__

Baekhyun sniffs, him and his child woken up just a few minutes ago. Minhyun was bouncy and jittery as usual, giggling and excited for his upcoming school, and could barely keep still when Baekhyun changed him into his uniform.

“Jongdae will pick you up today,” Baekhyun murmurs, albeit tiredly, pulling the jumper over the boy’s head, “I’ve talked to him and you’ll stay there for a few weeks until you get your surgery, okay? Daddy’s going to be working for most of the time so I need you to behave like a good boy.”

“I’m a good boy,” Minhyun warbles, parroting his father, promptly nodding. But he thought about it and scrunched his face afterwards, shaking his head.

“But I don’t want silly Dae-dae. I want Papa.”

“Who?”

“Pops. Big tall red hair mask man,” Minhyun chortles, hopping up and down, chanting all of a sudden, “Papa! Papa! Papa!”

Baekhyun sighs, already exhausted, now having to deal with another revelation. Chanyeol had revealed their relationship, it seems—when, and how, Baekhyun doesn’t know, but it seems that the child’s bought into it. He gently puts his hands on his son’s shoulders and talks softly.

“Look, baby. Chany—Papa isn’t a good man. He won’t take care of you properly. Jongdae will, so you’re going to staying with him.”

“But he sits we down in his office and he has a big spinny chair and he picked me up from school yesterday and we have lots of talk,” Minhyun frowns, “Dae-dae just sits there and writes and writes and writes and he’s soooooo borrriiiiiiiiing.”

Baekhyun sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache seeping in through his skull. He stands to his full height and puts his hands on his hips, looking at his son sternly.

“You’re staying with Jongdae.”

Minhyun crossed his arms, looking away and pouting.

“No.”

“What did you say to me, Minhyun?”

“I don’t want to go to stupid Dae-dae’s house,” Minhyun hissed. Baekhyun’s anger spirals from his control.

“Chanyeol isn’t your father! And you’re staying with Jongdae and you won’t see that man ever again, whether you like it or not!” Baekhyun shouts furiously, slamming the wall next to him, face scrunched with raw emotion he’s been holding down since yesterday. Minhyun gasps, suddenly fearful, stepping backwards—he looked at the floor for a few moments, his bottom lip trembling before he began to whimper and cry.

Baekhyun was taken aback by his son’s reaction, shocked at himself. He had never expressed anger towards his son, or so much as raised his voice at him—not once. Minhyun, obviously never facing this sort of situation, broke into a blubber, face scrunched up and rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, obviously upset.

“I—I’m so sorry…” Baekhyun whispers, kneeling onto the floor and gently pulling the little boy into an embrace. He kisses his forehead and lets his son cry into his shirt, hushing him, apologizing profusely.

“I’m sorry. Daddy’s been really tired. I didn’t mean to shout and scare you like that, baby, I’m so sorry,” Baekhyun murmurs. Minhyun sniffled, hugging his father back, rubbing his nose onto the crook of Baekhyun’s neck.

“B-But I want to stay with Papa…” Minhyun hiccupped, still sobbing. Baekhyun sighs, running his fingers through the boy’s hair before pulling both of them apart, looking at his big teary eyes.

“He’s a very bad man, Minhyun, didn’t I tell you this?”

“B-But—But he loves you, Daddy…”

Baekhyun flinched at the statement, as if something had impaled him through the chest. His eyes seem to droop and his shoulders slumped, staring at the stained floor, pressing his lips together.

“The last time he said that, he—“ Baekhyun said solemnly, blinking rapidly as if he was trying to hold back his tears, “—he didn’t love me anymore in the end.”

“But he will love you properly this time! Really really! Papa—Papa pinkie-promised he would!” Minhyun insisted, tears gone and face full of fierceness and determination, jutting his pinkie out. Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh, amused by his son’s indignance, but simply smiled and shook his head. Minhyun pouted and took hold of his father’s hand, his own little chubby starfish fingers half the size of Baekhyun’s palm.

“Give Papa another chance… Everyone deserves second c-chances, right?” Minhyun mumbles, his father’s hand. Baekhyun breathed out softly, biting his bottom lip, and he clasps his son’s hand in his own ones, kissing his knuckles.

“Sometimes there are some things that can’t be given a second chance, poppet. You have to remember that,” Baekhyun murmurs, “You’re staying with Jongdae, okay? End of.”

Minhyun pressed his lips together, disappointed, but didn’t argue with his father further. Baekhyun pulls him into another hug and pressed kisses onto his cheek.

“Take care, okay, baby? I love you.”

There’s a knock on the door—obviously Jongdae, coming to pick Minhyun up as Baekhyun called him last night to take care of Minhyun. Jongdae automatically reaches down to ruffle the boy’s hair once the door opens, and the two adults murmur small talk before bidding each other goodbye, but Minhyun didn’t leave before a last hug and kiss from his father.

“Will you come and visit?” Minhyun murmurs. Baekhyun smiles sadly.

“I’m working full time, baby. Maybe I won’t have the time. But I promise I’ll call Jongdae’s phone and we can talk from there, hm?”

“Will you do it lots and lots?”

Baekhyun nodded.

“Every chance I get, poppet.”

Minhyun hugged his father tightly, as if afraid to let go. Baekhyun embraced him with as much passion, sniffling before Jongdae leads him down to the staircase.

It was a small murmur, but Baekhyun heard his son’s soft voice whisper under his breath.

“Come home, Daddy.”

__

Minhyun looked crestfallen in the ride to school, slumped in his car seat, feet up on Jongdae’s dashboard. He bangs the window with his water bottle occasionally, obviously occupied with thought, and the bespectacled man sighs and ruffles his hair.

“What’s up, tyke? Wrong side of the bed today?” Jongdae says, glancing at the boy once in a while whilst also keeping an eye on the road. Minhyun lets out a huge sigh and pouts, face scrunching, sliding his thumb into his mouth.

“I want Papa,” Minhyun mumbles, “And Daddy’s working and working and he’s going to get tired and I miss Papa and Daddy but Daddy doesn’t like Papa and—and—and Papa loves Daddy and he’s trying to get it all back together but—“

Jongdae winces at Minhyun’s addressing for Chanyeol. To Jongdae, Chanyeol was nothing higher than dirt. But Minhyun was actually affected by their relationship, despite being a little boy, and tries to understand and work it out like an adult would.

“Mhmm?” Jongdae nods slowly, “What do you think about your Papa?”

“He’s very… he looks very serious and all grown-up. Very bossy and very rich and very rude. But inside he’s very soft and he’s very fragile and he doesn’t know what to do. He wants to do this and that but he has no idea how to do them—and he—he needs someone to tell him what to do. But he’s very gentle. Like—Like a big bear. He’s done bad things in the past but that doesn’t mean he didn’t f-feel bad for them.”

Jongdae swallows at the last sentence, breaking out in cold sweat even though the boy’s statements weren’t directed at him. He sniffs, coughing to hide his flinching, before he asks the boy again.

“And—And what about people who did bad things? L-Like, uhh, let’s say, destroying things? Maybe—Maybe destroying someone, not completely, but destroying a part of them. What do you think about them?”

Minhyun scrunches his face, thinking about it a little, before he sat up, looking at