Chanyeol is tying up his shoelaces while talking faster than any rapper Baekhyun has ever heard on the radio; seriously, does he even breathe?

Baekhyun is only half listening to him, his mind preoccupied. A part of him is worried that Chanyeol is not leaving fast enough, even though the taller is doing his best, fumbling to gather his things and leave with no evidence of his former presence. It’s not his fault he stayed over for longer than they had planned; it was Baekhyun who took longer to return from the grocery store and then he had to shower, so Chanyeol stayed with Lay till now. Sehun will be here any minute and they agreed it would be less complicated if Chanyeol left before he arrives, to avoid awkward greetings –especially since Baekhyun hasn’t told Sehun about Chanyeol waltzing back into his life, and Sehun is not exactly known for his discretion…

A bigger part of him is worried that he can’t apologize enough to Chanyeol, for essentially kicking him out, after everything he has done to help. Chanyeol did so much to prepare for today while Baekhyun was at work, cleaning the house and baking snacks on top of taking care of Lay. Baekhyun watches Chanyeol pocketing his car keys, his deep baritone sounding like a constant, unintelligible hum to his ears, since he’s more concerned over their current situation than the laundry Chanyeol did this morning. He feels horrible. Chanyeol shouldn’t be leaving like this; he shouldn’t be leaving at all. He pouts thoughtfully; he’s being really unfair to him, isn’t he?

“…I think she was trying to help but well, she fell into the laundry basket, oh, I’ve already put a peach in the fridge for her afternoon snack and your dinner is ready; I made one of your favorites, it’s in the oven. And Baekhyun” Chanyeol suddenly straightens his body and Baekhyun flinches out of his slouched position, standing tall as well –but not as tall as Chanyeol. Chanyeol looks serious. “Promise me you won’t forget to eat” he asks, staring right into Baekhyun’s eyes with concern. Baekhyun hadn’t thought this would be about his lacking nutrition habits –he admits that he might have forgotten a couple of meals. But now that Chanyeol is around, Baekhyun has someone to worry about such things and nag benevolently, and he ought to say it’s not as annoying as he thought it would be.

“I promise” he ends up mumbling, pinching Chanyeol’s arm patronizingly when the latter grins victoriously. He is a bigger mom than Baekhyun is sometimes. Chanyeol is quick to open the door and get out of the house, and Baekhyun jumps after him instantly, back-hugging him as tight as he can. Why am I stalling? Chanyeol’s ribs probably hurt from how much he is squeezing him, but Baekhyun is feeling guilty and he needs to ease his conscience for a few moments –his methods are a bit unconventional is all. “Thank you for everything” he whines pitifully against Chanyeol’s back; the taller chuckles and pats Baekhyun’s hands. The shorter doesn’t notice how forced and awkward Chanyeol’s gestures are, so he keeps pressing his nose against Chanyeol’s shoulder blade.

“You might want to let go of me now” Chanyeol whispers with a bit of a strain in his tone of voice, and only then does Baekhyun realize that Chanyeol’s body is also very stiff.

“Huh?” he quirks an eyebrow in bewilderment and lets go of Chanyeol’s statue, stepping around him to see what’s wrong. His eyes widen instantly, the blood draining from his face. “Oh…” Trouble. Big trouble. Of course this would happen, damned, cursed luck…“Sehun” he pushes the name past his lips with effort; it sounds very blank and shocked, much like he feels right now.

It’s the first time in months Sehun is visiting Baekhyun and Lay at their house, and he had been planning it for a week, even hiring a puppy-sitter for the evening for his precious dog, Vivi. It would be just Baekhyun’s luck that, upon arrival, Sehun would find another man coming out of Baekhyun’s house; and Baekhyun had been shamelessly clinging on him in public, oh great. He can already imagine the upcoming interrogation; it’ll be embarrassing and traumatizing as always. That’s what best friends are for.

They just stare at each other for some time. Sehun’s knowing smirk is not a good omen.

“Hello hello…” he says at last with a playful lilt in his voice. Sometimes Baekhyun wonders if his best friend has made it his purpose in life to embarrass him in the least convenient moments and he prays that he won’t say anything overboard this time at least. Sehun rests a hand on his hip like a supermodel and proceeds to check out Chanyeol very obviously, smirking appreciatively. Ugh, best friends. Baekhyun jolts into his functioning mode again.

“Hi, I thought you’d be coming over at six” he tries to sound casual but the surprise is still detectible in his voice. Sehun –who had been shamelessly feasting his eyes on Chanyeol’s appearance previously; Baekhyun might or might not feel slightly irked about that– turns to Baekhyun, his expression turning blank.

“It’s six thirty” he deadpans. What? Baekhyun gulps down his shock; he didn’t check the time earlier –knowing he was late was enough– but it’s so late already? Somewhere between kissing Lay and brushing his hair he lost track of time. Sehun rolls his eyes at the dumbfounded Baekhyun and turns to Chanyeol again, smiling a bit; if Sehun smiles at you before he even knows your name, he’s flirting with you –trust Baekhyun, he has studied Sehun all his life. You mean to say he’s flirting with Chanyeol right now?! Baekhyun gasps in his head. Okay, he’s definitely irked. “Hi, I’m Sehun, Baekhyun’s friend. Who might you be?” cue the seductive head tilt and slow blink.

Baekhyun was worried that Sehun would say something embarrassing but he never thought something like this would happen! There are sirens blaring inside his head, his stomach turning irritably. Chanyeol hasn’t moved a muscle and it takes him a couple of mute tries before he actually speaks.

“The…babysitter?” he guesses timidly. It might have worked if it wasn’t a question. Or if Baekhyun hadn’t been leaching on him when they came out the door –he would never back-hug just any babysitter, what do you take him for, he’s not that desperate. Sehun raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. It’s obvious that Chanyeol is not your standard babysitter in the Byun household; but what else should they say he is? He and Chanyeol never felt the need to define their relationship, for better or for worse; they’re just Baekhyun and Chanyeol.

This is exactly the sort of awkward situations Baekhyun had wanted to avoid.

“My neighbor” Baekhyun pipes up; unfortunately, his voice came out too high-pitched to be casual. Now Sehun has an eyebrow raised at him; Baekhyun belatedly realizes that Chanyeol being his neighbor wouldn’t explain things either. Chanyeol scuffles his feet uncomfortably and shakes his head, in the same time Baekhyun does.

“A friend” they say in unison, surprising each other. Sehun raises both eyebrows at them incredulously, confused and certain that they’re hiding something –since they’re acting so inconspicuously...Baekhyun feels like a withering lily in a winter valley and Chanyeol gulps under the pressure.

“I’m paid in food” the taller adds after a moment, very unhelpfully. Baekhyun turns to him appalled; he would smack him if he could reach him, but Chanyeol suddenly remembers his haste to leave, panicking and stumbling as he walks away, much to Sehun’s amusement. Baekhyun can’t blame him; Chanyeol is adorable when he’s flustered. “Uh, I really have to go now. Stuff to do and…yeah. Bye!” he waves over his shoulder, sprinting the way to his house as fast as his clumsy, long limbs allow. Sehun smiles with interest and waves after him.

“Bye, cutie” he calls shamelessly –the neighbors have definitely heard that. Baekhyun would point it out, but he finds it more important to distract Sehun from Chanyeol right now; Sehun has that predatory look in his eyes, which Baekhyun doesn’t appreciate at all when it’s directed at his Chanyeol. He rolls his eyes and grabs Sehun’s hand, towing him inside.

“I told you he’s my neighbor” he grumbles under his breath, as if to prove a point –Sehun probably doesn’t hear it over the sound of the door closing.

“He’s a weird nut. Who was he?” he asks with a faint smile still lingering on his lips, taking off his fashionable jacket and shoes. Baekhyun is not happy with how things turned out but he guesses there’s no point to lie, is there? Now that they are safely inside the house, he heaves a sigh, his shoulders deflating.

“He’s Chanyeol” he mumbles halfheartedly. Sehun doesn’t even glance at him, still smiling.

“He’s cute” he chirps, not recognizing the name at first; Baekhyun frowns and grits his teeth at the comment. Yes, his Chanyeol is cute; Baekhyun’s blood is starting to boil. Sehun had started heading to the living room but he whirls around a moment later, eyes wide in surprise; of course he’d recognize the name eventually, he has been hearing it from Baekhyun for years, after all. “Wait. Chanyeol, your unrequited crush for the last three years?!” he exclaims so loud that it echoes up the stairs, looking at Baekhyun as if he’s green and just fell from the sky.

“Can you keep your voice down, thank you” he chides, glaring at Sehun strictly. There is no reason to trumpet his feelings for his best friend and current babysitter; they would most probably bring only harm to his relationship with him if anyone heard it by accident, not to mention it hurts to hear those feelings on the lips of others, when he can never bring them on his own. Even this thought brings a lump in his throat, it makes his lungs feel heavy and his heart aches. He always says he doesn’t want to break a beautiful friendship and disappoint Chanyeol, but honestly, he is such a coward.

Unrequited crush, huh? Baekhyun scoffs internally. Could it get any more true? He must be really useless in love, if he can’t make it work even with someone like Chanyeol. Pinning after your best friend for three years, even though you’ve been apart for more than half that period of time, check. Being all sorts of foolishly excited and eager to have him back in your life, check. Torturing yourself by inviting him to live under the same roof and raise your child with him like a married couple, check. Secretly loving him for years but never saying a word to him about feelings, check.

Feeling butterflies squirming when he looks at you, seeing the sun in his smile, crumbling under his touch, getting hypnotized when he speaks, being lulled to sleep with thoughts of him, cherishing his heartbeat, feeling accepted and special and happy when he’s with you. Check.

“How did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me! He lives across the street? Since when? Is he still single?” Sehun bombards him with questions, giving him no time to answer any of them. Baekhyun stutters, confused and a bit upset after the unexpected onslaught of emotions. He really should have dealt with those before it came to this, but it’s so easy being around Chanyeol again, and he kind of forgot he had to protect his heart.

((Uncle Hunie! Did you bring Vivi puppy? No? Can we play then? I want flowers and pennies that appear from nowhere like poof! I checked, there’s nothing behind my ears this time!))  Lay appears in the doorway, mumbling excitedly at Sehun. It took too long for the adults to come back and she got curious; what if they were playing without her? Her daddy looks a bit pale though…

“Where’s my sweet little girl~” Sehun is a goner as soon as he hears her, being the softest person in existence when she is concerned. Baekhyun’s lips crack a small smile, watching him running to her with a big smile and scooping the giggling child in his arms, tossing her in the air and promising he has brought her the prettiest dress she’s ever seen. Baekhyun shakes his head to clear his thoughts and follows them to the living room.

Sehun’s visits are always nice. He might not be very expressive at times and he tends to be sassy, but he’s very playful and honest, like a breath of fresh air. They’ve been friends since childhood, so there is little they don’t know about each other, but there is always something to say, something to laugh at, something to discuss. They’ve seen each other at their best and worst, they’ve been there for each other in times of need, happiness and sadness, and they have a way of being exactly what the other needs each time; a best-est friend with a new bike, a pick-me-up during rough times, a shoulder to lean on, an accomplish to steal the cookies, the only person they’d go to Disneyland with, a mother, a therapist, a blood donor (when Sehun was ten and he had to undergo a surgery; Baekhyun lied down on a hospital bed and refused to leave if they didn’t take his blood for his friend, who was worried about receiving a stranger’s blood). After his sister’s passing, Sehun is the closest thing Baekhyun has to a sibling.

They talk over tea and puppet games with Lay, about Sehun’s work, his puppy, his last known relationship which flopped and they haven’t thrown enough shade on the blameworthy, unfortunate guy, and that cute new intern from accounting he’s currently flirting with. Of course Sehun would want to know everything about Lay’s school and the end-of-the-school-year festivities, about her newfound love for cakes and everything about all her new toys, including Monsieur Radis –Lay still cackles like crazy at the sound of the name. The conversation stirs to Chanyeol inevitably, since he is Lay’s babysitter, and Sehun is dying to know more about him and how he has reappeared in Baekhyun’s life. Baekhyun explains how it all started and then he shares some stories of their life together since the taller started babysitting Lay.

The question about feelings is a tough one. Baekhyun wants to be honest with Sehun but there are some things he hasn’t thought about, not even for himself. It’s difficult to answer some questions and some are painful if he’s sincere. Baekhyun concludes that yes, of course he still has feelings for Chanyeol, perhaps too many of them and too deep, and they’re all slowly becoming vibrant again. The longer Chanyeol is around, the more Baekhyun’s world will start looking like a Leonid Afremov painting, the happier he’ll get, the more he will want him, the more complete and balanced he’ll feel, the more afraid he’ll be of losing him. Baekhyun is also afraid of what might happen to him when the colors of his world become too radiant and blind him, what will happen when his feelings grow so much that he won’t be able to hide them anymore, what could happen to him and Chanyeol then.

He knows he has to think things through while there’s still some time left, he has to settle his feelings, he knows he has to…but he is also so so afraid of touching them.

He promises Sehun that he will think about it more, he’ll call him if he needs him and that he will take care of himself. They start random conversations after that, talking out the tension which has built up around them. Lay starts playing with them again instead of playing by herself, giving them toys, climbing on Sehun and singing with him –Sehun’s singing is what the rest of the world calls torture. She is thrilled when Sehun starts performing magic tricks for her, clapping and giggling. Baekhyun can’t help but notice that Lay hugs Sehun less and very differently from the way she hugs Chanyeol. In spite of Lay’s capriciousness and Sehun’s god-awful, tone-deaf croaking however, those two are having a great time together and Baekhyun cheers up soon.

“So, hot guy is your babysitter now?” Sehun asks casually, toying with a seal stuffed animal. Baekhyun would roll his eyes –how curious can Sehun be and how much emotional conflict does Baekhyun have to endure today?– but he detects something playful in Sehun’s tone, so he merely looks up at him curiously. They’re all sitting down on Lay’s mat and Baekhyun is currently cutting her peach into slices, feeding her every now and then. Sehun smirks in a very distinct way when he asks “Or is he something like, Lay’s new daddy?”

Mistake this not, dear friends. This is not Oh Sehun asking for answers. This is Oh Sehun planting ideas. As if Baekhyun couldn’t live without such thoughts coming from outside his head. Because Oh Sehun is a sneaky little brat of a best friend, that’s why.

“What, no!” he objects immediately, sparking with hints of embarrassment. Baekhyun has never thought of anyone else as Lay’s daddy –even though Chanyeol admittedly looks good for the part. Besides, what Sehun is aiming at with this question is to imply a romantic relationship between Baekhyun and Chanyeol, which Baekhyun is sure doesn’t exist. If it did, he would know. Or would he? “He helps me with Lay when I’m busy at work, that doesn’t mean we’re together” he refutes. He speaks the truth but for some reason he feels his cheeks pinking, so he averts his eyes quickly and focuses on the fruit again. The fruit is safer.

“But you wish you were” Sehun retorts and Baekhyun can hear the self-satisfied smirk in his voice. What is he supposed to say, no? After everything he’d been saying a few conversation topics ago? He keeps his eyes on the fruit, mumbling under his breath about best friends who bully innocent people with long-term crushes, and he ends up eating the last slice of peach, just as an excuse to stop his lips from talking. Sehun laughs loudly at the way he’s eating and pouting, and then he turns to Lay. “What do you think of this baby girl?”

((I think daddy is eating my peach. Daddy, what are you doing?!))

Sehun chooses to interpret her words as an accusation, not at all favorable to Baekhyun on the matter of his wishful thinking concerning his relationship status and Chanyeol, and he looks at Baekhyun knowingly, making an ironic grimace. “Oh really.” he says flatly. Baekhyun chuckles at this, wiping his hands with baby wipes, Sehun chuckles too, and the tension is gone.

“You little traitor!” he accuses Lay playfully and she squeals, recognizing her daddy’s mood as the one when they play chase. She starts crawling away instantly, as fast as her chubby hands and knees allow her, and Baekhyun roars and starts after her on his hands and knees as well. She giggles and squeals even more whenever she finds him close behind her, if she checks over her shoulder, and she tries to escape to no avail; Baekhyun always has her at arm’s length. He scoops her close when they reach the dining room –better not mess around chairs, she might stumble on them– and she tries to squirm away halfheartedly, laughing loudly when he tickles her soft spots. Sehun coos behind them. Baekhyun kisses her temple and soothes her with hugs afterwards, bringing her back to the play mat with the rest of her toys. “Will you stay for dinner?” he asks Sehun with puppy eyes, realizing it’s already so late. He likes having him around and Chanyeol made plans with his coworkers for tonight so he will be eating out –and Baekhyun will be eating and sleeping all alone tonight…

“I can’t, sorry…” Sehun pouts, displeased that he can’t stay “But I’d eat something sweet before I go!” he chirps, grinning with all his teeth at Baekhyun. If there is one person on Earth with a bigger sweet tooth than Baekhyun, it would be Sehun. Their likeness on the matter came in handy whenever they craved cookies from the forbidden jar in Mrs. Oh’s kitchen. Baekhyun smiles and trudges to the kitchen.

“Let me see what I have…” he mumbles, opening the fridge. He is sure he heard Chanyeol mentioning something about dessert before he left…And there it is! Fresh and colorful and pretty! “Oh, we have cheesecake!” he exclaims, hopping on his heels. He hasn’t had cheesecake in so long; he thinks he complained to Chanyeol about it the other day too. It’s with strawberries; his favorite.

“Great!” Sehun agrees from the living room and Baekhyun takes out the dessert and serves two generous portions quickly. He hands Sehun his plate and Lay looks at it with interest; she can recognize Chanyeol’s yummy creations by now. Baekhyun picks a soft spoonful for her from his slice, but that’s all she’ll be getting. Her eyes get all sparkly. “This looks homemade…” Sehun muses, examining the sweet. Baekhyun only nods in confirmation, his mouth too busy being open in demonstration so that Lay will open hers too and they won’t end up messy. Sehun raises an eyebrow and gives him a good look, suspicion written all over his face. “But you don’t know how to make cheesecake” he points out, squinting his eyes at Baekhyun. Baekhyun presses his lips closed tightly and gulps once.

“Actually…Chanyeol made it” he admits, his eyes lingering on his slice shyly.

“He cooks for you too?!” Sehun exclaims loudly, his spoon halting halfway to his mouth. Baekhyun huffs and makes a vague gesture which neither confirms nor denies the fact. They both taste the heavenly smooth and sweet-sour dessert in silence; there is no room for many words when desserts are present. Sehun groans quietly at how delicious the cheesecake is and Baekhyun picks his next spoonful reverently. “Please tell me he’s still single” Sehun whines, like he desperately wants to marry Chanyeol for his cooking skills.

“I guess so…” Baekhyun answers with a shrug. When they first started catching up, Chanyeol said there was no one important in his life and he hasn’t mentioned anyone since, or going on any dates –except for the one with his coworkers tonight.

Wait. He wouldn’t find someone tonight, would he? There are many people going out on Friday nights, all dolled up and se*y and available…Oh my god, what if he goes out and meets the love of his life tonight?! What if it will be some hot, young and kind and perfect guy, funnier and cuddlier and prettier than Baekhyun, and they’ll start dating and Baekhyun will be suffering, and then Chanyeol will adopt perfect babies with his soul mate and- this is DISASTER WHY DID HE EVER AGREE TO HAVE SEHUN OVER?!

“You live with him and the best you can do is guess?” Sehun asks incredulously, derailing Baekhyun’s train of thought, which was bound to crush and burn anyway. Baekhyun flinches and blinks at Sehun as if lost on the subject they’re discussing. Sehun rolls his eyes. “What have you been doing with your life? Who wouldn’t want a tall, toned, masculine, charming, sensitive, husband-material, cute musician with a voice made for i-n-t-e-r-c-o-u-r-s-e?” he wiggles his eyebrows at Baekhyun suggestively, avoiding to say even the more sophisticated equivalent word of the act in front of Lay.

“How can you spell such big words so effortlessly?” Baekhyun marvels, choosing to ignore Sehun’s innuendo. But Sehun doesn’t want to let it go as easily, it seems.

“Has he been cherrying you?” he asks curiously, leaning closer to Baekhyun, who leans back in favor of preserving some personal space. He looks at Sehun in bewilderment. What does it mean to ‘cherry someone’? Baekhyun is not sure he wants to know, but Sehun keeps looking at him intently, waiting for an answer. When he realizes Baekhyun is still clueless, he glances to the ground pointedly, mumbling “You know…” and then resumes staring. Baekhyun bewilderedly looks to the ground too and- oh my god, Sehun wasn’t looking at the ground, he was looking at his crotch! Baekhyun blushes to the tips of his ears.

“No! I told you, we’re not dating!” he protests fervently, his cheeks burning. Why would Sehun think something like that? Why did he have to put the idea on the table at all? Chanyeol and he- they’ve never done something like that, ever! They have never even changed clothes in front of each other! Even when Chanyeol was in the shower with Lay, Baekhyun didn’t have the mind to check him out or sneak a peek, because his child’s suffering was obviously more important. Sehun raises an eyebrow, making one of his signature sass expressions, and he lifts a finger, ready to spew out some nonsense about friends with benefits for sure, but Baekhyun interrupts him. “And before you say something smart, I respect Chanyeol, I’d never do that to him” he clarifies sternly. Sleeping with Chanyeol is out of the picture. Sehun makes a pained grimace.

“Come on, Baekhyun!” he whines for a moment and then he turns more playful, but still somewhat serious, like he believes the things he says. “I’m concerned about you; you’ve been gathering dust bunnies for years! And this guy is practically made for it!” Baekhyun gasps, scandalized, and he covers Lay’s ears with his hands.

“We’re not talking about my dust bunnies in front of my child” he shushes Sehun promptly. It’s true –not that he has been gathering actual dust bunnies of course, but, figuratively speaking– his bed hasn’t seen any action in years –truthfully–, and Chanyeol is obviously a perfect nominee for a whole new level of bedroom pleasure waiting to happen, but Baekhyun can’t afford to think like this. He has other priorities in his life for one thing, and Chanyeol is his friend, for another. Sehun gives him a look as if he’s gone insane, but he doesn’t comment any further –which is good, because Lay is very young to understand, but still too young to listen to what adults do in bed when they’re not sleeping, and way too young to know about her daddy’s bedroomal frustration and his undisclosed lust for the babysitter.

Lay secretly knows what adults do in bed when they’re not sleeping; they’re napping!

They wrap up Sehun’s visit smoothly; Lay gets a bit annoyed by Sehun’s too many kisses but she hugs him back nonetheless, Baekhyun gets a hug and a pat on his rear buns –‘checking if they’re still there; your buns are my second most favorite buns in the world, you know that’ Sehun says–, and then Sehun goes to bring Lay’s new dress from the car which they remembered last minute. Baekhyun prepares a plate of cheesecake slices for his friend to take home, and they exchange goodies at the door. Sehun is thrilled with the cheesecake and he makes Baekhyun promise he will thank Chanyeol on his behalf –with a long hug, specifically. They end up chitchatting on the doorstep quietly, the streetlamps lighting up. Sehun asks if Baekhyun will be okay with Chanyeol and if Sehun can meet him properly sometime; Baekhyun answers ‘probably’ to both questions.

“Baekhyun, I know you’re still in love with the guy –I’m being serious here” Sehun is quick to reassure him when Baekhyun sighs, not really enthusiastic about reopening that subject, especially when he will have a whole night alone to think about it. He doesn’t say anything to stop his tall friend though, because Sehun is giving him that honest look, like when he told Baekhyun he would always be there for him and Lay after his sister’s passing. “You should have seen yourself earlier; I haven’t seen you so happy in years. You’ve always been in love with him, since the first day you met him” Sehun says calmly, struggling to keep eye contact with Baekhyun, who needs his moments to look at the wall and recompose himself. He feels like a storm cloud is building in his chest, escalating quickly and about to wreck havoc; but then Sehun smiles and it keeps Baekhyun together for a while longer. “Of course you’d denied it for the first month and then you gave me the ‘I don’t want to ruin our friendship’ crap when I kept telling you to go after him, but now we’re here. He’s still hot and if he’s still single, you have to do yourself that favor and date him. At least try it, or you’ll die a lovesick person” he finishes with an earnest look. Baekhyun is close to tears with how thoughtful and marshmallow-soft this brat can be at times. Sehun quirks an eyebrow mischievously. “He’s still single though, right?”

“Yes, he’s single…” Baekhyun chuckles halfheartedly. Sehun smiles and uses his height to his advantage, pulling Baekhyun into a headlock and ruffling his hair, as if Baekhyun is a kid. Baekhyun protests and tries to squirm away; they are on his front porch, the whole neighborhood can see them! “I combed my hair for you, you rascal” he grumbles lightheartedly, pushing Sehun away and combing his hair down with his fingers. Sehun pokes his tongue out defiantly and Baekhyun is quick to mirror his gesture –so what if he’s nearly thirty?–, giving up on his ruined hair. No one else will see him tonight anyway. They giggle together and Sehun turns to leave, but he stops short after a few steps.

“Oh and, Baekhyun?” he calls as quietly as possible, not to disturb the silent neighborhood. Baekhyun raises an eyebrow at Sehun’s sassy pose. “I don’t judge, but let me tell you: hitting on your babysitter is so cliché” he winks and walks away, leaving Baekhyun laughing behind him. So much for not judging…

--

Chanyeol knows something is wrong when Baekhyun shuffles downstairs and refuses banana caramel pancakes for breakfast. Baekhyun knows Chanyeol knows, because he never refuses pancakes for any meal of the day –especially Chanyeol’s super yummy pancakes.

“Baekhyunnie, are you okay?” he frowns with concern, leaving the pan aside and coming over, sitting down next to Baekhyun, whose head feels too heavy to hold upright and he has resorted to propping it against his fist and staring at the wall impassively. Baekhyun is not okay, but there is nothing specifically wrong with him either, so he doesn’t know what to say. Besides, yes and no both feel too heavy to put on his lips right now; he’d rather not exist for a while.

He woke up feeling really…off. He feels irritable, tired, glum, sour, disappointed; he can’t describe the ugly mixture he feels to its fullest. It’s like he is suspended, indecisive, alone. It’s terrible. He wants to be somewhere but nowhere, he wants someone but no one. He has no idea why he woke up like this and he doesn’t know how to change it. He wants today to stop right now, and at the same time he wants to go through it and be done with it. He feels like he might snap any moment, even though he generally feels too given up to do anything at all today. He wants to hide under his blanket and mope until it’s over. He feels like a ticking bomb, and all he wants is to tick all his ticks quietly, without exploding on anyone. But he has responsibilities and he just can’t.

As if Lay has sensed her daddy’s bad mood, she stops eating and mumbling like every morning, and she simply sits in her highchair obediently, watching with innocent eyes the two men in the kitchen. Baekhyun keeps looking at nothing on the wall across from him, finding the silence comforting for the sole reason it is uneventful, which means nothing bad can happen. A hand finds its way on Baekhyun’s neck, squeezing and rubbing, making him feel a little better about himself, and he pouts but he leans into the touch.

“Give me a tiny bit of attention please?” Chanyeol’s deep voice is soft but Baekhyun’s foul mood is too heavy for him to feel any guilt. Thankfully, Chanyeol doesn’t mention that Baekhyun has to be at work in less than thirty minutes and he hasn’t bothered changing out of his pajamas yet. Baekhyun turns halfheartedly and gives him a half-hostile, half-pitiful gaze. Chanyeol takes a good look at him, honest wide eyes examining him carefully but never judging. He’s doing that thing again, when he’s reading all the way into Baekhyun’s soul. “Bad day?” he guesses after a few long moments of silence, and Baekhyun nods. But he lacks motivation to such an extent today, that his head falls forward too much and lands on Chanyeol’s shoulder with a thump.

Without any further explanation, he is pulled into a broad chest, a large hand rubbing soothing circles on his back. He doesn’t question the affection; it feels nice, the only thing that’s actually nice without any bad side. Silent moments pass, all the while Chanyeol’s hand keeps caressing and massaging his back in a calming way. Baekhyun sniffles, inhaling the familiar soap-and-cotton scent of Chanyeol, and damn, even after all these years, Chanyeol can still do that, he can make everything seem better. Sehun’s words squirm in his memory, but he shuts them off; he can’t deal with those too right now. Chanyeol lets him be miserable for an unidentifiable while, until he pats his back and detaches himself, leaving for the kitchen with a short “Wait here”

Baekhyun pouts and lowers his head to the table, wondering why the world is still spinning after his only support and motivation to get through the day has left him. Lay leans her head to the side, trying to match his perspective, and it brings a small smile on his lips, even though he doesn’t feel any better. Chanyeol returns to the kitchen with a phone in hand, looking determined. He takes his former seat and Baekhyun loses no time to gather himself and slump against the taller again; Chanyeol welcomes him back in his arms, playing with Baekhyun’s hair distractedly.

“Hello? Mr. Minseok?” he says and Baekhyun looks up at him curiously. He’s calling Baekhyun’s boss? For all his bewilderment, Baekhyun doesn’t even have the strength to protest or ask about it. “I’m calling on behalf of Baekhyun. He’s not feeling very well today, so he won’t be coming to the office” he explains and Baekhyun’s ears, curious as they might be, can’t pick up what Minseok answers. Chanyeol remains pretty calm. “Oh no, it’s nothing too serious, he’ll probably be okay by tomorrow. Yes, I’ll give your well wishes to him. Thank you, sir, and good day” he smiles and ends the call, ruffling Baekhyun’s hair victoriously. Baekhyun sighs, feeling a bit more relieved now that part of his obligations has been settled. What would he do without this giant sweetheart?

“Thank you” Those are the first words Baekhyun has croaked out today and he’s proud of himself, if he may say so. Chanyeol leans his cheek on the top of Baekhyun’s head, his hand rubbing down the smaller’s arm. Baekhyun tries to snuggle closer, because this is starting to feel really nice, it might even fix his mood.

“Mmm, now go get dressed” Chanyeol instructs calmly, already expecting it when Baekhyun jerks away from him and glares daggers, his thankfulness turning into hostility in less than a blink; he doesn’t take orders kindly today. Moreover, in his current mood, he’d rather he stayed inside all day, preferably somewhere near his bed without anything breathing in vicinity.

“No.” he refuses stubbornly. Chanyeol stares him down without hesitation.

“Yes” he insists, just as adamantly. Baekhyun can see his exploding time approaching fast, but Chanyeol moves quickly, giving him no time to retort. He wraps his long arms around Baekhyun and hugs him pleadingly. “Please, Baekhyunnie~” he whines unexpectedly; and there goes the last of Baekhyun’s will to resist him, having him wrapped around him so warm and endearing. He buries his face in the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, trying to be cute, whimpering and mumbling “please, please, please” like a stubborn, pleading little child. Baekhyun melts in his chair spinelessly and sighs.

“I hate you”

Why does Chanyeol look up and smile at him so close to his face it’s like the scorching sun?

Baekhyun gets ready without any particular resolve, opting for a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt in appropriate size, but he hides under a large light blue cardigan nonetheless. Chanyeol is wearing a dark blue sweater and jeans, so he guesses he won’t be over-or-underdressed if they’re similar. He picks a cute teal dress for Lay, following their blue dress code on a whim. Spending time with her improves his mood a little, even though he’s still not completely free of the grey cloud looming over his head. Lay is more conversational than her usual squealing and giggling, which helps, and she doesn’t move around much while he’s pinning her hair back with a blue bow. He doesn’t know what Chanyeol had been cooking downstairs –no pun intended– but when he comes down, the taller is waiting by the door, ready to go.

Before long Chanyeol has Baekhyun and Lay strapped with their seatbelts and he is driving them somewhere. Baekhyun doesn’t know where, because his eyes are blinded by Chanyeol’s bright smile and he doesn’t feel like looking outside, it’s too tiring. Thankfully, Chanyeol and Lay don’t make too much noise this time, and if Lay tries to get a reaction from the adults, Chanyeol answers her cheerfully. They drive for a short while, until they stop in a parking lot. Only after Baekhyun is outside does he realize that Chanyeol has brought them to a park, with planes of green grass, dotted with trees and flowers, and decorated with pathways.

“What are we doing here?” he asks with a confused and slightly uncooperative frown, shielding his eyes from the sun. Chanyeol fishes Lay out of her seat and she squeals when she sees the sunlit park. Chanyeol kisses her cheek.

“We are having quality time outside the house” he says, giving Lay to Baekhyun while he locks the car. Baekhyun hugs his excited child but his complaints are on the tip of his tongue.

Chanyeol leads them to the shade of a tall tree after a short walk, where it’s quiet but sunny and pleasantly warm. He lays out a tablecloth and settles down with a basket he produced out of nowhere. He seems very determined to spend the day here and Baekhyun would be unfair if he said he hates the idea. He’s not as excited as he would be on any other day, but he can be nice and try to enjoy this, for Lay and Chanyeol’s sake. He sits down next to Chanyeol, letting Lay crawl on the tablecloth to the edge of it, where she plays with the grass, giggling when it tickles her skin.

“I run on the other side of this park and I discovered this by accident. Other parents told me it’s actually pretty popular for family picnics here, because it’s so quiet and pretty” Chanyeol explains, catching Lay and tossing her into his arms playfully, before she has time to dig her fingers in the dirt.

They spend time together and it’s nice; nicer than Baekhyun thought it would be. His mood improves gradually. Lay plays with her toys near them, babbling things and giggling, or giving them to Baekhyun or Chanyeol occasionally. Chanyeol saves the day when she gets hungry, taking out a peach from his magical basket and slicing it for her. Of course it takes two to feed her, so that they won’t get completely dirty and sticky. Baekhyun talks more, smiles more, he feels lighter. They settle across from each other and overlap their legs to create a small cage for Lay, who sits there and watches in amazement as Baekhyun and Chanyeol blow soap bubbles in the air –Chanyeol really came prepared. Baekhyun finds himself giggling too, watching his iridescent bubbles float next to Chanyeol’s and then travel up and away. It’s pretty, and Chanyeol looks happy too.

Around nap time, Baekhyun realizes his foul mood has been completely erased. How could it not? Chanyeol is a happy virus and no one can stay immune to his charm, not to mention that Lay is the cutest sunbeam in existence. The three of them settle down when it’s nap time, lying on the tablecloth with serene sunlight triggering nature’s comforting noises in the park around them. Small animals are shuffling around in the foliage of the tree overhead, as the bright midday sun is sneaking through the leaves, creating kaleidoscopic patterns on the ground. The shadows sway with intermittent breeze, which makes the grass blades bow and shiver.

Baekhyun hasn’t felt so relaxed and content in a while, his head pillowed on Chanyeol’s arm. It’s not the most comfortable of pillows, but it smells like Chanyeol and fresh air, and he likes that. Lay is snuggled between them, sleeping with her back turned to Baekhyun. She is curled on her side, which is unusual for her, but she was admittedly very tired after playing around with them all morning; she looks so beautiful and peaceful, with one of her hands placed over her face to block out the bits of sun that sneak around under the shade of Chanyeol’s body. Baekhyun is not sure if Chanyeol is sleeping too, but he has his eyes closed in any case. The sun is casting moving shadows and spots of light on him as well, but even in this strange lighting, he looks beautiful. His looks relaxed, a mixture of smooth skin, plum lips and large ears; without the distraction of his expressive big eyes, the lines of his face look more mature, less boyish and more masculine. But his youthfulness is still there, in his black hair tossing around in the breeze, in his little dimple showing when he quirks his lips, in his floppy ears and his rosy cheeks, in the playful twinkle of his auburn eyes.

Eyes?

Baekhyun startles a little when he realizes Chanyeol has opened his eyes by now, and he has been watching Baekhyun watching him for who knows how long. Baekhyun doesn’t even want to imagine what sort of expression he had been sporting, but he is sure he’s blushing slightly as of now. Chanyeol’s eyes catch the sun prettily when he smiles, his lips curving upwards; he doesn’t seem to mind Baekhyun’s creepy stare and he only ruffles Baekhyun’s hair playfully, watching Baekhyun lower his eyes in embarrassment. He only has to bend his wrist a bit to bury his fingers in Baekhyun’s hair at the back of his head and he keeps playing with Baekhyun’s hair absentmindedly, making the shorter blush even more at how nice it feels.

“Are you feeling any better?” Chanyeol purrs after an unidentifiable while, his voice coming out a bit lower than usual, since he is so relaxed, but it sounds like he already knows the answer. Baekhyun looks up at him and Chanyeol smiles again, his fingers scratching behind Baekhyun’s ear. He feels so calm and content in this moment, as if everything in his life has finally aligned –something he thought he wouldn’t feel anytime soon without a miracle happening, really.

Yes, he is feeling better; better than he felt this morning, much better than he has felt in years. He is always swarmed with responsibilities and worries; and he is not complaining! He is managing a child’s upbringing alone and he is proud of it. Just, sometimes, Baekhyun gets too caught-up in daily struggles, and he forgets to be kind to himself; and then a Park Chanyeol comes into the picture, with his endearing ears and stubborn pouts and clumsy accidents, reminding him that he has a life to live too. Baekhyun had forgotten that on some days you just need a hug.

“How did you know?” he whispers, smiling back. Had anyone told him that his severely foul mood this morning would change so easily because of soap bubbles, a tree, peaches and two adorable, playful and noisy people, he wouldn’t have believed them. But here he is, peaceful and happy, and he almost doesn’t recognize the person he was this morning. No one but Chanyeol can help him improve so much, because only he knows the way, even when Baekhyun feels completely lost. How do you always know?

Chanyeol grins triumphantly and points at Lay with his free hand. “Mochi told me” he stage whispers playfully. Baekhyun can’t hold back the chuckle that bubbles and spills out from behind his lips, and Chanyeol chuckles at his own joke with Baekhyun in chorus; but they quiet down immediately and hold their breaths when the little girl between them stirs, lest she wakes up.

--

“Chanyeol, have you seen my-”

“Shhhhh Jaq and Gus are about to steal the key!” Chanyeol shushes him with a loud, baritone squeal, making Baekhyun flinch in surprise. He was only going to ask if he’s seen his phone, because it has died out of battery and he can’t locate it at the moment. He stops on his tracks by the doorway on his way to the living room and pouts, feeling bewildered and slightly neglected; Gus who and what key, what even? He speed-walks into the living room, ready to complain and whimper for some attention and affection, but his words die on his lips as soon as his eyes take in the sight.

Chanyeol and Lay are in the living room, Chanyeol sitting on the couch with Lay sitting in his lap, framed by his long legs. Chanyeol is wearing his glasses, those with the big black frames, his hair is messy and fluffy, and he looks so dorky, but also perfectly at home and oh, so cuddly. Lay is clutching the sleeves of his large grey hoodie with her little hands where Chanyeol’s forearms are crossed in front of her securely, her body leaning towards the television screen, poised with suspense. They are watching Cinderella together, both having equally wide eyes and mouths parted in fascination.

Baekhyun wants to scream at the sheer amount of cursed cuteness they exclude.

How is Baekhyun supposed to live with this? His brain can’t process this anymore. How is he supposed to handle a grown man looking so enthralled by Cinderella, as if it’s Marvel’s latest action superhero production? It’s not fair that he looks as adorably mesmerized as the little girl, who has never seen the movie before and is entranced by the princess sparkles. How can Baekhyun overlook how comfortable and content his daughter looks, nested near Chanyeol and feeling perfectly in place? She has turned a tall, handsome man into her comfy throne, using his proportionately huge limbs to her service and exploiting his warmth, all snuggled up and cute in his embrace.

How is he supposed to cope with his feelings, when the domestic picture before his eyes is so perfect, as if Chanyeol has been made to complete their family?

With a concealed, wistful sigh and softly blushing cheeks, Baekhyun walks closer to the pair with swift, short steps, his ill feelings of offence forgotten. They don’t seem to notice him as he takes his seat on the floor somewhere near them, joining them silently to watch the rest of the movie. But shortly after he settles, he feels Chanyeol’s hand ruffling his hair as if he’s an obedient puppy, and Baekhyun smiles to himself, leaning in to the touch. He feels much better now.

They watch Cinderella get married, with that puffy white dress taking up half the screen, as if mocking Baekhyun, who’ll probably never get his moment like her as his mother loves to remind him, but Lay waves back with both hands and a big smile when Cinderella waves goodbye from her carriage, making all bad thoughts go away. Chanyeol coos and waves cheerfully as well, and Baekhyun lifts his lazy bum off the floor so that he can reach Lay’s cheeks and peck them. Why is his daughter so cute, seriously.

Baekhyun excuses himself to continue his search, leaving Lay in Chanyeol’s care once again. Their voices can be heard everywhere inside the house, even when Baekhyun is searching the rooms upstairs; he can hear very clearly every question Chanyeol asks about the movie, every mumbled and jumbled answer from Lay, every squeal she lets out when Chanyeol tickles her and every playful roar he makes for her entertainment. Distracted as he is, with half his attention focused on listening to Chanyeol and Lay, it takes a while until he finds his phone inside a dresser drawer –however it might have gotten in there. He starts charging it immediately –smiling at his lock screen, which is a picture of Lay and Chanyeol from their very first ice cream date, when Chanyeol first held her– and he hops down the stairs, thinking of Cinderella’s happy ending and failing to notice the house is suspiciously silent. He bursts into the living room but he halts not even five steps later.

Chanyeol and Lay are asleep.

They look so peaceful, as if they hadn’t been giggling and playing around only a few minutes ago. Chanyeol is lying on his back, occupying the entire couch in length and width, and Lay is sleeping on him, starfished on her front against Chanyeol’s chest. Chanyeol’s arms are holding her safely in place, and she’s drooling a little on his hoodie, thoroughly worn out from the day’s activities. Their difference in size is even more evident in their current position, with Lay’s body from head to toe being about as tall as the distance from Chanyeol’s shoulders to his hips. She is splayed like a small, squishy blanket, and Baekhyun kneels down beside the couch without a sound, smiling as he watches her even breaths and her squashed cheeks against Chanyeol’s chest.

His eyes stray to Chanyeol after a while. Chanyeol has a knack for putting Lay to sleep –and somehow putting himself to sleep as well in the process. It’s not very convenient, but Baekhyun can’t say he doesn’t find it cute. Chanyeol looks so innocent when he is sleeping, black hair tangled, pink lips parted and large eyes fluttering behind closed eyelids. Baekhyun had no idea someone can look relived in their sleep, but there is something in the lines of Chanyeol’s face that looks so, and Baekhyun feels a pang of guilt for making him suffer his daughter’s energetic antics every day. It must be very tiring for him…Maybe I should ask for a day off so he will get some rest.

Baekhyun fails to remember that Chanyeol chooses to spend his day with them even when it’s the weekend and there is no need for his assistance, since Baekhyun is at home and perfectly capable of looking after Lay.

As cute as they might look, Baekhyun can’t let them sleep the night in such a hazardous position, so he decides to wake Chanyeol and take Lay upstairs to her crib. Chanyeol has always been easy to wake, with a small noise somewhere near, with a shake on the shoulder or a loud whisper of his name, but Chanyeol told him once that he doesn’t like waking up like this, always startled. After having to jump up and run to a crying child in the middle of the night for several months, Baekhyun can perfectly understand how waking up with a start only makes you feel more tired. He remembers there was one way, however, that Chanyeol didn’t mind waking up to –he discovered it unexpectedly during one of their sleepovers.

Baekhyun’s fingers hesitate, unsure, since they haven’t done this in a while. Is it okay if he remembers these things? How hung up on someone can a person be? Frowning at his troubling thoughts and shoving them at the back of his mind forcefully, Baekhyun finally moves to take one of Chanyeol’s hands in both of his own. He tries not to jostle him much, bringing Chanyeol’s larger hand closer. Chanyeol has nice hands, not remarkably pretty, but strong and steady, warm and a bit rough from playing instruments all his life. Baekhyun remembers playing with their hands on the night he discovered Chanyeol’s weak spot, when his fingers slipped and brushed over Chanyeol’s wrist; the taller had shivered and stirred in his sleep that night, almost squishing Baekhyun on the couch in the process.

Baekhyun hasn’t held Chanyeol like this in a while, not just his hands but any bit of him. He used to love letting his touches linger on Chanyeol’s shirts, his knees, his hands, his neck, his ears, his hair, anywhere…but that doesn’t happen anymore. He was safe inside the context of their friendship back then, but now, even though they are undoubtedly friends again, Chanyeol seems more aware and Baekhyun has to be more cautious not to give himself away –and that might be the only thing that has changed in the past two years. He smiles fondly at the memories and btushes his fingers on the inside of Chanyeol’s wrist. The skin is soft there, the veins showing underneath, and Baekhyun keeps brushing his fingertips in various patterns, until Chanyeol stirs in his sleep. Two large brown eyes blink at him slowly, curiously.

“It’s okay, you fell asleep” Baekhyun explains with a calm smile, gently dropping Chanyeol’s hand. Chanyeol blinks his eyes wider, trying to wake up without moving, and Baekhyun puts a hand on Lay’s back, holding her in place so that Chanyeol can stretch his arms.

“Sorry” he mumbles, his deep voice sounding like a velvety hum. Baekhyun shakes his head nonchalantly and starts peeling Lay off of Chanyeol’s chest carefully. She’s sleeping so deep that she doesn’t even stir while Baekhyun lifts her from Chanyeol and holds her against his chest. Chanyeol is very still in the meantime, afraid of ruining Baekhyun’s attempts to keep her peacefully asleep, but he seems more awake with every blink. “Where you searching for something?” he asks once Lay is completely inside Baekhyun’s arms. He looks uncertain, frowning cutely, and Baekhyun smiles. So, he had been paying attention before he shushed him? It seems so funny to think about it now, after that long ordeal is over.

“I found it” he reassures him, watching Chanyeol’s frown smoothing out. Baekhyun stands up and nods at Chanyeol. “Go lie down upstairs, I got her” he whispers; it won’t even take effort to put her in her crib to sleep, so he doesn’t think he’ll need any help. Chanyeol nods obediently and gets up, following two steps behind Baekhyun as they go up the stairs, hovering behind them protectively.

“Don’t be late, okay? Your hands are cold” Chanyeol says with concern before they part for the bedroom and the nursery room. Baekhyun nods and walks to Lay’s room quickly, to hide his pink ears; Chanyeol noticed his hands were cold earlier? Why is he so considerate and perfect? He’d better go to bed soon then. Chanyeol’s words would sound strange to anyone who doesn’t know, but they make perfect sense to them; when Baekhyun is cold, Chanyeol warms him up before they sleep –excuses for cuddles much?– and since tonight he’s sleepy, he is worried he’ll fall asleep before Baekhyun comes to bed.

And that’s pretty much the story of Baekhyun’s life, how he falls for Chanyeol’s sweet and fluffy marshmallow soul again and again.

Baekhyun places Lay under her covers easily, making sure she’s neatly tucked in, and then he stays for a couple of moments to watch his sleeping angel. She looks so serene; she’s truly the most precious thing he has in his life. He makes sure to run the way to the bedroom, in hopes Chanyeol is not asleep yet, and luckily, Chanyeol shifts under the covers when he hears him approaching the bed. Baekhyun dives under the sheets, wiggling closer to Chanyeol, who searches blindly for his hands and holds them when he finds them. It takes maybe a minute until he’s out like a light, holding Baekhyun’s hands, and Baekhyun smiles at his other angel, deciding that he doesn’t need Cinderella’s moment, because he gets so many more beautiful ones.

--

Chanyeol plays the next note but it doesn’t sound right. It didn’t sound right the eight times before that either. He sighs and turns his face to the ceiling, his neck cracking. He’s been composing for hours and he feels very tired, even though his body has been idle all this long. He’s been very productive today but that comes at a certain price. His eyes sting slightly and his fingers feel numb from tinkering with the guitar and the piano all evening, creating melodies and testing them on repeat before writing them down and recording them. On the days that inspiration decides to hit you hard, you might have to suffer a little, but the result will be worth it.

He rubs his eyes with his hands –it’s uncertain if he succeeds to soothe or irritate them– and a dull throb becomes more prominent above his ears. He had been able to ignore it until now, but he doubts it will subside or that he will be able to ignore it further. If he pushes himself any more, it will only become worse. It’s decided then; he has to stop for today.

He takes a few minutes to note down some things he’d like to work on tomorrow and then he starts tidying up his instruments and music sheets; he likes his corner of the room to be pretty and tidy. Since a few weeks ago, Chanyeol has his own space in Baekhyun’s home office, ‘the music corner’ as Baekhyun jokingly refers to it, and Chanyeol is very happy about it for some reason. Baekhyun decided to give him that space, so that he can work any time, any day, without having to go back and forth between their houses –the only valid reason Chanyeol visited his house anymore– and he encouraged him to bring as many things as he’d like and feel free to use the room as he likes or change it to suit his ‘artistic taste’. He even offered they changed the room and turn it into a studio for him, since Baekhyun doesn’t make serious use of it as an office! Even though Chanyeol thinks his thoughtfulness is very touching, he doesn’t feel so comfortable to barge in and take over Baekhyun’s former space completely, so he refused the offer to set up a fully equipped studio, and he only rearranged a couple of furniture and brought over his most necessary instruments. Baekhyun was delighted, jumping around like an excited child.

With a fond smile on his lips, Chanyeol looks out the window and it’s already dark outside; time flies. Maybe he should go downstairs and check on the other two, and then prepare dinner if Baekhyun is too tired. He ruffles his hair, his head still throbbing, but he thinks it might get better and bother him less if he’s with Baekhyun and Lay. His eyes fall on the most recent addition on the wall; three frames with CDs and fancy writing, his awarded music so far. Baekhyun insisted they hang those; previously, they had been gathering dust in a corner of Chanyeol’s house, but Baekhyun really wanted to display them, arguing that Chanyeol should be proud of them, just like Baekhyun is proud of Chanyeol.

Without realizing, Chanyeol is still humming tunes while going down the stairs, his mood light in spite of his exhaustion. He slows down when he reaches the ground floor, his ears picking up on Baekhyun’s voice and Lay’s mumbles. He rounds the corner with a smile, finding them both in the living room, even though they don’t notice him at first.

“Oh yes, honeycomb~” Baekhyun coos at Lay, his back turned to Chanyeol. Well, his buns turned to Chanyeol, more accurately. Baekhyun is on the floor by Lay’s play mat, on his elbows and knees, so that he can be eyelevel with the toddler, who is on all fours. His posture reminds Chanyeol of a cat, but that’s secondary to the fluster that comes over him at the sight; Baekhyun’s rear view is too heavenly and too sinful for this world, from his hips that flare after his narrower waist, to the fine curves of his things, to the round swell of his buns. It really challenges Chanyeol’s restraint sometimes. “We’ll have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, like the puppies in the movie” Baekhyun tells Lay in an excited voice and Lay giggles, leaning forward to give Eskimo kisses to her daddy.

“Can I have some too?” Chanyeol interrupts them, approaching slowly. Baekhyun flinches in surprise and straightens his body instantly, turning around.

“Chanyeol, you startled me!” he calls, looking up at him from where he is kneeling. His eyes are wide and his fingers are fidgeting after Chanyeol’s unexpected appearance. Chanyeol sends him an apologetic smile and Baekhyun tilts his head in confusion –Lay has already moved on to her toys. “Is something wrong?” he guesses with a concerned pout.

“Just a little headache after working too much, I’ll be fine” Chanyeol reassures him. Baekhyun slants his lips to the side, unconvinced, and then he lights up with a new idea.

“Come sit here with us” he chirps, scooting to the side and making room on the play mat. Chanyeol doesn’t have enough energy to resist him, so he crawls on all fours and sits down on the spot Baekhyun is patting indicatively. Lay is already piling toys on him the next moment, wanting to play, and Chanyeol starts sorting through them with a smile, but suddenly, Baekhyun leaves his side and climbs on the couch behind Chanyeol. “Honeycomb, his head hurts; will you kiss it better?” he tells her from his perch behind Chanyeol. Chanyeol is about to ask what’s going on, but then Lay exclaims her answer and starts climbing on Chanyeol, distracting him.

((His head is ouchie?! Yes, daddy, I’ll chu~ it at once!!))

For her size, Lay is very good at crawling her way up another human, Chanyeol’s shirt to pull herself up and digging her legs and knees on him to find something to stand on. His stomach is used to it by now. Chanyeol’s hands are waiting to catch her if she falls but she doesn’t. She reaches high enough by herself and then Chanyeol makes it easier for her by bending down a bit, so that she can have access to his cheeks –her stamina is great but he’s just too tall to manage all by herself. She focuses on his cheek with adorable determination, and then she plants one big kiss on his skin with her pretty little lips. Chanyeol smiles at her brightly, her big chocolate eyes expecting a reaction. Her kisses are magical.

“Aww, thank you Lay, I feel much better already” he says, playing it up for the little girl, who cheers and slides down his torso, landing on his lap. She doesn’t bother moving from there, getting comfortable and picking one of the surrounding toys to play with. Chanyeol smiles down at her sweetly, his hand caressing her back adoringly; if only he could squeeze that little munchkin sometimes.

Baekhyun hums behind him, reminding Chanyeol of his presence, and then Chanyeol feels fingers rubbing his ears. He flinches a bit at the unexpected tingles it sends down his spine. Baekhyun is not deterred and he keeps rubbing Chanyeol’s ears and his temples, and then he buries his fingers in Chanyeol’s hair, pressing down on his scalp. Chanyeol closes his eyes and groans quietly at the sensation, his whole body relaxing. Lay turns to him for a moment but she guesses he’s just napping, so she goes back to playing with her toys. Baekhyun’s beautiful fingers work their way downwards, massaging the back of Chanyeol’s neck and then his shoulders, loosening the knots; it feels so good that Chanyeol bites his lip to keep from making inappropriate noises. It’s been a long time since someone gave him so much attention and it feels so good.

After some time, Baekhyun leans over Chanyeol’s shoulder and kisses his temple quickly. “I’ll get you an aspirin” he whispers and then gets off the couch, leaving Chanyeol to stare after him in a daze.

--

Baekhyun stretches lazily in his seat –and oh my god, did something just crack? How out of shape can a person be? He inwardly cringes at how fast his body is aging; can’t he have ten more years to spend them like his twenties? He stares at the ceiling of his home office for a while and then glances at the time on his laptop; he’s been working for a couple of hours since he got home and he feels so tired, his exhaustion building up since the morning. He usually doesn’t take work outside the office, but everyone at work makes exceptions for when business is booming –which means more numbers for Baekhyun, oh joy. He rubs his eyes but he finds little comfort; numbers are swirling everywhere and his brain feels like mush. He needs a break.

He gets up, leaving everything as it is; it’s not going to go anywhere while he’s away, sadly. His eyes fall on Chanyeol’s instruments across the room, tidy and polished, looking so prim and proper. He smiles; he likes them. He likes sharing the entire day with Chanyeol, he feels happier that Chanyeol gets to do something he likes without any inconvenience, he likes the fact that there’s a piano in the house after so many years –and don’t get him started on how excited he gets whenever he sees those awards on the wall; his Chanyeol did that! He likes the instruments and the piano and the consoles and the headphones, the evidence of his music, something so personal for Chanyeol, present in their shared space. He can almost picture him, hunched in his corner while composing or tampering with buttons and nodding to the rhythm through his headphones…Baekhyun knows when Chanyeol visits this room, since more often than not he has to stay alone with Lay downstairs during that time, but he has never managed to hear a single note; pity.

As soon as he’s out of the room, Lay’s bubbly voice can be heard, mumbling breathlessly and giggling, accompanied by Chanyeol’s voice, also mumbling and growling sometimes, but not as loudly. Baekhyun is more curious about the strange thuds he can hear as he goes down the stairs, but it soon becomes evident that they are playing chase on all fours across the living room –Chanyeol even moves the coffee table to the side every time they play like that, to minimize chances of any accidents.

When Baekhyun turns the corner, Chanyeol has just caught Lay on his lap, and he is tickling her playfully; her laughter reverberates inside the house, bringing a smile to Baekhyun’s lips. Then Chanyeol proceeds to pick her up and fold her over his shoulder, her legs dangling on his chest and her arms on his back, while Lay is squirming and squealing. Chanyeol is holding her with both hands of course, but the position seems unusual enough to make Lay laugh loudly, even though her face has started turning red slowly from the blood flowing to her head.

“Hear ye, I’m selling a pretty lamb~” Chanyeol singsongs like a salesman. Lay giggles and tries to lift her head higher to look around. Baekhyun runs to them playfully, sitting right behind Chanyeol where Lay can see him.

“And how much does it cost, good merchant?” he plays along, smiling at his child when she squeals and starts babbling fast at her daddy; she’s a pretty lamb now and it’s so much fun! She’s excited and happy, and so red faced, like a little strawberry. Chanyeol turns around the tiniest bit, perhaps slightly surprised that Baekhyun is here with them unexpectedly, but he doesn’t say anything, listening to Lay giggling because she sways on his shoulder when he moves.

“One kiss for the merchant and two for the lamb” Chanyeol names his price and Baekhyun giggles behind him. He kisses Lay’s cheeks loudly –she has started drooling from laughing with open for so long– and then he pecks one of Chanyeol’s hands which are holding her. It’s a perfectly valid kiss, no matter if Chanyeol groans in disappointment. He lets go of the little girl when he feels Baekhyun holding her securely and pulling her over Chanyeol’s shoulder, bringing her to his chest for a hug. And so, this little lamb is his again. Chanyeol turns around so that they’re facing each other. “Sorry; were we being too loud?” he apologizes timidly, smiling slightly and patting Lay’s back. She’s very restless, squirming in all directions, but she doesn’t want to leave her daddy’s lap either, even though he’s not holding her, letting her do whatever she likes. Baekhyun shakes his head and smiles at him reassuringly.

“No, I just needed a break. There were too many numbers- aw” a muffled groan escapes him when Lay plants a knee in his gut; it happens sometimes. Chanyeol makes a funny grimace in attempt to withhold his laughter, and he picks Lay off of Baekhyun’s lap, leaving her on the floor to crawl around and play. She’s obviously very hyper to stay in one place; she’s at that stage where all you can do is let her move around and go crazy until she nearly passes out in exhaustion. If you try to stop it, chances are she’ll be in a very sour and uncooperative mood for the rest of the day. Chanyeol recognizes her wild phase too, and they exchange a meaningful look. Baekhyun has to admit, it didn’t use to be his favorite time to play with her when she’s like this, because, unlike her, he gets tired easily; since then, it’s been proven that Chanyeol alone or their joint effort is much more productive, less tiring and more pleasant. Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

“Do you want to play with us?” he suggests, but there is no pressure; he looks ready to handle her alone if Baekhyun is too busy to stay with them. Baekhyun decides to extend his break. He smiles mischievously.

“Whenever do I not want to play with you?”

They start a game of chase in the living room. It’s not very clear who is chasing whom, but Lay doesn’t bother with such details; she just likes crawling around and giggling. Baekhyun nearly stumbles over Chanyeol’s long limbs twice and he is pretty sure Chanyeol somehow managed to hit his hand on the coffee table in the corner. Lay is happily squirming until she starts getting tired, her battery power diminishing. She still laughs and chases them, but she has moments when she stands still, looking at the floor with a goofy smile on her lips. The adults stop playing for those moments too, waiting till her next burst of energy to resume crawling around. Baekhyun finds her so cute when she’s dazed like this and Chanyeol is shaking with silent laughter.

At some point while Baekhyun is running on all fours after Lay, he feels a hand closing around his ankle and pulling him back, ruining his balance. Even though he kicks in surprise, Chanyeol’s iron grip doesn’t loosen and Baekhyun squeals when the world swirls out of focus for a moment; and then he is lying with his back on the living room floor, looking at the ceiling, with a very smug Chanyeol holding both his ankles so that he can’t leave. When did he become the victim of the chase? Baekhyun squirms and kicks playfully, but Chanyeol won’t budge; he smiles widely and pulls Baekhyun’s leg playfully.

“I caught him, Lay! Come on, we have to tickle daddy!” he exclaims enthusiastically. The toddler, who had been crawling away until a moment ago, turns around with sparkles in her eyes and hastily paddles back to them. Baekhyun pretends to be devastated and trying to escape –kicking Chanyeol’s knees in retaliation for making him the victim– as Chanyeol encourages her to attack him. Lay’s idea of attack is to fall face first on Baekhyun’s stomach with a squeal and a giggle; Baekhyun is ticklish on his stomach so he starts convulsing with laughter the more she buries her little nose against him, but Chanyeol holds him still, enough so that he won’t hit Lay by accident.

It seems Lay is spent after that, slumping against Baekhyun’s body with a silly smile and glazed eyes. Baekhyun smiles down at his daughter, combing his fingers through her hair comfortingly. Chanyeol rubs his ankles with his thumbs in apology for holding them so tight, and then he goes to Lay’s side to check on her.

“Good job, mochi” he says with a smile and a wink. Lay’s smile widens and she tries to pick herself up to move to Chanyeol. They are all surprised when she does it effortlessly; they thought she had exerted the last bits of her energy on tickling Baekhyun and she’d take a while to recharge before moving again. Even Lay seems surprised, and she decides to go to her toys instead of Chanyeol, so that she can have fun on her play mat for as long as she can. Chanyeol helps Baekhyun up to a sitting position –and gets lightly slapped on the arm immediately after.

“We have to tickle daddy?” Baekhyun enunciates in a whispering voice, giving the taller an incredulous look. Chanyeol shrugs his shoulders innocently but his lips are pressed tightly to hold back his incriminating giggles, and Baekhyun purses his lips stubbornly and starts poking him everywhere he can reach in retaliation. Chanyeol tries to gather his limbs to protect his body and he squirms on the floor under Baekhyun’s attack, but he doesn’t make a sound, no matter how successful some of Baekhyun’s jabs might be. Their escapades are very lively but entirely mute, save for a few thuds and muffled grunts; it’s funny that Lay doesn’t even notice them. Their limbs get tangled but nobody cares and Chanyeol doesn’t complain, even though Baekhyun is sure some of his pokes get accidentally aggressive and they might leave tiny bruises under Chanyeol’s clothes.

On a side note, in such proximity, Baekhyun can smell faint traces of Chanyeol’s cologne. It suits him very well, admittedly. Baekhyun remembers seeing the fancy bottle next to his own on the vanity inside the bedroom a few days ago, and he kind of liked how pretty the bottles looked together. Chanyeol is not the type to wear cologne every day, but today he had a meeting with his coworker Luhan, so he sprayed some on before leaving the house in the morning. Baekhyun is not saying he’d rather Chanyeol went around unkempt of course, but it bugs him a bit that Chanyeol took the time to wear cologne for that Luhan guy. Yet, Baekhyun thinks he’s unreasonably bothered; Chanyeol always makes an effort when he thinks something or someone is important and he wants to make a good impression –he even wore a blazer to the daycare performance, for crying out loud. But still, Baekhyun can’t deny the tinge of bitterness he feels when thinking of a gorgeous-looking Chanyeol, spending a nice coffee date with some pretty guy from work. Baekhyun had two cups of coffee today, to stay awake enough at work, both bleak and bitter, and he drank them alone over his papers…

Baekhyun is about to pounce on Chanyeol and tackle him to the floor, planning to use his body weight to pin him down and tickle him to submission, but Lay babbles something at them, which sounds faintly like a question, interrupting his magnificently wicked plans. Chanyeol grabs the chance to scamper away, and he rushes to Lay’s side to help her out with whatever is troubling her, leaving Baekhyun behind. He has the audacity to stick his tongue out at Baekhyun mockingly once he’s deemed safe, and Baekhyun gasps, squinting his eyes at him viciously and inwardly promising to get him back for this injustice, when they’ll go to bed. It’ll be just the two of them, no one can save him there.

He takes a few moments to calm down and compose himself, and then he approaches the other two, sitting on the play mat with them. Lay is tamer now but it’s still fun playing with her, building a castle for her teddy bears –or her toy horses, she can’t decide. Chanyeol demonstrates the right way to build walls and Lay makes them crooked anyway. Baekhyun is in charge of supplies, giving Lay building blocks in the color she wants every time. They could do this for hours.

“Would you mind if I worked on the dinner table? I want to be with you guys” Baekhyun mumbles after a while, pouting at Chanyeol pleadingly. He doesn’t want to leave them; can’t his work disappear? Watching her struggle with the walls that keep collapsing is much more interesting. Chanyeol looks up at him in surprise, his eyebrows rising. Lay searches for her next building block in the midst of the colorful piles which are scattered around them, and she fetches it for herself.

“Wouldn’t you mind? We’re kind of noisy” Chanyeol warns, adding an uncertain little smile. Baekhyun’s heart stutters, even though this is a very inconvenient moment for it to do so; he can’t help it. Dimples; flowering dimples. He shakes his head –mostly to clear his thoughts– and then he smiles widely. He knows those two tend to be loud when they’re playing together, which will probably threaten his concentration on his work, but even that is part of the point. He just…doesn’t want to be alone.

“I’ll get my laptop”

--

Chanyeol has heard about the rough side of parenting –and witnessed it a couple of times with Lay, too. It is impossible to avoid tantrums and compulsive crying fits, even if your child is the most cheerful and agreeable angel. He knows children are not always smiles and sunshine, which is understandable, because they’re tiny humans, and they must have their issues too, so, sometimes they need to cry out their frustrations until they are too tired to remember the reason they got sad in the first place. Baekhyun had warned him that this happens occasionally with Lay, too. Just like any other child, she starts crying inconsolably at times, and it’s very hard to comfort her because at her age she can’t explain what troubles her. Chanyeol thought he could handle such a situation.

He can’t.

It’s been fifteen minutes since Lay started crying and she won’t calm down no matter what he tries. It started very suddenly, right after they finished her bath and Chanyeol dressed her in her onsies, getting her ready for bed like they’ve done many times before. Her mood was very chirpy and happy during her bath and she was giggling, but she was already half asleep when he tucked her into bed. Two seconds later, she scrunched her nose and started whining. The whining quickly escalated to screams and hopeless wailing, piercing the night tranquility. Chanyeol leaned over the crib and cooed at her, rubbing her tummy to calm her down, but it didn’t work. She was still sobbing, so he tried to calm her with Mr. Brownie, her favorite brown teddy bear with the big, red bowtie, but she wouldn’t even look at it. He picked her up then, cradling her comfortingly and trying to soothe her, singing to her, mumbling, kissing her hair and using all the tricks he learnt from Baekhyun, but nothing has worked so far and he has run out of ideas. He checked her temperature, he tried to ask if anything hurts, he gave her some water and other toys, but nothing has done the trick.

It’s torture by now. She doesn’t stop no matter what he does or where he takes her in the house, as if every room is giving her more reason to cry instead of distracting her from her worries. He doesn’t quit trying though, going up and down the stairs and touring every room of the house multiple times, especially the spaces that are most familiar to her. He is desperate to soothe her. It’s not so much due to his mild headache and the late hour, as the squeeze he feels around his heart with every wave of new cries and tears. Not even Lay’s tantrum at the doctor’s or her feverish night could have prepared him for this, and they were bad enough as they were; he never thought it would feel this bad to hear her cry and feel so helpless. He is starting to understand why Baekhyun cries when she’s crying.

“You miss daddy, I know” he tries to comfort her, cradling her small head against his shoulder. Baekhyun had to stay at work today much later than usual, and Chanyeol has been hoping he will magically appear any moment for the past twenty minutes. His shirt is damp from her tears and she is clutching at the fabric frantically, screaming against it; he doesn’t know how else to comfort her. Chanyeol is one step away from bursting into tears himself.

Usually, when Lay is having a crying fit, Baekhyun and Chanyeol work together to soothe her, holding her, caressing her, distracting her, kissing her. It doesn’t always work as great, but it makes her cries more bearable. Sometimes, when either of them is away from home and the one left behind is having difficulties, they call, so that she can hear both their voices and calm down a bit. Chanyeol glances at the clock; he can’t call Baekhyun so late, he might be driving back and he won’t be able to talk to her and soothe her through the phone. It looks like he’s on his own on this one.

“I miss him too, mochi” he murmurs in her ear, pressing his lips on the crown of her head. He closes his eyes, swaying her gently, and wishing Baekhyun was here to cry with them. “Should we go to daddy’s room, sleep on his pillow?” he suggests, blinking away small droplets in his eyelashes. Maybe Baekhyun’s scent will help her calm down a little. Lay sniffles, her whole body flinching, and he kisses her damp cheek. “Come, sweetie” he murmurs, walking her to the double bed and pulling away the covers on Baekhyun’s side with one hand. She curls against Baekhyun’s pillow immediately after he puts her down; of course she’s missing her daddy. It’s the world’s most important thing for her and nothing will ever replace him.

He tucks her in and crawls to his side of the bed, getting under the covers too and extending one hand to hold her in place. She grabs his other hand from his pillow and holds it close to her with both hands; she is trembling and Chanyeol combs her hair comfortingly. She blinks at him with puffy, tired eyes, and she pouts miserably. Chanyeol gives her a reassuring smile. It looks like the worst is over; he inwardly sighs in relief.

Then suddenly, she lets out a strange quipping sound and her entire body convulses on the bed. Chanyeol flinches in surprise and Lay looks back at him with surprised and bewildered eyes. Was that what I think it was? They stare at each other with wide eyes for a few moments of absolute stillness between them, a little lost and a little expectant, and then it happens again. Lay grows even more confused, looking at her own chest as if there’s something weird about it, but Chanyeol chuckles.

“You got the hiccups” he whispers in the near absolute darkness, scratching behind her ear when it happens again. She cried so much that she got the hiccups, how adorable. Lay gives him a curious look, not so afraid of this strange thing that is happening to her anymore, because tall man is smiling, so it can’t be something bad. It’s really annoying though; she can’t even speak because it’s making her swallow her words!

((Cup-cups?))

“Try holding your breath, like this” he whispers and then demonstrates how to hold one’s breath. Lay tries, pressing her lips tightly like he is doing, but she keeps breathing through her nose, missing the point of the exercise; she’s still too young to do it right. Chanyeol giggles at her cuteness and her confused frown. “Here, have some water for now and it will pass” he coaxes gently, giving her the water bottle which he had been carrying around all night. She holds it with both hands, drinking some water while lying on the pillow and looking at Chanyeol with the corner of her eye. This better work; cup-cups are really weird and she doesn’t want to have them. She gives the bottle back and lies on her side again, pulling Chanyeol’s hand close to her like it was before.

“Let’s sleep, baby, hm?” he mumbles, nuzzling his way closer to her on his pillow and kissing her forehead. Lay yawns cutely –followed by a hiccup, of course– and squirms closer to his chest. Chanyeol makes sure there is enough room for her to breathe and then curls an arm around her to make sure she won’t roll away and fall from the bed. Chanyeol yawns too, his weariness catching up with him after a long night. His eyelids become heavy soon and he falls asleep thinking of how cute she is when hiccupping and how much she’s like Baekhyun. Lay falls asleep mumbling up at him, even though he doesn’t notice.

--

((Tall man, you’re not my teddy bear. What are you? You look at me like daddy does, you play with me, you take care of me, you hold me when I’m crying, you tuck me in for nighty-night and you do eeeeverything else like my daddy; even tickle-giggles! You love me too, right? I’m your mochi, right? You want daddy and me as a family, right? Daddy says a family loves each other for always. I will love you for always; daddy will love you too. I hope you want us as a family. So I will adopt you as my daddy. You’ll be my daddy too, now. For always. Daddy, okay?))