Guys I swear I made Lu Han Kris' best friend before Lu Han's lawsuit happened.

 

 

Kris Wu liked to think of himself as an easy-going person. It wasn’t easy to get him really mad, for the most part he didn’t raise his voice. Unless of course, he was dealing with someone who was insulting his baby. Then, all bets were off. When you messed with Kris Wu’s son, you better run for cover.

At the moment, Kris himself was “running” for a bar—driving, technically. It was only four in the afternoon but he needed something strong, and he wasn’t in the habit of keeping alcohol in the house. He had his phone on speaker and was venting to his best friend and co-worker. He was so mad he could barely form a coherent sentence.

“It’s insane, that’s what it is! So much for forward thinking! So much for a modern school! Of all the…gender normative, ist, bull that I never thought I’d have to deal with…!”

Lu Han interrupted his rant with a question. “So is Jamie in Pre K anymore or not?”

“Of course not!” Kris shouted. “You think I’d keep him in some place like that? And before  you ask, I did not force him to leave. When he found out he couldn’t dress how he wanted he started crying and—” Kris cut off, choking back sudden tears, “And begging me not to make him go back,” he finished.

“Well, all I can say is bravo to you for doing the right thing,” Lu Han said honestly. “Now stop crying, Jamie knows you’d never make him do anything he didn’t want to do.”

“It’s just so unfair!” Kris yelled, slamming his hand against the steering wheel. “He likes skirts and dresses, so what? Who is he hurting?”

“Nobody,” said Lu Han.

“Nobody!” Kris shouted, having not paid attention to his friend at all. “You would think for all the money I’m spending on that place, the goddamn administration wouldn’t have cared if Jamie showed up in his underwear with chocolate milk all over his face!”

“I think they would care about that.”

“But my son wears a skirt to school and it’s like he’s some kind of delinquent! ‘Oh Mister Wu, we have a dress code,’ that outfit met dress code regulations, I made sure of it before I dropped him off, and I tell you it was adorable!”

“I’d expect nothing less from you. But Kris will you listen to me?”

“Damn,” Kris snapped, “Missed my turn five blocks ago. What are you on about?”

“What are you going to do with Jamie while you’re working?”

“I’m trying to figure that out!” Kris cried, “Haven’t you been paying attention at all?”

“I—oh forget you, I’m going to sit here and sing Anaconda.”

“Don’t you dare,” Kris growled. “You’re supposed to be listening to me. I can’t leave him with Minseok and Yixing, Yixing’s back to work and Minseok’s writing again, and I need a real babysitter, someone who can actually play with Jamie and start teaching him how to write. I’m thinking about calling in sick tomorrow while I interview babysitters. You all can manage without me for one more day, right?”

“We can, but do you really think you’re going to find someone in one day?”

“If I can’t I’ll…I’ll worry about it when the time comes. I’m at the bar, I gotta go.”

“Bar? Kris it’s four PM on a Tuesday!”

“I just had to listen to my son beg me not to send him back to school,” Kris said, choking up again. “Lu Han, I need a drink.”

“Where is Jamie?”

“Playing with Yixing and Minseok’s boys, they got back from kindergarten an hour ago and I figured Jamie needed some friends. I’ll call you later.” He paused. “Thanks for letting me vent.”

“You’re lucky I like Jamie so much,” Lu Han sniffed. Kris barely heard him.

The bar was empty apart from Kris, the bartender, and one other man—a dejected looking twenty-something, who had his head on the bar and was staring forlornly at his glass. It did not seem to be his first. Kris plopped down a few seats away from the other man. Despite the dreary look on his face he was quite handsome, if the pair of them hadn’t been in such a foul mood Kris might have even been inclined to flirt a little. But he was here to drink, not go home with someone. Besides, Jamie wasn’t prepared for a sleepover at Yixing and Minseok’s apartment.

He knew the bartender, a former co-worker named Joonmyun. Joonmyun was casting anxious looks at the bar’s other occupant as he started on Kris’ favorite order, a French mead that he only allowed himself to consume when he was really down.

“Bless you,” Kris said when Joonmyun handed him a glass. “How do you always know?”

Joonmyun cracked a smile. “You have a storm cloud hovering over your head, didn’t you know?”

Kris took a sip of his drink and let the liquid linger on his tongue. He jumped a little when the man next to him let out a small sob.

Joonmyun mouthed the word ‘Sorry’ and then darted around the bar, coming to stand beside the now crying man and pat his back. “Come on now,” he said, “It’s not the end of the world.”

“What am I going to do?” The man moaned. Kris couldn’t help but look on curiously, and he realized that the ‘man’ was hardly a man at all, maybe not even in his twenties. He looked more like a teenager, Kris wondered if he was even old enough to drink. As Kris thought this the young man lifted his head to down the rest of his drink, then put his head back on the table.

“You’ve just got to put yourself out there,” Joonmyun said bracingly. “You’re smart, you’ll find a way.”

“But I have to pay rent next week,” the young man whimpered. “I have some money saved up but it won’t last me that long, and the car needs gas, and the cat needs food…” he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. “It wasn’t even that good of a job but I liked it, and I really needed it. I don’t know what to do!”

Joonmyun looked like he wished he hadn’t spoken. “Can’t you ask your parents for help, or another family member?”

The young man shook his head. “They’re not speaking to me. Maybe if I went back to school and did accounting they would, but not now!”

The bar’s phone began to ring. Joonmyun gave the man one final pat on the back and muttered something, then hurried around to the other side of the bar once again. The now teary-eyed man dropped his head back onto the bar and whimpered. Kris picked up his glass and moved over, directly next to the young man, who didn’t even seem to notice.

“First time getting fired?” Kris asked quietly.

The young man didn’t even startle, just nodded.

“That ,” Kris said. “I’ve been there, I know it’s not fun.” He took a sip of his drink. “How old are you?”

“Twenty two,” the young man said.

He looked about nineteen. “What’s your name?”

“Baekhyun.”

“Hi Baekhyun, I’m Kris.”

Baekhyun picked his head his head up and looked over at Kris. His eyes widened a little. “I’ve seen you around,” he mumbled. “Where have I seen you?”

Kris grinned. “Probably on subway ads for my plastic surgery practice. Or it could be from my very brief stint as a star.”

Baekhyun lifted his head and looked at Kris in shock. “No, you weren’t a star!”

“Yeah I was,” Kris laughed.

“Yeah he was,” Joonmyun called, “How do you think I know him?”

Kris flashed Joonmyun a wide grin and Joonmyun winked. Besides tending the bar, he actually owned the establishment, having built it with his earnings when he retired from five years ago.

Baekhyun blushed and coughed. “I think it’s the subway ads,” he said.

Kris couldn’t help but laugh. He beckoned Joonmyun over. “I’ll buy him a refill of whatever that was,” he said, nodding at Baekhyun’s empty glass.

Baekhyun’s blush darkened. “It’s okay, you don’t have to,” he protested as Joonmyun refiled his glass.

Kris shook his head. “Like I said, I know what it’s like to get fired. I don’t mind buying you a drink.”

Baekhyun smiled shyly and muttered a thank you. Kris waited until he’d sipped his drink to ask him more questions. “So, where did you work?”

Baekhyun sighed. “Crappy job, really. I was a cabaret singer, part time at a hotel. It wasn’t the best job but…it was a job, and I was singing.”

Kris nodded. “So you majored in music?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said. “Thought I was so lucky to finish college when I was twenty, get a job right out of school.”

“You were lucky,” Kris said. “So you worked part time? Any hobbies?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “I mean, I taught piano to the kids at the hotel, sometimes. There was one in the lobby, kids would get bored when their parents were checking in, I’d go play and let the kids come watch, show them simple things if they were interested.” He sniffled and wiped his eyes. “Guess that’s over now, too.”

“So, you’re good with kids then,” Kris said. “That’s good.”

“I guess,” Baekhyun mumbled.

“Have you ever been convicted of a crime?”

“No I—wait, what?” Baekhyun yelped, standing up and backing away slightly.

Kris gave him a calm once over. “Do you know CPR?”

“Are you hitting on me?” Baekhyun demanded.

“No,” Kris said. “Just asking.”

“I-I don’t r-really know CPR, no,” Baekhyun stammered, “Why do you ask?”

Joonmyun was looking at Kris reproachfully, but Kris was beyond caring. He could hardly believe his luck.

“I’m going to level with you,” Kris said, “I took my son out of pre K today because they made a fuss over how he dressed. I need someone to look after him while I work and I need them to start ASAP. So, since you’re here and you need a job, and I need a babysitter, how do you feel about boys who wear dresses?”

Baekhyun was staring at Kris wide-eyed. “I don’t care what people wear,” he said weakly. “You…you want me to babysit your son, you said?”

“Yes,” Kris answered. “I’ll pay you well, too. How does 500 a week sound?”

Baekhyun’s jaw dropped to the floor. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, then pinched his own arm very hard. “Ow!” He cried. He looked at Kris in shock. “Are you kidding me?”

“I’m not,” Kris said. “I work four days a week, but I have very long hours. I have to be out of the house by 10:45 in the morning and I get home around 8, Wednesday through Saturday. Jamie is three years old and he’s a good kid—potty trained, too—but now that he’s not in pre K I expect he’ll be a little rowdy. I’m Chinese and spent most of my childhood in Canada, so I mostly speak Chinese and English at home, Jamie needs practice with his Korean. You’ll have to help him with his Hangul, he needs to start learning.”

“Still, that’s a lot of money,” Baekhyun said. “I mean, are you sure you can…I don’t want you to like, go broke over this.”

Kris laughed. “I will not go broke,” he promised. “I am well established enough that I will not sweat over this.” In fact the money he was offering Baekhyun was about even with what he would have paid to have Jamie in school.

Baekhyun was still shaking his head. “But that’s like…that’s a lot of money,” he said again. “I don’t, I’ve never even, are you sure?”

“You seem like a good kid,” Kris said. “And I’m pretty confident that you’re not going to kidnap my son, not that he couldn’t defend himself if you tried. His godfather’s been teaching him martial arts since he learned to walk. Tell you what, I’ll even pay for a CPR certification class. It’s easy, you’ll be done in one day.”

Baekhyun sat back down, still looking incredulous. “You…are you pulling my leg?” He asked suspiciously. “Is this some kind of trap?”

Kris looked over at Joonmyun. “Is this a trap, Joonmyun?”

“It’s not,” Joonmyun told Baekhyun. “I’ve met his son, he’s a cute kid.”

Kris grabbed a napkin and a pen from his shirt pocket, and wrote down his phone number and address. “I was going to take tomorrow off, but maybe now I can go in for half a day. Come to my apartment at 10:30 tomorrow morning and I’ll introduce you to Jamie. If you feel like you can handle him, I’ll leave after lunch and we’ll see how you do having him to yourself. Sound good?”

He handed Baekhyun the napkin. Baekhyun looked back and forth between it and Kris. “You really mean it?” He asked.

“I really mean it,” Kris said. “In fact, I’m beside myself with happiness. I can’t believe my luck!”

Baekhyun looked like he was going to start crying again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” he said, sounding choked. “Thank you so much, this is amazing, really, thank—”

Kris held up his hand. “Thank me tomorrow, after you meet Jamie.” Then he paid for his and Baekhyun’s drinks, told Baekhyun to text him later so he’d have his number, and went home. It was time to get back to his little boy.

 

Kris had a very interesting history. He grew up in China until age ten, lived in Canada with his mother until he decided that he wanted do cosmetic surgery, then moved to South Korea. Lu Han had given him the idea—Kris met him online and they’d become friends, and Lu Han had moved to South Korea to study cosmetic surgery and become a model. His modeling career paid for his education, and as he pointed put to Kris the only better place to practice cosmetic surgery was Silicon Valley itself. South Korea was becoming a hotspot for cosmetic procedures, both for local and foreign populations. While Kris didn’t exactly approve of the white beauty standard that was taking over the world, he knew there were other reasons for needing cosmetic surgery. He and Lu Han had opened their own practice about five years ago. They were fairly young to be doing so but they had previously established reputations—Kris in (whatever that was worth) and Lu Han in modeling, and both were well known in those circles for their good looks. It helped to be good looking when you were doing cosmetic surgery.

It was inevitable that people would come seeking to have their jaws shaved, foreheads shaped, eyes made bigger. Kris and Lu Han did not shy from that—who were they to turn away paying customers? The one thing they refused to do was the faulty procedure on the tongue that some people thought improved pronunciation. But what their clinic was very well known for was correcting injures sustained after accidents. Facial fractures (like broken noses and eye sockets), burns, and scar treatment were where they made a lot of their money. They also treated acne scars and wrinkles.

They frequently had patients who were athletes coming in after injuries sustained in their sports. The most surprising thing was when they got a call from a very famous celebrity agency, asking if the doctors could examine some scars one of their employees had received after a minor car crash. After that the agency came to them often when their celebrity employees were injured. The thing all the doctors stressed, in those cases, was plenty of rest, often calling the agency itself to impress upon them the fact that injuries healed best while the injured party slept.

With such a diverse clientele and their names pretty well known, Lu Han and Kris had been able to open a second clinic and hire more doctors. Their business was booming and five years ago, Kris decided to use some of his savings to start a family. Already knowing he wasn’t getting married to a woman, and having not found Mister Right just yet, Kris did worry about being a single parent, but he was approaching thirty and wanted a baby before he got too old to keep up with the kid. He considered adoption, but he knew that it wouldn’t be easy since he was a single father and gay besides. The laws protecting gay parents and giving them adoption rights were still relatively new in South Korea and under a lot of scrutiny, due to the fact that a lot of gay couples were immigrating to the country. His neighbors, Yixing and Minseok, faced a lot of discrimination at first and had a hard time renting a place, and an even harder time adopting their two boys.

But Kris did want more than one kid, and he could always adopt in a few years once the negativity around South Korea’s new attitude on same- relationships died down. In the end he decided on surrogacy, and went to a fertility clinic. Being in South Korea, there weren’t that many Chinese women who were donating their eggs to the clinics, but he didn’t want to go back to China for the procedure. He didn’t mind that his baby would be half Korean, nor that the surrogate mother who carried the baby would be Korean. And as he was learning, money could buy just about anything, so nobody gave a single Chinese man looking to have a baby any sideways glances so long as he was rich.

The procedure was still difficult, but when he got to hold his little boy for the first time he knew that he’d done the right thing. He wanted to be surprised and didn’t know if he was having a girl or a boy, but he’d decided on the name Jamie for either, since it was easily translated to Chinese characters and Hangul. Kris had hoped that his son would have a more stable childhood than he’d had. So far Jamie was doing alright, as far as being in one place went. He was growing up trilingual—or bilingual as he had thus far resisted Kris’ attempts to teach him Korean. He was only three but he had a big personality and could be very, very stubborn.

 

Kris didn’t think Baekhyun would have any trouble getting along with Jamie but he was nervous nonetheless when Baekhyun texted him at 10:28 to say that he was in the lobby. Kris called the doorman and told him to let Baekhyun up.

Kris noticed the look of surprise on Baekhyun’s face when he first walked in, but he quickly hid it. Kris knew his house wasn’t typical—it was a villa, four stories and newly built, heavily influenced by western aesthetics. Kris liked it because it reminded him of his home in Canada, and it had a really nice kitchen.

“I brought my own lunch,” Baekhyun said, holding up a paper bag.

“That’s fine, you can put it in the fridge,” Kris said. “You’re welcome to eat anything you like. Jamie’s getting dressed at the moment,” he continued, leading Baekhyun to the kitchen, “He might be a while. He has a vast collection of clothing, my mother spoils him quite a bit more than I would like.” He fixed Baekhyun with a stern look. “Jamie has a fondness for girls’ clothing. The more frills and glitter, the better. I let him wear what he wants, within reason. That is what got him in trouble with the administrators at preschool.” He wanted to go over this one more time now that Baekhyun wasn’t halfway drunk.

Baekhyun didn’t bat an eye. “I have no such problem with clothing.”

Kris relaxed and smiled. “Good, then I have just a few things to tell you. His white skirts and jeans are not to be worn to the playground under any circumstances. When he wears a skirt he has to wear leggings or shorts, because he’s constantly sitting with his legs open and lifting the darn thing over his head, I can’t get him to understand that the world does not want to see his underwear.”

Baekhyun was trying and failing to hold back a grin. “Does he have any allergies?”

“None that I know of, all the food in the house is food he’s had before. And he’s not allergic to greens, don’t let him fool you. He’s still at an age where a nap might be good for him, but you don’t have to force him. He gets a little sleepy after lunch, so I’d suggest reading to him and just see what happens. If he does fall asleep, wake him by three or he’ll never go to bed. My neighbor Minseok was babysitting him up till now, but he just started working again.” Kris pointed to a notebook. “I wrote a bunch of phone numbers down for you, including Minseok’s, but like I said he’s working so try not to call unless it’s an emergency. My office number is there, you can call my cell but if I don’t answer it means I’m with a patient and you should just call the office.”

Just then there was the sound of footsteps and a tiny voice yelled, “Daddy I’m dressed!”

Kris quickly walked out of the kitchen and caught Jamie just as he rounded the corner, scooping his son into his arms. “Look at you!” Kris exclaimed, “Who did you get all dressed up for?” Jamie was wearing his favorite skirt, white with black polka-dots, and a shimmery black t-shirt.

Jamie spotted Baekhyun right away. “My new friend!” he shouted, squirming in Kris’ arms. He made grabby hands at Baekhyun and whined, “Put me down, dad!”

Kris let Jamie down and he ran right at Baekhyun, careening into his legs. “Hi, I’m Jamie!”

Kris watched Baekhyun carefully and was pleased to see that Baekhyun was looking at Jamie like he was the most adorable child on the planet. “Well, hi Jamie! I’m Baekhyun.”

Jamie pouted. “Are you going to make me learn Korean?”

“Yes,” Kris answered. “And you better be nice about it.”

Jamie sighed and flipped his hair. “I suppose I can deal with it.”

Kris looked at Baekhyun, who was shaking with silent laughter. “I don’t know where he got that sass,” Kris said.

“Nainai says I got it from you!” Jamie crowed, laughing when Kris looked miffed.

“Said that, did she?”

But Jamie had turned his full attention on Baekhyun. “Let’s go play!” he said, grabbing Baekhyun’s hand and pulling him out of the kitchen. “I’ll show you my toys!”

The morning went by in a blur. Kris was used to playing with Jamie, and he was a little worried about how well Baekhyun would take to staging a remake of Jurassic Park in the playroom, then turning around and pretending to be underwater explorers. But Baekhyun rolled with Jamie’s frequent changes to the games, all the while looking like he was having the time of his life. Kris really couldn’t believe it. How had he gotten so lucky that he found an open minded babysitter in a bar of all places, right when he needed one?

Lunchtime arrived quickly. Jamie put up a mild fuss when he wasn’t allowed to have an ice cream sandwich, but got over it when Baekhyun cut his peanut butter and Nutella sandwich so that it looked like a sailboat.

“How’d you learn about that trick?” Kris asked him.

Baekhyun blushed a little. “I eat my sandwiches like that sometimes.”

Kris snorted and covered it with a cough. “That’s cute,” he said.

After lunch, Jamie went in the living room to watch cartoons, and Kris and Baekhyun stayed in the kitchen.

“I have to go soon,” Kris said, feeling a little anxious now that he was about to leave his son alone. “I’ll try to be home early, but if Jamie gets hungry again, if you get hungry again, make anything you want. You can order out too, there’s menus on the counter. Jamie likes Chinese food a lot, but he’ll eat noodles of any kind however they’re cooked. We have a lot of ramen. And if you need anything, if you really can’t take it, just let me know.”

Baekhyun smiled widely. “I think we’ll be okay. Jamie is really sweet, he seems like a good kid.”

‘So do you,’ Kris thought.

“Do you have any questions for me?” Kris asked.

Baekhyun drummed his fingers against the table absently. “You sure about hiring me?”

“Unless I come home and find the house torn apart and my son bleeding, I think you’re safe,” Kris said. “And yes, I’m sure about the price. It’s not like I can offer you healthcare, or anything like that. The least I can do is make sure I’m giving you decent money. Cosmetic surgery is very lucrative.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Okay. Um…should I expect…anyone to come by?”

Kris knew what he was asking. “Minseok might come by with the boys, but that’s it.” He smiled gently. “It’s okay for you to be curious you know. You barely know anything about me.”

Baekhyun blushed again. “Just, you know…if someone comes by saying that Jamie is…I don’t want to be surprised.”

“I’m not married,” Kris said, “Never have been. I’m the only parent Jamie has.”

Baekhyun relaxed a little. “Okay, thank you.”

“No problem,” Kris assured. “Don’t be afraid to ask me anything.” He looked at his watch and sighed regretfully. “I should really get going.”

He stood up and went to the living room, Baekhyun following. Jamie saw the look on Kris’ face and ran over to him. Kris picked his little boy up and hugged him tightly.

“I’ll see you tonight, baby,” Kris said, giving Jamie a kiss.

Jamie pouted at Kris and put on his best puppy eyes. “Do you have to go?”

“Sorry, buddy, but if you want to keep wearing pretty things I have to go to work.”

Jamie sighed. “Oh, okay then.”

Kris handed him off to Baekhyun. Jamie went easily, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s neck and leaning against him. He looked a little tired, and Kris ruffled his hair.

“Maybe Baekhyun can read to you for a little while,” Kris said, giving Baekhyun a meaningful look.

Baekhyun winked. “We’ll be fine, right Jamie?”

Jamie nodded and waved. “Bye, daddy.”

Kris walked out backwards, wondering if it ever got easier to say goodbye to kids.

 

Lu Han was not impressed when Kris told him how he’d found a babysitter.

“You met him in a bar. A bar, Kris!”

“What does it say about me, that I was there too?” Kris snapped. They were in the break room, and Kris was trying to overlook some files, but Lu Han wouldn’t stop pestering him.

“Did you ask for a reference? How do you even know he worked at a hotel? How do you know he’s not a serial killer? This is my nephew you’re talking about!”

Kris shuts the file he’d been trying to read. “Lu Han, you didn’t see him. He didn’t trust me, at first! He was definitely fired that day, he was sure his life was over, I have been there, I know what it looks like. And he’s fantastic with Jamie, kid loves him! He cut Jamie’s sandwich into the shape of a sailboat, for crying out loud!”

“Sounds like a real serial killer to me,” Jessica Jung—another surgeon—commented dryly from the other end of the room. She barely looked their way. “Kris wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, Lu Han.”

Lu Han looked at her blankly. “What do horses have to do with this? And what’s so special about their mouths?”

“It’s an idiom,” Kris said, “It means don’t criticize a gift from the powers that be. And thank you, Jessica, at least someone here has faith in people.”

“Not saying I would have done the same,” Jessica said, “But—”

“THANK YOU, JESSICA!” Kris bellowed, standing up quickly. “We don’t need to continue this.”

Lu Han smirked at him as he left. After Kris saw his next patient—a sixteen year old boy, who was looking for treatment for a scar he’d gotten as a child—he texted Baekhyun to ask how it was going. Baekhyun responded with a picture of himself and Jamie. They seemed to be playing rescue the princess from the dragon, and Baekhyun was the princess.

Kris proudly showed the picture to Lu Han. “Yeah, he’s a real criminal,” he said, making sure to point out the tiara and pink blanket Baekhyun had on his head. “A hardened criminal!”

Lu Han poked him until he put the phone away, but didn’t say anything else against Baekhyun.

Kris only ended up being able to leave an hour early, and he was a little nervous when he got home, but the house was in one piece and Jamie ran up to him, smiling and looking no worse for the wear.

“Did you have fun today?” Kris asked.

Jamie nodded enthusiastically. “Did you see the picture Baekhyun sent? He played the princess part! Nobody ever wants to play that part!”

“I play the part,” Kris said, but Jamie talked over him.

“And he made pancakes for dinner! With chocolate chips! I only had two but they were good! Baekhyun said he’d make them again for me tomorrow!”

Baekhyun quickly said, “Assuming I come back, of course.”

“Why wouldn’t you come back?” Kris asked. Jamie was squirming in his arms and he let his son down, right away Jamie scampered off.

“Well I just didn’t want to assume anything,” Baekhyun said.

Kris looked around. “Well, if you threw a party I can’t see any evidence. There’s no scorch marks, you didn’t starts a fire. Jamie seems to be no less emotionally scarred than he was when I left,” he grinned at Baekhyun, “Did you have any trouble with him?”

“None,” Baekhyun said, “He was very good.”

“Then my offer still stands, and I expect to see you tomorrow, same time.”

Jamie came running back with his tiara and handed it to Baekhyun.

“Now you have to come back!” He said, “And bring it with you so we can play some more!”

Baekhyun laughed and ruffled Jamie’s hair. “Yeah but next time we’re going to start practicing Korean seriously, right Jamie?”

Jamie clapped his hands over his ears. “LA, LA, LA, I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

Kris rolled his eyes and walked Baekhyun to the door. “See you tomorrow, text me when you get home.”

When Baekhyun was gone, Jamie shuffled over and held his arms out. “Up, daddy!”

Kris lifted him once more, groaning exaggeratedly. “Oh, you’re getting so big,” he said, “Someday you’ll have to carry me around.”

Jamie shook his head. “No! You’ll always carry me!”

Kris took Jamie over to the sofa. When he sat, Jamie wormed around until he was comfortable (kneeing Kris’ stomach several times), and Kris realized that he was exhausted.

“Wow, you really did have fun today, didn’t you?” Kris asked, rubbing Jamie’s back. “Did you like playing with Baekhyun?”

“He’s fun,” Jamie said. “I showed him all my pretty clothes, and all my toys, and we played for a long time. Then he made me put all the toys away,” Kris could hear the pout in his voice and struggled not to laugh. “But then he made pancakes, and we played again, and then you came home!” Jamie went up on his knees and hugged Kris around the neck—he almost choked. “You’re back early, can we play some more?”

“Not tonight,” Kris said, gently taking Jamie’s arms off his neck. “Now you’re going to go have a bath, and then go to bed. Because you,” he tapped Jamie’s nose, “Are a very tired little boy.”

Jamie didn’t even try to deny it, just snuggled against Kris’ shoulder. “How many more days do you have to work this week?” He asked.

“Three more,” Kris said. He really didn’t work that much, since the practice was strong and they had a good number of doctors. Even so, the three days he took off didn’t really seem like enough time to spend with his little boy. But he guessed that every parent felt that way. His hours were pretty long too, he had breakfast with Jamie and they played together for a little while before he had to get ready for work, and he got back just in time to say goodnight. Since a lot of his clients made appointments in the evening and afternoon, it was hard for him to come home early. He knew Jamie missed him when he was gone and the little time they had in the mornings wasn’t enough, so he tried to make the most of the days they had together.

After the bath, Kris led Jamie to his room and read to him for a few minutes, but since he hadn’t had a nap that afternoon he was even more tired than usual, and he fell asleep in a few minutes. Kris tucked him into bed and watched him sleep for a little while, then he got up and turned out the light, leaving Jamie to sleep.

He inspected the playroom—actually a spare bedroom where Jamie kept all his toys, after an incident involving a toy car in the middle of the kitchen that nearly ended with Kris breaking his neck—and found all the toys picked up and put away. He was impressed, whatever Baekhyun was doing was clearly working. Thinking of Baekhyun reminded him that he needed to check his phone, which was in the kitchen. Baekhyun had texted him to say that he made it home safely, and Kris texted back a thanks for the good work with Jamie.

Kris sat in the living room and the TV, but he didn’t really watch. The incident at Jamie’s former school was really bothering him. What did it matter if his son wore skirts and dresses? It was Jamie’s choice, it had always been his choice, since a year ago when he grabbed onto a Cinderella dress and cried until Kris agreed to buy it for him. Admittedly back then he thought it was a phase and it wouldn’t last long. But he had accepted months ago that it wasn’t just a phase. His mom thought he was being too hasty, that someday Jamie would give up his pretty skirts and bedazzled jeans and wear boy’s clothes. Kris really didn’t think that was going to be the case. Jamie did wear boy’s clothes on occasion, but they were exclusively shirts or shoes. He liked the Marvel heroes, but Kris had no doubt that if they made a cool Captain America shirt for three year old girls, Jamie would wear that too.

Maybe the school was afraid that Jamie would tell people he was girl, and try to use the girl’s bathroom? But he’d never done that before. Jamie didn’t want to be a girl, he wanted to be pretty. It wasn’t his fault that boy’s clothes lacked the lace and glitter he so loved, and who was Kris to deny it to him.

But he was just making himself upset. There was nothing he could do anymore. It was too late to find another preschool, the ones in the area were full or too far for Minseok or Yixing to go pick Jamie up. In his opinion, he’d done the best thing he could do—pull Jamie out and hope that Baekhyun would teach him hangul, that playing with Minseok and Yixing’s twins would teach him to socialize, and that when he started Kindergarten the school would let him wear what he wanted or he’d change his wardrobe to boy’s clothes.

And it was on that thought that Kris decided to go to bed.

 

 

 

 

So, at the time of posting this chapter I have 64 subscribers. That means I'm going to have 64 comments, right?

PS by 500, Kris meant 500,000 KRW. Which is roughly 466 USD, I think.