ateez family au

oo7

"Has someone seen Yunho and Mingi?" Seonghwa came asking. His mom, Yeosang, San, Wooyoung and Jongho were sitting on a blanket in the 'backyard'. It was actually just gras everywhere and a little in the back was where they kept cows outside. The grandmother was teaching her grandchildren how to make flowercrowns, keeping them busy. Yeosang and San were actually listening, while Wooyoung and Jongho were in charge of getting the flowers. Well, if Jongho didn't crush them in his little hands.

"They can't be missing, honey" Jiyoung responded, crowning Yeosang with her finished crown. "I'm sure they're just running around here somewhere. Maybe they are with your dad?"

And she called it. The moment Jiyoung ended her sentence, loud screaming came from the barn on the other side of the house. Seonghwa turned around, eyes pressed closed. Sometimes, the kids gave him a hard time controlling his nerves. Yunho and Mingi came out running, straws in their hair. "Papa! That chicken bit Yunnie!"

"What were you doing in there in the first place?" Seonghwa's voice was stern but he grabbed Yunho's bleeding hand oh so gently.

"Look, now he's going to say they just wanted to pet them..." Yeosang said looking away

"We wanted to pet them!" Mingi explained, panicking more than Yunho who was the one who got but. "But they were mean..."

"You're not supposed to pet them" Yeosang commented unbothered and finished his flower crown. "They get scared and angry when you just walk in there" he added putting his crown on wooyoung. It was a little loose, but the two-year-old loved it nonetheless.

Sighing Seonghwa went inside with Yunho to clean his little wound, not without giving the little trouble makers a stern look. "Please stay away from the barns"

While Yunho was gone getting taken care of, Mingi plumped on the blanket his brothers were sitting on. "What are you doing?"

"Crowns, look!" San put on his little crown on Mingi's head. There was a feader in his hair, shining white.

"Grandma Jongho is eating flowers..."

~

"Okay, Yunho baby, that's how you get the eggs. Be careful, silent and just don't touch them unnecessarily" Jiyoung instructed and showed him how.

After the incident yesterday Yunho had sworn to never set a foot in there again. "But they're going to bite me again" he said looking at the barn, wanting to run.

"If he bites you, I'm going to bite it back!" Mingi said, maybe a little to convinced of that idea.

"No, Mingi. Ew" Yeosang commented. "The chickens aren't going to bite you. Grandma is there too... Don't be a scared chicken Yunho!"

"Yes! And if Grandma can't help I can still bite it back!"

"Please don't bite it" San put his hands on Mingi's shoulders and pulled him back a little. Afraid he might really go in there and bite a chicken.

Jiyoung held Yunho's hand, ruffling his hair with her other one. "I'm here, Yunho" she promised and opened the gate for him. Yunho really felt a little less scared so, he dared to walk in the barn carefully. "Just like I showed you" his Grandma said, holding the gate open for him. Yunho followed every step his grandmother had shown him and in the end, he really made it. His little fingers touched the round egg, buried in the hay. His eyes lit up, holing up the egg in the air. He ran out of the barn fast, holding the one egg secure in his hands.

"Look, look! Grandma! Here, an egg!" he said, jumping up and down in excitement. "Hah! I got your egg!" Yunho said towards a random chicken in the barn, pointing at it.

"Ah, well done!"

~

"I can't believe you've done this..." Seonghwa sighed as he watched his father and Hongjoong carry the new little apple tree. They sat it down in its newly digged hole.

"I have one for every family member, and now that the family has grown" he begann, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "we need another tree"

Seonghwa shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Your back is going to hurt so much tonight, dad. Please, stop. At least let me do it"

"Yah! I'm not an old man!" he said, continuing his work. "every one of these trees have been planted by me. Jongho's three is no exception!" In the end, with Hongjoong's help, Junho had finally planted the little tree. It was just tall enough to reach Seonghwa's chest. It was true, they had a tradition to plant a tree for every new family member. His eyes wandered over the area, trees holding different types of fruit everywhere. All the way in the back were the tall and old trees his grandfather had planted for his parents, then here was his brothers, a little taller than his. Next to it seven additional trees, just over ten years. On his side, one for Hongjoong, following Yunho, two for the twins, Mingi, Wooyoung and now one for Jongho. Over the years a lot of plants had come together here.

"Ah! Look, Jongho! That's yours!" Mingi excitedly pointed at the newly planted tree. "And that one is mine! It's the biggest !"

"Grand grandpa's is the biggest here though" Yunho said and helped Jongho to the tree. He was holding his left hand tightly, Yeosang had his right hand and San was right behind the baby, watching out for his back. Over the days here Jongho had made a lot of progress in walking. More like he could stand up but taking steps without falling over was still not accomplished. So, their baby brother was more like dragged to their parents. On the boys face was the biggest smile, his eyes were shining, his cheeks a little rosy.

"Ah there is my big boy!" Junho picked up Jongho and walked to the little apple tree. "Now Jongho, grandma and grandpa will always have you here too"  the baby just clapped his hands, babbling something. It was the cutest sight for the elder man. He was now blessed with fourteen grandchildren. He had a big family that cared about and for him and his wife, it made him just happy. With his emthy hand, Junho put out a pocket knife, engraving Jongho's initcials in the young wood. The tree would grow tall and strong, just like Jongho. When the family started this tradition, many many years ago, they believed that the way the respective plant grew, so would the live of its person develope. Over the generations that became meaningless, but sometimes it did become true. Just like Seonghwa's tree. It was one of the trees there that gave the most fruits in a year. Of course, his parents thought it was a symbol for many many academic accomplishments, who would have thought their son would one day from a big family. But they couldn't complain, either way he was now living a more or less comfortable life, and that's the most important thing. Just like other parents they would have loved to see their son in a high position in big companies, or start their own business, it would be a lie to say they weren't dissatisfied when Seonghwa decided to get married at a really early age. Even if they had tried to stop him, they wouldn't have come far. In the end Hongjoong and Seonghwa were unseparatable.

Junho looked up at his wife, seeing a content smile on her face. Then, his eyes wandered over to his son, pride filling his chest. Junho was happy. He really reached the point where he didn't lack anything. He was healthy, he didn't struggle financially, his wife was with him and his children too. He had made it.

-
Hello~ How are you guys doing today? I hope you are all doing well!

I just saw that this surpassed 500 reads! Thank you very much! I can't even believe that. I would have never guessed someone reads my stuff. Thank you!

Please stay safe and healthy

-gulkurusubb