You and I (and a Boy with a Bunny)
Authors: stars_in_love and eexiee
Pairing: Kris/Suho
Rating: G
Words: 3736
Summary: Sehun's bunny has an emergency and needs to go to the vet. Chanyeol recommends Dr. Kris, and it's all downhill from there.
"Apppaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Sehun cries as he runs down the hallway to Junmyeon's office. Junmyeon sighs and takes off his glasses, turning away from his computer monitor. Sehun is a mess, tufts of white rabbit fur sticking out of his head. His face is blotched red and puffy from tears that continue to stream down his five-year-old face.
Junmyeon's heart melts at the sight and he automatically opens his arms up, allowing Sehun to crash into his chest and burrow into his warmth.
"A... A-Appa, B-Becky is dead," Sehun wails, staining his father's shirt with salty tears. Junmyeon's eyebrows raise at the mention of his son's white rabbit.
"Dead?" Junmyeon asks. "We've only had her for a few months, kiddo."
"Appa, she's not moving and i tried to feed her grass and I pulled her tail too, but-" Sehun breaks into another round of sobbing and Junmyeon sighs again. He turns back to his laptop and notifies his boss via Skype that he needs to attend to some family issues for the rest of the afternoon and to please wait for his timecard submission tomorrow. He signs off and pushes out of his chair.
"Come on, Sehun," he says softly, taking his son's hand. "Let's see to Becky."
He leads his son to the living room where a large, bright purple rabbit cage sits next to the TV. Becky is flopped over on her back, but Junmyeon still see's the rabbit breathing shallowly.
"Sehun-ah, look!" He exclaims with enthusiasm, kneeling down next to the cage. "Becky is breathing. Do you see that?"
"B-but, Appa," Sehun sniffs, prompting Junmyeon to scour the room for tissues. "Why is her stomach up like that? When Goldy's stomach was up, you said he died."
"Becky and Goldy are different, love," Junmyeon says, back by the cage with tissues. He dabs worriedly at Sehun's puffy eyes and wipes away his snot. "Becky doesn't live underwater."
Sehun's eyes widen comically and Junmyeon suppresses the urge to chuckle. Sehun tugs urgently on Junmyeon's hand.
"S-so we can... we can save Becky?" He asks in astonishment.
"Yes, yes we can," Junmyeon says with equal excitement. "I just have to find a vet nearby, okay?"
"How long will that take? What if we get lost? What if Becky gets carsick?" Sehun interrogates, hands on the cage, staring intently at Becky. "What if Becky really really dies?"
"I'll be quick; I promise," Junmyeon swears, rubbing Sehun's tense, little shoulders.
"You swear?" Sehun demands, sticking his pinky in Junmyeon's face. Junmyeon clasps his own large pinky to his son's.
"Swear."
And Junmyeon is quick. He phones Chanyeol, a friend who owns a golden retriever, and writes down his friends’ preferred animal hospital address and phone number.
"Ask for Kris," Chanyeol suggests. "He's their best rabbit specialist I heard."
"Oh, tha-"
"And I heard he's pretty hot too," Chanyeol adds on an afterthought. Junmyeon lets the line fall silent for a few seconds.
"...O… kay..."
"Hope Becky feels better!" Chanyeol says cheerily.
"Thanks, Chanyeol," Junmyeon says, playing with his pen. "Bye."
Junmyeon dials the number he wrote down to the sound of Sehun singing to Pororo on TV and hums as the line connects.
"Seoul Central Animal Hospital," a bright woman's voice answers. "I'm Sunny; how may I help you today?"
"Hello," Junmyeon greets politely. "Um, my son's rabbit is... sick and, uh, we just wanted to get her checked out?"
"Of course!" Sunny replies cheerfully. "So when would you like to schedule your appointment today? We have slots open for 10:30 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:15 PM..."
"I prefer 11:45 please," Junmyeon interjects. "If... if that's alright."
Junmyeon'd scheduled doctor appointments for Sehun, sure, but his rabbit? It seemed like a whole new experience.
"Perfect!" Sunny exclaims and Junmyeon wonders if the receptionist ever says anything uncheerily. "Okay, I'm just going to ask you a few questions now; what's your rabbit's name?"
"Um, her name is Becky."
"So cute!" Sunny giggles. "And about how old is she?"
"...Six... um... seven months old."
"Alrighty. Does she have any disorders? Has she had any surgeries in the past?"
"No... to both."
"Perfect!" Sunny exclaims again. She begins to type in the background of the phone call. "We'll schedule you with Dr. Himchan so..."
"Excuse me but," Junmyeon bites his lip. "Um, my friend recommended Dr... er... Kris? He says he's the best rabbit specialist you have?"
"Oh, yes!" Sunny says. "Dr. Kris is a little busy, but we'll see what we can do for you, sir."
"Okay. Thank you."
"I'm sorry I forgot ask.Your name is, sir?"
"I'm Kim Junmyeon."
"Thank you, Junmyeon-ssi! We'll see you in a couple of hours!"
So saying, approximately two hours, forty five minutes, a spilled apple juice, and one rabbit travel cage later, Junmyeon and Sehun lug the dead weight that is Becky and her new travel crate into the waiting room of Seoul Central Animal Hospital.
Junmyeon approaches the receptionist desk to sign Becky in, again receiving Sunny's happy-go-lucky service. He sits back down next to Sehun with a pile of papers to fill about their pet while his son attempts to feed the rabbit carrot bits through the opening in the crate.
Before long, a doctor comes into the waiting room.
"Becky?" He prompts in a low voice.
"Here- Ack!" Junmyeon raises his hand, losing his hold on the pile of registration papers. He flushes as people turn to stare and he bends down to the floor to collect them.
"You go ahead, Sehun," Junmyeon mutters.
"But Appa, the crate's too heavy for me," Sehun whispers back.
"Um," Junmyeon panics as the papers refuse to become a pile under his hands. Another pair of stronger hands reach down and help him.
"Here, I'll do this," the doctor offers softly. You and your son can head to Room 12 on the left."
"T-thank you," Junmyeon stutters. He lifts his head, but he only sees the doctor's blonde hair.
"Appa," Sehun whines, hand impatiently tapping on Becky's crate.
"Okay okay."
Junmyeon and Sehun get lost.
So they wait for the doctor to appear with Becky's unfinished registration papers. Junmyeon is focused on keeping Sehun's fingers away from the crate opening when footsteps approach.
"What happened?" The doctor asks with slight confusion. Junmyeon looks at his feet abashedly.
"Sorry, doctor," Junmyeon says, flustered again. He makes a horrible mistake and looks up to the doctor's face. "We somehow got lo-..."
Well, mother of God, is that one fine face.
An amused eyebrow is raised. "Lost?"
"Yeah," Sehun grumbles. "But it was mostly Appa's fault, okay? He doesn't even know how to navigate Zitao's house without a map."
"Se-Sehun!" Junmyeon berates, tapping Sehun's bottom lightly. His son pouts and shuts up.
"It's alright, sir," the doctor chuckles. He bends down to ruffle Sehun's hair.
"Junmyeon," Junmyeon blurts.
"Er... excuse me?"
"I'm... Junmyeon," Junmyeon says lamely. The doctor smiles, gums peeking out adorably. He sticks out a hand to Junmyeon and the latter takes it timidly.
"I'm Doctor Kris. It's lovely to meet you."
"So," Kris begins after guiding the father and son into the correct room. He rolls up the cuffs of his white button-up and helps Sehun heave Becky's rabbit cage onto a metal counter in the center of the room. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Umm well, Doctor Seuss- can I call you Doctor Seuss? It sounds nicer- I was finishing breakfast because Appa told me to," Sehun babbles. "And then I was swinging my legs like I always do because swinging my legs on the big chair makes me feel like I'm flying and when I thought of flying I thought of birds and so I had to think of bunnies and we have a bunny! And I was like 'Oh yeah! I love my bunny.' And so I finished my Lucky Charms and I wanted to go say hi to our bunny- her name is Becky, by the way, Doctor Seuss- and I was really happy because, like, I get to say hi to the bunny! I went over and I know Appa already fed her breakfast- he feeds her and takes care of her poopy and pee because I don't want to because that's just gross, Doctor- but I fed her some carrots anyway and she was like, 'Oh my god, Sehunnie, I love you!' Because, Doctor Seuss, I don't know if ya know, but bunnies really really love carrots. And then she ate them and then-"
Sehun's eyes begin to water and his knees shake. Junmyeon scoops him up before his son collapses.
"A-and then she," Sehun begins to sob now. "She made s-some... sp-sputtery noises and s...he f-flopped over on her back l-like G-G-Goldy!"
Kris's face morphs from amused at Sehun's naming antics to frozen in horror in seconds as Sehun bawls his eyes out on Junmyeon's shirt, which darkens with water at an alarming pace.
"Sorry, Doctor, he's fine," Junmyeon rushes out, patting Sehun lightly on the back as he cries. "Just... um... just please do something for our rabbit. Please."
Kris nods checking the rabbit's vital conditions while speaking.
"From what your son told me, it seems like Becky choked on the carrots he gave her," Kris murmurs, more to himself. "Yes, overeagerness for a carrot, flopping down quickly... How large were the pieces you gave her, Sehun?"
"Th-the size of this finger," Sehun sniffs. He begins to hold up a finger, his middle one from Junmyeon's persp-
"Sorry, I'm really sorry," Junmyeon squeaks as he quickly censors Sehun's middle digit, but Kris hardly notices.
"I am 100% sure Becky choked on the carrot," Kris says seriously. "We can remove it, but we have to be quick, and it's already been a few hours. I'll take her back to the surgery room. Please wait here."
Junmyeon takes Sehun in his arms, cradling him and gently singing him a Chinese song he'd always liked. Junmyeon's friend Lu Han (Uncle Lu Han, to Sehun) always used to sing the song, and Junmyeon had always thought it was a beautiful lullaby, so he went with it. He'd been singing it to Sehun since Sehun was adopted.
Kris comes back into the room quietly, looking at Junmyeon curiously. "Was that a Chinese song?" he asks, and Junmyeon blushes.
"Yes," Junmyeon replies. "Sehun...Sehun likes it."
"You have a lovely voice," Kris compliments, and Junmyeon smiles.
"Thank you," he says. Sehun looks up at the doctor with red, puffy eyes.
"Dr. Seuss, will Becky be okay?" he sniffles, and Kris kneels down in front of Junmyeon, looking Sehun in the eyes. He takes Sehun's little hands and holds them in his own, much larger ones. Wow he has nice hands, Junmyeon thinks, really nice...
"Sehun, Becky is going to be good as new. She'll stay with us for a few days, though, just to make sure, okay?" he says, and Sehun's lower lip shakes, threatening to spill forth the Nile River again.
"Sehunnie," Junmyeon says, stroking his son's hair, "do you want to ask Dr. Kris if we can come back every day to make sure Becky's okay?"
Sehun nods, wiping his eyes again. "Can we come back every day to make sure Becky's okay?" he echoes his father. Kris nods with a smile.
"I'd love that," he says, but he's not looking at Sehun.
Junmyeon is the one to break eye contact from Kris, cheeks red.
"Appa, what's wrong with your face?" Sehun questions.
Junmyeon really wants to hide under the table.
The next morning, Junmyeon is rudely awakened by his son shaking him violently at six thirty in the morning.
"Appa! We have to go check on Becky! We have to go see Dr. Seuss!" Sehun cries. Junmyeon rubs his eyes and looks at the clock groggily.
"Sehun, it's so early," he complains. "The animal hospital doesn't open until eight anyway. Why don't you go back to sleep?"
Sehun shakes his head and pouts dramatically.
"No, Appa, we have to go see Becky! And anyway, it makes you happy to go to the vet, right?" Sehun says as matter-of-factly as a small child can. Junmyeon sits up and takes Sehun in his lap.
"What?"
"Your face got all red, and when your face is red that means you're jolly like Santa, right? And you were smiling a lot. And giggling when Dr. Seuss was making jokes. Appa, his jokes weren't funny but you were giggling anyway. That means you must be happy, right?" Sehun explains. Junmyeon feels his cheeks heating up again. Sehun is far too observant for a child his age.
"Fine," Junmyeon grunts, "we can go. Let me take a shower first."
Junmyeon also plans on making sure his skin is perfect and dressing to play up his slim legs and combing his hair so that it looks just right.
Not to impress anyone, of course.
When they finally arrive at the hospital, Sehun's complaining about being hungry, so Joonmyeon sits him in the waiting room.
"Sehunnie, you stay here, okay? I'm going to get some donuts next door and you stay here and be good, okay?" Junmyeon tells his son, and Sehun nods obediently. "Are you going to go off with a stranger?"
"No, Appa."
"What if a nice lady tells you that she has candy and she wants you to have some if you go with her?"
"I don't take the candy and I don't go," Sehun recites obediently. Junmyeon kisses his son's cheek.
"Good boy. I'll be back soon, okay?" He gets up and heads towards the donut shop while Sehun opens the picture book Junmyeon had left him with.
Typically, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kris gets to work early. This Tuesday is special, because when he walks in, he notices a familiar little boy sitting down on the bench in the waiting room, reading a book titled "The Tooth Fairy."
"Oh," he says, kneeling down in front of the boy. He's got a little time to spare before tending to his bunnies. "You're the boy with the choking rabbit."
In retrospect, he could have been a little more delicate, because Sehun frowns at him more sarcastically than Kris thought children could.
"You're the doctor that Appa likes so much," he retorts, looking back down at his book. Kris nods before he suddenly remembers the beautiful man who'd been in the day before. His eyes widen and he nods more eagerly to prompt the boy.
"Can you tell me more about that?" Kris coaxes. "Your appa... likes me?"
"Yeah," Sehun says distractedly, flipping through his book, "he told me last night that you're handsome- well… he didn’t tell me; Appa likes to talk in his sleep, you know- like a prince in the stories he reads to me. Or like a guy in a manga. And his face gets jolly red when he mentions you. Oh yeah, and he giggled at your bad jokes."
Kris laughs at Sehun's bluntness. "He said I'm handsome? Like, in a good way?"
"Yeah, like a prince. And I asked him if he wanted to be the king if you were the prince and he said he'd rather be your princess. But Appa can't be a princess because he's a man. So he would have to be your prince. Is that okay?" Sehun asks worriedly, finally looking up from his book.
"Definitely," Kris smiles. "Sehun… you don't have an umma, do you?"
"No," Sehun shakes his head. "Appa had a boyfriend when I was little but I didn't want to call him Appa. He wasn't right."
Sehun looks at Kris curiously for a moment. "Wait, maybe you can be my new appa! You're handsome like a prince and you look like an appa and you take good care of Becky. I like you, Dr. Seuss! And Appa likes you too. Do you like Appa?"
"Yes, I like your appa very much. Where is he?" Kris asks, looking around.
"He's getting me donuts. He's the best appa," Sehun smiles proudly.
"Can I sit with you until he comes back?" Kris asks, and Sehun nods.
"Okay. Sit here, Dr. Seuss. I'll tell you the story of the tooth fairy."
Sehun is a horrible story teller, Kris thinks, but a cute one nonetheless.
Kris can hardly understand the words streaming out of the boy's mouth as he massacres the Korean language, but his voice rises high and low passionately with each turn in the story, and he is obviously enjoying himself. A few times, Kris thinks he hears "Dr. Seuss" and "Appa" thrown around, but Sehun's going at the speed of a radio announcer, so the doctor really can't be sure.
"And then Dr.SeussandAppaweremarriedandtheyboughtmetoysandwelivedhappilyeverafter. The end!" Sehun finishes breathlessly.
"You're a great story teller," Kris compliments.
"Thank you," Sehun says, face bright. "Appa always says I read too fast and i mis- misponounce things and he says I'm a bad storyteller. Isn't he a poopoo?"
Before Kris has time to respond, Sehun reevaluates his words. "Wait, but if I call him a poopoo he won't buy me donuts. So Appa isn't a poopoo... but I can't say he's not a poopoo because he is because only poopoos tell people they're bad storytellers butIreallywantAppatobuymedonutsandthatmeansIcan'tcallhimapoopoobut-"
"Sehunnie?"
Junmyeon stands just inside the automatic doors of the hospital, a plastic bag dangling from one of his hands as he stares at Sehun and Kris together.
"Appa, hi!" Sehun exclaims, waving.
"Good morning, Junmyeon-ssi," Kris greets shyly, giving the other man a small smile. Junmyeon blushes and drops his gaze to his feet. So so cute, Kris's mind whispers in pain.
None of them pay attention to the fact that the doors are automatic, though, until Junmyeon is crushed between them.
Junmyeon drops the donuts in shock and they fall out of the box and splat on the floor.
"APPA YOU POOPOO!" Sehun cries. He launches the book into the air and clings on to Kris, beginning to sniffle, but Kris gently pries Sehun's little fingers away and rushes over to Junmyeon.
"Are you alright?" Kris asks, stooping down to help Junmyeon pick up the donuts and put them back in the box.
"I'm fine," Junmyeon says, throwing the box of ruined donuts in the trashcan. "I'm just a little surprised. I didn't think that sort of thing actually happened."
“It’s happened to me before,” Kris admits, smiling at Junmyeon. He appraises the other’s cute sweater and tight jeans. “You’re early this morning.”
Junmyeon stands awkwardly as Sehun pouts from his seat. “Yeah, Sehunnie really wanted to make sure Becky was okay.” Kris smiles knowingly.
“Shall we go see her? You can wash your hands in the lab, if you don’t mind.” Junmyeon nods and follows Kris.
“Sehunnie, come on,” Junmyeon smiles. “Let’s go see Becky.”
Sehun continues to pout because of the ruined donuts, but he wants to see Becky nonetheless so he grabs Junmyeon’s proffered hand.
“So,” Kris says conversationally as he leads them into the lab, “Sehun is a very good story teller. He told me a story about a prince and a prince.”
“Yeah! The story of Dr. Seuss and Appa and Sehunnie and the Tooth Fairy. And Becky was there too. I’m the best storyteller because I make up my own stories!” Sehun proclaims proudly, and Junmyeon’s eyes go wide.
“Oh, um, I’m sure it was a...very...imaginative story,” Junmyeon says, obviously quite embarrassed. “Sehunnie has a great imagination. He can think up the most...unbelievable things. Yes.” Junmyeon’s stuttering and Kris finds it unbearably cute.
Junmyeon washes his hands (they’re small, Kris notes with glee) in the sink, and once everyone’s all clean, Kris picks Sehun up with a grin.
“You want to see Becky?” he asks, and Sehun smiles happily, nodding.
“Sehunnie, you’re letting someone other than Appa hold you!” Junmyeon smiles, and Sehun nods as if it’s a very obvious fact.
“Yeah, because I like Dr. Seuss.”
“Dr. Kris,” Junmyeon corrects, and Kris turns to smile at Junmyeon. Junmyeon smiles back, and Kris is very happy to be the first person who Sehun lets hold him.
“Okay,” Kris says, “let’s go see Becky.” They go into another room, where all the animals are contained in comfortable cages. He leads them to a row in the far part of the room, kneeling down with Sehun still in his arms. “You see Becky? She’s sleeping, shh. She’s tired.”
Sehun nods. “Is she okay?”
“She’s almost good as new,” Kris assures him. “She just needs to rest a little more and then she’ll be back to the same Becky you know and love.”
Sehun hugs Kris, burying his little face in the crook of his neck. “I love you, Dr. Kris. Thank you.” Kris looks up at Junmyeon, who kneels down as well.
“Thank you so much,” Junmyeon says quietly. “This really means a lot to us, that you’ve been so accommodating.”
“It’s my job,” Kris replies lightly. “And technically, you are paying me.” But he smiles as Sehun pulls away, and he looks at his father with an unbearably cute expression.
“Appa, are you going to go on a date with Dr. Kris now?” Sehun asks, and Kris can practically see the exclamation marks popping up above Junmyeon’s head as he pulls his son in close.
“Sehunnie! Dr. Kris is a very busy man, and you know Appa -”
“Actually, I would kind of enjoy that,” Kris butts in, smiling that same smile. “If it’s okay with you, of course.”
That shuts Junmyeon up fast and he doesn’t really know what to say. “I - um - yeah that - yeah. Yeah.”
“And you’ll buy me new donuts?” Sehun demands. He wiggles out of Junmyeon’s arms and stands his short body as tall as he possibly can, hands on his hips. Kris smiles and reaches over to muss Sehun’s hair.
“Only the best donuts for the best matchma- storyteller,” Kris promises. Sehun smiles brightly and pulls both Kris and Junmyeon close.
“I love you, Dr. Seuss. Can I call you Appa too?” Sehun asks, and Kris’ eyes go wide. He glances at Junmyeon, who chuckles, his face quite red.
“Sehunnie, Dr. Seuss isn’t your appa, though,” Junmyeon explains gently.
“He will be,” Sehun shrugs, and both Kris and Junmyeon laugh at that.
(In the end, Sehun turns out to be quite right and the two princes and their son live happily ever after.)
Pairing: Kris/Suho
Rating: G
Words: 3736
Summary: Sehun's bunny has an emergency and needs to go to the vet. Chanyeol recommends Dr. Kris, and it's all downhill from there.
"Apppaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Sehun cries as he runs down the hallway to Junmyeon's office. Junmyeon sighs and takes off his glasses, turning away from his computer monitor. Sehun is a mess, tufts of white rabbit fur sticking out of his head. His face is blotched red and puffy from tears that continue to stream down his five-year-old face.
Junmyeon's heart melts at the sight and he automatically opens his arms up, allowing Sehun to crash into his chest and burrow into his warmth.
"A... A-Appa, B-Becky is dead," Sehun wails, staining his father's shirt with salty tears. Junmyeon's eyebrows raise at the mention of his son's white rabbit.
"Dead?" Junmyeon asks. "We've only had her for a few months, kiddo."
"Appa, she's not moving and i tried to feed her grass and I pulled her tail too, but-" Sehun breaks into another round of sobbing and Junmyeon sighs again. He turns back to his laptop and notifies his boss via Skype that he needs to attend to some family issues for the rest of the afternoon and to please wait for his timecard submission tomorrow. He signs off and pushes out of his chair.
"Come on, Sehun," he says softly, taking his son's hand. "Let's see to Becky."
He leads his son to the living room where a large, bright purple rabbit cage sits next to the TV. Becky is flopped over on her back, but Junmyeon still see's the rabbit breathing shallowly.
"Sehun-ah, look!" He exclaims with enthusiasm, kneeling down next to the cage. "Becky is breathing. Do you see that?"
"B-but, Appa," Sehun sniffs, prompting Junmyeon to scour the room for tissues. "Why is her stomach up like that? When Goldy's stomach was up, you said he died."
"Becky and Goldy are different, love," Junmyeon says, back by the cage with tissues. He dabs worriedly at Sehun's puffy eyes and wipes away his snot. "Becky doesn't live underwater."
Sehun's eyes widen comically and Junmyeon suppresses the urge to chuckle. Sehun tugs urgently on Junmyeon's hand.
"S-so we can... we can save Becky?" He asks in astonishment.
"Yes, yes we can," Junmyeon says with equal excitement. "I just have to find a vet nearby, okay?"
"How long will that take? What if we get lost? What if Becky gets carsick?" Sehun interrogates, hands on the cage, staring intently at Becky. "What if Becky really really dies?"
"I'll be quick; I promise," Junmyeon swears, rubbing Sehun's tense, little shoulders.
"You swear?" Sehun demands, sticking his pinky in Junmyeon's face. Junmyeon clasps his own large pinky to his son's.
"Swear."
And Junmyeon is quick. He phones Chanyeol, a friend who owns a golden retriever, and writes down his friends’ preferred animal hospital address and phone number.
"Ask for Kris," Chanyeol suggests. "He's their best rabbit specialist I heard."
"Oh, tha-"
"And I heard he's pretty hot too," Chanyeol adds on an afterthought. Junmyeon lets the line fall silent for a few seconds.
"...O… kay..."
"Hope Becky feels better!" Chanyeol says cheerily.
"Thanks, Chanyeol," Junmyeon says, playing with his pen. "Bye."
Junmyeon dials the number he wrote down to the sound of Sehun singing to Pororo on TV and hums as the line connects.
"Seoul Central Animal Hospital," a bright woman's voice answers. "I'm Sunny; how may I help you today?"
"Hello," Junmyeon greets politely. "Um, my son's rabbit is... sick and, uh, we just wanted to get her checked out?"
"Of course!" Sunny replies cheerfully. "So when would you like to schedule your appointment today? We have slots open for 10:30 AM, 11:45 AM, 12:15 PM..."
"I prefer 11:45 please," Junmyeon interjects. "If... if that's alright."
Junmyeon'd scheduled doctor appointments for Sehun, sure, but his rabbit? It seemed like a whole new experience.
"Perfect!" Sunny exclaims and Junmyeon wonders if the receptionist ever says anything uncheerily. "Okay, I'm just going to ask you a few questions now; what's your rabbit's name?"
"Um, her name is Becky."
"So cute!" Sunny giggles. "And about how old is she?"
"...Six... um... seven months old."
"Alrighty. Does she have any disorders? Has she had any surgeries in the past?"
"No... to both."
"Perfect!" Sunny exclaims again. She begins to type in the background of the phone call. "We'll schedule you with Dr. Himchan so..."
"Excuse me but," Junmyeon bites his lip. "Um, my friend recommended Dr... er... Kris? He says he's the best rabbit specialist you have?"
"Oh, yes!" Sunny says. "Dr. Kris is a little busy, but we'll see what we can do for you, sir."
"Okay. Thank you."
"I'm sorry I forgot ask.Your name is, sir?"
"I'm Kim Junmyeon."
"Thank you, Junmyeon-ssi! We'll see you in a couple of hours!"
So saying, approximately two hours, forty five minutes, a spilled apple juice, and one rabbit travel cage later, Junmyeon and Sehun lug the dead weight that is Becky and her new travel crate into the waiting room of Seoul Central Animal Hospital.
Junmyeon approaches the receptionist desk to sign Becky in, again receiving Sunny's happy-go-lucky service. He sits back down next to Sehun with a pile of papers to fill about their pet while his son attempts to feed the rabbit carrot bits through the opening in the crate.
Before long, a doctor comes into the waiting room.
"Becky?" He prompts in a low voice.
"Here- Ack!" Junmyeon raises his hand, losing his hold on the pile of registration papers. He flushes as people turn to stare and he bends down to the floor to collect them.
"You go ahead, Sehun," Junmyeon mutters.
"But Appa, the crate's too heavy for me," Sehun whispers back.
"Um," Junmyeon panics as the papers refuse to become a pile under his hands. Another pair of stronger hands reach down and help him.
"Here, I'll do this," the doctor offers softly. You and your son can head to Room 12 on the left."
"T-thank you," Junmyeon stutters. He lifts his head, but he only sees the doctor's blonde hair.
"Appa," Sehun whines, hand impatiently tapping on Becky's crate.
"Okay okay."
Junmyeon and Sehun get lost.
So they wait for the doctor to appear with Becky's unfinished registration papers. Junmyeon is focused on keeping Sehun's fingers away from the crate opening when footsteps approach.
"What happened?" The doctor asks with slight confusion. Junmyeon looks at his feet abashedly.
"Sorry, doctor," Junmyeon says, flustered again. He makes a horrible mistake and looks up to the doctor's face. "We somehow got lo-..."
Well, mother of God, is that one fine face.
An amused eyebrow is raised. "Lost?"
"Yeah," Sehun grumbles. "But it was mostly Appa's fault, okay? He doesn't even know how to navigate Zitao's house without a map."
"Se-Sehun!" Junmyeon berates, tapping Sehun's bottom lightly. His son pouts and shuts up.
"It's alright, sir," the doctor chuckles. He bends down to ruffle Sehun's hair.
"Junmyeon," Junmyeon blurts.
"Er... excuse me?"
"I'm... Junmyeon," Junmyeon says lamely. The doctor smiles, gums peeking out adorably. He sticks out a hand to Junmyeon and the latter takes it timidly.
"I'm Doctor Kris. It's lovely to meet you."
"So," Kris begins after guiding the father and son into the correct room. He rolls up the cuffs of his white button-up and helps Sehun heave Becky's rabbit cage onto a metal counter in the center of the room. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Umm well, Doctor Seuss- can I call you Doctor Seuss? It sounds nicer- I was finishing breakfast because Appa told me to," Sehun babbles. "And then I was swinging my legs like I always do because swinging my legs on the big chair makes me feel like I'm flying and when I thought of flying I thought of birds and so I had to think of bunnies and we have a bunny! And I was like 'Oh yeah! I love my bunny.' And so I finished my Lucky Charms and I wanted to go say hi to our bunny- her name is Becky, by the way, Doctor Seuss- and I was really happy because, like, I get to say hi to the bunny! I went over and I know Appa already fed her breakfast- he feeds her and takes care of her poopy and pee because I don't want to because that's just gross, Doctor- but I fed her some carrots anyway and she was like, 'Oh my god, Sehunnie, I love you!' Because, Doctor Seuss, I don't know if ya know, but bunnies really really love carrots. And then she ate them and then-"
Sehun's eyes begin to water and his knees shake. Junmyeon scoops him up before his son collapses.
"A-and then she," Sehun begins to sob now. "She made s-some... sp-sputtery noises and s...he f-flopped over on her back l-like G-G-Goldy!"
Kris's face morphs from amused at Sehun's naming antics to frozen in horror in seconds as Sehun bawls his eyes out on Junmyeon's shirt, which darkens with water at an alarming pace.
"Sorry, Doctor, he's fine," Junmyeon rushes out, patting Sehun lightly on the back as he cries. "Just... um... just please do something for our rabbit. Please."
Kris nods checking the rabbit's vital conditions while speaking.
"From what your son told me, it seems like Becky choked on the carrots he gave her," Kris murmurs, more to himself. "Yes, overeagerness for a carrot, flopping down quickly... How large were the pieces you gave her, Sehun?"
"Th-the size of this finger," Sehun sniffs. He begins to hold up a finger, his middle one from Junmyeon's persp-
"Sorry, I'm really sorry," Junmyeon squeaks as he quickly censors Sehun's middle digit, but Kris hardly notices.
"I am 100% sure Becky choked on the carrot," Kris says seriously. "We can remove it, but we have to be quick, and it's already been a few hours. I'll take her back to the surgery room. Please wait here."
Junmyeon takes Sehun in his arms, cradling him and gently singing him a Chinese song he'd always liked. Junmyeon's friend Lu Han (Uncle Lu Han, to Sehun) always used to sing the song, and Junmyeon had always thought it was a beautiful lullaby, so he went with it. He'd been singing it to Sehun since Sehun was adopted.
Kris comes back into the room quietly, looking at Junmyeon curiously. "Was that a Chinese song?" he asks, and Junmyeon blushes.
"Yes," Junmyeon replies. "Sehun...Sehun likes it."
"You have a lovely voice," Kris compliments, and Junmyeon smiles.
"Thank you," he says. Sehun looks up at the doctor with red, puffy eyes.
"Dr. Seuss, will Becky be okay?" he sniffles, and Kris kneels down in front of Junmyeon, looking Sehun in the eyes. He takes Sehun's little hands and holds them in his own, much larger ones. Wow he has nice hands, Junmyeon thinks, really nice...
"Sehun, Becky is going to be good as new. She'll stay with us for a few days, though, just to make sure, okay?" he says, and Sehun's lower lip shakes, threatening to spill forth the Nile River again.
"Sehunnie," Junmyeon says, stroking his son's hair, "do you want to ask Dr. Kris if we can come back every day to make sure Becky's okay?"
Sehun nods, wiping his eyes again. "Can we come back every day to make sure Becky's okay?" he echoes his father. Kris nods with a smile.
"I'd love that," he says, but he's not looking at Sehun.
Junmyeon is the one to break eye contact from Kris, cheeks red.
"Appa, what's wrong with your face?" Sehun questions.
Junmyeon really wants to hide under the table.
The next morning, Junmyeon is rudely awakened by his son shaking him violently at six thirty in the morning.
"Appa! We have to go check on Becky! We have to go see Dr. Seuss!" Sehun cries. Junmyeon rubs his eyes and looks at the clock groggily.
"Sehun, it's so early," he complains. "The animal hospital doesn't open until eight anyway. Why don't you go back to sleep?"
Sehun shakes his head and pouts dramatically.
"No, Appa, we have to go see Becky! And anyway, it makes you happy to go to the vet, right?" Sehun says as matter-of-factly as a small child can. Junmyeon sits up and takes Sehun in his lap.
"What?"
"Your face got all red, and when your face is red that means you're jolly like Santa, right? And you were smiling a lot. And giggling when Dr. Seuss was making jokes. Appa, his jokes weren't funny but you were giggling anyway. That means you must be happy, right?" Sehun explains. Junmyeon feels his cheeks heating up again. Sehun is far too observant for a child his age.
"Fine," Junmyeon grunts, "we can go. Let me take a shower first."
Junmyeon also plans on making sure his skin is perfect and dressing to play up his slim legs and combing his hair so that it looks just right.
Not to impress anyone, of course.
When they finally arrive at the hospital, Sehun's complaining about being hungry, so Joonmyeon sits him in the waiting room.
"Sehunnie, you stay here, okay? I'm going to get some donuts next door and you stay here and be good, okay?" Junmyeon tells his son, and Sehun nods obediently. "Are you going to go off with a stranger?"
"No, Appa."
"What if a nice lady tells you that she has candy and she wants you to have some if you go with her?"
"I don't take the candy and I don't go," Sehun recites obediently. Junmyeon kisses his son's cheek.
"Good boy. I'll be back soon, okay?" He gets up and heads towards the donut shop while Sehun opens the picture book Junmyeon had left him with.
Typically, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Kris gets to work early. This Tuesday is special, because when he walks in, he notices a familiar little boy sitting down on the bench in the waiting room, reading a book titled "The Tooth Fairy."
"Oh," he says, kneeling down in front of the boy. He's got a little time to spare before tending to his bunnies. "You're the boy with the choking rabbit."
In retrospect, he could have been a little more delicate, because Sehun frowns at him more sarcastically than Kris thought children could.
"You're the doctor that Appa likes so much," he retorts, looking back down at his book. Kris nods before he suddenly remembers the beautiful man who'd been in the day before. His eyes widen and he nods more eagerly to prompt the boy.
"Can you tell me more about that?" Kris coaxes. "Your appa... likes me?"
"Yeah," Sehun says distractedly, flipping through his book, "he told me last night that you're handsome- well… he didn’t tell me; Appa likes to talk in his sleep, you know- like a prince in the stories he reads to me. Or like a guy in a manga. And his face gets jolly red when he mentions you. Oh yeah, and he giggled at your bad jokes."
Kris laughs at Sehun's bluntness. "He said I'm handsome? Like, in a good way?"
"Yeah, like a prince. And I asked him if he wanted to be the king if you were the prince and he said he'd rather be your princess. But Appa can't be a princess because he's a man. So he would have to be your prince. Is that okay?" Sehun asks worriedly, finally looking up from his book.
"Definitely," Kris smiles. "Sehun… you don't have an umma, do you?"
"No," Sehun shakes his head. "Appa had a boyfriend when I was little but I didn't want to call him Appa. He wasn't right."
Sehun looks at Kris curiously for a moment. "Wait, maybe you can be my new appa! You're handsome like a prince and you look like an appa and you take good care of Becky. I like you, Dr. Seuss! And Appa likes you too. Do you like Appa?"
"Yes, I like your appa very much. Where is he?" Kris asks, looking around.
"He's getting me donuts. He's the best appa," Sehun smiles proudly.
"Can I sit with you until he comes back?" Kris asks, and Sehun nods.
"Okay. Sit here, Dr. Seuss. I'll tell you the story of the tooth fairy."
Sehun is a horrible story teller, Kris thinks, but a cute one nonetheless.
Kris can hardly understand the words streaming out of the boy's mouth as he massacres the Korean language, but his voice rises high and low passionately with each turn in the story, and he is obviously enjoying himself. A few times, Kris thinks he hears "Dr. Seuss" and "Appa" thrown around, but Sehun's going at the speed of a radio announcer, so the doctor really can't be sure.
"And then Dr.SeussandAppaweremarriedandtheyboughtmetoysandwelivedhappilyeverafter. The end!" Sehun finishes breathlessly.
"You're a great story teller," Kris compliments.
"Thank you," Sehun says, face bright. "Appa always says I read too fast and i mis- misponounce things and he says I'm a bad storyteller. Isn't he a poopoo?"
Before Kris has time to respond, Sehun reevaluates his words. "Wait, but if I call him a poopoo he won't buy me donuts. So Appa isn't a poopoo... but I can't say he's not a poopoo because he is because only poopoos tell people they're bad storytellers butIreallywantAppatobuymedonutsandthatmeansIcan'tcallhimapoopoobut-"
"Sehunnie?"
Junmyeon stands just inside the automatic doors of the hospital, a plastic bag dangling from one of his hands as he stares at Sehun and Kris together.
"Appa, hi!" Sehun exclaims, waving.
"Good morning, Junmyeon-ssi," Kris greets shyly, giving the other man a small smile. Junmyeon blushes and drops his gaze to his feet. So so cute, Kris's mind whispers in pain.
None of them pay attention to the fact that the doors are automatic, though, until Junmyeon is crushed between them.
Junmyeon drops the donuts in shock and they fall out of the box and splat on the floor.
"APPA YOU POOPOO!" Sehun cries. He launches the book into the air and clings on to Kris, beginning to sniffle, but Kris gently pries Sehun's little fingers away and rushes over to Junmyeon.
"Are you alright?" Kris asks, stooping down to help Junmyeon pick up the donuts and put them back in the box.
"I'm fine," Junmyeon says, throwing the box of ruined donuts in the trashcan. "I'm just a little surprised. I didn't think that sort of thing actually happened."
“It’s happened to me before,” Kris admits, smiling at Junmyeon. He appraises the other’s cute sweater and tight jeans. “You’re early this morning.”
Junmyeon stands awkwardly as Sehun pouts from his seat. “Yeah, Sehunnie really wanted to make sure Becky was okay.” Kris smiles knowingly.
“Shall we go see her? You can wash your hands in the lab, if you don’t mind.” Junmyeon nods and follows Kris.
“Sehunnie, come on,” Junmyeon smiles. “Let’s go see Becky.”
Sehun continues to pout because of the ruined donuts, but he wants to see Becky nonetheless so he grabs Junmyeon’s proffered hand.
“So,” Kris says conversationally as he leads them into the lab, “Sehun is a very good story teller. He told me a story about a prince and a prince.”
“Yeah! The story of Dr. Seuss and Appa and Sehunnie and the Tooth Fairy. And Becky was there too. I’m the best storyteller because I make up my own stories!” Sehun proclaims proudly, and Junmyeon’s eyes go wide.
“Oh, um, I’m sure it was a...very...imaginative story,” Junmyeon says, obviously quite embarrassed. “Sehunnie has a great imagination. He can think up the most...unbelievable things. Yes.” Junmyeon’s stuttering and Kris finds it unbearably cute.
Junmyeon washes his hands (they’re small, Kris notes with glee) in the sink, and once everyone’s all clean, Kris picks Sehun up with a grin.
“You want to see Becky?” he asks, and Sehun smiles happily, nodding.
“Sehunnie, you’re letting someone other than Appa hold you!” Junmyeon smiles, and Sehun nods as if it’s a very obvious fact.
“Yeah, because I like Dr. Seuss.”
“Dr. Kris,” Junmyeon corrects, and Kris turns to smile at Junmyeon. Junmyeon smiles back, and Kris is very happy to be the first person who Sehun lets hold him.
“Okay,” Kris says, “let’s go see Becky.” They go into another room, where all the animals are contained in comfortable cages. He leads them to a row in the far part of the room, kneeling down with Sehun still in his arms. “You see Becky? She’s sleeping, shh. She’s tired.”
Sehun nods. “Is she okay?”
“She’s almost good as new,” Kris assures him. “She just needs to rest a little more and then she’ll be back to the same Becky you know and love.”
Sehun hugs Kris, burying his little face in the crook of his neck. “I love you, Dr. Kris. Thank you.” Kris looks up at Junmyeon, who kneels down as well.
“Thank you so much,” Junmyeon says quietly. “This really means a lot to us, that you’ve been so accommodating.”
“It’s my job,” Kris replies lightly. “And technically, you are paying me.” But he smiles as Sehun pulls away, and he looks at his father with an unbearably cute expression.
“Appa, are you going to go on a date with Dr. Kris now?” Sehun asks, and Kris can practically see the exclamation marks popping up above Junmyeon’s head as he pulls his son in close.
“Sehunnie! Dr. Kris is a very busy man, and you know Appa -”
“Actually, I would kind of enjoy that,” Kris butts in, smiling that same smile. “If it’s okay with you, of course.”
That shuts Junmyeon up fast and he doesn’t really know what to say. “I - um - yeah that - yeah. Yeah.”
“And you’ll buy me new donuts?” Sehun demands. He wiggles out of Junmyeon’s arms and stands his short body as tall as he possibly can, hands on his hips. Kris smiles and reaches over to muss Sehun’s hair.
“Only the best donuts for the best matchma- storyteller,” Kris promises. Sehun smiles brightly and pulls both Kris and Junmyeon close.
“I love you, Dr. Seuss. Can I call you Appa too?” Sehun asks, and Kris’ eyes go wide. He glances at Junmyeon, who chuckles, his face quite red.
“Sehunnie, Dr. Seuss isn’t your appa, though,” Junmyeon explains gently.
“He will be,” Sehun shrugs, and both Kris and Junmyeon laugh at that.
(In the end, Sehun turns out to be quite right and the two princes and their son live happily ever after.)