The feels continue! This is over 13,800 words 8D...!

 

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It was cool in the rest of the house from the AC and Baekhyun gave a little involuntary wiggle-shiver from the sudden temperature change. He'd put his towel over his head like a makeshift hoodie and just as he was barely into the hallway leading downstairs, a shadow fell over him. Baekhyun practically felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention and he immediately recoiled and went into fight mode.

 

Just like that, his tranquility was shattered.

 

"What. The. ? Did you fall asleep in there?" Came the smart comment, from the last person’s voice Baekhyun wanted to hear right now. "Did all of that chili paste finally catch up with you? Were you reading a freaking book? Who the hell were you talking to anyway? I don’t see your damn phone! People gotta shower and get ready for work! It's been over an hour!"

 

Baekhyun took a slow breath through his nose, closed his eyes, then he reached his left hand up in the air like he was stretching. Really, he was praying and thinking, “Lord give me strength. Not today Satan.”

 

Out loud Baekhyun said, "Sorry..." As he exhaled. 

 

Older cousin Heechul sneered. "What the hell are you doing up so early anyway? It's Summer break. Aren't all people of the teenage species supposed to be nocturnal?" His sneer intensified . "What, you coming down off of your epic high and got a craving for dill pickle chips and Captain Crunch or something?"

 

Baekhyun clenched his jaw because one; his mouth watered at the mention of dill pickle chips, and two; so that he could hide a very intense second of panic. He actually couldn’t remember if he’d been talking out loud or if he’d used the word ‘baby’ while he’d been in the bathroom. Baekhyun actually hadn’t seen Heechul much since his existential crisis in the kitchen a week ago. The man’s presence was just one more thing the teenager had to keep in mind throughout his pregnancy.

 

"What. Eh. Ver." Baekhyun snarled through his clenched teeth. "The bathroom’s open. Just go.”

 

Heechul just stood there and kept staring at him with that foxy, knowing, and rage inducing smirk. Baekhyun felt his grip on his urge to kill slipping fast. He clenched his fists. 

 

“Hyung,” Baekhyun twittered in the sweetest Korean even though he was glaring. “I am so not in the mood for you right now so just, do not."

 

Heechul pushed away from his spot on the wall just outside of the bathroom. He looked half awake, bummy, and very much irritated with life. KI'm Heechul was not a before noon person.

 

"Tch, or what, brat? You gonna cry again." Heechul gripped the towel around his neck as he walked past Baekhyun. He reached out, flicking the towel off Baekhyun’s head, and he ruffled his younger cousin's hair rougher than necessary, giving one last sharp jerk for emphasis. "You just gave me an excuse to mess with you for the rest of the day."

 

Baekhyun positively bristled and smacked Heechul's hand away as roughly as possible. "God! You are so freaking lame!" He spat. "Real seriously, don't be mad when I punch you dead in your spleen because I warned you." His eyes widened in what he hoped was a threatening expression. "That whooping I was about to give you yesterday is still on standby just waiting to be executed."

 

And Baekhyun meant that. Never in his life had he felt the urge to lay hands on a mofo. It wasn't even really Heechul, (but it was every bit Baekhyun’s dad) and Baekhyun wasn't a violent person by any means so he was half convinced the need to fight and spill blood was a side effect of his pregnancy. 

 

Health class hadn’t lied. Having really did make you feel emotions you might not be ready for.

 

Heechul turned back just inside of the threshold of the bathroom to look at Baekhyun. One of his eyebrows raised and some of the snarky light in his eyes dimmed.

 

"Hmm, did you tell the doctor about these mood swings?" The older man asked, tone suddenly concerned and... serious?

 

Baekhyun's eyes widened and he tensed at Heechul's sudden change in demeanor. "Wha-? Erm, yeah…" He stuttered and pulled his cape-towel tight around his shoulders. "I'm anemic so I'm… irritable... They gave me iron supplements." And a ton of other pills that would with his already ed up emotions. 

 

Heechul stared at him for about 30 seconds then he smirked in a way that really made Baekhyun want to backhand him.

 

"Mmhm, did you get a prescription for your too?" He waved his hand around like he was searching for the right words. "Low iron doesn't explain all of—“ Heechul paused to look Baekhyun up and down like he was observing something very tragic and pitiful. "—this.”

 

Baekhyun’s jaw went slack. It was at that precise moment that he knew that he should just walk away.

 

He’d just spent way too long crying in the bathroom, mourning the loss of his first love and his prime years, so he did not need this. Heechul didn’t know what he was talking about so he was just flapping his gums like he normally did. Being sarcastic and obnoxious was the man's weird way of showing concern and affection. In some round about and very pushy way, Heechul was asking what was wrong with Baekhyun and if he was okay...

 

But Baekhyun didn't have the time or the energy to wade through and decipher the sarcasm today.

 

“Oh! You would know,” Baekhyun scoffed and pointed. “Seeing as how you're the biggest, iest whoever—" he glanced around as he thought of what to say. "—ed!"

 

"Oh please, was that supposed to be an insult?" Heechul crossed his arms and laughed sharply in that condescending, dark, and mocking way only he was capable of but the cackle lasted a hot second as real concern laced the man's face. "Come on baby boy, that was weak. Even for you."

 

Baekhyun gasped like he'd just been slapped and he took a step back. For some reason that comment rubbed him in all of the wrong ways. How dare Heechul mock his insult capabilities! It was all Baekhyun had left. 

 

"You know what, Screw you! I'm going through some okay?!" He snarled. "So just go back to your room you freaking incubus so you can finish humping your Asuka body pillow while listening to “Let it Go!”, and leave me the hell alone!" Baekhyun's bottom lip jutted out and trembled dangerously but not because he was about to cry. Oh no, now he was beyond pissed. 

 

Okay, now Heechul looked insulted but he was too flabbergasted to snap back. The older male took a hesitant step away and looked around frantically at his cousin's reaction. "Oh my god...“ He breathed. “Baek… Don’t do this—“

 

Baekhyun was positively snarling. "Maybe if you asked me what was wrong instead of accusing me of being a damn pot-head to my mother, you'd know why I was so ed up but no, NO, you just mock and tease me or make smart jokes!" He was so angry he didnt realize he was speaking in Korean. He blinked, eyes stinging but not full of tears. 

 

"What if I really was a drug addict or worse? What if I really needed your help? Would you just—Do you even love me? I'm your only cousin and I just--! Did you forget out what my dad did? Why are you--“

 

"—Oooooooohooo my god! Okay! Sweet Baby Jesus I'm sorry!" Heechul held up his hands to create a makeshift demon ward and he slowly backed up into the bathroom. "B-back demon. Back! The power of Christ REPELS you—“

 

Heechul was slamming the bathroom door before he even finished screaming and there was the click of the lock and a scrapping sound across the tile floor. Baekhyun knew the only moveable item in there was a basket for dirty clothes.

 

Instantly the rage faded. It was like someone flipped a switch and now Baekhyun felt peaceful, amused, and oddly satisfied. He sniffed and giggled softly. Honestly he loved Heechul but sometimes the man was too much.

 

"That'll teach his ," Baekhyun huffed, rubbing his belly in a bit of pride as he shuffled downstairs and finally made his way to the kitchen. Now he was really hungry. There was a knot of pain in his empty stomach that just got tighter and tighter the longer he stood around. Clearly it was the baby expressing it’s need for its carrier to hurry the hell up. Once he was in the kitchen he made a beeline right for the fridge. 

 

"Momma...?" Baekhyun warbled in that helpless and lilting tone only a child can produce while he looked around the kitchen in a daze. The scent of Folgers 100% Columbian and toast was heavy in the air. Suddenly Baekhyun felt weak and vulnerable. He didn’t know what he wanted to eat because he wanted to eat everything, and the very idea of cooking anything felt super overwhelming to him. All he knew how to prepare was cereal, toast, ramen, easy-mac, coffee, leftovers, and if he was feeling extra brave, he knew how to mix a salad as long as it was the kind that came out of a bag. 

 

“Ungh! I’m too young to prepare real meals.” Baekhyun whined, stomping his foot. But what was he supposed to do? Ask his mom to cook for him? He was practically an adult so it was high time he started fending for himself. 

 

Recalling Sehun’s wise words Baekhyun knew that he had to start eating better for both himself and the baby too. Maybe he’d have some oatmeal? What was healthy and filling but not bland? How to a scramble eggs? Hot butter sizzling in a skillet over flames kind of scared him.

 

But eggs. Eggs sounded really yummy. 

 

"Do we have eggs?" Baekhyun pondered and padded to the other side of the kitchen to look inside of the fridge. Yes they did have eggs. Eight to be precise. Baekhyun was going to eat all of them. The teen pulled out a skillet and a spatula, then cheese, an onion, ham lunch meat, mushrooms, and green bell pepper. He was going to try to cook a—what was that thing called again—it was eggs with stuff folded inside?—Oh right—an omelette! Baekhyun smiled because he knew how to make that. His mom showed him once. And he'd have a bowl of honey nut cheerios while he waited for that to cook.

 

Baekhyun's mouth flooded with drool and his stomach did a fluttery little twirl. It had actually been doing this for weeks but now he knew the odd, but not unpleasant feeling, was a baby reacting to foodie thoughst. Baekhyun patted his upper flabs, glad his child liked food enough to make sure he kept it down. 

 

Puking was just ungh.

 

The teen was halfway through chopping up veggies and chewing a mouthful of cheerios when his mom came into the kitchen buttoning up her white dress shirt. Baekhyun saw a brief flash of her bra as she closed the buttons, (her undergarment was pretty, feminine, and lacy) and he cupped his own chest and kneaded the soft mound of flesh there. For the aecond time he wondered if he’d need extra chest support as his pregnancy progressed.

 

Milk was heavy.

 

"Morning sweetie," Mom chirped merrily. There was a little frown on her face though and her eyes darted to her son’s hand holding a knife and chopping green onions, then to his stomach. She blinked. "I wasn't expecting you to be up so early... Or cooking. How are you feeling?"

 

There were so many ways Baekhyun could answer that loaded question. Where was he even supposed to start? Should he start at all? Did any of it even matter? Baekhyun gulped down two more spoonfuls of cereal like he was in Twix commercial--he needed a moment--and he debated for a deep few seconds if he should mention that the father of his child was dating the son of the keepers of his college tuition. Then he remembered that he was putting off college for a year. If hit the fan he had time to find a way to get more scholarships.

 

Baekhyun wasn’t about to put that kind of stress onto his mom right now.

 

"Hmm, I'm okay I guess... I’m tired," Baekhyun said as he was whisking together his eggs while way too much butter melted in the skillet. "And hungry..."

 

His mom nodded in understanding (she'd been pregnant once after all) and poured herself a mug of coffee. Then she flipped through her phone with her free hand while she sipped her drink.

 

"I called to schedule your exam for next week," She said evenly. "There’s two openings. Thursday at noon, or one this Friday at nine."

 

"Okay," Baekhyun said immediately and stopped beating his eggs. Now they looked like heavy cream full of pepper flecks. He sat the bowl aside to start cooking the meat and chopped vegetables. They sizzled and popped when they hit the hot butter and he yelped and took a step back. "T-the one on Friday would be perfect. I don't work until 5:30."

 

Today was Wednesday. Baekhyun knew that he would lose his damn mind waiting over a week to find out how the baby was doing. 

 

Mom sighed and sat down her mug to regard him seriously. "I thought you'd say that… Well, I have to work that day and I can't take it off, hun."

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips but shrugged. "I-I can go alone. I mean, I can't have you holding my hand through everything..." He used a spatula to shuffle around the sautéing food. “I can drop you off at work and drive myself? It’ll be faster that way.” He suggested.

 

Normally he wouldn’t ask to use the car because gas was expensive and he could bus or bike wherever he needed to go. To the clinic by bus was over 45 minutes though. 

 

“That’s fine… And that reminds me. I need to call your dad about the other car…” Mom Byun closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Anyway, I want you to be prepared for seeing the "hmmhm—", she nodded at Baekhyun's cotton covered tummy. "—for the first time. Hearing the heartbeat and seeing the pictures on the monitor can be very emotional and intense. Are you sure you can handle that?"

 

Very emotional and intense? Oh like how he was in the bathroom earlier?

 

Baekhyun honestly wanted to “L-O-L” and start sobbing, "Fuck no! No way! Nope. Ani! Of course I can't handle seeing this baby alone. I'm still a baby myself!", but instead he just gave that one shoulder, nonchalant, teenager shrug. He got pregnant alone. Well... not really alone because Chanyeol was there, but he was fertilized without his mom being around.

 

Baekhyun shook his head to clear his mind. "I'll be fine... I have no choice but to be." He poured the eggs over the veggie/meat mix and added the cheese to the skillet. "And I had an ultrasound back when I was younger when they found out I was bi-reproductive remember?" So he knew what to expect with the cool jelly on his belly and the little device sliding across it. 

 

"I mean, as long as they aren't going to draw blood I’ll be okay..." Baekhyun froze and gripped the handle of the skillet before he looked back at his mom with eyes wide asking "Will they?" in his silent freak out face.

 

His mom frowned. "They might..." She picked her coffee mug back up and took a deep gulp. When she finished swallowing she brushed back a strand of her hair that had fallen in her face. “They may do more than that,” She added really softly and carefully. Baekhyun picked up on the fact that she was trying not to scare him but her tone actually had the opposite effect on him.

 

"What is it? Tell me," He insisted anxiously. . Needles. He was going to die. Just to hit her with the guilt he added, “You’re scaring me.”

 

Mom swallowed hard and chewed her bottom lip. "I messed up and went on WebMD last night." She admitted candidly.

 

Baekhyun would have laughed if not for the trickle of apprehension that slid like a half melted ice cube down his spine. "O-okay...” He said slowly. “You know self diagnosing is the best way to give yourself a heart attack right?"

 

His mom nodded. "No kidding... Look honey, I can't lie to you. You're a high risk pregnancy just by default. They'll want to monitor you closely and that may mean several blood and urine tests." She scratched her forehead absently. "They put you on all of those hormones too. The supply is only for 60 days and they need to watch the levels. Your body is about to go through a very tough time... This is about more than just you carrying and having a baby. It's about you being healthy in the long run."

 

Which meant numerous doctor visits. Which meant time off work and maybe even school. And it also meant money. And needles! Holy hell! Baekhyun’s medical expenses would triple. He was starting to reconsider every life choice he'd made since he became a teenager. How did his mom even look at him right now?

 

“O-oh…” Baekhyun could only think to say in a daze.

 

"I’m... just worried about what could go wrong…" His mom said in exasperation and her eyes were glistening.

 

Baekhyun’s stomach dropped. "G-go wrong…?” 

 

"I hate even mentioning this to you but male pregnancy carries… risks…“ Mom seemed to lose her train of thought and she held up her hand as if to redirect herself. “There’s been a few serious cases of medical complications. The male birthers were a bit older and had difficulty recovering...”

 

Baekhyun’s heart actually stuttered at what his mom was implying. His stomach clenched hard and for a second he regretted eating those cheerios.

 

"By medical complications you mean the parent... d-d-died?"

 

Baekhyun's mom recoiled a little and sat down her mug. "No, no one died. But their health has been poor, some of them nearly lost their babies, and they weren’t able to conceive again..."

 

"Oh... Oh!" Baekhyun was having a hard time taking this all in so he swallowed thickly while he hugged his belly protectively. Ho. Lee. . What (in Korean)!? He couldn’t even imagine going through something like that. He hadn't been remotely prepared for this heavy conversation this early in the morning. He hadn’t even had his own coffee yet. 

 

The eyeball burn came. "That's so sad! M-momma! I-I'm too young for this conversation!"  Baekhyun blurted out shakily and blinked frantically, hoping his eyelashes catching wind made the tears dry up. “W-where is the rewind button on my life?!” Baekhyun demanded looking up at the ceiling as if God was hanging out on the stucco. 

 

There were a lot of cobwebs up there.

 

Baekhyun’s mom was suddenly next to him pulling him into a hug and patting his damp hair. "I'm sorry baby, I swear I'm not trying to make your nervous." She said gently. "

 

Baekhyun gulped. He wasn’t nervous. He was terrified. Super huge difference.

 

"Damn it, why did I go to that website?" Mom whined.

 

Baekhyun wanted to angrily question why too and mention how it totally wasn't fair that she had the internet on her phone while he didn't have anything. At least they could have read that stuff and freaked out over it together.

 

“It’s okay, baby,” Mom said reassuringly, Baekhyun’s hair. “Chances that something goes wrong in any pregnancy are very low but there’s always that chance. I just… I had to tell you.”

 

Baekhyun nodded in understanding and tried hard not to tremble in more worry and fear. This was exactly why he couldn’t waste time worrying about ex-boyfriend-slash-high school-slash-other -slash drama. Baekhyun let out a shaky breath and pressed his palm to his forehead. 

 

“Focus on yourself and the baby,” He told himself.

 

His mom sniffed back those already suppressed mom tears, pulled away, and straightened her dress shirt before directing her son back to his cooking. “Go on and finish making your breakfast.” She suggested. Baekhyun turned back to the stove almost robotically and he could hear his mother slurp her coffee while she fixed her minimal makeup. While his eggs simmered he picked up his soggy cereal and just drank the rest of it.

 

Part of him wished it was alcohol.

 

“Okay, scary-sappy moment aside, back to you’re OBGYN appointment.” Mom said, getting right back into it. She was always all business.

 

Baekhyun cringed at the title of his new doctor. He used to pronounce OBGYN exactly how it looked when he was younger and still learning English. “Ooh-bee-gee-Gee-Gee-Gee-Baby-Baby-why-in”. WTF was an acronym anyway? But right, he wasn’t going to be seeing his pediatrician Dr. Matthews anymore. He was a grown up now who saw grown up medical specialists. 

 

“The other thing you should prepare for is that they're going to check you... Directly." His mom said. "They'll need to see what condition your um... womb is in. If you’re past your first trimester things are most likely stable in there I think."

 

Baekhyun turned down the heat on the stove so he wouldn't burn his breakfast and turned to face his mother, frowning deeply. "Huh?" He chirped cutely but kind of blankly. He knew that he had a womb but it was really weird hearing it said out loud. Even after 17 years of living in it, Baekhyun still didn’t fully understand the… mechanics of his body.

 

Mrs. Byun half smiled, half grimaced. How do you explain to your male, bi-reproductive child, that a shaped electronic device is going to be used to penetrate him? It was easy to have this conversation with a female… Then she remembered Baekhyun had had . There was no need to be gentle.

 

"The ultrasound sound device will have to be put inside of you.” She mimed the action of two fingers going up in the air. “It's shaped like a but it looks more like a high-tech… ." 

 

Baekhyun's mouth fell open in shock and his sleepy eyes widened to the size of golf balls. His reaction made his mom realize he wasn't as experienced as she thought.

 

"You've never seen one?" She had to ask. “A , I mean. Obviously you’ve seen a . The Park boy’s… And you have one.” Mom Byun’s right eyebrow quirked up. She was trying hard not to laugh. Having this conversation was surreal but not nearly as hard as she thought it’d be. 

 

Baekhyun's entire body blushed a pretty shade of dusty peach. Yup, he was about to just go upstairs to his room and will, wish, and pray for the door to Narnia to materialize in his closet. 

 

"W-what?!" He squeaked in his Mickey Mouse voice. "N-No! What?! I-I'm—not into stuff like that!" Baekhyun shrilled in embarrassment, making his mom laugh. "Anyway! W-why they gotta be all up in mine like that?" Baekhyun crossed his legs and covered his chest. "S-since when do they even check you like that?"

 

"Since forever. At least for females," His mom supplied with a small smile.  "It really is awkward. It won’t be painful or anything… They put a and lube on the ultrasound probe—“

 

“—PROBE?!” Baekhyun squeak-barked indignantly, nearly dropping the spatula. His mom faltered.

 

“W-wrong word—look—just... Don't think about it too much. It's all to make sure things are operating smoothly in there. I'll call back to confirm your appointment. Dr. Matthews referred you to a female doctor, but is that okay?"

 

No. None of this was "okay". Baekhyun wanted to say but he just nodded, dropped his arms and pouted. Did he actually have a choice?

 

“Yeah, gawd, I can’t imagine another man looking at me unless—yeah, I’d prefer a woman.” He said with a shiver. “But honestly I don’t want anyone looking at me at all. At least I was comfortable Doctor Matthews.” He wasn't so sure about all of this anymore but he'd have to trust his mom.

 

“I know honey but this is how it has to be now,” Mom said gently.

 

There was a moment of silence while Baekhyun finished over-cooking his omelette and his mom refilled her coffee mug. He slid his food onto a plate and went to sit and his mom joined him a second later. She eyeballed the huge egg platter sitting in front of her child curiously. Baekhyun had been frowning very intensely but the expression completely melted away when he focused on his food. Mrs. Byun smiled slightly. It was a relief to finally understand what was causing her son to be so scatter brained, whiney, and insatiably hungry. 

 

He was pregnant. 

 

She was about to be a grandmother while still in her prime years. She wasn’t even 40 yet. Their lives were about to change so much.

 

Baekhyun his lips as he squirted (you guessed it) a thick swirl of sriracha sauce over his omelette before he cut it into four pieces and lifted a huge forkful to his mouth to blow and cool off. He was just about to stuff his face when he noticed his mom's intent gaze.

 

"Oh... Um. We're out of eggs." He said and took the bite.

 

"I bet," She chuckled. "I'll go grocery shopping after work." 

 

Baekhyun nodded absently and tried to eat as quickly as possible without choking. Each bite made his stomach stop clenching so hard. 

 

"Is it good sweetie?" Mom Byun chuckled. Seeing her still growing son with such a healthy appetite made her oddly proud. She knew all of the food he was taking in was all nourishment for her soon to be born grandchild.

 

"Mmhmmm," Baekhyun hummed happily in as he chewed. 

 

Heechul suddenly materialized and came wandering into the kitchen dressed for work with his hair flat ironed to perfection. He looked awake, bright-eyed, and clever, and he glare-glanced suspiciously between his aunt and Baekhyun when he passed by to fill his to-go coffee cup and grab a banana. 

 

"Why do you guys look so contemplative?” He huffed and pointed between them. “Mmhm, don't think I couldn't hear you two whispering in those hushed, conspiratorial voices." 

 

Baekhyun froze mid-chew. . He'd actually forgotten his cousin was even here. Heechul had the hearing of a damned cat. Baekhyun hunched forward, very nearly touching his nose to the table, trying to avoid making eye contact with the elder male. He was sure if he looked his way all of his secrets would be revealed. 

 

Mrs. Byun shook her head. "We're just talking about life stuff. No worries." She deflected easily. That was her nice way of saying “Mind ya business”.

 

Heechul's eyes narrowed as his gaze zeroed in on Baekhyun because the younger boy was an easier target. The scathing look made the teen’s appetite wane slightly.

 

“What?” Baekhyun snapped, flinching like he was going to leap out of his chair. “Oh, you want some more?” He was ready to either finally throw down or burst into tears. Whichever made Heechul back off again.

 

Heechul balked. "Please! All of this big talk. Byun, I know you can’t fight—“

 

“—Try me!” Baekhyun growled. 

 

Heechul eyes narrowed. “Look, don't be stressing out my auntie with your MTV angst!" He warned.

 

Baekhyun gripped his fork and held it up like a weapon. "Whatever! She's my mom before she's your aunt!" Egg bits flew out of his mouth.

 

"Not when I was born first," Heechul replied sassily, already at the door blowing a dramatic kiss. "Bye auntie, love ya!" He chirped and closed the back door with a sharp snap. Baekhyun grit his teeth and he had to stop himself from throwing his plate at the door as it clicked shut. 

 

Mrs. Byun shook her head helplessly. "You two are so silly… But Beak you really shouldn’t fight right now. Body-slam 'Chul, after the baby is born."

 

"Moooooooom!" Baekhyun wailed in his helpless and fragile child voice. "He really annoys me now! Can't we get a new tenant? You're beautiful,” He motioned to the door. ”So just go smile and engage in some witty banter and find me a new dad. Preferably one who has a shi—a lot—of money."

 

His mom broke into a fit of loud and deep cackles that actually echoed off of the walls. She had to clutch her stomach and everything as amused tears welled in the corners of her eyes.

 

“You are so full of it!” She twittered.

 

Baekhyun scoffed, too caught up in his own feelings to appreciate that he’d made his mom laugh. She thought that he was joking but he was serious as hell. He angrily finished devouring his breakfast while she called in his appointment. Once she was done Baekhyun told her he was going to relax at home probably most of the day until Sehun came over that afternoon.

 

“Oh, okay. It probably is a good idea for you to get some rest,” She agreed. “So much has happened so fast and we still have a lot to talk about later...”

 

Baekhyun groaned as he chewed then jinga~ling~jing went the door bell.

 

Mom perked up. "Who could that be so early in the morning?" She asked.

 

Baekhyun his lips. "Probably Heechul forgetting his key again. Don't give it to him!"

 

It wasn't Heechul. Baekhyun could recognize the silhouette through the frosted glass window.

 

As if summoned by chaotic magic, Oh-Know All-See All-Sehun was suddenly waiting at the back door.

 

"It's 8:15... What happened to him coming over this afternoon?" Mom Byun whispered as she went to open the door.

 

Baekhyun shrugged in confusion, eyeing the steam rolling in through the open door when it hit the cool air inside of the house. It made Sehun’s arrival look even more ethereal. It was a sweltering 98 degrees with 100% humidity outside, but Sehun didn’t look like the heat had ever touched him. His mom had probably dropped him off. Baekhyun pursed his lips in silent annoyance. 

 

Sehun's usual blank expression spread into a bright grin when he saw Mrs. Byun. He had a cloth reusable bag looped and hanging from his wrist, his backpack was securely strapped over his wide and slender shoulders, and a grande sized Starbucks cup was in his hand. Baekhyun knew the other teen didn't like coffee so it was probably a big cup of hot chocolate and whipped cream or a decaf chai latte. Leave it to Sehun to have a hot drink on a hot day.

 

"Good morning Mrs. Byun. You're looking very lovely and Vogue today." Sehun said, flicking his black, brow skimming bangs out of his face and eyeing her pressed black slacks, white linen blouse, and black pumps. "Are those the new Michael Kors?" He wondered pointing down with his free hand. 

 

Sehun himself was a name brand junkie and he’d dressed in a baby blue button up and ripped at the knee boyfriend jeans by preppy and always too gloomy inside, Abercrombie & Finch. 

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes so hard that his pupils ached.

 

"Morning, Sehun" Mom chuckled. "Thank you for the compliments but no—" She poked out her toe and flashed he cute heels. "—these are Merona by Target. Stylish, comfy, and gentle on my wallet."

 

Sehun chuckled but he lingered in the doorway like he was a stranger or a vampire waiting to be invited inside. When Baekhyun's mom didn't seem to catch on to his hesitant demeanor, Sehun spoke to Baekhyun. 

 

"Hey, Baek… Um, I wasn't expecting you to be up... Anyway, I brought snacks." He said softly. "It's a peace offering for last night. I didn't mean to upset you," He wiggled the bag of treats. "They're all gluten free, organic, GMO free, and saturated fat free."

 

Baekhyun shook his head at all of those “free’s” hoping whatever his friend brought over wasn’t also flavor free. Knowing Sehun it was probably all health food. His definition of snacks was basically a bag of farmer's market goods. You knew Sehun was majorly stressed if he so much as touched a salty Lays potato chip. He lived off of twigs and berries like a woodland elf and that explained a lot because he looked like a character from The Lord of the Rings.

 

Mom Byun eyed the two teenagers warily for a second before she focused back on Sehun. Even standing on the lower back door stoop he was about a foot and ½ taller than her. Sehun looked guilty of something. It took Mom no time to figure out what was going on and she shot a wide eyed look at her son.

 

"He knows?" She mouthed, well aware of the tall teens mystical know-it-all powers.

 

Baekhyun leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and released an insufferable sigh before nodding in affirmation. His mom waved her hand to invite Sehun inside as she said, "Of course he does."

 

Sehun took three steps with his long legs and he’d crossed the kitchen to settle at the table. Baekhyun immediately hooked his finger over the edge of Sehun’s bag to peer inside and yup, it was full of fruit and veggie chips. Oh, there were plump blueberries too. Baekhyun’s stomach (well, the baby) did that happy little flip.

 

“Oh Sehun,” Mom Byun was saying sharply and suddenly in her deep Mom voice. Both teenagers snapped to attention and stood up like well trained soldiers. Sehun swallowed so hard that Baekhyun actually saw the other boys Adam’s apple bob up and down.

 

“Yes?” Sehun squeaked nervously as he looked at his superior. Baekhyun relaxed now that he knew he wasn’t in trouble and sat back down to watch his mother do her mom thing. The parental figure crossed her arms and stared up at Sehun like he was a hostile though easily defeatable enemy.

 

“You’re aware of Baekhyun’s condition,” She said pacing in front of him. Sehun nodded quickly. “And you’re aware of the changes and potential social stigma that can come with said condition right?”

 

Sehun nodded again, four times. “Yes.”

 

Mom got right up in Sehun’s face and by instinct the boy bent his knees to be eye level with her. When she spoke her voice was low and venom deadly. “I don’t think I need to say it, but I’ll say it anyway so there’s no confusion.” She blinked slowly. “My son, your best friend, is going through some things. These things need to stay between us. Don’t even tell your mother, who’s also my best friend. You won’t get any street cred for running your mouth. Understand?”

 

Sehun’s six foot tall frame quivered like the ground was shaking at his feet. He clenched his eyes shut. “Y-yes, General Byun!” He stuttered.

 

“I need to hear you say it,” Mom pressed unrelentingly. “You took an oath.” She pointed a French tipped finger in the air. “Swear it on the Order of the Phoenix.” She actually said. 

 

Baekhyun face-palmed. God, his mom was a total geek too.

 

Sehun’s eyes popped open like he was in a trance and he spoke the same words to Mom that he’d recited last night. “On my honor and in the name of House Gryffindor, I, Oh Sehun, solemnly swear that I—“

 

Baekhyun shook his head and ran his hands through his hair while he listened. If he hadn’t witnessed this very strange moment he’d have never believed it had happened. 

 

“Well my little sweeties, I need to get going.” Mom was saying after a minute. She grabbed her purse, cellphone, and a black blazer before putting on her sunglasses with the flourish of a runway model. “Be good. Baek, text me if you want something specific for dinner, okay? And take your meds.” She said and placed a kiss on each boys cheek.

 

Baekhyun gagged at being reminded to take his supplements but nodded and walked her to the door to lock it behind her.

 

“Daaaaamn, Moms just went… straight up Japanese Mafia on me just now,” Sehun said in a wavering tone. “By meds does she mean prenatal vitamins?"

 

Baekhyun nodded grimly, actually having to swallow a bit of the stomach twists. Just talking about pills made him gag.

 

"Ah, well...she seems to be in a good mood at least,” Sehun was taking the items out of his bag one at a time and setting them out like they were rare and precious items. He’d just sat a mango on the table as he said, “She isn’t trying to kick you out or write you out of the family will. And she hasn’t called up Park’s mom demanding you two get married. That’s a good sign, right?”

 

Baekhyun was legitimately stunned stupid by Sehun’s observations for a second. He hadn’t really thought about how badly his unplanned pregnancy could have gone with his mother. His dad still didn’t know what was going on and he couldn’t even think about that right now… But geez, there were some pregnant teens who weren’t even close to being as lucky as him. Baekhyun didn’t know what he’d have done if his mother hadn’t taken the news well.

 

“Mom’s not really okay. She’s just accepted that this is how it is…” Baekhyun said. For her, being on her son’s side was a no brainer. 

 

But what if his mom did call Chanyeol’s mom making demands? 

 

“Anyway,” Baekhyun huffed and put his hands on his hips. “What are you doing here so early? I'd planned on going back to sleep until about three. You know, after you got off of work."

 

His mind and body needed a chance to recharge. Now that Sehun was here he’d never get any rest because the other teen just never shut up. Baekhyun waved his hands in the direction of the table. 

 

“And don’t think just because I’m pregnant that you can like, bribe me with assorted sweet, f-fresh, c-crisp, and um, d-delicious fruits and veggies." He swallowed hard. "I-I’m on to you!”

 

Sehun was slowly sitting out some fat, dark green, cucumbers as he flinched a little, taken aback. “Tch, so suspicious,” He his lips nervously. “I took the day off. I wasn't expecting you to be awake."

 

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow and glared. 

 

"I felt bad for upsetting you last night," Sehun repeated. "I tried to call and apologize for hours but I kept getting your voicemail,” Sehun turned his own glare on Baekhyun. “Which by the way, you really need to update. The generic automated message is so early 2014’s.”

 

Baekhyun rolled his eyes. “I was tired. I’d kind of had a long day…” He pointed at his stomach then he viciously the last microscopic bits of egg off of his plate and fork before scooping it up and walking it to the sink.

 

Sehun frowned and crossed his lean but oddly muscular arms. “I get that, but did you like, actually turn your phone off? Who even does that anymore when you can just silence the ring tone.”

 

Baekhyun ran his hand over his face and made a sound of absolute disgust. Why the hell was Sehun debating this non-issue with him?

 

"Yes, I turned my phone off. I’m never turning it on again! It’s a piece of , and it’s not like I’ve gotten any good news through it. At all. Have you actually seen the real world news?” He paused so Sehun could think about that. “I’m actually hoping for a real zombie apocalypse! A major world crisis will just balance things out and at least I’ll be prepared for that.”

 

Sehun pursed his lips, blinked hard, then he stared at the floor. “Okay, you have a point... And yet, aren’t you kind of glad that you know? Could you imagine how horrible it’d have been to find out about Chan- and Do-Must-Not-Be-Named after school started?” Sehun put his hand over his heart and took a shuddery breath like it ached. “I can just see you standing in the hallway by your locker as they walk by hand in hand and you’d be looking all hurt, betrayed, and devastated… Then you'd run out of the school crying."

 

Baekhyun blinked slowly. “Oh plesse, give me some credit,” He sniffed indignantly. “I’d never cry—” He walked past Sehun and snatched up the blueberries then he poured the fruit into a bowl and rinsed them with way more force than necessary. “—at school.” He said after turning off the sink.

 

Sehun chuckled good naturedly and it was like he hadn’t destroyed Baekhyun’s hopes and dreams last night.

 

“Anyway, I can't worry about that,” Baekhyun gulped down a mouthful of blueberries, “I need to think about what I’m going to wear as the baby grows. My hips, , and chest are gonna inflate because I'm on like, 15 different kinds of hormones, and I can’t afford maternity clothes. I’m going to be stuck wearing sweats, yoga pants, and my dads shirts for the next six months,” Baekhyun could just sob. His dad had zero fashion sense. “All he has are black slacks, oxford and oversized flannel-plaid button ups.” 

 

Sehun gasped and made a frowny face before he closed his eyes like he just could not handle what he’d just heard.

 

“Flannel? Baek... Really? We’ve talked about this. If you must insist on dressing like the Brawny paper towel guy, you have to wear 100% cotton or linen. And only with dark wash jeans.”

 

Baekhyun took a deep breath and pinned Sehun with a scathing scowl.

 

“B-but point taken again…” Sehun back peddled quickly, looking around nervously. “Y-you could always borrow some of my clothes.”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes narrowed this time and he scoffed in disbelief. Really? Sehun was not only taller than him, he was thinner than him by about 10 inches all around. Baekhyun couldn’t squeeze into Sehun’s tiny waisted jeans in his deepest dreams.

 

“Or I can get you a few things as gifts…” Sehun offered helplessly. Baekhyun just rolled his eyes.

 

“Thanks but no, I’ll figure something out,” He assured. “I just need to make sure I don't look pregnant until way later. I might not get that big until the last month in." Hopefully. But Baekhyun wasn’t so sure with how much food the baby had him demolishing. He'd never had to worry about his weight before. It was so strange.

 

Sehun shook his head fitfully. "Okay, baby-weight gain aside, what I want to know is if you're okay." Came the blessed subject change. Sehun bit his bottom lip like he was wary of the answer.

 

Baekhyun frowned in confusion. “About Chanyeol and Kyungsoo? Yeah, I guess. I mean what can I do but get—“ 

 

Sehun waved dismissively. “No not about them. Screw both of them to the darkest, coldest, most depressing cells of the Prison of Azkaban and back. I hope they run into a Dementor and never have chocolate or a good day again.” He snarled. 

 

Baekhyun’s jaw fell open. “Oh… Well…. Well damn.” He stuttered. "You know, I-I'm glad that I actually read the Harry Potter books and suffered through the moderately okay movies... Otherwise I'd have no clue what the hell you were referencing." He noted.

 

“I meant are you okay physically?” Sehun explained, completely ignoring him.

 

Now Baekhyun was really lost. He looked down at himself half expecting to see blood pooling at his feet. “W-what do you mean?

 

Sehun pursed his lips again. “I did some research after you hung up last night and I read that stress can hurt a developing fetus… A lot. You asked about that party and just—how you reacted was just so weird and it freaked me out." Sehun’s eyebrows turned up in concern. 

 

Baekhyun felt a blueberry get lodged in his throat. He had to give it Sehun, the guy was perceptive and almost scarily intuitive. He didn’t know the real reason Baekhyun had a fit after finding about Chanyeol at that party, but knowing Sehun, Baekhyun had a feeling he’d be spilling that cherished secret really soon.

 

“Is Bitty-Baek okay?” Sehun asked earnestly.

 

Baekhyun almost dropped his bowl of blueberries. “What? Bitty-Baek!” He searched his friends face in awe and a bit of hesitance. “Y-you found out I’m expecting not 24 hours ago and you already have a nickname?”

 

Sehun crossed his arms like he was very offended. “Well yeah! It’s my Niece-nephew-godkid! It’s my job to come up with cute names, as well as buy cute clothes for it.” 

 

Baekhyun started laughing. It was really nice that Sehun was so eager and supportive of his pregnancy but his happy moment felt so bitter sweet. Sehun was probably the only person who’d react so positively. Baekhyun put his hand on his belly and frowned then he clenched his eyes closed and hung his head. 

 

“Oh my God! What’s wrong?” Sehun crossed the kitchen in one giant step and put his hands on Baekhyun’s shoulders while he looked him over uneasily. “Are you in pain? Is it a contraction? Are you nauseated?” Sehun bent over slightly to look at Baekhyun’s clothed groin. “, did your water break? Baek, it’s too early! Lock your thighs and hold that baby in!”

 

Baekhyun choked this time and burst into an absolute fit of cackles. He actually did have to cross his legs so he wouldn’t pee on himself as he kneeled over and sank to his knees, hugging his belly tight. His eyes stung and he felt a few tears collect on his eyelashes. Oooooh… he’d started crying without realizing it.

 

Sehun practically deflated like a popped balloon and sank to his knees too. “God!! You scared me! I thought you were in early labor!” He ran his hands over his face and glared at Baekhyun.  

 

Baekhyun covered his mouth to laugh a bit more before he replied. “I’m okay,” He explained with a giggle-sniffle. “I was just thinking…” Baekhyun shook his head and coughed before slowly standing up and collecting himself. Sehun stayed on the floor like his legs were too weak to get him back up.

 

Baekhyun sighed. He wasn’t about to tell an obviously super worried Sehun that he’d sobbed so hard he’d had a bad panic attack and could barely breathe. The guy looked guilty enough as it was.

 

“Anyway, none of what happened was your fault. I’m glad you told me..." He reached out to help Sehun stand. "Actually I’m amazed and sort of proud that you kept it secret for so long.” Baekhyun assured him, brushing his toned arm lazily. "And thank you for coming to check on me. I know a missed day at work can set you back nearly a week."

 

Not financially. Sehun worked part-time at a coffee shop in the mall. It was totally his type of atmosphere because he could chatter on endlessly with people and pick up on the latest gossip from the students that frequently came there. Sehun never missed work because he was convinced he'd miss out on the juicy stuff people talked about. It was a strange but admirable work ethic.

 

Sehun gave a lazy shrug, frowning and looking over Baekhyun again sort of critically. The pregnant teen's face scrunched up cutely. 

 

Baekhyun didn't think twice before reaching out and pressing his palm to Sehun's cheek in an affectionate gesture. His skin was cool to the touch, freshly exfoliated, and moisturizer smooth. Sehun chuckled and shook his head before gently moving Baekhyun's hand away. He didn't drop his friends delicate hand though, instead he gripped it firmly and pressed it to his own chest. 

 

"It's the least I could do, Baek."

 

Baekhyun blinked a few times, not sure how to respond. His face scrunched up even more.

 

"That's just—" His voice wobbled and he sniffled. "That's just so sweet of you." And... the tears came. Baekhyun had a feeling just about anything, even if it wasn't sad, would set him off.

 

"Ohmygod, look at you, you big crybaby," Sehun grinned in amusement and he used his thumb to wipe away a few of Baekhyun's tears. The petite teen wiggled in frustration. 

 

"I'm not a crybaby, it's the baby just making me cry!" Baekhyun whined and wiped away his eyeball leakage.

 

Sehun cracked up and took a step back. "Right cause you weren't a total brat before all of this." He crossed his arms and touched his chin with the pointer finger of his left hand like he was admiring an art piece in a museum.

 

"Hmm... You've been wearing such baggy clothes recently that I never got to see your figure." Sehun reached out tentatively, turning his palm up. He was a few inches from Baekhyun's stomach before the smaller male realized what Sehun was doing so he turned away quickly.

 

"YAhey!" Baekhyun yelped trying to say “Hey” and “Yah” in Korean and English at the same time. "Why're you all up in my space?"

 

"I wanna feel the baby," Sehun said simply. His eyes wouldn't leave Baekhyun's hidden belly.

 

Baekhyun shook his head furiously. "Wha—Ohmygod—No! Dude!"

 

"Oh don’t you dare Dude-Bro me right now," Sehun rolled his eyes and gently pinched Baekhyun's pudgy baby back fat. "I've seen you booty numerous times—“

 

"—Yeah, in the shower after gym class you freaking byuntae, I know you look!" Baekhyun huffed and shuffled away. His blueberries were forgotten in his desperate need to escape. "And this is way more personal... okay? I'm not really used to knowing that a new human is incubating inside of me just yet..."

 

Sehun chuckled but backed away to return to the table. Baekhyun gulped and watched Sehun warily.

 

"Besides it's too soon to feel it move... It's too little."

 

"It's the size of a brussel sprout actually." Sehun nodded knowingly. "You know those tiny baby cabbages? They taste good roasted in garlic and butter."

 

Baekhyun's stomach flipped. Yes, he knew exactly what those weird little pod plants were but he was partially disturbed to have his baby compared to a vegetable that was being cooked in hot butter and seasonings.

 

"I-I've never had them before..." Baekhyun swallowed hard. Roasted sprouts sounded oddly delicious.

 

Sehun snickered. “I’ll have to cook some for you some time. They’re very nutritious.” 

 

“How do you even know that?” Baekhyun raised his eyebrows. “I got an ‘A’ in health class and I don’t remember them talking about babies according to fruit and vegetable sizes.” 

 

Just talking about food made his insides squish together in this really ticklish sensation. Baekhyun pursed his lips and thought What the hell? He’d just eaten eight eggs. That was a lot of protein. Wasn’t it supposed to stave off hunger longer?

 

Sehun was admiring his farmer’s market haul. “What good was that grade when you didn’t retain vital not-getting-knocked-up information?”

 

Baekhyun sat down his blueberry bowl so hard it clicked on the countertop. “You’ve got jokes.” He snapped.

 

“I’m just saying—“ Sehun held up his hands defensively. “But as I said before, I stayed up doing research about being pregnant. We as young people have to arm ourselves with information, Baek.”

 

Sehun had the tendency to over arm himself. Did he even have anymore space in his mind for new details? 

 

Baekhyun rubbed both of his cheeks in mild irritation. “Okay…?”

 

Sehun sighed in exasperation like he just couldn’t stand everything right now and he snapped his fingers sharply. “Byun! Would you stop acting like an oblivious and terrified piece of fresh-meat? You’re about to be a senior-slash-single parent. It's time to suit up.”

 

“God, don’t remind me.” Baekhyun angrily ruffled his messy black locks as he gathered up the fruits he planned to eat and turned to head to his room. Sehun followed him upstairs with his backpack half off of his shoulders.

 

“It’s been less than a day. Between all of my life issues, the Park-Do crisis, and your obsession with Harry Potter, I need a minute to adjust to everything.” Baekhyun pleaded. 

 

A year long minute. Why couldn’t he just hibernate through his pregnancy?

 

Sehun did that thing with his face where he pursed his lips and frowned once they were securely inside of Baekhyun’s room. He took his backpack off and ped it to reveal the DVD collections he’d brought over and to pull out his tablet.

 

“Um… are you staying the night?” Baekhyun picked up Sehun’s neatly folded pajamas and a toothbrush. “And there aren’t enough hours in the day to watch all of this.”

 

Sehun had brought season 5 of The Walking Dead, the first two original Scream movies, The Grudge, The Ring, (the Japanese, scary as versions), Mean Girls, The Devil Wears Prada, Finding Nemo, Big Hero Six, and a DVD Baekhyun was 100% positive came from the school library because it said, My Bi-Reproductive Body, Myself, on it.

 

Baekhyun picked up the DVD and looked it over suspiciously for a second before Sehun plucked it out of his hand and handed him the fifth season of TWD. 

 

“Yes, I am. We have planning to do.” Sehun flicked his hair out of his face.

 

Baekhyun hugged the DVD box-set to his chest, groaned, and flung himself gently onto his bed then he rolled up into his blankets. “C’mon Sehun! It’s only been...not even half a day…” He whined again.

 

“Baek, you don’t even have a second to spare right now. In a week that baby will be the size of a lemon if you’re as far along as you said you were—When is your ultrasound anyway, so I can mark my calendar?”

 

Baekhyun closed his eyes then yawned through his nose before he answered. “This Friday at 9:00 AM. Mom’s letting me keep the car so I’ll come pick you up.”

 

Sehun quickly made note of this in his phone then he held up his palm like he was cupping something but he started counting.

 

Baekhyun sighed and braced himself.

 

“There’s so much to do in the Fall alone," Sehun said. "We have a landslide of parties to both plan and go to. The LaCrosse homecoming game is the second week of school. We’ve got visits to universities. I still gotta take my drivers test. We’ve got the State Fair fund raiser,"

 

Baekhyun hid his face in his blanket. 

 

Often times, due to budget cuts, the cross-country and LaCrosse teams had to petition for funding. Hands down the LaCrosse team won the school boards favor, as they were national champions, (the trip to Spain being proof of that), but they advocated finding ways to help the track team.

 

The coaches of each sports group happened to be husband and husband so they agreed to help one another out by doing fund raisers together and splitting the profits. It had become a tradition since Baekhyun’s freshman year for the teams to run a carwash, work concession stands at pro Football and Basketball games, mow lawns for senior assisted living complexes, and work the annual State Fair. The State Fair thing had been Chanyeol's idea from what Baekhyun had heard. It was also the most stressful job and biggest money maker. The event alone could earn them $6,500 in a day and half.

 

Which was great if Baekhyun would actually be running this season.

 

One would think co-ops like this would bring people closer together but the teams mostly kept to themselves. It was fun and the crowds of people never ended. Baekhyun only knew most of the LaCrosse team through Sehun so he’d always been too shy to approach Chanyeol. Plus the captain was always too busy to notice him anyway. He was always swarmed by twittering women and young girls practically throwing money at them.

 

It would likely be the same way this year accept ten thousand times more awkward, sweltering and hot, and now Chanyeol was Baekhyun’s ex and he was pregnant. Baekhyun was going to be a sweaty, uny, and baby stuffed mess. And that was if he could even go. He still didn't know how hos coach would react to the news of his pregnancy.

 

Sehun didn't take a breath. "--You have cross-country try outs. There’s Halloween. Then there’s the annual camping trip, prom committee—“

 

Baekhyun glared and got up to turn on his TV then put disc one into his PS3. “Ok, prom committee is all you,” He pointed out. “And I said I’ll probably have to sit out cross-country this season.”

 

Sehun powered up his tablet. “ that’s right, competitive running and developing baby don’t mix. You’ll have to find some AP electives to keep your GPA since you’re dropping sports—“

 

"Damn, that was true..." Baekhyun pouted, suddenly feeling ashamed again. “Ungh that’s just another thing to worry about…” Just because he was putting off college a year didn’t mean he could slack or let his grades drop.

 

“Right,” Sehun paced the room in long strides. “You also can’t show up at school looking all dejected and neglected on day one. That’s all it’ll take to ruin the rest of your senior year forever,” Sehun ran a hand through his hair and bristled indignantly. ”And now there’s a baby involved. How do I even start to coordinate—”

 

“Sehun!“ Baekhyun snapped. When the other boy’s voice halted he turned and looked at Baekhyun with his eyebrows quirked up curiously. Baekhyun blinked slowly and sighed. He had gotten comfortable on his carpeted floor in front of the TV with three of his six blankets. The creepy and distressing main theme music to The Walking Dead was playing in the background.

 

“What?” Sehun hissed.

 

Baekhyun stood up with a grunt and walked over to his friend to put his delicate hand on the boy’s bicep. “Pump the breaks and slow your roll.” He said. ”Breathe. You have literally not stopped talking since you got here and you freaking out will only make me freak out.”

 

Sehun had the decency to look guilty. “Sorry,” He said. “But dude, this is serious.”

 

“I know…”Baekhyun exhaled through his nose. “But, you’re talking like I’m popular at school—”

 

“—You ing will be once it’s obvious you’ve got a baby on board.” Sehun replied with wide eyes.

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips and glanced around his room. Sometimes Sehun was just too blunt. He shook his head and held up his hand. “Look, I have a month and a half before school starts… I’ll figure all of this out.”

 

Baekhyun hoped he'd spoken in a tone of finality so Sehun would just… stop being Sehun for two seconds.

 

Nope.

 

“Correction, school starts in a month and half,” Sehun echoed and pointed at the wall like a diagram of Baekhyun’s future was plastered across it. Baekhyun actually glanced at the wall before he could stop himself. “But you’ll see Chanyeol way before then. He could come back from Spain any day and the two of you freaking work together.”

 

Baekhyun frowned at Sehun for a moment then he tilted his head like he wasn’t sure how to say what he wanted to say. “Wait you don’t know?” He asked, truly surprised. He wanted to laugh. 

 

Sehun’s mouth snapped shut and his eyes narrowed as his posture turned defensive. “Excuse me?” He hissed.

 

Baekhyun got onto his knees to go lay back down but then he crawled over to peer under his desk, remembering that his phone was still exiled there. He reached under, praying whatever lived in the darkness just remained calm as he d around. 

 

“Chanyeol quit working at the store. He put in his two weeks notice before school ended because management couldn’t give him the time off to go to Spain, even though it was for academic reasons. His last day was the day—“ Baekhyun trailed off, grabbing his phone and quickly snatching his hand from under the desk. It was untouched by dust or webs.

 

“--Um… his last day was the day he broke up with me.” Baekhyun opened his abandoned phone and turned it on. The generic T-Mobile jingle played and he crawled over to his bed to plug the phone in to charge.

 

“Well …” Sehun gaped. “I honestly didn’t know that. How could Park keep this from me?”

 

This time, Baekhyun did laugh. “Does anyone actually ever tell you anything or do you just do that supernatural thing you do and just know ?”

 

Sehun smirk-scowled. "It’s a bit of both. Still, this is what I’m talking about. You need to stay distracted. Can you imagine the chaos Park and Do are going to cause at school? They're the it couple of our school's history--"

 

Baekhyun's bottom lip quivered and Sehun faltered.

 

"E-even if you wanted to forgive Chanyeol and still be friends, he won’t have time to so much as look at you with all of the wannabes all up on him oohing and aahing over their OTP becoming official." Sehun gave Baekhyun a pointed stare. “And I know you were still considering being friends with Park. You probably wanted to try and get back together.”

 

Baekhyun gulped, actually a bit weirded out for a second. Sehun really did have some supernatural power. The smaller teen grabbed Sehun’s bag of kale chips and ripped them open while he debated what to say next. He wasn’t even really hungry but the mindless snacking helped him think. 

 

“Maybe…” He said softly. "Chanyeol can come back whenever he wants and keep his position and pay. I was kind of hoping he would but now I’m not sure if I really want to see him.” Baekhyun explained as he pressed play on his PS3 controller and TWD started. He’d already seen the first few episodes. Sehun had him put the show in to create background ambiance.

 

Sehun came and sat down next to Baekhyun on the floor then he crossed his legs so he could put his tablet on his lap. “I doubt he’ll come back. Kyungsoo always whined about how Chanyeol worked too much and it’s not like he needs the money. He’s got an unlimited Kyungsoo-Express Platinum Onyx card.” He said with a nod.

 

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip. It still didn’t sit well with him that Chanyeol was using Kyungsoo for his family’s money. Out of everything Chanyeol could have been underhanded about this money situation was what left him extremely pressed. He figured it was because he'd personally experienced financial hard ships.

 

Money was still an issue now.

 

“Go~~~d, why is all of this happening.?" Baekhyun kicked his legs. "Like, literally this time yesterday I was sitting in my AP class taking notes. Then hours later, BOOM, I’m ing pregnant.” He blew a breath through his bangs and bit into a veggie chip. “It’s like everything came to attack me all at the same time…”

 

"Yeah," Sehun seethed. “Which is why I don’t understand why you aren’t pissed. Even without the baby situation, don’t you want to kick Park in the balls when you see him?"

 

Baekhyun kale bits out of his teeth, thinking of how satisfying it’d be to drop-kick the giant LaCrosse captain in his throat, but not the balls. He kind of liked the feel of them slapping against his—Baekhyun closed his eyes and redirected his thoughts from the gutter.

 

“I am pissed… But it’s exhausting being angry over something I really can’t control.” Baekhyun rolled his neck. Truthfully it actually surprised him how quickly he was getting over all of this.

 

“Like I told you though, we’d broken up before Chanyeol left…" Baekhyun mumbled. "In some way I feel like he tried to spare me any pain...” He layered a few kale chips in a stack and bit into them. Baekhyun would never admit how good they were.

 

“Please!” Sehun spat. “Park was trying to cover his own , because that’s what player-manipulators do!” He groused, twirling his finger in the air. “He never expected to get caught and he doesn’t know how close we are. He didn’t know I’d tell you.”

 

Baekhyun reached up to scratch his scalp with his free pinky finger and shivered in annoyance. “You might right but—God, it doesn’t matter either way.” 

 

"He’s your baby-daddy, Baek! It does matter. You'll be showing in a month, " Sehun pointed to Baekhyun's stomach with a shaking hand. "You can't exactly walk around in sweaters the rest of summer. You'll ing die of heat .” He reached over to grab a few kale chips of his own and he ate them angrily. “You have to tell Chanyeol sooner rather than later so that this doesn't all come back on you. Make him own up before school starts."

 

"D-do you really think Chanyeol would actually lie about us hooking up?" Baekhyun asked a bit apprehensively. "I-I know I'm not marriage material given our school standards, but I'm not some D-grade, class skipping, loser who--"

 

"--You are a ing catch! Do you know how many dickweeds I have to keep away from you? Don’t talk down about yourself!" Sehun said in outrage. "And Chanyeol is capable of anything. Remember dude's been playing fake to me too so I don't even know him anymore. I'm a firm believer in self-preservation too but damn, I'd never abandon the people I love."

 

Baekhyun's heart swelled a little at Sehuns declaration of loyalty but he just sighed. "Sehun, it's not like I don't want Chanyeol to know he's about to be a father but this is not easy. You should have seen me at the clinic when I found out so I can only imagine how Chanyeol will take the news..." Baekhyun chewed his bottom lip for a moment. "I've been thinking about it..."

 

Sehun gave him a dubious once over. "Okay? So what's the problem?"

 

Baekhyun pinched the bridge of his nose. "How am I supposed to approach him when--"

 

"--First off have a copy of your pregnancy test as proof in case the mofo accuses you of lying." Sehun held up a finger. "Then firmly and succintly say; ", I'm pregnant and it's yours!" He held up his hand as if to stop an invisible force. "And; "I'm going to take every dime you and Kyungsoo have, you irresponsible bastard." Because that's exactly what I'd say in your situation."

 

Baekhyun dropped his head into his hand and laughed, thinking of Sehun’s poor boyfriend Luhan. Mmhm. He was screwed.

 

"Um... I'll consider that option," He said. He doubted he could deliver it with so much style and flourish though.

 

"The other is issue is that I just don't know how Kyungsoo and his parents will react to this. I have to be careful. The baby affects more than just me." Baekhyun added rationally.

 

"The baby affects you the most, and you are who I care about." Sehun balled his fists and rose to his knees. 

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips. Why was Sehun pushing this issue so hard? "I don't want anyone else getting hurt..." He admitted.

 

Sehun’s tight and pensive expression seemed to fade away leaving him totally blank faced. Baekhyun realized with a start he'd never seen his friend look this way and that's when he understood. Sehun was angry.

 

"I don't give a who else gets hurt after they ed with you Baek," Sehun's tone was low and deadly. "And I'll be honest, I never approved of Chanyeol's relationship with Kyungsoo just because of reasons, so I was absolutely ecstatic when they broke up. But now dude lied to me , which in turn made me lie to you. My reputation is on the line--"

 

Baekhyun's eyes widen. "Sehun, I'm not mad at you--"

 

Sehun held up his hand again in a way that made Baekhyun snap his mouth shut and recoil like he'd been scolded for speaking out of turn.

 

"I know you aren't Baek. You're too freaking nice and forgiving to even hold a grudge," Sehun said plainly. "But I can hold a grudge. Chanyeol doesn't deserve you. I hate I even set you two up. It's obvious he didn't consider your feelings when he posted that Twitter!"

 

Baekhyun pursed his lips and pushed a lock of his hair behind his ear a bit nervously. "I-I'm sure Chanyeol had a valid reason for what he did... He's a very rational person..." He dropped his hand with a sigh. "I feel like he thought about this long and hard... I mean, he's probably getting flack from people and Kyungoo's parents. I don't think he meant to get me involved..."

 

"--God, sometimes you drive me crazy!" Sehun shot up to a standing position and Baekhyun felt a mild moment of fear. Not for himself, but for Chanyeol. He and Sehun had been friends longer than himself but apparently that wasn't a factor anymore. Sehun was usually very laid back and mellow so it was a bit unsettling to actually see him legitimately angry. It reminded Baekhyun of just how vicious and vindictive Sehun could be. He hoped he never in his life crossed the other boy.

 

Sehun was staring at Baekhyun like he was suddenly very suspicious of something. "You're hiding something."

 

Baekhyun blinked, swallowed hard, and tensed up involuntarily. "What?"

 

"Are you being so understanding because Chanyeol was your first?" Sehun asked. 

 

Baekhyun leaned back a little. "What?!" He squeaked again dumbly. A trickle of nervous sweat slid down his back and landed between his -cheks. It made him squirm.

 

This was a trap.

 

Sehun rolled his eyes. "Stop answering my questions with a question. Why did you get so upset when I told you about that party?" He redirected. "I understand that it's hard to stay mad at the guy that made you feel all good on the inside but you really need to--Ohmygod--that's it isn't it?!" Sehun was across the room in a second and up in Baekhyun’s space.

 

The petite teen had never been more afraid in his life.

 

Sehun looked slightly crazed. "That's why you freaked out when I told you about that party! You gave it up that night?"

 

Baekhyun blinked rapidly like something spicy had gotten in his eyes. How the -- How had Sehun figured that out!? Baekhyun's mouth dropped open and he was pretty sure all of the blood had gushed out of his body through his ears and nose. He felt cold and upon looking down, his hands were pale and shaking.

 

"I-I-I-W-what?-H-how-What?-I d-don't-What?!" Baekhyun stuttered like a cracked CD. Sehun touched his chin to get him to stop skipping.

 

"Aww Baek," Sehun said in a soft but clearly disappointed tone. "Why? Chanyeol was drunk and high as that night... He didn’t deserve to have you like that."

 

The tears came. Sehun had just made Baekhyun feel awful.

 

"It j-just sort of happened..." Baekhyun explained helplessly."I-I mean, it felt right and it's not like he pressured me or anything, he'd sort of sobered up by the time we actually did it and I know it wasn't like, the best decision I've made but--"

 

"--I understand Baek," Sehun was suddenly reaching over and pulling him into a tender embrace. He ruffled Baekhyun’s hair gently. "I was actually lit as my first time. I was scared would hurt so I got high to dull the pain and now I barely remember that night. I didn't see the guy after that either."

 

Baekhyun melted into Sehun's embrace and willed his tears to cease and dissit. He did actually recall Sehun telling him about that their freshman year. The taller teen had been really upset.

 

"Damn... This makes things way more complicated..." Sehun pulled away and went to lean back against Baekhyun's bed. He seemed drained all of a sudden and it was a long time before he spoke again. Baekhyun realized it was longest he'd ever heard Sehun be quiet.

 

"Okay, so tell me this, how do you feel about Chanyeol now?" Sehun wondered gently. "Considering everything. Do you want to get back together? I'm not totally against the idea... You were happy with him after all."

 

Baekhyun didn’t know what to say so he just covered his face with his kale and salt bit covered fingers. "I don't know..." He mumbled. 

 

He did want Chanyeol to be part of their baby's life but how could he even get Chanyeol back? Say he had a brain blip and just forgot everything Chanyeol had done wrong.

 

The other boy was with Kyungsoo.

 

Sehun nodded. "Look, I'm willing to let Chanyeol’s indiscretion slide if you want to forgive him... And he better have one hell of a convincing explanation. Trust and believe though, I'm still going to beat his when he gets back but I won't break his bones," He punched the carpeted floor hard. Baekhyun was reminded that Sehun used to be a LaCrosse player. He was slender but literally all muscle. "He needs to be well enough to beat our rival team at homecoming. I dislike them more than Chanyeol."

 

Baekhyun squeezed his eyes shut. Sehun really confused him sometimes.

 

"But what are we going to do about Kyungsoo?" Sehun was suddenly asking.

 

Baekhyun ran his tongue over his teeth then he used both of his hands to swipe his hair back out of his face and stare quizzically at Sehun.

 

"...I'm afraid to ask but... What do you mean?" Came his hesitant question. Then Baekhyun leaned in closer to whisper. "Y-You aren’t suggesting we make him go away are you? Sehun! Murder is illegal."

 

Sehun smirked and cackled. " Baek, that's hardcore. I wasn't thinking along that line!" He held his flat stomach and chuckled a minute longer. Like one of those villains an old cartoons.

 

The morally decent part of Baekhyun glanced at the door and backed away slowly.

 

"No, I'm talking about the well planned leaking of vital and image damaging information," Sehun leaned in after glancing around the room like they were being monitored. "I have enough dirt on Do Kyungsoo to make his parents question if he's really their biological kid."

 

That made Baekhyun pause and glance around his room anxiously too. "Um... I don't want you to freaking black-mail him or something. I was joking earlier. Stop trying to break the law." He tensed up a little as he spoke. "And I don’t have anything against Kyungsoo..."

 

Sehun made a face. "You should actually. That Perfect isn't as innocent or perfect as you think. You don't really believe he's just with Chanyeol because the guy is good looking and tall do you? He’s got his own agenda in all of this."

 

Baekhyun clenched his jaw, closed his eyes, and scratched his neck.

 

That's when it clicked. Sehun wasn't pressing this issue just because of him, the baby, or Chanyeol’s betrayal 

 

Sehun had never liked Kyungsoo.

 

"You seem to have a personal agenda of your own, " Baekhyun mumbled a bit scornfully. "I wouldn't want you spreading rumours about me, why do you think I want any part in doing that to Kyungsoo?"

 

Sehun stutter-blinked in shock. "UM! I don't spread lame , no proof, he-say-she-say ," He smacked his hands together. "I report cold. Hard. Facts. With receipts to back up every statement I make. Please don't insult me."

 

Baekhyun pulled his legs up to his chest to curl into a tight ball. "S-sorry. But Sehun, wanting to deliberately hurt Kyungsoo is just mean and really ed up..."

 

Sehun’s eyebrows went up slowly but it wasn't in surprise. "I'm not a nice person Baek. Neither is Chanyeol or Kyungsoo. But I don't try to hide that I can be a complete jackass. If you're going to play dirty, ing commit. Don't pretend to be a good guy. Kyungsoo knows how I feel about him. My job is is to deliver the truth."

 

Baekhyun swallowed thickly then started to chew on his fingernails. They used to be pretty long but now they were chomped to the quick and his cuticles were just as bad. Not for the first time he was glad he was not Sehun's enemy.

 

"The truth is you busted your to get those scholarships. Most kids would admit defeat in your shoes and drop out of school but you kept pushing and you'll keep pushing. That's admirable as ."

 

Baekhyun blushed and ducked his head shyly.

 

"Kyungsoosl's parents don't know about some of the really underhanded he's done. They might ship his off to military school once they find out," Sehun had his tablet back in his grasp and he was flicking through screens like they were knats he had brush aside.

 

"Look, this is just a fail safe I have in place in case hits the ty fan. This isn't about spreading rumours at school either. I have hard evidence for Do Mom and Dad and it's all about their precious baby boy. Once they know what their son gets into, it'll make them think twice about looking down on you for being seventeen and pregnant."

 

Baekhyun was once again at a loss for words. "O-okay..."

 

"None of this will come back on you, I promise that. You hold all of the cards Baek. Just tell me how to play them..." Sehun gave Baekhyun a fleeting once over for what was probably the 15th time. "Really, you don’t have much time. You actually look kinda stuffed full of baby now.”

 

Baekhyun immediately stopped eating the veggie chips.

 

"I-I look that pregnant?" He gasped in a voice higher than normal. He thought that he looked mostly okay. Was it the water retention? “I know I’ve gotten kind if pudgy but—“

 

Sehun sighed. "Not pudgy. You're all glowing and . Seriously your skin looks super pretty. Your hair is all shiny...” Sehun held up his phone and snapped a picture before Baekhyun even realized what he was doing and then he held the device out for the other boy to see. “People don’t normally look like that unless their Kpop idols or something. It’s obvious somethings up. You’ve always been cute but now you're… beautiful.”

 

Baekhyun blushed, eyeing his candid snapshot objectively. It looked like Sehun had used a really good filter because Baekhyun did look all soft and glowy. Still Baekhyun was skeptical. He didn’t feel beautiful or cute. He turned away, sitting aside the bag of healthy snacks.

 

“Thanks… I guess.” Baekhyun mumbled, spreading back out on the floor on top of his blankets on his side and rubbing his tummy then he closed his eyes and shook his head.

 

“Anyway, everything else aside..." He wiggled his toes. "I’m not going to purposely hide my baby. That’s no way to start a life. So I’ll tell Chanyeol and... the world?--when the time is right.”

 

Sehun pursed his lips but nodded firmly. There was a long pause and Baekhyun absently watched the characters in the walking dead attempt to avoid death again. His eyes started to droop almost immediately.

 

Sehun’s tablet made a chirping bird sound like he’d gotten a notification and Baekhyun startled out of his doze at the noise. Within seconds there were more frantic chirps and Sehun hastily turned the volume down on the device.

 

 

Baekhyun chuckled-yawned. "Mngh, sounds like the interwebs are excited about something."

 

Sehun laughed nervously. "Sorry..." He said as his fingers flew over the tablet and for a second he just stared at the screen like he was surprised by whatever he was looking at. He looked like the living version of screaming internally. 

 

Baekhyun stretched like a sleepy kitten, spreading his limbs out across his blankets. Then he frowned. “Sehun? You okay?"

 

Okay, now he was freaked out. Sehun was never this quiet.

 

“Huh? W-what?” Sehun pressed the button on the side of his tablet so the screen went black. “O-oh yeah. Look, whatever you want to do, I’ll help, Baek.” The taller teen said. “Just let me know.”

 

Baekhyun blinked sleepily but chuckle-nodded and snuggled into his blanket. “Um... Okay?" He said softly, already dozing off.  “Hey, Sehun I know you want to talk and like, tell me more character tarnishing details about Chanyeol’s life but I’m really tired,” He rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly. “M’gonna sleep for a bit… Will you be okay?”

 

Sehun smiled gently, nodding. “Yeah. I’ll be here when you wake up.” He said. 

 

Baekhyun didn’t respond, already dead to the world. 

 

Sehun waited a few minutes to make sure Baekhyun wasn’t going to wake up all of a sudden before he woke his tablet back up and stared at the screen again. As he investigated his phone began to vibrate with texts. He didn’t even need to check and see who they were from. A window on his tablet was opened to Twitter and Chanyeol’s page. There was a photo in a post from about two minutes ago. Two glasses of wine were on a table along with a plate of tasty looking and most likely expensive cheesecake.

 

But that wasn’t what was important.

 

To the bottom right side of the pic was a semi-blurry shot of Chanyeol's and Kyungsoo's intertwined left hands resting on the table. On each of their index fingers sparkled a silvery band decorated in delicate jewels that glittered in the candlelight.

 

Kyungsoo's ring looked extra delicate and important.

 

There were way too many likes and retweets on the post. Most of them from the LaCrosse team (though Jongin had posted "Bro... WTF!!??? @LaXCapPCY") and people from school. They'd noticed the rings too.

 

And these were all of the people Baekhyun would have to deal with.

 

"Oooo. M. Geee." Sehun clenched his jaw when he read the caption below. "Lord, please tell me those are some fancy couples-purity rings."

 

“Shout out @ my peeps back home! Thanks for all of the congrats. K’soo & I really appreciate your love and support. We've got good news! Be back Friday!” 

 

"Good news?" Sehun said breathlessly. "Is Chanyeol ing insane? Why does he keep doing to make me hate him?"

 

There was no way in hell Chanyeol had actually... proposed to Kyungsoo. He'd just publicly announced they'd been dating yesterday. Did time move faster in Spain or something?

 

Sehun pursed his lips, glaring heatedly at the screen. This would be world shattering for Baekhyun. It was all too soon and too much. 

 

On Friday this week, Baekhyun was going to hear his--his and Chanyeol’s--baby's heartbeat for the first time. He'd maybe even get to bring home an ultrasound picture.

 

This Friday all the was about to get real.

 

“Rest up babe…” Sehun breathed looking at Baekhyun. The pregnant teen was snoring softly and a pool of drool had collected in the corner of his mouth. 

 

“You’re really going to need it.”

 

Because Park Chanyeol was going to be back on American soil in two days.

 

 -------

 

 *ducks rolls of tissue and paper towels*

 

Okay, I should have the next chapter up in less than three months (LOL). After that there will be a time skip! Comment and critique 'cause it gives me strength! *blows kisses*