Epilogue

(Yep, the long-awaited and overdue epilogue is finally here! Make sure to read the author's note at the end. Thank you for your patience!)

It is almost midnight when Baekhyun sighs tiredly as he folds the laundry. He has been folding the laundry for almost an hour, but there are still many clothes that have yet to be folded. Baekhyun only groans when he looks at the sad, pile of clothes, waiting to get folded. The young, pregnant male knows he will never get the laundry done if he continues to stare at the pile, but he can't help it. He can't help but worry and wonder where the hell his husband could be; his husband is late once again. 

It's not that Baekhyun doesn't trust his husband (he's determined not to make the same mistake he did almost eight months ago), it's just that Baekhyun is furious with Chanyeol.

Baekhyun is now 34 weeks pregnant with twins, and he knows the babies can come any minute. Baekhyun knows this because he's actually been having constant Braxton Hicks, but he has yet to tell his husband because he doesn't want Chanyeol to be concerned. The latter has been a busy man, much busier than when he was a secretary lawyer. Almost eight months ago, he earned a promotion, which allowed him to become an official lawyer instead of a secretary lawyer. 

There have been days when Chanyeol would come home on time, but there were other days when he could come home extremely late, and this day is particularly the day when Chanyeol comes home late. There have been times when Baekhyun regrets telling his husband that he'll be fine at home, but he knows he can't change time and take back his words. 

However, while Baekhyun is continuing to fold the clothes and the clock has finally struck midnight, he suddenly starts to regret what he told Chanyeol because he suddenly feels a painful sensation surge through his stomach. 

Immediately, Baekhyun stops what he's doing and takes a deep breath in, hoping to calm down his hyperactive babies. Whenever his husband isn't around, Bakehyun notices that his twins are extremely active, always kicking and moving around in his stomach. The twins are doing exactly that, which doesn't help the pain lurking in his belly. Gently, Baekhyun places his hand over his bulging stomach and rubs it, but his babies continue to kick, making the feeling in his stomach a whole lot more painful. 

Groaning, Baekhyun tries to distract himself by doing the laundry, thinking that whatever he's feeling is only Braxton Hicks. Unfortunately, Baekhyun notices that there's something unusual about the Braxton Hicks when he realizes that the pain isn't vanishing. Instead, the pain only intensifies, which nearly causes Baekhyun to double over in discomfort.

"... Not now, please," Baekhyun whimpers softly before he tries to reach over and grab the phone from his nightstand. Thankfully, he's able to take the phone and dial the number he knows so well. Baekhyun waits a little longer than he would've liked, but, eventually, the person on the other end of the line picks up.

"Hello? Baekhyun, is that you?"

"Sehun..." Baekhyun murmurs, almost letting out a screech because the pain is multiplying. He takes a deep breath in before he exhales, and while he does so, he can already hear the concern radiating in his best friend's voice.

"Baekhyun, , are you okay? Where the hell is Chanyeol? Are the babies okay?"

The pregnant male smiles internally when he hears the concern in Sehun's voice because that tells him Sehun is definitely the one who he can trust and rely on (besides his husband, of course). Unfortunately, he can't even thank his friend for being so concerned for him when another wave of pain cruises through his body, forcing him to let out a grunt. "C-Chanyeol's n-not here at the moment. He's at work, a-and... I-I thought I was having Braxton Hicks, b-but they're not going away."

"That ... He promised me he'd take care of you," Sehun mutters softly, narrowing his eyes when he suddenly feels anger surge through him. Just eight months ago after the incident, Sehun had made Chanyeol promise to never hurt Baekhyun again. Of course, the promise was easily made, but now Sehun can only imagine what kind of pain Baekhyun is going through at that moment. He may have read some facts about childbirth and how painful it can be, and he doesn't want to think about Baekhyun going through that alone, so without another thought, Sehun says, "I'm coming over now. I'll contact Chanyeol on the way."

"W-What, Sehun, d-don't. Chanyeol might be busy-"

The pregnant male can't even finish his sentence before his best friend hangs up on him. However, he can't do much except to wait and hope for the agonizing pain to be gone. Unfortunately, Baekhyun already has a feeling that it will be a long, long night.

* * *

It has almost been ten minutes since Baekhyun called Sehun. While waiting, Baekhyun continues to take in deep breaths before there is a sudden knock on the door. Desperately, Baekhyun tries to get up from his position on the bed, but the pain only forces him back down.

Meanwhile, Sehun continues to knock on the door, and when he notices that no one's going to answer, he uses the spare key that Baekhyun gave him to open the door. Once he enters the house, Sehun notices how quiet and dark it is. The house is completely silent, but then a low groan can be heard from where Sehun is standing. Fully alert, Sehun quietly makes his way to where the noise is coming from. 

Once Sehun makes his way to a closed door, he knocks on it, not wanting to barge into the bedroom. When he receives a groan in response, that's when Sehun ultimately decides to open the door only to see his best friend in a fetal position on the bed. Immediately, Sehun dashes his way to the pregnant male and tries to get his friend to relax a little so he can talk. 

"Baekhyun, are you okay?" 

The said man only hisses in response before he glares angrily at Sehun with eyes showing absolute agony. "Does it look like I'm ing okay?" 

When Baekhyun lets out another groan, that is when Sehun opts to take his friend to the hospital himself. Sehun cannot care less whether or not Chanyeol will call him out on it, saying that he should be the one to take his husband to the hospital. In this moment, nothing mattered to Sehun besides the fact that he knows he must get Baekhyun to the hospital. 

He tells his plan to the pregnant male, but the latter adamantly declined. "I want Chanyeol to be here." 

"Chanyeol's not even here!" Sehun internally screams, irritation surging within him because of his best friend's stubbornness. However, when he looks over at Baekhyun once again, seeing the painful expression manifested on his face, Sehun takes a deep breath in, trying to calm himself down. "I'm taking you to the hospital whether you like it or not. I'll leave a note here for Chanyeol to see if that makes you feel any better." 

Baekhyun is in no place to argue. Because this is his first time experiencing labor, he has no idea what to expect. Without letting out another word, Baekhyun eventually nods, allowing Sehun to take him to the hospital. The younger male internally grins because he will finally get the chance to see Luhan again. 

Although Sehun and Luhan met eight months ago and became friends since then, neither one of them has made a move on each other. The problem is that Sehun knows he's in love with Luhan, but he's too afraid to express his feelings to the young doctor. Sehun isn't sure if Luhan feels the same, and he's scared. He's scared to the know the truth, scared of rejection and humiliation. However, what he fears the most is that someone else will make a move on Luhan first. It happened in high school when Chanyeol made a move on Baekhyun first, and it can happen the second time. 

Deciding that this isn't the time to think about Luhan, Sehun removes the thought of the doctor from his mind and puts all of his attention on his friend. Baekhyun is now his main priority, so without wasting another minute, Sehun wraps an arm underneath the back of Baekhyun's knees and the other arm is wrapped around his shoulder. Carrying his friend bridal style, Sehun dashes his way to his car and carefully puts Baekhyun on the seat as he helps him buckle up. 

"I'll be right back," Sehun says hurriedly before he goes back into the house to write a note for Chanyeol.

Soon enough, Sehun is back in his car, making his way towards the hospital.

* * *

It is about 2 AM at night when Chanyeol finally returns home, exhausted from his day at work. It just so happens that Chanyeol was given a particular case to work on. It was a case that Chanyeol had never fully dealt with, so it took him a lot longer than he would have liked to finally complete the case. Thinking about the case, regret is instantly settling within him because he so badly wanted to be with his husband for the last few weeks of his pregnancies. 

Ever since he accepted the case, he has been returning home later than usual. Whenever he does return, he always has this feeling of slight hope, hoping that his husband is awake, waiting for him. However, his hopes are always crushed whenever he returns home to see Baekhyun sleeping peacefully in bed. It's understandable, though, for his husband is pregnant and needs all the rest he can get, but that doesn't stop Chanyeol from having that slight ounce of hope every night. 

Little does Chanyeol know that Baekhyun does wait for him every night, but exhaustion always consumes him before he can even greet his husband. 

This night is no different. When Chanyeol finally returns home from work, he hopes to see Baekhyun awake. However, when he enters his house, it's way too quiet--it's more quiet than usual-- and dark for his liking. Even if Baekhyun is asleep, he'll usually leave the lights and television on. Instantly, fear settles within him, and Chanyeol doesn't think for a second before dashing his way to his room. 

He prays that his husband is in bed, either waiting for him or sleeping soundly, but neither of that happens when he opens the door, and his husband isn't even in sight. 

"Baekhyun!" he cries, terror laced in his voice. "Where the hell-" 

Chanyeol suddenly stops when he sees a note on the nightstand. As Chanyeol reads over the note, his eyes immediately widen because on the note, it says:

                    Baekhyun's in labor.

                    I took him to the closest hospital.

                    Come now. 

                                    - Sehun

Holy . Chanyeol thinks as he continues to read over the note. Oh, my God. "!" Chanyeol yells as he nearly runs outside to his car, gets in, and starts the car again before he drives off. While Chanyeol is driving, he can't help but feel a little angry at Sehun. The reason for that is because Chaneyol wants to be the one to drive his husband to the hospital; he wanted to be the person who is there for Baekhyun while the latter is giving birth to their children. Chanyeol can't help but feel frustrated. He should have been there for Baekhyun, not Sehun. 

"What kind of a ty husband am I?" Chanyeol murmurs furiously to himself as he continues to drive. He only curses when he notices there's traffic. Looking at the time and seeing that it is 2:15 AM, Chanyeol mutters to himself, "How the hell is there still traffic at this time of day?" 

Meanwhile, in Sehun's car, Baekhyun continues to groan, the pain increasing ever so slightly. "Sehun..." he whimpers softly. Because of the agonizing pain, Baekhyun is barely able to make out coherent words, but he is lucky that Sehun is able to understand him. 

"Yeah, what is it?" Sehun asks comfortingly. He looks over at the passenger seat, noticing how Baekhyun is as pale as ever and has a layer of sweat covering his forehead. "Hang in there. We'll be there soon." 

"I-I want Chanyeollie," Baekhyun whispers.

Sehun sighs in response, but he begrudgingly answers, "We'll give him a call when we get to the hospital. I don't think he'll answer now. Let's just give him some time, okay? I'm sure he read the note by now and is already on his way." 

Baekhyun thinks for a moment before he agrees. However, he knows that deep in his heart, only Chanyeol can be the one to truly bring comfort to him. Even though he knows that Sehun is trying hard to care for the young man, and Baekhyun is more than grateful for his friend, it's just not the same. Sehun doesn't bring him the same kind of comforting warmth that Chanyeol always gives. Sehun doesn't have the low, baritone-like voice that Chanyeol that the latter always uses to talk to the babies and try to calm them down if they're ever kicking too hard. Baekhyun has never missed nor wanted Chanyeol so much in his life. He will also be devastated if Chanyeol doesn't come on time to see the birth of their children. 

Sehun knows more than anyone that it's not him who Baekhyun wants and that it's Chanyeol. He can try, but no matter what, Baekhyun will always want Chanyeol because it's the latter who stole his best friend's heart, not him.

With those thoughts in mind, Sehun continues to drive, paying no heed to the numerous amount of honks he received because he may be going a little bit over the speed limit. As time continues to pass, Baekhyun's whimpers become more audible. Sehun knows that there is absolutely no more time to waste. 

Fortunately enough, the two young men eventually get to the hospital in thirty minutes. They are lucky enough to get past the heavy incoming traffic due to Sehun's speeding. 

As they enter the hospital, Sehun immediately calls for a nurse to take Baekhyun to a room because he is in labor. While the nurse gets Baekhyun settled in a room, Sehun decides to wait outside of his friend's appointed room, wanting to leave the nurse to do her job. Once the nurse returns outside and allows Sehun to come in, he quickly walks in to see Baekhyun, but his heart is almost crushed at the sight, seeing his friend in so much pain. Although he can't say he knows what exactly Baekhyun is going through, there's no doubt that he sympathizes with the pregnant male. 

"Sehun," Baekhyun manages to utter. "Can you call Chanyeol now for me, please?" 

Not wanting to argue, Sehun nods and gets out his phone. Dialing in Chanyeol's number and putting the call on speakerphone, the two men in the hospital wait patiently for Chanyeol to pick up. It isn't long until the giant finally picks up after the third ring.

"Hello, Sehun? Where are you now? Is Baek with you? How is everything-"

Sehun rolls his eyes at the wave of incoming questions, but he answers nonetheless. "Baekhyun and I just got to the hospital. We're just waiting for you now. Where are you anyway?" Sehun can hear a sigh of relief on the other end of the call and almost snickers. 

"I don't know what's happening, but there's traffic right now. I'm not sure when it'll clear up, but I'll try my best to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Also, may I talk to my husband?" 

"Chanyeol!" Baekhyun says over the phone, his tone filled with excitement and hidden anxiousness, but Chanyeol knows that that tone is only used when his husband is trying to hide his pain. "The twins and I are waiting just for you now." 

"I know, baby. I'm on my way now. Just wait a little longer, okay? I know you're in pain, so if you want, I'll allow only this one time for you to hold Sehun's hands if that makes you feel better. " 

"I'll be fine, Yeol. You just be careful, okay? I love you." 

"I love you too, Baekhyun. I will be care-" 

The phone call is suddenly interrupted when Baekhyun hears the sound of a car crash over the end of the line. Baekhyun, who is holding the phone at the moment, feels his heart suddenly pound aggressively in his chest and his blood runs cold.

No.

Baekhyun refuses to believe that what he just heard was the sound of a car crash. He refuses to allow his thoughts to take over his mind and let him think of the worst possible case scenarios. However, when the phone call is breaking up, Baekhyun screams harshly into the phone. "CHANYEOL!"

With no response, the phone call ends, and Baekhyun is left in absolute, utter shock. 

Before Sehun can even register what is happening at the moment, the sound of a machine's rapid beeping reverberates throughout the room. Sehun notices that it's the machine attached to Baekhyun, and knows instantly that the rapid beeps coming from the machine is not a good sign. Without thinking for another second, Sehun presses the button to call for a nurse. 

While waiting for a nurse, Sehun sees the blank expression manifested on Baekhyun's face. He also notices how Baekhyun's face is much paler now than it was when they were in the car. "Baekhyun!" Sehun screams, trying to get his friend's attention, but the latter pays no attention. Instead, his widened eyes only continue to stare blankly at nothing in particular. In that moment, Sehun realizes that shock and terror have taken over his best friend. "Baekhyun, snap out of it!" 

Sehun desperately tries to get Baekhyun's attention, but all of his attempts are futile. The young man feels absolutely helpless and powerless because there is absolutely nothing he can do at that moment. Not even he can say everything will be okay because he heard everything over the phone as well. He heard how Chanyeol was in the midst of talking before the sound of a car crashing into another object came over the phone. He heard how the line suddenly broke, and never once had Chanyeol replied back. There is absolutely nothing Sehun can do to reassure his friend that Chanyeol will be okay. Even Sehun is fearing the worst possible case scenario: Chanyeol getting into a car accident. 

When the nurse comes into the room and hears the sound of the machine, she widens her eyes and checks the monitor. Sehun can feel the sense of urgency radiating through the room, but he is powerless to do anything. 

"Mr. Park is in shock right now. His heartbeat is going up. If it continues to go up, he can risk the lives of his babies." The nurse explains as calmly as possible before she goes up to the pregnant male and attempts to calm him down, but it's futile. 

The room suddenly goes silent when Baekhyun finally manages to whisper, "C-Chanyeol." 

Confused, the nurse asks whether or not Chanyeol is his husband, but she only receives a devastating sob in response. 

"CHANYEOL!" Baekhyun sobs frantically as he begins thrashing on the bed, tears streaming down his face as he continues to beg the nurse and Sehun to bring him his husband. "P-Please... I-I want Chanyeol! PLEASE!" 

Sorrow and despair are consuming Baekhyun's body as the pregnant male breaks down, screaming and pleading the Heavens to give him his husband. His heartbeat continues to race, increasing ever so slightly as seconds go by. 

Fortunately, the nurse is able to sedate him before he can risk the lives of the babies. It takes a minute for the drug to take action, but once it does, the effects are more than noticeable. In an instant, Baekhyun begins to relax a little. He stops thrashing, and his cries dial down. Eventually, Baekhyun closes his eyes, leaning his head onto Sehun's chest before darkness is able to completely take over him. 

The nurse sighs in relief before she explains to Sehun that Baekhyun should wake up in a few hours. "When he wakes up, try not to get him too stressed. It's not good for the babies. I was lucky enough to sedate him before the babies can have the chance of being harmed." 

Sehun thanks the woman politely before she leaves, leaving the two men alone in the hospital room. While Baekhyun is asleep, Sehun decides to step out of the hospital, wanting to get some fresh air. He can't imagine himself having to see Baekhyun in a situation like that again. The torture of seeing a friend in pain is too much in which Sehun just wants to take all the pain away from his friend. 

Twice.

Chanyeol, although he had no intention of doing so, had emotionally and mentally hurt Baekhyun two times. Thinking about the giant, Sehun becomes wrathful. Luckily, before Sehun can do anything that's irrational, he feels someone place a gentle hand on his shoulder. Surprised, Sehun turns around only to see Luhan. 

"Hey, Sehun," Luhan happily greets the young man. "I didn't expect you to be at the hospital. Is everything okay?" 

Sehun merely shrugs, and Luhan knows that his friend needs someone to talk to, so he motions Sehun to sit down in which the latter complies with no argument. It is then and there that Sehun tells Luhan everything that happened. From him finding out that Baekhyun is in labor to the moment he witnessed just minutes ago, Sehun spills out everything. 

In the end, after hearing Sehun's story, Luhan can only let out a small chuckle. Hearing that, Sehun scrunches his forehead in confusion, asking what is so funny. 

"Nothing's funny," Luhan replies nonchalantly. "It's just that you're a good friend, and whoever has you as their friend is the luckiest person in the world." 

Sehun can feel his face flush, and he knows that he's blushing from the simple compliment he just received. "Are you saying you're the luckiest person in the world then, Lu?" 

This time, it's Luhan's turn to blush before he quickly looks in a different direction than Sehun's face. "Maybe." 

And for the first time that night, Sehun lets out a genuine laugh, unable to contain it within him. The rest of the night is spent with the two young men continuing their conversation and laughing in the process. Sehun can't help but feel like a burden is lifted off his shoulder whenever he is talking to Luhan. It's as if the latter always knows what to say to get Sehun to relax and calm down. It is also in that moment did Sehun ultimately make his decision that he truly is in love with Luhan--more than he can ever imagine. However, before he is able to confess, they hear a noise coming from Baekhyun's room. Apparently, Baekhyun has woken up, and Sehun immediately stands up. 

"Sehun, wait," Luhan says, his