You're doing good.

2

   School was a tough situation.

  Minho wanted the boys to continue to go to school and to learn. They deserved an education, with or without parents. Minho literally fought tooth and nail to keep them in school, and it was difficult. So many variables went into the process. All three of them had to be held back by a year. Seungmin took kindergarten twice, Hyunjin had to redo the third grade, and Minho stayed in the eighth grade.

It was embarrassing, yes, but the school already didn't take Minho seriously and it was literally the bare minimum he could do. Since Minho himself was still a minor, he had to be accompanied by a trusted adult anytime he went outside. He refused such action, because they didn't give it to the younger ones, claiming that they were in the same elementary school and should be fine. Minho didn't like being babysat, he was grown now.

But again, he couldn't argue. He had to agree and take everything with a grain of salt. If not, he could risk losing Seungmin and Hyunjin to the government and he'd rather that not happen. He's thought about it, honestly. Having actual adults take those two young kids and give them homes they would be properly cared for in. But then Minho wakes up, and he realizes that he would do irreparable damage to them, and he simply couldn't do that.

He would also be alone, and he physically can't handle that.

Minho was also forced to find a job. He needed a way to provide for his small, broken family. They needed to eat, and they needed clothes and shoes. Thankfully, the government provided them with a home to stay in rent free, and sent a monthly check of $1,000 so they could kind of stay afloat. Minho was grateful for the crumbs they were given. He knew they were rare, so he counted his blessings when they came.

So Minho found a job at a restaurant, and he was paid relatively well. The kids got to have their respective educations, they got to keep their house rent free, and they still had each other. That was all that mattered. They stayed together, and they would make it out of this rough situation together. For months, Minho walked back and forth from school, home, his job, back to the elementary school, his job, and back home. He was running himself into the ground.

It was worth it. It was worth every smile, every hug. It was worth those millions of tears and countless breakdowns. Minho was over worked, he knew that, but he continued to work, because Seungmin has special needs that need to be met. Hyunjin has become partially mute ever since the incident. Something about that day shut down a part of his brain that allowed him to speak freely. He's going to speech therapy that Minho pays for. It's the least he can do.

So Minho works, and he provides, and he cares for these kids.

Minho starts this routine when he's fourteen.

—————4 YEARS LATER—————

"Seungmo! Get ready for me, yeah? We have school today!"

His Seungmin was a big ten years old now. He's smart and cute and so undeniably sweet. He was diagnosed with autism back when he was seven, and he hasn't really been the same since. He has these big, round glasses and such pretty, fluffy hair. He's become someone who relies heavily on Minho, and Minho is glad that his baby is still his baby. He's a little puppy now, and Minho couldn't love him anymore than he does already. It's impossible.

"Yes hyungie!"

Minho pats his hair and gives him a kiss on the forehead, before sending him on his way with a pat to the bottom. It's their first day of a new school year, which means Seungmin has gotten a new uniform and Minho absolutely cannot wait to see him in it. He's going to take a million embarrassing pictures and tease him for the rest of his life about it. He's good like that. He makes his way down the hall, and stops when he reaches Hyunjin's room.