so, we finally made it this far, huh?

❝are you leaving again?❞

xiaojun's conversation with the landlord was interrupted by a boy's voice, making him take a peek inside the house and saw kun's husband carrying their child. xiaojun was about to give him a small smile, but then started to panic when he saw the boy, that greeted him, starting to cry. ❝sian, why?❞

both yangyang and hendery, who were standing right next to the oldest between them, didn't know whether they should feel bad about seeing the little boy cry as he ran towards xiaojun, or coo at how he clearly loves the male that he doesn't want to let go of him. however, the two of them stared at each other as they find this scene quite familiar.

ah, when xiaojun had to move in with them and leave his apartment.

❝uncle x-xiao, where are you going?❞ sian sniffled, clutching tight on to the male's shirt as he was confused after hearing the conversation he was having with his mama. ❝are uncle yang squared and mister ryry not treating you well? is that w-why you are l-leaving?❞

the said people were slightly offended by what he said, meanwhile, xiaojun can't help but laugh at the boy as he was crouching down to match his height. ❝sian, that's not it.❞

❝t-then why are you going away?❞ days without his uncle xiao inside this building was actually miserable for him. first week was hard because he would forget that the male is not living with them anymore. sian would wake up early in the morning and would do his morning habit— and that is to barge inside his uncle's room and wake him up with either a shout or a slap. his mistake for going up to that specific empty room went on for a week and it worried his parents a lot.

but fortunately for him, sian would get to meet him at the daycare which xiaojun would pick eleven up.

running a hand over the boy's disheveled hair, xiaojun gave him a laugh. ❝sian, i'm just going to china for a vacation, i'm going to visit my parents. i'll come back here as soon as the week ends.❞

bringing his sweater paws up, the crying boy then wiped his tears. ❝so, y-you're not leaving me?❞

❝no, baby.❞ honestly, xiaojun can't bear to leave him at all no matter what the price is, this kid is just too precious for him.

and while they were having their moment, hansol noticed their interaction and it make him pout his lips. ❝why does it seem that he likes you more as a father than me?❞

❝well, if you stop thinking about how you'll get in to kun ge's pants and start thinking what the kid would want to play, then maybe he'll like you more.❞ xiaojun casually said, saying nothing but facts.

hansol was taken aback by it, ❝why you—❞

kun placed a hand on his lover's chest to prevent him from taking another step closer to the male who just roasted him. ❝did he lie, though?❞

❝but, i don't even—❞ a glare coming from his husband was enough to shut the taller up, making him zip his mouth because he still wants to have a house to go home later.

❝don't make me list down the things you aren't supposed to do in front of a child.❞ warning him, kun folded his arms across his chest and had his stern gaze settled on his husband.

not wanting to be exposed with everyone around, all hansol can do was look away with his lips puckered. ❝just saying, it was you who initiated us making out at the living room while watching iron man with sian.❞

that statement made their jaws drop, not expecting for someone like kun to be that.. needy towards someone. they had always viewed him as a person with good moral and a mature mindset, a person that knows what to do and what not to do in a situation. hearing that coming from hansol made them open a new door in how they'll see the landlord as.

no other way out of it, kun can't find a reason to cover up what he said, making him deal this embarrassment all alone. ❝oh my god, i hate you so much.❞

❝no, you don't.❞ the taller said, giving his husband a look. ❝you married me, that means you don't hate me.❞

the landlord's mouth then went agape with what he was saying, ❝i did not really mean it—❞

❝but you said it, so i thought that maybe you were thinking twice about your feelings for me!❞ do married couples argue at simple things like this? ❝just saying, there's no turning back. i'm the man you chose to marry, so deal with it.❞

rubbing his temples, kun held his patience in as he didn't want to wrestle his husband out here in the open. ❝you are giving me a headache.❞

gasping in disbelief, hansol licked his bottom lip. ❝i'm giving you a  headache? you're the one who said you hated me. you should have thought about how hurt i would be hearing that.❞

this is why their arguments can never get serious, it would be ruined with how dramatic the older can get. ❝i'm going to die early because of you.❞

❝together, we'll die together!❞ hansol raised his voice, ❝we vowed during our wedding, till death do us part!❞

❝what a crybaby.❞

the married couple's attention was then taken away from each other when a kid's voice was heard in the midst of them glaring at each other. xiaojun and yangyang gave the ceo a look, making him widen his eyes realize what was happening. he was so into watching the married couple argue that he didn't get to hear what their boy just said.

panicking, hendery might have slapped his hand over the boy's mouth a little too harsh, but kept a smile. ❝s-sorry, kids these days.❞

what made the ceo almost shit his pants is how hansol glared at their boy, making him remember as to what xiaojun had told him about the man's past occupation. he planned to make a run for it, carrying eleven with him, but the boy removed his hand so he could clear the misunderstanding. ❝i'm talking about him, he's still crying.❞

they followed their gazes as to where the kid was pointing at, only to know that he was referring to sian who's still in the middle of wiping his tears that won't stop falling. it definitely is not because of his parents arguing, he knows they can get petty towards each other sometimes and he's already used to it. what's making him cry harder is the thought of missing xiaojun so much already.

❝sian,❞ sighing, kun went over to his son and crouched down to meet with his height and made the boy face him. ❝baby, uncle xiao is going to be away just for a short while. the next thing you'll know, he'll be right by the front door tomorrow.❞

❝b-but, mama—❞ sniffling, sian was being distracted by a figure standing close to him.

and it's the person who called him a crybaby. ❝why are you crying so much? it's not like you won't see dada ever again.❞

facing the slightly taller boy, sian had no plans on losing in their quarrel even when he is still sobbing. ❝why don't you m-mind your own b-business!❞

but sian failed badly when he made an attempt to get mad at him, he just can't help but feel sad at how xiaojun will be far away from him even for just a week. eleven saw how he went back into burying his face down on to his sweater paws and heard his muffled cries once more. subconsciously, it made his lips curve down to a frown. 

and as if his hand moved on its own, eleven when to grab hold of the boy's arm and scared the adults when he harshly pulled him close— he got hendery to raise his voice at him. ❝xiao shi yi—❞

only to find out that he pulled him in for a hug, with a gently tap on the back as he let sian cry on his shoulder, like what he did the last time he saw him crying about xiaojun's departure. ❝if it helps, i can stay here with you so you won't feel lonely.❞

the adults had different reaction to that, with hansol squinting his eyes in judgement. ❝i will not allow this to happen, i do not approve.❞

kun, who found the sight quite heartwarming, can't seem to find a break in scolding his own husband. ❝they're still kids.❞

❝they'll grow!❞ hansol then told him, defending his own statement. ❝and when they will grow, they will soon learn about how love works and—❞

❝ugh, i should have just tied you up in bed.❞ the landlord meant it literally, so his husband won't be able to get out of the room and speak nonsense like what he's doing right now.

but the older always has a way to twist his words. ❝first of all, that's kinky.❞

❝ji hansol!❞

xiaojun stood up properly and just laughed at how these two are at it again. this isn't a surprise to him anymore. when he still lived here, he would often here these two argue at the most simplest thing and when he goes down from his apartment room to check up on them, they have already  made up. maybe it's just part of marriage life, something he's not ready to think about yet. then again, they looked happy and contented, which is what xiaojun got excited in reaching that point in his life. however, he has just started it with the two, there's no harm in taking all the time in the world.

feeling a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, xiaojun let out a chuckled when the youngest of them went to tickle him while also hugging him from behind. soon then, the ceo went to take his hand and intertwined their fingers, standing close to the two. there's something about their presence that makes him complete. he can't pinpoint as to what it is, but he loved it.

❝but wait, are we seriously leaving eleven here?❞ yangyang had to ask.

🦋

they safely arrived to their hometown after a whole hour and a half sitting on the plane and being bored out of their life. hendery actually insisted for them to be in a private plane, but both yangyang and xiaojun were against it. it's not that they hated his idea of privacy and letting him flex the money he has in his bank account, but they prefer the normal way of arriving to china. fortunately for them, the ceo knew a lot of people in correlation with business that they got to have a free ride to where xiaojun's parents lives.

however, there's something that bothered yangyang while he carried their baggages at the back of the car. ❝i can't believe we left eleven with sian.❞

❝it was eleven's choice to stay with him. we'll just bring him along next time.❞ xiaojun took the younger's hand and the both of them settled at the passenger's seat. ❝don't worry, he'll be safe with them.❞

and the ceo taking the front seat turned around to join their conversation, ❝really safe. when i say really, no one is going to be able to hurt our kid. why? because he has a ji hansol watching over him.❞

❝you guys aren't lying when you said that he once worked for the mafia, right?❞ yangyang asked after informing the driver as to where they should be headed to.

the ceo went to look at xiaojun for confirmation. and so, the oldest of them three then answered. ❝i wasn't there to witness it, but yeah, kun ge told me about it. i shouldn't be spreading this around but i trust you guys.❞

upon saying that, hendery darted his glare at the driver and threatened him to not say a word about this to anyone. sweating buckets, the driver gulped nervously and went on to his job in taking them to their purpose in coming back to china.

❝what made you doubt about it?❞ xiaojun raised a brow as he questioned.

❝just a while ago, they were arguing and he couldn't even go above kun ge.❞ stating that, yangyang was impressed watching them argue somehow.

thinking about it, xiaojun just noticed that it's always like that. ❝wait, right. because whenever kunhang and i would quarrel, there's no way i would back down.❞

❝then a while ago, it looked more like he was being scolded by his parent rather than arguing with his husband.❞ the youngest of them honestly found it cute.

❝lucas actually told me that once you tie vows with the person you love,❞ hendery then spoke, joining them once more. ❝you'll have to lower down your pride to be able to understand your partner more.❞

a wise philosopher indeed.

❝or maybe he just does that to jungwoo hyung so he won't be sleeping at the garage like how he often does.❞ yangyang said with a snort. ❝but he's right, though.❞

❝i'm surprised he told you that, did you ask  him about marriage life?❞ xiaojun raised a brow as soon as he threw that question to the ceo.

stiffening from his place, hendery could then feel his cheeks burning at what he was being asked. ❝y-you know lucas, he just share things s-so randomly.❞

that made things obvious for xiaojun. ❝okay, mister say that again without stuttering.❞

❝speaking of marriage,❞ yangyang then stopped the two from throwing things at each other inside the car. ❝let's say it's the right time for us, who would you choose between dejun and i?❞

the car suddenly became quiet but not because they were bothered by the question, in fact, xiaojun was also anticipating as to what the ceo would answer. the two's eyes laid on to hendery, putting him in a hot seat with that simple question.

seeing the ceo taking time to answer it, that was already enough for xiaojun to get the hint. ❝frankly speaking, you two should step up your game first. both of you have known each other longer and have been in a relationship way before we met, you deserve to be happy. i'm not saying this to guilt trip you, but i'm just stating that i would be so happy if i see you guys holding a ceremony for your love.❞

that wasn't what yangyang was expecting, yet, it was better than what he had imagined. how selfless can xiaojun actually get? however, even by saying that, the youngest of them isn't liking the idea of leaving him out. that was just a harmless question he gave out, he didn't know it would take an emotional turn.

for him, that is, because hendery seem to be laughing. ❝is there anything funny with what dejun ge said?❞

❝nothing,❞ the ceo finally composed himself down after laughing at the memories he had with them. ❝it's just ironic how i was the last one to open up to this relationship, i was also the one who keeps on pushing dejun away from us, and yet, here we are.❞

yangyang had to agree with that, they have come a long way, and there is still a long path for them to overcome together. ❝we are finally getting to meet his parents.❞

it was xiaojun's turn for his face to flush at how the two were acting. ❝it's not like you guys are going to ask them for my hand in marriage.❞

❝oh,❞ hendery twisted his body and raised a brow. ❝please tell me that you at least told them about us.❞

putting a hand on his nape, xiaojun rubbed it as he avoided eye contact from them. ❝y-yeah, of course.❞

judging by how he stuttered, yangyang rolled his head. ❝you informed them about our relationship just last night, am i correct?❞

that made hendery bury his face down on to the palm of his hand. ❝xiao dejun, how many times do i have to tell you about hiding our relationship?❞

❝hey! at least it's better than kunhang not telling his own mother that there was something going on between us three.❞ the oldest between them then said with a pout, sulking at how it seemed like he was being scolded by them for telling his parents late.

❝yang, please tell me you told yours about it already.❞ hendery is had already enough with the commotion he had with his own mother, and that alone made him realize that keeping something like this from them is never the right option.

❝who do you guys think i am?❞ folding his arms across his chest, yangyang gave them a smirk as he also threw his right leg over the other. ❝my parents already know way before the three of us were official. they were the first people i called when i started to blame myself about dejun ge running away.❞

❝you told them everything?❞

❝yep, every single thing.❞

both xiaojun and hendery placed their full attention to the youngest. ❝did you also tell them about us, three, going fishing—❞

❝huh, since when did we ever catch fishes?❞ it actually took yangyang a good minute to understand. ❝y'all are nasty, of course i didn't tell them about that!❞

❝oh my god,❞ hendery was somewhat relieved that he gets to live another day from his parents' wrath. once they find out that he's the reason why he had to skip a day because he wasn't able to walk, he'd be doomed. ❝that's a relief.❞

in his defense, it was xiaojun dealing with yangyang, so technically, the oldest of them should be the one to take responsibility of it.

xiaojun checked his phone and had a bright smile when he received a message coming from his mother. ❝guys, mom said that she cooked dinner for us, and they are so excited to meet the both of you already.❞

with that being said, he had no idea how damn nervous his two boyfriends are right now.

❝and, can i ask a favor?❞ giving them a sheepish smile, xiaojun hoped they would understand his situation. ❝they are actually shy, so i hope you will be nice to them.❞

well, that isn't too hard to do. they know where to put their manners, and with yangyang around, there's no way hendery would slip and say something disrespectful.

❝and act normal.❞

there's no way that's happening.

after hours of driving away from the city, neither of them knew it was actually this far that they arrived at exactly dinner time. it has been a while since xiaojun has been here so he forgot about how many but stops he would be dropped off before finally arriving to their old but cozy house. with hendery taking care of the payment from the cab they hopped in, both xiaojun and yangyang went to take their bags out that are filled with clothes that is enough for one week. then there's the ceo's bag, consisting of gifts that he insisted on giving to xiaojun's parents.

as they bid goodbye to the driver who managed to deal with them for couple of hours, each one of them carried their own luggage and started walking towards the only house that stood out in the middle of the vast flowery field.

❝i'm sorry, our house is kind of small so i hope you'll be able to bear with it.❞ xiaojun said, letting out a nervous chuckle.

❝it's fine, dejun ge, don't worry about it.❞ yangyang reassured him. ❝it's looks cozy.❞

❝i don't mind living here for the rest of my life, it's so peaceful.❞ hendery complimented, taking countless of pictures on the landscape so he can prepare beforehand for their future plans. ❝would you guys want to have a house around here? i can probably call a company that's close to ours and start the construction by tomorrow.❞

❝see? you're even giving ryry ge some ideas.❞ while yangyang gave the oldest a sweet smile, he harshly nudged the ceo's side, warning him not to flex too much on his wealth because sometimes, he just tends to do that without even knowing.

xiaojun laughed at the two, feeling his heart beating so fast as he found this quite surreal. he could remember way back when he left empty handed, lying to his parents that he found a job from another country so he'd be allowed to go overseas. he thought there would be a lot of opportunities for him out there, but he ended up struggling, if it weren't for his kun gege helping him out. and then, he met these two. one who is quite mature for his age and has scolding as his hobby, and the other either being in a bad mood or losing his sanity, there's no in between.

nonetheless, they were the reason why he got to make more memories there, making him realize that it's not so bad trying new things after all. they gave him hope, and they gave him love.

and there's something that xiaojun is feeling that he can't seem to point out what it is.

❝the lights in the living room are switched on, but no one is there.❞ xiaojun said after taking a peek by the window. ❝they are probably at the kitchen, waiting for us to arrive.❞

patiently standing by the porch, xiaojun knocked on the door twice before looking back and giving his two boyfriends a small smile. he was as nervous as them. why wouldn't he be? it has been a while since he had last contacted his parents and when he finally did, he had to bombard them with countless of news. having two boyfriends is one of them, raising a child is another. he knew he had a lot to explain but no need to rush, he had the whole week to do that.

waiting for a couple of minutes, the door finally was opened by a lovely married couple and the first thing xiaojun did was run to them and engulf them in a tight hug, burying his face on their shoulders. ❝mom, dad!❞

the sight made the two boyfriends' hearts melt, having their lips curved up to a proud smile.

❝oh, by the way, this is yangyang and kunhang,❞ even though he had already informed them about it last night, he still can't help but be shy in introducing them to his parents. ❝m-my boyfriends..❞

their kind eyes then went over to the two guests and to their surprise, xiaojun's parents were stumbling with their words. probably because of how they weren't used to having guests around. ❝w-we are dejun's p-parents, nice to meet y-you.❞

and then the father followed in taking a polite bow. ❝t-thank you for taking c-care of our son.❞

looking at each other, the two being introduced now had an idea as to where xiaojun got his trait his in stuttering from. and truth to be told, they found it adorable.

but aside from that, it's as if the both of them were having the same wild plan even without saying a word. xiaojun was quick to notice the knowing expressions the two had and it alarmed him that they are going to do something stupid.

for them, they are going to do something memorable that their first impression will surely last long.

❝wong kunhang, a successful businessman, chief executive officer, a father of one child and two pets,❞ hendery was the first to go, ❝and dejun's asukal de la tatay.❞

blinking his eyes in disbelief, xiaojun had his jaw dropped. "what?"

❝liu yangyang, moved in to korea just to pursue my studies, graduated from college with flying colors, also a father of one child and two pets,❞ yangyang held out his hand for a handshake. ❝dejun ge's lieblich baobei.❞

"what!?" from whispering that to exclaiming it out.

wait, actually, xiaojun does know what he is feeling right now. they are butterflies inside his stomach, tickling him with happiness of what everything has ended up to be.

what kind of butterflies? well, read the book title, it's opposite to that.

⚊ e n d ⚊

guys, honestly, did i do fine?

i know, i was aware that i somewhat didn't get to keep in track with this book ever since classes had started, but i hope i still made this memorable for you. i really am trying after the long hiatus i had, and hopefully, you enjoyed this first xiaohenyang book i made.

for those who stayed till the end, thank you so much, this means a lot and i really appreciate you giving my book a chance.