in her hands, doing everything and anything that the child wants. What surprised you, though, is finding out that he is the youngest in his friend group, barely a year older than you– you thought he was way older than you, being a stablished doctor and all.
“I just focused,” He says when you asked him how he managed. “The rest just kind of fell in place…”
“Daddy says Uncle Yugyeom is really alone, and that is why he has so much time to take care of other people,” Minjae tries to whisper it to you, but he heard it. You know he did; his eyes are fixed on the ground, a sad smile forming on his lips. “He has the biggest heart, according to daddy. As big as him!”
You don’t know what to say to that, not really knowing how to make this situation less awkward for the man standing right next to you. He sighs and motions to the cashier.
“Let’s go, Minjae,” He mumbles, and something about him is different– gone. “Say goodbye to Ms. Y/N, we have to go home.”
“Or,” You say quickly, before you have time to convince yourself that this is a really bad idea. “You could be less alone and make me less alone by coming over and having ramen with me.”
His brows shoot up, mouth agape. “W-what?”
“You and Minjae!” You clarify, blushing wildly. “Not just you– I’d never! I’m not… I just meant you and Minjae. Company. For dinner. Tonight.”
“Can we?” Minjae jumps around her uncle, excited. “Pretty please, Uncle Yugyeom, can we go?”
“Are you sure?” He mumbles, still red from the previous misunderstanding. “We don’t want to impose.”
“She said you are lonely,” You say pointing to the kid. “And to be honest, so am I… It’ll be fun, I promise I don’t bite.”
He smiles. “Alright then. Let’s go pay.”
It’s a fight trying to pay for your own food once Yugyeom sets his mind on paying for you. We’re already eating at your place, is his argument. The least I can do is pay for the food. You roll your eyes and let him, but you promise to pay next time.
“Next time?” He mumbles, avoiding Minjae hearing him. “I like the sound of that…”
“The sound of what?” Minjae asks from behind you two and you grab the groceries and walk ahead, trying to escape the responsibility of having to explain to the little girl what ‘flirting’ is.
“Of seeing the pretty teacher again,” Yugyeom winks at the kid.
Minjae looks at you and then back at Yugyeom.
“You like my uncle?”
You choke on air.
“You like my teacher?”
“Yes.”
“Stop egging her on!” You hiss, slapping his shoulder.
“Then are you guys going to be like mommy and daddy?”
“Married?” You ask, still recovering from your shock.
“No,” Minjae shakes her head. “In love.”
And sometimes, like right now, you really think you’ve been lied to and that Minjae is actually a genius.
“I’m down,” Yugyeom says, picking her up.
“Seriously?” You joke, guiding them to your apartment. “I’m down?”
He groans. “At least I told her something.”
You two bicker all the way back, joking and laughing together. The night is, overall, a success. Minjae had a great time and you and Yugyeom managed to get to know each other better; but everything has an end and soon you are saying goodbye. Laughing softly, you open the door for a tired Yugyeom and a sleeping Minjae, kissing him in the cheek before he leaves.
“Thanks for today,” You smile. “It was really fun.”
“Are you free next week?” The question is quick and airy and you laugh, knowing just how nervous he is.
“I am, why?” You tease. “I was wondering if you’d like to get some dinner?” He asks. “Just you and I. Not ramen. Real dinner.”
“I’d love to,” You nod. “I’ll text you, I have your number.”
“I have yours too,” He chuckles. “You called me, remember?”
It takes a while, you two not managing to stop talking, but he leaves and you drag yourself to bed, sleeping peacefully and dreaming about the family you’ve never had– one that eats ramen on a cold Friday night sitting on the kitchen floor and playing children’s games.
——————————————
One week is nothing. One week is nothing. One week is nothing. You repeat your mantra as many times as necessary to convince yourself that you are not anxious, not at all, nope. But the weekend feels like a week and the week feels like a month, and when Friday finally comes again, you even feel older. He doesn’t text you in the morning like he did on the other days, but it’s okay, you’ll see each other later. It’s with that mentality that you go through school hours, Minjae being delivered by her mom and picked up by her dad.
“Oh, good to see you again, Mr. Choi,” You smile at him, even though by now you are feeling dejected and confused. You’ve had no life signal from Yugyeom whatsoever, and you wonder if the date is still happening.
“That sounds like a lie,” Youngjae points out. “Hoping someone else would pick her up?”
“I don’t know what–“
“Yugyeom told me,” He laughs, looking at you. “I think you two will work out pretty well, to be honest. He needs someone kind and caring in his life.”
“How do you know if I’m kind and caring?” You ask, looking at him suspiciously.
“A little birdie told me,” He points at his daughter as she packs her bag. “She adores you, and apparently, the night you guys had at your apartment was ‘the best night of her life.’ You raised the bar up for me and her mom, Y/N, I gotta say…”
You laugh. “I’m glad she enjoyed it.”
“Yeah, and so did Yugy,” Youngjae shrugs. “He’s been crazy busy today, so don’t feel bad if he has to reschedule. There was a really bad accident involving a middle school bus and they have him on call until everything is sorted out… He’s really sorry. He didn’t tell me anything, but I know my dongsaeng… he’s probably beating himself over the fact that he is too busy.”
“Ah, there’s no need for that,” You say, understanding the situation even though you feel a bit disappointed. “I understand how stressful it must be–“
“You know,” Youngjae looks at his watch and then at you again. “He’s probably going to work the night shift as well.”
“Oh,” You deflate. “That’s okay.”
“Which means he’ll probably skip dinner,” Youngjae continues, offering you a pointed look.
“Oh.” You finally get it. “That’s not good.”
“It really isn’t,” Youngjae smiles and you laugh, impressed with the fakeness of his grin. “I’d go and bring him dinner, but I have to take care of Minjae tonight… oh, what will we do?”
“I guess I’ll just have to assume the responsibility,” You say, sighing in false defeat.
“I guess you will.”
“Daddy!” Minjae runs to her father and jumps in his arms. “Bye-bye Ms. Y/N!”
“Bye Minjae!” You wave and then smile at her father. "Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
You have some time to kill before dinner time, so you walk back to your apartment, already thinking of all the things in your fridge and what could you try and make for the overworked doctor. In the end, you end up ordering from a nearby place, deciding it’s a better idea to give him something good that someone else cooked than the burnt food you tried to whip up.
The hospital is nearby and the taxi take advantage over the fact that traffic is not horrible. You anxiously bounce your leg as the nurses tell you to wait since he’s in a surgery and will be back shortly. They smile warmly at you, noticing the food in your hands and the nervous look on your face.
“Dr. Kim will be really thankful,” One of them say. “It’s been a really bad day.”
“I’ve heard,” You nod, deep in thought. “I don’t want to intrude, though, so maybe it would be better to leave this here with you?”
“He’ll surely appreciate the company, ma’am,” She winks at you. “Dr. Kim tends to get really emotional with severe cases like this, and unlike his hyungs, there is never anyone waiting for him in his office after a hard surgery or a bad consultation.”
“Ah… he seems lonely,” You mutter to yourself.
“He is,” The nurse smiles. “And it’s really sad to see such a good person alone.”
“It really is,” You sigh. “Would it be possible for me to wait in his office?”
Looking at both ways in the hallway, the nurse motions for you to follow her.
“Don’t tell anyone I’m doing this,” She giggles. “But Yugyeom deserves to have someone waiting for him, too.”
“Are you two friends?” You smile, thankful for her.
“I’m his main nurse,” She nods. “We’ve been working together for a while… friendship is bound to happen.”
“I’m glad he has you looking after him,” And you really are; it makes you feel less worried knowing that his coworkers are supporting him.
“I have to go,” She looks at her phone. “He’s out of surgery, so he’ll be here any time now. Enjoy your meal!”
You wait. And wait. And wait. And just when you feel like you might bolt and leave him a note, the door slams open, a frustrated Yugyeom entering the room with red, puffy eyes and disheveled hair. His blue scrubs is wet with sweat and he is sniffling, hand furiously rubbing his eyes.
“Oh my god, are you alright?” You shoot out of your chair and run to him, hands grabbing his and pulling them down next to his body. “Are you crying?”
Yugyeom blinks a couple of times and then looks at the food, and then back at you.
“Y/N?” Even his voice is gruff and used. “What are you doing here?”
“I–I heard about the accident,” You gulp, suddenly in the spotlight. “And I thought you’d skip dinner… so I brought you some.”
“I’m so sorry,” He sighs and his shoulders drop in disappointment. “I completely forgot to text you; it’s just been hectic today and I–“
“It’s okay!” You say a little too loud and he flinched. “It’s completely okay, just… just tell me, are you okay? You look like you’ve been crying.”
“Me?” He goes around his table, sitting down and opening a drawer. He pulls his phone, looking at himself in the camera. “Oh. No. I mean, yes, I’m okay; no, I haven’t been crying. I just didn’t have time to take my allergy medication and it started acting up in the middle of a surgery, so this is why I look like this. Sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for,” You smile relieved. “Hungry?”
His eyes are trained on you as you start pulling out the food, and before you can sit down he grabs your wrist, hands pulling you to him. One of his arms goes around your waist, holding you close, and the other holds your hand, and you only feel his tension once he rests his forehead on your stomach, your body frozen in between his open legs. Yugyeom sighs, and deposits your hand on his head, silently asking for scratches, like kids sometimes do.
“Starving,” He mumbles. “But exhausted.”
“You need to eat,” You say softly, not wanting to ruin the intimate atmosphere in the room. “And then I’ll leave and you can nap.”
“Stay,” He yawns. “If you don’t mind, stay. I’ve been super excited for our date and now I just feel like shit that I couldn’t make it.”
“Says who?” You chuckle, pulling away and ignoring his whines. You sit in front of him. “This looks like a date to me.”
“You deserve better,” He’s so serious that you move a little, uncomfortable with the weight on your shoulders. “A lot better.”
“But I want this,” You giggle. “A take-out dinner with the big baby.”
“Must you refer to me that why?” He asks dramatically.
“Yes,” You say and pushes some noodles in his direction. “Now eat.”
You don’t remember falling asleep in his tiny couch, but you will never forget waking up squished in his arms.
——————————————
I owe you a proper date. Let me take you out tomorrow.
Today is the tomorrow Yugyeom talked about and yet, nothing from him. You didn’t really expect much, but you expected something. You understand that his job is urgent and demanding, but so is Youngjae’s and he manages to balance social and work life. Because you don’t work during the weekends, it’s pretty much just you and Netflix today, and with the selfish anger that bubbles inside, you decide that Criminal Minds is just the right amount of violence for you. The torrential rain outside makes it so that you have the perfect mood for a chill Netflix night, even if that’s not what you wanted to begin with.
Don’t be an idiot, Y/N, you think to yourself, walking to the kitchen to make some popcorn. You want something that no one can give you.
As you make enough food for one, in your apartment big enough for one, you wonder just how much longer will you yearn for something that might not even exist. The Perfect Family is something that you’ve always wanted, ever since you were in middle school and your mom left; ever since you were in high school and your dad died; ever since you got to college and truly were completely alone. You had few friends, but you weren’t close enough to any of them to count on them when things got tough. But you always had the kids; you used to volunteer at a pre-school nearby and even when they’re small, kids are incredibly perceptive. They give love without expecting anything in return, and you love that. You love it so much you decided to become a pre-school teacher.
The TV is playing but you can’t seem to process anything that’s happening, eyes focused on your phone in hopes of… what? A sign of life? A rejection? An excuse? Even you didn’t know.
“Ah,” You sigh, pushing your hair back. “Forget it, Y/N, forget it.”
And then, right as you finally give up for good, your phone rings.
Kim Yugyeom.
You scramble to pick up, not really caring about petty vengeance and making him wait.
“Hello?” You sound airy and worried.
“Y/N?” He calls, and you can hear the rain outside. “Thank god you picked up– can you open the door for me? I’m outside your building and there’s a code and it’s raining so hard.”
“You’re here?!” You shriek, running to the door, forgetting all about shoes, and running the three floors down the stairs, only to come face to face with a soaking wet Yugyeom. “Holy shit!”
He laughs, loudly, and waves through the glass door. You let him in, quickly pushing him to the stairs again, deciding it’s the fastest way, and into your apartment, where you shove him in the bathroom and gives him towels and your largest sweatpants and t-shirt.
“Hey, hey, hey,” He chuckles, wet hands on your shoulder. “Calm down… I’m okay. It’s alright.”
“You’re going to get sick!” You frown. “Get out of those clothes, they are all– why are you wearing a suit?”
You finally notice everything you didn’t see before. His hands, pale white and shaking, but firmly holding onto what you assumed used to be a really beautiful flower bouquet, now only having a few flowers left; you notice his formal wear, his beautiful black suit and blue shirt; and you notice his smile, sad and embarrassed, eyes looking at you carefully.
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” He laughs humorlessly. “I even let everyone in the hospital know that I’d be busy and they are to call the other doctors in case of emergency… but I wasn’t counting on getting caught in the rain on my way over. These are all ruined, now, I’m sorry.”
He gives you the flowers and you cover your mouth, trying to hide your shock.
“I’m sorry, Y/N,” Yugyeom sighs. “I seem to keep messing up when I’m with you. When I’m with you I feel like a child and I guess I just keep embarrassing myself further…”
“Well, you are the big baby,” You joke, looking at him whine and stomp his feet on the ground. “Thank you. For these. I doesn’t matter that they are all wet, or that you are all wet– what counts is the thought, and you had me in your mind all this time. Thank you.”
“That’s such a childlike response,” He mumbles, surely not for you to hear, but you do nonetheless.
“Oh, really, Mr. I Feel Like A Child Next To You?” You squint.
“That was supposed to be romantic!”
“Stop whining and go take a shower,” You roll your eyes, sniffling a laugh. “I’ll go get something, but I’ll be right back.”
You run to and from the market, your umbrella barely holding on against the heavy rain. When you get back in your apartment, Yugyeom is sitting on the couch; the pants are too short and the t-shirt is too big, and you can’t help but giggle, thinking that he really does look like a kid.
“Where did you go?” He follows you to the kitchen and you don’t answer, choosing to simply show him the packages of ramen, wiggling your brows. “Ah, you’re the best, Y/N!”
“Thank you, thank you.”
Cooking is fun; Yugyeom is right behind you, his front glued to your back and you are flustered– so flustered that you almost drop the boiling water all over yourself. After a worried lecture from Doctor Kim about being careful, he assumes the position of main chef and finishes making the simple ramen. As he is putting everything in the bowl, you decided to just fuck it and you allow yourself to circle his waist with your arms, hugging him to you.
“Yah,” He says softly, putting both his hands over yours. “I need to finish here.”
“Just give me a minute,” You mumble, hiding your face in his back even though he can’t see you. “I’m happy.”
You feel him turn around. “Me too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” He smiles, grabbing your face and pulling it closer to his. “I like you.”
“I like you, too,” You giggle, blushing furiously. “Oh my god, we’re such children.”
“Makes sense,” He snorts. “We both spend all of our days with kids.”
“But we’re adults,” Your argue, getting on your tippy toes.
“Thank god for that,” He smiles. “Now come here.”
He kisses you chastely, and you start to wonder just how innocent Yugyeom really is; but those thoughts soon vanish. He pulls you closer and that’s when he starts really kissing you; hie height overpowering you, body leaning over yours to get closer, as if that was possible. You are not sure how long you two make out for, but when you finally pull away, needing a pause to breath, the noodles are crumbling from how soggy they turned.
“No!” You shout, pushing him away and moving to the food. “Our dinner…”
“We can order in,” He mumbles, pulling you back to him. “Now come back here.”
“Control yourself,” You look at him, avoiding his puckered lips. “You fooled me… you’re no child, you’re a horny teenager.”
“Are you serious?” He rests his head on top of yours, giving up and just hugging you. “You looked like you were enjoying it a lot, you know jus–”
You slap a hand over his mouth. “Stop it!”
“You’re so cute,” He pinches your cheeks. “Getting embarrassed with things like that!”
“You say as if you don’t get embarrassed,” You poke his nose and walk to the living room. “What should we order?”
“Sweet and sour pork?” He suggests, sitting next to you, and you nod excitingly.
The rest of the night is a mix of kissing and talking. You learn all about Yugyeom hyungs and how close they all are, and in return, you tell him all about you; family, friends, past, present, and hopeful future. He nods and caresses your hand as you talk, and when you two fall asleep, once again in the couch, you feel happy and content. You feel safe.
——————————————
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” You say, grabbing his hand and not letting him get out of the car.
“What do you mean?” He questions, smiling. “It’s the best idea.”
“Yugyeom, what if they hate me?” You whisper, looking at your boyfriend with wide eyes.
“… what?” He bursts out laughing.
“I’m serious! What if they hate me? What if Minjae doesn’t like it? What if the other kids bully me?” You ramble on.
“Y/N, these are just my friends,” He says, bringing your hand to his lips and giving it a kiss. “You don’t have to be nervous. They’ll love you. I mean, Youngjae and his wife already do.”
“Oh my god, oh my god, I’m so nervous,” You mumble to yourself, following him out of the car and inside the house.
“They’re here!”
You barely see her, but when Minjae jumps on you, you are ready to catch her instinctively.
“Hi Ms. Y/N!” She shouts, arms around your neck.
“Hi, sweetie,” You smile, feeling yourself calm down.
“I missed you!”
“We saw each other this morning,” You chuckle.
“Yeah, but now we can see each other more because you and Uncle Yugyeom are like mommy and daddy!” She says and you remember her previous words. “Can you sleep over? Can you babysit me? Can we play?”
She wiggles to be put down and grabs your hand, leading you through the house and introducing you to everyone. That’s Uncle Jaebeom and his wife, and that’s daddy and mommy, and that’s Uncle Bambam and his girlfriend, and that’s Uncle Jackson– his girlfriend couldn’t come because she is punching people.
“She’s a professional MMA fighter, Minjae-ah,” Jackson explains with a smile. “Not a gangster.”
“And this,” She tugs you to a tall man sitting next to a beautiful woman. “Is Uncle Mark! He’s my favorite, but I can share with you and he can be your favorite, too!”
“YAH!”
You all look at Yugyeom, face red and frowning.
“I’m her favorite!” He pouts.
“Uncle Yugyeom,” Minjae sighs. “You’re such a big baby.”
They start to bicker and you smile, watching your boyfriend debating with a four-year-old, and thinking that you might have just found what you always wanted.
This could be my family.
-----------------------------------------
and this is the end of the general hospital series! I have to say, it’s a little bittersweet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with something even better for a next possible series ❤️ thank you to all of you who were with me on this journey >.< love you all and as always, let me know what you think! It means a lot!
