Princesses and Forts
Title: Princesses and Forts
Paring: Henry / Ryeowook
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: You might barf a rainbow xD
Summary: Henry and Ryeowook planned to spend their three day break alone together. Instead they end up spending it with two little girls. Babysitting is easy, right?
“We can’t possibly be the only people you know who can do this.” Henry sounded worried, desperate, staring with wide eyes at the scene in the living room as if it was the most intimidating thing he had ever laid eyes on.
“I spend most of my time with you guys doing your styling and when I’m not here I’m with the two of them. I’m serious when I say I don’t have anyone else to do this.” Jisoo, their stylist, insisted, standing in the middle of a small pile of bags, one of them knocked over and emptying out toys.
Ryeowook looked from the toys over to the living room where a few of them had been carried already and were being played with by the source of Henry’s, and admittedly his own, anxiety: two little girls, aged 8 months and 4.
He had to admit, this wasn’t exactly the way he had pictured their three day break going. Everyone else had opted to travel but he and Henry decided to take advantage of having the dorm to themselves and just spend time together there, avoiding the stress of airports and trains. Now it looked like they might not be as alone as planned.
“Please…I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency. I’ll only be gone until tomorrow night. You can handle it. I have faith in you.” Jisoo looked pleadingly at them.
Henry still looked apprehensive, watching warily as the eldest of the two little girls, Ahra, held toys out in front of her baby sister Minah, making the baby squeal in delight. Ryeowook was the one to respond, trying to ignore Henry’s wide-eyed look when he answered, “Okay.”
“Thank you! Here is everything you’ll need. Toys, clothes, food, diapers, all of it. And you can call if you really need help, I’ll have my phone. They’re good girls, I know they’ll be well behaved for you.”
When Jisoo entered the living room to tell her children goodbye Henry turned to Ryeowook, wringing his hands and biting his lip the way he always did when he was incredibly anxious and Ryeowook almost laughed. Henry Lau, the 21 year old who had faced stadiums full of screaming fans, some of them who hated him, was looking just as anxious over the idea of babysitting two little girls as he had in those situations.
“Wookie, I don’t know how to take care of kids. What if they cry or yell or throw up or something? What if they don’t like me?”
“Don’t worry, Henli. It’ll be fine. You just play with them, feed them and make sure they don’t hurt themselves. I’ll even change all the diapers.” Ryeowook smiled, kissing Henry on the cheek. “And of course they’ll like you. Relax.”
Henry quit wringing his hands and biting his lip but still looked unsure as Jisoo left and they became officially responsible for the well being of her children. He closely followed Ryeowook into the living room where they both sat on the floor.
Ryeowook carefully took Minah out of her carseat carrier and settled her onto his lap, smiling at Ahra who sat before them. “Hi, I’m Ryeowook, but you can call me Wookie. And this is Henli.”
“Hi, Wookie. Hi, Henli.” Ahra smiled, rocking back and forth on her knees and smiling at them sweetly. On her lap she was holding a pink stuffed cat with blue eyes and a sparkly plastic collar. Ryeowook could tell just from looking at it that it was her favorite toy.
“Does your cat have a name?” he asked, bouncing Minah lightly on his lap and letting her play with the strings hanging down from the hood of his sweatshirt.
“Her name is Angel. I wanted a real cat but Mama said we couldn’t get one where we live. Do you have a cat?”
“No, but our friend Heechul does. He’s usually here but they’re both gone right now on a trip.”
“Oh… My best friend has a cat. Is Heechul your best friend?”
“No, Henli is my best friend.” Ryeowook said looking over at Henry who seemed a little more relaxed now, holding out his arm so Minah could play with his watch, which she had been reaching for.
“Mama said he was your boyfriend.”
Ryeowook blushed and Henry laughed, earning a delighted giggle from Minah and a huge smile from Ahra. “I’m both.”
“I like your cheeks.” Ahra giggled, climbing onto Henry’s lap and poking one with her finger. Minah saw what her sister was doing and was immediately reaching out wanting to do the same. Ryeowook held her up and soon her tiny fingers were poking and patting Henry’s other cheek.
And much to Ryeowook’s surprise Henry didn’t fidget or act nervous. He continued to smile. The fact that Henry was used to having his cheeks constantly poked and pinched by everyone around him probably helped. But it seemed he had realized the children weren’t scary or hard to take care of and was comfortable.
Henry was doing so well with the two of them, in fact, that he was perfectly fine staying in the living room and playing with them alone when Ryeowook went to make lunch. From what Ryeowook could hear from the kitchen, the three of them seemed to be having a good time. The dorm was filled with tiny girly giggles and squeals and when Ryeowook peeked back into the living room he saw Henry flying Ahra around the room like an airplane. How Henry had ever thought children wouldn’t like him, Ryeowook would never understand.
This wasn’t going to be so bad. It was nice that Henry could play with the girls while he made meals. Together, they would be able to look after them, no problem. Ryeowook felt quite confident as he gathered up the last of what he needed for lunch. He was searching through the refrigerator for the bottle of juice he knew had been in there the day before when a loud thud followed by Ahra’s voice calling “Wookie! Wookie!” brought his confidence spiraling down and had him hurrying into the living room.
He was surprised to find Henry on the floor, hissing in pain and looking at a pretty serious scrape on his shin. A scrape that was actually bleeding, and had both Ahra and Minah looking teary.
“What happened?”
“I was chasing Ahra and stepped on one of Minah’s blocks and then fell and hit the table.” Henry said, swearing under his breath in English when Ryeowook’s fingers touched near the cut on his leg.
“Is it really bad?” Ahra whimpered, watching as Ryeowook examined Henry’s leg with her little hands clutched together at her chest.
“No, sweetie, he’s fine.” Ryeowook reassured, petting Ahra’s hair. “Why don’t you play with your sister for a few minutes while I take care of Henli’s leg. You’ll call for us if you need us right?”
Ahra nodded, sitting down with Minah and a few toys, but still looking worried as Ryeowook helped Henry to his feet and helped him limp towards the bathroom.
“You should be more careful, Henli.” Ryeowook frowned as he started to clean the cut; Henry sitting perched on the edge of the tub. But when Henry winced in pain he felt his desire to scold instantly vanish. “You’re okay right?”
“Yeah. I’m used to running around the dorm with Donghae…but with him there are no wooden blocks for obstacles. I’ll have to keep in mind that the edge of the coffee table isn’t very forgiving…”
“Is your foot alright?” Ryeowook asked as he finished bandaging Henry’s leg. “You didn’t hurt your ankle did you?”
“No, it’s fine. Hurts a little but its nothing bad.” Henry stood, still favoring his other leg a little, but stepping easily over to where Ryeowook was putting away the bandages and pulling him into a hug. “You’re cute when you worry.”
Ryeowook hugged back happily for a moment before pulling away and leading Henry back down the hall. “Come on, limpy. We can’t leave them alone for long.”
“Don’t call me limpy…” Henry pouted. “Mean…”
“Accurate.” Ryeowook corrected, suppressing a laugh when Henry pouted further. Leaning in and giving Henry a quick kiss, Ryeowook led him back into the living room, the pout successfully turned into a smile.
Ahra looked at Henry anxiously upon their return, watching as he sat down on the couch. “Are you all better now?”
“Yes.” Henry nodded and Ahra stepped closer, eyeing the bandage.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore?”
“Well, it does, but not a lot.”
“Wookie, you should kiss it better!” Ahra insisted, pulling on Ryeowook’s pants leg and pointing at Henry’s leg.
Ryeowook smiled and knelt down, placing a careful kiss on Henry’s leg, much to Henry’s amusement and Ahra’s satisfaction. “Better now?”
“Almost. I think I need one more right here.” Henry smiled wide and tapped his cheek. When Ryeowook rolled his eyes, Henry continued. “Please, Wookie. I’m hurt.”
Ryeowook leaned in and kissed both of Henry’s cheeks, and Ahra giggled from her place at Henry’s feet. When he stood up straight again Henry was beaming and it only made him want to kiss each cheek again.
“All better!” Henry said, taking Minah onto his lap while Ahra climbed onto the couch beside him with an armful of dolls.
Instead of running around, Henry spent the rest of the time before lunch playing dolls while sitting on the couch. Every time Henry tried to stand up Ahra scolded him and told him not to because he was hurt. She only let him walk to the kitchen table if he held her hand the whole way, “just in case”.
Luckily, Jisoo had been right about the girls being well behaved. They both laid down for a nap with no complaints or crying, though it took a while for them to figure out how to put the guardrails up on the bed to keep Minah from falling out.
“She has her own little fort.” Henry said with an amused smile just before they left the room.
Really, Ryeowook should have known then just what would come later that day. He should have known but he was distracted.
When Minah woke up from her nap the only thing she wanted was to be carried by Ryeowook. She wasn’t interested in sitting in her carrier or on the floor surrounded by toys. She wasn’t even interested in being held by Henry, just Ryeowook. He tried giving her to Henry to hold but she just started to cry and Henry went wide-eyed and looked like he might cry too.
“Why doesn’t she like me?”
“She does like you, Henli. She’s just being fussy.”
As soon as he took her back she stopped crying, clutching to his hoodie with her little hands and once again chewing on its strings. So when it came time to cook dinner not only was he cooking dinner, he was cooking dinner and balancing a baby on his hip.
Ryeowook was quite proud of his ability to multitask, especially when it came to cooking, but this made things difficult. Most of his attention was focused in on safely holding Minah and cooking with only one hand so he didn’t notice Henry going back and forth between the bedrooms and the living room until what was probably the sixth trip. By the time he got the food off the stovetop where it wouldn’t burn and made his way into the living room Henry and Ahra had constructed, and were sitting in, a rather substantial fort of pillows, blankets and furniture.
“Oh my…”
“We have a fort!” Ahra cried with glee, throwing her arms out to gesture, smacking Henry in the chest in the process.
“I see that. Henli, is that Sungmin’s blanket?” Ryeowook pointed to the blanket thrown across the top-most part of the living room fort.
“It’s pink, I thought she’d like it.” Henry smiled innocently.
“Just don’t get it dirty.”
“That’s why I put it on top.”
Henry grinned at his own clever thinking and Ryeowook really wanted to crawl into that fort and huddle close to Henry rather than finish cooking. But someone had to be responsible.
And being responsible was something else Ryeowook was good at. So he returned to the kitchen, replacing the food on the burner and resuming cooking. He even got good at cooking while holding a baby, preparing the food while talking to her until she looked up at him and cooed. He didn’t even mind that she was drooling all over his shirt.
Ryeowook only freaked out a little when Ahra ran into the kitchen, running back out again with his good pot on her head as her ‘fort princess crown’. It was only a little because Henry brought it back only seconds after Ahra ran off with it and exchanged it for an older, more beat up pot.
“I knew there was a reason why I love you so much.” Ryeowook kissed Henry on the cheek, clutching his pot to his chest with his baby-free hand.
“Well of course it’s my ability to rescue your kitchenware. That and my boyish good looks.” Henry winked and returned to the living room with the exchanged pot on his own head.
Ahra wore the pot on her head to dinner and Henry spent the rest of the evening calling her Princess. She even ate her food with her pinky out to be fancy.
“Do princesses really eat vegetables?”
“The best ones do.”
Ryeowook fed both himself and Minah and took pride in the fact that most of Minah’s food ended up in her mouth and not on her face. Henry didn’t fare as well. Ahra took it upon herself to feed Henry the same way Ryeowook was feeding Minah and in the end Ryeowook had to wipe all three of their faces.
Minah was easy to get to bed. Now that she was full she was tired and she had fallen asleep against Ryeowook’s chest before they reached the bedroom. Ahra was another story. She was too wound up from all the fort building and princess fun and had to be literally chased down and carried to bed. She then required two stories and more than a few lullabies before she finally fell asleep with her stuffed cat tucked under one arm.
By the time the dishes were done and they were both in their pajamas it was only 10 PM but they were both more tired than they had ever been that early. Ryeowook had every intention of collapsing onto the couch as he entered the living room but then he remembered the couch was now the wall of Henry’s fort. So instead he crawled into the fort and flopped down on the blankets and cushions inside.
Henry followed, pulling the blanket ‘door’ shut behind them, and Ryeowook snuggled up next to Henry with an exhausted sigh, his eyes immediately sliding shut. “I never want to move again.”
“I know. How could taking care of two little girls possibly be that much work?” Henry responded in astonishment, wrapping an arm around Ryeowook’s waist and resting his head against Ryeowook’s.
“How’s your leg?”
“Sore, but I’ll survive.”
“Good because we have to do this all again tomorrow until Jisoo-nuna gets back.”
“As long as neither of them throws up…I think I can handle it.”
“What am I laying on?” Ryeowook shifted uncomfortably, reaching behind him for the offending object that was poking him in the back. It was a Barbie doll in a pink shirt, silver skirt and purple stockings with a messy blonde ponytail on the side of its head. “Wow…”
“Hey, I dressed that one! She looks awesome and you know it. I even did her hair! She had on red shoes but I guess they fell off…”
“I’m not sure if awesome is the word I’d use.”
“No way, she’s got style. Just the other day Mimi said mis-matched colors are in right now. He also said leopard print…but Ahra didn’t have any of that.”
Ryeowook chuckled quietly, setting the doll aside and tangling their legs together. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Henry smiled, brushing Ryeowook’s bangs from his eyes. “So what do you think of the fort? Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“Yes, actually it is. I haven’t built one of these since I was a kid.” Ryeowook replied, staring up at the ceiling lights shining slightly through the pink blanket over their heads.
“They’re more fun when you’re grown up.”
“Why?”
“Because you can do this.” Henry whispered in Ryeowook’s ear then rolled to lean over him and kissed him.
Ryeowook hummed softly in content, smiling as soon as their lips parted. “You’re right. It is more fun. But unfortunately we have children sleeping down the hall.”
“They’re asleep, we can kiss all we want.”
“They’ll probably be awake in five minutes wanting you to play with them.”
“No they won’t. Besides, I built the fort and that means I’m the king of the fort. And as king, I say: more kisses.” Henry grinned, rolling back over and pulling Ryeowook on top of him.
Ryeowook laughed, clinging to Henry and hiding his face against Henry’s neck for a moment. “Well…I guess since you’re the king…”
Making out in a living room fort really was a lot of fun even when worn out from babysitting. But their exhaustion eventually got the better of them and they fell asleep in their little fort, curled up under one of the many blankets on the floor.
They couldn’t have been asleep much longer than an hour when they woke to the sound of a tiny voice. “Wookie…Henli?”
Ryeowook’s eyes opened to find Ahra peeking in around the blanket covered entrance, stuffed cat clutched tightly in her arms.
“What’s wrong, Ahra?” Henry asked sleepily and she pulled at the stuffed cat’s ears nervously.
“There are monsters in my room. Can I sleep with you?” her eyes were wide and her lips pouting.
“Sure.” Ryeowook said, pulling back the blankets, the look on her face tugging at his heartstrings. They both scooted a little further apart as Ahra crawled into the fort and under the covers in between them. Her stuffed cat was tucked in beside her and she snuggled between their chests.
She was asleep in an instant, little fingers of one hand wrapped around the fabric of Ryeowook’s tshirt, the fingers of the other holding to Henry’s sleeve. And as Ryeowook watched her head tip to the side against Henry’s chest he felt his heart flutter. His eyes met with Henry’s and he smiled, “I want one.”
Henry smiled back and carefully reached his hand across to brush his fingers along Ryeowook’s cheek, careful not to disturb their new sleeping bed partner. “Me too.”
~*~*~*~
A.N.: So its been just about two years since I started writing for the SuJu fandom. This is the longest I've written for any fandom before in my life ^^
Sorry it's been so long between posts, as usual. I've been writing obsessively this HenWook fantasy AU idea I have. I feel like no one will want to read it and yet I have 23,000 words and I'm still writing it... I suppose we'll see how it goes, heh. Til then I promise to try and tear myself away from it to write other things to post occasionally! And not all of them will make you want to barf a rainbow xD
Comments are love~ <3
Paring: Henry / Ryeowook
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: You might barf a rainbow xD
Summary: Henry and Ryeowook planned to spend their three day break alone together. Instead they end up spending it with two little girls. Babysitting is easy, right?
“We can’t possibly be the only people you know who can do this.” Henry sounded worried, desperate, staring with wide eyes at the scene in the living room as if it was the most intimidating thing he had ever laid eyes on.
“I spend most of my time with you guys doing your styling and when I’m not here I’m with the two of them. I’m serious when I say I don’t have anyone else to do this.” Jisoo, their stylist, insisted, standing in the middle of a small pile of bags, one of them knocked over and emptying out toys.
Ryeowook looked from the toys over to the living room where a few of them had been carried already and were being played with by the source of Henry’s, and admittedly his own, anxiety: two little girls, aged 8 months and 4.
He had to admit, this wasn’t exactly the way he had pictured their three day break going. Everyone else had opted to travel but he and Henry decided to take advantage of having the dorm to themselves and just spend time together there, avoiding the stress of airports and trains. Now it looked like they might not be as alone as planned.
“Please…I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t an emergency. I’ll only be gone until tomorrow night. You can handle it. I have faith in you.” Jisoo looked pleadingly at them.
Henry still looked apprehensive, watching warily as the eldest of the two little girls, Ahra, held toys out in front of her baby sister Minah, making the baby squeal in delight. Ryeowook was the one to respond, trying to ignore Henry’s wide-eyed look when he answered, “Okay.”
“Thank you! Here is everything you’ll need. Toys, clothes, food, diapers, all of it. And you can call if you really need help, I’ll have my phone. They’re good girls, I know they’ll be well behaved for you.”
When Jisoo entered the living room to tell her children goodbye Henry turned to Ryeowook, wringing his hands and biting his lip the way he always did when he was incredibly anxious and Ryeowook almost laughed. Henry Lau, the 21 year old who had faced stadiums full of screaming fans, some of them who hated him, was looking just as anxious over the idea of babysitting two little girls as he had in those situations.
“Wookie, I don’t know how to take care of kids. What if they cry or yell or throw up or something? What if they don’t like me?”
“Don’t worry, Henli. It’ll be fine. You just play with them, feed them and make sure they don’t hurt themselves. I’ll even change all the diapers.” Ryeowook smiled, kissing Henry on the cheek. “And of course they’ll like you. Relax.”
Henry quit wringing his hands and biting his lip but still looked unsure as Jisoo left and they became officially responsible for the well being of her children. He closely followed Ryeowook into the living room where they both sat on the floor.
Ryeowook carefully took Minah out of her carseat carrier and settled her onto his lap, smiling at Ahra who sat before them. “Hi, I’m Ryeowook, but you can call me Wookie. And this is Henli.”
“Hi, Wookie. Hi, Henli.” Ahra smiled, rocking back and forth on her knees and smiling at them sweetly. On her lap she was holding a pink stuffed cat with blue eyes and a sparkly plastic collar. Ryeowook could tell just from looking at it that it was her favorite toy.
“Does your cat have a name?” he asked, bouncing Minah lightly on his lap and letting her play with the strings hanging down from the hood of his sweatshirt.
“Her name is Angel. I wanted a real cat but Mama said we couldn’t get one where we live. Do you have a cat?”
“No, but our friend Heechul does. He’s usually here but they’re both gone right now on a trip.”
“Oh… My best friend has a cat. Is Heechul your best friend?”
“No, Henli is my best friend.” Ryeowook said looking over at Henry who seemed a little more relaxed now, holding out his arm so Minah could play with his watch, which she had been reaching for.
“Mama said he was your boyfriend.”
Ryeowook blushed and Henry laughed, earning a delighted giggle from Minah and a huge smile from Ahra. “I’m both.”
“I like your cheeks.” Ahra giggled, climbing onto Henry’s lap and poking one with her finger. Minah saw what her sister was doing and was immediately reaching out wanting to do the same. Ryeowook held her up and soon her tiny fingers were poking and patting Henry’s other cheek.
And much to Ryeowook’s surprise Henry didn’t fidget or act nervous. He continued to smile. The fact that Henry was used to having his cheeks constantly poked and pinched by everyone around him probably helped. But it seemed he had realized the children weren’t scary or hard to take care of and was comfortable.
Henry was doing so well with the two of them, in fact, that he was perfectly fine staying in the living room and playing with them alone when Ryeowook went to make lunch. From what Ryeowook could hear from the kitchen, the three of them seemed to be having a good time. The dorm was filled with tiny girly giggles and squeals and when Ryeowook peeked back into the living room he saw Henry flying Ahra around the room like an airplane. How Henry had ever thought children wouldn’t like him, Ryeowook would never understand.
This wasn’t going to be so bad. It was nice that Henry could play with the girls while he made meals. Together, they would be able to look after them, no problem. Ryeowook felt quite confident as he gathered up the last of what he needed for lunch. He was searching through the refrigerator for the bottle of juice he knew had been in there the day before when a loud thud followed by Ahra’s voice calling “Wookie! Wookie!” brought his confidence spiraling down and had him hurrying into the living room.
He was surprised to find Henry on the floor, hissing in pain and looking at a pretty serious scrape on his shin. A scrape that was actually bleeding, and had both Ahra and Minah looking teary.
“What happened?”
“I was chasing Ahra and stepped on one of Minah’s blocks and then fell and hit the table.” Henry said, swearing under his breath in English when Ryeowook’s fingers touched near the cut on his leg.
“Is it really bad?” Ahra whimpered, watching as Ryeowook examined Henry’s leg with her little hands clutched together at her chest.
“No, sweetie, he’s fine.” Ryeowook reassured, petting Ahra’s hair. “Why don’t you play with your sister for a few minutes while I take care of Henli’s leg. You’ll call for us if you need us right?”
Ahra nodded, sitting down with Minah and a few toys, but still looking worried as Ryeowook helped Henry to his feet and helped him limp towards the bathroom.
“You should be more careful, Henli.” Ryeowook frowned as he started to clean the cut; Henry sitting perched on the edge of the tub. But when Henry winced in pain he felt his desire to scold instantly vanish. “You’re okay right?”
“Yeah. I’m used to running around the dorm with Donghae…but with him there are no wooden blocks for obstacles. I’ll have to keep in mind that the edge of the coffee table isn’t very forgiving…”
“Is your foot alright?” Ryeowook asked as he finished bandaging Henry’s leg. “You didn’t hurt your ankle did you?”
“No, it’s fine. Hurts a little but its nothing bad.” Henry stood, still favoring his other leg a little, but stepping easily over to where Ryeowook was putting away the bandages and pulling him into a hug. “You’re cute when you worry.”
Ryeowook hugged back happily for a moment before pulling away and leading Henry back down the hall. “Come on, limpy. We can’t leave them alone for long.”
“Don’t call me limpy…” Henry pouted. “Mean…”
“Accurate.” Ryeowook corrected, suppressing a laugh when Henry pouted further. Leaning in and giving Henry a quick kiss, Ryeowook led him back into the living room, the pout successfully turned into a smile.
Ahra looked at Henry anxiously upon their return, watching as he sat down on the couch. “Are you all better now?”
“Yes.” Henry nodded and Ahra stepped closer, eyeing the bandage.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore?”
“Well, it does, but not a lot.”
“Wookie, you should kiss it better!” Ahra insisted, pulling on Ryeowook’s pants leg and pointing at Henry’s leg.
Ryeowook smiled and knelt down, placing a careful kiss on Henry’s leg, much to Henry’s amusement and Ahra’s satisfaction. “Better now?”
“Almost. I think I need one more right here.” Henry smiled wide and tapped his cheek. When Ryeowook rolled his eyes, Henry continued. “Please, Wookie. I’m hurt.”
Ryeowook leaned in and kissed both of Henry’s cheeks, and Ahra giggled from her place at Henry’s feet. When he stood up straight again Henry was beaming and it only made him want to kiss each cheek again.
“All better!” Henry said, taking Minah onto his lap while Ahra climbed onto the couch beside him with an armful of dolls.
Instead of running around, Henry spent the rest of the time before lunch playing dolls while sitting on the couch. Every time Henry tried to stand up Ahra scolded him and told him not to because he was hurt. She only let him walk to the kitchen table if he held her hand the whole way, “just in case”.
Luckily, Jisoo had been right about the girls being well behaved. They both laid down for a nap with no complaints or crying, though it took a while for them to figure out how to put the guardrails up on the bed to keep Minah from falling out.
“She has her own little fort.” Henry said with an amused smile just before they left the room.
Really, Ryeowook should have known then just what would come later that day. He should have known but he was distracted.
When Minah woke up from her nap the only thing she wanted was to be carried by Ryeowook. She wasn’t interested in sitting in her carrier or on the floor surrounded by toys. She wasn’t even interested in being held by Henry, just Ryeowook. He tried giving her to Henry to hold but she just started to cry and Henry went wide-eyed and looked like he might cry too.
“Why doesn’t she like me?”
“She does like you, Henli. She’s just being fussy.”
As soon as he took her back she stopped crying, clutching to his hoodie with her little hands and once again chewing on its strings. So when it came time to cook dinner not only was he cooking dinner, he was cooking dinner and balancing a baby on his hip.
Ryeowook was quite proud of his ability to multitask, especially when it came to cooking, but this made things difficult. Most of his attention was focused in on safely holding Minah and cooking with only one hand so he didn’t notice Henry going back and forth between the bedrooms and the living room until what was probably the sixth trip. By the time he got the food off the stovetop where it wouldn’t burn and made his way into the living room Henry and Ahra had constructed, and were sitting in, a rather substantial fort of pillows, blankets and furniture.
“Oh my…”
“We have a fort!” Ahra cried with glee, throwing her arms out to gesture, smacking Henry in the chest in the process.
“I see that. Henli, is that Sungmin’s blanket?” Ryeowook pointed to the blanket thrown across the top-most part of the living room fort.
“It’s pink, I thought she’d like it.” Henry smiled innocently.
“Just don’t get it dirty.”
“That’s why I put it on top.”
Henry grinned at his own clever thinking and Ryeowook really wanted to crawl into that fort and huddle close to Henry rather than finish cooking. But someone had to be responsible.
And being responsible was something else Ryeowook was good at. So he returned to the kitchen, replacing the food on the burner and resuming cooking. He even got good at cooking while holding a baby, preparing the food while talking to her until she looked up at him and cooed. He didn’t even mind that she was drooling all over his shirt.
Ryeowook only freaked out a little when Ahra ran into the kitchen, running back out again with his good pot on her head as her ‘fort princess crown’. It was only a little because Henry brought it back only seconds after Ahra ran off with it and exchanged it for an older, more beat up pot.
“I knew there was a reason why I love you so much.” Ryeowook kissed Henry on the cheek, clutching his pot to his chest with his baby-free hand.
“Well of course it’s my ability to rescue your kitchenware. That and my boyish good looks.” Henry winked and returned to the living room with the exchanged pot on his own head.
Ahra wore the pot on her head to dinner and Henry spent the rest of the evening calling her Princess. She even ate her food with her pinky out to be fancy.
“Do princesses really eat vegetables?”
“The best ones do.”
Ryeowook fed both himself and Minah and took pride in the fact that most of Minah’s food ended up in her mouth and not on her face. Henry didn’t fare as well. Ahra took it upon herself to feed Henry the same way Ryeowook was feeding Minah and in the end Ryeowook had to wipe all three of their faces.
Minah was easy to get to bed. Now that she was full she was tired and she had fallen asleep against Ryeowook’s chest before they reached the bedroom. Ahra was another story. She was too wound up from all the fort building and princess fun and had to be literally chased down and carried to bed. She then required two stories and more than a few lullabies before she finally fell asleep with her stuffed cat tucked under one arm.
By the time the dishes were done and they were both in their pajamas it was only 10 PM but they were both more tired than they had ever been that early. Ryeowook had every intention of collapsing onto the couch as he entered the living room but then he remembered the couch was now the wall of Henry’s fort. So instead he crawled into the fort and flopped down on the blankets and cushions inside.
Henry followed, pulling the blanket ‘door’ shut behind them, and Ryeowook snuggled up next to Henry with an exhausted sigh, his eyes immediately sliding shut. “I never want to move again.”
“I know. How could taking care of two little girls possibly be that much work?” Henry responded in astonishment, wrapping an arm around Ryeowook’s waist and resting his head against Ryeowook’s.
“How’s your leg?”
“Sore, but I’ll survive.”
“Good because we have to do this all again tomorrow until Jisoo-nuna gets back.”
“As long as neither of them throws up…I think I can handle it.”
“What am I laying on?” Ryeowook shifted uncomfortably, reaching behind him for the offending object that was poking him in the back. It was a Barbie doll in a pink shirt, silver skirt and purple stockings with a messy blonde ponytail on the side of its head. “Wow…”
“Hey, I dressed that one! She looks awesome and you know it. I even did her hair! She had on red shoes but I guess they fell off…”
“I’m not sure if awesome is the word I’d use.”
“No way, she’s got style. Just the other day Mimi said mis-matched colors are in right now. He also said leopard print…but Ahra didn’t have any of that.”
Ryeowook chuckled quietly, setting the doll aside and tangling their legs together. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Henry smiled, brushing Ryeowook’s bangs from his eyes. “So what do you think of the fort? Pretty cool, isn’t it?”
“Yes, actually it is. I haven’t built one of these since I was a kid.” Ryeowook replied, staring up at the ceiling lights shining slightly through the pink blanket over their heads.
“They’re more fun when you’re grown up.”
“Why?”
“Because you can do this.” Henry whispered in Ryeowook’s ear then rolled to lean over him and kissed him.
Ryeowook hummed softly in content, smiling as soon as their lips parted. “You’re right. It is more fun. But unfortunately we have children sleeping down the hall.”
“They’re asleep, we can kiss all we want.”
“They’ll probably be awake in five minutes wanting you to play with them.”
“No they won’t. Besides, I built the fort and that means I’m the king of the fort. And as king, I say: more kisses.” Henry grinned, rolling back over and pulling Ryeowook on top of him.
Ryeowook laughed, clinging to Henry and hiding his face against Henry’s neck for a moment. “Well…I guess since you’re the king…”
Making out in a living room fort really was a lot of fun even when worn out from babysitting. But their exhaustion eventually got the better of them and they fell asleep in their little fort, curled up under one of the many blankets on the floor.
They couldn’t have been asleep much longer than an hour when they woke to the sound of a tiny voice. “Wookie…Henli?”
Ryeowook’s eyes opened to find Ahra peeking in around the blanket covered entrance, stuffed cat clutched tightly in her arms.
“What’s wrong, Ahra?” Henry asked sleepily and she pulled at the stuffed cat’s ears nervously.
“There are monsters in my room. Can I sleep with you?” her eyes were wide and her lips pouting.
“Sure.” Ryeowook said, pulling back the blankets, the look on her face tugging at his heartstrings. They both scooted a little further apart as Ahra crawled into the fort and under the covers in between them. Her stuffed cat was tucked in beside her and she snuggled between their chests.
She was asleep in an instant, little fingers of one hand wrapped around the fabric of Ryeowook’s tshirt, the fingers of the other holding to Henry’s sleeve. And as Ryeowook watched her head tip to the side against Henry’s chest he felt his heart flutter. His eyes met with Henry’s and he smiled, “I want one.”
Henry smiled back and carefully reached his hand across to brush his fingers along Ryeowook’s cheek, careful not to disturb their new sleeping bed partner. “Me too.”
~*~*~*~
A.N.: So its been just about two years since I started writing for the SuJu fandom. This is the longest I've written for any fandom before in my life ^^
Sorry it's been so long between posts, as usual. I've been writing obsessively this HenWook fantasy AU idea I have. I feel like no one will want to read it and yet I have 23,000 words and I'm still writing it... I suppose we'll see how it goes, heh. Til then I promise to try and tear myself away from it to write other things to post occasionally! And not all of them will make you want to barf a rainbow xD
Comments are love~ <3