Chapter 4

Kris saw a lot of patients every day, and there were a lot of people coming into and out of the office. Kris was very careful about washing his hands and using hand sanitizer, but around this time of year it was hard to be one hundred percent on top of things. At the beginning of February Kris brought home a cold, and by the time he realized that he was sick, he’d already given it to Jamie. Kris took a few days off from work and called Baekhyun to let him know about the change, promising that he’d pay Baekhyun for the week anyway, since it was his own fault that Jamie was ill.

Kris and Jamie spent a miserable day together, during which they went to the doctor and got some medicine before returning home, where they mostly lounged on the sofa, watching movies and sleeping. The next day Jamie woke up feeling better and Kris could only be grateful that he’d given Jamie his medicine in time to lessen the severity of the cold. Kris himself was, unfortunately, still very sick. He did his best to keep an eye on Jamie, but his head was killing him and he could barely breathe. Around noon the door opened and Baekhyun came strolling in.

“You look like you should be in bed,” he sighed, feeling Kris’ forehead.

“How did you get here?” Kris asked.

“Jamie let me in,” Baekhyun said. “He called me about twenty minutes ago to say that you needed a babysitter.” He grinned. “I can see why he thought so. He’s a smart kid.”

Kris tried protesting that he was alright, but Baekhyun was having none of it. “You go back to bed, I’ll take care of Jamie until you wake up. I have to earn my paycheck somehow, right? Now shoo.” And he all but tucked Kris into bed.

After a few hours Kris woke up feeling much better. A glance at the clock told him it was almost ten PM, and he jumped out of bed and ran to the living room. Baekhyun looked up from a book in surprise.

“You’re here,” Kris said.

Baekhyun looked around. “So I am. Did you think I would leave?”

Kris shook his head. “It’s just…it’s really late. You could have woken me.”

Baekhyun laughed. “No way, you looked completely horrible. I wasn’t about to wake you up, not when sleep helps with the healing process.” He stood up. “I made soup, if you’re hungry.”

Actually Kris was very hungry, so he followed Baekhyun to the kitchen.

“I didn’t even know we had soup,” Kris said.

“You didn’t, Jamie and I went shopping after you went to sleep. He’s in bed by the way, has been for about two hours.”

Baekhyun heated up some of the soup for himself and joined Kris at the table. They ate silently until Kris’ brain caught up with him and he nearly choked.

“It’s so late,” he said, sitting upright. “What are you still doing here?”

Baekhyun looked surprised. “Eating.”

“But you should get home,” Kris said, glancing at the clock once more. Nearly twenty minutes had passed. “It’s late, do you have a car, do you need a ride?”

“I don’t have a car,” Baekhyun said, “But I can call one of my roommates to come get me, they won’t mind.”

“I’ll drive you,” Kris said.

Baekhyun looked affronted. “And leave Jamie by himself? Besides, you’re looking better but you’re still as good as drunk. You can’t drive right now.” His gaze softened slightly. “It’s fine, really, my roommate can come get me. Don’t worry about it.”

Later Kris would say that his brain was not working right, that there was no filter, he wouldn’t have said it if he wasn’t sick.

“You could stay the night, if you want.”

Baekhyun’s eyes widened. “What?”

Kris nodded. “Yes, this way you don’t have to worry about getting home, or disturbing your roommate.”

Baekhyun looked worried. “Is that really alright, though? What about Jamie?”

“What about…he doesn’t mind. I bet he’d be thrilled to wake up and see you here. Please, I would really feel a lot better knowing that you’re not on the road at this time of night.”

“It’s not that late,” Baekhyun protested weakly. When Kris just grinned at him, he sighed. “Okay, but I’m sleeping on the sofa, don’t you dare get any heroic ideas about giving me your bed, I’ve seen that drama and I know how it ends.”

Kris barely managed to hide his blush as he finished his soup. Baekhyun did the dishes and Kris got him some blankets and pillows, and set up the sofa for him. Though he’d been sleeping all day, he was still pretty tired and went back to bed after making sure that Baekhyun was comfortable.

The next morning Kris woke up at eight to muffled chattering coming from the kitchen. He felt like he was over his cold, just a stuffy nose left, and decided to take the day off just to be safe, but let the office know he would be in tomorrow. Then he got dressed and went to see what Baekhyun and Jamie were up to.

Both of them were at the stove, though Jamie was at a safe distance from it, and they seemed to be making pancakes. Jamie spotted Kris first.

“Daddy, look!” He cried, pointing at Baekhyun. “Baekhyun slept over!”

Kris smiled. “So he did. Did you wake him up this morning?”

Jamie nodded. “I got up, and he was on the sofa! I said next time he sleeps over, he should stay in my room.”

“Oh, your room?” Kris asked. “And where would he sleep?”

“In my bed, with me!” Jamie said.

Baekhyun grinned sheepishly. “Jamie, I really don’t think there’s enough room in your bed for me.”

Jamie frowned. “There is, too. If dad can fit, you can!”

Kris ruffled Jamie’s hair. “Sweetie, you’ve forgotten that Jack sparrow sleeps in your bed now. A little boy, a kitten, and Baekhyun all in one bed is too much.”

“Oh,” Jamie said. “Then, would Baekhyun stay in your bed?”

Kris felt his face get hot and a quick glance at Baekhyun showed him trying to conceal a blush as well.

“I’d probably stay on the couch anyway,” Baekhyun said quickly, “Jamie, why don’t you help me set the table?” He handed Jamie some plates and waited until he’d run off before whispering to Kris, “I don’t have to stay for breakfast of you’d rather—”

“You can stay if you want to,” Kris interrupted. “If, you know, if you…I’d like you to…I mean, Jamie…you already made breakfast, you should stick around to eat it.” Good lord, his brain was on vacation.

“Okay,” Baekhyun said. “I’ll…yes, I’ll stay.”

Jamie did most of the talking at the table, with Kris halfheartedly telling him not to talk with his mouth full. Baekhyun and Kris avoided each other’s eyes, and when they did make eye contact they both looked away, blushing. Kris tried to tell himself that it shouldn’t matter, Jamie was a kid and didn’t know what he was saying. Hell, Baekhyun could have slept in Kris’ bed if he wasn’t sick, it would have been fine. They were grown men, they were mature, sharing a bed was totally meaningless.

But they were still strangers. It was sad to say that Jamie probably knew more about Baekhyun than Kris ever would, because he was too damn shy to ask. Kris wanted to get to know Baekhyun, he really did, but he just didn’t know how to do so. It was driving him up the wall.

After breakfast, Kris and Jamie drove Baekhyun home. Jamie wanted to know why Baekhyun couldn’t stay, but cheered up when Kris told him that Baekhyun would be back tomorrow. Kris was glad that Jamie was so young and couldn’t sense the air of tension that hung between his father and his babysitter.

Kris was still agonizing over the awkwardness between himself and Baekhyun on Sunday when he got a call from the clinic—one of his patients was coming in for emergency treatment, was it possible for him to come in for a few hours? Kris called Baekhyun and explained the situation, and Baekhyun assured him that he could come watch Jamie for a while. When he arrived Kris apologized a hundred times and promised to pay Baekhyun extra, but Baekhyun firmly refused. Kris didn’t have time to argue, he kissed Jamie goodbye and hurried out the door.

The patient was a fifteen year old boy named Park Junsu who had broken his nose while playing soccer a few months ago. He’d had a similar injury that day and his parents were worried that there had been more damage. When Kris arrived he found Junsu in tears and close to panic, and he immediately got the feeling that something was wrong. He asked the parents to leave for the exam.

Junsu had already gotten X-rays taken, and Kris went over to the computer and examined the pictures. He couldn’t find anything wrong, and he reported the news to Junsu. He then carefully examined Junsu’s face for any other injuries.

“I think you’re going to be okay,” Kris told him. Junsu was still crying and he didn’t show any signs of calming down. Kris pulled up a chair and offered him some tissues. “I’m sure crying isn’t making it feel any better.”

Junsu hiccupped and took several deep breaths. Kris felt so bad for the poor kid, he remembered that Junsu had been a wreck when Kris had set his nose last time. “How bad is the pain, compared to when you came in with the break?”

Junsu held a tissue against his nose and winced. “I don’t know, maybe…half? But it hurts.”

Kris gently patted his arm. “I know. It’s not broken but you’re going to have some bruising, and it will hurt for a few days.” He hesitated a moment. “Junsu, it’s the middle of winter. Where were you playing soccer?”

Junsu’s face went white. “I, it was, it was at the park. I was with my friends.”

“I see,” Kris said. “Must have been difficult with all this snow.”

Junsu’s hands were shaking. “Not really.”

“Did your friends walk you home after you got hurt?”

“I went home by myself.”

Kris gave Junsu a sharp look. “Really? Your friends didn’t offer to see you home safely?”

“I can walk by myself,” Junsu said.

Kris wasn’t buying it, and he told Junsu as much. “I think you’re not telling me the truth. Now I’m going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer me honestly. Did you get hurt because somebody hit you?”

Junsu ducked his head and whispered very quietly, “Don’t tell my parents.”

It was all the confirmation that Kris needed. “Why? Junsu, did they hurt you?”

“No,” Junsu said frantically, “No, it wasn’t them, they would never! It was…it was just this guy from school, it’s just stupid kid stuff, I can handle it.”

Kris didn’t think he was lying this time. “If you’re being bullied, you should tell your parents so they can help you. This boy almost broke your nose, that’s not just stupid kid stuff, it’s serious, and you need help before you get hurt again. Now if you want, I can call your parents back in here and stay while you tell them the truth, or I can go out there and tell them myself.”

Junsu looked outraged. “That’s not fair! What about doctor-patient confidentiality?”

“That doesn’t apply if you’re underage,” Kris said. “And I can’t let you walk out of here if I think that you’re being abused.”

“I told you it wasn’t my parents!”

“I know that,” Kris said, “But abuse can come from anyone, even people who don’t live with you. As a healthcare provider I have a responsibility to make sure you’re healthy and safe. Please trust me when I say that telling your parents about this bully is the best thing you could do for yourself.”

Junsu lowered his head again. “What can they do? Hire a body guard?”

“I don’t know, but lying to them isn’t the answer.”

Junsu wiped his eyes. “You promise you’ll stay?”

Kris nodded. “Yes, I promise.”

Kris had never before had a case where one of his patients was being abused, and this took a lot out of him. It was already hard to work with injured kids, because he saw Jamie in every one of them. It was a hazard, and he tried not to let it get to him in the office. But when he was on his way home, all he could ever think about was how one day it could be Jamie receiving treatment for a broken nose, or scars from a car accident. Now that he had seen a young boy who had been bullied, who was afraid to tell his parents about it, all he could do was picture Jamie in Junsu’s place. God, how he hoped his own son would never be afraid to tell him anything.

When Kris got home Jamie ran to him, all smiles and happy yelling. Kris picked his son up and held him close for several long minutes, silently counting all the ways he was so thankful to have such a beautiful little boy. Jamie didn’t pick up on Kris’ mood, he was just happy to be held by his father, but Baekhyun saw it right away. When Kris let Jamie down and he skipped off to get his coloring book, Baekhyun came up to him.

“Is everything alright?”

Kris nodded. “Yes, it’s just never easy with the young patients.” He took a deep breath. “Anyway, thank you so much for coming over, I’m sorry I dragged you here on your day off.”

Baekhyun scoffed. “Dragged me here, you make it sound like I don’t like staying with Jamie.” He smiled. “Don’t worry about it, emergencies happen, I totally understand.”

Kris could only stare at Baekhyun. He was such a nice guy, and he had a beautiful smile. “I still feel bad,” he said. “I should…do something for you.”

Baekhyun shook his head. “It’s really not necessary. Let me go say goodbye to Jamie and then I’ll let you have him to yourself.” He started to walk away and an idea hit Kris suddenly.

“Wait,” he said, reaching out and just lightly grasping Baekhyun’s shoulder.  Baekhyun turned around and Kris said, “Let me take you to dinner, as a way of saying thank you.”

Baekhyun looked shocked. “I—that’s very nice of you offer, but you really don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t have to,” Kris said, “But I would like to.”

Baekhyun’s jaw was hanging slightly, and his eyes were wide. “I-I would, that is…a very generous offer.”

“You seem surprised,” Kris said. He let go of Baekhyun’s shoulder and just brushed his fingers against the back of his hand, but he stopped short of taking it, he didn’t want to be too forward. “I probably should have done this sooner. Jamie knows more about you than I do, and I have no idea what you know about me other than what you learned in the bar. That’s not exactly the kind of impression I want you to have of me for…well, forever.”

“I have a very good impression of you,” Baekhyun countered. “You’re a wonderful man and an amazing father, and you work hard and—”

“For Pete’s sake,” Jamie said suddenly, making both Kris and Baekhyun jump away from each other. He was standing in the doorway, holding Jack Sparrow and eyeing the two of them with what could only be described as exasperation. “Baekhyun, say yes while I’m still young.”

Kris stared at his son in shock. “Young man, where did you get that sass?”

Jamie ignored him. “Baekhyun, say yes! It’s just dinner, dad’s not going to eat you.”

Baekhyun sputtered and choked, and Kris quickly walked over to Jamie and put his hands on his shoulders. “Honey, this is something Baekhyun might have to think about, it’s not—”

Jamie sighed. “Daddy, I am almost four years old. I’m not a baby anymore, I know what’s up.” He ducked out from Kris hands and walked to Baekhyun. “Come on, you’re always with me but you never get to spend any time with my dad. I want you two to be friends, because I love my dad and I love you.”

Baekhyun seemed to be speechless. He kept looking between Jamie and Kris, and after a few seconds he straightened up and cleared his throat. “Jamie, your dad and I are friends, don’t worry about that.” He looked at Kris. “Dinner does sound like fun, though.”

Kris smiled in relief. “Great, wonderful! So, would Sunday night be okay? Next Sunday?”

Baekhyun nodded, “It is. Um, we should talk more about it later, yes?” He said, glancing at Jamie.

“Yes,” Kris said, “Call me later.”

On Sunday Kris dropped Jamie off at Minseok and Yixing’s house. The twins were wrestling in the hallway and Jamie joined right in—thank heavens he had decided to wear jeans.

“I’ll be back early,” Kris told his friends, “So don’t worry about keeping him overnight.”

Minseok grinned at him. “Kris, it’s fine if he stays. Feel free to take your time.”

“Early,” Kris repeated firmly. “There will be no funny business going on tonight.”

“Stick in the mud,” Yixing muttered under his breath. Kris ignored him and left.

The restaurant was one that Kris frequented with his co-workers. It wasn’t terribly fancy but it was nice, and Kris had told Baekhyun that semi-formal attire would work just fine. Kris met Baekhyun in front of his building and almost did a double take when he saw Baekhyun. Kris was used to seeing him in jeans and ratty old shirts, and tonight he was wearing black slacks and a black vest over a silver button-down shirt. He looked gorgeous.

When Baekhyun got in the car the first thing he asked was, “Am I okay? Too much, too little?”

“You’re perfect,” Kris said, and he hoped Baekhyun couldn’t see that he was blushing.

Baekhyun looked him over. “You’re wearing a tie. Should I be wearing a tie?”

Kris had also worn black pants, but he was in a light blue shirt and a dark blue tie. “No, it’s fine,” he assured, putting the car in drive. “You look great.”

Baekhyun settled back in the seat. “Thanks. You do too, by the way.” He looked out the window. “So, how are you?”

“Great,” Kris said, the second time he’d used the word in the last sixty seconds. “Everything’s going well. how about you?”

“Same here, I’m doing well.”

“Good to hear.”

There was a brief silence.

“Jamie was excited to see me leave,” Kris said. “I think he’s glad that we’re spending time together.”

He glanced to the side and saw Baekhyun smiling. “He was excited all week, he couldn’t stop asking me about tonight. What was I wearing, where were we going…”

“He did the same thing to me.”

“He’s such a cute kid,” Baekhyun said. “You’ve done a great job raising him.”

Kris couldn’t help but feel proud. “Well, I couldn’t have asked for a better son.”

But tonight was not supposed to be about Jamie, it was supposed to be about the two of them. once they arrived at the restaurant they briefly discussed food and what sounded good, and they both ended up ordering a pasta dish. Kris picked a French wine, and Baekhyun complimented his pronunciation.

“I don’t know much about French, but that sounded really good.”

“I actually did study it for a little while,” Kris said, “When I was in Canada all the students took French twice a week.”

“What was it like in Canada?” Baekhyun asked.

Kris considered his answer for a moment. “It was different from China and South Korea, at the time. I was surprised by open people were. I mean it wasn’t perfect, of course there were still closed minded people, but for the most part I found that people were very welcoming.”

Baekhyun sighed wistfully. “It sounds so nice. I wish I could have studied abroad, I think I would have done well in an environment that was more welcoming. High school wasn’t easy for me. That’s where I met my ex-boyfriend.”

“He’s your roommate now, right?”

“Yeah. I haven’t told you about them, have I?”

“No, but I would like to hear about them.”

Baekhyun became very animated as he talked about his friends. His ex-boyfriend was Chanyeol, and he was now dating Kyungsoo, who had been a classmate of Baekhyun’s in college. There was also Jongdae, who had joined them last year after seeing their ad in the newspaper. The four of them got along really well—Kyungsoo did most of the cooking and Baekhyun did the cleaning, Chanyeol did laundry, and Jongdae balanced the checkbook.

“We all have our own bank accounts, but we also have a shared one that we use to pay for rent, utilities and food. We all contribute equally to it, and when we have extra money we might buy new appliances or dishes, or go out to dinner.”

“That’s a clever arrangement,” Kris said. “So what are they like?”

“Kyungsoo is like a cat, he’s cute but he’s got an attitude. He scares me sometimes, but he keeps Chanyeol in line, which is amazing. He keeps me in line too. I’ve been told I can be a pain in the sometimes, but I think I just have a unique sense of humor.”

Kris grinned as he recalled Baekhyun playing with Jamie. He had a feeling that Baekhyun’s sense of humor was a little childish.

“Chanyeol and I get along well because we’re similar like that. We like to play jokes on people and make a mess of things. But Kyungsoo and I do well together also—we once did a standup comedy routine at our college talent show and we won.”

“Oh wow, that’s amazing!” Kris said. “I didn’t know you did standup.”

“I should show you the video sometime,” Baekhyun said. “Oh, but Jongdae’s probably my favorite roommate because he can sing really well. Kyungsoo can too, but Kyungsoo’s voice is very similar to mine, Jongdae challenges me. As for jobs, Chanyeol’s a music producer for small company, and Kyungsoo’s been acting in minor roles in dramas, but he recently landed a bigger role so hopefully he’ll get more callbacks soon. And Jongdae works in a coffee shop, but he’s also gotten signed to an entertainment group and they’re trying to get him some OST songs.”

Kris could hear the pride in Baekhyun’s voice, but it was tinged with a little bit of envy. “Good for them,” he said, “I’ll be sure to keep a lookout for them when I’m watching TV or listening to the radio.” Then he changed the subject. “So what do you do when you’re not with Jamie?”

“I sing,” Baekhyun said, “I do song covers and upload them to Youtube. I keep hoping that one day a producer will call me, but until then it’s just fun to be able to do what I like.”

“So they’re on Youtube, are they?” Kris asked.

Baekhyun nearly choked on his wine and he quickly put the cup down. “Oh, forget I said that!” He gasped, “Don’t look at the videos!”

“Why not?” Kris asked bemusedly.

“It’s embarrassing,” Baekhyun whined, covering his cheeks. “And I’m really not that great on video, my face comes out all wrong.”

Kris smiled at him. “Then I guess one day I’ll have to ask you to sing live.”

Baekhyun blushed furiously and ducked his head.

“I won’t look you up if you don’t want me to,” Kris said. “Though if it means anything to you, I wouldn't care if you looked me up online and watched my videos.”

“What…oh!” Baekhyun cried, and he blushed even more. “That.”

Kris couldn’t help but smirk at him. “Yes, that. If it helps, it wasn’t hardcore . Most of it is kind of lame, you barely see anything. But the plots weren’t too bad. I remember there was one about a werewolf, I think that was the weirdest one I ever did…should I not talk about it?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “I really…it doesn’t bother me. It’s  just…a little odd to think…”

“Because I’m your employer?” Kris asked.

Baekhyun squirmed slightly. “Yeah, I guess.”

Kris decided not to push the subject, and luckily by then their food had arrived. After that Baekhyun asked Kris more about his childhood in China, and Kris asked Baekhyun about his theater classes. By the end of dinner Kris felt like Baekhyun wasn’t a stranger anymore. Though he still found it hilarious that Baekhyun couldn’t say the word “” around him.

DINNER DAAAAAAAAAATE