After what happened in the company building, Jaemin drove Renjun and Donghyuck to the former's house while listening to them grumbling about 'how to accidentally kill a bitch, without actually being it as an accident.'

He walks in the classroom as Jieun meets him at the doorway with a frown on her face. As a father, he began to worry and knelt down to her level.

"What's wrong, Ji?" He asked, brushing a few strands of messy hair behind her ears to see her face more clearly.

Jieun shrugged lazily, "Nono has been sad today. I don't know why he is, but I don't like it." She mumbled, luckily Jaemin heard her thanks to their close distance.

That's when he glances back up to see Jeno sitting on his desk chair and slumped half of his body over the teacher's table, shoulders down and head resting on his crossed arms like a makeshift pillow.

Looking back to his daughter, the little girl mumbles again, "I wanted to help, but Nono keeps saying he's okay. I want Daddy to help Nono because I think he can do it." Looking up to meet her father's eyes.

Jaemin swallowed dryly upon hearing how his daughter referred his boyfriend as 'Nono' instead of 'Papa' like what she asked for when they made things official.

That made it obvious there's something wrong, and Jieun is just upset because Jeno is upset.

Smiling softly, he nodded and ruffled the little girl's hair, making it messy again earning a huff from her. He mumbled an apology with a chuckle before sighing.

"Go wait patiently at the door okay? I'll make Nono feel happy again, just give us a moment." He said, standing back up with his legs a bit wobbly from crouching down for so long. Curse heights.

Jieun nodded obediently, walking pass her father towards the main entrance, thankfully there were still some teachers and her classmates around to keep her company.

Jaemin pursed his lips before carefully approaching the sulking figure that was on the teacher's table, stopping right in front of him, the said table making their visible and unfortunate border between them.

"Baby?" The red haired boy lifts his head up upon hearing the voice, his eyes looking tired before closing them shut abruptly. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm.... I– I don't....  Jaemin, babe..." The younger seems to be struggling with correct use of words, all jumbled up with pauses and deep breaths between each one.

Jaemin drops the bag he was carrying from set, placing it on the ground and rushing towards Jeno's side. "Hey, take your time, deep breaths, baby." He instructs.

Jeno nodded unconsciously, more focused on staring off with his mind probably thinking about his unfortunate problem right now.

Without saying anything, Jaemin pursed his lips and lifts Jeno up to replace the spot on the chair by him, now having the red haired boy sitting on his lap.

Thankfully, the younger didn't seem to mind. Instead, he felt more at ease to have Jaemin near him, with him, holding him like he doesn't want to let go.

He, though, felt like a burden. After snapping out of his stupor and realizing that his current situation isn't something he wants to drag Jaemin nor anyone else into, he shifts on the elder's lap.

"What's wrong, baby? Talk to me." The blond said softly, brushing the messy fallen bangs from Jeno's forehead with his fingers.

Sighing deeply, Jeno shook his head. "I don't want to drag you into this, Hyuck already almost did something, Yangyang and Xiaojun almost offered, and Renjun tried to find a way."

Wait, so everyone knew Jeno was going through a crisis alone? And didn't bother telling Jaemin about it? Okay, what the fuck man.

"Baby, I want to help you alright? Don't stop me from doing that, because I'll go nuts if I can't do anything while you're here suffering alone." Jaemin stated with a pause.

He sighed, his eyes staring at Jeno's own that was not meeting his at any way, too busy looking at his fumbling fingers on his lap.

"I can't let the past repeat itself, again."

Lifting Jeno's chin up with his two fingers, the red haired boy chewed on his lower lip. "Babe..."

"Go ahead, sweetheart. Just please, don't keep things from me." The blond pleaded, caressing Jeno's side with his other hand.

"I'm getting evicted." Jeno blurts out, his eyes shutting closed again, taking deep breaths to probably keep himself calm.

"Oh, baby..."

"It's fine, I can... I can find a way... Just, don't do anything, don't uhm– yeah," he stammered.

"Don't do anything?" Jaemin knitted his eyebrows together with the words, more bothered than mad. "Baby, I want to do something, anything, to help you."

"But I don't want to bother you into this, you're already packed up with your schedules and Jieun and–"

"Jen, I don't care about those damn schedules. I don't care how packed I am right now, but I care about you and Jieun more than anything." The blond stated.

Jeno paused for a moment, before speaking up. "Donghyuck tried to speak to my landlord, maybe trying to deal with him about my payment and all after quitting being a prostitute, and now getting lesser salary."

He reaches his hands to fumble with Jaemin's buttons on his shirt next, just twisting them around while feeling the blond draw circles on his sides to help ease him.

"Yangyang and Xiaojun offered me to stay with them for a while, I said no because I feel like I'm interrupting their private life and stuff."

"Then, Renjun tried to find ways to help me. Find me another small job, someone I can live with, I don't know, but I said no to him anyways." He continued.

"How long?"

"Huh?"

"How long have the others known about this?" Jaemin elaborates.

"I don't know? A few days or so? The other three just knew because Donghyuck slipped it out in frustration when him and I were silently arguing in the kitchen." Jeno answered.

The blond hummed, and bit the inside of his cheek. "I know you said what you said and whatever the others did, you refused, but...."

"Babe, no."

"I'm not taking 'no' as an answer, Jeno." Jaemin said sternly before shrugging, "I want you to live with me."

"Babe, I ca–"

"Yes you can. And you won't be a bother like you kept thinking of, you're nothing like that, okay?" He coaxed.

Jeno still looked hesitant, shaking his head slowly. "You can't just let me live with you because I'm getting evicted."

"That's because I'm not," Jaemin chuckled lightly. "I'm asking you to live with me and Jieun because I want you to. Not because you're getting evicted, I've been wanting for you to live with us."

Seeing how Jeno looked doubtful, Jaemin pecks his nose and smiled mischievously. "Or... I could pay your rent instead..." He offered teasingly.

Jeno gasps and smacks his chest weakly, "you're my boyfriend! Not my sugar daddy!" He scolds with eyes wide and cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"I can be both for you, baby boy."

"For fuck's sakes, shut the fuck up." The red haired boy muttered shyly upon hearing the pet name.

Jaemin laughed and cups his cheek with one hand, "pick one, darling. We don't have all day unfortunately, Jieun will barge in any minute whining about something."

"Fine..." Jeno grunts in defeat, but his frown twitched into a smile when Jaemin kissed his lips softly. "You're lucky I love you."

"I love you too–"

"Daddy! Can we go to McDonald's?"

"Jieun! I told you to wait!" Jaemin scolds, pushing Jeno away a bit to face his sulking daughter, ignoring the teasing grin on Jeno's face while he played with his buttons on his shirt, intentionally.

"I'm hungry! Daddy takes too long and is so annoying!" Jieun huffs before sticking her tongue out.

Jaemin groans while Jeno giggled at him, pecking his cheek teasingly. "She's not wrong, if you know what I mean."

"Jeno! There's a child!" Jaemin gasps dramatically.

"Oh please, she's heard you sleep talking about me."

"Goddammit."