Chanyeol is having the best week of his life, even better than the one he spent at Disneyland –he means it. Even though he and Baekhyun never discussed any details, they’ve easily found a convenient routine; Chanyeol comes over early in the morning –if he hasn’t spent the night on the couch of Baekhyun’s living room already, because he had been too tired to go home last night– and he cooks breakfast for the adults and Lay separately. Baekhyun and Lay join him for breakfast, then Baekhyun gets ready for work while Chanyeol cleans up, keeping an eye on the girl. Baekhyun always makes it a point to kiss his daughter before he leaves, and Chanyeol holds her in his arms to wave goodbye from the doorstep as Baekhyun gets in his car.

The day is all theirs to conquer after Baekhyun is gone, and Chanyeol tries to make every day fascinating for the little child. He makes up games for Lay to pass the time or they play with her toys, and sometimes they go outside to play in the yard –all the neighbors must have heard the news by now, that Chanyeol babysits Lay. Mrs. Lee was the first to ask about it, and Chanyeol explained that he and Baekhyun are old friends and, given the circumstances, this arrangement is not strange in any way; as long as Lay looks happy, people are convinced this is a positive development, so they don’t ask any further questions. The fact that he and Baekhyun look so comfortable around each other helps to appease the conscience of worried fellow parents.

Chanyeol might not be able to compete with daycare, but Lay seems to like spending time with him. She explores his limits and the things she can do with him that her daddy doesn’t do –they can play tigers together, and he lets her sit on her highchair in the kitchen while he cooks lunch!– and she learns the things he’s not comfortable doing without her daddy around, like letting her play with her paints –the damage risk is too high. He gets better at recognizing her moods and finding out what she wants, and she gets better at eating green stuff, because tall man can turn them into airplanes! They usually have their midday snack and their lunch together; Chanyeol loves feeding her during lunch time, but he lets her struggle with her snack by herself –until she gets too messy and frustrated, at least.

Baekhyun comes home shortly after nap time, and even though Chanyeol can be excused at that point, he always ends up invited for dinner. Lay lights up whenever she sees her daddy coming home, eager to let him know everything she and Chanyeol have done earlier in the day, and Baekhyun looks just as thrilled to be near his child again, as if it’s his favorite moment of the day. Chanyeol admires him for always being so enthusiastic and energetic around Lay, in spite of being so tired from work. Baekhyun is a super parent, always so sweet and making her smile, while taking care of himself as well.

Depending on how well Baekhyun feels, he or Chanyeol make dinner and they all eat together after spending some time on games and small talk. Then, Chanyeol watches the bath ritual and wishes Lay goodnight, tidying up the house while Baekhyun tucks her in. Whether he falls asleep on the couch or not depends on how tired he is and how motivated he feels to work on his compositions late at night; it’s clear that he will have to spend some afternoons at his house once his workload increases. He is sure Baekhyun won’t mind but Chanyeol can tell he is going to have trouble composing away from the house –and the people– that he’s growing more and more attached to.

Chanyeol had to leave them only for half a day, to attend the family dinner at his father’s house, just like on every other first Sunday of the month –but he managed to be back before Lay’s bedtime and wish her goodnight before heading off to his house. He needed that moment, to smile at the sleepy girl and pet her hair, because during that dinner, Chanyeol had a fantastic rollercoaster type of talk with his older sister –like all siblings do sometimes– and he wanted to end the night on an undeniably good note.

With the sixth sense she possesses ever since she was five, Yura got suspicious of him before he left their family house, and she cornered him in the kitchen with a million questions; and thou shall fear the mighty older sisters when they want to find out about something. She started very inconspicuously, asking for the nth time if he has settled in after he moved and how he finds the new neighborhood, but her questions got more persistent after she sniffed something was iffy on the topic of neighbors. Chanyeol had already mentioned that there is ‘an old friend’ living in his neighborhood, since his family had been so worried and curious when he first started settling in his new house, but he hadn’t mentioned which friend in particular. He couldn’t see a way out of her schemes this time though, so he told her about Baekhyun.

He knew Yura’s reaction would be frustrated groans and overprotective questions on how he feels about it, how he feels about Baekhyun, and what he’s planning to do on the matter. Yura has never met Baekhyun in person, but they’ve talked on the phone and she knows enough of him through Chanyeol, and she is the only other person on the planet who knows of Chanyeol’s feelings for him. She used to adore Baekhyun, but she grew a bit wary of him after he disappeared two years ago. Chanyeol can’t blame her; he was an emotional wreck after it happened and she was concerned for her little brother. Ever since, her biggest worry is that Chanyeol has been scarred forever and he won’t try to find love again, because according to her, he is a ‘blind, hopeless puppy’. To add to her worry, Chanyeol never tried to find love again indeed, not because of some trauma or newfound principle, but because it never felt right, you know? He never seems able to explain this to his sister properly.

So, imagine her horror when Chanyeol told her he agreed to babysit Baekhyun’s daughter. It wasn’t pretty. She called him crazy multiple times, accused him of ruining his own life for no reason, she begged him to think this through and stop wasting his love and time on someone who has done nothing to deserve it. He can’t say he finds this the most rational and unbiased decision he has ever made, but something finally feels right for him after a long time, so he doesn’t want to reject it without giving it a try first –it’s not like he signed a slavery contract, for crying out loud. Chanyeol doesn’t want to think what she’d say if he told her more about what babysitting Lay is actually like for him; she’d probably call up her psychologist friend right then and there.

Fortunately, she slowly came to terms with Chanyeol’s choices. The more she mulled over and cursed his predicament, the more she seemed to understand it. Maybe it was the sibling blood that never runs cold, maybe it was Chanyeol’s puppy eyes and his earnest commitment into trying this road to happiness that she eventually sighed and told him that, even though she doesn’t agree, she will support him. If Chanyeol thinks he can be happy this way, all she can do is wish him the best –and make sure they’ll always have consolation ice cream at home and her husband won’t eat it. Chanyeol was in the middle of attacking her cheeks repeatedly with childish kisses of joy, when she grumbled and said that this better be worth it, because if Chanyeol can’t make this love work this time either, ‘sorry to break it to you, but you’ll die a spinster, Yeollie’. That might have been the most concerning thing she’d spoken all night.

--

“I think it’s straight this time, what do you think?”

Baekhyun looks around Chanyeol’s body, to see the back of his daughter’s head. Chanyeol’s creation is a French braid with a pretty pink bow at the end, neat and silky and absolutely straight. All hail older sisters’ teachings for predetermining such amazing daddy skills. “Hmm, it looks better this time. Well done, Chanyeol” he says smiling, before he goes back to making Lay’s bed and tidying up her room. He has yet to find out how she manages to hurl her teddies out of her crib in her sleep; if the railing was any taller, it’d be a fortress.

“Third time’s the charm; cookie points for me, yey!” Chanyeol cheers, throwing his arms in the air, and Lay turns around to cheer for him too –or maybe for the cookies, since Chanyeol promised to make some tomorrow. They’re sitting on the floor, Chanyeol’s long legs caging Lay in place in front of him, along with some toys to distract her while he had been struggling with her hair. Today, Chanyeol has taken over the duty of getting Lay ready for the second time in his life –the first being last Thursday morning, when Baekhyun was running late– because Baekhyun has other things to prepare before they leave. The taller is making a great effort to make her look pretty and proper; it’s sweet.

“Are you guys ready? We don’t want to be late, do we?” Baekhyun picks up Lay from the floor and swirls her in the air –Chanyeol is kind as to gather his long legs instead of leaving them sprawled on the floor like a trap. They will surely be on time, dressing Lay being the final bullet on their list of activities before they leave the house. Lay giggles in surprise and starts mumbling something at Chanyeol over Baekhyun’s shoulder, as he follows them down the stairs with Lay’s bag in his hands.

“Yes, I’m coming with you today. I should say bye to Teacher Kyungsoo, too!” he answers her, confidently taking over and carrying her and the bag outside, while Baekhyun does a quick mental check they got everything and slips on his shoes before joining them outside and locking the door. Chanyeol’s parent skills are improving and it’s making Baekhyun’s life so much easier, to be honest. Lay looks thrilled when she sees Chanyeol settling in the passenger seat of Baekhyun’s car, clapping her little hands and exploding in a flurry of words.

((Daddy, look! Tall man is coming with us! We’re all going to see my Kyungie teacher together! It’s great, daddy!))

He chuckles at her and pecks her cheek after strapping her in the baby seat; he hopes her good mood will last. They will need it for what comes after the summer celebration at baby daycare: the dreadful visit to the pediatrician for Lay’s shot. She hates needles; Baekhyun had to cancel her previous shot three times before he managed to keep her cooperative enough to get it. He optimistically expects his life to be easier with Chanyeol helping him this time. Chanyeol hopes so, too; it’s why he woke up and came over at the Byun house so early this morning.

Chanyeol and Lay spend the short trip to the daycare centre singing, clapping and giggling. They are noisy as ever, but Baekhyun likes it. He keeps stealing glances at them, unable to resist their childish charm that will be the death of him for sure. It’s one of the chirpiest car rides Baekhyun has ever had, and he wishes things will stay relatively calm and cheerful until the day and its frightful appointment are over. Lay cheers when she recognizes their destination and the sun is bright in the sky when they get out of the car. Lay asks for Chanyeol to carry her, probably because he’s taller and she enjoys the view from up there. Baekhyun doesn’t want to miss a minute of their day together, so he hops beside them like an excited bunny, baby-talking with Lay and dragging Chanyeol into their conversation. They cross the parking lot easily, listening to Lay mumbling –it looks like she is trying to tell them something about her school– but they get intercepted at the door.

“Mr. Baekhyun, good morning!” a familiar face approaches them, carrying baby items. Baekhyun greets and smiles back at the woman, who is a mother of a fellow toddler in daycare. They’ve chatted sometimes about parent stuff while waiting to pick up their children; she is very polite and very pretty too. She waves and coos at Lay, who waves back happily. Baekhyun is all smiles, until she proceeds to scrutinize a slightly awkward Chanyeol from head to toe. That look is no good news for him. Baekhyun’s smile freezes on his lips.

It’s the first time he’s doing this and he feels a bit nervous. He has never brought someone with him to daycare before. Most of the parents here know he is a single parent and he usually attends every celebration and parents’ meeting alone. Sehun and his mother have offered to accompany him a few times, but he prefers showing up alone; it saves him unnecessary privy questions about his personal life. Yet here he is, presenting Chanyeol in all his tall and handsome glory, holding his child while they’re about to attend a school event. Of course they would draw attention. Baekhyun thought he would be able to act casual about it; but honestly, whenever Baekhyun was able to act casual about anything?

When he asked Chanyeol to come with them today, he had Lay’s doctor’s appointment in mind, primarily. But he didn’t change his mind even after he realized that Chanyeol would be accompanying them to the daycare event as well. Maybe it’s because Chanyeol has picked up Lay from daycare before and it didn’t seem so strange to bring him along, maybe it’s because Lay would be considerably happier –which she is– if she had Chanyeol around today, maybe it’s because Baekhyun is tired of being single and he wants to be seen with someone as gorgeous as Park Chanyeol, pretend they are something more than friends to appease his longing heart and finally feel a little better about himself. Maybe. And Chanyeol said yes so readily.

“Excuse me, have we met before?” she asks Chanyeol in an unnaturally gentle voice, with slow blinks and a wide smile; and if that is not indication enough, she flips her hair over her shoulder. She is flirting. She is a married woman –where is her husband anyway?– and she is flirting with the robust, handsome man who came with Baekhyun. Now, Baekhyun might now have perfect, long hair and red manicured nails or expensive high heels, but he’s right here! And she is flirting…flirting! With the man who is holding Baekhyun’s child. Baekhyun fumes behind his sunglasses, inexplicably irked by her behavior. He has his child draped all over the man, what more is he supposed to do to stake his claim over him?!

Not that he could actually stake his claim over Chanyeol, even if he wanted to; Baekhyun is nothing special, he’s rather mediocre, and he’s not even as eligible a candidate for Chanyeol as he might have been two years ago. And maybe be still wants Chanyeol like that –like he has been wanting him for three years–, deep down inside of him where he never dares search, but he knows he can’t have him. So, he goes for the thing closest to it, which is pretending to have a claim over the man, just for a few hours. So, why does she have to come along on this fine sunny morning and burst his bubble? He thought it was clear he and Chanyeol came together today. Does he need to step up his pretend game?

“I don’t believe so, ma’am. I’m Chanyeol, nice to meet you” Chanyeol’s deep voice startles him out of his thoughts, and he turns to see the polite exchange between said man and the woman. Lay inputs some serious mumbles of her own and Chanyeol shifts her weight to hold her better against him. “I picked up Lay once, maybe you saw me then?”

“Oh, that could be; you don’t look the type to be easy to forget” she giggles shyly, hiding her lips behind her hand coyly and glancing up at Chanyeol from under her lashes. The taller looks somewhat adorably awkward at this and Baekhyun bites the inside of his cheek. If Baekhyun wasn’t seeing red over the black lenses of his sunglasses right now, he would have agreed with her; it took him two years to realize just how unforgettable Chanyeol is, she has no idea. If he spends one more minute watching this, someone’s going to be murdered.

“Shall we go inside then?” Baekhyun suggests offhandedly and he tries really hard not to stomp his way inside the building and all the way to their seats. He wills his brain to forget it and not let it ruin his good day; by the time they’re sitting in the half full theatre, buzzing with chatter and children’s squeals, he has forgotten his annoyance almost completely. Having Lay in his lap and playing silly games with their fingers to keep her quiet until the show begins helps him forget his worries. Chanyeol joins them in all the games, sitting beside Baekhyun, and Lay seems to enjoy the size difference of their hands, giggling whenever something seems funny to her. Baekhyun thinks he can hear people around them coo a couple of times.

“Baekhyun, were you okay back there?” Chanyeol asks a little while before the show begins. He keeps his voice low so that only Baekhyun will hear, although probably no one else could hear in such a noisy room. When Baekhyun turns around to look at him, Chanyeol is closer than he expected, and he is giving Baekhyun a concerned look. Baekhyun’s throat suddenly goes dry. He knows Chanyeol is referring to the incident at the door earlier, and oh how it would be fun to explain his behavior…Why did Chanyeol have to notice?

“Sure” he pulls his best poker face and shrugs his shoulders. Chanyeol doesn’t look convinced, and that look troubles Baekhyun. Knowing how thoughtful he is, Baekhyun wouldn’t be surprised if Chanyeol is conjuring up bizarre scenarios in his head as we speak, according to which he is at fault, even though he obviously did nothing wrong. He can almost read them in Chanyeol’s eyes in such proximity. It makes Baekhyun feel even worse, adding guilt to his shame. Damn it, Chanyeol, why do you have to be such a big puppy?

“Are you sure? You seemed…” jealous. “…annoyed. Did I do something that bothered you?” Baekhyun knew this would happen and his stomach kicks. Here we go. Chanyeol pouts, his eyes looking apologetic and warm. “I’m sorry if I did, I was trying to be polite” And now he is apologizing for something he didn’t do, ugh, speak up, Baekhyun! You should be apologizing!

“I know, I didn’t mean to…um, look annoyed” Baekhyun laughs bitterly inside his head; he was so jealous, he didn’t even know he was capable of such a thing. And he had no right to be, because Chanyeol was never his and probably will never be either. “You did nothing wrong, Chanyeol, it’s just…mm.” Baekhyun’s eyes fly around the room restlessly, his sentence dying with a small piece of his heart; he can’t say what it was. He can’t say ‘it’s just that I have feelings for you, I’ve had them for years, because you really are perfect boyfriend and husband and father material, and would you like to fall in love with me too, please, just a little bit, so that I can hope?’. And he certainly can’t say that with Lay in his arms, in an auditorium full of parents and children who know him.

“If you say so…” Chanyeol relents at last, smiling at Baekhyun reluctantly. Baekhyun sighs in relief under his breath and returns the smile for good measure, even though he feels like there’s a huge hole inside of him.

The show starts and it’s a simple musical about different careers, performed by the slightly older students. There are enough naïve dialogues to entertain the parents and many songs to keep the children happy. Chanyeol laughs along with everyone else during the act of a little girl saying she wants to be a laundry machine when she grows up, Lay enjoys all the songs of her little schoolmates, but Baekhyun thinks his favorite moment was when the whole class sang ‘Billionaire’ with their teacher, Kyungsoo; little Jongin was the one who supposedly dreamed of this future job. It’s so simple and messy that everyone gets engrossed in the clumsy acting skills, the loud voices and shy smiles of the children.

When he feels a small pressure on the back of his hand, Baekhyun looks down curiously. Only then he realizes he is holding hands with Chanyeol, after his daughter noticed first, and she put her little hands over their twined fingers. It’s beyond his comprehension, how he could be oblivious of holding Chanyeol’s hand, especially since their fingers are woven together and resting on Baekhyun’s knee. They both look down in surprise and she smiles a wide, toothless smile at them. Chanyeol seems a little startled, too. They glance at each other and promptly look away, ears tinged pink. They don’t say anything about it, but they don’t let go either, until the show is over and they need their hands to clap and cheer for the little actors and actresses.

The situation after the show is a huge mess of social interaction. Children, in costume or not, are running around and playing, parents are chattering and laughing, everyone is trying to congratulate the teachers and the children don’t want to let go of them. Baekhyun and Chanyeol linger, waiting for their turn to greet and congratulate Kyungsoo, making small talk with parents around them to pass the time. Every mother Baekhyun knows seems taken with Chanyeol from the very moment they are introduced, and they either flirt with him or ask him about his relationship with Baekhyun. Chanyeol is good at dancing around both subjects, redirecting the conversation to their children and sometimes touching Baekhyun a little more, at the small of his back, at the back of his neck, on his forearms and hands. Those small, reassuring touches are the only reason why Baekhyun has not turned into a green monster yet and chewed out half the female population in vicinity.

“Baekhyun, you made it!” Kyungsoo looks happy to see him when they get close enough, and he pats Lay’s cheek. Baekhyun conjures up a small prayer in his head that Kyungsoo won’t say anything embarrassing in front of Chanyeol. “And you brought Chanyeol too! Did you guys enjoy the show?” he lights up with a trademark heart-shaped smile, looking at the three of them as if he doesn’t have five children clinging around his legs and at least a hundred parents waiting for his attention. Baekhyun wonders how someone so small and squishy can feel so comfortable in the middle of such mayhem.

“We all enjoyed it very much” Baekhyun reassures him, raising his voice a little to be heard over the chaos. Lay claps too, making them chuckle. “Congratulations, it was lovely”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, thank you” he says, trying to detach a child who has started climbing into private territory, even though his smile doesn’t falter; it’s probably standard procedure for him, from dealing with too many too energetic children every day. “It might take a while to finish here, but we might have a parents’ lunch later, would you like to join?” he asks cheerfully, looking up at Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Both of them. Baekhyun feels a little flustered at that; since when is Chanyeol considered a parent as well? A parent to his child in specific? Thankfully, Chanyeol has their response ready.

“That’s very nice Kyungsoo, but we have to go to that place where they give you nice stickers, so we can’t come” he refuses politely, giving Kyungsoo a meaningful look. It takes a moment of silent confusion before Kyungsoo catches onto the code-name for ‘doctor’s clinic’ –where they give you stickers after an injection. They agreed not to mention words related to her shot before it’s absolutely necessary, so that they can avoid tantrums.

“Oh” Kyungsoo nods in understanding and then smiles in a mischievous way “Maybe some other time then! You two won’t escape me!” he emphasizes that they are both in his agenda, as if he’s already considering them a couple –even though Baekhyun has told him that they are not. He’s not sure he wants to know what Chanyeol looks like in this moment, but then, fortunately, a legion of children successfully takes Kyungsoo down, and the man has to struggle free. Baekhyun and Chanyeol bid him goodbye and he waves at them while still laughing on the ground with a pile of children above him.

No one cares to ponder on the ‘couple’ impression they left on everyone –since it’s genetically impossible to be seen as relatives. They don’t bother with such petty stuff when Lay’s doctor’s visit is ahead. Baekhyun gets a bit nervous the closer they get, but Chanyeol makes up for it, distracting Lay with cheerful remarks and pointless games, so they manage to keep her oblivious until they step inside the waiting area. She grows solemn in a blink of the eye; Baekhyun swears he hasn’t seen his child looking so serious before. It’s concerning.

Since they have purposely arrived just on time, they are guided to the doctor’s office almost immediately, taking a seat across from her. Dr. Kim gives Chanyeol a good look, but Baekhyun reassures her that he’s here for support –she knows just as well as Baekhyun does that they will need it. Lay stays in Baekhyun’s arms while he discusses about her recent health status with the doctor, glaring at the woman in fear and clutching Baekhyun’s hand almost painfully.

It’s not long before the needle appears and all hell breaks loose.

Lay starts shrieking and crying, throwing a fit and not keeping still. Her legs keep kicking and she twists her body constantly, so much that Baekhyun fears she might hurt herself at times. He tries to hold her but she displays remarkable strength for a baby, and he doesn’t want to hurt her. The doctor does her best to distract her but Lay won’t even blink at her. Chanyeol tries to soothe her or entice her with games but Lay won’t have any of that and she only cries more. Baekhyun’s ears are ringing from her cries, but he keeps trying to plead with her, secretly suffering with her heart wrenching sobs. Baekhyun tries to soothe her at first, then he tries to be strict, then he’s honestly desperate, and then he gives up and waits for her to grow tired. He grows anxious before that happens though, because her face is a worrisome shade of red, her eyes are swollen and her lips purple from the exertion; Baekhyun can already predict her nightmares tonight.

When Baekhyun starts growing distressed, Chanyeol comes to the rescue. He tries his luck, taking her into his arms and rubbing her back comfortingly while Baekhyun holds her hand. It works for about ten seconds before the doctor ruins their efforts with her presence, and Lay starts wailing again, hiding in Chanyeol’s chest and clutching both men desperately. A baby can tolerate betrayal only for so long, crying for help and comfort till its lungs hurt.

“This is not working; can we please have a minute?” Chanyeol asks the doctor with a concerned frown. Lay looks like she is pushing herself beyond her limits and it’s not good. The doctor seems surprised he took initiative, but she doesn’t have any objections, and so she stays by her desk with Baekhyun while Chanyeol takes the little girl for a stroll in the office. Baekhyun can’t hear what Chanyeol mumbles to her, but he catches a hummed tune of a song and then the little girl’s sobs grow more and more quiet. Baekhyun watches him work his baby magic while Chanyeol keeps strolling around, talking to her about nonsensical things and patting her head which is resting against his shoulder, until she is calm enough and quiet. Chanyeol then signals to Baekhyun to approach them with a meaningful look, and Baekhyun nearly springs from his seat.

“Hi, baby” he whispers to Lay, wiping away some of her tears with his fingers. Her eyes are red and puffy, looking at him pitifully over Chanyeol’s shoulder. Chanyeol steps closer.

“Do you want to lie down with daddy for a bit?” he asks and Baekhyun glances at him in confusion but he plays along, nodding at Lay encouragingly. Lay mumbles something tiredly, hiding in Chanyeol’s shoulder. “I know you’re tired, so let’s go to that nice bed, hm?” Baekhyun follows Chanyeol to the hospital bed on the other side of the doctor’s office and he lies down on his side. Chanyeol deposits Lay on the bed too, turning her on her side, facing Baekhyun with her back to the doctor. Baekhyun curls an arm around her waist, watching her blink sleepily, and Chanyeol sits on the bed behind him, reaching over Baekhyun to brush her hair away from her cheek and hold her shoulder securely. The three of them are in the middle of each other’s breathing bubble, but they need to be, so that Lay won’t notice the doctor approaching with her shot.

A single cry of pain is all the protest she makes, echoed by many hushed comforting words by Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Lay’s eyes are b with tears again but she doesn’t look about to throw another fit –Baekhyun is afraid to assume she doesn’t have the strength to do it, because he doesn’t like challenging his luck. Chanyeol leans over Baekhyun to kiss Lay on the temple and Baekhyun nearly melts right then and there, breathing in Chanyeol’s cologne and feeling his warmth drape over him. The doctor smiles at them as she finishes her work and walks back to her desk, as if she never saw anything. Baekhyun tries to convince himself that nothing happened either, for the sake of remaining a functional human. “Baekhyun, can we talk about her next shot and expected side effects?”

“Of course” Baekhyun gets up hastily; now that the worst is over, it’s better to keep things short and comfortable, no need to stress the poor child further. He glances at Lay and the doctor indecisively for a moment.

“I have her, don’t worry” Chanyeol assures him, still sitting on the edge of the bed and holding Lay’s shoulder. He gathers the exhausted small child in his arms and showers her with pecks and affectionate caresses, to compensate for her earlier tears. Chanyeol is such a natural talent at parenting sometimes. Lay snuggles in his chest willingly, physically and mentally worn out. “See, mochi? You’re so brave. Now we can get ice cream!” he tries to cheer her up, keeping his voice low and rumbling; she looks one step closer to sleep with every blink. Baekhyun doesn’t catch the rest of Chanyeol’s monologue, starting his own discussion with the doctor.

“That’s quite impressive teamwork” she says, after they’ve gone through all the important points of Lay’s health. Baekhyun follows her gaze to see Chanyeol cradling Lay to his chest and talking to her cheerfully, and the little child looks very interested in whatever he’s saying. Baekhyun smiles at the endearingly familiar picture. He and Chanyeol have found a good rhythm, easily and comfortably, ever since the latter started babysitting Lay, maybe because they used to be so close and they still trust each other. They were kind of good today, weren’t they? “Is he your new partner?” the doctor quips. Baekhyun whirls around to look at her with wide eyes, feeling like he just got showered with a bucket of cold water.

“Oh no; I’ve known Chanyeol for years and she just likes him a lot” he explains. It’s not a lie. It’s just not the whole truth either. Had he included his wishful thinking, it’d be a mess, so better keep it simple. The doctor gives him a good look.

“I’m not judging you, Baekhyun” she smiles at him fondly and Baekhyun’s fingers relax around his chair, but the feeling of disappointment remains; is he really that obvious? “On the contrary, he looks like a good man, you know, the kind you settle down with” she says casually, playing with her pen. Baekhyun’s eyes widen; settle down with Chanyeol? That gorgeous human sitting over there? Her words definitely manage to poke his thoughts and feelings. It’s true that Chanyeol would be perfect to settle down with but…he wouldn’t want Baekhyun, would he? Before Baekhyun has time to wallow in his insecurities, the doctor stands and offers her hand to part with him. “So maybe you should do something about it” she says with a wink. Oh, like that is so helpful.

--

Chanyeol wakes up to his phone ringing in an offensive volume in the middle of the night. He grimaces when the blue light sneaks painfully under his lashes and he rubs his eyes, trying to ease the sting. He answers his phone blindly, if only to make the blasted thing shut up.

“H’llowm?” he mumbles, squinting in the dark to figure the time his clock is showing. In between whirls of blue and green behind his tired eyes, he manages to read it’s well past one. He hopes Luhan is not giving him a post-midnight inebriated call again. Last time that happened Luhan ended up singing –more like wailing– Celine Dionne for half an hour before Chanyeol out again.

“Chanyeol, I’m s-sorry to call so l-late. I’m s-sorry to wake you b-but, I don’t know w-what to do…” the voice is muffled and small, parts of the broken words whispered, but the sniffling that follows each word is very distinctly Baekhyun’s. Chanyeol would never forget the sound he hates the most, even when it’s kind of cute because Baekhyun’s crying over a sad movie.

“Baek?! Are you okay? Is Lay okay? What happened?” he suddenly feels considerably more awake and he sits up, alarmed. He blinks away sleep and dizziness, and he focuses acutely on the ragged breath on the other end of the line, trying to find the edge of his bed covers; his hands are still clumsy and numb from sleep, which makes him embarrassingly inefficient.

“I’m f-fine, just…Lay has a f-fever and she won’t s-stop crying. I don’t know what t-to do” Baekhyun sobs quietly, sniffling again. Somehow, Chanyeol has already thrown away the covers and jumped out of bed in milliseconds, nearly stumbling over on his way and crushing on the doorframe, but that doesn’t deter him from marching on in the darkness. His feet know where to take him.

“I’ll be there in two minutes” he says firmly, disconnecting and harrying down the stairs, skipping two at a time; it feels like flying sometimes. He grabs his keys and the first pair of shoes he finds in his way, not bothering with a coat. He locks his house and runs across the empty street into the night, the tranquil silence of their neighborhood welcoming him, with all its sleeping inhabitants surrounding him obliviously. It’s slightly chilly but he hardly notices the goose bumps on his skin.

Baekhyun answers after the first knock, already waiting for him behind the locked door. He stays silent, standing on the side and clutching the hem of his shirt nervously, while Chanyeol comes inside and steps out of his shoes, leaving all his things messily on the table by the door. Baekhyun shuffles his feet and wipes his eyes with fidgety hands. The house is dimly lit, unlike the bright lights that flood the house on other nights when Chanyeol has been over, probably because he’s never been here at such a late hour before. It’s as silent as the deserted street outside, except for Lay’s cries that echo from upstairs. This has a sense of déjà vu and Chanyeol feels his stomach turn, just like the first time he heard her crying so helplessly in the middle of the night.

“She’s in her crib” Baekhyun whispers, following Chanyeol’s gaze towards the stairs. Even in the dim lighting, Chanyeol can see Baekhyun’s large, watery eyes, his worried expression and the dried tear tracks on his skin. He looks like a frightened animal, hiding in the shadows and holding his breath. Baekhyun bites his lip uneasily and gives Chanyeol a vulnerable look. “She has been crying nonstop for an hour! She has a fever, she won’t let me put a compress on her, she’s sweating but her teeth are chattering, she is kicking and whining. The doctor said she might get a fever from the shot but it’s the first time it’s so-”

“Why are you crying?” Chanyeol interrupts him calmly, raising one hand to cradle the side of Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun hasn’t taken a breath, and we don’t want him to faint. Chanyeol suspects the reason behind Baekhyun’s tears, and it’s the loveliest reason in the world. Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol in the eyes, the shadows on his face unable to hide the sad expression that takes over his features. His eyes glaze and overflow fast, hot tears streaming down his face again.

“It breaks my heart when she’s crying” he whispers brokenly and sniffles, scrunching his nose cutely. Chanyeol’s lips crack a small, endearing smile involuntarily. “It happens of-ften, I’ll be okay” he lowers his face bashfully, wiping away his tears with his sleeves like a child. Chanyeol helps him, swiping his thumb over his cheek, and then he slides his fingers in Baekhyun’s hair, combing it softly.

“Hey, I’m here now, don’t cry” he reassures Baekhyun, pulling him close. Baekhyun hugs him instantly, seeking comfort in Chanyeol’s chest and clutching him as if he is his last hope. Lay’s cries are still loud, but Chanyeol hugs Baekhyun tightly, letting him have a moment to calm down and feel better before they go to her. Being a parent sometimes makes you forget every other side of you, so Chanyeol is here to make sure Baekhyun will always have a moment to be himself. Slow and comfortable hugs have always helped Baekhyun calm down, so it’s not long before the shorter takes a breath and steps back, wiping his eyes one more time. Chanyeol ruffles his hair and gives him an encouraging grin. “I have an idea, let’s go”

The sound of Lay’s cries gets more intense with every step; probably the neighbors can hear it too. Chanyeol leans over her crib but she doesn’t even notice him; her eyes are puffy, her whole face is red, she is drenched in sweat and crying hysterically, kicking and pulling the covers restlessly. She looks very uncomfortable, and Chanyeol wouldn’t be surprised if besides her fever she is suffering from a sore throat and an aching head after so much crying. He exchanges a look with Baekhyun, whose red, puffy eyes are more visible now, and he is biting down on his trembling lip to keep from bursting into tears again.

“I’ll take her to the bathroom, can you bring a towel?” he asks. Baekhyun nods distractedly and leaves Lay’s side reluctantly to fetch a towel from her closet. Chanyeol picks her up and holds her against him with some effort, receiving some kicks on his stomach and some punches on his shoulder from a very uncooperative and agitated toddler. Her little body feels very hot and her loud voice makes Chanyeol’s ears ring as he takes her to the bathroom, where the sound amplifies with echoes of her cries.

Chanyeol instructs Baekhyun to undress her, his voice barely audible in the room, which is booming with Lay’s voice, her complaints and protests. She gives Baekhyun a hard time, trying to rub her eyes and shade the brighter bathroom lighting, kicking him sometimes or trying to squirm away. Baekhyun cries silently, feeling hurt from her agony and her behavior; Chanyeol’s heart aches for him as well. While Baekhyun is busy with Lay, Chanyeol rids of his clothes until he’s only in his boxer briefs, folding his pajama pants and his t-shirt and stacking them on the side.

“What are you doing?!” Baekhyun shrieks, a horrified look crossing his red face when he sees Chanyeol. The latter tries to ignore the onslaught of embarrassment he feels, and he steps into the shower calmly, turning on the water and adjusting the temperature.

“We’ll give her a shower” he explains, his eyes fixed on his hand testing the water, because he’s very sure he can’t look at Baekhyun right now. Baekhyun keeps trying to soothe Lay with quiet words to no avail. When the water is slightly cold but not uncomfortable against Chanyeol’s skin, he turns to Baekhyun by necessity, extending his arms. “Give me the little steamed bun” he says, in a voice much more serious than he intended; his nervousness is showing in strange ways sometimes. He frowns, keeping his eyes on Baekhyun’s hands only, while the latter picks up the girl and hands her over to Chanyeol. Lay is still crying, but she is too tired to put up a fight, so she accepts her fate in Chanyeol’s arms. She didn’t expect to be put near the cold waterfall though, and she squeals loudly, flinching away from it and clinging on Chanyeol with renewed complaints.

“No~ don’t cry…” Chanyeol rocks her slightly in his arms, wetting his hand and touching her little forearm at first, experimentally. She doesn’t flinch away as much, making him hopeful. “See, this is like bubble-bubble!” he tries to sound excited and he repeats his action, slowly dampening her skin, until he can take a step closer to the water without scaring her.

Chanyeol never thought he could be so patient. They might be inside the shower for less than a minute and yet it feels like an eternity under these conditions, but he doesn’t even think of giving up. Lay keeps crying endlessly, tears and snot and drool mixing with water on Chanyeol’s shoulder. She feels sweltering hot against him and she squirms every now and then, her little hands clutching his shoulder, his arm or his chest agitatedly. Chanyeol can feel her strained little breaths under his hands and his hearing on one side might take a few days to recover, but he keeps doing what he has to do calmly. His heart is torn in his chest but he needs to be brave to help her.

After a few minutes, Lay grows tired and she rests on Chanyeol, still whimpering and sobbing, but not as loud as before. Chanyeol sighs in relief after this little progress, and he starts caressing her hair and her back comfortingly, kissing her temples, mumbling sweet words to her and humming to soothe her. His underwear is drenched in places and water is tickling his skin, but he ignores it. It’s not as easy to ignore Baekhyun’s fixed gaze on him and his daughter, anxious, sad and wide eyes watching their every move, his lower lip caught in his teeth nervously. He looks very concerned and still a bit of a crybaby; even though this is not the time and place for such thoughts, Chanyeol thinks it’s very cute, to be honest.

Yes, he just thought of that. As if he’s not standing in Baekhyun’s shower in his underwear at half past one a.m., with a feverish and crying child in his arms, thinking her daddy is super cute.

Chanyeol feels weird in this situation, having Baekhyun examining him so closely when he’s dressed so skimpily. His body is not bad, but he’s not particularly proud of it either, and he has been keeping it very private all his life, never showing it for more than necessary. To say he is self-conscious would be an understatement. With Baekhyun, they used to be very close two years ago, having sleepovers or simply choosing to spend the day at the other’s apartment, and naturally, they had exchanged clothes many times, but they never had to undress or appear in underwear in front of each other; they kept some privacy standards. And Chanyeol knows that right now it’s the last of Baekhyun’s concerns what Chanyeol looks like clotheless, but he still feels embarrassed and insecure about it. The only thing that helps him feel a little better is that Baekhyun is standing right outside the shower like a kicked puppy, and that plays with Chanyeol’s heartstrings.

“I think she’s better now” Chanyeol whispers, when Lay has quieted down almost completely, sniffling occasionally but otherwise nearly dozing off on his shoulder, uncaring about the water by now. Her temperature feels more normal too, and her breaths are more steady and deep. Baekhyun tears his worried gaze from Lay and blinks up at Chanyeol.

“How did you know this would work?” he whispers, his eyes amazed and grateful. Chanyeol avoids eye-contact for the same reason as before, opting to attempt to detach Lay from him. The child seems to be comfortable, tucked against his chest, and she’s leaching on him unrelentingly, making him panic for a second. But then her hold slackens and she mumbles something unintelligibly under her breath. Chanyeol slowly coaxes her to let go.

“My mother used to do it; at least, Yura says so” he answers Baekhyun’s question absentmindedly, while handing over Lay, trying not to make a mess. Baekhyun doesn’t say anything further, taking Lay into his arms as gently as possible and placing her on her changing table. Chanyeol turns off the shower and grabs a nearby towel to dry himself with.

“My little honeycomb~ Are you feeling better?” Baekhyun coos in a quiet voice, so that she won’t be disturbed. He keeps whispering and mumbling reassuringly while patting her dry and dressing her in fresh pjs, sneaking little caresses and tiny pecks whenever he can. She looks very tired, but at least she is relaxed and almost asleep when Chanyeol is finally in his clothes and he walks over to them. Baekhyun hands him a children’s hairbrush almost instantly, but Chanyeol stares at it in bewilderment for a moment.

“Will you brush her hair, Chanyeol? Make her pretty?” Baekhyun suggests with a knowing look, and Chanyeol somehow reads a command in his voice. He nods and walks across from Baekhyun to stand over Lay’s head. The moment he holds the brush seriously, he realizes there is something else in his hand too; after an inconspicuous inspection, he finds a baby-sized fever patch, which Baekhyun smuggled to him under the hairbrush. Chanyeol’s orders are clear, and so he starts his mission.

His light piano fingers become useful and he manages to stick the patch to her little forehead in-between brushes against her soft hair, without her noticing. Baekhyun also checks her temperature with expert, unnoticeable fingers; it has dropped to a very low fever, finally. After seeing him so distraught and vulnerable, Chanyeol had almost forgotten that Baekhyun is still a pro in daddy magic and he can handle his daughter as proficiently as cutting peaches into slices. He just has a weak spot for her tears, but who can blame him?

They put Lay to sleep and she is out like a light before they even finish tucking her in. They hover over her for a bit, leaning on the crib’s railing and watching her sleep peacefully. It helps them find closure after the night’s events, and the tension slowly melts away. Chanyeol finds more reasons to feel embarrassed, because his underwear has soaked through his pajama bottoms in some places and it looks like…well, you can imagine what it looks like, and Baekhyun’s tiredness is catching up with him, making him yawn cutely.

“Let’s go, she needs some rest” he whispers, gently guiding Baekhyun out by the shoulder. Baekhyun is reluctant to leave, constantly checking over his shoulder, until Chanyeol half-closes the door to Lay’s room. He turns Baekhyun around and gives him a small smile. “We did it. Now, let’s get some sleep”

“Sleep?” Baekhyun gasps, astounded “We can’t sleep, Chanyeol! We need to check on her and keep track of her fever!” he whispers urgently, his eyes flying around frantically. Chanyeol puts both hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. Baekhyun finally looks at him.

“And we will check on her, every one hour for the rest of the night, but that doesn’t mean we won’t sleep at all. If we’re both like zombies tomorrow, she is going to have the least exciting, most whiny day she’s ever had” he points out. Baekhyun doesn’t have to go to work tomorrow, but if they’re both dragging their feet around the house and can’t see straight because of their dark circles, she will be very disappointed and bored, and she certainly won’t spare them the nagging and protests. She is a child and she deserves to have fun every day, especially when her daddy is at home and it’s their Saturday-ice-cream day. Baekhyun looks at him thoughtfully, lips pressed and slanted, unconvinced.

“But, what if I don’t wake up-” he starts objecting. Chanyeol shushes him with a look.

“You know I will; I wake up easily, if she needs anything, I’ll be there in seconds” he assures him confidently. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d wake up from her cries, not to mention he can’t sleep very well when something is on his mind; only a bit of assistance from the alarm would be enough for tonight. Baekhyun bites the insides of his lips, looking like he’s mulling over the words he wants to say, until he sighs in surrender, his shoulders dropping. His hands clutch the front of Chanyeol’s t-shirt, crumpling the fabric, and his eyes drop to Chanyeol’s chest as well, looking adorably droopy.

“That’s not fair for you” he mumbles, shaking his head sadly. Well, Chanyeol can’t say it’s fair but he can’t say he minds it either. If anything, he is happy that Baekhyun trusts him, that he’s the first person he called for help and that he can be of use, instead of sticking around idly. Besides, it’s too late to go back to his house and Baekhyun might need him here again –even if it’s just for moral support. Chanyeol pulls his lips into a small smile, ready to share his thoughts with Baekhyun, but the latter sighs again and shuffles closer, until he rests his forehead against Chanyeol’s chest; paired with his hands still holding onto Chanyeol’s t-shirt, his intimate actions surprise Chanyeol for a fleeting moment, but then his heart twirls in a familiar way. And he’s so small. “I’m sorry I ruined your night, Chanyeol”

“It’s okay” Chanyeol comforts him by rubbing his neck; Baekhyun has had a pretty rough night, he can do without the guilt. Baekhyun’s shoulders visibly relax at the touch and Chanyeol smiles. “It’s still night, we can sleep” There is no reaction for some time, only comfortable silence; then, Baekhyun detaches himself, taking Chanyeol by the hand and leading him to the bedroom drowsily.

“Yeah, let’s sleep”

Does this mean they’re sharing the bed?

--

Baekhyun is not exactly awake and not exactly asleep either, but he knows he needs to go to the warm place to get comfortable. It’s bright behind his eyelids so he doesn’t dare open them, and he squirms blindly, tangling up the sheets on his way. He finds the warm place, where it’s dark and soft and nice too, and the warm place finds him at the same time, pulling him closer. He sighs happily, a pleasant scent filling his head, and he gets comfortable easily, already sinking back into his slumber.

Presumably a couple of hours after that, Baekhyun blinks his eyes open, finally rested. The room is full of sunshine, softened through the curtains, and specs of dust dance on the few bright sunbeams lazily. But there’s a male chest in front of him. Huh? He looks up in confusion, not used to waking up next to anything other than pillows. His memory is still a bit muddled by sleep, but when he realizes it’s Chanyeol he’s looking at, last night’s events come rushing to his mind, and he panics, any remaining sleepiness vanishing instantly.

His child, is his child okay?

He lifts his head, trying to catch the smallest sound Lay might be making all the way from her room, but there is only silence, and Chanyeol’s occasional light snores. Baekhyun’s anxious eyes stumble on a small note, lying harmlessly on the bedside table, full of Chanyeol’s scribbles. He has to squint his eyes to read anything off of it, but he gets the general idea as soon as he makes out a few numbers; it looks like Chanyeol got up every hour to check on Lay’s temperature, and then he jotted it down with a time stamp. Baekhyun focuses on the last few entries after dawn; it seems her fever is entirely gone. He sighs in relief and lets his head fall on the pillow, the squeeze of his heart easing into a tender morning calm feeling.

Thank god she’s better; listening to her crying in pain is torture to Baekhyun, especially when he’s unable to help her. It’s been a year and a couple of months of parenting experience, and he has yet to find a way not to cry when she’s crying. What would he have done without Chanyeol last night? He was feeling so lost and helpless when he called him in the middle of the night; he was the only person he could think of to ask for help, even though, in retrospect, how much more than Baekhyun would Chanyeol know about baby fever? That didn’t matter much to him at the time, he just wanted Chanyeol beside him; because, for Baekhyun, the answer to some questions can only be Chanyeol, no matter how many years and miles come between them.

He is lucky Chanyeol knew what to do to help the crying baby last night. Even though he has no experience with children, Chanyeol mentioned his mother as reference; Baekhyun remained silent at that. From what Chanyeol remembers and has told Baekhyun, his mother must have been an amazing woman who, unfortunately, died too soon, when Chanyeol was only six years old. She is the one who encouraged him to study music –she really liked listening to him play the piano–, she was Chanyeol’s idol and guardian angel, and he loved her immensely. He and Yura strived to cope with her loss for years, but Chanyeol said it brought them closer; they both resemble her too, in appearance and manners, so they see her in each other. Baekhyun wishes his mother was as sweet and kind and gentle, wise and patient; when he first started planning his life with Lay, it wasn’t his mother but Chanyeol’s mother he tried to model himself after as a parent. He even did that thing, poking her cheeks when she’d puff them out; it’s a cute way to break the tension. It seems that, even though she’s not alive, Chanyeol’s mother is still giving them parenting advice, and Baekhyun sends his thanks in a silent prayer.

The more he thinks about last night’s events, however, the guiltier he feels. He startled him in the wee hours after midnight and dragged him over to deal with an endlessly crying child –and her crying daddy. Chanyeol did all the work to bring her fever down and all Baekhyun did was soothe her every now and then, not to mention Chanyeol was the one to wake up countless times through the rest of the night to check on her. Baekhyun promised to himself that he would get up too when he’d hear the alarm, but his sleep was too deep and he passed all the alarms without realizing. How could he ever ask of Chanyeol this much? He feels like a horrible friend.

On top of everything else, he shamelessly dragged Chanyeol to his bed and cuddled him for his warmth all night! Not that he feels too bad about that, because it has obvious perks, but it’s still unfair. It’s been years since they last shared a bed or a couch; Baekhyun had kind of missed this. No one else could ever cuddle him to sleep like Chanyeol.

Chanyeol suddenly stirs in his sleep, taking a deep breath, and Baekhyun holds his own breath, becoming very aware of their position. Baekhyun curses his warmth-seeking sleep habits –he gets cold easily at night and if there is something warm around, you can bet he will locate it and gravitate towards it with his eyes closed, literally. That sort of superpower has brought him in the middle of Chanyeol’s personal space, his nose pressed against Chanyeol’s chest. Moreover, he has one arm curled around Chanyeol’s waist and his right leg is hooked over Chanyeol’s hips –it would be the first limb to be removed if Baekhyun wasn’t afraid he’d wake Chanyeol by shifting so much. Luckily, Chanyeol settles soon, without waking or even moving much under the covers. Baekhyun exhales silently, thanking his lucky stars.

It seems he spoke too soon, because Chanyeol has an arm around him, and he pulls him impossibly closer with it. Baekhyun wonders how Chanyeol can possibly find this comfortable, when another person is positively plastered against him –not that he’s really complaining, but the ethical part of him ought to point it out. Baekhyun flushes upon realizing how many body parts are touching and the color on his cheeks deepens when he catches himself enjoying this.

It’s been a long time since he was so close to someone else, okay? And this is not just anyone else, but Chanyeol, in all his toned, cuddly, sleepy and soft glory.

Soon after Chanyeol settles into this –indecent– position, Baekhyun begins his valiant efforts and he manages to wiggle his way backwards in the end, putting some distance between them. By some miracle, Chanyeol doesn’t wake up and Baekhyun just lies there, catching his breath after this morning adventure. It’s not like he’s creeping on Chanyeol, but there is nothing else to look at –in Baekhyun’s eyes, at least. Besides, he’s not about to have a high school crush run-and-hide reaction because he woke up next to his good friend; no, he’d much rather he watched him sleep for the while he has at his disposal, just like he used to do in the old times.

Chanyeol is still beautiful, just the way Baekhyun remembers. His face has great angles, not as sharp as Baekhyun’s face but much more structured. His skin is soft and fair, without a trace of aging, in spite of his twenty eight years. His lips are plum and pinkish, and his eyelashes curl over his cheeks –something Baekhyun has always been envious of, because his own lashes are straight and short-ish. It’s cute, how his ears peek under his messy, black locks; Baekhyun remembered them brown, but he likes the natural black color, it brings out his pale freckles, dusted cutely all over his nose and cheeks. Chanyeol is not perfect, far from it, but Baekhyun always sees him so beautiful.

Baekhyun smiles lazily, basking in the sunlight next to Chanyeol. He feels so peaceful, and if his heart is fluttering, it’s for all the good reasons. He wishes he can see many mornings like this in the future; he’d love to wake up to this for the rest of his life.

--

Baekhyun is debating over peaches, happily picking the best ones; for the first time in a long while there is no stubborn toddler demanding for just any peach right now. Said toddler is sitting in her stroller, parked in front of Chanyeol, who is sitting on a bench just a few steps away. Baekhyun never knew shopping is so much easier when you do it with a helping hand. The famers’ market is a very familiar place by now, but this is by far the most comfortable shopping trip he’s ever had here. Chanyeol is around to help him carry things or split the shopping list, they share the time they have to spend with Lay to keep her cheerful, Baekhyun feels more coordinated and safe, and Chanyeol knows some surprisingly useful information about fruit.

Baekhyun imagines bringing Chanyeol along at the supermarket as well; oh, that would be lovely, wouldn’t it?

It’s not very crowded today but the market is very bright and full of voices. Even though Baekhyun can easily spot Chanyeol and Lay from where he’s shopping if he glances to his left, he can’t hear a thing of the animated tales Chanyeol is telling her while feeding her an orange –the lady who sells them has a soft spot for Lay and she always gifts her an orange when they come here. It’s Saturday, so many people are sleeping in, and Baekhyun would have followed their bright example, if only his kitchen was not suffering such great shortages of edible supplies. Chanyeol offered to do the shopping –since he is cooking in the same kitchen, he said– but Baekhyun kind of likes this market, so he refused; a stubborn war over the sense of responsibility ensued, and they ended up coming together. It’s not very surprising for their standards; this sort of thing used to happen all the time in the past.

Baekhyun finishes with the peaches and he nearly skips to where Chanyeol and Lay are. They don’t notice him at first, too engrossed in whatever they are doing, which involves Chanyeol making cute and angry faces while pushing a piece of orange through Lay’s lips, since she looks too mesmerized by the story to do anything for herself. Baekhyun walks closer, barely withholding his laughter.

“And then the unicorn said- oh, daddy is here!” Chanyeol suddenly exclaims when he notices Baekhyun, his story forgotten and replaced by a large smile that reflects the sunshine and nearly blinds Baekhyun. Lay cheers in her seat –it’s doubtful whether she realized Baekhyun joined them or if she thought the unicorn said that though.

“Was the unicorn looking for daddy too?” Baekhyun chirps playfully and hops –yes, he hops, bunny-style, cause he’s so cheerful today– until he stands behind Chanyeol, leaning with both hands on Chanyeol’s broad shoulders and smiling down at Lay. The little girl smiles at him and mumbles happily with many gestures, but none of it makes sense. Chanyeol chuckles and cleans with a baby wipe from the orange juice; the offended face she makes when she tastes a bit of the baby wipe’s soap when she accidentally opens makes both Chanyeol and Baekhyun laugh.

“We just finished our fruit” Chanyeol explains, wiping his fingers as well and wrapping the orange peels in a bundle to throw away at the nearest bin.

“Good, honeycomb~” Baekhyun coos at his daughter and then starts nodding to himself “We should go then; we need to go home and do the laundry” He says it like it’s fun, he says it like he means it, but boy, does he not want to do it. He doesn’t want to leave so soon –and return to house chores, no less– so he doesn’t even budge from his comfortable perch on Chanyeol’s shoulders, even though he knows he’s contradicting himself. It’s Saturday, cut him some slack.

“Sure, just…” Chanyeol seems willing to follow the plan that Baekhyun actually doesn’t want to follow –that traitor– but he hesitates for a moment, picking up the stuffed toy Lay chose to bring to the farmers’ market today. It’s a small, white bunny, wearing a farmer’s hat –how appropriate– and holding a proportionately big, red radish. It’s one of the toys his mother usually keeps at her house for when Lay visits, but she wouldn’t part with it the last time they visited; toy exchange happens sometimes, it all depends on Lay’s mood. “What’s this guy’s name?” Chanyeol wiggles the cute toy in front of Lay, who looks at it as if it’s alien; she probably doesn’t remember taking it with her this morning, she wasn’t even all that enthusiastic about it.

“Hmm, I don’t think he has one yet” Baekhyun answers for her. He and Lay name all her stuffed animals, but his mother is content with calling them ‘a bunny’, ‘the bear’, ‘that blue little bird’ –she doesn’t even call birds ‘chirpies’; where’s the fun in that? Baekhyun leans his head on the top of Chanyeol’s head; he is being super clingy, it’s the sunshine.

“Who’s this, mochi? What’s his name?” Chanyeol asks her with a smile, not seeming to mind Baekhyun one bit. The little girl blinks and then looks at Chanyeol first, and then Baekhyun, at a loss. Baekhyun hums thoughtfully, trying to come up with a name. They have plenty white bunnies and he has run out of names for this one, but maybe…

“Let’s call him…Monsieur Radis” he chirps, finally detaching from Chanyeol and smiling brightly at his daughter. Lay explodes into giggles, so many that it surprises Chanyeol and Baekhyun. ‘Mr. Radish’ is not exactly the most original name, but Baekhyun’s attempt to make it interesting by translating it to French seems to have a particularly hilarious sound to Lay.

“I think she likes it” Chanyeol says and shares a smile with Baekhyun, who nods. He waits till Lay quiets down before he continues; you don’t just decide on a name and give it, you have to teach the teddy bear to know its name. Also known as: Baekhyun’s miserable attempts at getting any proper word out of Lay. It never works, not even with her favorite teddies, but it doesn’t hurt to try and it’s fun.

“Tell him his name, honeycomb; you should teach him how to say it. Mon-sieur Ra-dis~” he enunciates the syllables and she laughs even more. Chanyeol and Baekhyun can’t control their smiles as they watch her, and many passer-bys look their way with a smile as well; baby laughter is the purest, most angelic of sounds, after all. Lay starts talking to the stuffed animal with a hint of determination at first, but it vanishes quickly in the midst of her gibberish, to be replaced by giggles.

((Your name is Mushieh Radee! Daddy, that sounds so funny! Say it again! Say it again!))

--

Before anyone notices, their routine changes. It’s small changes that add up to a greater sum, but they don’t see it, because it’s still convenient, comfortable and easy; and it feels nice. Chanyeol cooks breakfast every morning, unless it’s the weekend; Baekhyun really likes to practice his breakfast-cooking skills on weekends. Sometimes, Chanyeol bakes cakes, tarts, cookies and other delicacies the night before, and serves them with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk; it makes Baekhyun feel like a child again, even though he feels a little guilty that Lay can’t eat as much. On weekdays, Baekhyun doesn’t have to race through his routine to get ready for work anymore, since Chanyeol is watching over Lay. Baekhyun can’t leave without a kiss, then Chanyeol always waves goodbye with Lay from the doorstep.

He gets through the day at the office fueled by his expectations of everything they can do after he returns home. He used to call during his lunch break to check up on them every day, but he’s busier nowadays and he doesn’t always call; besides, Chanyeol hardly ever needs parenting advice. Sometimes, Chanyeol calls him to cheer him up, with Lay mumbling her own encouragements to her daddy; Baekhyun gets so positive and motivated afterwards. Most of his coworkers-who-are-also-friends have heard of Chanyeol by now, because Baekhyun gets so excited talking to them about him and Lay, and they all insist that they should meet him sometime.

In spite of Chanyeol’s initial worries, he has turned out to be a natural talent in parenting. Baekhyun has seen for himself how skilful Chanyeol is with his child, handling her successfully even when she is being stubborn and complaining. He understands Lay as well as Baekhyun does, he can keep her entertained and he can feed her greens, imagine that. Lay is learning things and acquiring new skills much faster than before –and the same can be said about Chanyeol. He can hold her, feed her, dress her, tuck her in, change her diaper and bathe her now. Chanyeol is very proud of himself for his achievements, always turning to Baekhyun like a puppy waiting to be praised by its owner.

In order to keep his weekends free, Baekhyun stays at the office until later than usual on some days to finish his assigned tasks. He always calls to let Chanyeol know and he always feels horrible about it, even though Chanyeol never complains or objects. Baekhyun feels guilty for keeping him from his work, even though Chanyeol assures him that he is not neglecting it because of Lay. If Baekhyun comes home on time, he usually finds Chanyeol and Lay playing around or tending to the flowers in the garden. Sometimes, he finds them doing chores, like that time when Chanyeol was preparing for laundry and Lay was sitting on the bathroom floor beside him, throwing socks inside the laundry basket. If Baekhyun comes home late, depending on the day, he catches them right before or right after dinner –a plate of food is always reserved for him–, once he caught them during bath time, and a few times he found them cuddled together and sleeping on the rocking chair with a story book. They had already called to say goodnight first.

Chanyeol spends most of his days in Baekhyun’s house, even the weekends, practically living with them; he has space in the closet, a toothbrush in the bathroom and his side on the bed. Chanyeol sleeps over nearly every night, sharing the bed with Baekhyun ever since the night Lay was sick; yeah, Baekhyun is still squealing over that fact. Occasionally, however, Chanyeol leaves them in the evenings, because he has to work on his compositions or because he has a business meeting scheduled with his coworker, named Luhan. Baekhyun still cooks dinner for three, because he’s grown used to it. Sometimes, he wonders what Chanyeol might be doing when he’s not around; is he taking a long shower, or baking a cake, or composing? The house sounds very quiet without his soft, rhythmic breaths at night, and the bed feels awfully cold and lonely. Chanyeol always hugs Baekhyun super tight the next morning over breakfast.

--

Chanyeol finishes serving their breakfast, making Baekhyun’s plate extra pretty and full with his favorite bacon to cheer him up, since he remembers he mentioned a few days ago that he has a big presentation at work today. Baekhyun doesn’t talk about his work projects much, but he has been nervous about this one over the past few days, if his tossing and turning at night is any indication; Chanyeol had to spoon him all night for two nights in a row if he was to sleep peacefully. And today, Baekhyun is taking his time getting ready, preening himself in the bathroom; Chanyeol thinks he’d be gorgeous anyway, but if Baekhyun feels more confident after making an effort and spending time on his appearance, then Chanyeol won’t object to anything that will make him feel better.

He decides to wait for Baekhyun to start his breakfast, so he takes the remaining time to feed Lay. She’s getting better at eating by herself –only half the food misses the target– and sometimes she prefers minimum involvement by the adults, like today. She makes effort after effort with endearing stubbornness, naturally making a mess in the process. Chanyeol cleans up and keeps her company, making sure she won’t choke, like they always do when she wants to try eating alone. She’s growing so fast; now Chanyeol knows the emotional trouble mothers go through.

She is successfully munching on a piece of zucchini when Baekhyun rushes down the stairs, dressed in his crisp suit, chanting “I’m late I’m late I’m late” He scampers to his seat, picking up his chopsticks before he has properly sat down, in a hurry to get some food in his system before leaving for work. His impatient expression clashes cutely with his smart appearance; smooth skin, hair styled to perfection, straight tie and dark suit. Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at how fast Baekhyun is trying to eat, worrying that maybe he needs to supervise two people eating lest they choke on their food. If he eats so fast, he’ll get a stomachache…Chanyeol glances at the clock, concerned.

“Not really” he observes calmly; Baekhyun is not late at all. In spite of the additional effort, he’s on time like any other day. Baekhyun gives him a look, but very briefly, his hands busy with picking food for his bowl at the speed of light. He is so on edge that his speech comes out just as fast.

“Traffic is horrible this time in the mornings and vacation period is starting, which means more people will be in the street, and I am lat- oh!” he stops abruptly after knocking over a glass of water in his haste. There is not any real damage except for a wet tablecloth, and Chanyeol is already dubbing it with paper towels to avoid any of the water reaching and soaking Baekhyun’s suit. He doesn’t give any negative reaction, feeling fully prepared to be supportive and fix anything that bothers Baekhyun today. Baekhyun, on the other hand, grumbles displeased with the accident he caused, and he grabs some towels to help Chanyeol, but the latter pushes his hands away gently –the point is to keep Baekhyun in immaculate condition and Chanyeol can take care of such a simple thing by himself.

“Why is your daddy so clumsy when he’s nervous?” he asks Lay, flashing a teasing smile at Baekhyun. The shorter huffs offended, dropping the piece of food he is holding into his bowl. Baekhyun doesn’t like sharing his troubles but he is fairly easy to read, especially for Chanyeol, who has seen him in practically every emotional state imaginable.

“I’m not nervous, I’m just late” he retorts incredulously, looking at Chanyeol, who has just finished his patchwork on the wet tablecloth. Lay mumbles something and Chanyeol raises a brow.

“You can’t fool us, we’re first class, world-renowned Baekhyun experts” he states matter-of-factly, pointing at Lay and himself with poise. Baekhyun takes a breath to refute but he only manages to gape afterwards, mutely opening and closing him mouth. Chanyeol smirks, his victory becoming clearer with every passing second of speechlessness on Baekhyun’s part, and Lay mumbles something again, somewhat lost in the transaction between the adults. If tall man is teasing daddy, why is daddy not laughing and imitating a fish instead? Daddy is being moody. In the end, Baekhyun sighs in surrender.

“Oh fine, I’m a little nervous” he mumbles begrudgingly, devoting his gaze to his food, just to spare himself of Chanyeol’s triumphant smile. Baekhyun has a cute way of eating when he’s pouting, being disappointed, offended or sad, and that is by stuffing his mouth continuously, until it’s too full and he has to chew halfheartedly a couple of times, just enough to swallow, before stuffing his mouth again. He looks so defeated and childish, his cheeks puffing out with every bite he shoves past his lips, eyes droopy and downcast, the very picture of gloom.

“Now your daddy is being messy because he’s moping” Chanyeol pretends to inform Lay in a causal voice, certain that if he flaunts his confidence in how well he knows Baekhyun, he will coax a reaction out of the stressed, depressed and well dressed man across from him. He can’t send him to work like this; he needs to clear the clouds to let Baekhyun’s natural sunshine shine through.

Baekhyun closes his lips around a spoonful of rice and looks up at Chanyeol with a wounded look of betrayal in his eyes, one which is normally paired with a killer pout, if not for his stuffed and puffy cheeks. He holds it for a moment and Chanyeol waits patiently for his reaction; Baekhyun chooses to get up and turn around to leave the table in a form of silent protest –taking his bowl with him nonetheless. Talk about lackadaisically moping children. Chanyeol springs up from his seat and walks around the table, catching up with Baekhyun easily, because he wants to be caught, dragging his feet and hunching his back to show just how miserable he feels from the treatment Chanyeol is giving him. Chanyeol sneaks behind him and closes his arms around Baekhyun’s waist, back-hugging him; Baekhyun keeps pouting but he doesn’t protest or try to break away when Chanyeol pulls his back against his chest.

“Baek, I’m teasing you, lighten up” he says calmly, chuckling and ruffling Baekhyun’s hair playfully; he has styled it so meticulously that nearly all the strands fall back to their original place, except for a few stubborn ones which remain tussled on his forehead. Baekhyun takes a moment to swallow all the food he has in his mouth and then the almighty pout comes forth, making Chanyeol’s heart flutter. He gives Chanyeol the side-eye like a stubborn child, his plum lower lip jutting out dejectedly.

“You ruined my hair” he complains dully, slumping against Chanyeol. Somewhere at the back of his mind, Chanyeol files the information that not all days are appropriate for playfully messing with someone’s head, for future reference, but for now, he cranes his neck to inspect Baekhyun’s ‘ruined’ look. It’s endearing how Baekhyun keeps pouting and doesn’t move to change his moping stance, but he follows Chanyeol’s actions with the corner of his eyes.

“It’s an enhancement” Chanyeol decides in the end, nodding in assurance. It’s not the perfect, sleek side part, but those tufts of hair sticking out or curling on the side of Baekhyun’s head make him look younger, more laidback, like he has threaded his fingers through his hair, and truthfully, they make him about fifty times se*ier. “I like a touch of bed-head style on you” Chanyeol blurts, adding a big smile to distract anyone watching from his big red ears. Baekhyun’s pout turns to a lop-sided, unconvinced expression, his eyes glancing from his bowl to Chanyeol and back.

“I hope my audience will like it” he ends up muttering, stirring the contents of his bowl and pretending to be interested in it. Chanyeol chuckles and squeezes him closer, ignoring their already inappropriate proximity. If he could, he would hug Baekhyun like this and keep him in his pocket forever. No one is allowed to dislike his Baekhyunnie or make him sad today.

“They’ll be amazed” he reassures him, and Baekhyun flashes a hesitant smile, cheeks pink from the compliment. Holding back the urge to plant a kiss on his cheek really hard, Chanyeol takes a step back, putting some distance between his chest and Baekhyun’s back, but he keeps his hands on Baekhyun’s small waist, guiding him back to the table. Baekhyun does as he is being made to do obediently, taking a seat and then looking up at Chanyeol, who smiles down at him kindly. “Now sit down and eat your breakfast”

--

Today is not just another ordinary day; in fact, there are many things happening differently but Baekhyun and Chanyeol have it all under control. Except maybe for Chanyeol’s tie; that thing never seems to be under control.

It’s a weekday, so Baekhyun has to go to work, but on this particular day, Chanyeol has to go to work too. Luhan called a few days ago and he more or less begged to see him soon for a meeting with the higher-ups, and their meeting couldn’t be scheduled sometime during the weekend, or wait till next week. Chanyeol always feared this day would come, when he wouldn’t be able to stay with Lay in the morning, and he apologized to Baekhyun repeatedly, for letting him down –Baekhyun said he even mumbled it in his sleep every night since Luhan’s call. Chanyeol feels very disappointed in himself and guilty on that matter, as if he is betraying Lay and Baekhyun’s trust. But Baekhyun took it surprisingly well, in spite of the short notice, assuring Chanyeol they would figure something out and smiling at him brightly every time he apologized.

They ended up calling Chen for babysitting purposes, having everything prepared for Lay’s meals and entertainment. She is currently sitting in her highchair, already finished with her breakfast and spending her time playing with a pink toy horse, watching the adults getting ready to go. She doesn’t seem particularly unsettled, which is auspicious news for Chen, sparing him a mighty tantrum –at least for now. Baekhyun will be driving Chanyeol on his way to work, so they’re both getting ready at the same time –needless to say in the same house, since Chanyeol is spending pretty much all nights of the week here– but they haven’t met any trouble; they move like clockwork in perfect coordination, and Lay never misses them if she needs them.

“Whip-woo, Mr. Park!” Chen exclaims, standing at the foot of the stairs when Chanyeol passes by him, heading to the lobby mirror to fix his tie. Chanyeol had forgotten what it sounds like to be wolf-whistled at. He grimaces when Chen calls him Mr. Park; they’ve been on first-name basis for a long while, but the teenager whips up the traditional way of calling him every now and then to .

“Oh please, don’t call me that; I feel even older wearing this thing” he complains, trying to fix the tie around his neck like a clumsy child; he’s not very comfortable with ties, they make him feel much older than he is. Chanyeol spots Baekhyun hopping down the stairs, dressed and ready. He stops behind Chen and he puts both hands on Chen’s shoulders, leaning over to look at Chanyeol.

“He cleans up nicely, doesn’t he?” he asks Chen, making eye-contact with Chanyeol in the mirror. He smiles at the taller mischievously, eyes shining with something akin to pride, and Chanyeol’s tongue twists around itself at the compliment. Baekhyun has seen him in a suit and tie before but he has never commented on it; Chanyeol feels his ears turn bright red and his fingers become useless, fidgeting with the tie nervously but not very efficiently. Baekhyun can be playful and forward sometimes like so, and it never fails to make Chanyeol a flustered, blushing mess.

“You look hwat, and I don’t say that for just anyone” Chen agrees, but his compliment doesn’t have half the effect Baekhyun’s words and his smile had on Chanyeol. Well, at least Chanyeol is still considered hot among teenage population, that’s comforting. Baekhyun has already fled to the kitchen, from where he can be heard cooing at Lay. Chanyeol keeps his eyes on the knot he is trying to make with his tie, managing something halfway decent, still feeling flustered and faintly pink.

“Thank you, but I still hate this thing” he grumbles, giving up on his tie and looking up at Chen miserably; these are grownup struggles right here. Why does Luhan make me wear this thing for meetings? Chen smirks and scrutinizes him from head to toe, eyebrows rising.

“It looks good. Reaaaally good” he purrs appreciatively, not bothering to hide the fact that he is checking Chanyeol out and he is enjoying the view. Chanyeol shuffles his feet uncomfortably under the shameless ogling of Chen’s sharp eyes, catching them lingering on certain places; he is a bit flattered and a bit shy, but mostly uncomfortable. He is more than a decade older than Chen, not to mention they play Mario Kart together every week, this sort of transaction has no place between them! Chanyeol is about to stutter something, but Baekhyun appears suddenly, assessing the situation in milliseconds and proceeding to glare at the younger.

“Stop drooling, Chen” he deadpans; but if Chanyeol had to guess, from the possessive glint in his eye, he’d say there might, possibly, be a hint of jealousy in there. Either way, Chanyeol is thankful for the support. Chen dissolves in loud laughter and Chanyeol manages to pass the whole thing as a joke, laughing along. Baekhyun puts his hands in his pockets and shrugs with a small smile –it’s illegal how gorgeous he looks when doing it.

“Baek, help me with the tie?” Chanyeol asks, blinking at Baekhyun pleadingly, with a small, hopeful pout. Baekhyun is an expert at dealing with ties, his skilled fingers know more than five knots and he can tie each in less than thirty seconds; Chanyeol has watched him do it every morning. It’s his guilty pleasure.

“You’ve seen me do it countless times” Baekhyun rolls his eyes at him but he comes closer nonetheless, taking Chanyeol’s tie in his pretty fingers; Chanyeol smiles down at him happily without any comments, accepting the half-serious judgmental look Baekhyun sends him and still being grateful. Of course he has seen Baekhyun knotting his tie in the mornings, he’s been watching him intently every morning to be exact, but he never pays attention to the technical details, because he gets too mesmerized by the way his fingers move, and his heart malfunctions at how amazing Baekhyun looks when he’s focused in the mirror, grooming himself. He’s a perfect heartbreaker and Chanyeol finds him very seductive in those moments for some reason. “You’re a grown man, what sort of survival skills do you have?” Baekhyun complains teasingly, finishing up his work and patting Chanyeol’s chest.

“Thank you~” Chanyeol grins at Baekhyun brightly and he wraps an arm around his waist to move him out of the way, so that he can run to Lay’s side –he doesn’t notice that Chen’s eyes widen at the closeness his gesture brings between him and Baekhyun, because Chanyeol is used to being so touchy with his adorable short guy. “Mochiiii, we’re going~” he coos, kneeling on the floor next to the little girl. She smiles at him, mumbling like she does when Baekhyun is about to leave, and Chanyeol’s heart melts. “Be nice, okay? We’ll bring you ice cream!” he promises enthusiastically, kissing her little hands. He feels bad enough they will be leaving her alone –almost, if you count Chen–; he thinks ice cream is the least compensation they can provide when they get back –they’ll bring ice cream for Chen, too.

“Love you, honeycomb~” Baekhyun kisses her temple, standing over Chanyeol, who is still on the floor, cooing and caressing her. “If you need anything, call either one of us, okay?” Chanyeol registers Baekhyun’s voice in the background, but he is too busy pampering Lay and promising her the fifteenth ice cream flavor. He would cancel everything if he could; how can he part with her?

“Yes, I know” Chen reassures them. Then suddenly, Chanyeol feels two arms wrapping around his waist and pulling him up with some effort, and he flails a bit in surprise.

“Yeol, we were leaving, remember?” Baekhyun huffs and puffs behind him, dragging him away with a vice grip around his waist. Chanyeol stumbles backwards, off balance, but Baekhyun is still holding him securely. Neither cares they’re way too close and touchy this early in the morning; Baekhyun is even chuckling playfully in between his labored breaths while trying to make Chanyeol’s much larger body move.

“Yes, yes, right” he mumbles, gathering his senses and rationalizing the cruel feeling of separation he feels for the little child. Baekhyun releases him with a sigh and Chanyeol realizes he has managed to drag them further away than he thought Baekhyun capable of. He looks around, bewildered.

“Door, this way” Baekhyun points accordingly, and Chanyeol follows his lead like a good duckling. Chen is having a premature aneurism with how much he is cackling at the show.

“You guys are so cool; totally relationship goals” Chen muses, wiping his eyes from mirthful tears and smiling at them, leaning against the doorframe. Chanyeol freezes a little, awkwardly standing in front of the door next to Baekhyun with half his shoe on. Did he just say relationship goals?!

“We’re what?” Baekhyun quirks a half-curious, half-horrified eyebrow at Chen, standing stiffly, as if he has forgotten he needs to be somewhere else soon. The fact that he missed the words that rang so loud and clear to Chanyeol is a bit heartbreaking –but of course Baekhyun doesn’t see them this way, he must think it’s weird. Chanyeol gulps uncomfortably and panics; he is not planning to start this conversation –if he ever starts it– because of a teenager who has perfect cheekbones and a big mouth. He ends up yanking the door open and dragging Baekhyun out of the house before Chen has time to elaborate, squeaking like a cornered mouse.

“We were leaving!”

--

It’s late at night but neither Baekhyun nor Chanyeol are sleepy so, after each one showers, they head downstairs to watch a movie or a late night drama. They’re sitting on the couch, Chanyeol facing the screen, but Baekhyun is sitting with his back against the armrest and he has to keep his head turned to the side to watch anything on tv. After he plopped down on the other end of the couch, Chanyeol scooped Baekhyun’s feet and brought them on his lap, that’s why Baekhyun ended up like this. Baekhyun wanted to protest but Chanyeol didn’t say a word, and after he started rubbing Baekhyun’s feet, anything that the latter might have wanted to say melted in the sea.

But Baekhyun is still pouting, because he is confused with this treatment. He and Chanyeol had a small tiff earlier in the evening and Baekhyun yelled unfairly loud at him; shouldn’t Chanyeol be mopey and distant? Baekhyun doesn’t understand why he deserves an amazingly relaxing foot massage by Chanyeol’s magical fingers, after he yelled at him over something that wasn’t worth so much fuss in the first place. He was stressed and tired, and Chanyeol made a mistake; you can’t expect people who live together to never fight with each other. There will naturally be tension and anger and disagreements; it’s two people trying to share one life, after all. Baekhyun knows he can survive quarrels with Chanyeol; in his past experience, they’re both good in dispute resolution and very forgiving. But they hadn’t had an argument in a while and now it sits heavy on Baekhyun’s conscience. Lay has been peacefully asleep for some time now, and the tv is nearly mute, so the house is very quiet and Baekhyun can practically hear his guilt whispering in his ears.

“Chanyeol…” he breaks the silence at some point, his voice coming out quiet and apologetic. Chanyeol turns to him instantly, since he hadn’t been watching whatever is on tv anyway. Baekhyun lowers his eyes guiltily. “I’m sorry I yelled at you”

“You already apologized, Baek” Chanyeol reassures him kindly, his hands resting on Baekhyun’s ankles; Chanyeol always said his ankles are so small that he can close his fingers around them, and apparently it’s true. Baekhyun bites his lip; of course he apologized, the moment he realized he was overreacting, and then they talked things out with Chanyeol, but he still feels bad about it. “Besides, you were right; I shouldn’t have given her two peaches” Chanyeol continues, his thumb caressing Baekhyun’s ankle absentmindedly. Baekhyun lifts his eyes to look at him; of course he shouldn’t have given her two peaches, they are lucky she didn’t get a stomachache or a sugar rush. Things like that seem trivial, but at some point they might be important, and if Chanyeol is in this parenting game with Baekhyun, they need to figure them out. Chanyeol pouts thoughtfully. “I need to grow tougher; her puppy eyes will be my demise” Baekhyun laughs at that, finally relaxing and feeling lighter.

“She looked so mad at me when I was yelling at you, did you see her?” he says after he calms down, resting his head against the back of the couch lazily, still smiling. She looked so offended that he was yelling at Chanyeol, glaring at him with a big frown between her eyebrows and puckered lips –it’s clear whose side she was on. Chanyeol smiles widely, remembering how funny the expression looked on her small face.

“She reminds me of you when she makes those stubborn faces” he murmurs quietly, his smile turning fond and soft. Baekhyun’s ears turn slightly pink. They stay silent for a while, Chanyeol going back to rubbing Baekhyun’s feet and Baekhyun watching him; maybe it’s because he plays so many instruments that his fingers are slightly rough and very precise, locating the right place and then pressing down in the right angle with the right amount of pressure. He is very good at this and Baekhyun’s stomach sometimes tickles in pleasure, but he is too relaxed and too tired to take it seriously –this is completely not intimate in any case. He is nearly lulled to sleep from Chanyeol’s touches.

“She reminds me of my sister when she smiles…” he mumbles softly, his lips curling into a melancholic smile. Chanyeol’s touch stutters for a moment, realizing the change in the air and Baekhyun’s mood; he’s never told Chanyeol much about his sister’s death, but he feels oddly reminiscent tonight. “When I got back from abroad, my sister was already seven months pregnant” he is almost whispering, his eyes gazing at Chanyeol’s hands but not really seeing them; he sees his sister at the airport, waiting for him with a baby bump the size of a small hill. “She looked so pretty. I was so happy for her and I was so excited that I’d be an uncle! I bought half of Lay’s toys back then” he smiles, despite the familiar sting of tears behind his eyes. “My mother was being fussy as always, so my sister was very relieved to have me back. I stayed by her side through the last two months; we went through the cravings and mental breakdowns together” Baekhyun giggles; he has good memories of his sister’s pregnancy. They grew closer during those two months and she was such a crybaby momma that hell, he felt pregnant too sometimes! He blinks and quickly wipes away a small tear that escaped. Chanyeol keeps listening attentively; god, he is not breaking down in front of Chanyeol, this is not happening. “Do you remember, that time when I was sick with a high fever that made me almost delusional, and I asked you to dance?” Baekhyun changes the topic. His smile takes a different meaning now, remembering that night a few years ago.

“Ahhh, yes” Chanyeol smiles too “The only time in my life I’ve danced in my pajamas and the only time I didn’t step on my partner” he teases and they both chuckle. They must have looked so silly.

At the time, Chanyeol was staying with Baekhyun for a few nights, to be his personal nurse –even though Baekhyun insisted he didn’t need one, never mind he was hallucinating ladybugs on the ceiling–, and on one night, Baekhyun asked him to dance. There was no important reason; he just really wanted to dance. He didn’t care if it was two a.m., if he was wearing his pjs and looked like a wreck from the fever, if Chanyeol was the least graceful dancer everybody knows, if there was no music and no point. Chanyeol tried to get him to sleep but he couldn’t resist his whiny patient in the end, and they ended up swaying in each other’s arms in the middle of the living room, Chanyeol humming a small tune under his breath and Baekhyun feeling so happy, like he has felt very few times in his life –until he out.

“Yes, that…” he says with a small smile, his eyes dropping to Chanyeol’s hands again. “I kept thinking about it during her funeral, I don’t know why” he confesses. He hasn’t told this to anyone, not even Sehun. His sister’s funeral was one of the darkest, most heartbreaking experiences of his life, and yet, in between his crying fits and depressed thoughts, the tune Chanyeol was humming that night would pop up in his head and he would play the scene behind his eyes like an old movie, again and again, as if it would protect him from the pain.

“And that’s…a good thing?” Chanyeol guesses uncertainly, looking at him with a strange expression between concern and amusement. Baekhyun chuckles when he looks at the funny face he is making, his heart squeezing no longer.

“Yes, it is” he jabs, kicking Chanyeol’s thigh playfully. Chanyeol sighs in relief and then laughs too, until they are left gazing at each other with small smiles on their lips. How can he be so perfect in such moments? How can Baekhyun be graced with such a creature? As a neighbor, as a friend, as a best friend, as a personal chef, a nurse, a babysitter, a shoulder to cry on, a pillow to sleep, a warm cuddle bear and so many other things, Chanyeol has always been by Baekhyun’s side. Would Baekhyun be able to survive without him? Probably, he can do it. But he doesn’t want to do it. Baekhyun’s smile quirks a bit. “Yeol, I know I have no right to say this after abandoning you, and I know my life circumstances are very different from what they used to be but…” he starts playing with his fingers, his cheeks feeling a bit warmer “you’re the best thing I never knew I needed” he mumbles timidly, his fingers twining tightly on his lap.

He risks a blink after a moment of speechless silence, but Chanyeol suddenly springs to his feet when he catches Baekhyun’s eye. The taller looks like a spooked deer, but some of his octopus nature shines through as he tries to scamper away, his limbs stumbling over himself and making for a very funny tumble, which Chanyeol intended to be an attempt to escape Baekhyun’s vicinity. Baekhyun has to admit, it hurts and stings like hell to see Chanyeol trying to literally run away from him right after he said something so heartfelt, and he almost tears up; but then he sees Chanyeol sitting down when he reaches the corner of the living room, facing the wall. That’s very…strange. Even for Chanyeol’s standards.

Baekhyun slowly gets up and approaches Chanyeol carefully. The latter has curled up into a ball, his knees drawn against his chest and his face hidden behind them, still facing the wall and holding his ears with his hands. He looks like a scared kid, maybe. What the hell have I done to this poor soul? Baekhyun kneels down on Chanyeol’s side, still keeping a bit of distance between them; he feels oddly dangerous after causing that reaction.

“Hey, are you okay? I’m sorry if I said something…” he reaches out, keeping his voice soft. They’ve said a million things worse than what he said in their time of friendship, why is this happening now? Chanyeol huffs and Baekhyun freezes, fearing of another puzzling reaction, but the taller only lifts his head a bit from his knees, just enough to glance at Baekhyun with the corner of his eye. Baekhyun can’t make out his expression in the shadows.

“Why do you say such things to me? You know I’m shy!” Chanyeol protests fiercely like a complaining child, pouting and hiding behind his knees again.

Baekhyun is a little bit shocked right now.

But when the initial shock fades, a big smile stretches across Baekhyun’s lips. Kitten angels in heaven help me, Chanyeol is being so painfully cute! His eyes gravitate to Chanyeol’s large ears, sloppily covered by his hands, and they are indeed a very bright shade of red; he guesses his cheeks must be red too, and that’s why Chanyeol is facing the wall, his whole body trying to shrink and become as small as possible in embarrassment. It’s a bit of an unorthodox way to react, but it’s so endearing how he panicked and ran to hide from view. Baekhyun is dying to flick his ears or jump on him for a hug, but he doesn’t want Chanyeol to freak out even more, so he’s giving him space. Space; Baekhyun repeats the word in every language he knows or can imagine to restrain himself.

“There is cherry tart, with chocolate in the kitchen. Want some?” he ends up chirping after a while. He’s not sure this will work, but he hopes so. If Chanyeol doesn’t want to be scarred forever by one of Baekhyun’s hidden inner monster’s cuddle attacks, he’d better take up the offer, because Baekhyun can’t think of many other things that can distract his inner monster right now. Chanyeol lifts his head a little and looks at Baekhyun just like before.

“Is it good?” he mumbles stubbornly with a halfhearted pout. Baekhyun lights up with an enormous smile and wiggles in place full of excitement. This is working!

“My favorite chef made it and it tastes amazing!” he exclaims cutely, giggling at how silly this is; of course Chanyeol knows it’s good, he made it. Chanyeol’s tight lips crack a small smile, his posture relaxing a bit. “We can steal and share a slice, it’ll be our secret” Baekhyun whispers mischievously, reaching for Chanyeol’s hand and pulling him up, then dragging him to the kitchen. This is silly too, because there’s no one to keep it secret from, but nobody cares to point it out.