*unbeta-ed srry i'm very sleepy
 

“Whoa!”

Jongdae jerks up, causing his glasses to tumble down. He hastily corrects them before he ruffles the morning newspaper, straightening it up, making sure that he was reading it correctly.

He’s dropped by Baekhyun’s house again, since Baekhyun had nearly knocked himself out from last night’s shift in his warehouse, from eleven to six in the morning, and he had another job at ten o’clock. Usually, whilst Baekhyun worked away, Minhyun stayed over Jongdae’s house—but Jongdae had decided to come over yesterday. Though Jongdae’s slight commotion roused him up from his uneasy sleep, and he rubs his eyes.

“What? What is it?” Baekhyun mumbles groggily.

“Look—Park Chanyeol is dead.”

Baekhyun almost fell off the couch, grabbing the newspaper from Jongdae's hand. His eyes rest onto the newspaper’s headlines, his gaze falling to a fragile-looking man in his hospital gown. His eyes rolled around and sighed, casting the newspaper away.

“I thought you meant that . I’d take out money from the bank and host a street party if he’s announced dead.” Baekhyun yawns, slumping back onto the couch. “But it’s only the ’s father—Park Chanyeol the sixth. Not the seventh.”

Jongdae looked at Baekhyun through his glasses, biting his lip. He sighs and takes his glasses off, wiping them on his sleeves before he put them back on.

“… Baekhyun…” he pressed his lips tightly. “I know you’re… still a little stung on Chanyeol. I am, too. But—but his father had been your father-in-law, too, you know… I—shouldn’t you perhaps maybe show a little bit of sympathy? I mean, he’s just passed away—“

“Ha!” Baekhyun exclaimed so loudly that he’d even scared himself. “Father-in-law my . If he’d even cared for me, showed me even the littlest of sympathy, he’d be looking out for me right now—or even Minhyun. His grandson. I don’t ing pay respects to those who haven’t given it to me—much nonetheless the dead.”

Baekhyun had stood up at this point, his fists curled. He sighs and flops back down onto the couch, leaning on Jongdae’s shoulder closing his eyes as he slowly exhaled.

“… I’m sorry, Jongdae—I—I didn’t mean to shout.”

“S’alright.”

“You’re right, you know. He was my father-in-law. And I—I do remember that he really looked out for me, even after—even after that started to play up nonsense. But I’d wished he—“ Baekhyun gulped, “—looked out after me even after the divorce, right? You know what I’m saying? I mean I probably sound selfish and dependent and demandive—I—nevermind. Nevermind.”

Baekhyun grits his teeth and sighs again. Jongdae nods to sympathise, Baekhyun’s hair before he pushes up his glasses, biting his lip.

“Hey—you know, about the surgery…” Jongdae started, “I mean, I’m not in the financial position myself, but… if it ever comes to a dire time, I can always ask my parents if they can provide the costs—“

“No! No, no, Jongdae, no.” Baekhyun exclaims, sitting up. “You can’t do that, Jongdae.”

“But—“

“You’ve done so much these past few years, taking care of Minhyun when I’m out for work, even at your busiest times. I can’t possibly ask you for another favour.” Baekhyun said, shaking his head. Jongdae wanted to protest, but he sighs and gave up, leaning back onto the couch, pressing his lips tightly.

At this moment of time, Minhyun emerges from the bedroom, yawning, his hair stuck up in all different directions. He rubs his eyes with his knuckles, clumsily shuffling over to the room to Baekhyun’s figure.

“Daddy, I missed you.” he yawns, climbing up the couch to Baekhyun’s lap, falling asleep again almost afterwards. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and chuckles, ruffling his son’s hair, peppering his forehead with kisses before Baekhyun held him close to his chest, closing his eyes.

“I missed you too, poppet.” he grins, but Jongdae watches as Baekhyun’s expression becomes more and more solemn with each passing second. Baekhyun’s eyes turned glassy and suddenly, he was holding his sleeping son as if he was the only thing keeping Baekhyun alive.

“Don’t ever leave daddy, okay? I love you so much.” Baekhyun whispers through tears, exhaling shakily.

Jongdae gritted his teeth and looked away painfully.

__

“Remember, don’t run or move around too much, okay?” Baekhyun said, crouching down to correct his son’s collar. Minhyun yawns and nods, rubbing his eyes.

“And if your chest starts hurting, you tell Mr. Kim, okay?”

“Mhm.”

“Now give daddy a big kiss.”

Minhyun coos and pecks his father’s cheek, patting the sides of Baekhyun’s face. Baekhyun laughed and swung him around a little before showering him with kisses, setting him down and patting his son’s tiny shoulders. Minhyun turns around, twiddling his thumbs.

“Daddy?”

“Yup?”

“… Um… Are you going to be home today?” Minhyun mumbles, twisting his fingers behind his back. Baekhyun pressed his lips together and sighed before he gives his son another kiss, ruffling his hair, his cheek with a thumb.

“I can’t promise, poppet,” Baekhyun shook his head, but quickly interrupts himself as Minhyun began to hang his head low, “B-But I’ll try my best. Okay?”

“M’kay.”

“Be good in school, Minhyun. I love you.”

Baekhyun hugs him once more before he lets Minhyun wander off to his school facility, looking a little forlorn, like a small bird without its mother. Baekhyun grits his teeth in disdain and returns back to Jongdae’s car, where the man had slumped off in his driver’s seat. When Baekhyun got in, he jerks a little, startled, but starts driving off without another word.

Baekhyun met Jongdae in college—or rather, the other college Baekhyun attended. It’d been a long process with the education board and whatnot, but Baekhyun placed himself in his local college, and another one for his scholarship. Jongdae; this sleazy, sleep-all-day sort of student, who’d once fallen behind in his grades asked Baekhyun to do his homework and essays, is now excelling in his University—Baekhyun really wondered how many tables had turned during… well—during those days where he, and that—that bastard…

Jongdae drove them to Baekhyun’s workplace—the convenience store just by Baekhyun’s flat.

“I’ll pick up Minhyun for you. He’ll be over my place.” Jongdae said as Baekhyun exits the car,    “…You’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.” Baekhyun nods. He takes a sharp inhale and smiles shakily, his hand jerking a little before he waves Jongdae goodbye, and he hastily walks away to the store, opening the door with his key. Jongdae, a little glum, drives away without another word.

__

“… Thus, following my father’s death,” Park Chanyeol stood on the conference, with cameras flashing in thousands of other directions at him, “I will take position as President of Parks Corporations. Thank you very much.”

Right directly after he finishes his sentence, the reporters closed in on him, barely kept out by his bodyguards. Mikes were ed onto his direction, cameras zooming onto his face, and Chanyeol could barely contain his annoyance; but he kept a calm façade. The questions were rolled out of the crowd’s tongues simultaneously.

“What had been the cause of your father’s death?”

“Is it true that you had outstanding clashes with your father?”

“What will be of the Corporations now you are President of it?”

“Will your arrogance affect your company, or have you made any changes?”

“I apologise, but I have no time for questions. I am running a little late.” Chanyeol said curtly, before he’s being guided off by his security staff. Still, the media representatives followed him like a buzz of wild hornets, quickly scurrying after him with their mouths still spitting out questions. There was no better relief when Chanyeol finally got onto his car, sighing as the reporters still screamed outside the vehicle.

“Drive on.” Chanyeol sighs, signalling the chauffeur. Immediately, the car zooms off from the crowd, and he rests his head on the window pane, massaging the bridge of his nose. He looks at his watch and raised his eyebrows, tuning in with the chauffeur once again.

“Drive me down to Byun’s.”

“Sir, don’t you have a meeting at 10:30 this morning?”

“The meeting can wait,” Chanyeol smiles, crossing his legs over. “I’d like to toy with him for a little while.”

“Yes sir.”

The city view ceases and the neighbourhood starts to sprout by both sides of the road, Chanyeol’s eyes casting lazy glances at the bleak houses and flats. Once the view of the convenience store came to his eyes, he told his chauffeur to stop and he exits the car, slightly a little wary of those reporters. Though once he sees that the neighbourhood was naturally empty anyhow, he nods and walked on, enjoying the sound of his footsteps in the empty air.

The door of the store makes a little tinkle as Chanyeol opens it, and a soft tinkle of the radio echoes across. A sauntered voice of ‘welcome…’ rings through the empty shop as he walked in, the clanging of cans being put down echoing through the room. Chanyeol spots Baekhyun stocking up the shelves with cans of tinned beans, though Chanyeol didn’t even speak before Baekhyun shouted at him.

“Out.”

“What? Am I prohibited from entering this store, now?”

“No, I just don’t want to see your face—and don’t pull that excuse of ‘what if I wanted to buy something?’ because I know daddy’s rich boy doesn’t do grocery shopping.” Baekhyun spat, before retrieving another box. He starts to angrily shove mineral water bottles down the shelves.

“Touché.” Chanyeol hums, though he cracks a smile. “But remember our deal? Isn’t this what lovers do—visit each other at work?”

“There’s a difference between visiting and being a creep, and you know which one you are, Chanyeol?” Baekhyun s the bottle onto his chest. “And we are not lovers. We are pretending to be. You can put it on your relationship status as taken on social media or whatever—but we are not lovers. You’ve said it in your own words, no? Now I am working, if you have no business here, please exit the store as we don’t like stand-byers.”

“Careful, honey. Even pretend lovers don’t adopt that level of cruelty to each other,” Chanyeol smiles, wrapping his arms around Baekhyun’s waist. Baekhyun flinches, pushing him away, but Chanyeol kept a tight grip on him.