“I think we have everything, what do you think?”

He is answered with babbling nonsense, as usual. Cute babbling nonsense.

He smiles in response and takes a moment to look around, ticking off items in his mental checklist; he closed the windows upstairs, he has his wallet and his keys, her lunch is prepared and waiting in the fridge for when they return, she’s wearing baby sunscreen, he has her hat and her water bottle, she’s holding her stuffed animal and he’s not wearing his pajama pants this time. They should be good to go. Oh wait, his phone.

He doesn’t have to search long for it, walking to the kitchen counter and picking it up from where he left it earlier, after having a short, heated argument with Minseok over the phone; sometimes working daddies have to fight for a free weekend to spend with their children. There was no way he’d be leaving her at his mother’s place two weekends in a row. He pockets the device swiftly and skips back to her, kneeling down to properly strap her in the stroller. However, she gets excited once he’s eyelevel with her and she starts flailing and mumbling incoherent cute sounds, trying to tell him something she won’t be able to say in a humanly understandable way for a couple more months and clapping her hands, making the task impossible for him.

“Okay honeycomb, sit still for daddy to tie the ribbons of your chariot, hm?” he soothes her, and she looks down at the straps while he tries to fix them comfortably. He takes the opportunity to lead the conversation, to make sure she won’t start another giggling riot while he struggles with that god-awful center clasp.

“We’ll see the lady with the oranges and the lovely old woman who makes pies! Maybe we’ll see Mrs. Lee from across the street. And we’re going to buy peaches too! Yey!” he cheers, wagging his fingers in the air animatedly, already done with the clasp. His smile widens when she exclaims excitedly at the mention of her favorite fruit, cheering and giggling as well.

The sun is bright when they go outside, but it’s still nine in the morning, so the day is not unbearably hot. The sky is blue, with fluffy cotton clouds resting lazily here and there, the birds are chirping in the trees and the air smells clean and fresh. The weather is perfect for an outing and he thanks his luck for allowing him to enjoy such a day with his daughter rather than spending it holed up in his office. He can hear her mumbling things while he locks the door.

“You like the flowers, I know” he reassures her, listening to her chatting while looking at the blooms in their small garden. Their picturesque suburban neighborhood is only now starting to wake, children coming out to play ball and ride their bikes, elderly people watering their gardens, people walking their dogs on the sidewalk and families having breakfast noisily in their kitchens with wide open windows. It’s a safe, family-friendly neighborhood, complete with picket fences, gossiping old ladies and happy puppies.

As he pushes the stroller across the front yard and checks the sparse pavement traffic before venturing out of the fence –you can never know when a morning jogger might pop up– his eye catches something unusual, a few houses down the street. It looks like someone is moving into the old Kim house, but he can’t tell if it’s a new family, because the moving truck is blocking the view. The house had been empty for a few months; new additions are rare to the neighborhood, because most families settle for at least the years it takes for children to finish school.

“Hmm, looks like we have new neighbors…” he hums, hoping they will be as nice as the Kim family was, but he doesn’t concern himself with the matter any further; if by some miracle he doesn’t hear about the new neighbors from Mrs. Lee –yes, he has the privilege of living across the neighborhood’s biggest gossip– he is sure he’ll bump into them sooner or later. It’s a small and welcoming community they live in. His attention is diverted to the opposite direction, when his daughter starts mumbling excitedly and pointing imperatively at the road ahead. “Oh, really, we have to go that way? You’ll lead us to the farmers’ market? I’m impressed, Lay” Baekhyun says playfully, smiling down at his beautiful, smart daughter.

--

Baekhyun settles Lay in her highchair, because it’s time for her mid-morning snack, even though the little girl looks concerned or maybe displeased at the moment, her pink lips pouting. She seems a bit uneasy, probably because he took her away from her play mat and brought her to the table with the grownups, but she brightens up when she sees the sliced peach being served in front of her. If Baekhyun is not busy, he usually takes the snack to her, sitting down beside her and feeding her at the coffee table, which is much more proportionate to her and she can learn its use better, but when there is no time for him to be constantly wiping away fruit syrup from her lips –she barely has three teeth after all, things can get messy– he places her in her highchair, just like for every other meal.

“You are raising such a sweetheart, Baekhyun dear” Mrs. Lee coos at Lay, and the little girl sends her a toothless smile, glossy from the fruit she’s munching. Mrs. Lee chuckles at her cuteness and Baekhyun thanks the woman while patting his daughter’s hair with a smile; she’s a very sweet, social child. Mrs. Lee often praises him for his parenting, mostly because she’s very fond of Lay in the way all women in their sixties like little children, and probably because she thinks he needs the encouragement, being the only single parent in the neighborhood. He doesn’t really, at least not for that reason.

It’s Sunday today and the church finished about an hour ago, not that Baekhyun attends, but Mrs. Lee does, and she came for a visit to her favorite neighbor right after. These visits are not entirely unusual, and thankfully Baekhyun baked a banana cake last night, so he has something to offer her with tea. Mrs. Lee is a widow since a couple of decades ago and she doesn’t have children, but she’s always very agreeable if a little too chatty, hence her tendency to gossiping, although she’s always benevolent; it’s like she has adopted everyone in the neighborhood, in a sense, and she finds anything they do to be important. She visits neighbors regularly as a way of coping with her loneliness, and Baekhyun doesn’t mind her occasional visits; he’s working most of the time, so it’s a good way of keeping up to date with their neighborhood developments.

And of course, their new neighbor is the big news this week.

“So, have you met our new neighbor, Baekhyun dear?” she quires, picking on her slice of banana cake.

“I’m afraid not, Mrs. Lee. Have you?” he smiles politely, even though he knows it’s pointless to ask; of course she would have met him, she’s the first in the neighborhood to introduce herself to new people. The woman lights up at the opportunity to give him the details.

“Oh yes! He’s a tall young man who lives alone, he is single and he doesn’t have a family; I got the impression he’s like Mr. Choi” she sips her tea for a moment. Mr. Choi is a man close to her age who lives alone in a house further down the street. He’s a novelist who never got married, but he likes children and he’s friendly, but very quiet about himself. It doesn’t sound bad for a new neighbor. Mrs. Lee continues with excitement. “He’s a very handsome young man, very friendly and polite; I can tell he will fit right in! He has such a pleasant smile, like a breath of fresh air. Not to imply that you’re not charming, Baekhyun dear, you know I think you’re one of the prettiest fathers in our neighborhood, but this young man…oh how he will tempt the ladies! He’s well-built and quite the looker, not to mention delightful and such a smooth talker!” she giggles, hiding her blushing cheeks.

“I see you already like him” Baekhyun teases her, cleaning Lay’s sticky fingers with a baby wipe. Baby wipes are seriously Holy Grail material. He wonders if she would be as enthusiastic in her descriptions if she knew his intimate preferences; Baekhyun has been gay all his life, but ever since he settled with his daughter, everyone assumes he’s straight. He hasn’t bothered confirming or denying that; it’s not like he has been or will be on a date anytime soon. He’s a full-time daddy. Mrs. Lee fans herself bashfully.

“I’m sorry dear, you’re so easy to talk to that I forget myself! You wouldn’t be interested in such details; I should reserve them for Mrs. Jung. Anyway, this young man visited all the houses in our neighborhood yesterday, introducing himself and bringing cookies to everyone. He stopped by your house as well, but you weren’t home?” she quirks an inquiring eyebrow and Baekhyun smiles at her, giving Lay one of her toys to play with, back on her play mat, before returning to the table.

“We were visiting my friend, Sehun” he informs, knowing that even if the information spreads, it won’t do any harm. Mrs. Lee nods; she has met Sehun, of course, since Baekhyun’s childhood friend often visits their house to spoil Lay, as her self-proclaimed uncle. “Lay adores him and he always complains we never visit him; he even kept us for dinner, so we were out for longer than expected”

“Oh, I see” she hums, sipping her tea. “I advised our neighbor to try his luck with you again today; I hope you don’t mind” she bats her eyelashes innocently, mumbling a compliment for his cake to get on his good side. Baekhyun is mildly surprised, but he guesses he should have expected she would know his schedule so well since she’s living right across.

“My only concern is that he would be disappointed if I happened to be out today as well, Mrs. Lee. Otherwise, I don’t mind” he flashes a polite smile and she relaxes in her seat. Baekhyun offers her another cup of tea and the conversation is forgotten.

--

The week has been hectic, Baekhyun won’t lie. He had to work three overtimes and skip four meals to meet his deadlines, even though Minseok tried to be a good boss and suggested he extended the deadlines to the weekend, but Baekhyun wouldn’t have that. He loves his weekends with his daughter and if he has to die a little to get them, he’ll do just that. He is grateful to Kyungsoo, the doe-eyed man who works at the baby daycare centre, because he always agrees to look after Lay for a couple more hours when Baekhyun needs it; he has become one of the most reliable friends Baekhyun has. He is also lucky that Lay is not a fussy child and she can play by herself quietly while he works on his laptop. He takes his work to the living room, so that she can feel him physically present at least, and to keep an eye on her, but he makes sure to spend at least a full hour of quality time with her every day, giving her all his attention and care. On Saturday, they visited Baekhyun’s parents for the day, which is not a particularly enjoyable obligation for him, but they have to do it nonetheless. This morning they went to the park and they’ve spent the rest of the day at home.

If there is one thing that boosts Baekhyun’s energy for the coming week, it’s the beautiful moments he spends with his daughter. He doesn’t care that he’s still a bit sleep deprived and fatigued or that his bedroom is a mess, because he enjoys being surrounded by heaps of toys to entertain her, singing cheerful children’s songs and having lengthy, nonsensical conversations with her. He likes reading her a book before he puts her to sleep, sweeping her in his arms to waltz around the room after dressing her and cuddling her when she’s fresh out of her bath. Baekhyun loves his daughter and his heart melts and expands every time she shows him that she loves him too. She prefers him to all her toys, and if she’s not singing along to his songs, she stares at him in awe, and in all her jumbled vocabulary, ‘daddy’ is the only word she can say clearly, striking Baekhyun’s soft heart dead on. He is her favorite teddy bear, her idol, her prince, her hero, and Baekhyun has vowed to never let her down, always protect her and love her forever.

It’s nearing bedtime for his little bunny but Baekhyun doesn’t want to believe it, so he ignores the clock on the wall. He’s not sure he won’t regret it tomorrow morning, when he will have to wake her up and take her to baby daycare, but he ignores that concern, too. He is having fun and he doesn’t want to surrender her to sleep yet. They are making flower crowns from small, daisy-like flowers they picked from Mrs. Lee’s front yard earlier, and Lay is currently talking up a storm about who knows what. Baekhyun smiles and concentrates on making out any words, but it’s futile, so he settles with making appropriate exclamations in between her pauses, as feedback.

The bell rings and Baekhyun puts down the flower crown unhurriedly; it’s probably Mrs. Lee checking up on them at this hour, coming home from another of her visits somewhere in the neighborhood. Lay stops talking and frowns at the interruption, watching him get up to get the door, and she makes to follow him on all fours.

“It’s okay, honeycomb, daddy will be right back!” he reassures her, cooing at her from across the room and blindly reaching for the door. When he turns around to look at their visitor, he nearly gets a heart attack.

There is no way in this universe or the next this is happening.

“Hello! I’m your new neighb…” the sentence dies on the man’s lips, his smiling eyes from a moment ago growing impossibly wide, his lips gaping and his complexion paling under the porch light. They stare at each other for a while, silent and equally awestruck. There is a very distinct look a man wears when fate slaps him in the face and unexpectedly turns the world upside down for him, and they’re both wearing it right now. “Baekhyun?!” he calls, his voice pitched in surprise, his eyebrows rising to his hairline in disbelief.

“Chan…Yeol…?” his voice barely comes out of his teeth, confused and breathless. He never thought he’d say that name aloud again, let alone see the very person standing in front of him. He’s the same mixture of a deep voice, a childish face with wide eyes, plum lips and large ears, just like Baekhyun remembers. It’s as if he has not changed or aged a day, even though it’s been two years since they last saw each other. Baekhyun’s heart is beating like crazy –he’s probably gone crazy and imagining all this too– he thinks he’s not breathing and, who are we kidding, he’s about to faint in shock. All the while, his brain is firmly denying everything; this is not happening.

“Oh my god, it’s so good to see you! It’s been so long!” it’s almost unbearable to see Chanyeol smiling at him so radiantly after all this time, pretty rows of too many teeth showing just how thrilled he is. Baekhyun doesn’t even have time to choke before he is enveloped into a hug; he’s thankful for the support of the other’s arms or he would have fainted to the ground. He’s still too shocked to respond however, so he stands limply, staring at Mrs. Lee’s house across the street and trying to make sense of the realty he’s living, until Chanyeol releases him and takes a step back.

“…you’re our new neighbor?” Baekhyun mumbles, his eyebrows tangling in confusion as he looks up at the taller man. Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders and shows a sheepish smile, which makes him look about twenty years younger than he actually is.

“These are for you” he offers the plate he has been holding –and which Baekhyun failed to notice earlier– with a small pile of chocolate brownies in it. Baekhyun remembers Mrs. Lee mentioning something similar about their new neighbor’s visit to every house, but after a week of not hearing from him, Baekhyun thought he’d never stop by, and he quite honestly forgot about it. The gesture is very much like Chanyeol though; he’s a traditional, friendly fluff ball like that. At least he used to be. Baekhyun accepts the brownies politely and Chanyeol grins. “I’m sorry for the late hour, Mrs. Lee said you’re home on Sunday evenings and- OH MY GOD is that a BABY?!” he squeals, looking past Baekhyun and positively glowing in excitement. Baekhyun whirls around so fast that the world spins for a moment, only to see his daughter peeking at them curiously, half-hidden behind the doorframe. He runs to her and scoops her in his arms immediately, panicking a little because he completely forgot about his child for a moment there.

“Oh! Yes, this is my daughter, Byun Lay” he introduces her, bringing her closer to the door. Chanyeol is b with glee and he looks like he’s about to start hopping on his heels in excitement. Lay leans against her daddy coyly, giving the adorable shy blinks at Chanyeol. You femme fatale, you.

“Hi, pretty thing~” Chanyeol’s voice is still excited but much more tender when he greets her, gently caressing her little arm with his index finger. The difference in size is striking. Lay gifts him with a smile before hiding in her father’s neck bashfully. Chanyeol focuses on Baekhyun again, pouting at him half-seriously. “Byun Baekhyun, you got a kid and you didn’t tell me? I feel offended” he huffs stubbornly. He has no right to be this cute after all this time. Baekhyun’s eyes fly around uneasily.

“It’s a long story…” he mumbles glumly, his hand rubbing the little girl’s back reflexively, as if he still needs to soothe her. Chanyeol’s pout fades to a serious expression, realizing Baekhyun’s somber tone.

“Oh.” he breathes and then remains silent. He stares at Baekhyun while the shorter soothes his daughter distractedly, and Baekhyun tries to avoid his eyes because they can always read too deep. Chanyeol has always been able to figure Baekhyun out, even at his most confusing moments, as if he can magically see the stars beyond a sky of clouds. But this is hardly the time, the place and the person to talk about his daughter, and Baekhyun holds on to his composure tooth and nail, trying to make his thoughts and feelings disappear. When the tension becomes too much for Baekhyun, he breaks the silence by clearing his throat.

“I would invite you inside, but it’s late; I have work tomorrow and this little bunny has to go to sleep, so…” he says, hoping Chanyeol will let him change the course of this conversation. The taller man’s demeanor changes drastically, into timid wide eyes and shy glances.

“Yes, of course, I’m sorry I stopped by so late” he apologizes and then smiles at him a little. “But it’s okay, really. I’ll be seeing you around now that we’re neighbors. We can catch up some other time, hm?” he suggests with more than polite interest in his sparkling eyes. Baekhyun’s eyes widen a little, a shiver of dread running down his spine at the realization that what Chanyeol just said is true. His stomach drops. They are neighbors now. He masks his discomfort with a nervous smile.

“Um, sure” he agrees halfheartedly; Chanyeol seems pleased even so.

“Bye, little lady~” Chanyeol waves at Lay and she waves back at him cheerfully. Baekhyun waves too, smiling down at his cute little girl. She is so lovable. When he looks up again, Chanyeol is standing further down the path of their yard, looking at them with an indecipherable smile, partly obscured by shadows. He waves back. “Goodnight”

“Goodnight, thank you for stopping by” Baekhyun calls after him and waits until Chanyeol has stepped out into the street to close the door. Reality sinks in once he’s alone with his daughter, and his ears flame up, his heart picking up the pace. He leans against the door, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. Did this just happen?

((Daddy, who was that tall man? Did you see his eyes? They were big, like my Kyungie teacher’s! But prettier. He looks like my teddy bear, who is he daddy? Can I hug him like my teddy bears?))

Lay finds it an appropriate time to start bombarding him with excited, happy mumbles, as if she’s only now saying all she didn’t say in front of Chanyeol. Baekhyun gives her a good look.

“We shall not talk about this” he refuses and his daughter giggles at her father’s distress.

--

Chanyeol breaks his sprint and stumbles to the side, bending over his knees and gasping for breath. He has been a jogger for years but he’s been running more forcefully these days and it often leaves him short of breath. He wipes away the streams of perspiration on his forehead and starts a slow pace down the path; it’s easier to walk off the breathlessness after an intense run.

The weather is nice today, sunny and fresh. The sunrays slide through the foliage of the trees that arch over the path and dance on the ground, making the grass on the sides of the path shimmer. There are many routes in the park with different scenery, from tall trees to nicely trimmed gardens, even a small bridge somewhere. Chanyeol prefers the more secluded paths, where the air is cool under the shade and it’s generally quieter; it helps him focus. He takes deep breath, easier this time, his mind clearing a little.

He’s been coming to this park for his morning jogs ever since he moved here. Luckily, some of his neighbors are avid runners and they helpfully suggested this location, claiming it was the perfect place for exercising –certainly safer than running around the neighborhood while little children are playing outside. He’s seen some of his neighbors during his morning routes and he always greets them cheerfully, but he never joins them. He prefers running alone because it helps him clear his head; that’s why he runs in the first place. But he’s been running sloppily lately, pushing his body to its limits. There are a lot of things on his mind lately; or maybe just one. Every time he tastes that soaring feeling, similar to an arrow piercing the air, his thoughts go Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun, shattering his concentration. Chanyeol stops walking, closing his eyes and turning his face to the sunny sky.

Never in a million years would he have imagined finding Baekhyun here.

He first met Baekhyun three years ago. Baekhyun had moved into the apartment across from Chanyeol’s –ironically enough– but they hadn’t noticed each other the first few weeks. It wasn’t until Chanyeol saw the smaller man trying to haul a belatedly delivered pile of boxes full of his belongings into his new apartment that he realized he hadn’t seen the man around before. And if you ask Chanyeol, he still thinks that the petite man clad in disheveled sky blue pjs was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. Being a good neighbor, Chanyeol offered his help and, being considerably smitten, he introduced himself. Baekhyun offered to buy him coffee as a token of gratitude for his help and, after a morning spent over coffee and cake, they hit it off like they had known each other for years.

Baekhyun effortlessly became the sunshine in Chanyeol’s life, but after just one short year of blissful friendship, of brunch dates, movie marathons, sleepovers, stormy night cuddling sessions and secretly blooming feelings, life got in the way. It made Chanyeol cherish and regret every stolen moment he had basked near Baekhyun’s glowing warmth, but nothing could be done. Baekhyun had to move abroad for an internship and Chanyeol had to be happy for him. So, Baekhyun left on a windy Thursday, leaving him an address. It was around that time Chanyeol started jogging to get his mind off of things; it soon became painfully obvious to him that he was missing more than a friend. They exchanged letters for a while, mostly making friendly inquiries and exchanging information anyone would expect to be mentioned; Chanyeol could tell Baekhyun was busy, and then he got busy himself, landing a better job. Eventually they lost touch. Chanyeol tried reaching out again after a full year of silence, mailing a letter to Baekhyun on one particularly rainy and lonely November 27th, but his letter was returned to sender.

That’s when Chanyeol realized that sunshine had essentially disappeared from his life that Thursday, two years ago.

--

For the first time in years, Baekhyun feels thankful he’s so busy. He leaves his house early in the morning and comes home in the afternoon, spending the rest of the day in his house, busy with chores and investing in bonding time with his daughter. He’s always protected by walls and windows, be it his house, his office or his car, which means he doesn’t have to worry about run-ins with certain neighbors. Cough, Chanyeol, cough. He is simply not ready to face that truth. He knows deep down, however, that this can’t go on forever. At some point, he’ll probably have to figure things out with Chanyeol, more or less awkwardly. I just won’t do it today, that’s all; that’s what he tells himself. Every morning.

The week passes as merrily as any, even though Lay complains for the lack of outdoor activities; she likes being outside and the sunny weather is not helping Baekhyun’s case, tempting her to go out even more. Thankfully, Baekhyun still has a say in what their activities consist of –try asking again in a couple of years–, and he limits them indoors. He tries to be inventive, moving past hide-and-seek and talking teddy bears, to puzzles, soap bubbles and even hand painting! He made edible paints himself with food coloring and he risked a red-splattered wall for this; at least Lay enjoyed it, so the small stain on the edge of the carpet is worth it.

It’s the first time Baekhyun accepts his parents’ invitation to visit for the second weekend in a row, and the first time the aforementioned visit is not pleasant per se, but at least bearable. Instead of spending his Sunday evening worrying over a certain someone paying them another visit, Baekhyun takes his daughter to a play café, where he can drink his coffee while she socializes and plays with other toddlers; he even finds a couple of familiar parents from daycare and socializes himself. It’s unexpectedly invigorating to confide in people who are going through the same struggles as you, as far as your child’s developmental achievements are concerned. They reach home late at night, both tired and ready to embrace their beds.

The first days of the following week are a blur of budget numbers and laundry, until on Wednesday evening, Baekhyun finds out their food supplies have nearly diminished. He groans in front of the virtually empty fridge. Lay babbles something from her play mat in response.

“It looks like we’re going to the market, honeycomb” he announces, sounding excited for his child’s sake. On the inside, true to his overworked body and couch potato qualities, he’s wailing miserably for having to go outside, brooding over the soon-to-be-lost comfort of his home. On the contrary, Lay seems enthusiastic to go outside, mumbling in between giggles and doing grabby hands until he picks her up and takes her upstairs to change her clothes. She doesn’t stop her little speech while he dresses her in the nursery room, and some of her excitement rubs off on him, improving his mood.

“What are you mumbling about, honeycomb, I’d really like to know sometimes” he coos at her while fixing the suspenders of her skirt –she’s fashionable– and then he pretends to eat her childishly chubby cheeks, lightly mouthing and kissing them while making roaring noises; she laughs loudly, because she’s ticklish on her neck, and it’s the most beautiful sound Baekhyun has ever had the privilege of hearing.

Lay is very energetic during the car ride, singing to herself in gibberish and swinging her legs playfully, or talking in her own language about the things she sees outside. Baekhyun can tell some of it is directed at him and he glances at her through the rearview mirror when it’s safe to do so; she looks so cute in the baby seat. Once they are at the market store, Baekhyun places her in the designated seat of a cart and together they start strolling down the aisles, picking necessities as they go. She’s quieter now, choosing to observe her surroundings rather than talk. Baekhyun still talks to her every now and then though.

He doesn’t know if Wednesday is generally a market-shopping day, but half his neighborhood seems to be in the store; Baekhyun makes sure to greet everyone he knows with a smile and maybe a few polite words if they’re standing close enough. It’s very lively and a bit noisy, especially closer to the candy aisle, which Baekhyun usually tries to avoid. Little children speed by, ignoring their parents’ admonishments not to run in the store, chirping a ‘hello Mr. Byun!’ as they pass him. He greets them all by name. Five-year-old Jongin asks if he can teach Lay how to play ball, and Baekhyun tells him that he’ll have to wait until Lay can walk at least before they ask her. His parents laugh but Jongin seems hyped, hopping on his little feet. This shopping trip might not be so bad after all.

The crowd thins out gradually and Baekhyun finds himself in the diary aisle, lazily pushing down an already heavy-ish cart. Lay mumbles and points at her favorite children’s yogurt, recognizing the unmistakably bright and colorful packaging. Baekhyun has to tiptoe a little to reach it, but he manages, as always.

“Of course we wouldn’t forget your yogurt, honeycomb! We want you to grow into a healthy little girl” he says, adding the package to the rest. She’s looking at him with that look again, the wonderstruck sparkly one, like he is a hero who just saved the world. Baekhyun can’t resist cooing at her and playing with her black locks a little. “You are so pretty and smart already, what is daddy going to do with you in the future?”

Someone clears their throat nearby and Baekhyun practically shoots straight, eyes wide in embarrassment. With all the comfortable greetings he has exchanged with his neighbors and the cheery conversations he has had with his daughter, Baekhyun completely forgot one tiny giant problem he has been having over the past ten days or so, only for said problem to appear in front of him, while he was being an utterly whipped daddy no less.

Of course it would be Park Chanyeol.

“Good evening, Baekhyun” he greets in his deep voice, not caring to hide his amused smile. Baekhyun is sure he has witnessed the whole embarrassing scene and it’s killing his manly pride, but he’s more anxious of the excited glint in Chanyeol’s eyes. An excited Chanyeol with a purpose –Baekhyun has a looming feeling his purpose this time is relevant to him– is a persistent, sweet-talking, pout-till-the-other-person-says-yes Chanyeol, whom you can’t fight off successfully. Baekhyun knows from experience. Chanyeol’s attention shifts to the little girl and he lowers himself to her eyelevel, his smile growing friendly. “Hi, Lay~ Are you helping your daddy with shopping?” Lay responds with a flurry of excited mumbles and sounds, being the friendly creature she usually is, and Chanyeol listens to her attentively, his eyebrow quirking in surprise at the completely different treatment she is giving him since their first, shy encounter.

“Um, we’re shopping for the week” Baekhyun provides a bit awkwardly once Lay has quieted down. He hopes he is not blushing too obviously after being acknowledged as her daddy by Chanyeol; why would it even matter? His brain focuses on really irrelevant stuff at times. Chanyeol nods and shows them a blinding, carefree smile.

“I can tell” he says, and it’s time for another wave of blushing embarrassment to cascade down on Baekhyun. Since he had been planning to make this a short trip to the market, he didn’t concern himself with his appearance in particular; no one requires you to be put-together during such outings anyway. And, for a single father like himself, comfort is key. Which means worn out sweatpants and conveniently roomy t-shirts are haute couture. At some point you stop caring if your clothes make you look good, because it’s not like you’re rocking the body you had when you were twenty either, and since the looser version allows you to chase after your toddler more easily, it’s downhill from there. It’s considered acceptable dress code among parents, so no one cared to notice earlier.

But Chanyeol noticed now and Baekhyun wants to maybe hide behind that stack of powdered baby food over there. Maybe jeans and a simple black hoodie is not what you would expect from a man on the late side of his twenties either, but Chanyeol flaunts the look perfectly and Baekhyun wishes his comfortable attire was something as presentable. His sweatpants are a faded shade of grey and his blue t-shirt could probably fit Lay in it too, sporting a large print of ‘Best Daddy Ever’ on the front –a gift from Sehun, only because he got himself a matching ‘Best Uncle Ever’ t-shirt and he didn’t want Baekhyun to throw a fit– messy hair and dark circles being the cherry on top. To put it simply, he looks abhorrent. Mercifully, Chanyeol doesn’t comment on it.

“I thought I’d be seeing you around, but you guys seem to be rather busy bees” he says instead, pushing his cart next to Baekhyun’s as they walk towards the vegetables section. Lay giggles at the alliteration of ‘b’s. Baekhyun risks a glance and he finds Chanyeol peering at him with curiosity.

“It happens sometimes” when I’m trying to avoid you. Baekhyun shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly, pretending to be innocently occupied with reading the tags over the fruits. Lay cheers when she spots a pile of peaches, pointing at them –it is safe to say it’s one of her favorite foods. Baekhyun pats her hair, reassuring her he has seen them indeed.

“Someone likes peaches, huh?” Chanyeol notices with interest, smiling down at her when she starts responding to him, with wide eyes and grand gestures of her little arms, as if she’s trying to explain to him how majestic she finds peaches. Chanyeol chuckles and there’s a hint of fondness at the sound. “She’s chatty, like you. It’s cute” he muses with a soft smile. The comment makes Baekhyun flush to his hairline momentarily and he picks up his pace, praying to god no one will notice his fluster.

“Um…” he mumbles and then clears his throat with embarrassment. He picks up a bag of onions and throws them in his cart.

“So, do you think you can fit some time with me in your busy schedule?” Chanyeol picks up the former topic and Baekhyun is not so sure he’s relieved they dropped the previous one anymore. Chanyeol is persistent and Baekhyun should have foreseen he wouldn’t drop the subject as easily.

“What for?” he tries to doge –in a totally not suspicious voice, mind you. At this, Chanyeol stops moving and Baekhyun stops too, as if they were supposed to be moving side by side. Chanyeol looks at him in the eyes with a composed expression.

“To catch up, maybe have some coffee” he elaborates, entertaining Baekhyun’s elusiveness. Baekhyun gives him an empty look, as if he still cannot understand why they would be required to spend time together. Lay starts humming a childish tune and Chanyeol rolls his large eyes at Baekhyun’s stubbornness. “Come on, Baekhyun; I haven’t seen you in two years and now I find you with a child. I’m obviously very curious and not ashamed to admit it” he says. His voice is quiet, but so deep and chocolaty that it qualifies for sweet-talking at its finest. Baekhyun doesn’t see a way out of this, not even if he grabs his child and makes a run out of the place. Chanyeol lives across the street; it’s only a matter of time before they accidentally bump into each other again.

“I don’t know, Chanyeol, we’re a bit…Lay’s a bit…” he stutters, glancing around and gesturing at Lay in general. The child keeps looking at her daddy and then at the tall man next to him confusedly, to and fro. What about me, daddy? Chanyeol gives up with a sigh when it’s obvious Baekhyun is not about to make his argument any more convincing sometime soon and this situation only seems to be distressing the child.

“Not even for coffee? Just for one hour?” he pleads. Cue the infamous pout. Baekhyun can feel his resolve wavering at the sight of those glossy full lips, paired with wide puppy eyes and adorably large ears. The sight is tugging at his heartstrings in a distantly familiar way; it reminds Baekhyun of bickering over movie titles and Chinese takeout.

The market employee calls for his attention just then –it’s very anticlimactic, but it gives him an excuse to drop the conversation with Chanyeol. He smiles at the cashier who coos at Lay and he starts pulling out his purchases diligently. In his haste he fails to notice Chanyeol helping him take everything out of the cart. He notices only when he realizes it weren’t his hands that took out Lay’s favorite yogurt. He stares at him, feeling clueless for a moment; Chanyeol only returns a fleeting smile and keeps helping wordlessly. Baekhyun accepts the help, not knowing what else he is supposed to do.

“Okay, I’ll let you think about it” Chanyeol suggests when they finish, and Baekhyun is this close to wailing his woes to the universe. Is there no mercy?! “My number hasn’t changed; maybe you can give me a call?” he smiles a little, giving Baekhyun hopeful puppy eyes. Well, that step is new in his persuasive routine…Baekhyun presses his lips thoughtfully for a moment and then sighs in defeat; he might as well admit his weakness and retire painlessly. A cup of coffee can’t hurt, right?

“Fine…”

--

Chanyeol flops onto the bed, fresh out of the shower. The days are getting hotter as summer approaches, so he goes for a run late in the evenings, but he comes home drenched in sweat nonetheless. He feels so much better now, clean skin resting on clean linen sheets. He stretches and his body feels numb for the most part, but tomorrow he will be suffering, he can feel it. Today he spent seven hours working on his composition nonstop, hunched over the desk, and then he ran till he felt his lungs would burst; his body is quite weary, as is his mind. It’s only eight thirty in the afternoon and he feels so sleepy already. Since he is pleased with his work’s progress, he thinks he will allow himself to sleep like the dead until tomorrow morning.

This sort of long, uninterrupted slumber is a miracle that he has experienced only ever since he moved here. Generally speaking, he’s a light sleeper, and he has often had sleepless nights due to the constant buzzing and bustling of the city. But it’s different here; everything grows very quiet at night, except for an occasional passing car or a puppy whimper. It’s one of the reasons Chanyeol aimed for a house in the suburbs once he could afford it. He thinks he’s old enough, being twenty eight and profitably employed, to settle in a well composed, stable life. His father complains that he should get a wife and children while he’s at it, but Chanyeol knows that won’t be happening.

He searches for his phone on his nightstand blindly; it’s been there since he silenced the alarm this morning and he hasn’t bothered to check on it ever since. He was busy, and it’s not like he gets many calls on a regular basis. His eyes are burning when he opens them to check the screen. There is a message from Luhan, his music producer, about his upcoming deadline, but it’s only a laidback reminder –he knows Chanyeol always delivers his pieces on time. There is also a voice message, and Chanyeol taps on it, letting his phone slide out of his hand and fall on the bed as he closes his tired eyes.

“Hi, Chanyeol; this is Baekhyun. Um, about that coffee you mentioned…We’ll be home this Saturday, maybe you’d like to come over? Just, let me know beforehand. Uhh…Bye.”

Chanyeol’s eyes snap wide open, his heart picking up its pace. He grabs his phone and fumbles with it to listen to the message again, just to make sure he heard correctly. Holy sh…it worked! Baekhyun actually called! Judging by his halfhearted promise to call, Chanyeol thought he’d have to search for him somewhere around the neighborhood and beg for some of his precious time again, his pride be damned. But it seems Lady Luck is smiling down at Chanyeol this time, and the sun is starting to break through the clouds in Chanyeol’s sky.

Moving to this quiet neighborhood was supposed to be a first step to start settling down in his life; he never thought he’d rediscover the person who stole his heart and disappeared two years ago as his new neighbor. Chanyeol has so many questions regarding those two years of absence, he has so many mixed and confusing emotions. Baekhyun’s hair is black now and his face is softer, but he still is the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. It’s ridiculous, how it didn’t take more than five minutes of stuttered, awkward conversation for Chanyeol to know his heart is right where he left it, with Baekhyun. His sister would roll her eyes at him and judge him so hard if she knew –which reminds Chanyeol, he should call her sometime.

Nevertheless, a hopeful smile spreads on his lips, thinking that he has an invitation to the Byun house for the upcoming Saturday. Chanyeol types a message to suggest a time for his visit, and Baekhyun answers not five minutes later that the time is okay and they’ll be expecting him. Chanyeol also wishes him goodnight before he turns himself into a cinnamon roll with the blankets and replays the voice message, this time just to hear how adorably awkward Baekhyun sounds.

--

When the door knocks, Baekhyun is in the middle of picking up stray stuffed animals from the floor; Lay has been very active today and her toys are everywhere, so Baekhyun had better take advantage of her short absence to tide up a bit –they are expecting guests, after all…Not noticing the time and thinking it’s probably his mother, who has taken ten steps down the road with Lay before turning around and coming back to nag at him some more about whatever parenting skill she thinks he doesn’t have, he gathers everything in his arms and opens the door with a little difficulty.

Park Chanyeol is definitely not his mother.

“Oh, hi” Baekhyun mumbles, his voice coming out strange because he’s holding a pile of stuffed animals in place with his chin. His eyes widen a bit, realizing how ridiculous he must look with an armful of toys. He should have been checking the clock more regularly to calculate how much time he’d have till Chanyeol came over. Well, he’s here now.

“Hello” the taller greets with a smile which may or may not be sparkling joyfully. “Let me help you with this” he offers quickly, taking some of the most precariously piled toys out of Baekhyun’s hands. Baekhyun is usually a little paranoid with strangers touching his daughter’s toys, but the instinct doesn’t kick in this time and he simply lets Chanyeol gather some teddies in one arm. He even has to hold back a smile, watching Chanyeol being careful with the stuffed animals to the point he holds them all upright, as if they would be hurt or offended if he held them upside down or sideways.

“Thank you” Baekhyun can speak more clearly now that his load has lessened, and he dares smile a little before moving quickly into the house. “Come in” he calls over his shoulder and Chanyeol follows hesitantly, closing the door behind them. Baekhyun leads the way to the living room. “You can leave them here” he says as he unceremoniously dumps all the toys he’s holding on the play mat, straightening his posture and dusting off his jeans. Yes, he took the trouble of wearing jeans today, Chanyeol should feel honored. Chanyeol is more careful when he deposits the toys into the pile, but allow Baekhyun to know better; those stuffed animals have been pulled, squashed, strangled, bitten and hurled on the wall by Lay, they can handle as much.

“I brought apple pie” he says with a small smile, handing a plate to Baekhyun. Why is he always bringing things? Baekhyun recognizes the pie when he sees it, with the characteristic caramelized half-moon apple slices on top; it’s one of Chanyeol’s baking specialties –and one of Baekhyun’s favorites. Given Lay eats a very specific amount of sugar each day, this is all going to Baekhyun’s hips.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to” he accepts bashfully and cracks a fond smile at the memory of devouring this pie for breakfast when they used to have sleepovers at Chanyeol’s apartment. He starts for the kitchen, nodding for Chanyeol to follow him; he looks so lost now that his arms are empty. Baekhyun guesses it’s reasonable, since it’s his first time inside the house. It has an open space design for the living room, the dining room and the kitchen, which comes very handy on occasions when Baekhyun needs to supervise his daughter playing in the living room while he is cooking something.

“Where’s the cutie?” Chanyeol asks, looking around curiously when they reach the kitchen island. Baekhyun takes out two plates to serve pie for both of them.

“She’s out for a walk with my mother, they shouldn’t take long to return” he glances at the clock. His mother visited unexpectedly and she insisted she took Lay out for a walk. He relented only because Lay looked so eager to go; he put firm time restrictions on them though. He doesn’t like being separated from his girl, it makes him anxious. “Maybe it’s better this way…” he mumbles, placing the plates on the dining table and politely motioning at Chanyeol to sit down. The taller seems concerned, but he takes the seat. Baekhyun turns to the kitchen again, still thoughtful. “I need to tell you a few things about Lay” he says quietly while pulling out two cups from the cupboard.

He knows he has some explaining to do, because he’s vastly responsible they lost touch. Baekhyun doesn’t mind any other story they might happen to share in the context of ‘catching up’, but there are a few things he doesn’t like talking about in front of his daughter. She probably wouldn’t understand them yet, but he fears they might make her sad. This is a good time to get those things out of the way. “Coffee?” he chirps over his shoulder.

“Yes, please” Chanyeol says, his concerned frown smoothing out almost too fast for Baekhyun to notice. Baekhyun prepares their coffee in silence. Chanyeol doesn’t attempt to remind him how he drinks his coffee, but it’s not like Baekhyun would need to be reminded. He still remembers just fine, as if it were his own preference. He sets their cups on the table and takes a seat across from Chanyeol. Ideally, they’d start with a lighter conversation topic, maybe he could tell Chanyeol about his internship abroad, or ask him about his life during the past two years, but this is too rare a chance to pass and Baekhyun really wants to explain. Chanyeol is patient enough to sip on his coffee for a bit, withstanding the heavy silence in the house, before he cautiously prods. “So…what about Lay?”

“Lay is my daughter” Baekhyun starts, staring at the swirling coffee in his cup, not quite sure if he’s saying it to convince the man across from him or himself. “She is mine, my little honeycomb. And I love her, I love being her daddy and I want to raise her properly. She’s the best thing I’ll ever have. She’s my daughter. But…” Baekhyun’s expression wavers with an equally unsteady sigh, his eyelids fluttering “…biologically, Lay is not my child”

“Are you kidding me, Baekhyun? She looks just like you” Chanyeol raises a skeptical eyebrow. He’s right to be doubtful, because Lay admittedly looks a lot like Baekhyun; dark hair, fair skin, similar eyes which give the same gaze –under her chubby baby features, she would probably look like him even more. With their resemblance, no one has ever even assumed adoption; even though there’s never been any hint of a woman in his life, anyone who sees them together is convinced about their relation in a heartbeat. Baekhyun glances down at his cup for a moment before speaking in a very quiet voice, barely above a whisper.

“That’s because, biologically, she is my niece” He winces a little; it feels like blasphemy to say that and it’s impossible for him to even think of her as such, as anything other than his lovely daughter. It’s almost funny how fast Chanyeol’s expression changes. His eyebrows smooth out, his eyes widen, his jaw slacks.

“Your sister was pregnant?” he asks in a hushed voice, a little breathless. Baekhyun nods. Of course Chanyeol knows he had a sister, just like Baekhyun knows about Chanyeol’s older sister, Yura; it’s not like they’re complete strangers, quite the opposite. They used to talk about their families enough for Chanyeol to know that Baekhyun’s sister used to be a lone wolf in principle, lessening the possibility of her ever settling down and having a family. His surprise is understandable; Baekhyun had been quite dumbstruck himself at first.

“Yeah, she decided to give IVF a shot; she really wanted to have a child” he explains, fidgeting with the cup in front of him, his lips quirking in a small smile. He remembers how excited his sister was, how much she had prepared for it, how much more happy and affectionate she had become; she would have been a good mother, he’s sure of it. “The problem is, she didn’t get to enjoy it” his smile falls and he bites his lips a little sadly; life can be really unfair sometimes… “After she gave birth she fell ill. She didn’t even get out of the hospital, and before long she…” he trails off, eyes downcast. It’s still difficult for him to talk about it; he sighs, pressing his fingers against his cup to keep himself together.

“Baek, you don’t have to tell me this; it makes you sad” Chanyeol’s voice is low and gentle, caring, and it wraps around the nickname effortlessly, as if not a day has passed. Baekhyun’s heart squeezes; even after all this time, he is putting Baekhyun’s happiness above everything else. Chanyeol’s concerned expression, droopy eyes and pouty lips, perfect eyebrows frowning, makes him look so helpless and despondent that Baekhyun wants to hug him. There was a time when he wouldn’t think twice about it, but it has been two years since then…He extends an inviting hand on the table instead, and Chanyeol reaches for it, like he would always do.

“It’s okay” he says with a small smile for comfort. Chanyeol starts caressing Baekhyun’s hand soothingly, and it does strange things inside Baekhyun; his heart melts a little and a sole butterfly flutters in his stomach. It’s been two years since then, and yet…“She wanted me to take care of the baby” he continues his explanation, feeling the warmth of Chanyeol’s fingers sipping under his skin. “She asked me personally, and she had already arranged all the papers. My mother offered to take Lay” Baekhyun scoffs at that. It’s all they ever argue about, and she makes sure to make his life miserable. “She still thinks she should be the one to raise Lay actually; but I wanted her. I want her. I love her. She is my child, Chanyeol” he stares right into Chanyeol’s eyes, squeezing his hand, as if pleading him to understand just how big a part of him his daughter has become.

“I know” Chanyeol says in a quiet voice, tightening his hold on Baekhyun’s hand; the gesture is reassuring. Chanyeol is staring deep into his eyes, seeing right through the veils of his soul, but he frowns a little then. “You should have told me, Baekhyun. When your sister passed, I mean” Baekhyun averts his eyes to the table, suddenly feeling very exposed. Chanyeol can see too deep in him sometimes. “You didn’t have to go through this alone, I would have been there for you. I was right where you left me” he says, voice still soft but sounding hurt and small. It makes Baekhyun feel like a horrible person, his stomach wringing.

“I’m really sorry for that, Chanyeol. I didn’t mean to” his lips curve apologetically and he looks at Chanyeol from under his lashes, only briefly before dedicating his gaze to the table. He never meant to disappear. He got busy and he stupidly neglected him while he was abroad, and when he came back he spent all his time helping his sister during the final months of her pregnancy; he often thought of Chanyeol but never got the courage to contact him after a few months of silence had passed. When things turned out the way they did and he found himself caring after a child, it got easier to alleviate his guilt. He can only imagine what Chanyeol must have thought of his abrupt disappearance. Chanyeol sighs.

“It’s okay, Baek; I just wish I knew” he nudges the hand he is holding and Baekhyun looks up to see Chanyeol wearing a small smile, one of forgiveness and restored friendship. His heart flutters hopefully; can he really have Chanyeol back? His own lips have just started smiling back, when the front door opens and a flurry of babbling child words echoes in the house. Whatever moment they might have been having is broken and Baekhyun jumps out of his seat instantly, releasing Chanyeol’s hand and running to the door to get his sweetie pie. He takes Lay from his mother’s arms and she clings onto him happily, still mumbling about her adventures.

“Honeycomb, you’re back! Did you have fun? Was it fun? Did you miss daddy?” because daddy certainly missed you. He kisses her cheeks while bringing her to the kitchen, his heart beating joyfully. He’s vaguely aware of his mother following them. He holds Lay close, as if trying to make up for the time they spent separate, while she keeps trying to hug him back with her little arms. His mother scoffs behind him; she always thinks he’s spoiling her, but Baekhyun always ignores her.

Lay giggles when she spots Chanyeol, looking at him and mumbling things even faster, if that is possible. Baekhyun chuckles at Chanyeol’s stunned, speechless look. “Did you hear? Lay was outside today and she had a great time!” he translates animatedly and the taller finally cracks a smile, which soon becomes wide and brilliant. He reaches to caress Lay’s little calf with his index finger gently, just like the first time; he seems very careful when touching her, as if he’s afraid she’ll break. It’s greatly endearing.

“Oh, you have guests” his mother notes, unimpressed, making her presence known. Her voice is so flat that borders on rude. Baekhyun had almost forgotten about her. He turns around and gives her a probably futile warning look to play nice before introducing said guest.

“Mom, this is Chanyeol. Chanyeol, this is my mother” he says simply. She doesn’t need to know anything further and complicate things.

“Good evening, Mrs. Byun, nice to meet you” Chanyeol stands up politely, offering the woman a smile. It’s the perfect introduction, composed, friendly and charming. Baekhyun glances at his mother to catch her reaction; and it’s not pretty. She raises one eyebrow and scrutinizes Chanyeol from head to toe, with hefty disapproval. It never sat quite well with her that Baekhyun prefers male partners and, even though he’s obviously given up the concept of dating people altogether, she still eyes all his friends with suspicion. Even Sehun was proclaimed a bad influence by her last week, because he’s another man and not a woman figure in Lay’s life; well, he’s been a man ever since Baekhyun met him in primary school, go figure.

“Yes…” she mumbles after an awkward silence, and Chanyeol puts on a brave smile, bowing a little and retreating to his seat obediently. Considering that Chanyeol is not completely dense and that Baekhyun’s mother is never shy of showing her emotions on her face, Chanyeol’s reaction was admirably gallant. Baekhyun raises an eyebrow and shakes his head at his mother but she promptly disregards it. “Baekhyun, make sure she eats all of her dinner” she says instead, sounding unnecessarily strict; frigid, if he may say so.

“Why does nana always think I don’t feed you enough?” Baekhyun coos at his daughter, giving her Eskimo kisses by rubbing their noses. She giggles, cradling his cheeks in her tiny hands.

“She’s thinner than last month!” his mothers protests, lifting her hands on her waist and reminding Baekhyun of times when he’d come home with dirty clothes and scratched knees from playing football.

“Because she is growing taller and she moves around a lot more, isn’t that so, honeycomb?” he answers, smiling at his daughter, who is too busy trying to look down at Chanyeol, while the latter is smiling up at her and caressing her calf carefully like before. His mother groans a little in response.

According to his mother, Baekhyun can’t do anything right as far as parenting is concerned, and this week she is under the impression he’s not feeding Lay properly, even though he would never forget his daughter’s meals and his mother has no reason to think otherwise. Her criticism is something that simply happens and he doesn’t have a chance to avoid it; last week it was her nap time, the week before that it was her water consumption. It’s always something.

“What about your dinner?” she jabs after a moment, sounding annoyed, tapping her foot against the floor; but he can tell she’s concerned, too. She’s his mother, after all.

“I’ll cook something later” he shrugs his shoulders casually, patting Lay on the back because she has started growing restless in his arms, probably hoping that Chanyeol will stop only touching her and finally start playing with her properly. His mother keeps staring at him expectantly and Baekhyun stares back blankly. He won’t be inviting her to stay for dinner anytime soon, if that’s what she’s trying to achieve by glaring at him.

“Well I should go, your father will be expecting me” she says suddenly after a long, awkward silence. Baekhyun doesn’t feel sorry. She busies herself by fixing her clothes and hair, always so fussy and uptight, as if to prove she can do parenting and be perfect in everything, in contrast to Baekhyun, who sometimes finds himself struggling. She smiles at Lay, waving at her; it’s like Baekhyun had been talking to a completely different person two seconds ago. “Bye sugar plum” she coos.

“Bye nana” Baekhyun waves alongside Lay, even though his mother doesn’t give him the honor of acknowledging him –or even Chanyeol, just for pretenses’ sake. His mother disappears behind the door without a last glance, seeing herself out. After he hears the door closing, Baekhyun sighs and kisses Lay’s temple. What to do with your incorrigible nana…He turns around to find Chanyeol sitting quietly, his smile small and uncomfortable. “I’m sorry, Chanyeol…she’s a good woman, I just bring out the worst in her” Baekhyun apologizes for his mother’s scornful behavior. Chanyeol shakes his head dismissively.

“I’m a big boy, don’t mind me” he waves nonchalantly. Baekhyun feels slightly relieved by his response but he still feels guilty on behalf of his mother. “Will you…be okay?” Chanyeol’s question is hesitant but clearly concerned, and it catches him by surprise. Baekhyun shifts Lay in his arms nervously before glancing at the clock, to keep his eyes safely away from Chanyeol’s insightful gaze.

“I’ll be okay” he says in a quiet voice, flashing a short smile. He’s always okay, for Lay. “Well, I should really start on dinner then” he changes the subject, avoiding Chanyeol’s unconvinced stare. Lay mumbles something, looking at the clock as well; Baekhyun always tries to follow their schedule for meals and sleep as accurately as possible. He would love to spend some more time with Chanyeol today, but his daughter’s needs come first. The latter is smiling at them in an unreadable way when Baekhyun turns to look at him again, and Baekhyun blames that for blurting out the first thing that comes to mind. “Will you join us?”

Did he just invite Chanyeol to stay for dinner? Like, dinner with him and Lay, that infallibly messy ordeal with food ending up everywhere for grand finale? That was not the plan; he was supposed to ask if Chanyeol would like another cup of coffee and steal, perhaps, another half hour with him, before sending him away to fulfill his parenting duties. What am I doing?

“If you’ll have me” Chanyeol agrees easily, smiling happily, and Baekhyun nearly forgets how to breathe. Let’s just agree for sanity’s sake that people just don’t glow under kitchen lighting, but the sight makes Baekhyun’s heart stutter indecisively. Trying to hide the panic alarm going off in his head in full blast, Baekhyun nods and takes Lay to her play mat with wobbly steps. This evening is going to be interesting, if he manages to survive.

Chanyeol offers to watch over Lay while Baekhyun cooks, since Baekhyun won’t allow him to help in the kitchen, but Baekhyun checks on them often, glancing over his shoulder or openly staring at them from across the space –like any concerned parent would do, he’s totally not checking Chanyeol out. Chanyeol is sitting down on the play mat with Lay, looking huge in comparison to his surroundings. He stays very still, as if afraid to touch anything. He is smiling but he looks so lost while Lay piles toys in front of him, mumbling things in various voices, and Baekhyun cranes his neck curiously, trying to get a better view of his daughter’s ploys. He laughs at the picture when he realizes what she’s been trying to do, much to Chanyeol’s dismay. Oh, his ever lovely daughter…

“She is introducing her favorite toys to you, Chanyeol” he calls from the kitchen and a look of enlightenment shines across Chanyeol’s features.

“Ah, I see! Nice to meet you, teddy bears~” he bows formally to every teddy bear, but he still refuses to move or touch anything after that, responding to Lay with smiles and gentle hums, sometimes exclamations that seem appropriate. But Lay’s intensions get confusing once again, because she moves her toys back and forth, sorting them according to her unknown criteria, before piling them on the floor in front of Chanyeol’s crossed legs. She looks up at him expectantly, mumbling a few words, but Chanyeol returns a confused, helpless and apologetic look. Baekhyun mediates again.

“You can play with her, Chanyeol” he urges with a smile, leaning his elbows against the kitchen island comfortably. Both Chanyeol and Lay turn their wide eyes to look at him.

“Are you sure?” Chanyeol seems hesitant, as if he is afraid to do it. Well, am I sure? There are only three people on the planet allowed to play with Lay: Baekhyun, his mother and Sehun. It’s another thing Baekhyun is paranoid about, and if anyone else tries to approach her, he hovers close by to make sure nothing goes wrong. It’s against his instinct to turn his back to his child while she’s with a stranger. But Chanyeol doesn’t feel like a stranger; it’s been two years since he last saw the man, but it feels like it was only yesterday.

“Well, it looks like she really wants to play with you, so why not?” Baekhyun shrugs and smiles, seeing the small shrine of toys Lay has built for Chanyeol. Lay blinks up at the taller man pleadingly and Chanyeol reluctantly shows a cheerful smile.

“Okay, princess, let’s play” he agrees and Lay lights up with the force of a million suns. She bombards Chanyeol with enthusiastic mumbles and gestures, which are naturally not coherent enough for adults, but Chanyeol looks like he’s making an effort to keep up. When he takes initiative after a while of consideration, picking a grey koala in his lap, Lay quiets down and watches carefully, willingly cooperating to play a game with the adult. Her communication skills might not always be very efficient, but she understands everything and she is always trying to adapt, showing interest and responding to her play partners, learning the appropriate behavior through trial and error. Baekhyun has learnt to do the same for her in every aspect, not just play time.

Chanyeol manages to lure her into a game of peek-a-boo, moving the koala’s arms over its eyes and wondering in a cute voice where Lay just disappeared to, before removing the arms of the teddy, cheering he has found her and proceeding to make the koala hug her. The house reverberates with Chanyeol’s deep voice straining to sound cute, Lay’s mumbles, and sometimes her excited claps. They both look so happy and childish and excited, it’s as if there is a bubble separating them from the world, and Baekhyun can’t get enough of their sweetness. Baekhyun is so fascinated, watching the two interact from his perch in the kitchen, that he almost forgets about the food on the stove –okay, the noodles might have turned out a bit soggy, but let’s pretend that’s just his cooking style.

((I know this game! Daddy plays it with me sometimes! I can play it too, tall man! Watch me, watch me!))

Lay mumbles energetically then, this time looking at Chanyeol instead of the koala he’s holding, and Chanyeol looks surprised she’s addressing him all of a sudden. Then Lay proceeds to attempt doing peek-a-boo too, covering her eyes with clumsy little hands and cooing in a singsong voice before opening them again and giggling, her eyes turning into smiling crescents as she looks up at Chanyeol.

“Whoa, you’re so smart, princess! That was perfect!” Chanyeol praises her enthusiastically and Baekhyun joins him.

“I’m so proud of you, my little honeycomb! You did great!” he cheers from the kitchen, nothing like his ugly sobbing at her cuteness on the inside. How can this be my child, what have I done to deserve her? The child glows in glee and does peek-a-boo again, earning more praises from both men and giggling even more. Unfortunately, at this point Baekhyun has to return to his cooking, if any part of his stir-fry vegetables is to remain un-charred. Chanyeol keeps playing with Lay, showering her with compliments, and it feels strange but nice for Baekhyun, to be able to trust his daughter in good hands.

Dinner with Chanyeol turns out to be an interesting experience which Baekhyun survives, even though the food is far from optimally cooked and Baekhyun’s conversations with Chanyeol are broken and scattered on the table, since he needs to be checking on Lay constantly. He tries to make sure she eats properly without making a mess –which is an unheard of, superhuman feat–, and it turns out to be practically impossible, but all is good after baby wipes come to the rescue. Lay sometimes contributes gibberish and giggles to the conversation, and Chanyeol is fascinated by the toddler in those moments, but Baekhyun is too worried she might choke on her food to notice.

He notices, however, those long looks of wonder Chanyeol takes while Lay is eating peacefully, as if he has never seen a child eat before. It gets a bit weird when Lay starts reciprocating those looks, staring back at Chanyeol like he’s a curious, unknown species, consequently making Baekhyun feel left out –even though he never thought he’d ever want to be looked at as an unidentified specimen.

For all their conversation, Baekhyun gathers very little information about Chanyeol and his life during the past two years, which is disappointing. Even more disappointing is the fact that Chanyeol can’t stay after dinner, even though he stays long enough to help with the dishes, insisting it’s the least he could do after being offered such an enjoyable dinner. Baekhyun doubts any of their dinner was enjoyable, because well, it was overcooked and nearly burnt, but he reluctantly lets Chanyeol do whatever he likes, because he gets busy with Lay. She starts whining and trying to get her fingers into , because she’s probably teething again and her gums must be sore. It was about time a forth tooth joined them…He tries to calm her and distract her with toys, which works after a while and a bottle of slightly cold water. By that time, Chanyeol is done, so Baekhyun picks up his daughter to see him out.

“Bye Chanyeol, thank you for your company! Say, bye~” Baekhyun waves at the taller male who is almost on the sidewalk, and Lay waves enthusiastically as well, giggling when he sends her a flying kiss.

--

Chanyeol is not stalking his neighbor. He just happened to be looking out his window when Baekhyun and Lay decided to go out for an evening walk, and coincidentally Chanyeol was about to go out himself. Yeah.

Bottom line is, they both got out of their houses in the same time. Chanyeol saw Baekhyun pushing the heavy stroller out on the pavement while quipping endearing things to Lay, so he jogged across the street to greet him and his lovely daughter. It’s the polite thing to do. Nothing to do with Chanyeol’s bizarre and irrational, secret desire to be around Baekhyun and his little angel again, nothing of the sort, no.

“Are you going for a walk?” Chanyeol asks after the exchange of pleasantries, and Baekhyun nods, starting to walk down the street. Chanyeol walks beside him, keeping a casual distance between them.

“It’s a nice day for a walk outside”

“Would you mind if I join you?” he asks with a nervous smile. He is not sure he is allowed to ask to spend time with Baekhyun and his daughter, as if he is breaking an unspoken rule which forbids him to stay with them during their family moments, but god knows he wants to. He can’t help but feel the happiest he has been in years when he is with them; having dinner with them last night was the coziest, most enjoyable meal he has ever had. Even though it didn’t match to Baekhyun’s true cooking potential, it didn’t matter to Chanyeol; it was cooked for him with care, and last night was the closest he has felt to having a home. Baekhyun blinks in surprise.

“Don’t you have anything more interesting to do?” he chuckles nervously, his eyes looking doubtful. Intermingling with Baekhyun and Lay is very interesting for Chanyeol as a matter of fact, but he doesn’t say that out loud. He only shakes his head with a reassuring smile. “Um, okay then. We’re just going to walk to the park and back again” Baekhyun smiles a little in response to Chanyeol’s enthusiastic smile, but he doesn’t seem convinced that anyone would be so willing and eager for an afternoon stroll with a child. Well, Chanyeol is.

At first they don’t talk much on the way to the park; they greet their neighbors and answer Lay’s mumbles, mainly. Chanyeol thinks he’s getting better at responding to her, recognizing some of her moods while she speaks and reacting appropriately. Their peek-a-boo game yesterday seems to have helped them both, because she talks more to him now and he is more confident when they are interacting. Chanyeol loves children and he knows more than the average bachelor about them, but he has never had to spend much time with any child, so he’s a bit timid. There’s a big gap of inexperience between theoretical knowledge and active practice, but Chanyeol is starting to fill that gap with the best child as his tutor.

Chanyeol notices she points at many flowers and mumbles about them a lot. When he tells that to Baekhyun, the latter agrees, and they start a conversation about things Lay does and doesn’t like, things she can and can’t do, and things she will be able to do soon. Chanyeol is taking notes mentally, asking questions which are probably self-explanatory and silly for an experienced parent, but Baekhyun is more than happy to answer them without judging. He positively glows while talking about his daughter, his eyes sparkling and his lips smiling constantly, he even skips a few of his steps. Chanyeol is a bit surprised by this side of Baekhyun, which is completely new to him. He has never seen Baekhyun speak with so much dedication and adoration about something before; it’s a beautiful, heartwarming sight.

They end up taking a break at a small ice cream parlor, with pastel walls and luscious ice cream. It’s easy for Chanyeol to convince Baekhyun to spend some time there, since he knows all too well about the latter’s incurable case of sweet tooth. They settle in a quiet corner by the windows after picking up their order. Lay seems about to burst with happiness while Baekhyun spoon feeds her carefully in his lap, not to ruin her pretty clothes. Chanyeol spends a good amount of time staring at the child while she eats, just like he watched her yesterday during dinner. That small mouth opening and closing, cheeks puffing out with every bite and eyes twinkling, Chanyeol swears it’s a wonder of the world and he could stare at it forever.

“You finished all your scoop, good job, honeycomb” Baekhyun coos at her, patting her hair. The child laps at her lips and looks at the table curiously, but she seems content and sated for now. “Now, can daddy enjoy his ice cream soup too?” he muses, pushing the strawberry stained bowl to the side and drawing his slightly melting chocolate and cherry ice cream scoops closer. Chanyeol chuckles, remembering times when they shared tubs of ice cream together, and Baekhyun would always enjoy the molten parts, pushing Chanyeol’s spoon away and leaving him to struggle with the hard, frozen part. He got so used to it that he can’t revive his love for melted ice cream anymore. “What?” Baekhyun asks with a small smile, directed at Chanyeol.

“You’ve always liked ice cream soup” he explains simply and Baekhyun chuckles, lowering his eyes to his sweet treat. Chanyeol is not sure he is not imagining this, but it looks like Baekhyun’s ears tinge pink. Lay mumbles something at her daddy, stealing Chanyeol’s attention, and Chanyeol bites his lip, because this has been plaguing his mind for a while now and he decides to go for it, or else he will explode. “Baekhyun, can I…can I hold her?” he asks hesitantly, fidgeting with his fingers under the table. Lay’s cuteness level is nearly painful and he’d very much like to hold her, even for a bit, but he is not sure it’s okay to ask to hold someone else’s child. Is it too weird to ask? Will Baekhyun be offended?

“You want to hold her?” Baekhyun looks taken aback more than anything else, looking at Chanyeol as if he’s the first person who has ever asked that –unbeknownst to Chanyeol, he is the first person to have ever asked that, because people prefer cooing from afar rather than getting involved with a toddler in their arms. Truth be told, Chanyeol used to be one of those people, because he’s always afraid he might make a tantrum-worthy mistake if he meddles too much with someone else’s kid, but Lay feels different to him for some reason. Maybe because she is so precious to Baekhyun and Baekhyun is so precious to Chanyeol, Chanyeol wants to try getting close to her. Baekhyun blinks a couple of times and Chanyeol blushes slightly in embarrassment, looking down at his tangled fingers.

“Yes…I mean, if that’s okay. She’s very sweet and calm, and I’ve never held a baby before; b-but I understand if you don’t think this is a good idea or if she doesn’t want me to, I don’t want to make her cry!” he lifts his hands and waves them defensively, his eyes looking at Baekhyun with honest concern. Baekhyun shakes his head, a smile slowly appearing on his lips.

“Of course it’s okay, Chanyeol; I don’t think she’ll have a problem either. So, come over here!” Baekhyun smiles cheerfully and pats the chair next to the one he is sitting. Lay seems a bit confused but Chanyeol positively lights up.

“Really? Thank you!” he squeals and scrambles to get to the chair, his excitement making him clumsy; he hits a few stray limbs against bits of furniture, but a few bruises are not so bad comparing to his reward. Baekhyun laughs and Chanyeol blushes, but he is smiling too as he sits down obediently, his posture perfect, and waits for further instructions with a huge smile of anticipation on his face.

“Well, you can take her now” Baekhyun points at Lay in an obvious voice. Chanyeol gapes at him in shock. Isn’t holding babies some sort of nuclear science only parents know? Apprentices are not allowed to tamper with such things unsupervised; one mistake and the world as we know it has crumbled to pieces.

“Just like that?” he doesn’t try to hide the panic in his voice, especially when Baekhyun only laughs very unhelpfully and lifts Lay off his lap, transferring her to a very flustered Chanyeol. “Aren’t there any rules on how to hold her, or dos and don’ts, I mean, she’s so small, oh my god, Baek, she’s so small, I’m dying here, stop laughing!” his voice is nearly shrill at the end, when Baekhyun has placed Lay in Chanyeol’s lap fully, and Chanyeol feels like his eyes might pop out from how wide they are.

He is holding a baby. Holy sunsets in heaven.

“Don’t worry, she’s old enough to hold herself upright, and if she doesn’t like something you do, she’ll tell you. Just hold her in place with your hands a little, for safety reasons, that’s all” Baekhyun sits back in his chair comfortably and watches with amusement, as Chanyeol curls an arm around Lay’s back and touches her small arm experimentally. He exhales in relief when she doesn’t burst in loud cries or something similar. Lay looks at her daddy, who waves at her with an excited grimace, and then she looks at Chanyeol. They have direct eye contact and Chanyeol part thinks that this is it, she’s going to scream now, but a bigger part thinks wow, those big brown eyes are so deep he could drown in them and be a happy man.

They blink at each other a couple of times, both feeling a little confused, but then Lay makes a popping sound with her lips and giggles at it mirthfully, leaning on Chanyeol. It feels like the heavens have blessed him and granted him mercy. Chanyeol sighs under his breath and laughs with her a little breathlessly, still afraid he might break her if he jostles her too much.

He holds her carefully, aware of how fragile she is at this age. She looks so tiny in comparison to him; small pink shoes and frilly skirt wiggling as she moves her feet to get comfortable, small fingers any fabric of Chanyeol’s clothes she can hold and use to move herself in his lap, small ponytail swishing in the air in black, silky strands. Baby hairs frame her face, she has the smallest nose and ears he has ever seen, pouty lips and puffy cheeks, but her eyes are really huge and sweet, like chocolate puddles. Chanyeol can’t believe he is holding a small bundle of thoughts and feelings and sunshine. It feels like his heart is trying to shove itself out of his chest and leap into her little arms. He caresses her back gently and carefully, looking down at her, completely charmed.

“I can hear you taking pictures, Baekhyun” he chides, with no real bite in his voice, and sure enough Baekhyun giggles.

“Sorry, I had to; you look so whipped” he giggles more, sliding through the pictures he has taken with a wide smile and a soft look in his eyes. Chanyeol doesn’t want to know what expression he is sporting in those pictures. “She looks happy, too” Baekhyun mumbles, still sliding through pictures; how many did he take, exactly? Chanyeol is about to make a teasing remark, but Lay starts mumbling, looking up at Chanyeol and securing all his attention.

((Tall man, ice cream can be soup, too?! Do you know how to make it? Can we have it for dinner? Why are you looking at me like that, only daddy looks at me like that. You look like my teddy bears a lot. I’m going to hug you now.))

Lay suddenly throws her small arms on Chanyeol, burying her face in his stomach. It’s ticklish but that’s not why Chanyeol freezes for a moment. This hug is so simple, so honest and innocent that it makes Chanyeol’s heart squeeze. Only little children can hug like this and it’s the first time Chanyeol has experienced it. Baekhyun gasps in surprise as well, but their shock lasts only for a moment, because Chanyeol soon melts into a puddle of marmalade. He wraps his arms as best he can around her small body, and it’s a bit awkward, but it’s definitely the warmest hug Chanyeol has ever received.

“I can’t believe she hugged you so soon!” Baekhyun wonders in disbelief, his puppy eyes wide. “She must like you a lot…Are you okay?” he asks in the end, his voice a little bit concerned, making sure everything is alright. His parent is showing.

“I think so” Chanyeol muses with a smile and Baekhyun quietly exhales in relief somewhere in Chanyeol’s peripheral vision. Chanyeol plays with her ponytail and she looks up at him with a toothless smile. Is it too soon to say he loves her? “Thank you, princess~ I like you a lot too!” Lay squeals and faceplants on Chanyeol’s stomach again shyly, making him laugh, overflowing with fuzzy feelings of affection for this precious girl. “She is so cuddly and cute, Baek!” he fanboys, and he is answered with a short, quiet laugh.

Baekhyun snaps more pictures and Chanyeol chuckles.

--

Chanyeol is on his way home from work. It’s a rare occurrence. The company allows him to work from home and he has to visit the downtown studio only once a month or so, the rest can be taken care of through lunches and phone calls with Luhan. Today he had a simple scheduled meeting but then his beloved coworkers had him join them for lunch, complaining that they hadn’t seen him ever since he moved in the suburbs; it was a cuteness massive attack.

Chanyeol smiles as he turns into his familiar neighborhood, with the memory of his friends’ attempts at persuading him to stay for a few more hours in the city and explore some new, cozy little restaurant with them; it was fun. However, the smile freezes on his lips when he hears shrill cries as he drives by Baekhyun’s front yard, and it’s immediately replaced by a concerned frown. He tries to peer over the fence, but all he can discern is a crouched figure. Then he gets a glimpse of Lay’s small face scrunched in pain.

And that’s the moment when Park Chanyeol feels panic for the first time in his life.

He accelerates for the remaining few meters to his house, parking his car messily in the driveway and jumping out of it faster than his clumsy limbs have ever allowed him before. For all the ten long steps that separate his house from Baekhyun’s, Chanyeol can feel his stomach churning, as if slimy tentacles of worry are curling around his spine. The closer he gets the louder Lay’s cries become, and soothing lies in a voice which is not Baekhyun’s can be heard. He practically leaps over the fence, using his tall legs to his advantage.

“E-excuse me? Mr. Park?” Chen stutters, looking up at him in surprise when he’s looming over the toddler and the teenager, who happens to be another of his new neighbors.

“Chen? What happened? Why is she crying? Where is Baekhyun?” Chanyeol asks restively as he squats down beside them, inspecting the crying little girl, his eyes zeroing in on a small gush of blood on her left knee. His hand dwarfs Lay’s chubby calf as he examines her skin. The seventeen year-old flails beside him.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Park! I watch over Lay sometimes, but she’s never gotten injured before! And now she’s bleeding and she won’t stop crying, can you help her? I don’t know what to do! I called Mr. Byun at his office and he said he’d be here soon. I’m so sorry!” Chen keeps apologizing like the responsible boy he is, looking like he’s about to start crying himself. Chanyeol sighs, somewhat relieved after finding that Lay’s injury is not serious.

“It’s okay, accidents happen” he reassures the pouting teenager, picking Lay off the ground and drawing her into his lap to dust off the dirt on her hands. The little girl wails and falls into his chest, leaving wet smears on his shirt. Chanyeol hugs her and caresses her hair comfortingly, unsure of what else he could do with a crying child in his arms; it feels so strange, it’s making his heart beat faster. He bites his lip, thinking of the city traffic at this hour; Baekhyun will probably be late. I can’t leave her here like this. “It doesn’t look very serious, it’s probably just a scratch. I can take care of it at home; do you think that would be okay?” he asks the teenager, getting up with Lay in his arms. Chen still looks frazzled.

“Should I come with you or…?” he asks, watching Lay cling to Chanyeol like her life depends on it. Chanyeol is a bit surprised she has warmed up to him this much after having met him only a handful of times, but he smiles at Chen confidently –he’s the responsible adult here, after all.

“I think I can manage her” he says, rearranging her in his arms so that he can hold her more securely. For someone who has held a child only once in his life before, he thinks he’s doing well. She hides her face in his neck and Chanyeol rubs her back, like he has seen Baekhyun do –she is so squishy, he could do this for hours. Her little hands are firmly clutched around his shoulder, with more strength than Chanyeol thought a toddler could possess. “It looks like she’ll be staying with me until Baekhyun returns” Chen nods and pats the little girl’s back.

“I’ll call Mr. Byun to let him know and apologize. Thank you, Mr. Park” he says, blinking up at Chanyeol and following him to the gate. “We’re still on for playing videogames at your house tomorrow, right?” he asks, shielding his eyes from the sun. Chanyeol cracks a smile at the irrelevant comment and nods. He’s been making friends with his neighbors for the past few weeks, and he recently discovered that the older teenagers are willing and eager to play videogames with him, even though he’s at least a decade older. Chanyeol is proud of himself; he has turned into one of the ‘cool’ grownups.

After bidding Chen goodbye, Chanyeol wastes no time, carrying the little child to his house and fumbling with his keys, trying to open the door without a clear view of the lock. Lay quiets down a bit when they step inside the house, distracted by the unfamiliar surroundings. Chanyeol gets the chance to smile at her when she blinks up at him with wide, wet eyes.

“Welcome to my house, princess! You’re my first visitor, did you know that?” he chirps, kicking off his shoes and walking to the kitchen. It’s also my first time alone with a child, oh god. The little girl mumbles something at him like an urgent complaint, and she starts whimpering again. Chanyeol hums in response, praying that she will focus on their interaction rather than her injury; miraculously enough, it seems to work, because she mumbles something more instead of starting another crying fit. So they keep their pointless conversation going while Chanyeol fetches the first aid kid and settles her on the breakfast bar to take care of her scratch. She watches him closely when he starts pulling out various items from the box, looking back and forth from his hands to his face with suspicion.

“Why are you so quiet, princess?” he asks with a small smile, sensing her discomfort. She was so chatty just a moment ago.

((What are these strange toys, tall man? I don’t like them, they aren’t pretty and they smell ewie. What about my boo-boo? It still feels ouchie! Daddy always chu~s my boo-boos away. Where is daddy? Holy unicorns, why are you making a mess? We shouldn’t make messes!))

“We will clean up your scratch with this, so that it won’t hurt anymore” he explains softly, after noticing her eyes widening and her speech becoming faster once he dipped the cotton in a bit of iodine. She looks at him warily, clearly unconvinced. She looks so much like Baekhyun with this expression on her small features. Thinking it’d be best to just get on with it, he tries to be swift and thorough in disinfecting her injury, but she cries out nonetheless, and the sound stabs at Chanyeol’s heart. “It will be okay, princess, please don’t cry~ See, we’re done!” he coos at her, blowing on her scratch gently. She looks at her knee and then at him, blinking away fat tears and mumbling at him halfheartedly.

((You painted a red dokkie-dokkie on my boo-boo ouchie?))

“You are so brave! Now let’s put a sticker on, shall we?” he says animatedly, picking an appropriately sized adhesive plaster to cover her scratch with. “Help me stick it on?” he suggests with a mischievous smile. He is surprised when she returns the exact same albeit toothless smile, her eyes glinting. She understands so well! It’s as if she has forgotten all her pain in an instant, her little fingers joining his enthusiastically as they push the edges of the plaster to stick on her skin. She cheers when they’re done and Chanyeol claps for their successful collaboration, listening to her babbling and clapping. It seems surreal to have such angelic sounds resonating in his humble kitchen.

She giggles up at him, looking straight into his eyes with her cocoa orbs, cheeks still wet, and she looks so cute that Chanyeol doesn’t stop to think twice about it before he sweeps her in his arms and brings her in a circle. She squeals and clings onto him, and then she giggles again, so Chanyeol spins them in slow circles, stopping every time just to hear that sweet baby sound. When he thinks she’s close to getting dizzy, he stops in spite of her protests and sits on the couch for a while, giving them both a bit of time to calm down.

Slowly but steadily the thrill fades, and Chanyeol starts considering that he still has some time to spend with the girl, but he has no toys to entertain her. He looks around and he realizes that he doesn’t even have a space for her to sit and play safely, without dangerous cables and fragile sound composing equipment scattered around. His house is not childproof by any means. He pouts while trying to think of a solution about it, and suddenly, a small finger pokes his puffed out cheek. He looks down, exhaling in surprise, and Lay giggles heartily, swaying in his lap. Chanyeol blinks, stunned, but his lips manage to form a loose smile in response. His mother used to do that, poke his cheek when he was pouting; Chanyeol is certain he mentioned that to Baekhyun once a long time ago, but…Baekhyun taught her that? Why?

“You are so sweet, princess” he mumbles with a soft smile, brushing strands of her silky hair away from her face. She has such a cute face, cheeks plum and eyes sparkling. She leans into his touch, enjoying the affection –a small part of Chanyeol’s brain is whispering that he is not supposed to grow so attached to someone else’s child, but most of Chanyeol’s whole being is inevitably falling madly in love with this little creature and all its antics. “Let me show you something” he suggests, picking her up naturally, and she mumbles her agreement happily.

He crosses the living room and reaches the furthest back, where his piano sits quietly. It’s too large in comparison to the space, but he likes the original crystal sound of it. He lifts the lid before he sits down on the stool, placing her in his lap. Lay looks at the piano curiously, and when she decides that she can’t decide what to think of it, she looks up at Chanyeol questioningly.

“This is a piano” he announces helpfully and she looks back at said object as if expecting it to say something too. She has probably never seen a real piano before, so he demonstrates its use by running his fingers over the keys once. Chanyeol chuckles when she jumps a little in surprise at the loud, mingling notes. He presses a few keys slowly, and she relaxes again, eyeing the instrument in a more friendly way. Chanyeol’s heart melts when she leans against him, getting comfortable. “Hmm, what should we play today?” he wonders aloud, posing his fingers for action. “Something pretty for the pretty princess” he coos, smiling down at her. She returns the smile and the world lights up, Chanyeol swears.

He starts playing La Vie En Rose and he is surprised his fingers remember it so well. It’s been a while since he performed with an audience of any kind, and his spectator this time is truly precious. Her eyes widen in awe, sparkling, and her little lips gape. She looks enchanted, taken with the sweet notes and the lulling, slow melody. It’s so endearing. Chanyeol is sure no one who has heard him play has ever paid him so much attention. He extends the song with an improvised take on the main notes, just to watch her dazed expression for a while longer. When he finishes, he watches her with interest as she leans forward towards the piano, observing it in admiration.

((What sorcery is this??!))

She whispers something –or maybe she sighs– and then she takes one of his hands in both hers, looking in his palm really hard, as if trying to understand what created the music earlier. After a while of fruitless staring, without warning, she places her hand against his, as if trying to compare them. Her hand is so small and warm. Chanyeol’s cheeks flame up all of a sudden.

“Should I play something else?” he asks with a smile, and she looks up at him with amazed round eyes. Chanyeol starts wondering what other things Lay might not have seen in her short lifetime, and how many of those he can show her himself, just to see that twinkling look in her beautiful eyes.

It takes five more songs, some better performed than others, and an additional time of ten minutes until Baekhyun arrives. Lay and Chanyeol are having such a good time, playing in the cushion castle they’ve built on the couch, that they nearly miss the urgent knocks against the door. Assuming it’s her worried daddy knocking fretfully on Chanyeol’s front door, he fishes the giggling child from the sea of pillows and listens to her babbling vigorously as they approach the door.

“Where is she?!” is the first thing Baekhyun asks, before the door is out of the way properly. Chanyeol blinks in surprise, but he can’t really blame Baekhyun for being so flustered; he was pretty worried earlier too, and he is not even Lay’s father. When Baekhyun’s eyes focus on Lay’s smiling face he heaves a great sigh of relief. “Oh baby, there you are!” he exclaims and takes her from Chanyeol’s arms as the taller ushers him inside. Baekhyun kisses her hair and cheeks repeatedly, and the child giggles from receiving such a shower of pecks. “I’m so sorry, honeycomb! Daddy is here now. Did you get hurt? Are you okay?” he frets over her, looking her up and down and touching the edge of the plaster on her knee with a sad look. Chanyeol bites his lips shyly, responsible for the cartoon puppy drawing on the plaster.

“She has a scratch but we cleaned it up and put a pretty sticker on it” Chanyeol provides helpfully, keeping his voice cheerful. “She probably got it while crawling around on all fours, she’ll be fine. She hasn’t complained about it since we were done treating it and she moves just fine. No other injuries” he flashes a reassuring smile and Baekhyun exhales, his shoulders relaxing.

“Thank you, Chanyeol, I really appreciate this” he says earnestly, looking at him with grateful eyes. Chanyeol cannot imagine what a fright Baekhyun must have had. He feels oddly proud, for being there when Lay and Baekhyun needed him.

“Don’t mention it” he shrugs his shoulders and smiles widely, fighting down a blush which threatens to spill on his cheeks from having Baekhyun’s eyes focused on him so sincerely. Baekhyun is soon distracted though, because Lay starts mumbling and pointing at the piano frantically with big, round eyes.

((Daddy, daddy! Tall man has a magical table! He pokes it and it sings! Isn’t that amazing?))

“Well, someone looks like she’s been having fun” Baekhyun observes with a smile, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. Chanyeol shuffles his feet bashfully, but deep down he’s happy with himself, for surviving any amount of time alone with a child for the first time in his life.

“We did, didn’t we?” he asks Lay cheerfully “We played the piano and then built a castle!”

“Nice parenting instincts” Baekhyun comments offhandedly, almost as if he doesn’t realize he’s saying it aloud. Chanyeol is stunned for a moment and then his ears turn bright pink; he can feel them burning, but thankfully it goes unnoticed. He got praised.

For his parenting skills.

By an actual parent.

By Baekhyun.

“Honeycomb, did you have fun?” he hugs his daughter close once more, burying his nose in her neck. The child squeals cutely. Baekhyun doesn’t move, hiding behind the little girl, but he looks at Chanyeol, the lines of his face looking more relaxed and a bit shy. “Hi, Chanyeol” he mumbles in a small voice, blinking up innocently. Chanyeol hadn’t realized he was missing a greeting, but it’s nice to receive one.

“Hello, Baekhyun. Welcome to my house” he smiles, making a small curtsy. Baekhyun’s eyes widen and he holds Lay in his chest so that his panicked face is visible now.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry for barging in like that” he starts rambling “It’s just that, my brain kept coming up with these scenarios, like, what if she’ll need stitches, or plastic surgery, or a blood transfusion, what if we need to take her to the hospital, what if she’s crying, what if she’s in pain, what am I going to do, and the car was not moving in that bloody traffic and all I could think of was WHERE IS MY CHILD?!”

“Baekhyun, breathe, you’re scaring her” Chanyeol interrupts his frantic speech, which had started growing louder and louder. He caresses the shorter man’s arm comfortingly and Baekhyun takes a deep breath before tuning his breaths to Chanyeol’s rhythmic touches; thank god that trick still works. Lay looks at her father with reserved eyes, unsure what to make of his current state; if only she knew how worried he was about her.

“Daddy is fine” Baekhyun reassures her with a small smile and a kiss on the forehead. “He’s tired, hungry, probably missing a part of his soul from this scare and a bit of his dignity, but he’s fine” he nods to his words like a cute little puppy. Chanyeol chuckles; he had missed this self-assuring side of Baekhyun, even though he had always hoped Baekhyun would share his feelings and let others help him more often, instead of trying so hard to be self-sufficient all the time. Maybe that’s part why Chanyeol always felt that Baekhyun could do so much better than him.

“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Chanyeol proposes on a whim, his smile still fresh on his lips. He’s just not ready to let go of them yet. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I sent you home famished” he says dramatically, placing a hand on his chest. Baekhyun’s laughter sounds nice, resonating in Chanyeol’s kitchen –he always laughs even at the silliest jokes Chanyeol makes–, until it fades to be replaced by cautious eyes and a nervous grin.

“I don’t want to trouble you any further; all you’ve done is more than I could ask for” he says politely, pointing at Lay’s injured knee. Chanyeol shakes his head. That wasn’t any trouble. Lay looks down at the knee her daddy is pointing at and then at her daddy, mumbling a few curious words.

((Daddy, that’s not where my boo-boo is; my boo-boo is on the other side. Tall man, can’t you see?)) But no one is looking at the girl, too busy looking at each other blindly. Baekhyun is too flustered to notice he’s being very obvious, and Chanyeol’s eyes are sparkling so much with hope that his vision might not be entirely clear beyond the shine.

“Please?” Chanyeol tries to do puppy eyes at Baekhyun, not so sure it’s working well with his age, but Baekhyun has always been weak for cute acts, so maybe it will work this time too. Chanyeol just wants a bit more time with them, with Lay’s giggles and Baekhyun’s presence, with their lovely warmth. Baekhyun’s eyes widen momentarily.

“Why are you the one begging-” he rasps in disbelief and then he shakes his head, composing himself and fixing his hold on Lay. Chanyeol bites his lips, ready for rejection, because who is he for Baekhyun and Lay to waste their precious family time on; but Baekhyun gives him a pretty smile, complete with the eyesmiles he hadn’t seen in a while, and Chanyeol’s heart summersaults suddenly. “Okay, we’ll stay”

--

Baekhyun sighs and lets the water reach his jaw line as he relaxes back into his bathtub. It has been an exhausting day, made a tad bit brighter only after eating delicious dinner cooked by Chanyeol. But everything else was horrible. His child was injured, and for that alone this has to be one of the darkest days in history.

Baekhyun can’t begin to describe what he felt when Chen called him, with Lay crying in the background. She has had scratches before, ever since she started crawling on her sensitive hands and knees, but she’s never bled actual blood before. It was like the ground slipped under his feet and the air vanished from his lungs. Something tore inside him, the reality of being so far away from her hitting him hard. His child was in pain and he wasn’t there to protect her and soothe her and kiss it better. Seeing as her injury was nothing serious, she was probably crying so much because Chen was panicking, but Baekhyun couldn’t know that over the phone –and even if he did, who says there is ever any room for rational thinking when your child is crying?!

He left work like his house was on fire, incoherent, panicked and frustrated already, not bothering to tide up his desk. The ride home is a blur of traffic, honks, nerves, infuriatingly oblivious people and maybe a bit of crying in his memory. He entertained the thought of abandoning the car to run the distance back home, but even in his wildest moments, there is some sense in Byun Baekhyun. The noose in his chest relented a bit when Chen called for the second time to let him know that the injury was not serious, and that Chanyeol would be taking care of Lay and staying with her until Baekhyun got back, but he still felt a scorching need to be near his child as soon as possible. If only he could teleport there. At least his child wouldn’t be crying, helpless and alone; in fact, she was anything but helpless and alone and crying when he finally reached home. She was cheerful, playing and laughing; such is the effect of the happy virus which is called Chanyeol.

It’s been a day of plenty new discoveries for Baekhyun. Now he knows he can’t fulfill his unrealistic, absurd wishes to keep her in a safe bubble, and minor baby accidents are to be expected, as long as no great harm or damage is caused. Now he knows he has more swear words in his vocabulary than he thought, because he used all of them just fine while he was frustrated from being stuck in traffic while his child was in pain. And last but not least, now he knows he has changed from the person he used to be three years ago.

He already knew he has changed in the past two years –he is a parent now after all, and that’s bound to bring a big change in anyone’s lifestyle– but it had never occurred to him to what extent. Being around Chanyeol again makes those differences strike him, stark and sharp, especially since Chanyeol himself doesn’t seem to have changed much since the last time they saw each other, as far as Baekhyun has seen of him thus far. Chanyeol is still the kind, optimistic, stubborn giant he used to be. Baekhyun used to be even messier, disorganized and impulsive, upfront, lively and carefree. But now he is a responsible man, with a well planned out schedule for every day, with a well-paying job and a nice house, with a designated nap-time and expert laundry skills, he’s composed, mindful…boring.

Oh god, he is so boring. He is so stale and quiet in his either-way-nearly-dead personal life that he could be an eighty-year-old retiree. He hasn’t gone out in ages, he can’t remember the last time he ate preservatives, he hasn’t touched eyeliner in a year, he can’t even remember how to make jokes properly. Long gone is the sultry, playful little minx he used to be, always keeping himself in top shape, charming his way into people’s lives, making Chanyeol blush with his naughty jokes but laugh all the same.

But he doesn’t mind. That chapter of his life has closed, and he feels less pretentious now, more secure, and he feels like his life is really happy and fulfilling. He kind of likes the person he is now. These changes have come very naturally, and he would do it all over again if he had the chance. If he has to sacrifice a few irresponsible, youthful qualities for raising a loving child and being a happy man, so be it.

The only problem is that with Chanyeol around, Baekhyun is starting to selfishly want again. Chanyeol gives more than he asks for in return, he has his awkward and his superbly affectionate moments, he is supportive and caring, he is easily everything that Baekhyun has ever wanted in a partner, and Chanyeol’s obvious love and care for Lay, his effortless parenting skills, his qualities that compensate for Baekhyun’s shortcomings, the happiness and comfort his presence brings to their family, don’t make life any easier for Baekhyun. He has no right to want him; even if he reached out to him, he would only disappoint him and drive him away.

And so, Baekhyun can be found undergoing a life crisis inside his bathroom at one a.m. Until he remembers the pile of clothes for ironing, which are waiting for him in his home office.

--

Chanyeol is invited for dinner a couple of days later, because it’s the least Baekhyun can do for the care he has shown to his daughter. He can’t begin to describe how distraught he felt, knowing his daughter was in pain somewhere away from him, but the thought of Chanyeol looking after her brought him some comfort, in spite of his raging panic, and Baekhyun can’t say it without sounding weird, so here he is. Her scratch is almost gone by now, her skin healing quickly without any pain, although she was a bit upset when they had to replace the plaster, and he had to bribe her with peaches for her good behavior.

He glances at the clock on the wall and bites his lips; it’s almost time, and oh my god, the food is not ready yet! The preparations for Chanyeol’s visit took longer than expected today. Since this is the first ‘official’ dinner Chanyeol is having at the Byun house, Baekhyun has made sure the house is spotless and tidy, from the sofa cushions to the last inch of flooring. Cleaning up is not easy when a toddler is crawling around –especially when vacuuming the floor– but Baekhyun managed to convince her to play quietly for a while so that he could get everything done. Then, they freshened up and now Lay is wearing her festive pink bow, Baekhyun has squeezed himself in his jeans again –that certainly took more time than he had anticipated– and he is currently cooking Chanyeol’s favorite dish. He is making that extra mile for their guest today, and he even bought a bouquet of decorative flowers and lit up some scented candles. Lay was really bummed out when he told her she can’t touch the pretty flames.

And, in spite of all the preparations, Baekhyun can’t shake off the fear that everything he does will be disappointing. He tries to convince himself that he is still worth a tiny chance.

Baekhyun is still cooking and Lay is playing with her stuffed animals when the door knocks, and she lets out a playful vocalization. He doubts she understands who their visitor might be, but she must have realized today is a bit more of a special occasion, when things don’t happen the way they usually do in the Byun household. Baekhyun leaves the unfinished food to shimmer, jogging to the door. Chanyeol is smiling for him when he opens it, looking gorgeous as ever with a hallo of dying sunlight around him. Baekhyun’s stomach flops at the view.

“Welcome back, our dearest guest” he finds a way to smile as he says it, even though all he wants to do right now is close the door and fanboy incoherently at how handsome Chanyeol can look in a freaking butterfly-patterned blouse and a pair of tight black pants. He’ll probably look good even if you dress him in an actual sack of potatoes. Chanyeol smiles even wider; and Baekhyun is sure this is pretty much what angels look like.

“I’m glad to be back! This is for you” he offers a cake, covered in ombre white, pink and fuchsia swirls. Baekhyun accepts it mechanically and gapes; how much time did that take to assemble? Did he make it himself?

“Thank you, it’s…very pretty” he blinks in awe. It’s so pretty he’s almost afraid to touch it –but, let’s face it: it is a cake. Its future is set in stone since the beginning of its existence. Who can refuse cake? Cake is made to delight the valiant ones who know how to wield a spoon, and Baekhyun has been one of them ever since he was two years old. He can never get enough. Baekhyun’s mouth waters at the thought of devouring this beauty he is holding.

“It’s a cake, with strawberries and cream. The one you used to like –only fancier” Chanyeol chuckles awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, almost shy. Baekhyun forgets to be surprised over the fact that Chanyeol still remembers his favorites after two years, in favor of wetting his lips appetizingly, remembering this divine cake the likes of which he’s never found. Chanyeol has always been a pastry genius and his skills seem to be evolving with time and practice.

“I had missed this delicious miracle” he whispers reverently, his eyes glued to the pretty delicacy with newfound fervor.

“I thought so” Chanyeol presses his lips in a restrained smile as Baekhyun lets him in. He follows behind Baekhyun on the familiar route to the living room, but he stops there instead of following Baekhyun all the way to the kitchen. “How is our little princess? What a pretty bow!” he exclaims cheerfully and rushes to Lay’s side, picking her off the floor and holding her to examine the bow in her hair and her new plaster on the knee. It’s driving Baekhyun insane how good Chanyeol looks with a small child in his arms. Lay is already overflowing with news, which Chanyeol listens to attentively, maneuvering them closer to the kitchen; he looks so at ease, nothing like the first time he visited the house, or the first time he held Lay.

“What have you done to my child?” Baekhyun mumbles with a poorly concealed smile as he returns to his stove. How can Lay like Chanyeol so much already? Is it because he took them for ice cream once? Or because he played the piano for her? He’s not complaining though; they look so cute together that he can’t even be jealous. If he is honest, another sort of feeling squirms in his chest when he sees them smiling in each other’s arms…

He listens to them conversing incoherently for a while, wondering how much of each other they understand and sprinkling some last minute additions to the food.

“Let’s see what your daddy is cooking, hm?” Chanyeol sounds too close suddenly, and a look over his shoulder confirms for Baekhyun that Chanyeol is too close. So close, in fact, that Baekhyun’s hip brushes against him as he shuffles his pans; his ears turn pink at the infinitesimal touch, which Chanyeol doesn’t seem to have noticed. Pull yourself together, Baekhyun! “Ooh, that looks interesting” the taller says, peering down, Lay mimicking him cluelessly in his arms. Baekhyun is glad they’re looking at the food and not at the interesting color of his ears.

“It’s almost ready, but I can’t cook with you two breathing down my neck!” Baekhyun protests in fluster and shoos them away, smiling too much to be strict. In spite of his valiant efforts, in the end Chanyeol sits Lay on the counter and he stands in front of her, holding her secure in place with both hands, and together they watch Baekhyun cook. Baekhyun feels like he might faint from the willpower he invests in keeping the blood from flooding his cheeks, knowing Chanyeol is watching his every move.

“Do you know what this is?” Chanyeol starts a game with Lay when she starts getting impatient. He steals one of Baekhyun’s cases for spices and presents it in his hand, and Lay blinks up at him curiously. Baekhyun smiles at the sight. “This is pepper. What color is it?” Chanyeol asks her, and Baekhyun wonders if Chanyeol remembers when Baekhyun told him that he has been teaching Lay different colors lately, or if this game he’s making up is just a coincidence. Either way, it’s a question she can answer, so she points with her little finger at a spot of black color on Chanyeol’s patterned shirt. “That’s right, it’s black!” Chanyeol approves and picks another spice jar. “And this, what color is it?”

Chanyeol keeps picking simple colors she can match to his shirt and Lay keeps answering successfully, even mumbling things sometimes, until Baekhyun is finished with the food. While he is serving the food, Chanyeol and Lay relocate to the dining room and make a lot of noise with the excuse of setting the table, but Baekhyun doesn’t mind. He laughs when Chanyeol anxiously prevents Lay from munching on a napkin –it wouldn’t be the first time that almost happened–, looking very relieved afterwards and asking her what color it is. Lay looks around for something white but she can’t find anything, so she starts mumbling to explain.

((It’s white, like my milk! I know my milk all my life! It’s yummy and daddy says it makes me grow.)) Chanyeol chuckles and pets her hair affectionately, taking his seat across from Baekhyun, with a fully set table between them.

“So, how is the food?” Baekhyun asks eagerly after Chanyeol’s first bite, hoping he got everything right –not too spicy, not too sweet, just like Chanyeol likes it. He might have been a bit overeager with serving Chanyeol a huge portion, but the taller doesn’t comment on that. Chanyeol chews a little and then nods fervently, making a sound of appreciation. He swallows and smiles.

“It’s delicious, Baekhyun!” he says, picking up some more. Baekhyun cheers excitedly, feeling more accomplished than he would have after finishing four presentations in time. Lay blinks, troubled; why is her daddy cheering? B with success, Baekhyun tastes his own food and hums –it really is delicious. It’s a pity Lay can’t share their experience because she can’t eat anything spicy yet. “It’s actually my favorite” Chanyeol mumbles after a few moments of hesitation, keeping his eyes on his plate. Baekhyun looks up from his plate and his gaze softens at how impossibly small the giant looks. I know, I remember.

“I’m glad I got it right”

Their dinner goes smoothly and all the food is cleared out, to Baekhyun’s delight. They talk about Baekhyun’s hefty work schedule and Chanyeol’s compositions, about Lay’s school and the park Chanyeol visits often. Lay is more quiet and obedient than the first time Chanyeol stayed over for dinner, and that allows them to have decent conversations this time. It surprises Baekhyun that someone is willing to listen to his tedious daily parenting struggles and that he has so much to tell in the first place. Chanyeol never grows tired of listening, and Baekhyun realizes he had missed his company, in a way that sparks a special warmth inside him.

Baekhyun considers his efforts far more successful this time in learning things about Chanyeol’s life during the past two years, even though his curiosity couldn’t be described as fully sated yet. At least now he knows that Chanyeol had been living peacefully, working hard, no accidents, no cause for sorrow, no romantic relationships, cough-cough, and all that is enough for Baekhyun to know; for now. After they’ve finished their food and an interesting conversation about one of Chanyeol’s clubbing expeditions –Baekhyun can’t even remember when the last time he went to a club was–, Chanyeol helps clean the table before they bring the cake for the ceremonious cut. Baekhyun takes pictures before it is ruined, and he doesn’t care if Chanyeol laughs at him; he wants to remember it. It tastes even better than it looks if that is possible, and Baekhyun hums internally when his taste buds feel the smooth sweetness of the dessert. This is better than he remembers.

“Can we give her a bite?” Chanyeol asks uncertainly after a while, bringing Baekhyun back from sugary wonderland. He blinks and turns to Lay first, who is looking at Chanyeol’s plate with glazed eyes, her lips glossy and gaping at the piece of pastry which Chanyeol hasn’t ruined further than two bites yet. Chanyeol is looking at Baekhyun with round eyes, caving in under the pressure of her silent begging; let’s not forget he’s not a trained parent, his spots are still too soft. “She cheered when we cut it, we should give her one small bite” he reasons, trying to convince Baekhyun, who looks at his daughter and then Chanyeol, back and forth, pensively.

Generally speaking, he avoids giving her artificial sugar every day, minding the additional natural sugar levels in everything she eats. He allows a scoop of ice cream every now and then, a cookie or fruit jam on bread a few times a week, but she has never had cake before. He is not particularly strict on food, but he wants her little body to be healthy, and he certainly doesn’t need the after-sugar hype effects. But maybe just for today, just for the cake Chanyeol made for them, just this once…

“Okay, just a small one” he relents ruefully, but he feels a smile on his lips when Chanyeol flashes a brilliant grin, eyes sparkling. Baekhyun averts his eyes to his slice and tries to hide his small blush, because Chanyeol is giving him that look, as if he is his most favorite hero –Baekhyun knows that look, he has received it many times from Lay. It’s a bit different on Chanyeol’s facial features, but the feeling is the same, and it’s making his heart palpitate. Lay, however, stares at her daddy with wide eyes.

((…I can eat the pinky pink nom-nom? But, daddy, when I want these nom-noms, you say I’m small and I can’t eat them…today is an exception? Is it because tall man asked nicely? Tall man, teach me how to ask nicely! Or come to our house more often! I want to eat pinky pink nom-noms more often! You can make daddy say yes, only you can do it!))

Both adults chuckle, watching Lay babbling at Chanyeol excitedly, making various gestures.

“Can I…?” Chanyeol asks hesitantly, pointing at his cake slice. Baekhyun thinks about it for all two seconds before he agrees. It won’t do any harm if Chanyeol feeds her a bite. He watches in amusement as Chanyeol picks a pretty and soft part of his slice for a bite, and then he scoops it in his spoon. Lay is drooling, her eyes glued on the nibble, which she has realized is meant for her; it’s endearing how thrilled she gets over something so simple. She opens her little mouth as widely as it goes, waiting reverently for Chanyeol to bring the spoon close enough, and Baekhyun chuckles at the sight. Chanyeol is very careful –this might be the first time he is feeding a baby, now that Baekhyun thinks about it– and he stares at Lay with wonder; they are sparkling in each other’s eyes and Baekhyun wants to hug them both and feed them cake happily forever.

The moment Lay’s lips close around the spoon, her eyes widen impossibly and she gives Chanyeol a look of utter amazement which, safe to say, strikes the receiver’s heart dead in milliseconds. She claps her hands excitedly and kicks her little legs, bouncing in her seat like the happiest person alive, and then she turns to Baekhyun and smiles, such a heartfelt smile that Baekhyun almost cries. Had he known she would be so happy, he wouldn’t have hesitated for a moment to feed her cake; he lives to see her happy like this. Chanyeol returns a soft smile when Lay smiles at him too; he looks so accomplished and nearly moved to tears, and that look really takes the cake.

--

((Sorry, peaches. The pinky pink nom-nom is my new forever favorite. But I still love you!))