Look I know these parent chapters are taking over but I HAVE SO MANY IDEAS FOR THEIR LITTLE FAMILY I LOVE THEM TO BITS. I seriously love Jun amd Xing as parents, and DaeHyun and ChaoXing have been some of my favorite OCs ever.

We tend to hover around young ages so BIG age jump here. Brace yourselves.

No new current jams. Lots of Mayday. Lots of Thunder. Kihyun singing Believer and Natural too.

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Junmyeon's POV

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"Just go away dad!" Yixing and I exchanged a look. He quirked an eyebrow, but all I did was shrug. I had no idea what to do. Kids, especially fifteen year olds, didn't come with handy manuals that told you how to operate them. All I gathered was that DaeHyun came home from China visibly upset and stormed up to his room, slamming the door so hard the wall shook. ChaoXing wouldn't say anything, sworn to secrecy by some imaginary pact.

"It's dad and pa," I replied at last, gently knocking on the wood beside his keep out sign. "We just want to talk to you pumpkin. You're upset. We want to help you."

"Go away!" I sighed, turning to Yixing. His turn to shrug, frowning thoughtfully at the door like it would magically melt if we stood here long enough. "It's none of your business anyway." Some of the malice dropped away, giving sorrow its place instead. My heart ached. I hated seeing my children suffer, over anything. Finally Yixing tugged my arm and we left DaeHyun alone, heading up to our own room.

This had been building and building for months. As the kids got older, Yixing and I took them to more and more places. And both DaeHyun and ChaoXing both had been to China numerous times on their own. The last few solo trips DaeHyun left eager to go, only to come home mopey and uninterested, seemingly distracted. And sometimes angry. When we called the staff, or Luhan, or anyone, no one seemed to know what was going on. They all claimed he acted just fine when they were around. We'd gotten him together with Sungbin a few times, but he acted normal around him. Weimin and Weisheng also reported that he acted just fine around them. So we came to the only conclusion we could think of.

Li Jie.

Those two had become practically inseparable over the years. They always sought each other out at functions. Called each other most nights to talk and exchange news. Played games online together (a concept still kind of new to me as mother and father didn't really let me play many games). DaeHyun always made sure to include Jie in any list of guests he was making. Birthday presents. Christmas presents. You name it. They were practically like real brothers.

So what was happening?

"I don't get it," Yixing finally admitted to me when we both settled in our room. He stretched out sideways on the bed, his feet dangling over the edge. I sat at the vanity, staring into the mirror, praying it would reveal some kind of secret to me. "DaeHyun loves going to China and seeing everyone. What's gotten into him lately? It's like he doesn't enjoy it anymore." I frowned down to our guest, Jie the stuffed lamb. Salvaged from the garbage can in the kitchen and run through the wash for the first time in his life. Though he was worse for wear. DaeHyun took this toy with him everywhere until he was twelve. Then one day it just stopped going places with us.

"I don't know," I said, spinning around to face my husband. "It is strange, isn't it? Not much gets to that boy. But something is clearly bothering him about this last trip." He just wouldn't tell us what.

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DaeHyun's POV

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Stupid, stupid China boys.

Dad and Pa couldn't know that though. Not that I'd ever thought they'd disapprove (hello hypocrites) but because... I didn't want to burden them with that news. They had enough to worry about without worrying about that. But the more I kept everything inside, the funnier I felt about it. Like it was making my stomach crawl and I couldn't settle it no matter what I did. So I tried my best to swallow down anything that felt out of line. I had baby sister to think about besides. She counted on me to be the level headed one.

And sure, I enjoyed going over to China. I loved seeing Uncle Luhan and Aunt Yu Yan. They always took great care of us when ChaoXing and I visited by ourselves. But China also held my personally guarded secret. One the adults in my life couldn't know. Not one of them. It would just make things way too complicated. China held way more than just Pa's people.

China had the love of my life.

Maybe that was stretching it a bit. But whenever I was around them my stomach would do these weird little flips and I could feel myself smiling ear to ear. I wanted a lot of their attention when I was there. We always did things together, like hiking through the woods just outside of Pa's vacation home, or going shopping (under hats and masks because I was starting to be recognized, and much like dad I didn't like it). It was like... It was like they were the only person in the world that mattered right that second. Their smile could light up my whole world if I let it. It could lead me through the night no problem.

It was just too bad they didn't even like me back.

"Dad and Papa are going to figure this out you know." I started and glanced to the door, seeing ChaoXing propped against the frame, her arms over her chest. "Especially dad. You know he's always been observant like that. Just tell them. It's not like they're going to kick you out or something." She chuckled at her own joke. Leave it to the ten year old to have the level head this time. But still I shook my head. "This is painful hyung." I shuddered.

"You know I don't like the formalities with you," I reprimanded. She simply beamed. She was lucky she was cute. "What should I do, huh? The longer this goes on, the weirder I feel. I can feel something creeping."

"Love?" she suggested. I shot her a pained look. "Do I need to remind you that dad and papa found each other when they were sixteen?" she asked next. "It's not like it's uncommon in this house."

"No," I said slowly. "But they definitely would have something to say if I didn't end up marrying a royalty." She placed her hands on her hips, opening her mouth to rebuttal. But I held up a hand. "No, I don't know for certain how they would react. I'm not keen to find out. They got lucky. Both of them ran a country before they fell in love." I snapped my jaw shut before I could spill any more, but ChaoXing's eyes lit up all the same.

"I knew it!" she shrieked triumphantly, pumping her fists in the air. "I knew you liked him!" My eyes widened and I shot up from the bed, dragging her inside and shutting the door again. I heard rustling on the floor above us. "I wasn't entirely sure if it was him or not," she continued. "But it is. That's so cute."

"Yeah, cute," I grumbled. Nothing about this was cute. Not this situation. Not my feelings. Not even that stupid lamb stuffie I'd been given many years ago. All it did was remind me of something I didn't have. So I chucked it in the trash after my last visit to China so I wouldn't have to look at it. Stupid, stupid, out of control feelings. "But, ya know, he went on a date with Mei Zhen, so what chance do I have anyway."

"That's why you've been mopey," she said, suddenly putting it together. "Cause you don't like seeing him with someone else." She cocked her head to the side. "Here's a real fun suggestion bro. Have you ever just TOLD him how you feel? Because then you guys won't have to play any guessing games. Either he likes you back and all is well. Or he doesn't, but at least you know."

But it was that "or he doesn't" that prevented me from saying anything about it. I didn't want to ruin a good friendship any more than I already jad by admitting to myself I liked him. I wasn't sure I could withstand that kind of rejection, because then I would have to face him for the rest of my life knowing that the person I loved didn't love me back. It was the kind of rejection that left you scarred if handled without any kind of care. Trust me, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops some days. Other days I wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

I loved Li Jie.

And the worst part was I knew that dad and pa wouldn't care. They would still support that. Deep down I knew that. But what if they didn't in the end. Sure, a gay son was one thing. But what about a gay son, who was next in line for the throne, falling in love with the son of a servant. And Li Jie was supposed to be my assistant too. Hell we grew up together. Our birthdays were only four months apart. We hit every single milestone of our lives together, from walking to talking to figuring out the strange thing called life. Li Jie was my best friend in the whole world. I could never replace him.

Which is why it hurt when he slowly began seeing Mei Zhen. She was a pretty girl, sure. Soft, slanted features. Honey smooth skin. Curly hair that was always kind of messy but in an on purpose way. Jie's jaw dropped the first time he laid eyes on her. And that was the day I realized I was actually jealous of that girl. That she got to see a side of Jie I didn't. She got to have his undivided attention and I couldn't anymore. That she was so much more reachable than I was. It hurt. Fuck it stung so bad. I never usually wished away my position as prince, but I would gladly give it all away to be on the receiving end of Li Jie's love.

"It's complicated sis," I finally said. "You'll understand when you get a bit older." She huffed and punched me, none too gently, on my arm. I rubbed the spot and glared at her. "I hope you never fall in love with someone who wouldn't hang the moon in the sky for you," I told her. "Otherwise they're going to deal with me. And they're not going to like that."

"Li Jie too," she pointed out, and I deflated some, scrubbing my face with my hands. By all accounts I was only fifteen and shouldn't have been worried about this to begin with. Dad and pa hadn't pushed me into any dates. They never gave me any time limits for it. They didn't even give suggestions unless I flat out asked them about it. I was thankful they were so lax with ChaoXing and I, as I'd heard their dating horror stories from when they were my age. It never sounded pleasant. I was actually thankful for a lot of things they provided that they never got. But maybe if they had I wouldn't be stuck in this dilemma.

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Yixing's POV

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I sat up in bed in the middle of the night, eyes wide. I twisted and shook Junmyeon rather violently. We both went to bed with the problems with DaeHyun weighing heavy on our minds. But now I think I figured it out.

"Uh, Xing?" a sleepy voice said. The covers shifted down and Junmyeon's face appeared, eyes half open. "What time is it?" he questioned. "And why can't this wait until morning."

"I think our son is in love with Luhan's son," I blurted. I really had no kdea where the notion came from, but it seemed a good idea as any. Junmyeon blinked a couple times, studying me. "I think that's why he comes home so down. You know Jie has been seeing that Mei girl, right? It started around then. He placed a hand on my chest.

"Let's discuss this in the morning," he decided. "When we're both more awake. And when we can talk to DaeHyun about it. We can't go making assumptions about our own son Xing. That's toxic and unhealthy."

"Of course," I replied, leaning over and pecking my husband's lips. "Goodnight Jun. See you in the morning." We both settled down, with Junmyeon slotting against me effortlessly like countless times before. I wrapped my arms around him, kissing his forehead.

I just hoped that DaeHyun knew that he could tell us anything with no judgment. We would always love our kinds, no matter what. No matter who they loved. It didn't matter to me if my son loved someone who wasn't royalty. Hid happiness was far more important of a priority to me.

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Definitely a two part chap. Ya'll wanted some grown kids, right?