prologue: autumn; part one: do i know you?; part two: valentine; part three: my home; word count: 2,044

The question came on a night where there was no sound but that of the rain outside their window. The wedding had come and gone one day in September. It was simple. A small gathering of friends and family, with the autumn leaves encompassing the couple in a cornucopia of colors that was reminiscent of the first time they'd seen each other's faces in that coffee shop a year before.

Now the newlyweds were nestled like spoons on the couch, focusing on nothing but each other.

"Hey Jongin?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you thought about, maybe, starting a family?"

"A family?" Jongin's eyes lit up and Kyungsoo knew immediately what answer he'd receive. "You mean like, we'd adopt a precious little being and hear the pitter patter of little feet running up and down our halls? And have a snuggly little munchkin in our bed at night when they wake us up to protect them from nightmares?"

"Yes, exactly. It would be picture perfect, just like that" Kyungsoo smiled, watching the light in Jongin's eyes grow even brighter.

"Yes! Yes yes yes! Oh god yes!" Jongin exclaimed, throwing his arms around his husband in a grand display of excited affection. "When?"

"Soon" Kyungsoo cooed with a gentle smile. "Very soon. What do you say we start checking out orphanages tomorrow afternoon when I'm done with my shift at the coffee shop?" This made the light in Jongin's eyes even brighter, if such a thing was possible. Kyungsoo was sure that the younger boy's face would split in half from the grin that stretched so widely across it. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen Jongin this excited, but he loved seeing this side of his young husband.

When Kyungsoo came home from his shift at the coffee shop the next afternoon, Jongin was already waiting by the door for him, coat in hand, like an excited child whose parents promised to take them to the park. Kyungsoo kissed the excited man-child's lips sweetly and smiled as they parted.
"Come on, come on!" Jongin returned Kyungsoo's kiss, then urged him out the door and into the car before Kyungsoo even had a chance to say a word. "There are sweet little cherubs waiting for us to meet them!"

"You really love children, don't you?" Kyungsoo smiled. This earned him a nod from a beaming Jongin in the passenger seat beside him.

"I've always considered working with them somehow. Maybe a kindergarten teacher or something. I did go to university for a degree in early childhood development after all." Kyungsoo knew that. Jongin had been fresh out of university when they met in the coffee shop.

"Have you been looking around for jobs?"

"I have, but I haven't had much luck" Jongin sighed.

"What about a daycare? Do you know of any that've been hiring lately?"

"I haven't looked into it," Jongin shrugged. Before they had the chance to get any more entwined in conversation, they found themselves in the parking lot of a local orphanage. Jongin's eyes lit up when he saw the cheerful little welcome sign on the building's door. "Come on, come on!" he grabbed Kyungsoo's hand as soon as the shorter male had gotten out of the car. He dragged him to the orphanage door like a child dragging his parents out of bed on Christmas to tell them that Santa Claus had paid a visit.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" Kyungsoo laughed and intertwined his fingers with Jongin's. "Now remember Jongin—"

"I know, I know! I can't take them all home" Jongin laughed, though a small pout graced his countenance and Kyungsoo was sure that if there was any way in which Jongin could adopt every single child inside that orphanage, there would be no stopping him. "I just… It's not fair you know? That a woman could carry a child for nine months just to give it away in the end. Is it even worth to have a child if you aren't going to care for it?"

"Jongin," Kyungsoo softly stroked Jongin's cheek. "Baby you have to think of the circumstances. Maybe some of those women don't want to give away those children. There could just be some circumstance that makes it difficult for the child to be kept. If you were in some sort of situation that was no good for your child, wouldn't you want to give them a better chance at life than you had?"

"But Kyungsoo…" Jongin's bottom lip quivered. "It's still not fair. I wouldn't want to be the kid who wakes up wondering why their family didn't love them. I just—"

"I know my love, you have a big heart" Kyungsoo cooed softly. "But everything in this world happens for a reason. Think about it this way, because someone else couldn't care for their child, we get to give that child a greater chance at having a wonderful life than they would have had otherwise." He gave Jongin's hand a soft squeeze. "It's okay baby. Those kids deserve great lives, and this orphanage will give them greater chances to have that."

Jongin nodded, receiving one more reassuring hand squeeze from Kyungsoo before the pair entered the orphanage. They were greeted at the front desk by a soft-spoken receptionist who led them into the children's wing of the building.

Jongin's eyes lit up and any feeling of sadness he'd had outside the building was completely washed away. The same ear to ear grin that had graced his face when Kyungsoo brought up the idea of adoption was now gracing his face once more.

"Oh Kyungsoo look at them, they're all so precious!" Jongin cooed. Suddenly, his eyes fell on one little girl who was playing by herself. She looked like she couldn't be more than three or four years old. Her raven black hair protruded from her head in two small pigtails, one on either side and she wore a knee-length red checkered dress with a white undershirt. Jongin didn't have the slightest hesitation approaching her. He hated to see the little girl all alone. "Excuse me little miss," he said softly. "Why are you playing all by yourself?"

"Hmm?" the little girl glanced up with soft, wavering eyes. "Oh, I'm lonely all time." Jongin swore he could feel his heart physically breaking when those words fell from the child's pouting lips.

"Well, I'll tell you what," Jongin said with a soft smile. "You don't have to be lonely anymore."
"Why not?"

"How's this for why not?" Kyungsoo approached the two, holding a set of papers in his hands.

"What's those?" the little girl asked, peeking curiously at the documents Kyungsoo held.

"These are your adoption papers, Aejung" Kyungsoo smiled, giving more identity to the child whose name, until then, had been unknown.

"How you knew my name mister, um… mister what your name is?" Aejung asked, her childish lack of proper speech evoking small laughs from Kyungsoo and Jongin

"My name is Kyungsoo sweetie, and this is Jongin," Kyungsoo smiled as he motioned to the younger male. "And that nice lady at the desk told me all about you." Kyungsoo softly rumpled the little girl's hair. "So, what do you say? Would you like to join our little family?" Aejung's eyes lit up and she nodded fervently.

"Oh please please?" she asked hopefully.

"Absolutely," Jongin grinned. "There's no doubt in my mind that the three of us will make a perfect family. And the two of us promise to take the best care of you that we possibly can."

"Thank you! Thank you much!" Aejung squealed and threw her little arms around Jongin's neck. Jongin picked her up, holding her close and softly stroking her raven colored hair.

"Come here," he motioned for Kyungsoo to join them. "Group hug!"

Kyungsoo smiled as he embraced the two. Then he pulled away to look at them and a huge smile graced his face. This was his family. He had made two wonderful people happy, Jongin and Aejung. When this realization hit him, the corners of his eyes were suddenly brimming with joyful tears.

"Soo," Aejung frowned, bringing her little hands to his face in an attempt to dry his tears. "Why cry?"

"These are happy tears sweetie," Kyungsoo smiled. "I'm just really happy." He placed a tender kiss on the child's forehead and ran a hand through her hair. "You and Jongin make me happy, because we're a family."

Once they were through finishing up what was left of the paperwork and legal business, the couple brought the little girl home. As soon as her feet were on the floor, Aejung was running around and exploring every room in the house.

"Remember when you were worried she wouldn't adjust?" Kyungsoo laughed.

"Well you know, when you stay in one place for so long, it's usually hard to get used to being in a new setting." Jongin said. He was right, but Kyungsoo of course couldn't relate, as he had moved around as a child more times than he could count. He had never really gotten used to being rooted in one place, because it felt like as soon as he'd settled, his roots were pulled up and planted somewhere else.

"Soo, are you alright?" Jongin was waving his hand in Kyungsoo's face. The shorter male had seemingly disappeared into a whole nother world, drowning in his own thoughts without even realizing it.

"What? Oh, yeah I'm fine" Kyungsoo laughed sheepishly. "I was just thinking again."

"It seems like you're always thinking," Jongin mused. "What's on your mind?"

"Jongin, thank you."

"You're welcome?" A quizzical look painted itself onto Jongin's face. "Um, what for?"

"Just… everything," Kyungsoo sighed peacefully. "Thank you for finding me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for finally giving me a place where I know my roots won't be pulled anymore. Kim Jongin, thank you for being my home."

And suddenly, there was a whirlwind of joyful sobs, arms around torsos, lips crushing lips in soft and loving kisses. Neither of them knew what was happening until it happened. They relished in their intimate moment for only a short while longer, until they were interrupted by the pitter patter of little feet.

"You house real nice" came the broken English of the little toddler at their feet. Wiping the last of his tears, Kyungsoo lifted her off the ground and kissed her head.

"It's not a house baby girl, it's a home."

"What diffent?" The child's pronunciation of the word different extracted small giggles from her fathers.

"Well, let me try to explain it in the best way I know how." Kyungsoo sat down with Aejung in his lap. "A house is just a place, there's nothing really special about it, it's just a building that you live in. But a home—"

"Now now Kyungsoo, don't start using big fancy explanations that she won't understand. She is just a toddler you know." Jongin interrupted, laughing as he sat down beside them.

"I wasn't going to" the other shook his head. "I was going to give her the simplest explanation I could, while still keeping it philosophical enough for you and I."

"So you are using big fancy explanations," Jongin teased.

"No, I'm using simple terminology with underlying tones of subliminal philosophy."

Aejung stared at them both in bewilderment. "Soo! What diffent?" she persisted in her attempts to learn the difference between a house and home, as any curious child would when they really wanted to know something.

"Well, like I said," Kyungsoo began again. "A house is just a place. It's not particularly important. A home is, well, to put it simply," he rested his head softly on the waiting shoulder of his husband, casting a smile up at the younger male before returning his attention to Aejung. "A house is a place where you live, and a home is a place where you belong. Do you see the difference?" Kyungsoo asked.

"Mhmm. Hey Soo, Jong?"

"Yes baby?" Jongin softly kissed her cheek. Aejung crawled into the place where Jongin's right thigh nestled beside Kyungsoo's left, making it seem as though the two shared one lap. She cuddled up to her fathers with a peaceful smile painted on her lips.

"My home you."