Fic: Hey, Grumpy!
Title: Hey, Grumpy!
Author: bl4ckm4lice with pseudo-shigure butting in for more 5 year-old Donghae
Fandom: Super Junior
Genre/Pairing: AU - Daddy!Siwon & Kid!Donghae / Siwon x Kyuhyun
Word Count: 4,632
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: na-ah, not mine
Summary: Donghae hates this doctor. He’s mean and grumpy. Why does his Daddy like him so much?
Unlike other kids his age, Donghae didn't hate doctors and nurses. They were actually nice and always smiled to him, telling him that it would be okay and wouldn't hurt for long. They often gave him candies and chocolates, or pretty balloons if they were tooth doctors (“Dentists, Hae,” his father always said, but he could never remember that word).
But not this doctor.
“How old are you?”
“Five.”
“You should be ashamed of crying at this age. Stop it.”
Donghae sobbed harder, “But it huuuurts!”
“Well, you should've thought about how it would hurt so you could be more careful when you play.” The doctor glared at him, “At least stop moving so I can clean your wound.”
The boy turned to his father. “Daddy! It hurts!”
“Hae, listen to the doctor. It will be over soon, okay?”
Donghae looked dejectedly at his father. He pouted and whined and cried, but in the end, of course, he couldn't do anything but let the doctor treated him. To make it worse, the band-aids covering the scratches on his elbow and knee were plain, nothing like the colorful Power Ranger band-aids he had previously gotten.
He didn't even get any candy.
“I don't like this Kyu, Daddy,” Donghae said as soon as they walked out of the clinic. He gripped his father’s hand tightly, still feeling upset.
Siwon knew this was coming, but he winced nonetheless. “It’s Mr. Kyuhyun for you, Hae. Be polite.”
“I don’t wanna.”
“Why? He is a great doctor.”
“He's mean,” the kid pouted. “He also didn't give me candies.”
“Normal doctors don't give out candies. The other doctors are for kids, and weren't you the one who said that you're a grown up now?”
“I am a grown up but I like candies,” Donghae insisted. “So I don't want to go to him again if I, or you, get sick.”
“That's not what you said to me until earlier this morning. You said that you couldn't wait to meet him because he took care of Daddy when Daddy was sick, remember? When you were staying over in your Grandmama and Grandpapa's house and I was alone?”
“That's because you keep on saying that he's so cute and nice and smells good and such a great great doctor and...” Donghae frowned, unable to remember more of his father’s words. “Now that I've met him, I don't want him as my Mommy and you can't marry him without my aprofal!” He snapped his hand off his father's hold and ran ahead towards their apartment.
Siwon sighed, for once didn't feel like correcting his son's ‘big word of the day’. His plan to make Donghae asking Kyuhyun to be his new ‘mother’ had just went down the drain.
***
“Mr. Choi,” the doctor raised his eyebrows, “why are you here again?”
“I've told you to call me Siwon, Kyu.”
“It's Dr. Cho for you, Mr. Choi.”
“You let me call you Kyuhyun when I was sick.”
“That was before-,” Kyuhyun’s voice faded and he turned around. Siwon allowed himself to think that the doctor must be blushing, though most likely very slight. “Before you suddenly asked me out to a dinner.”
“Daddy,” Donghae tugged at his father's sleeve, “why are we here again?”
“Didn't you say that it still hurts earlier this morning? Right, Hae? I thought the nice doctor can give you some kind of a magic paste to make your pain disappear...”
“I said it's itchy but I never said that I wanna be here again.”
“Oh God,” Kyuhyun massaged his temple as he stood up. “Please, just bring him to a pediatrician!”
“Daddy~! I wanna go hoooooooome!”
“Mr. Choi...”
“Ok, ok, let's go home,” Siwon carried his son to the door and smiled apologetically at Kyuhyun. “I'll come back later.”
Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and walked towards the door to grab the handle, “I prefer that you don't. And you can stop making things up to drop by, thank you.”
“I can stop doing that if you would just agree to have a dinner with me.”
“No.” With that, the doctor slammed the door closed.
***
The story about Kyuhyun taking care of Siwon took place no more than a week ago.
Siwon was feeling unusually awful that morning. All those overtimes were finally taking its toll on him. The project was still demanding his attention and it would be out of the question to even think of taking a day off, but he guessed it would be best to drop by the nearby clinic. It was right next to his apartment building anyway.
“Mr. Choi, are you going to work?” The nurse greeted him outside the entrance.
Siwon flashed her a weak smile. “Yes I am… But I think I’d better go see Dr. Cho first. I don’t feel so good.”
“Oh, my…” The nurse gasped when she realized how bad Siwon looked. “Ok, come inside, the doctor is in.”
Siwon followed the nurse to the examination room. As he was about to greet the doctor, he was surprised to see someone unfamiliar. Instead of the old doctor with graying hair, he found a pale, young man (surely younger than him) clad in a doctor’s coat.
“Um,” he blinked, “you’re not Dr. Cho.”
“Yes, I am and I’m taking over my father’s clinic for a while. And yes, I am still a doctor even though I am young, so wipe that disbelieving look on your face and lay there if you need an examination.”
Siwon blinked again and hurriedly took a seat in front of the doctor. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I was too used to seeing Dr. Cho- I mean… your father.”
The new doctor shrugged nonchalantly. “What are your symptoms?”
“I don’t feel well since this morning. I’ve been working until really late these past few days, so...” As the young doctor began to conduct the examination with the stethoscope, Siwon tried to strike up the conversation again. “Is your father ok?”
“He’s fine, just getting old. Now open your mouth wide.” He took one glance inside and figured it out. “You’re suffering from laryngitis- throat inflammation. Yes, you are overworked. Skip work and rest at home for at least two days.”
Siwon groaned, “That’s a luxury I can’t afford.”
“And you all say that,” the young man rolled his eyes. “I’ll prescribe you some antibiotics for the laryngitis. Do you have someone at home to take care of you?”
“No... My son is visiting his grandparents in Mokpo. There would be no one at home until next week.”
Kyuhyun frowned. “Check in with me again tomorrow before you go to work. And no overtime for today.”
Siwon nodded and said thank you before he collected the medicine from the nurse. It was just after he arrived at the office that he realized something. He hadn’t asked for the young doctor’s name.
The next afternoon, he couldn't be more surprised when he saw the doctor standing in front of his apartment's door.
“I knew it,” the young man said when he saw Siwon's feverish face. “You ignored my warning yesterday and got worse, right?”
“How-,” a cough cut off his words. He felt the room spun around him and he fell onto his knees. “Sorry, I...” Siwon began, but the other man hushed him and helped him to the bedroom. The doctor then disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a cold pack for his forehead.
“This is pathetic,” Siwon smiled weakly. “Sorry for the trouble.”
“Maybe this will teach you to obey the doctor's order.”
“Yeah, definitely,” he chuckled. “I still don't get how you got here.”
“You didn't check in with me this morning, so I asked the nurse for your address.”
“Ok, but... why?”
“Because you're alone,” the doctor shrugged, as if taking care of someone he had just met yesterday was perfectly normal. It was totally unexpected, because the doctor appeared to be someone who could care less.
The fever began to take over him, but for some reason, Siwon urged himself not to sleep. He still wanted to talk to the doctor. About something… anything. “I'm glad my son's not here now... At least he's being taken care of by my parents.”
“What’s his name?” the doctor asked as he looked around for another piece of blanket. Siwon was shivering.
“Donghae. He’s five,” Siwon sighed in content when the doctor finally covered him with a new layer of blanket. “He is the biggest blessing I’ve ever received. Which is funny, since his mother was a huge mistake.”
The doctor's expression seemed to say ‘do I look like I care about your family matter’, but still… Siwon wanted to share. He didn’t know why, but he wanted the doctor to know. “It was a drunken one-night stand. She left the baby to me and went off to who knows where. I’m lucky that my parents supported me all the way. I think that’s because they’ve fallen in love with Donghae too.”
“You love your son that much?”
“Of course.”
“Then you should take care of yourself better.”
Siwon bit his lip, and then he chuckled. “Yeah. You’re right-.” More coughs came out.
“That’s enough. Stop talking and go to sleep.”
The man wondered if the doctor would leave when he fell asleep. That thought bugged him and he opened his eyes to look at the doctor for a bit longer. Finally, the doctor said that he would give Siwon the medicine after he woke up and eat something. It meant the doctor would wait for him to wake up. It was only then Siwon could let sleep took over him.
When he woke up, he felt that he was getting better already. The doctor told him to wait and went out. Five minutes later, he returned with a bowl of soup, which was obviously prepared at home because Siwon’s kitchen currently lacked the necessary ingredients. Siwon half expected to be fed… but that was just a wishful thinking.
“Thank you... Sorry, I didn't catch your name.”
The doctor looked as if he was appraising him. “...Kyuhyun. Cho Kyuhyun.”
“Kyuhyun...” Siwon repeated. The name sounded right on his tongue, cheesy as it seemed. “I'm Choi Siwon.”
The man blinked, and then he unexpectedly chuckled. “I've already found out your home. Don't you think I would've found out your name too?”
'I guess,' Siwon wanted to say, but he couldn't find his voice when he saw the smile, with that little dimple that took form on the side of Kyuhyun’s mouth.
Call him easy, but Siwon asked Kyuhyun out for a ‘friendly’ dinner two days later when he got better. The doctor looked right through him (and obviously felt taken aback by the feeling he saw in there) and said no.
***
“Hey, Grumpy Kyu.”
Kyuhyun raised his eyebrows and turned towards the voice. As expected, he spotted Donghae outside the opened window of the examination room. “What the… how did you get there?”
The kid looked at him as if he was an idiot, “Duh, it’s not hard to walk around the building. And your window is wide open.”
“Where’s your father?”
“Why? Why are you asking about Daddy?” Donghae narrowed his eyes. “Do you want to see him? Huh? Huh?”
Kyuhyun had to stifle a groan. Crazy father and son. “No, I need him to bring you out of my sight. Does your father know you’re here?”
“You’re mean.”
“You’re disturbing me. And you’re not answering my question.”
“I don’t know why Daddy likes you.” Donghae gave him an onceover. “Well, okay, so you may be a bit pretty…”
“I’m not.”
“…but you are so grumpy and never smile and I bet you can’t even cook.”
“Can you tell that to your father so he can stop chasing after me? It’s getting annoying.”
“Hey!” Donghae protested. “Don’t call Daddy annoying! You are lucky that Daddy likes you! My Daddy is kind and handsome, you know.”
The headache began to build up again. Damn kids and their lack of logic and consistency. “...Can you just go away already? There were a lot of patients since last night and I haven’t gotten any rest, so I would appreciate it if you can go bug someone else.”
“I hate you! Grumpy Kyu!” Donghae stuck his tongue out and ran off before Kyuhyun could say anything. Not that he wanted to indulge the boy any longer.
“Brat,” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes.
***
“Hey, Grumpy Kyu!”
“What now!?” the young doctor groaned with a frown directed sharply at the kid. He was busy writing a prescription for a patient, so he definitely didn’t have time to humor Donghae. Not that he ever had the time, mind you.
Kyuhyun winced when he heard the brat clicked his tongue and shook his head at him. What the hell.
“You’ll get old if you frown like that a lot, you know.”
“Oh, Sweetheart, you must mean he’ll get wrinkles.” Great. Now his patient was indulging the kid. “He looks so cute. Is he yours?” the lady asked.
“God, no. My face would definitely be filled with wrinkles if he is.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Donghae protested vehemently. “Okay, sometimes I might eat Oreos before dinner, and I always forget to put my bag on its place, and-.”
“Bugging a doctor everyday,” Kyuhyun tried to help.
Donghae stuck his tongue towards Kyuhyun. “But I’m not that bad, you know. Not like that Youngwoon-hyung who is a big, mean, bully.”
“Of course you’re not. You look like a perfectly smart kid,” the sick lady said.
“Thank you, Mrs.”
Kyuhyun swore his eyes were about to pop out of its sockets when he saw Donghae gave the lady an innocent angelic smile. In his mind, he kept yelling, ‘You manipulative little devil!’ The kid really reminded him of someone. Who also had a perfect nice smile, but really brought nothing but trouble into his life.
***
“Hey, Grump-.”
Donghae shut his mouth before he could finish his insult endearment. His eyes were glued to the shiny, glorious little thing on Kyuhyun’s hand. Candy.
Not just any candy. But a lollipop. The one that you can suck and turn your tongue into blue or orange or green. Oh how Donghae loved that candy.
“You want this?”
The kid nodded his head eagerly. His eyes never left the candy.
Siwon only allowed candies on weekends or after a doctor visit. Because, boy, he just could not handle the kid, high on sugar, on weekdays. It would take forever to get Donghae to sleep, which meant less sleeping time for Siwon. It would do no good for anybody.
But Donghae thought his daddy wouldn’t know… if no one told him, right? And it was indeed a doctor who gave him the candy, so it should be perfectly fine.
“Yes, Mr. Kyuhyun, please give me the candy.” Donghae clasped his hands as if in prayer. He tried to make his eyes looked as big as possible, and then he blinked because his daddy told him he looked so innocent when he did that.
Donghae didn’t know exactly what ‘innocent’ mean though.
“Okay. But you have to promise me that you will leave once I give you the candy.”
“Yes, I promise, Mr. Kyuhyun.”
“Good.”
As Kyuhyun was about to hand over the candy, he suddenly felt like he shouldn’t just believe this kid easily. This was the son of a very persistent man who kept on finding excuses to meet him after all (he recalled the similar smiles again). So, just for a good measure, he threw the candy out of the window as far as possible. As he predicted, the kid ran after the candy with a loud squeal. Not unlike a puppy chasing after a Frisbee.
“Well, that’s easy.”
***
No, it was not.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Kyuhyun.”
By his too nice, singsong tone, Kyuhyun knew exactly what the boy wanted. Which was exactly what he didn’t want. Yes, the kid left him alone, but he would turn obese by the end of the year if Kyuhyun continue giving him candies. He was a doctor- how could he possibly justify feeding candies to a kid every day?
Kyuhyun couldn’t help but face-palming himself. Damn him and his conscience. But he really should’ve known better that bribed a five year old with a lollipop.
***
Much to Kyuhyun's dismay, the boy kept on coming back for a reason only himself knew. Sometimes he just stood outside the window, just bugging Kyuhyun (by demanding candies and calling him Grumpy Stingy Kyu for the few first days after the whole candy incident) or watching him examining the patients (who never protested because they quickly fell in love with Donghae). Sometimes the nurse allowed him to enter when there were no patients (and Kyuhyun closed his window, because dammit, even a doctor needed his alone time with Starcraft). Kyuhyun did scold the nurse, but to no avail.
“I thought you said you hate me.”
“I do.”
“So why do you keep on coming back every day!?” Kyuhyun stood with both hands on his hips in an attempt to look intimidating. Donghae didn’t budge from his seat in front of the doctor.
“Daddy’s not gonna be home before late at night, so I’m bored today. I’m bored too yesterday and yesterday yesterday, and yesterday yesterday yesterday-.”
“So you think it would be a great idea to come and bug me? This is a clinic, not a playground. Why aren’t you even at a kindergarten or something? Isn’t there a child care center nearby?”
“I’m a big guy now. I don’t need to be ‘cared’.” When Kyuhyun shot him a look, Donghae snorted and added, “The other kids are napping. I never feel sleepy at this time.”
“And they just let you go out?”
“I can sneak out very well.”
Kyuhyun grunted. “Come on, I’ll take you back to the child care center.”
“NO!” Donghae shouted and ran off. A little smile tugged on the corner of Kyuhyun’s mouth. At least he had a sure way to chase the kid away now.
***
When Siwon picked Donghae up from the child care one night, the kid was occupied with his crayons and didn't run to him like usual.
“Hey,” Siwon patted his head, “what are you drawing?”
“Yeah,” Donghae looked up and showed him the drawing of three people (that didn't stray far from stick figures). “This is me in the middle, holding your hand. Then the grumpy one is Kyu.”
Siwon laughed. “Come on, he's not always grumpy. And it's Mr. Kyuhyun for you, Hae,” Siwon corrected him for the umpteenth time, though he knew it would be useless (not without a candy, but of course Siwon didn’t know that). He was also half-amused because Donghae was usually a polite kid, but he somehow refused to address the doctor politely.
“Yes he is. He always has a scary face when I come over.”
At that, Siwon raised his eyebrows. “When you come over?”
“Yeah, when everyone is sleeping, I sneak out and-,” Donghae clamped his hands over his mouth. He had just told his Daddy how naughty he had been. As expected, his Daddy's face didn't look so good. “Um... Daddy, are you mad?”
Siwon stared at him for a while before sighing. “Well... I should be.”
“Daddy, I swear I didn't go anywhere else. I just came to see Kyu and returned here.”
“Okay... why did you come to see him?”
Donghae looked down and fiddled with his crayons. “Do you still like that Kyu?”
“Of course.”
“Well, I wanna know why.”
Siwon sat down and patted his lap, an invitation for Donghae to climb on it. “So? Did you find out?”
Donghae fell silent for some time as he stared at his own drawing. “Maybe,” he finally muttered.
“He's a good doctor, right?”
“Yeah.”
“He's cute, right?”
“I think so.”
“He would look good with me, right?”
“No,” Donghae shook his head, “because you always smile and he’s always... not.”
“Oh?” Siwon grinned, “You haven't seen his smile, then. Believe me when I say that it's beautiful.”
“That's a lie.”
“True fact. That's why you should be nicer to him. Maybe he would smile to you then.” Siwon ruffled his son's hair. “Come on, let's go home.”
***
So it's basically the father and son in the morning, the son in the afternoon... then the father alone at night. If Kyuhyun was lucky, he would be occupied with a patient in the morning, and Siwon never intruded at those times. Yet said luck barely came to him. Will his life be peaceful ever again? “Don't all parents want to pick up their kids as soon as possible?”
“Yeah, but I wanted some alone time with you.”
“Not that it would matter.”
Siwon just smiled. “Anyway, I found out yesterday that Donghae had been visiting you. It seems that he's beginning to like you. And you know, I think that you're beginning to like him too... since you've never bothered to tell me to make him stop.”
Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow at him before returning to whatever paper he was looking at, “That's absurd.”
“Should I be jealous of my own 5-year old son?”
“Stop saying stupid things.” Yet there it was again- the slight blush. One of the little Kyuhyun things that created butterflies inside Siwon and found himself unable to stop. How could he?
***
“Huh? Kyu’s not here yet?” Donghae asked. Siwon scanned the clinic and found no sign of the doctor that morning.
The nurse shook her head, “I couldn’t reach him by phone so I don’t know where he is. I would’ve check out his apartment, but there’s no one who can watch over the clinic-.” As if on cue, the clinic’s phone rang. “Cho Clinic- oh, Dr. Cho! Are you okay-.”
Siwon watched with growing anxiety as the nurse’s expression turned troubled. “Okay…” the nurse said. “Okay, I’ll go call someone.”
“Daddy?” Donghae tugged on his sleeve, “Daddy, is there something wrong with Kyu?”
“I don’t know, Hae… What is it? Is he okay?” Siwon asked the nurse as she put the phone down.
“He sprained his foot and couldn’t stand up. It was just now that he can reach the phone. I’ll call the hospital nearby for an ambulance-.”
“No need, I’ll bring him to the hospital.”
“Eh? But aren’t you going to work?” Upon seeing Siwon’s determined expression, the nurse smiled. “Okay, of course you can do that. He left the spare key to his apartment here just in case... ah here it is. He lived just a block from here…”
Donghae was on the verge of crying and insisted to come with Siwon, so he picked his son up and rushed to the address given to him. “Daddy, he's not gonna die, right?” Donghae asked, holding back a sob.
“He's fine, Hae, just got a little booboo on his foot,” Siwon said, half-reassuring himself as well. He was worried about the fact that Kyuhyun couldn't reach the phone until recently, meaning that he really couldn't stand up by himself.
Luckily Kyuhyun lived nearby, so he didn't have to feel such uncertainty for long. The moment he unlocked door to Kyuhyun's apartment, Donghae jumped from his arms and ran inside. “Kyu!” He called out. “Kyuuuuu!!! Don't die!!!”
“...Donghae?”A voice came from behind the wall. The boy ran towards the direction, followed by his father, into a living room. There, sitting against the wall on the floor, was a wet Kyuhyun clad only in a piece of towel around his waist. “What are you two doing here?”
“Kyu, don’t die!!” Donghae jumped onto him, causing Kyuhyun to make an 'oof' sound. “I’m sorry I always say that I hate you! I don’t hate you, so don’t die!!”
“Who are you trying to kill? I’m fine. I just got sprained foot in the bathroom...” Kyuhyun caught the stare from a certain someone and shot him a look. “This is not a free show.”
“Sorry,” Siwon coughed sheepishly. “It's not everyday that I see you like this. It seems that you’re okay. Well, you look great-.”
“If you're done staring and blabbering, maybe you can get me my clothes and call the ambulance.”
“I'll call the cab. We're taking you to the hospital.” Siwon said, but he let himself enjoyed the view of Kyuhyun's bare upper half for another few seconds. When Kyuhyun snapped at him, though, he ran off to search for the clothes.
“Hey, Kyu?” Donghae's small voice came up, and Kyuhyun turned to him.
“Hmm.”
“You’re really not gonna die, right?”
“No, I’m not gonna die yet.”
Sobs. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Really really?”
“Shut up.”
“Okay,” Donghae bit his lip, attempting to stop his own sobs. “Can I ask you another question?”
“Since when did you ask for permission? Ask away.”
“Why do you always refuse Daddy?” He looked down, seemingly nervous. “Is it because of me?”
“What- no. You’re annoying, but you’re okay.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Kyuhyun smiled.
“Oh,” Donghae widened his eyes and gasped. “Daddy’s right. Your smile looks pretty.”
The smile disappeared instantly. “Don’t make me change my mind about you.”
“Hmph,” Donghae pouted, slightly regretting his words because now the doctor turned back into Grumpy Kyu. He then remembered what they were talking about. “Then, do you refuse Daddy because you hate him?” Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes at the boy, but Donghae just looked up to him expectantly.
“…It’s not that I hate him,” he answered anyway. “It’s just too sudden.”
“So you like him?” Donghae waited for an answer, but it never came. Instead…
“I've called the cab.” Luckily for Kyuhyun, Siwon returned right then with his clothes. “And I found these clothes in your room. Let me help you put them on.”
“And let you grope me? No, thanks.”
“Daddy,” Donghae got off Kyuhyun's lap and patted Siwon's leg, asking for his attention. “I asked Kyu if he like you, but his face turned red. Is he sick again?”
If possible, Kyuhyun face turned even redder. Siwon felt himself grinning, silently celebrating inside. But he needed to tend to Kyuhyun first. Further courting could be done later.
***
Lazy Sunday morning. With his cup of coffee in one hand and the TV on, it was a perfect beginning of the day. Usually Donghae would be beside him, but...
“Siwon!” A voice shot inside from the direction of the apartment's door. A grin grew on Siwon's face- he knew exactly who it was. “What kind of a father are you!?” As expected, Kyuhyun showed up with an irritated expression. The doctor was carrying Donghae in his arms.
“Hey, Kyu,” Siwon put his coffee down and waved, “You look great as usual.”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me! How could you tell your son not to go home before I agree to be his new mother!?”
“Hae, I didn’t say that,” he shook his head at his son. “I said that you can get an ice cream if Kyuhyun say yes.”
The doctor hissed. How easy it was to lose his cool with this father and son pair. “The point remains that you- you make use of your own son!”
“What, Donghae likes you too anyway.”
“No, he likes ice cream.”
To that statement, Donghae made a protesting sound. “I like ice cream but I like you too, Grumpy Kyu.” He wrapped his arms around Kyuhyun’s neck… and quickly placed an innocent kiss on the doctor’s lips. “Be my new Mommy soon!” Donghae grinned.
Kyuhyun was at loss for words, but Siwon was utterly flabbergasted. “What the- Hae! Even I have yet to kiss him!”
***
The end~
Author: bl4ckm4lice with pseudo-shigure butting in for more 5 year-old Donghae
Fandom: Super Junior
Genre/Pairing: AU - Daddy!Siwon & Kid!Donghae / Siwon x Kyuhyun
Word Count: 4,632
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: na-ah, not mine
Summary: Donghae hates this doctor. He’s mean and grumpy. Why does his Daddy like him so much?
Unlike other kids his age, Donghae didn't hate doctors and nurses. They were actually nice and always smiled to him, telling him that it would be okay and wouldn't hurt for long. They often gave him candies and chocolates, or pretty balloons if they were tooth doctors (“Dentists, Hae,” his father always said, but he could never remember that word).
But not this doctor.
“How old are you?”
“Five.”
“You should be ashamed of crying at this age. Stop it.”
Donghae sobbed harder, “But it huuuurts!”
“Well, you should've thought about how it would hurt so you could be more careful when you play.” The doctor glared at him, “At least stop moving so I can clean your wound.”
The boy turned to his father. “Daddy! It hurts!”
“Hae, listen to the doctor. It will be over soon, okay?”
Donghae looked dejectedly at his father. He pouted and whined and cried, but in the end, of course, he couldn't do anything but let the doctor treated him. To make it worse, the band-aids covering the scratches on his elbow and knee were plain, nothing like the colorful Power Ranger band-aids he had previously gotten.
He didn't even get any candy.
“I don't like this Kyu, Daddy,” Donghae said as soon as they walked out of the clinic. He gripped his father’s hand tightly, still feeling upset.
Siwon knew this was coming, but he winced nonetheless. “It’s Mr. Kyuhyun for you, Hae. Be polite.”
“I don’t wanna.”
“Why? He is a great doctor.”
“He's mean,” the kid pouted. “He also didn't give me candies.”
“Normal doctors don't give out candies. The other doctors are for kids, and weren't you the one who said that you're a grown up now?”
“I am a grown up but I like candies,” Donghae insisted. “So I don't want to go to him again if I, or you, get sick.”
“That's not what you said to me until earlier this morning. You said that you couldn't wait to meet him because he took care of Daddy when Daddy was sick, remember? When you were staying over in your Grandmama and Grandpapa's house and I was alone?”
“That's because you keep on saying that he's so cute and nice and smells good and such a great great doctor and...” Donghae frowned, unable to remember more of his father’s words. “Now that I've met him, I don't want him as my Mommy and you can't marry him without my aprofal!” He snapped his hand off his father's hold and ran ahead towards their apartment.
Siwon sighed, for once didn't feel like correcting his son's ‘big word of the day’. His plan to make Donghae asking Kyuhyun to be his new ‘mother’ had just went down the drain.
***
“Mr. Choi,” the doctor raised his eyebrows, “why are you here again?”
“I've told you to call me Siwon, Kyu.”
“It's Dr. Cho for you, Mr. Choi.”
“You let me call you Kyuhyun when I was sick.”
“That was before-,” Kyuhyun’s voice faded and he turned around. Siwon allowed himself to think that the doctor must be blushing, though most likely very slight. “Before you suddenly asked me out to a dinner.”
“Daddy,” Donghae tugged at his father's sleeve, “why are we here again?”
“Didn't you say that it still hurts earlier this morning? Right, Hae? I thought the nice doctor can give you some kind of a magic paste to make your pain disappear...”
“I said it's itchy but I never said that I wanna be here again.”
“Oh God,” Kyuhyun massaged his temple as he stood up. “Please, just bring him to a pediatrician!”
“Daddy~! I wanna go hoooooooome!”
“Mr. Choi...”
“Ok, ok, let's go home,” Siwon carried his son to the door and smiled apologetically at Kyuhyun. “I'll come back later.”
Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and walked towards the door to grab the handle, “I prefer that you don't. And you can stop making things up to drop by, thank you.”
“I can stop doing that if you would just agree to have a dinner with me.”
“No.” With that, the doctor slammed the door closed.
***
The story about Kyuhyun taking care of Siwon took place no more than a week ago.
Siwon was feeling unusually awful that morning. All those overtimes were finally taking its toll on him. The project was still demanding his attention and it would be out of the question to even think of taking a day off, but he guessed it would be best to drop by the nearby clinic. It was right next to his apartment building anyway.
“Mr. Choi, are you going to work?” The nurse greeted him outside the entrance.
Siwon flashed her a weak smile. “Yes I am… But I think I’d better go see Dr. Cho first. I don’t feel so good.”
“Oh, my…” The nurse gasped when she realized how bad Siwon looked. “Ok, come inside, the doctor is in.”
Siwon followed the nurse to the examination room. As he was about to greet the doctor, he was surprised to see someone unfamiliar. Instead of the old doctor with graying hair, he found a pale, young man (surely younger than him) clad in a doctor’s coat.
“Um,” he blinked, “you’re not Dr. Cho.”
“Yes, I am and I’m taking over my father’s clinic for a while. And yes, I am still a doctor even though I am young, so wipe that disbelieving look on your face and lay there if you need an examination.”
Siwon blinked again and hurriedly took a seat in front of the doctor. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I was too used to seeing Dr. Cho- I mean… your father.”
The new doctor shrugged nonchalantly. “What are your symptoms?”
“I don’t feel well since this morning. I’ve been working until really late these past few days, so...” As the young doctor began to conduct the examination with the stethoscope, Siwon tried to strike up the conversation again. “Is your father ok?”
“He’s fine, just getting old. Now open your mouth wide.” He took one glance inside and figured it out. “You’re suffering from laryngitis- throat inflammation. Yes, you are overworked. Skip work and rest at home for at least two days.”
Siwon groaned, “That’s a luxury I can’t afford.”
“And you all say that,” the young man rolled his eyes. “I’ll prescribe you some antibiotics for the laryngitis. Do you have someone at home to take care of you?”
“No... My son is visiting his grandparents in Mokpo. There would be no one at home until next week.”
Kyuhyun frowned. “Check in with me again tomorrow before you go to work. And no overtime for today.”
Siwon nodded and said thank you before he collected the medicine from the nurse. It was just after he arrived at the office that he realized something. He hadn’t asked for the young doctor’s name.
The next afternoon, he couldn't be more surprised when he saw the doctor standing in front of his apartment's door.
“I knew it,” the young man said when he saw Siwon's feverish face. “You ignored my warning yesterday and got worse, right?”
“How-,” a cough cut off his words. He felt the room spun around him and he fell onto his knees. “Sorry, I...” Siwon began, but the other man hushed him and helped him to the bedroom. The doctor then disappeared for a few minutes before returning with a cold pack for his forehead.
“This is pathetic,” Siwon smiled weakly. “Sorry for the trouble.”
“Maybe this will teach you to obey the doctor's order.”
“Yeah, definitely,” he chuckled. “I still don't get how you got here.”
“You didn't check in with me this morning, so I asked the nurse for your address.”
“Ok, but... why?”
“Because you're alone,” the doctor shrugged, as if taking care of someone he had just met yesterday was perfectly normal. It was totally unexpected, because the doctor appeared to be someone who could care less.
The fever began to take over him, but for some reason, Siwon urged himself not to sleep. He still wanted to talk to the doctor. About something… anything. “I'm glad my son's not here now... At least he's being taken care of by my parents.”
“What’s his name?” the doctor asked as he looked around for another piece of blanket. Siwon was shivering.
“Donghae. He’s five,” Siwon sighed in content when the doctor finally covered him with a new layer of blanket. “He is the biggest blessing I’ve ever received. Which is funny, since his mother was a huge mistake.”
The doctor's expression seemed to say ‘do I look like I care about your family matter’, but still… Siwon wanted to share. He didn’t know why, but he wanted the doctor to know. “It was a drunken one-night stand. She left the baby to me and went off to who knows where. I’m lucky that my parents supported me all the way. I think that’s because they’ve fallen in love with Donghae too.”
“You love your son that much?”
“Of course.”
“Then you should take care of yourself better.”
Siwon bit his lip, and then he chuckled. “Yeah. You’re right-.” More coughs came out.
“That’s enough. Stop talking and go to sleep.”
The man wondered if the doctor would leave when he fell asleep. That thought bugged him and he opened his eyes to look at the doctor for a bit longer. Finally, the doctor said that he would give Siwon the medicine after he woke up and eat something. It meant the doctor would wait for him to wake up. It was only then Siwon could let sleep took over him.
When he woke up, he felt that he was getting better already. The doctor told him to wait and went out. Five minutes later, he returned with a bowl of soup, which was obviously prepared at home because Siwon’s kitchen currently lacked the necessary ingredients. Siwon half expected to be fed… but that was just a wishful thinking.
“Thank you... Sorry, I didn't catch your name.”
The doctor looked as if he was appraising him. “...Kyuhyun. Cho Kyuhyun.”
“Kyuhyun...” Siwon repeated. The name sounded right on his tongue, cheesy as it seemed. “I'm Choi Siwon.”
The man blinked, and then he unexpectedly chuckled. “I've already found out your home. Don't you think I would've found out your name too?”
'I guess,' Siwon wanted to say, but he couldn't find his voice when he saw the smile, with that little dimple that took form on the side of Kyuhyun’s mouth.
Call him easy, but Siwon asked Kyuhyun out for a ‘friendly’ dinner two days later when he got better. The doctor looked right through him (and obviously felt taken aback by the feeling he saw in there) and said no.
***
“Hey, Grumpy Kyu.”
Kyuhyun raised his eyebrows and turned towards the voice. As expected, he spotted Donghae outside the opened window of the examination room. “What the… how did you get there?”
The kid looked at him as if he was an idiot, “Duh, it’s not hard to walk around the building. And your window is wide open.”
“Where’s your father?”
“Why? Why are you asking about Daddy?” Donghae narrowed his eyes. “Do you want to see him? Huh? Huh?”
Kyuhyun had to stifle a groan. Crazy father and son. “No, I need him to bring you out of my sight. Does your father know you’re here?”
“You’re mean.”
“You’re disturbing me. And you’re not answering my question.”
“I don’t know why Daddy likes you.” Donghae gave him an onceover. “Well, okay, so you may be a bit pretty…”
“I’m not.”
“…but you are so grumpy and never smile and I bet you can’t even cook.”
“Can you tell that to your father so he can stop chasing after me? It’s getting annoying.”
“Hey!” Donghae protested. “Don’t call Daddy annoying! You are lucky that Daddy likes you! My Daddy is kind and handsome, you know.”
The headache began to build up again. Damn kids and their lack of logic and consistency. “...Can you just go away already? There were a lot of patients since last night and I haven’t gotten any rest, so I would appreciate it if you can go bug someone else.”
“I hate you! Grumpy Kyu!” Donghae stuck his tongue out and ran off before Kyuhyun could say anything. Not that he wanted to indulge the boy any longer.
“Brat,” Kyuhyun rolled his eyes.
***
“Hey, Grumpy Kyu!”
“What now!?” the young doctor groaned with a frown directed sharply at the kid. He was busy writing a prescription for a patient, so he definitely didn’t have time to humor Donghae. Not that he ever had the time, mind you.
Kyuhyun winced when he heard the brat clicked his tongue and shook his head at him. What the hell.
“You’ll get old if you frown like that a lot, you know.”
“Oh, Sweetheart, you must mean he’ll get wrinkles.” Great. Now his patient was indulging the kid. “He looks so cute. Is he yours?” the lady asked.
“God, no. My face would definitely be filled with wrinkles if he is.”
“Hey! I’m not that bad!” Donghae protested vehemently. “Okay, sometimes I might eat Oreos before dinner, and I always forget to put my bag on its place, and-.”
“Bugging a doctor everyday,” Kyuhyun tried to help.
Donghae stuck his tongue towards Kyuhyun. “But I’m not that bad, you know. Not like that Youngwoon-hyung who is a big, mean, bully.”
“Of course you’re not. You look like a perfectly smart kid,” the sick lady said.
“Thank you, Mrs.”
Kyuhyun swore his eyes were about to pop out of its sockets when he saw Donghae gave the lady an innocent angelic smile. In his mind, he kept yelling, ‘You manipulative little devil!’ The kid really reminded him of someone. Who also had a perfect nice smile, but really brought nothing but trouble into his life.
***
“Hey, Grump-.”
Donghae shut his mouth before he could finish his insult endearment. His eyes were glued to the shiny, glorious little thing on Kyuhyun’s hand. Candy.
Not just any candy. But a lollipop. The one that you can suck and turn your tongue into blue or orange or green. Oh how Donghae loved that candy.
“You want this?”
The kid nodded his head eagerly. His eyes never left the candy.
Siwon only allowed candies on weekends or after a doctor visit. Because, boy, he just could not handle the kid, high on sugar, on weekdays. It would take forever to get Donghae to sleep, which meant less sleeping time for Siwon. It would do no good for anybody.
But Donghae thought his daddy wouldn’t know… if no one told him, right? And it was indeed a doctor who gave him the candy, so it should be perfectly fine.
“Yes, Mr. Kyuhyun, please give me the candy.” Donghae clasped his hands as if in prayer. He tried to make his eyes looked as big as possible, and then he blinked because his daddy told him he looked so innocent when he did that.
Donghae didn’t know exactly what ‘innocent’ mean though.
“Okay. But you have to promise me that you will leave once I give you the candy.”
“Yes, I promise, Mr. Kyuhyun.”
“Good.”
As Kyuhyun was about to hand over the candy, he suddenly felt like he shouldn’t just believe this kid easily. This was the son of a very persistent man who kept on finding excuses to meet him after all (he recalled the similar smiles again). So, just for a good measure, he threw the candy out of the window as far as possible. As he predicted, the kid ran after the candy with a loud squeal. Not unlike a puppy chasing after a Frisbee.
“Well, that’s easy.”
***
No, it was not.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Kyuhyun.”
By his too nice, singsong tone, Kyuhyun knew exactly what the boy wanted. Which was exactly what he didn’t want. Yes, the kid left him alone, but he would turn obese by the end of the year if Kyuhyun continue giving him candies. He was a doctor- how could he possibly justify feeding candies to a kid every day?
Kyuhyun couldn’t help but face-palming himself. Damn him and his conscience. But he really should’ve known better that bribed a five year old with a lollipop.
***
Much to Kyuhyun's dismay, the boy kept on coming back for a reason only himself knew. Sometimes he just stood outside the window, just bugging Kyuhyun (by demanding candies and calling him Grumpy Stingy Kyu for the few first days after the whole candy incident) or watching him examining the patients (who never protested because they quickly fell in love with Donghae). Sometimes the nurse allowed him to enter when there were no patients (and Kyuhyun closed his window, because dammit, even a doctor needed his alone time with Starcraft). Kyuhyun did scold the nurse, but to no avail.
“I thought you said you hate me.”
“I do.”
“So why do you keep on coming back every day!?” Kyuhyun stood with both hands on his hips in an attempt to look intimidating. Donghae didn’t budge from his seat in front of the doctor.
“Daddy’s not gonna be home before late at night, so I’m bored today. I’m bored too yesterday and yesterday yesterday, and yesterday yesterday yesterday-.”
“So you think it would be a great idea to come and bug me? This is a clinic, not a playground. Why aren’t you even at a kindergarten or something? Isn’t there a child care center nearby?”
“I’m a big guy now. I don’t need to be ‘cared’.” When Kyuhyun shot him a look, Donghae snorted and added, “The other kids are napping. I never feel sleepy at this time.”
“And they just let you go out?”
“I can sneak out very well.”
Kyuhyun grunted. “Come on, I’ll take you back to the child care center.”
“NO!” Donghae shouted and ran off. A little smile tugged on the corner of Kyuhyun’s mouth. At least he had a sure way to chase the kid away now.
***
When Siwon picked Donghae up from the child care one night, the kid was occupied with his crayons and didn't run to him like usual.
“Hey,” Siwon patted his head, “what are you drawing?”
“Yeah,” Donghae looked up and showed him the drawing of three people (that didn't stray far from stick figures). “This is me in the middle, holding your hand. Then the grumpy one is Kyu.”
Siwon laughed. “Come on, he's not always grumpy. And it's Mr. Kyuhyun for you, Hae,” Siwon corrected him for the umpteenth time, though he knew it would be useless (not without a candy, but of course Siwon didn’t know that). He was also half-amused because Donghae was usually a polite kid, but he somehow refused to address the doctor politely.
“Yes he is. He always has a scary face when I come over.”
At that, Siwon raised his eyebrows. “When you come over?”
“Yeah, when everyone is sleeping, I sneak out and-,” Donghae clamped his hands over his mouth. He had just told his Daddy how naughty he had been. As expected, his Daddy's face didn't look so good. “Um... Daddy, are you mad?”
Siwon stared at him for a while before sighing. “Well... I should be.”
“Daddy, I swear I didn't go anywhere else. I just came to see Kyu and returned here.”
“Okay... why did you come to see him?”
Donghae looked down and fiddled with his crayons. “Do you still like that Kyu?”
“Of course.”
“Well, I wanna know why.”
Siwon sat down and patted his lap, an invitation for Donghae to climb on it. “So? Did you find out?”
Donghae fell silent for some time as he stared at his own drawing. “Maybe,” he finally muttered.
“He's a good doctor, right?”
“Yeah.”
“He's cute, right?”
“I think so.”
“He would look good with me, right?”
“No,” Donghae shook his head, “because you always smile and he’s always... not.”
“Oh?” Siwon grinned, “You haven't seen his smile, then. Believe me when I say that it's beautiful.”
“That's a lie.”
“True fact. That's why you should be nicer to him. Maybe he would smile to you then.” Siwon ruffled his son's hair. “Come on, let's go home.”
***
So it's basically the father and son in the morning, the son in the afternoon... then the father alone at night. If Kyuhyun was lucky, he would be occupied with a patient in the morning, and Siwon never intruded at those times. Yet said luck barely came to him. Will his life be peaceful ever again? “Don't all parents want to pick up their kids as soon as possible?”
“Yeah, but I wanted some alone time with you.”
“Not that it would matter.”
Siwon just smiled. “Anyway, I found out yesterday that Donghae had been visiting you. It seems that he's beginning to like you. And you know, I think that you're beginning to like him too... since you've never bothered to tell me to make him stop.”
Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow at him before returning to whatever paper he was looking at, “That's absurd.”
“Should I be jealous of my own 5-year old son?”
“Stop saying stupid things.” Yet there it was again- the slight blush. One of the little Kyuhyun things that created butterflies inside Siwon and found himself unable to stop. How could he?
***
“Huh? Kyu’s not here yet?” Donghae asked. Siwon scanned the clinic and found no sign of the doctor that morning.
The nurse shook her head, “I couldn’t reach him by phone so I don’t know where he is. I would’ve check out his apartment, but there’s no one who can watch over the clinic-.” As if on cue, the clinic’s phone rang. “Cho Clinic- oh, Dr. Cho! Are you okay-.”
Siwon watched with growing anxiety as the nurse’s expression turned troubled. “Okay…” the nurse said. “Okay, I’ll go call someone.”
“Daddy?” Donghae tugged on his sleeve, “Daddy, is there something wrong with Kyu?”
“I don’t know, Hae… What is it? Is he okay?” Siwon asked the nurse as she put the phone down.
“He sprained his foot and couldn’t stand up. It was just now that he can reach the phone. I’ll call the hospital nearby for an ambulance-.”
“No need, I’ll bring him to the hospital.”
“Eh? But aren’t you going to work?” Upon seeing Siwon’s determined expression, the nurse smiled. “Okay, of course you can do that. He left the spare key to his apartment here just in case... ah here it is. He lived just a block from here…”
Donghae was on the verge of crying and insisted to come with Siwon, so he picked his son up and rushed to the address given to him. “Daddy, he's not gonna die, right?” Donghae asked, holding back a sob.
“He's fine, Hae, just got a little booboo on his foot,” Siwon said, half-reassuring himself as well. He was worried about the fact that Kyuhyun couldn't reach the phone until recently, meaning that he really couldn't stand up by himself.
Luckily Kyuhyun lived nearby, so he didn't have to feel such uncertainty for long. The moment he unlocked door to Kyuhyun's apartment, Donghae jumped from his arms and ran inside. “Kyu!” He called out. “Kyuuuuu!!! Don't die!!!”
“...Donghae?”A voice came from behind the wall. The boy ran towards the direction, followed by his father, into a living room. There, sitting against the wall on the floor, was a wet Kyuhyun clad only in a piece of towel around his waist. “What are you two doing here?”
“Kyu, don’t die!!” Donghae jumped onto him, causing Kyuhyun to make an 'oof' sound. “I’m sorry I always say that I hate you! I don’t hate you, so don’t die!!”
“Who are you trying to kill? I’m fine. I just got sprained foot in the bathroom...” Kyuhyun caught the stare from a certain someone and shot him a look. “This is not a free show.”
“Sorry,” Siwon coughed sheepishly. “It's not everyday that I see you like this. It seems that you’re okay. Well, you look great-.”
“If you're done staring and blabbering, maybe you can get me my clothes and call the ambulance.”
“I'll call the cab. We're taking you to the hospital.” Siwon said, but he let himself enjoyed the view of Kyuhyun's bare upper half for another few seconds. When Kyuhyun snapped at him, though, he ran off to search for the clothes.
“Hey, Kyu?” Donghae's small voice came up, and Kyuhyun turned to him.
“Hmm.”
“You’re really not gonna die, right?”
“No, I’m not gonna die yet.”
Sobs. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Really really?”
“Shut up.”
“Okay,” Donghae bit his lip, attempting to stop his own sobs. “Can I ask you another question?”
“Since when did you ask for permission? Ask away.”
“Why do you always refuse Daddy?” He looked down, seemingly nervous. “Is it because of me?”
“What- no. You’re annoying, but you’re okay.”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Kyuhyun smiled.
“Oh,” Donghae widened his eyes and gasped. “Daddy’s right. Your smile looks pretty.”
The smile disappeared instantly. “Don’t make me change my mind about you.”
“Hmph,” Donghae pouted, slightly regretting his words because now the doctor turned back into Grumpy Kyu. He then remembered what they were talking about. “Then, do you refuse Daddy because you hate him?” Kyuhyun narrowed his eyes at the boy, but Donghae just looked up to him expectantly.
“…It’s not that I hate him,” he answered anyway. “It’s just too sudden.”
“So you like him?” Donghae waited for an answer, but it never came. Instead…
“I've called the cab.” Luckily for Kyuhyun, Siwon returned right then with his clothes. “And I found these clothes in your room. Let me help you put them on.”
“And let you grope me? No, thanks.”
“Daddy,” Donghae got off Kyuhyun's lap and patted Siwon's leg, asking for his attention. “I asked Kyu if he like you, but his face turned red. Is he sick again?”
If possible, Kyuhyun face turned even redder. Siwon felt himself grinning, silently celebrating inside. But he needed to tend to Kyuhyun first. Further courting could be done later.
***
Lazy Sunday morning. With his cup of coffee in one hand and the TV on, it was a perfect beginning of the day. Usually Donghae would be beside him, but...
“Siwon!” A voice shot inside from the direction of the apartment's door. A grin grew on Siwon's face- he knew exactly who it was. “What kind of a father are you!?” As expected, Kyuhyun showed up with an irritated expression. The doctor was carrying Donghae in his arms.
“Hey, Kyu,” Siwon put his coffee down and waved, “You look great as usual.”
“Don’t ‘hey’ me! How could you tell your son not to go home before I agree to be his new mother!?”
“Hae, I didn’t say that,” he shook his head at his son. “I said that you can get an ice cream if Kyuhyun say yes.”
The doctor hissed. How easy it was to lose his cool with this father and son pair. “The point remains that you- you make use of your own son!”
“What, Donghae likes you too anyway.”
“No, he likes ice cream.”
To that statement, Donghae made a protesting sound. “I like ice cream but I like you too, Grumpy Kyu.” He wrapped his arms around Kyuhyun’s neck… and quickly placed an innocent kiss on the doctor’s lips. “Be my new Mommy soon!” Donghae grinned.
Kyuhyun was at loss for words, but Siwon was utterly flabbergasted. “What the- Hae! Even I have yet to kiss him!”
***
The end~