Chanyeol was surprised by how much he enjoyed being with Kyungsoo. Even holding his small hand to make sure the little one didn’t stray too far from him on their way back to the village made the man feel protective, but at the same time, it all felt natural. Kids were never an option for him—or at least, he thought. He hated to admit that he might’ve been wrong in thinking they were all annoying, bratty and loud, but he pushed those thoughts aside the second Kyungsoo tugged on his hand, grabbing his attention.

“What is it?”

“Can you play music?”

Raising a brow at the boy’s interest in his work, Chanyeol smiled. “I can. I can play the guitar and the piano. Want me to teach you?”

“Dad listens to you,” Kyungsoo said, ignoring the latter’s question, but Chanyeol was used to it already. He was well-aware that if something was on Kyungsoo’s mind, his ears would tune out everything else and his mouth would say the words. “Not every morning, but… a lot.”

If Baekhyun could only hear his son confessing his habits, Chanyeol was sure that he’d be red from embarrassment. He decided to keep the detail in mind, hoping to bring it up later to get that exact reaction. “Your dad always had good taste in men.”

“What does that mean?”

“Sorry. I meant music.”

“Oh…” Kyungsoo bit his lower lip. “Well… You’re good at music.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Chanyeol said. Then he decided to try something. “What does your dad think of my music?”

Kyungsoo glanced up at him, frowning. “Why?”

Chanyeol shrugged. “Just curious.”

“He thinks you’re good,” the six-year old said, looking forward, “but…”

“But…?”

“He says you’re better with music.”

“Than what?” Chanyeol asked. Maybe it was wrong to ask things about Baekhyun through Kyungsoo, but he already knew that the brunet had too much pride to admit some things.

“Your radio.”

“He thinks I’m better off singing than being a radio host?” Chanyeol was a bit offended considering how he actually thought he was a pretty decent radio dj, however, he also should’ve been flattered at the fact that Baekhyun thought he was better off composing and performing his own music again. When Kyungsoo didn’t answer him, he sighed. “Tell your dad if it makes him feel any better at all, I might be going back to music.”

“Okay.” After that single word, Kyungsoo went silent before tugging on Chanyeol’s hand again. “I’m tired...”

It wasn’t until then that Chanyeol realized how much they had been walking the entire day, aside from the fact that they spent a good hour and a half near the tidal pools. Stopping, he looked down at Kyungsoo and tried to decide on what to do and what the boy was comfortable with. “Want me to carry you?”

Without a second thought, Kyungsoo nodded, letting go of Chanyeol’s hand and opening his arms, waiting to be hoisted up. Kneeling down, Chanyeol took the boy in his arms, holding him against his chest. In turn, Kyungsoo made himself comfortable by holding on to Chanyeol’s neck and resting his head on his shoulder.

They weren’t far from the village and the boy weighted like nothing to him so their situation didn’t trouble Chanyeol at all. It was comforting and nice to be needed in that sense. Over time, Kyungsoo’s silence, lack of questions and the gradual sound of his soft breathing lead Chanyeol to believe that he had fallen asleep just minutes before reaching the house.

-

-

Baekhyun was outside his home, talking to Jongin near the gates by the time Chanyeol had arrived with Kyungsoo fast asleep. Just when he was within earshot, they finished and Jongin turned and left. His body language was tense and Baekhyun was the same, turning his back on the male, running his hand through his hair, obviously frustrated.

As Chanyeol approached closer and Baekhyun saw him, his expression changed from frustration to something more repressed. “Hey.”

“Hi,” Chanyeol replied, eyes glancing in Jongin’s direction before looking back to Baekhyun. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” Redirecting his eyes to Kyungsoo and avoiding the man’s gaze, Baekhyun put a hand on his son’s back. “He must’ve been really tired if he’s fast asleep…”

“He did talk a lot more than usual.” Seeing Baekhyun laugh dissolved some of the tension and awkwardness. “That’s probably why he got so tired.”

“I guess I should thank you for getting him in bed earlier than usual,” Baekhyun said. Stepping forward, he reached out for his son. “Thanks for carrying him. I can take him inside from here.”

“No.” The answer was unexpected--to both. Chanyeol’s hold on Kyungsoo became slightly tighter. He didn’t want to let go. “I mean… I can take him in. It’s fine. I’m already carrying him anyways and, you know, he might wake up if I transfer him over.”

Baekhyun listened to the latter ramble, almost in disbelief. If he didn’t know any better, it almost sounded as if Chanyeol...cared about Kyungsoo. “Well...I guess you have a point,” he said slowly, eyeing the giant. “I’ll hold the door open for you then.”

Nodding, Chanyeol followed the brunet up to the small house. However, even as they stepped inside, a part of him was still curious about what had happened with Jongin that made Baekhyun seemingly upset. He was a split second from asking again when Kyungsoo interrupted his thoughts, squirming in his sleep.

Sliding the door open to Kyungsoo’s bedroom, Baekhyun entered first, heading straight to the six-year old’s bed to pull open the covers. After he finished, Chanyeol knelt down beside him and tried his best to softly put the boy in bed without waking him up.

“Excuse me. Sorry,” Baekhyun softly whispered, reaching across Chanyeol to get to Kyungsoo’s shoes. “I need to take them off--”

“It’s okay. I can do it.”

“I--”

Turning his head around to give the young father a reassuring look, Chanyeol grinned. “Baekhyun, really. Let me do it.”

Pursing his lips, Baekhyun could feel his heart begin to race. Never in a million years did he ever imagine for Chanyeol to be there, taking off Kyungsoo’s shoes. Realizing he had been staring too long at his ex, Baekhyun looked away and rose up from the ground. “I’ll go get a washcloth for his face,” he said quietly as began to leave. “I’ll be back.”

Chanyeol frowned as he watched Baekhyun leave. He found himself at a cross-road again, wondering where and what his boundaries were. Baekhyun already told him that everything was fine and regardless of whether or not he was lying, he just couldn’t ask him again… It wasn’t his business. It really wasn’t.

After he finished taking off Kyungsoo’s shoes and put the covers back on him, Chanyeol continued to sit on the floor for a few minutes, thinking about what he should do--or if he should even do anything-- before he realized that Baekhyun hadn’t returned. Carefully getting up, he quietly left the six-year old boy’s room, sliding the door closed behind him.

It was a small home, and there wasn’t a lot of places to hide. After seeing that Baekhyun wasn’t in the living room and kitchen area, he looked at the only short hall left, thought about it, and decided to overstep. “Baek?”

He heard a rustling sound at the very end and walked towards it, eventually reaching the only other bedroom. The door was slide open and when he looked inside, he saw Baekhyun getting up from the floor, his back still turned to the giant.

“Sorry, I couldn’t find a cloth I could use.”

“It’s fine. I was just wondering where you were…” Chanyeol’s voice trailed off as he leaned against the door frame. “Are you good?”

“Yeah.”

Chanyeol rubbed his fingers together, fighting the urge to enter. “It doesn’t sound like it.”

“I really am, Chanyeol.”

“Then turn around.”

He saw the way the brunet’s back tensed at the demand, and he knew all too well that Baekhyun couldn’t do as he had asked without showing his face. It was obvious that he was trying to hide his emotions. Maybe it was from the stress of parenting or something else that Chanyeol couldn’t possibly understand, but…he didn’t care.

Stepping inside the room, Chanyeol took his strides up to the brunet. He put a hand on his shoulder, turning him around so he could see the latter’s face, but the second that he did, he saw Baekhyun look back at him with wet eyes that he had clearly tried to wipe away before the giant ever arrived at his bedroom.

“Chanyeol--”

“Why’re you crying?” Chanyeol bluntly asked, cupping his face with a gentle hand.

Baekhyun tried to push his touch away but was met with a stern face. “I’m not-- This is nothing.”

“It’s obviously not ‘nothing’ if you’re crying by yourself.”

“There’ve just a lot of stuff on my mind lately--”

“About what?” He knew it was a loaded question to ask. For a second, he was unsure if he should’ve even asked, but he stood his ground, quietly waiting for Baekhyun to respond. His hopes were low, but eventually the unexpected came about and it was the last thing he was expecting.

Baekhyun raised his chin higher, looking Chanyeol in the eyes. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Kyungsoo’s father… I might… I don’t know.”

Chanyeol’s lips tightened. He didn’t want to think about Kyungsoo’s father--whoever that was. In fact, he was jealous and he wasn’t even going to try and hide that fact to himself. Dropping his hand from Baekhyun’s face, he cocked his head, keeping their eyes locked onto one another’s. “What about him? Is he bothering you?”

It was ironic to Baekhyun, but he shook his head nonetheless. “He’s… I guess you could say he’s in town.”

“You said that you didn’t even know who he was. Said that Kyungsoo happened because…” Chanyeol stopped. He hated thinking about Kyungsoo in that way. Granted their time together was rather limited, but was it stupid to say that he felt like there was something there? He cursed. “You know what I mean, Baek… I thought he wasn’t in your lives.”

“He’s not… I guess I should say wasn’t.”

“Wasn’t? Then does that mean you’re intending on changing that?”

“That’s what I was thinking about,” Baekhyun muttered in response, turning to his side and kneeling down on his futon mattress, leaving Chanyeol standing in front of him. “And… I lied. I do know him. We used to be close.”

Close... Chanyeol looked away, putting a hand behind his neck. He didn’t want to hear anymore of it, but at the same time, he also wanted to know more because he cared. How could he not care about someone he felt so much for when they were younger? Baekhyun now had a son, but it was all still the same. The feelings were there, buried and constantly suppressed by years and separation. He knew they both tried their damn hardest to ignore it, but it was something that neither of them could box away like the rest of their memories…

“Baek--”

“I’m going to tell him,” Baekhyun blurted out, cutting the giant off. He looked so troubled and conflicted. Even his voice wavered at his decision, but even Chanyeol knew that he was already committed to the idea. “He should know.”

“That’s great… Really.” Chanyeol averted his eyes elsewhere, breaking eye contact. “Kyungsoo should have two parents. I’m not saying that you’re not enough, but I’m sure that it’d help you both.”

Sighing, Baekhyun fell back, landing on the futon. He stared at the dark ceiling for a few seconds before closing his eyes. “It’s not for me. It’s for Soo.”

“I know.”

He felt the mattress dip beside him and peeked over to see that Chanyeol had sat down next to where he laid. “How would you feel if you had a son you didn’t know about?”

Chanyeol was silent for a few moments, quietly wondering about the situation to himself. His initial thoughts were almost like instinct and natural, but as he thought about it--and of Kyungsoo-- he began to feel differently.

“If we’re being honest, I’d be angry. Really angry.” Baekhyun opened his mouth to respond, but Chanyeol interrupted. “But… knowing Kyungsoo, I think after all that, I’d be happy.”

“Really?” Baekhyun asked, watching him carefully.

Looking back down on him, Chanyeol nodded. “I like Soo… I’m a bit jealous. Never actually thought I’d say that, especially since I never actually plan on having any kids… Don’t know why. I just am. But hey, if you’re going to get in contact with him soon, then I think it’s for the best—”

Pushing himself upright, Baekhyun sat up, grabbing Chanyeol by the hand before the latter would leave him. He never planned to say anything about Kyungsoo’s father to him, but aside from his own conflicts, Jongin’s visit ultimately made him realize that Chanyeol was someone who he just couldn’t erase. One way or another, he needed to know. Even if he’d end up hating him, Chanyeol needed to know about Kyungsoo.

“Yeol--”In his dreams, confessing the truth was easy; however, in reality, Baekhyun was terrified. “I’m such a coward, but you have to understand. You and I weren’t in a good place--you especially. I was just doing what I thought would be best and…Chanyeol, Kyungsoo’s… He’s--”

“He’s mine, isn’t he?” Turning to him, Chanyeol spoke again, his voice shaking. “I’m his father.”

Baekhyun bit his bottom lip hard. Words couldn’t find their way out into the world. Nodding, the brunet confirmed. “I wanted to tell you--”

“When?” He was furious, and Baekhyun could see it in his eyes. “Cause the perfect time to tell me would’ve been the exact moment you found out.”

“That’s exactly what I tried to do!” Baekhyun said, defending himself. “The second I found out, I thought of you… I always thought of you.”

“Then why didn’t you?”

Baekhyun looked at him with hurt eyes. “I went back to see you, but your people wouldn’t let me. They said you were too busy. I even asked them for your phone number so I could call you, but they just made me feel like some crazy ex-boyfriend.”

“They never told me that you tried to see me--”

“Why would they?” Baekhyun interjected. “They always thought I was a bad look for your image, anyways. What good is a rockstar if they’re already tied down?”

Cursing, Chanyeol rose up from the ground. “You had years... You had all this time while I was here for this goddamn vacation to tell me.”

“I know--”

“Instead, you just kept lying to my face about who his father was… You even said he was the product of a goddamn one night stand.” Turning around, Chanyeol headed towards the door to leave. Rising from the floor Baekhyun ran after him. “My son. A product of a one night stand. Really, Baek?”

“Yeol—”

“Six years… Six ing years that he didn’t know he had another parent.” Chanyeol reached the end of the hall and looked at the door that led to Kyungsoo’s room. “Did you even tell him about me?”

“I did, but Yeol, he—”

“.” Turning his back to his ex, Chanyeol reached for the front door, pulling it open. He stepped outside with the intent of closing the door behind it had Baekhyun not intervened and pursued after him. “I don’t think you had any idea--”

“I do,” Baekhyun interrupted, keeping up with the male. “I do have an idea because I’ve been thinking about this every single ing time he comes up to me and asks why he only has one parent. One, Chanyeol… I have thought about contacting you again. In every way, I imagined how you’d react and now this? This is exactly how I thought you’d be. I knew you’d feel overwhelmed--”

“Oh, I’m not overwhelmed, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol retorted, turning back to face the brunet. “I’m not overwhelmed about the thought of being a father to Kyungsoo… It’s the fact that you kept this from me for seven years. Seven! And Kyungsoo? He probably thought I didn’t care about him this entire time. Not just now, but his entire life.”

“He never thought you that way--”

“And how do you know? Cause he never said anything about it?” Running a hand through his hair, Chanyeol scowled up at the sky. “Believe it or not, he’s actually capable of keeping things to himself. He managed to keep the entire thing a secret from me, didn’t he? Wouldn’t it make sense for him to feel like I’ve just been a ty father who didn’t give a about him enough to be in his life? I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell would feel that way.”

“I’ve tried to fill every role that Kyungsoo needed in his life, Chanyeol… With or without you, he had me.”

“But you kept him from having me in his life.”

Baekhyun furrowed his brows. “I had good reasons why I chose to keep you away from him.”

“And what’re those reasons?” Chanyeol challenged. “Why did you decide on behalf of the both of us to keep us seperated?”

“Because you would’ve left him!” Baekhyun said, his voice wavering. “You would’ve just tossed him to the side the second you got tired of playing ‘dad’.”

Chanyeol stared at him with a blank expression before walking up to the brunet until they were practically chest-to-chest. “I was a stupid kid back then. You know I’ve changed. And yet, that wasn’t good enough for you until what? Until Jongin showed up at your front door? What? Is he your ing boyfriend or something--”

Pressing a finger against the giant’s chest, Baekhyun fought back. “Exactly! A stupid ing kid who couldn’t even take care of himself without me taking care of him and his hangovers!” he said, hotly. “You were coming home drunk practically every night smelling like someone else and you expect me back then to tell you? A few years later, you’re in and out of rehab--yeah. I know about that, too… You were just so unstable, Chanyeol, but you’re right. You have changed and I see that. I just couldn’t risk it.”

“So then why tell me now?”

“Because… I realized you are his father, and you’re the only father he wants. I need to get over my fears that you’ll leave him.” He almost said ‘us’ but managed to stop himself. “That’s why… That’s why I’m letting you now now so that he doesn’t have to keep pretending like he doesn’t know who you are… So that you’ll realize that every time he asks you about you, he’s just trying to figure out who his father is exactly.”

It took a few moments for Baekhyun to notice how close they had actually gotten to each other. He staggered back, drawing his eyes away in an attempt to break the intense air around them, but to no avail. Chanyeol only closed the gap once more, lifting the brunet’s chin up towards him.

“Did you honestly think I would leave him if you ever told me?” There was hurt in his voice and it stung Baekhyun. It was his fault. “Because I won’t. Before you even told me, I said that I was jealous of the bastard who’d be his dad--even if we never spent that much time together. That’s how much he’d grown on me already… Because he’s your son and he’s a part of you. Everything about him reminded me of you, Baek...”

“You can’t honestly say that I was stupid for thinking you’d still be an ,” Baekhyun said quietly. His throat was dry, making it so damn hard to talk without sounding weak… “You’ll never understand how much you hurt me back then. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to Kyungsoo. The disappointment, the sadness-- As long as he was mine, I was never going to let him feel those things.”

“Baek--”

“But you know what? Keeping him from you is actually doing just that. He’s constantly disappointed that you don’t know. He’s upset that he can’t call you ‘dad’, which I know he’s dying to do… So, if he’ll be happy, then fine.” He moved Chanyeol’s hand away from him. “Just don’t hurt him anymore than I have when all I wanted to do was protect him.”

“I would never hurt him.”

“Promises are easy to make, Chanyeol… They’re a lot harder to keep.”

“Listen, I ed up when it came to you,” the giant said in a low voice. He felt his chest tighten, fighting hard to keep his voice stable. “I know I did. I regret it so much—you have no ing idea, Baekhyun... But when I say I won’t hurt him, you have to trust me.”

“He’s my baby, Yeol—”

“He’s mine, too… and I think you should start getting used to having my opinions matter when it comes to him. That means having to trust me.”

Looking back at the house, Baekhyun thought about the boy sleeping in his small room. Everything he had done up until that point was all for him, and it had been fine. However, time passed and Kyungsoo got older, asking for answers Baekhyun was never prepared to give.

He had done something he never thought he’d do, and it felt as if he had knocked down everything he had ever built in order to protect the one person he loved.

“When can I tell him?”

Whipping his head back to his ex, Baekhyun frowned. “When would be the best for you?”

“Whenever you feel like it’s appropriate.”

“I’ve been making decisions for him all his life. I’ll let you decide when you want to start your relationship with him.” It was hard to talk about but they both knew that it truly was ultimately up to Chanyeol. “Just not tonight…please.”

Reluctantly, the giant nodded. He understood the emotional strain of that night and agreed. “Some other time… I’ll tell him when it’s a better time.”

“Okay…”

Taking a quick glance at his watch, Chanyeol checked the time and, in frustration, cursed at the sky. “I want to stay here with you and talk to you. As angry as you make me, I’d rather be here arguing with you than go home and take care of Sehun for Yoora.”

Shaking his head, Baekhyun rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine. We’ll...discuss details some other time. Go home and take care of your nephew.”

“I want to be here and take care of my son.”

“Chanyeol, he has gone six years of his life without you. Waiting until tomorrow won’t make much of a difference.”

-

-

Their first dinner together as an actual family was awkward and unplanned. No one knew that he had told Chanyeol the truth, but the tension between them was so rough, it was hard to miss especially with all the brash glances they threw at each other.

Yoora almost felt guilty for inviting Baekhyun over, but she had been oblivious of any new bad blood between him and her brother. He was reluctant in accepting the invitation and Yoora could tell that he was only partially there due to Kyungsoo’s eagerness to be near Chanyeol (and Sehun), yet it still didn’t make much sense to her. The two of them seemed perfectly fine the other day when Baekhyun dropped Kyungsoo off to be in her brother’s care for the afternoon and evening. Thinking that it was most likely Chanyeol’s fault, she could only give her best effort in trying not to seem extremely annoyed with him.

Even Kyungsoo could sense that something was a bit wrong. His attention was so focused on his dad that he missed Chanyeol looking his way, and Sehun was far too oblivious to really notice anything at all and continuously tried to get Kyungsoo’s attention by tugging on his arm.

“Baekhyun.” Everyone’s eyes shifted to the end of the table where Chanyeol’s father sat. “Will you be coming with me to the rice field on Monday?”

The change in conversation was refreshing. It was tiring talking about the weather and the market. Neither of those things changed often enough to be interesting for any sort of discussion, but it was made worse by the events of the night prior. He could feel Chanyeol constantly staring at him and he knew that it the musician’s entire family could also see it, but were too cautious to ask.

Nodding, Baekhyun gave the man a smile. “Yes. I’ve already told Mr. Lee about it and he’s pretty much used to it by now, so Jongin will cover for me until then.”

“Good, because I need all the help I can get this year. There’s less help since a few of the young ones took off for Seoul.”

It was expected. Every year it got harder and harder for Mr. Park to tend his rice farm, especially during planting season because the high schoolers who often worked for him needed to move on. It was just a part of life and he always wished them the best of luck. Knowing this, Baekhyun always took it upon himself to help every year, leaving to the farm for two--sometimes three--days. He’d always leave Kyungsoo with his parents, sometimes even Yoora since Sehun enjoyed the sleepovers, but with Chanyeol in the picture, he figured that maybe he should leave their son with him this year…

“I want to help.” Baekhyun’s eyes darted across the table where Chanyeol sat. The latter looked at him for a second before looking back at his father. “I’ll go up to the farm with you, too.”

Having Chanyeol with him was the last thing that he expected and Baekhyun knew that he was only doing so for reasons other than just helping his own father. Turning his eyes down at his food, the brunet stared at the fish head in his soup. Oddly enough, it was as if the dead thing was judging him, almost with pity.

“Oh, that’s exciting!” his mother commented, excited to see her son try to dig back to the roots of his youth. “It’s been so long. I don’t know if I’ll have the proper boots for you. Maybe I’ll find something in the shed. Yoora? Do you think your husband might have a pair he could let Chanyeol borrow?”

Glaring at her brother, Yoora responded back to her mother politely with a slight undertone that only Chanyeol caught. “Maybe. I’ll have to ask him and get back to you on that.”

“I might have an extra pair,” Mr. Park said, cutting into the conversation. “I’ll see if I can get it for you tomorrow.”

“Great.”

Great. Baekhyun closed his eyes momentarily. He didn’t know what Chanyeol was planning, but he wasn’t feeling too great about it either. Feeling Kyungsoo’s hand touch his, the brunet’s attention broke from his thoughts and went straight to the six-year old.

“What is it, Soo?” he asked.

“Sehun wants to play.”

“Oh… Well, are you finished?”

The boy nodded, showing his dad his clean bowl and neatly placed sticks. Giving him a gentle rub on the back, Baekhyun allowed him to be excused. Excited, Sehun jumped out of his seat and took Kyungsoo’s hand.

“Let’s go upstairs and play pirates!”

“Okay.”

Baekhyun couldn’t tell if the boy was actually enthused or not. It was pretty hard to tell, but when the children had gone, he looked at his own dishes and found that he didn’t have much appetite left. Between the fact that everything was so complicated and the prospects of being alone with Chanyeol for a few days didn’t seem all too appealing, not a lot of things stay well with him. Nonetheless, he forced himself to eat the rest as he wondered what was going through Chanyeol’s head.

-

-

Baekhyun offered to wash the dishes in the back kitchen with Yoora when it came to clean, leaving Chanyeol in the dining area with his father to discuss things pertaining to farming and what he needed to do. Despite growing up in the same place, the giant seemed to have forgotten all the summers they went up to the farm. Letting out a sigh, he scrubbed the thin ceramic dish in his hand harder. The sponge he was using was so worn down, he was practically washing it with his hand. Maybe he’d stop by Yixing's store and buy them a new one. He felt bad.

Noticing the way the brunet was washing, Yoora frowned and stopped him, touching his hand. “You’re going to break the plate if you keep that up, you know.”

“Right. I’m sorry,” Baekhyun replied, giving her an apologetic smile. “I’ll be careful.”

“Uh huh.”

Turning his head to her, Baekhyun cocked his head. “What?”

“Nothing,” Yoora said, shrugging. “I’m not saying anything.”

“Uh huh.” Baekhyun laughed when the older woman hit him on the arm with a wet hand. “Did I really deserve that?”

“Yeah—because you’re acting weird. That idiot of a brother is, too.” The mere mention of Chanyeol dampened the playful mood in a second. Deciding to push it further, Yoora glanced over before grabbing another dish. “So, what happened? Why’re you two like this?”

“What’re you talking about? We’ve always been like this since he got here.”

“That’s not true and you know it.”

Should he tell her? Baekhyun honestly didn’t know when to tell everyone else. The sooner, the better…

“I told him.”

Confused, Yoora stopped washing. “Told him what?”

Baekhyun stopped, giving her a look. “I told him.”

It took a few seconds, but then it clicked and Yoora dropped the dish back into the sink. Baekhyun flinched at the sound, but latter didn’t seem to notice anything else in the midst of her shock. “He knows!? When did you tell him? Yesterday? Baekhyun, is that why he kept looking at you? Well, .”

Baekhyun blinked. Yoora rarely cursed.

“Was he angry?”

Remembering their fight from the night before, Baekhyun was pretty sure that Chanyeol was more than just angry. It was justified and it was something that he had feared for a long time, but it wasn’t as terrible as the other scenarios he had prepared for. “He was…but it’s not like I was expecting him to be completely fine with it.”

Yoora was silent. Then, she asked, “What does he think about Kyungsoo?”

“He said he cared for him, so I think that’s a start… He wasn’t put off by the idea of being a father. Just pissed at me for never telling him.”

“Really?” She looked a bit shocked, which didn’t surprise Baekhyun at all. “Every time I talk to him about Sehun, he makes a comment about how he doesn’t want kids. He makes it seem like he hates the idea. He loves Sehun, but to be honest, I thought it was only because he was his nephew. He basically had to love him.”

“I know.” And maybe it was that way for Kyungsoo, too… That Chanyeol had to love and care for him, similar how he felt towards Sehun. For now, it seemed like obligatory love, but Baekhyun had a feeling that over time, it’d be more natural—at least, he hoped. “But I’m giving him a chance for Kyungsoo’s sake.”

“That’s good… I’m proud of you.” Yoora smiled. Then, she picked up the dish she had dropped as they tried to finish the last ones in the sink. “Can I tell Sehun that Kyungsoo’s his cousin, then? He’d be pretty excited.”

“I guess that’s one good thing to come out of this.”

“They’re practically brothers.”

Laughing, Baekhyun had to admit that they were. Especially since Sehun always asked where Kyungsoo was all the time or just whenever he saw the brunet. “They were honestly raised together.”

“Basically.”

Finishing the last of them, Yoora washed her hands and quickly dried them off using a cloth on the side. “Well, that’s it. And hey, listen. Sorry about tonight. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t expect you to.”

“If you need anything, just let me know. I won’t tell my parents until you’re ready.”

Shaking his head, Baekhyun waved it off. “It’s alright. Go ahead. I think it’d make it easier on everyone if we’re all on the same page.”

“That would actually be great because they’d be so h—” Yoora stopped herself when she noticed Chanyeol brooding figure standing in the doorway behind them. Clearly , she touched Baekhyun’s arm and nodded in the giant’s direction. “I’m going to go check up on Sehun and Kyungsoo upstairs. I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Yoora—” Baekhyun called out, but she continued to leave him, only stopping in front of Chanyeol momentarily.

“So much for never planning on having kids, huh?”

The brunet expected the latter to glare his sister. It was a sensitive topic and Yoora’s comment was everything but that. Contrary to what he expected, Chanyeol only rolled his eyes, scoffing.

“Can you shut up? You’re annoying.”

Yoora shrugged, patting the man on the back before she went on her way. “And you’re stupid—but it’s okay. Your son took after Baekhyun in the brains department.”

Baekhyun tried to keep a straight face, but in the end, he couldn’t help but grin at the remark. The giant didn’t seem to mind and even let Yoora go without retaliating. The light-hearted joke put him slightly more at ease than before.

Giving his full attention back to Baekhyun, Chanyeol cocked his head. “I would’ve argued with her, but I had a feeling that she was probably right.”

“I’m not saying she’s wrong,” Baekhyun responded. “But anyways, what can I do for you? Or were you just passing through to the back—”

“Actually…“ his ex said, softly interrupting him, “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Baekhyun wanted to guess at what it was, trying to read the latter’s thoughts through his dark eyes and body language, but it was difficult. However, he got a weird feeling it wouldn’t be good so he silently braced himself for whatever it was that Chanyeol had to say.

“What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking since yesterday… about us.” The brunet froze. Before he could answer back, Chanyeol continued. “I thought really hard about Kyungsoo, too. I want to build a relationship with him.”

“Of course.” He could feel his throat drying up, but Baekhyun tried his best to ignore it.

“So, I want to tell him tomorrow. I’ll pick him up from school and take him to get ice cream by Yixing's. We’ll talk and I’ll find a way to tell him.”

Why was it so hard to hear the things Chanyeol was saying? Baekhyun had been expecting it for so long, but as the giant spoke, it was all becoming a harsh, new reality.

“I understand.”

“I’m going to spend as much time with him as possible, but I’ll be going back to Seoul next week… And I thought it over so much last night, but, Baek, I…” Chanyeol’s jaw locked, making it evident that he found the next part difficult to say. For a split moment, his eyes diverted elsewhere until he exhaled and turned back to look the brunet straight in his face. Stuffing his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, he finally gathered up the courage to blurt out the three words that Baekhyun feared from the very beginning. “I want custody.”

a/n: here i am 10 years later *disappears for another 3 months*  But anyways, sorry for any typos and Merry Christmas/New Years! Hope this was worth the wait. Also, it got featured so thank you and hi to all the new subscribers~~~ Welcome to the garbage can.

I also made a Ko-Fi account ;u; as you all know, whenever I disappear on hiatus, it's because of school and I spend like $50/week on coffee or just to support my fanfic hobby (lets say that I wrote a decent chapter and not a crappy one that you like ORZ), this is my ko-fi link! So if anyone want to donate for that fund, this is my ko-fi links :'S ( Link 4 my Dutch! ). Thanks a bunch, s!