7.

Minho is not sure what to say when Taemin does finally open the door.

The omega glares at him almost instantly and it takes all of Minho’s willpower not to flinch under the heat of it.

“It’s almost ten o’clock, what the hell do you want?” Taemin asks dryly.

Minho steels himself.

“To talk… about last time... I– I was an idiot.”

The glare softens even if just slightly as Taemin raises an eyebrow at him.

“I didn’t mean what I said,” Minho explains as the omega just keeps staring. “Not entirely... not–” he scoffs at his loss of words.

How is he supposed to apologize if he can’t even get his ideas straight?

“You’re not taking my son away from me,” comes the defensive rebuttal and for a moment, Minho wonders if maybe he wasn’t clear enough.

“I’m not,” he replies hurriedly. “I’m not taking him away from you.”

Taemin blinks up at him, clearly not expecting the statement.

“All I want is a chance to get to know him,” Minho explains – begs – as the silence stretches.

Taemin’s expression quickly closes off and Minho’s stomach rolls as he sees the refusal forming. He doesn’t give the younger the time to formulate it. He can’t afford another rejection, he’s not sure he can pick himself back up if that happens.

“I know you went through a lot,” he states, throat dry and voice rough. “I know he... I know our son probably did too. And it’s all my fault for not being there for you. But don’t you think it’s only fair to him to at least get to know his other father?”

“He’s fine the way he is,” Taemin states, voice hard as he speaks.

Though Minho detects defensiveness instead of anger.

“What about when he starts to ask where he came from? When he starts to ask about me?”

It’s clearly something the omega has considered. He’s unimpressed by the question, almost indifferent as he formulates his answer, “I’ll tell him the truth.”

Minho frowns and asks, “your truth or mine?”

“What do you want from me, Minho?” Taemin growls back, delicate features twisting into a scowl. “Did you really expect me to be compliant? To just let you stroll back into our lives and have your way?!”

Minho notices that the younger doesn’t seem to care that they’re in the hallway and that anyone can hear them.

“Of course not,” the alpha denies almost instantly. “I just thought you’d be reasonable about this. I’m not asking you to come back to me, Taemin. I’m asking for a chance to get to know my son!”

Minho does wish he could ask Taemin to go back to him. He wishes he deserved that privilege but he realizes that he’s not worthy anymore. If he ever was.

As much as it pains him, he’s ready to give the younger up. Jinki is right, after all. No self-respecting omega would want an alpha like him. He’s known that for years, from the moment he felt the disconnection, from the moment he let go.

But if there’s one thing he won’t give up on it’s his son. Lucas, despite everything, is still his blood, his child. Even if Taemin doesn’t need him anymore, even if the omega doesn’t want him anymore, Lucas has at least the right to decide for himself if he wants to completely scratch Minho from his life. For that, though, they need to at least get to know each other.

“Let him decide,” Minho finds himself saying at Taemin's shocked silence. “You’ve chosen for yourself, now let him get to know me. Let him decide if he wants me around or not.”

“He’s three,” Taemin deadpans.

“So what? Give it time, give us a chance to have something at least. Please, Taemin…” Minho’s voice is trembling so much, the sound is barely even intelligible, but he keeps on. He can’t give up, not on this. He’ll get on his hands and knees if he has to. “I– I’ll never ask anything from you again but at least let me get to know him, let us be father and son until he decides if he wants me around or not.”

Taemin stares at him with an unreadable expression on his face for several minutes and Minho can only wait. His stomach is rolling and he’s pretty sure he won’t be able to say another full sentence without puking right there.

“I’ll talk to him first, explain the situation,” the omega says eventually. “Be here Thursday at four, sharp.”

Minho has barely even registered the words that the door is being slammed on his face, leaving him to stare dumbly at the dark wooden surface.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taemin rubs his clammy hands on his jogging pants and exhales heavily as he leans forward, resting his forehead against the cool surface of the door.

“Let him get to know Lucas,” his mother had told him over the phone two days ago after he called her in a panic over the threat Minho had made to him. “It will appease him, he won’t go to court if you let him get to know his son.”

Taemin had gotten mad at her, told his mother that he couldn’t do that to his child. He had sworn on his life that he would never let Minho approach his little boy.

Then why the hell did he just consent to this madness?

He’s trembling from head-to-toe as he recalls the words Minho said.

“I’m not asking you to come back to me, Taemin.”

They shouldn’t hurt as they do. These words aren’t supposed to cut so deep. It shouldn’t matter that Minho doesn’t want him back. Taemin convinced himself long ago that he doesn’t want to go back to the elder.

Then why?

Why did the statement hit him so hard that he found no other way to escape from the situation than consenting to let Lucas meet the man who abandoned them?

He finds out, as his mind conjures up memories of their happy times together, that he doesn’t want an answer to that question. Instead, he instantly balks as they form, pushing them back with all his might and reminding himself of how they ended up the way they did.

It’s these thoughts that he holds on to as he locks the door and makes his way further into the apartment, walking numbly to reach the door for Lucas’s bedroom.

As he pushes the door open, he is met with the sight of the three-year-old sprawled out on the bed, a leg hanging over the side of the mattress and his head flush against the wall, his neck twisted in such a way, the boy is sure to wake up with a stiff neck the next morning. The covers are twisted into a ball, tucked neatly against the boy’s side.

The sight, which usually makes him melt with fondness, now fills him with a sense of dread he finds himself unable to shake off.

Lucas takes too much after Minho. Even his messy sleeping habits.

Taemin swallows around the lump in his throat and takes in a steeling breath before making his way into the room and gently coercing the boy’s body into a better position, the heavy-sleeper not even stirring in the process.

Taemin wonders how he’ll deal with this situation as he sits down at the edge of the bed, patting the covers softly once he has brought them up to the child’s chin. He runs a hand through the three-year-old’s hair, his heart clenching in his chest as he watches Lucas’s peaceful expression.

He wonders how he’ll explain Minho’s presence to his little boy. Wonders if it’s the right thing to do, to expose the boy to such complicated family life.

Though as he recalls his mother’s advice and Minho’s pleas, he quickly concludes that he doesn’t really have a say in it.

He can’t run away. Not anymore.

He won’t risk angering Minho to the point of making him act on his threat to fight for custody. He can’t afford to expose Lucas to such a messy legal battle. Especially one that Taemin is bound to lose.

Omegas rarely win. Not in this society where the alphas are considered the superior gender, the apter to raise an alpha child.

He blinks repeatedly to chase away the tears stinging his eyes and leans forward to deposit a kiss to his son’s forehead.

If allowing Minho to get to know Lucas is the price he has to pay to be sure to keep his son with him, he will go along with it.

It doesn’t mean he’ll let Minho worm himself into their lives. It certainly doesn’t mean he won’t push with ground-rules to prevent the older male from becoming too present, too involved or acquiring enough ammo to hurt his son.

All he has to do now is work out a way to keep his own interactions with the alpha to a minimum as he makes sure to keep Lucas safe.

Before any of that though, he has to figure out a simple way to explain to his son about Minho. Deep down, he’s hoping to forego mentioning their blood relation, though he has a sinking feeling in his chest that the strategy is full of holes and especially prone to pissing Minho off – not that he would mind that if it were not for the risk of the elder acting harshly in response.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As it turns out, talking to Lucas about Minho is a lot harder than Taemin had anticipated. Two days after the alpha's late-night visit, he finally brings up "that man they met in the elevator" the week before to his son. Lucas’s face instantly clouds over and a pout pulls at his lips.

“I don’t like him,” he declares firmly, averting his gaze down to his bowl of rice, which he proceeds to poke at viciously with his chopsticks.

Taemin had honestly hoped that his son had let go of the grudge, but he has to concede that holding onto grudges in one part of his personality that Lucas had gotten from him.

“Sweetie, I told you, didn’t I? He’s an old friend of mine.”

The words are hard to articulate. Minho was so much more than just a friend and he knows that somehow, at some point, he will have to let Lucas know of their much deeper connection.

“But you were upset when he talked to you,” Lucas argues, his pout audible in his voice.

How is he supposed to explain that?

Taemin doesn’t want to lie to Lucas any more than he already has. But is he ready to tell the boy about his alpha father? Despite being a smart boy, Taemin knows his son is only a child still, one whose mind might not be ready to understand the problems his parents have.

“I was,” he admits in defeat. “But it’s gone now. He apologized.”

Though he refrains from saying whether he forgave or not. A lie of omission, but a lie still.

Suddenly, Taemin isn’t all that hungry anymore.

“He did?” Lucas’s large eyes are staring up at him in curiosity and slight doubt like he can see the omega’s internal struggles.

“He did,” Taemin asserts, forcing a small smile onto his lips. “I invited him over for snacks, tomorrow afternoon. He wants to meet you.”

Lucas frowns at the piece of information, abandoning his Pororo chopsticks where he stabbed them in his rice.

“Why? He’s not allowed here.”

Taemin blinks in shock, not quite sure he heard right.

Once again, the doctor’s warning from months ago echoes in his head. Lucas is being territorial.

“Honey, I invited him over, which means he is welcome here,” the omega explains slowly, making sure to make his voice as firm as he can.

He can’t afford to show uncertainty or weakness now. As Lucas’s father, he has to show authority, even as an omega. Especially as an omega.

He’s the only constant authority figure in his son’s life and has to stay so so that Lucas’s alphan instincts don’t get overwhelming and wind up trampling him down.

Lucas is obviously displeased with the turn the conversation has taken and he openly pouts through his frown, leaning back against the chair and crossing his arms in front of his small torso.

A small part of Taemin is admittedly relieved for the reaction, happy that at least Lucas isn’t going to make it easy for Minho to worm his way into their lives. The rest of him though is quivering in dread for the reaction that is going to pull from Minho. The last thing he wants is for the alpha to think Taemin made up Lucas’s mind to dislike him and decide to finally resort for a custody battle.

“Why?” Lucas asks, his voice taking on a higher, whinier tone.

Taemin cringes slightly, afraid that’s the first sign of one of his legendary tantrums.

Sighing slowly, the omega rises from his chair and walks around the table to go kneel by his son, whose chair he turns to face him.

“He wants to know you,” the omega explains softly, setting his hands on the boy’s crossed arms, the small forearms with his thumbs and making sure to wrap the three-year-old in a comforting scent.

“But I don’t want to!” Lucas whines again, though his frown has disappeared and instead, he slowly leaning forward, closer to Taemin.

The omega knows it’s the scent he is giving off and he’s glad that the boy wasn’t so upset that such a small gesture enough to calm him.

“I hear you,” Taemin says, his heart clenching.

If only he could use Lucas’s reticence as an excuse to get out of this. Still, he’s too afraid that won’t be enough to deter Minho. What are the chances the alpha will just take that as an excuse or worse, an insult to his ego?

“But can you try? For me?”

It pains him to do this. To ask his son to put up with the other alpha when Lucas doesn’t want to.

The boy is sulking and Taemin has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from ceding to his teary gaze.

“Pretty please?” He presses softly. “Afterwards, we can have a date, just you and I. We’ll go to the park and eat pizza and ice-cream for dinner.”

Not the healthiest promise, but one he hopes will sway the stubborn little alpha.

He won’t tell the boy who Minho really is. Not now, this is too much already. Minho will have to be patient. He will have to understand somehow.

Lucas’s gaze turns interested then.

“Can I have two scoops of ice-cream?”

Taemin feels himself die inside, both at how enamored he is at his son and in dread for the torment that will ensue from the sugar-rush.

But if that will appease Lucas and make things easier to appease Minho, he’ll put up with it.

He’ll put up with anything for his son’s well-being.

A/N: So, I'm back! No I didn't abandon this... I just... wrote myself into a corner for a while and had no clue how to get out. Anyways, this is definitely not the best chapter yet, but it covered what it had to... Sorry for disappearing, it seems I haven't built enough stamina after my hiatus yet to keep to a set schedule >_<

Taemin decided to give Minho a shot at getting to know Lucas. How that came about and the consequences of it will be theirs to deal with. Minho is definitely not in a good place and it seems no one can see it. Not even him. Seems like he also left a deeper impression on Lucas than anyone expected in the elevator...

Anyways, thank you all for the love and the patience. Tell me what you guys think in the comments!

With Love,

Joorin <3