“I wanna wear my Elsa dress,” Sooyoung declared, forcing Baekhyun to hold back a sigh as he knelt down next to his daughter on the floor in front of her dresser.

“Your Elsa dress is dirty.  What about—” Baekhyun paused to turn to look into Sooyoung’s dresser drawer, eyes scanning for a target to use for negotiation.  Finally, he settled on the smiling face of a small dog.  Perhaps Paw Patrol would save him once again.  “How about you wear Skye today?” he asked, turning back to Sooyoung with a pink sleeved shirt emblazoned with the blonde and brown dog on its front.

Sooyoung eyed the shirt dubiously for a few seconds, making Baekhyun hold his breath.  It wouldn’t be the first time he had lost a clothing battle with his precious three, almost four, year old.  In fact, he had already lost twice this week, which was why he was really hoping Sooyoung went for his offer.  He had already sent her to daycare in her blue Elsa dress three days in a row.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, but was really only a few seconds, Sooyoung reached for the shirt.  “I like Skye,” she declared.

Baekhyun held back a cheer.  Score one for him today.  “Do you need my help to put it on?” he asked, watching as Sooyoung began to struggle with the shirt, trying to lift it up over her head after having slipped her arms inside.

Sooyoung’s response was expected.  “No! I do it!” She shouted, continuing to struggle.  Baekhyun shook his head as Sooyoung continued to try to wiggle her way into her shirt.  He let her work at it for a couple of seconds before reaching out and helping widen the opening at the bottom of the shirt so that she could slip her head inside.  He let go as soon as her arms popped through the arm holes and she started to pull the shirt down over her chest, head popping through the top with a proud smile.

“I did it!” she declared, making Baekhyun chuckle as he reached out to ruffle Sooyoung’s hair.  

“Yes, you did sweetheart,” he affirmed.  “Try these next,” he offered, handing over a matching pair of pink pants that had Sooyoung carefully balancing on one foot as she wobbled into them.  Baekhyun didn’t have to help this time.  Sooyoung had almost perfected pants and socks, which Baekhyun handed over next, silently cheering as Sooyoung continued to dress herself.  After two days of struggle, this morning was proving to be a welcome return to form.  The ice queen was gone.  His little angel was back.

---

Chanyeol was organizing the bookshelf when the patter of little feet against the floor drew his attention away from the shelf.  He had only a few seconds to brace himself before he was tackled by a brightly smiling Sooyoung.

“Mr. Chanyeol!” She exclaimed as she barreled into him, making Chanyeol fall back from his squat to the floor as her small arms tried to wrap around his chest.

“Good morning Sooyoung,” he said, smiling as her small hands gave him a squeeze before familiar shoes entered Chanyeol’s line of sight, accompanied by a heavy sigh.

“Sooyoung, what have I said about running into people like that?  You could hurt someone,” Mr. Byun said, eyes tinged with a hint of worry as he neared the pair.

Sooyoung’s response was swift as she looked between Chanyeol and her dad.  “But Mr. Chanyeol is okay, right?” she asked, looking up at Chanyeol nervously as her dad came to a stop beside Chanyeol’s waist, expression making Chanyeol nervous as he slowly bobbed his head.  He needed to play this one carefully.

“Yes, Sooyoung, I am okay, but, your dad is right, you need to slow down before you hug someone.  I did fall down,” he explained, watching as Sooyoung’s bright expression clouded, a frown overtaking her features.

“Sorry,” she whispered, eyes going to the floor.  Chanyeol reached out to pat her head, hoping to soothe.  It was too early in the morning for tears.  Not to mention, once one kid started, it wouldn’t be long before he had a whole room to deal with.

“It’s okay Sooyoung.  Just be more careful next time, okay?”

Sooyoung was nodding along with his words, “Okay,” she murmured, still not nearly as happy as she had been moments ago.  Chanyeol had an idea for how to fix that though.

“Sooyoung, did you know we got some new toys yesterday?” he asked, watching as her eyes lit up in excitement, quickly looking around the room.

“Where,” She asked, spinning in place in an attempt to identify the new additions.

Chanyeol chuckled as he began to push himself up off the floor, accepting the hand that appeared in front of him courtesy of Mr. Byun.  “If you go find Kyungsoo, he’ll tell you,” Chanyeol assured.  “He’s in the snack room.”

It only took those words to have Sooyoung turning away from Chanyeol and Mr. Byun, who was fruitlessly yelling out after her to not run as she bolted towards the alcove that contained the snack room.

Mr. Byun ruffled his hair as she disappeared.  “It’s hopeless,” he breathed out, mild frustration tingeing his tone.

Chanyeol chuckled softly as he turned to finish reorganizing the bookshelf.  “She’ll learn.  Besides, running indoors isn’t the worst habit a three year-old could have,” he consoled.

“I suppose,” Mr. Byun conceded, squatting down besides Chanyeol to help him put the remaining books on the shelf, making Chanyeol start.

“You don’t have to help,” he protested while simultaneously sliding over to give Mr. Byun space.  Experience had taught him he wouldn’t be winning this argument.

Mr. Byun greeted Chanyeol’s protests with a shrug.  “You’d be done by now if my daughter hadn’t taken you out,” he said with a laugh.

“True,” Chanyeol acknowledged with a chuckle as they began to pick up the remaining books off the floor.

“I see the dress stayed home today,” Chanyeol commented lightly, smiling as Mr. Byun let out another laugh mixed with a sigh.

“Finally.  I was afraid I’d never get her to take it off,” Mr. Byun said, shaking his head.

“Don’t feel too bad.  Once we had a kid in the same outfit for almost two weeks.  They really have a mind of their own sometimes,” Chanyeol said softly, making Baekhyun shake his head.

“They really do,” he agreed, falling silent until the last book was slid into place and they both were standing up from the floor.  

“Thanks for your help,” Chanyeol said, watching as Mr. Byun shook his head in reply.

“It was no problem.  I’ll be back at five like usual.”

Chanyeol nodded.  “Of course, see you then,” he said with a smile, watching as Mr. Byun turned and headed towards the snack room to bid Sooyoung farewell before heading towards the door of the center.

As he disappeared from view, Kyungsoo came out of the snack room, an excited Sooyoung behind him as she examined one of the new dolls that had arrived yesterday.

Kyungsoo’s elbow dug into Chanyeol’s side once he reached him.  “Done staring?” He asked.

Chanyeol jumped.  “Kyungsoo,” he hissed, looking around them to see if any curious ears had caught his co-carer’s words.

“What?” Kyungsoo said with a soft snicker, “you were.  He’s single you know.  You could ask him out.”

“He’s busy,” Chanyeol said dismissively, cheeks flushing as he turned to head towards the arts and crafts cabinets.  They needed to be organized too, and it’d be best if he could get to it before the rest of their class arrived.  Sooyoung was always the earliest, a special arrangement made for Mr. Byun who taught at the high school across town.  

“Jongin and I aren’t?” Kyungsoo persisted, trailing after him to help.

“That’s different,” Chanyeol protested, handing Kyungsoo a stack of multi-colored construction paper as he began to place things in the correct bins.

“How?” Kyungsoo asked, grunting as Chanyeol piled on more paper for Kyungsoo to hold in retaliation for Kyungsoo’s persistence.

“You guys got together in college,” Chanyeol replied, wondering indeed, if Kyungsoo and Jongin could have ever ended up together if not for that.  The park ranger and daycare operater weren’t exactly likely to have crossed paths elsewhere.

“Do you want to go back to college?”

“Definitely not,” Chanyeol said with a snort.  College had been fun at times, sure, but going back to studying and tests was not welcome.

“Then…” Kyungsoo gestured with his hand to the doors through which Mr. Byun had departed as Chanyeol unburdened his arms, dumping the pile of papers into the bin helpfully marked ‘Craft Paper.’

Chanyeol said nothing, focusing on making sure the papers were neatly stacked.  Kyungsoo stepped closer, bumping his side.  “C’mon Chanyeol.  There are only so many young, single, gay bachelors who love kids.  Even fewer who have already taken it a step further and adopted a kid.  He’s literally perfect for you.”

Chanyeol sighed softly.

Kyungsoo wasn’t wrong.

Mr. Byun was perfect.  

Chanyeol had known that from their very first interview with him where he’d laid out Sooyoung’s adoption and his uality in a cool even tone, wanting to make sure that no one at the day care center would have a problem with the arrangement.  It hadn’t been difficult for Chanyeol and Kyungsoo to assure him that it would be fine, given their shared uality.  The revelation seemed to put Mr. Byun at ease, and the rest of their conversation about Sooyoung’s likes, dislikes, and habits only served to further reinforce that he was doing his best to be an excellent parent.

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had accepted Sooyoung’s application to their co-owned daycare and preschool without any reservations.  Sure enough, even with his busy schedule, Mr. Byun was never late when picking Sooyoung up and always came to parent meetings.  It was clear in every interaction he had with Sooyoung how much he loved her, and how much she loved him back.

Did Chanyeol want that?

Yes.

Did Chanyeol think he fit in the picture with them?

That was a harder question.  

“I’ll think about it,” Chanyeol conceded before turning to focus on the door through which a stream of kids would soon be arriving, aged two to four.  It would surely be another day of laughter, screams and tears.

Chanyeol was ready for all of it.

---

They lived near the foot of the mountain range, the last somewhat larger city before the ground turned steep.  It made for a beautiful fall season, and easy trips in the winter to go skiing and snowboarding.  It also meant that sometimes, weather took unexpected turns.

Baekhyun became aware that something was amiss when he looked out his window around 11 am.  The sky was darkening quickly with gray clouds.  There was supposedly going to be some light snow in the early afternoon, but the sky looked far more ominous.  Baekhyun turned away from the window to continue his lecture, but in the back of his mind, he was already planning, trying to figure out what he was going to do if the storm was worse than expected.  It took him thirty minutes to drive back to the daycare.  Another fifteen to get home.  He hoped the roads stayed passable that long.

---

Chanyeol noticed it first, big wet flakes coming down from the sky as the kids ran around outside.  He was shepherding them inside to stay warm as Kyungsoo drew up next to him at the door, evaluating.

“I think we may need to send them home early,” he murmured softly.

Chanyeol nodded his head.  “I agree.”

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo started working the phones at the daycare center, trying to track down the parents of all their wards.  The last thing they wanted was for one of their charges to be stranded without a mom or dad to wait out the storm.  Parents started trickling in soon after, picking up their kids and taking them home one by one.

Finally, by 2:00, they were down to only one child - Sooyoung.

“Did you get a hold of Mr. Byun?” Chanyeol asked from where he was seated next to Sooyoung on the floor, handing her crayons from a box every time she demanded a new color.  She was currently on black, and Chanyeol was pretty certain that she was adding hair to a very rough stick figure of Mr. Byun.

“Yeah - he said he’d be heading over once all his students were picked up,” Kyungsoo said, running a hand worriedly through his hair as he looked out the window.  The snow was past 5 inches now and not showing any sign of stopping.  In fact, they seemed to be headed for white out conditions.

“They aren’t all out yet?” Chanyeol asked.

Kyungsoo sighed and looked towards the clock.  “That was thirty minutes ago.  We should probably call again.”

“Yeah,” Chanyeol agreed with a nod.  “I’ll do it this time if you want to take over coloring duties for a bit?” Chanyeol offered as he handed over the blue crayon Sooyoung had demanded.

“Sure,” Kyungsoo said with a small laugh, taking Chanyeol’s place as he stood up, pulling his phone from his apron pocket as he went.

Chanyeol had just tapped Mr. Byun’s number when the lights flickered once, and then went out.  Sooyoung started crying.  Kyungsoo was working to shush her as Chanyeol raised his phone to his ear, praying Mr. Byun would pick up.

---

“I still have one student left.  His mom just promised me she’d be here in five minutes,” Baekhyun said softly, looking out the window again as he spoke to Chanyeol over the phone.  The roads were really starting to look bad, what little he could see of them through the heavily falling swirl of snow.

A sigh greeted his words.  “The roads are getting worse.”

“I know,” Baekhyun replied, biting his lip worriedly.  What was he going to do?  He couldn’t leave a student here, but if he didn’t leave soon…

“We have no heat with the power out either.”

Baekhyun ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it in frustration.  “I don’t - I’ll be there as soon as I can, but I…” he gave up with a groan, tugging his hair harder.  At times like these he was reminded of the comments from people who rejected his adoption applications.  

A single parent?  No nearby support system?  You won’t be able to take care of a child by yourself.  I’m sorry, it’s a no.

Baekhyun had always wanted to prove those agencies wrong.  To prove that the one that finally accepted him was right.  That he could do it by himself, but right now?  Right now, Baekhyun sure felt like a failure.

He hadn’t come up with a solution before Chanyeol’s voice interrupted his melancholy thoughts.  “Where do you live?”

“What?” Baekhyun asked, jumping slightly.  

“Where do you live?  Kyungsoo and I, we can’t really afford to stay here much longer, and Kyungsoo’s place has a great fire place and a gas stove for cooking.  If your place is close to his, perhaps we’ll leave now and just take Sooyoung with us, if you’re okay with that,” Chanyeol explained, making Baekhyun's head spin with new possibilities.

Was this a good idea?  Was it safe?  Did he really have a choice?

“Crescent, we live off Crescent,” Baekhyun said, biting his lip again as he waited for Chanyeol’s reply.

He was greeted with a relieved sigh.  “That’s only two blocks up from Kyungsoo’s neighborhood.  I really think we’d be better off if we take Sooyoung there.  Do you approve?  Kyungsoo and I will both be with her at all times.  It’ll be like a field trip.”

Baekhyun gave his hair another pull as he nodded against his phone.  “Yes, do it.  Take her with you.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.  Text me the exact address,” Baekhyun said, praying he didn’t regret this latter.

“I will Mr. Byun.  Please drive safely.”

“I will,” Baekhyun replied, hanging up his phone with a heavy sigh as he turned to face his final student.

Five more minutes.

Hopefully that was all it took.

—-

“We’re taking her to my place?” Kyungsoo asked, stepping up to Chanyeol’s side with Sooyoung on one hip and the flashlight from his phone gleaming in the other.  She had stopped crying, but she still seemed a bit spooked.  When she realized Chanyeol’s arms were available again, she was reaching out with a whine that had Chanyeol taking her from Kyungsoo’s grasp.

“Where daddy?” Sooyoung asked, hands clutching Chanyeol’s shirt as he began to move towards the door of the classroom, Kyungsoo leading the way with the light of his phone through the blackened halls.

“Your dad is on his way to Mr. Soo’s house,” he reassured as they reached the front door.  Only three coats remained, his, Sooyoung’s and Kyungsoo’s.  He knelt down to the floor, hoping to convince Sooyoung to put hers on first.

“Mr. Soo’s?” Sooyoung questioned, brow furrowing as she allowed Chanyeol to set her feet on the ground.

Chanyeol nodded as he reached out an arm for Sooyoung’s coat.  Kyungsoo had it in his grasp in an instant.  “Yeah, we’re going to go meet him there.  It’ll be an adventure,” he said encouragingly, watching as Sooyoung eyed him warily.

“An a’venture?” she questioned.

“Yes, like when Peter Pan took Wendy and the boys to Neverland.  It’ll be fun,” Chanyeol promised, holding up Sooyoung’s coat.  “But first you have to put this on so we can go outside.  It’s really cold and we don’t want your daddy to worry about you getting cold, do we?”

“No! Daddy no worry!” Sooyoung agreed, holding out her arms and allowing Chanyeol to get her bundled up.

“Perfect, “he said as he buttoned up the final button of Sooyoung’s coat before bopping her nose lightly with a finger.  “Now wait a second while Kyungsoo and I get ready too,“ he said, standing up and taking his coat from Kyungsoo’s waiting hands.

“I just realized,” Kyungsoo said as Chanyeol got himself wrapped up, “We have a problem.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked, grunting as he got his coat pulled on.

“I don’t have the car seats.  I took them out this morning to clean the covers.”

.  Chanyeol froze for a second, mind whirring.  Kyungsoo usually kept spare car seats in his trunk, just in case, but if they weren’t there… Sooyoung definitely was still too small for a seatbelt alone.  Chanyeol had watched enough child safety videos to know that.

“We’ll have to think of something,” Chanyeol said, leaning down to pick Sooyoung up from the floor again.  “We can’t stay here.”

“We can’t,” Kyungsoo agreed, grabbing his keys by the light of his phone.

They ended up having Sooyoung sit in the middle seat in the back of the car, Chanyeol pulling the belt as tight as he could across the top of her legs before sitting next to her and placing an arm across her body.  It was far from ideal, but the circumstances hadn’t left him with many options.

Thankfully, the ten minute drive to Kyungsoo’s house was as uneventful as it could be, given the weather, and Sooyoung was blessedly distracted by reruns of Paw Patrol on Chanyeol’s phone as they settled down to wait for Mr. Byun.  

Surely he’d be there soon.

---

Sooyoung fell asleep against Chanyeol’s side.  He smiled down at her for a second before turning his attention to the glow of his apple watch.  It was almost four.  Where was Mr. Byun?

Kyungsoo seemed to be wondering the same thing as his eyes met Chanyeol’s.

“He’s late,” he whispered softly.

Chanyeol nodded in agreement.  “Even if the mom was late, it’s been two hours…”

“Has he called?” Kyungsoo asked, picking up his phone and tapping against it’s screen to check his as Chanyeol did the same.

“Not mine,” Chanyeol murmured.

“Not me either,” Kyungsoo echoed.

Chanyeol frowned.  This was really unlike Mr Byun.  If he got held up, he would be the first to call.  The fact that he hadn’t… the fact that he hadn’t made Chanyeol nervous, really nervous.

He carefully wiggled away from Sooyoung’s side, moving a pillow to take his place.  Sooyoung fell against it gently, not stirring.  Chanyeol gave her one final look over before following after Kyungsoo into the kitchen.

He already had his phone to his ear when Chanyeol entered.

“Is he answering?” Chanyeol asked.  Kyungsoo shook his head.  Chanyeol ruffled his hair.  Now what?  What should they do?

“The school isn’t either.  I don’t think he’s there,” Kyungsoo said, frowning as he pulled his phone away from his ear.

Chanyeol pulled at his hair.  What now?  How were they going to find Mr. Byun when he wasn’t answering his phone and he wasn’t at the high school?  How—

Chanyeol froze as his eyes fell upon a picture of Kyungsoo and Jongin on the wall.  Jongin, of course.

“Kyungsoo, where is Jongin?” Chanyeol asked, turning away from the picture and back to Kyungsoo, who was still staring worriedly at his phone.

Kyungsoo looked up with a hint of surprise.  “Plowing the roads around the park like always,” he said, clearly confused.

“Can we call him?”  Chanyeol asked, watching as his plan dawned on Kyungsoo.

“You want him to look for him,” he said.  It wasn’t a question, but Chanyeol nodded his head anyway.

“Yeah, he’s the only person I know with a snow plow enabled truck at the moment,” Chanyeol replied.

“Good point,” Kyungsoo agreed, already raising his phone back up to his ear.

As he explained the situation to Jongin over the phone, Chanyeol glanced back towards the living room where Sooyoung slept on.  He prayed when she woke up, it’d be to the face of her father, as smiley and cheerful as he had been that morning.

—-

Jongin called them back about an hour later.

“I found his car.  It was in a snowbank off the side of the road.”

Chanyeol felt his stomach drop.  “Is he okay,” he asked, hovering over where Kyungsoo had placed his phone on the counter, speaker mode activated.

“I think he’ll be alright, but I’m taking him to the hospital now.  He was unconscious when I found him,” Jongin replied.

“Is he still unconscious now?” Kyungsoo asked, squeezing up beside Chanyeol to speak into the phone.

“He’s in and out.  He couldn’t walk and something seems wrong with his arm.  I’ll let you know more as I know more.  For now, can you take care of Sooyoung?  That’s the only coherent thing I’ve heard him say.”

“Yes, of course,” Chanyeol replied instantly, eyes flicking towards the living room where Sooyoung still slept.  “Of course we’ll do that.  Tell him not to worry.”

“I will,” Jongin assured, exchanging a few more words before hanging up so that he could focus on the road.

Chanyeol watched as Kyungsoo hung up the phone before sighing as he turned towards the living room.  “What do we do now?” He asked.

Kyungsoo let out a heavy breath before replying.  “We’re going to have to tell her that her dad isn’t coming tonight.  There’s no way we can risk driving in this weather, and even if we could… she’d probably end up needing to sleep in the hospital.  That’s no place for a child.”

Chanyeol nodded solemnly.  “Yeah…” Chanyeol agreed, voice trailing off as he racked his brain for a way to make Sooyoung more comfortable spending a night away from the only father she’s ever known.  Suddenly, it came to him.  “Do you still have your sleeping bags in the basement?” he asked, making Kyungsoo blink in surprise before nodding his head.

“Yes, of course.  Why?” he asked, clearly not following Chanyeol’s logic.

“Because, I have an idea,” Chanyeol explained, heading for the basement door.

Kyungsoo followed after, waiting to hear Chanyeol’s plan.

---

Chanyeol’s plan consisted of setting up a mini camp in the living room, complete with tent and sleeping bags.  The movement of the furniture woke Sooyoung up, but her grogginess was soon replaced with excitement as they set up the room for camp.

The activity kept her distracted for a while, but finally, once everything was put into place and Kyungsoo was trying to cook dinner with the kitchen illuminated by candles, Sooyoung asked the dreaded question.

“When is daddy coming?” she asked, sitting on a chair at the kitchen table, legs swinging as she looked up from her drawing.  This one looked a lot like the camp site they’d set up in the living room.

Chanyeol glanced over at Kyungsoo nervously before sliding into the chair next Sooyoung, reaching out a hand to touch her shoulder.  “Sooyoung, sweetie, your dad, he won’t be coming tonight,” he explained, watching as Sooyoung’s eyes widened in shock and horror.

“He got… hurt on his way here.  He’s going to be alright, but, he won’t be able to come tonight.”

“But, daddy... camping… he not come?”

Chanyeol could see the tears welling up in Sooyoung’s eyes already.  He reached for her carefully, scooping her up into his arms, hoping to keep her calm.  “We’re going camping tonight, and then tomorrow we’ll go visit your dad together.  How does that sound?”  he asked softly, already able to tell Sooyoung didn’t like the idea.  His mind was scrambling for something more to say to ward off the coming temper tantrum when Kyungsoo appeared next to him, a cookie in his hand.

“Sooyoung, do you want to try this? Your dad said you could have it,” he said, holding out one of the large chocolate chip cookies he’d made earlier in the week.

Sooyoung’s glassy eyes bulged further, staring at the treat.  “Daddy said?”  She questioned.

Kyungsoo nodded, holding the cookie closer.  “He said since you were going to be a big girl and go camping by yourself, you deserved a treat, but only if you were good.  You’re going to be good, right?”  Kyungsoo asked, using the same voice he did back at the daycare center when trying to coerce kids into following the rules.  Chanyeol had that skill too, most of the time, but not right now.

Thankfully, Kyungsoo’s bribe seemed to be working.  Sooyoung took several mighty sniffs before reaching towards the cookie, taking it as she promised to be a good girl.  Kyungsoo smiled encouragingly as he patted her head before returning to the stove, leaving Chanyeol and Sooyoung alone to finish her latest masterpiece as she munched away on her cookie.

“Let’s add your dad to the picture.  That way he can see how much fun you can have when you go together,” Chanyeol suggested, making Sooyoung smile excitedly as she reached towards the black crayon.

“Yeah,” she agreed, starting to draw another wobbly stick figure next to the one Chanyeol had been informed was Sooyoung herself a few minutes ago.

---

True to their word, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol took Sooyoung to visit Mr. Byun the following morning once the roads were cleared.  She was squirming in Chanyeol’s arms the second they pushed open the hospital room door, but Chanyeol found himself holding on tighter as Mr. Byun’s head snapped towards them from where he lay, legs elevated and one of his arms in a sling as he rested propped up by the hospital bed.

Jongin had mentioned the concussion, and the severe wrist and ankle sprains to him already, but somehow, seeing it brought the injuries home.  Mr. Byun was hurt, badly, and a three year old crashing into him probably wasn’t going to help things.  They’d reminded Sooyoung of this multiple times, but Chanyeol wasn’t really surprised that she had seemingly already forgotten.  Instead, he looked to Mr. Byun, who’s momentary surprise was transitioning to a wide smile as he flung his good arm wide.

“Hi baby,” he said, shifting slightly as Chanyeol lowered a squirming Sooyoung down into Mr. Byun’s side.  He winced as Sooyoung clung to him, crying, but soon enough he began to shush her, calming her down as Chanyeol and Kyungsoo slipped out of the room, giving them space.

---

Baekhyun didn’t remember much about the accident.  He remembered getting in his car and leaving the highschool to head towards Kyungsoo’s house.  He remembered driving down the road, but he didn’t really remember hitting the patch of ice that spun his car into a snowbank and led to his injuries.

He supposed that might actually be a good thing.  It probably wasn’t a very pleasant thing to remember, but one thing he definitely did remember when he came to in his hospital bed was Sooyoung.  He had been assured she was being well taken care of, but that really hadn’t put Baekhyun at ease.  How could it?

Now though, with Sooyoung back in his arms, Baekhyun found his worry about her well-being transforming into something new.  He had Sooyoung back by his side, but, he’d already spoken with the doctors.  He was advised to stay on bed rest for the next few days, and even after that, he wasn’t going to be able to return to work until his wrist healed, which would take at least two weeks.  His ankle would take even longer, 8 weeks, and then, he’d probably need physical therapy for a few weeks to be walking on it normally.

That was a massive undertaking without a three-year old.

With one, it was almost impossible.

And Baekhyun didn’t know how he was going to handle it.

He was going through his options as the door to his hospital room was pushed open once more, revealing Chanyeol and two bags of fast food.  “I figured you could use something other than hospital food, but I can come back later,” he explained, keeping his voice low as his eyes fell to where Sooyoung was curled up against Baekhyun’s side.

Baekhyun shook his head, beckoning Chanyeol to come in.  “She’s a deep sleeper, and you’re right, I really could use something more tasty,” he said, smiling as Chanyeol bobbed his head and stepped inside, carefully pulling a chair over to Baekhyun’s bed before sitting down and reaching into a bag to pull out a hamburger.

“I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I just got cheese and bacon,” he explained, unwrapping the burger halfway before handing it off to Baekhyun’s waiting hand.

“That sounds heavenly,” Baekhyun said with a laugh, taking a massive bite of the burger the second it was in his grasp and letting out a quiet moan.  The eggs the hospital had served him for breakfast had nothing on the juicy, beefy taste now dancing across his taste buds.

The sound made Chanyeol chuckle, making Baekhyun blush before he continued to eat more quietly, Chanyeol joining him as he unwrapped his own burger while inclining his head in Sooyoung’s direction.  “Is she going to be okay?” he asked.

Sooyoung had woken up once during the middle of their sleep over in the living room.  It had taken quite some time for Chanyeol to console her and get her back to sleep, and then that morning, not even Kyungsoo’s cinnamon rolls had put more than a temporary smile on her face.

Baekhyun frowned slightly before giving a slight nod.  “I think so.  She’s calmed down at least.  Now I just have to figure out how to take care of her for the next few weeks,” he said, trying to laugh at the end to make his tone light, but clearly missing the mark as a concerned expression overtook Chanyeol’s features.

“Actually,” Chanyeol replied, tone uncertain, “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow.  “What?” he asked.

“Well,” Chanyeol his lips nervously before continuing, “your wrist is severely sprained and your ankle is too… do you… do you have someone who can help you out for the next few weeks?” he asked softly.

Baekhyun let out a heavy sigh before turning away to look out the small hospital window.  “You know the answer to that,” he replied.  He’d had to write it all out on Sooyoung’s forms when he’d registered for the daycare.  Brother, lives 500 miles away, but is authorized to pick Soyoung up.  Grandparents, out of the picture.  Friends, two, but live a town over, also authorized to pick Sooyoung up.  

Baekhyun caught Chanyeol nodding in his reflection on the window.  “I do,” he murmured softly.  “Have you called your brother?” he asked.

Baekhyun shook his head.  “No.”  He hadn’t.  His brother had just had his second child.  He couldn’t exactly call him and ask for him to come visit for a few weeks.  He had his own mouths to feed.

“And your friends?” Chanyeol probed gently, voice still soft.

“On their honeymoon,” Baekhyun replied.  “I’d never forgive myself if I bothered them.  They’d come, in a heartbeat.”

“They sound like good friends,” Chanyeol replied, making a small smile arise on Baekhyun’s face as he thought of Minseok and Jongdae.

“They are,” he agreed, “but I can’t bother them.  Not with this.” he said, looking down at his left arm in its sling with a sigh.

“What are you going to do then?” Chanyeol asked

“Honestly, I don’t know,” Baekhyun said, turning back to face Chanyeol head on.  “I have no idea.”  He really didn’t.  Every option looked like a dead end, and there was no way he could go to his parents.  They might not even pick up the phone.

Baekhyun started as Chanyeol held out a napkin towards him, only realizing as he stared at it that tears were rolling down his cheeks.  He reached out to take the napkin while lowering his gaze.  “Thanks, darn pain meds are making me loopy,” he grumbled, trying to will away the sudden tears.  He didn’t want anyone to see him like this.  He was strong.  He could handle this.  He’d figure it out.  He just needed… a nanny.  For two weeks.  How in the world was he going to pay for that?  

Baekhyun’s mind was spinning, trying to figure out how to balance his various accounts to afford it when Chanyeol’s voice cut through his thoughts.

“Can I help you?”

Baekhyun’s head snapped back up, eyes still wet as he stared at Chanyeol, whose face was tinged with concern.  “What?” he asked.

“Can I help you?” Chanyeol repeated, handing over another napkin that Baekhyun used to blow his nose before shaking his head.

“I’ll figure it out.  You’ve already done so much.  I can’t trouble you anymore,” he said.

“It’s not a trouble.  I’m offering to help, if that’s okay,” Chanyeol countered, gaze lowering as his tone dropped off, hesitant and uncertain.

Baekhyun stared at Chanyeol’s lowered head, trying to understand why Chanyeol was even there.  Why he was willing to help when they barely knew each other, but then his gaze flicked to Sooyoung, who Chanyeol did know, and who Chanyeol clearly cared about.  Before she fell asleep, Sooyoung had calmed down enough to tell Baekhyun about her camping adventure with Chanyeol from the previous day.  He’d clearly gone above and beyond in trying to make Sooyoung happy.  Perhaps then, this was about Sooyoung.  Chanyeol was no fool, he had to be able to tell that right now, Baekhyun was hardly qualified to take care of her.

That stung a little bit, actually it stung a lot, but, perhaps he could rely on that for a while.  Paying for a nanny for two weeks on his teaching salary would bankrupt him for sure.

“Okay” Baekhyun said softly, missing the way Chanyeol’s face lit up at his words as he worried over whether he’d made the right decision.

---

“Mr. Chanyeol going to live with us?” Sooyoung asked, head cocked to the side as she sat next to Baekhyun on the bed.

“Yes.  Daddy is going to need some help the next few weeks so Mr. Chanyeol is going to stay with us for a while.  That’s okay, right?”  Baekhyun asked as Chanyeol watched from his bedside with baited breath.  If Sooyoung rejected the idea, he’d be back at square one in figuring out how to help Mr. Byun.

He honestly was surprised Mr. Byun had accepted his offer so quickly.  He’d had several additional arguments laid out in his mind if his first had failed, but Mr. Byun had given in so fast, Chanyeol couldn’t help but feel the situation truly was dire.

Mr. Byun didn’t have someone nearby to rely on to look after Sooyoung while he recovered. Chanyeol could do that.  Chanyeol wanted to do that.  His half-formed interest in Baekhyun had nothing to do with it, and he was determined to keep those interest buried as deep as possible throughout the duration of his stay.  That being said, as Mr. Byun smiled wide at Sooyoung celebrating Chanyeol’s stay, Chanyeol still felt his heart flutter.  He couldn’t help it.

---

Baekhyun had to sign a lot of forms before finally being pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair towards Chanyeol’s car with strict orders to stay off his feet for at least two weeks.  Sooyoung sat in his lap as they went, still excited.

“Mr. Chanyeol’s car is pretty daddy!” Sooyoung promised as they were rolled out, making Baekhyun laugh.

“Is it red?” he asked, ruffling Sooyoung’s hair.  Red was ONE of her favorite colors.  She had several that she switched between throughout the week.

Sooyoung nodded excitedly.  “Yes! See!” she said, pointing at the red car they had drawn up to.  Baekhyun chuckled as Sooyoung climbed off his lap to head towards the car door, struggling to pull it open.  Chanyeol stepped past his wheelchair to help as Baekhyun took note of the carseat in the back.

“You have a carseat?” he questioned, intrigued.  Chanyeol didn’t have a reason to own a car seat personally that Baekhyun was aware of.

“We try to keep a couple at the school, just in case.  I figured it’d be okay if I borrowed it for a while, even if I don’t know exactly how it works,” Chanyeol explained as he helped Sooyoung climb into the plain black car seat in the back of his car.  

“You’re doing a pretty good job with it,” Baekhyun observed as Sooyoung helpfully started pulling the straps in place so Chanyeol could buckle her in.

“I watched a lot of youtube videos,” Chanyeol explained, turning away from Sooyoung once the final strap was in place.

“And now, your turn,” he said with a laugh, looking down at Baekhyun where he sat.

Baekhyun looked down at his booted calf and immobilized arm with a grimace.  “How are we going to do this?” he questioned.

“Carefully I guess,” Chanyeol said, pulling open the passenger side door before turning back to pull Baekhyun closer by the armrests of his chair.  Pretty quickly, Chanyeol’s face loomed in front of Baekhyun’s own, throwing his features in sharp relief.  “I think if I pick you up, I can just slide you into the seat,” he said, eyes gliding along Baekhyun’s form.  

“I’m heavier than I look,” Baekhyun cautioned, a light flush coloring his cheeks at Chanyeol’s scrutiny.  It may have been innocent, but it was still embarrassing to be subject to such an intense gaze.

Chanyeol chuckled as he shifted, stepping to the side to maneuver an arm under Baekhyun’s knees and another under his uninjured arm and around his back.  “I think I can take it,” he said, before taking a breath a breath and counting down, “Three, two, one—”

Chanyeol lifted Baekhyun from the wheelchair with a grunt, Baekhyun lightly bouncing against his chest before settling against it as he tightened his grip around Chanyeol’s back, squeezing closer.

Chanyeol looked down to check on him and Baekhyun was quick to look down towards his lap, cheeks even redder.  That had been too close.  The mole on Chanyeol’s nose had been close enough he could have kissed it if he had tried, a thought Baekhyun tried to vanquish from his mind as Chanyeol carefully moved towards the car.  Baekhyun let out a squeak as Chanyeol awkwardly lowered him down, grip slipping for a moment before Chanyeol successfully adjusted and finished lowering Baekhyun down into the passenger side seat.

“Sorry about that,” Chanyeol apologized as he reached for the seatbelt.  Baekhyun scrambled to take it from him, trying to gather himself as he shook his head.

“No, don’t worry.  I told you I was heavy,” he said, succeeding in taking the belt and snapping it into place.

Chanyeol laughed as he drew back, shaking his head.  “You’re really not Mr. Byun.  It was just the angle,” he explained before turning around to fold the wheelchair and place it in the trunk while Baekhyun pondered his words.

By the time Chanyeol had reached the driver’s side, sliding into place and pushing the keys into the ignition, Baekhyun’s mind was made up, only half listening as Chanyeol checked on the car temperature and made sure the radio was still on the kid friendly Disney station.

“You should call me Baekhyun,” he said, watching as Chanyeol’s hands stalled where they had been fluttering over the touch screen embedded in the dash.  

“You keep calling me Mr. Byun, but it’s not like I’m that much older, and you’re going to be staying with us for two weeks so…” Baekhyun’s voice trailed off, letting his words hang.  He was surprised when Chanyeol turned to him with a grin.

“Baekhyun then,” he said, tone warm, making Baekhyun smile.

“Yeah,” he agreed with a nod.

Chanyeol smiled wider as he placed the car in drive and pulled out of the parking space, leaving the hospital behind.

---

“You really don’t have to do this,” Baekhyun said as Chanyeol slid a hand under his knees on the couch and another behind his back.  

“The doctor said you shouldn’t be walking at all right now,” Chanyeol replied as he stood, lifting Baekhyun up from the couch.  “Besides, I think I’m finally getting the hang of it,” he added with a laugh as he turned and carried Baekhyun towards the kitchen

“Still, I could hop or something…” Baekhyun mumbled, voice trailing off as his body rocked with Chanyeol’s steps towards the kitchen.  He’d been carried around his house all afternoon, unable to even get up from the couch to go to the bathroom without Sooyoung yelling for Chanyeol, tattling on him to his face.

Baekhyun had flushed deep red at that time, betrayed by his own daughter, but he had allowed himself to be carefully carried to the bathroom before being permitted to hop about the small space unaided.  It was the only time he’d been allowed on his feet alone throughout the day now that he thought about it.

Chanyeol was chuckling as he carefully lowered him down into a chair at the kitchen table.  “Why should you hop when I am here to carry you?” he questioned, making Baekhyun shake his head.

“You’re so stubborn,” he complained, eyes widening in shock when he took in the spread on the kitchen table.  “You didn’t have to cook so much,” he said, mouth gaping.  Rice, chicken, more than a couple side dishes and, off to the side, a bowl of neatly cut strawberries.  Baekhyun remembered buying those a few days ago, before his car had crashed into the snow.  He was surprised to see them on the table now, accompanied by enough food that he wasn’t sure how the three of them were supposed to eat it all.

“I may have gone a bit overboard,” Chanyeol admitted, scratching the back of his head as he sat down in the chair opposite Baekhyun.  “I’m used to cooking for one and I wasn’t sure how much you’d like to eat,” he explained, reaching out to pick up the plate of chicken before turning to Sooyoung.

“Would you like some?” he asked, smiling as Sooyoung nodded, fork pressed against in anticipation as Chanyeol placed a piece of chicken on her plate and began to cut it into smaller pieces while Baekhyun shook his head.

“We don’t eat that much,” he assured, reaching out to try to scoop some rice onto his plate.  The motion was awkward, having to be completed with his left hand since his right was in a sling, and pretty soon, Chanyeol’s own warm hand was overtop of his, squeezing gently.  “Let me help,” he murmured, taking the spoon away and reaching for Baekhyun’s plate.

Baekhyun sighed and drew back his hand.  There really wasn’t much he could say. Chanyeol wasn’t going to let him continue to struggle by himself anyway.

He watched as Chanyeol prepared his plate, much like Sooyoung’s, cutting everything up into bite sized pieces before sliding it back in front of Baekhyun with a smile.

“How am I going to repay you for this?” Baekhyun questioned, simply staring as Chanyeol finally began to prepare his own plate.

Chanyeol shrugged.  “I’m not asking you to,” he replied before turning to listen to Sooyoung, who was tugging at his arm, wanting permission to start eating the strawberries that hadn’t made their way to anyone’s plate yet.

Chanyeol turned to look at Baekhyun with a raised eyebrow that had Baekhyun turning his thoughts aways from Chanyeol’s words and to Sooyoung’s plate, where much of her dinner still remained untouched.

“You need to eat some more chicken first sweetheart,” he said, not surprised when his words were greeted with a frown.

“Strawberries,” she repeated, staring at Baekhyun stubbornly.

“After you finish your chicken,” Baekhyun shot back.

Sooyoung frowned, shaking her head.  “I don’t like chicken!” she declared with a pout.

Baekhyun’s expresion hardened.  “You will finish your chicken, or you won’t get to eat any strawberries.  Understand?” Baekhyun said, watching as Sooyoung’s eyes widened in horror before turning glassy as her lower lip trembled.

“Daddy mean!” Baekhyun froze for a second, surprised.  It’d been a long time since Sooyoung had thrown a fit over food.  Even longer since he’d been accused of being mean.  Perhaps the stress of the past few days was wearing on her more than he realized.  He should have paid more attention to that.  Perhaps he should just—

“Sooyoung, sweetie, your dad just wants you to grow up big and strong.  Remember?  We talked about all the foods you’re supposed to eat, right?”  Chanyeol asked, leaning down to get eye to eye with Sooyoung where she sat at the end of the table.

Sooyoung’s brow furrowed, her pending tears stalling as she thought hard before declaring, “Strawberries good!”

Chanyeol nodded as he reached for the bowl of fruit.  “They are good, but, you can’t just eat strawberries.  You have to eat a lot of different kinds of good food, so, if you eat ten bites of chicken first, you can have as many strawberries as you like,” Chanyeol said, placing the bowl closer to Sooyoung, but still out of reach.

She looked between the bowl, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun, eyeing them warily.  “You promise?” she finally asked, eyes settling back on Chanyeol.

Chanyeol nodded.  “I promise,” he said.

Sooyoung turned to Baekhyun.  “Daddy?”

Baekhyun quickly nodded his head.  “Yes, I promise too.  If you eat 10 more bites, you can have strawberries,” he said, unable to hold back a small smile as Sooyoung wiped at her eyes before focusing on her plate, stabbing a piece of chicken determinedly.

Baekhyun relaxed back into his chair as she ate, shooting a quick glance to Chanyeol across the table.  “Thank you,” he mouthed, smiling when Chanyeol gave him a nod while he helpfully counted along as Sooyoung took her ten bites before proceeding to eat four strawberries.

“I can see why you wanted her to finish her chicken first,” Chanyeol murmured when Sooyoung finished and got down from the table to carry her plate towards the sink.

“Yeah,” Baekhyun said with a small laugh.  “She really loves them.  I think she’d try to live off strawberries if she could.”

“It’s cute.”  Chanyeol chuckled as he finally began to eat the food on his own plate, Baekhyun joining him in comfortable silence.

---

“You should stay.”

Chanyeol froze, arms still under Baekhyun’s knees on the bed.

“What?” he asked, shock evident in his tone.  What was Baekhyun trying to say?

Baekhyun’s own cheeks were pink as he rushed to explain himself.  “I mean, I only have this bed and Sooyoung’s and you can’t sleep on the couch the whole time you’re here,” he explained.

“I could.  I don’t mind,” Chanyeol said.  That had been his plan, and the couch looked plenty comfortable for it.

Baekhyun was already shaking his head.  “I mind.  You’re already doing so much for me.  The least I can do is make sure you get a good night’s sleep,” he countered.

“So here, with you?” Chanyeol ventured hesitantly, eyes scanning over Baekhyun’s bed.  It was large enough for two, but it wouldn’t be roomy.  They’d for sure be aware of the other person sleeping alongside them.

“Yeah, if you’re okay with it,” Baekhyun said, tone suddenly hesitant at the end.  Perhaps Chanyeol was uncomfortable with the idea of them sharing a bed.  It did carry a certain sense of intimacy, even if that wasn’t what Baekhyun had intended.  He just felt bad, imagining Chanyeol sleeping on his couch for weeks while Baekhyun rested comfortably on his bed, Chanyeol basically waiting on him hand and foot.

After what felt like an eternity, but what really was only a few seconds, Chanyeol shook his head.  “I’m okay with it if you are.  I’ll go get changed,” he said, turning to head out of the room to go grab his sweats.  Sleeping in his boxers next to Baekhyun didn’t sound that appealing.

“Can you turn on the baby monitor before you go.  It’s on the dresser,” Baekhyun said, pointing at the white square atop the dresser across from the foot of the bed.

Chanyeol nodded as he head toward the device, a question on his lips.  “You still use a baby monitor?” he asked, flipping the device to on and hearing it beep twice before falling silent.

“Yeah, just in case,” Baekhyun replied, watching as the green light winked at him from across the room while Chanyeol headed out to get changed.

—-

Chanyeol groaned as a shrill sound echoed across the bedroom.  He rolled around, trying to escape the sound until his arms hit something warm and solid and he froze, eyes snapping open as he remembered exactly where he was and who was sleeping beside him.  “What is that?” he asked, searching for Baekhyun’s eyes in the darkness of the room.

“It’s Sooyoung,” Baekhyun said worriedly, trying to move to get out of bed and instead falling back with a sharp cry of his own.  “Damn it,” he swore, tone frustrated as Chanyeol found himself scrambling to get out of bed.

“Stay still.  I’ll go get her,” Chanyeol said, not even looking in Baekhyun’s direction as he rushed out of the room.  He reached Sooyoung’s room quickly, pushing open her door to find her sitting up on her bed, tears streaming down her face.

“C’mon,” Chanyeol coaxed, reaching to gather her up in his arms and bouncing her against his chest.  “Shh, shh, I’ve got you,” he shushed, a hand her hair as he left her room, heading back towards Baekhyun’s as Sooyoung whimpered against him, calming slightly.  When they reached Baekhyun’s room though, any tears Chanyeol had eliminated came back full force as soon as Sooyoung saw Baekhyun propped up against the headboard.

Chanyeol handed her off without a word.  Baekhyun took her willingly into his lap, his one good arm wrapping around her back to pat it gently as he tried to lull Sooyoung back to sleep.  “Shh, I’m right here baby.  I’ve got you,” he whispered, hand never ceasing its movement as Chanyeol slid back into his side of the bed, reaching out to Sooyoung’s hair.

Baekhyun jumped the first time his hand appeared, making Chanyeol blush and draw back, but then Baekhyun subtly inclined his head, shifting closer, and Chanyeol reached out again.

They kept at it for a good ten minutes.  Sooyoung’s cries slowly transitioned from her renewed wails, to quiet tears, to sniffs, and finally, silence as she fell back to sleep, breaths slow and deep as she rested against Baekhyun’s chest.  Chanyeol drew back his hand, studying Sooyoung where she lay propped up against Baekhyun’s chest.

“Why doesn’t she just come here?” Chanyeol asked.  Sooyoung wasn’t in a crib anymore.  She could walk to Baekhyun’s room easily if she tried.

“She’s afraid of the dark,” Baekhyun whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to Sooyoung’s brow before turning to face Chanyeol.

“Have you tried nightlights?  Maybe a few in the hallway?” Chanyeol asked, thinking over the distance from Baekhyun’s room to Sooyoung’s.  It really wasn’t that far.  A light or two along the path might work, if Sooyoung knew they were there.

“I hadn’t thought of that…” Baekhyun whispered.

“We can buy some tomorrow.  She can even help pick them out,” Chanyeol said, smiling at the thought of Sooyoung looking through the various lights that she could pick from.  Knowing Sooyoung, at least one of them would be red.

“I think she’d like that,” Baekhyun said, smiling back at him.

“I think so too,” Chanyeol agreed, leaning back against the headboard beside Baekhyun before voicing another question, remembering Baekhyun’s insistence the baby monitor be on.  “Does this happen a lot?  She woke up last night too.”

Baekhyun let out a solemn sigh.  “She has good weeks and bad weeks.  I think… she doesn’t remember it consciously... but I think deep down she knows she was left behind once before,” he whispered.

“Do you know why?” Chanyeol ventured gently.  This wasn’t something they had discussed when Baekhyun had registered Sooyoung for preschool.  It wasn’t something Chanyeol would have normally asked either.  He wasn’t the type to pry, but right then, in the middle of the night after having helped calm Sooyoung back into quiet slumber, it felt alright to ask.

Baekhyun shook his head.  “I don’t.  When the hospital called me… it was very sudden.  She was just… left there, and she wasn’t in great shape.  They said she was a year old because of her teeth, but her body weight was low, and she wasn’t walking yet. She stayed in a hospital for a week getting IV fluids and stuff, regaining strength.  I visited every day.  The first time I held her… I cried.  I still can’t believe it sometimes.  That someone like me could be so lucky,” Baekhyun whispered softly, tone tinged with quiet disbelief and gratitude.

Chanyeol smiled as Baekhyun reached out, fingers brushing over Sooyoung’s brow, reminiscing with a soft expression on his face.

“You’re doing a great job Baekhyun,” Chanyeol whispered gently.

“Am I?” Baekhyun asked, head snapping up from Sooyoung to meet Chanyeol’s gaze.  “Look at me. I can’t even take care of her right now,” he said, nodding his head down towards his body.

Chanyeol shook his head.  “That isn’t your fault. It was an accident.  I’ve met a lot of parents Baekhyun.  When I say you’re doing a great job, I mean it,” Chanyeol said softly, tone sincere.  Baekhyun was one of the good ones.  He really, really was.

Baekhyun stared back at Chanyeol wordlessly, eyes wide, not speaking.  Chanyeol had no idea what was going through his head, until suddenly, a tear trickled down Baekhyun’s cheek, and Baekhyun let out a heavy sniff as he raised his hand to wipe it away.

“Sorry, I must be too tired,” Baekhyun said, wiping away a few more tears that escaped.

Chanyeol’s heart clenched as he resisted the urge to reach out and pull Baekhyun into a hug.  To distract himself, he redirected his gaze to Sooyoung, gesturing down at her as he gave Baekhyun time to compose himself.

“Should I take her back to her room so you can rest?” he asked.

Baekhyun shook his head as he sniffed loudly.  “No, she usually stays on nights like this.”

Chanyeol nodded once, reaching out to grab the comforter and drawing it up the bed.  “Alright.  Should I stay?” he asked, reaching out to help Baekhyun slide Sooyoung off his lap and settle her in the middle of the bed.

Baekhyun nodded as he Sooyoung’s hair once before sliding down the bed.  “Yeah.”

Chanyeol nodded as he slid down the bed as well.  “Okay.  Good night Baekhyun,” he replied, laying on his side facing Sooyoung with a small smile on his face as Baekhyun glanced over at him with a similar expression.

“Good night Chanyeol.”

—-

Baekhyun woke up as the smell of pancakes filled his bedroom.  The scent confused him at first.  His cloudy mind tried to make sense of it while also trying to catalogue the general pain that seemed to emanate from every part of his body.  He felt like he’d been hit by a bus.  As Baekhyun woke up fully, eyes opening to fall down to his wrapped right arm, he realized that kind of made sense.

He groaned as he rolled onto his side, reaching with his left hand for his phone which was charging on the nightstand.  Atop it was stuck a small sticky note.

Text me when you’re up.

Baekhyun shook his head as he pulled off the note and use his thumb to unlock his phone.  He checked through a few news articles and twitter updates before yawning and using his good hand to push himself up into a seated position, legs swinging over the edge of the bed.  He just needed to go to the bathroom and then head over to the kitchen.  He could do that without Chanyeol’s help, probably.

Baekhyun used the side table to balance himself as he swayed on one leg.  The bathroom was only a few hops away.  He could do this.  Baekhyun took a breath, closing his eyes as he coiled his muscles, preparing to hop, when suddenly, a voice cut through his concentration.

“Daddy?”

Baekhyun jolted, loosing his balance as his eyes snapped towards the door, registering Sooyoung’s wide eyes before he closed his own, bracing for an impact with the floor.

The collision never came.  At least not in the way Baekhyun expected.  Instead of colliding with carpet, Baekhyun found himself colliding with Chanyeol’s chest, face pressing against his pectorals as Chanyeol’s arms wrapped around his waist like a vice.  “I told you to text me,” Chanyeol chastised.

“I thought I could handle it,” Baekhyun said, gaze towards the floor as Chanyeol carefully pushed him a away from his chest, looking down at him worriedly.

Chanyeol ignored his reply, instead reaching down to hook a finger under Baekhyun's chin, making him look up.  “Are you okay?”  he asked quietly, eyes searching.

Baekhyun sighed, closing his eyes for a second to take stock of himself.  Everything felt the same as before, though his heart was still pounding wildly in his chest.  He reopened his eyes, meeting Chanyeol’s gaze.  “Yes, I think so.”

“Good.  Now, let’s get you back in bed.  Sooyoung and I cooked breakfast,” Chanyeol said, a relieved smile over taking his features.  

“No,” Baekhyun murmured, looking away from Chanyeol’s smiling face, cheeks flushing.

Chanyeol’s head cocked to the side, confused.  “Why not?” he asked.

It was all Baekhyun could do to gesture towards the bathroom door.  It was embarrassing to admit.  What kind of person couldn’t even go to the bathroom by themself.  

Thankfully, Chanyeol understood, helping him reach the bathroom in a few quick steps before focusing on helping Sooyoung set up the breakfast in bed they’d been trying to deliver when they’d found Baekhyun attempting to hop across the floor.

When Baekhyun finished his business, he called out to Chanyeol from the bathroom door, allowing himself to be carried back to bed.  It wouldn’t do for Sooyoung to see him almost fall to the floor again.

Chanyeol smiled wide as he went to get him, picking him up and depositing him back on the bed before sliding the tray in place.  He looked down at the stack of pancakes topped with strawberries before looking over at Sooyoung, who was smiling expectantly.

“This was your idea?” he asked, smiling as Sooyoung excitedly nodded her head.  

“Daddy love strawberries!” She declared, making Baekhyun chuckle.

“I think that’s you baby,” he said, reaching out to pinch her cheek.

“She was very insistent,” Chanyeol offered, sliding into the chair at Baekhyun’s desk in the corner of the room.

Baekhyun laughed as he stabbed a strawberry with his fork and held it out for Sooyoung to eat.  “Because she knew this would happen,” Baekhyun said with a chuckle as Sooyoung smiled around full of strawberry.

Chanyeol smiled warmly, shaking his head.  “Well, I hope you still like them too,” he said, amused.

Baekhyun laughed again as he cut off a piece of pancake for himself, popping it into his mouth and savoring the warm, buttery taste that washed over his taste buds.  “It’s good, thank you,” he said, handing his fork over to Sooyoung so she could feed herself another bite.

“I’m glad,” Chanyeol said, smiling as he pushed himself up from his chair.  “I’m going to clean the kitchen.  Text me when you’re done, alright?” he said, pausing at the door to fix Baekhyun with an accusatory look

Baekhyun nodded his head, flushing.  “I will,” he promised, missing the relieved expression on Chanyeol’s face as his focus was drawn back to a happily squealing Sooyoung as she discovered there were chocolate chips embedded in the second pancake in the stack.

---

“You really don’t have to do this much,” Baekhyun said from where he sat on the closed toilet lid, watching as Chanyeol held his hand under the water running from the tap in the tub, checking the temperature.

“You can’t do it yourself, can you?” Chanyeol asked, drawing back his hand after placing a stopper in the tub.

Baekhyun sighed, not answering.  Chanyeol looked away, instead turning towards Sooyoung, who stood nervously outside the tub.  “Check the water.  Like this,” he said, dipping his fingers into the water that was now accumulating in the tub.

Sooyoung copied the motion, sticking her hand in before pulling it out with a smile.  

“Good?” Chanyeol asked.

Sooyoung nodded excitedly.  “Yes!”

“Then in you go.”  Chanyeol smiled wider and reached out to pick Sooyoung up and place her in the tub.

She squealed in reply, splashing the water before reaching for one of her dolls that was floating in the tub.  Chanyeol watched for a few seconds to make sure she was situated before turning his attention back to Baekhyun who was still seated on the toilet.  “And now for you,” he said, rising up from the floor to sit on the edge of the tub so that he could be eye level with Baekhyun, eyeing him expectantly.

Baekhyun sighed, ruffling his hair.  “You really aren’t going to let this go, are you?”  He asked defeatedly.

“Do you really want to not take a bath for two weeks?” Chanyeol shot back, eyebrow raised.  He was quickly learning how to beat Baekhyun’s protests.  Baekhyun might be stubborn, Chanyeol was learning, but Chanyeol could be too.  It was silly for Baekhyun to not even have a sponge bath for two weeks when Chanyeol was there, ready, willing and able to give him one.

Baekhyun let out a disgruntled snort.  “Of course not.”

“Then,” Chanyeol gestured with his hand towards Baekhyun’s shirt.

Baekhyun let out a sigh as he reached for the hem of his shirt.  Chanyeol held back a cheer, opting instead to reach for the wash cloth he’d dropped alongside the tub and turning to dunk it into the water.  “I promise I won’t tell anyone,” Chanyeol said as he turned back around after squeezing out the cloth over the tub.

Baekhyun snorted again, as he reached down to shimmy out of his sweatpants.  “Not like there’s much to tell anyways,” he said dismissively, turning to present Chanyeol with his back, so that they could begin.

Chanyeol reached out the cloth, gently running it over Baekhyun’s shoulder blades.  Baekhyun shuddered at the contact.

“Cold?” Chanyeol asked, pausing his movements.

Baekhyun shook his head.  “No, it’s alright.”

Chanyeol resumed the drag of the cloth across Baekhyun’s skin.  “Okay, let me know if it is,” he said, continuing to work his way over Baekhyun’s various limbs while trying his hardest to keep a straight face.  Regardless of whatever Baekhyun may think there was plenty worth talking about, and Chanyeol was doing his best not to think about that as he instead focused on getting Baekhyun clean.  It was hardest as he ran the cloth up over Baekhyun’s thighs, reaching the edge of his black boxer briefs.  His eyes slipped to Baekhyun’s crotch despite himself.

Chanyeol looked away quickly, berating himself as he refocused on his task.  It was not time for him to be checking out Baekhyun’s package.  It was not.  Baekhyun needed someone to clean his body, not check him out.

“Uh Chanyeol, I think that’s enough?”

Chanyeol froze for a second before turning to face Baekhyun.  “What?” he asked, blinking wide as he stared at Baekhyun, whose expression was mildly hesitant, accompanied with pink cheeks.  

“You’ve been swiping over the same spot for a while.  I think it’s probably good,” Baekhyun clarified, gesturing down towards the cloth still pressed against Baekhyun’s inner thigh.

“Oh, sorry, got distracted,” Chanyeol said, wincing at his choice of words.  He quickly drew back the cloth and turning towards the tub to dunk it in the water, giving himself a minute to gather himself as Baekhyun let out a quiet laugh.

“Sorry, this must be so boring for you,” Baekhyun apologized.

Chanyeol turned back, focusing his attention on Baekhyun’s other thigh as he shook his head.  “It’s not that,” Chanyeol replied, instantly wanting to bite his tongue as Baekhyun’s head cocked to the side, curious.

“What is it then?” He asked, tone inquisitive.

Chanyeol blanked for a second before blurting out the first thing he could think of, something that, in other circumstances, he might not have shared.  “It reminds me of the last time I did this,” he said, freezing for a second as he processed his words before carrying on, hoping Baekhyun wouldn’t press further.

He should have known better.  If there was one thing he’d learned about Baekhyun in the last 24 hours, it was that he could be stubbornly persistent.

“You have had to give a random person a sponge bath before?” Baekhyun asked, accommodating Chanyeol’s reach for his foot.  Chanyeol focused on that, rubbing between Baekhyun’s toes as he answered, using it as an excuse to not have to see Baekhyun’s expression when he answered.

“No.  It was my grandmother,” he said, staying focused on his task as the bathroom fell silent but for Sooyoung’s rambings as she played out a grand adventure in the bathtub.

Chanyeol could almost hear the blood rushing in his veins as he dropped Baekhyun’s foot and stood up, tossing the wash cloth towards the laundry hamper.  “We should do your hair too,” he said, taking a breath before looking down at Baekhyun’s face.

His eyes were wide, concerned, but after a moment, he gave his head a shake and he was sliding off the toilet and on to the floor so his head was over the edge of the tub.  “My shampoo is in basket under the shower head,” he said, making Chanyeol smile as he reached for the dark bottle.

“Yeah, something told me the bright pink bottle wasn’t yours,” he teased, settling down next to Baekhyun on the floor and reaching for one of the small cups Sooyoung had floating in the tub so that he could dump water over Baekhyun’s head.

Sooyoung was quick to offer her own assistance, making both Chanyeol and Baekhyun laugh as she tried to assist in washing Baekhyun’s hair, but mostly succeeded in giving Chanyeol a bath instead.

---

“Sorry about that,” Baekhyun said when they were done, head inclining towards Chanyeol’s shirt.  Sooyoung had soaked it through completely, making the fabric cling to Chanyeol like a second skin.

“Not a big deal,” Chanyeol said with a shrug.  He reached for the hem, pulling it off and throwing it towards the laundry hamper before reaching for a towel to dry off Baekhyun’s hair, missing the sudden flush of Baekhyun’s cheeks as he ducked his head.

The wet shirt had already left little to the imagination, but with Chanyeol ripping it off, Baekhyun now had visual confirmation.  Chanyeol had a nice chest.  A really nice chest.  Baekhyun wasn’t really sure what he was supposed to do with that information.  He decided to instead try to focus on Chanyeol’s hands massaging against his scalp as he dried off his hair, eventually allowing the towel to fall around Baekhyun’s shoulders with a satisfied smile.

“There.  You feel better now, right?” he asked, smile wide as he looked down at Baekhyun.

Baekhyun blinked once, twice, mind scrambling to find words.  “Yes, thank you,” he said, making Chanyeol smile wider.

“No problem,” Chanyeol answered, “Now, how do I get your little bean out of the tub before she becomes a prune?” Chanyeol asked, turning his attention to Sooyoung, who was still splashing around in the tub, currently making her rubber duck race across the water.

Baekhyun laughed heartily and shook his head, welcoming the distraction.  “She’s not getting out until the water is cold.  I lose that battle all the time,” he answered.

Chanyeol laughed and settled down on the floor across from where Baekhyun was seated on the toilet.  “Well, I guess we’ll wait then,” he replied, smiling back at Baekhyun who nodded his head.

“Yup,” Baekhyun agreed, opting to focus on Sooyoung as well.  She was more than willing to explain that her rubber duck had just rescued the mermaid princess, and Baekhyun was more than willing to listen.  It was better to focus on that than the bulge of Chanyeol’s arms as he crossed them over his drawn up knees, listening intently to Sooyoung’s story as well.

---

The rest of the day carried on pretty normally.  Baekhyun let Chanyeol carry him into the living room, and he settled into the recliner, elevating his legs as Sooyoung played.  At one point, she had an entire play-doh meal assembled, which Chanyeol complimented profusely.  Baekhyun felt somewhat useless, watching as Chanyeol both took care of Sooyoung and also cooked them all lunch and dinner.

Thankfully, soon after dinner ended, a knock at the door indicated the arrival of his work laptop, courtesy of Kyungsoo, who had gone to pick it up from the dealership to which his car had been towed.  Baekhyun smiled at the sight, cracking it open and powering it on.  Finally, he could do something productive.

“How long are you taking off?” Chanyeol asked from where he was in front of the kitchen sink, washing the dishes from dinner.

Baekhyun keyed in his password as he answered.  “They agreed to two weeks of paid time off, basically until my wrist is healed.  Then I should be able to teach at least, even if it’s on crutches.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Chanyeol asked, pulling the plug on the sink before reaching to grab a hand towel to dry off his hands.

“I’m going to be printing off a lot of assignments.  You could help me organize those if you want,” Baekhyun said, clicking through his files to his stockpile of lesson plans.  He needed to keep his students busy for two weeks.  It wasn’t going to be easy, but he had a lot of plans stored up so hopefully he could make it work.

“Of course,” Chanyeol replied with a smile.  “Just let me know what to do.”

“I keep file folders in that desk.  Grab those and label them with dates for the next two weeks.  That’ll be a start.”

Chanyeol gave a nod and headed towards the desk, grabbing the folders and a pen to start labeling them.  By the time he came back, he heard the buzzing of the printer starting to spit out paper.

He went and grabbed those pages too.

“You can put all of that in the folder for Monday,” Baekhyun said, not looking up as his eyes continued to scan his laptop, picking his next lesson plan.

“This is just one day?” Chanyeol asked, staring at the stack of paper in disbelief.  There had to over a hundred pages.

Baekhyun, catching onto Chanyeol’s tone, looked up from his laptop, to take in Chanyeol’s blown away expression.  “Yeah, I have five different classes a day…” he said, voice trailing off.

Chanyeol picked up the stack and slipped it into the folder at the top of the stack he had grabbed and placing it to the left on the table.  “Are you sure you’re taking a break?” He asked, leaning down to write the next date on the subsequent folder in his stack.

Baekhyun shrugged as he returned his attention to his laptop, picking out the next assignment to print.  “Teachers never really take breaks,” he said dismissively.  They really didn’t, not until summer break, and even then, he sometimes taught summer classes as well if money was tight.

“Must be tough,” Chanyeol said softly, continuing to label folders.

Baekhyun hummed in ascent.  “Yeah, but there is something about seeing a student finally understand a topic that makes it worth it.  At least that’s what I tell myself,” Baekhyun said with a small laugh.

Chanyeol smiled.  He could kind of relate in a way.  It was always great to see one of the kids in his class do something themselves, be it tie their own shoes or cut a piece of paper.  “Do you have good students?” Chanyeol asked conversationally.

Baekhyun paused for a second, considering before nodding his head.  “Yeah, they’re pretty good this year.  They can be little s sometimes of course, but most of them care this year, which makes all the difference.  I have all the time in the day for students who want to learn something, you know?”

Chanyeol smiled.  “Yeah, I think I can understand that,” he agreed.

The printer chimed again.  Chanyeol took that as his cue to go grab another pile of papers.  When he returned, Baekhyun had another question on his tongue.  “How about you?  How are your kids?”  He asked.

Chanyeol chuckled, reaching for the Tuesday folder to slide the second set of printouts inside.  “Well aside from one terror of a three year old…”

“Hey!” Baekhyun said, letting his good foot dart out to lightly kick Chanyeol under the table.

Chanyeol held up both of his hands in front of himself, laughing.  “I’m kidding.  I’m kidding.  Sooyoung’s one of our best actually, always willing to help and never the one to cause a fuss.  You’ve done a really good job with her,” he complimented, smiling warmly.

Baekhyun blushed, freezing for a second before looking back down at his laptop.  “You’re too kind,” he muttered, clicking into his fun activities folder.  After two days of busy work, his students would probably appreciate a mindless movie day.

Across from him, Chanyeol was still smiling.  Baekhyun was so easily flustered when it came to Sooyoung.  He couldn’t resist saying more, because it was true.  Sooyoung was a really good kid, and Baekhyun was definitely a part of that.  “You don’t give yourself enough credit.  I haven’t been at this for many years, but trust me, I’ve met parents who don’t pay attention, aren’t tuned in to their kids.  You aren’t like that.  You are always attentive to her needs and concerned about her wellbeing.  That’s so important Baekhyun.  It really is.”

Baekhyun bit his lip, swallowing thickly while keeping his eyes trained on his laptop screen.  “Thank you,” he whispered, not daring to speak more as he hit print on another assignment.

Hearing the whirring of the printer, Chanyeol gave a nod before standing up from the table, taking a little extra time to make his way back to the table so that by the time he reached it, the few tears that had escaped Baekhyun’s eyes were nowhere in sight.

---

Later that night, Baekhyun found himself seated on Sooyoung’s bed, a book propped up on his lap as Sooyoung sat alongside him, pointing at pictures while Baekhyun read aloud.

Tonight, she had selected Beauty and the Beast.  It was one of the longest bedtimes stories Sooyoung had, but Baekhyun didn’t mind.  He kept reading, his voice low and soft as slowly, Sooyoung stopped pointing at pictures, her body-weight against him becoming heavier and heavier as her eyes began to flutter and she let out a yawn.  Baekhyun kept reading.  Finally after two more pages, Sooyoung was asleep.  She was rested against his side, eyes closed as she breathed in and out quietly.

Baekhyun smiled and leaned down to lightly kiss her hair.  “Goodnight,” he murmured, setting the book on Sooyoung’s nightstand before reaching for his phone and tapping out a message to Chanyeol.

She’s asleep

After he’d sent the message, Baekhyun returned his attention to Sooyoung, carefully sliding away from her so that he could get her laid down on her bed.  He maneuvered her pretty effectively by the time Chanyeol reached her bedroom.

“All good?” he asked quietly as he reached the edge of the bed.

“Yeah.” Baekhyun whispered, fingers brushing gently through Sooyoung’s hair before turning to face Chanyeol with a small smile.

“Ready for your work out?” he teased.

Chanyeol let out a quiet chuckle as he bent down to lift Baekhyun up from the bed.  “Ready and willing,” he answered, letting Baekhyun lean down to pull up Sooyoung’s covers before he turned away from the bed and headed towards Baekhyun’s own room so they could also get ready for sleep.

---

“Is she allowed to have that?” Chanyeol asked as Sooyoung ambled back to the wheelchair Chanyeol was pushing through the aisle of the store, tiptoeing to try to drop a box of fruit snacks into the basket on Baekhyun’s lap.

Baekhyun chuckled as he leaned down so Sooyoung could successfully put the box into the basket.  “These are fine.  Just don’t let her go into the candy aisle,” he said, laughing as the moment the box hit home, Sooyoung spun around and ran back down the aisle of the store.

“I’ll try.  She won’t stop moving,” Chanyeol said, pushing Baekhyun down the aisle after her.

Baekhyun laughed as they paused to grab a box of cereal.  “Yeah, this is why I usually get a cart and make her stay in it.”

“I can’t exactly push you and a cart.”  Chanyeol sighed as they continued down the aisle, calling out to Sooyoung to wait for them to catch up to her.  She paused, thankfully, but Chanyeol wasn’t certain how long they would be able to rely on Sooyoung minding them in the store.

“True,” Baekhyun agreed as they reached the end of the aisle.  Swinging around the end, they came face to face with a cart in which sat an 8 year old kid while their younger brother sat in the small child seat in front of the cart’s handle bar.

Chanyeol froze to let them pass, eyes appraising.  Baekhyun spoke first.

“No.”

“But…”

“No.  I am not—Sooyoung, don’t!”  Baekhyun lunged over the side of his wheelchair, nearly knocking the basket off his lap as he tried to prevent Sooyoung from grabbing a large, glass jar of pasta sauce.

Sooyoung jumped, nearly knocking the jar off the shelf, but thankfully, Chanyeol moved to block it, pushing the jar back onto the shelf before looking at Baekhyun pointedly while Sooyoung hid behind her hands, embarrassed.

“So, about that cart.”

“I can’t believe I agreed to this,” Baekhyun grumbled as he accepted the toilet paper from Chanyeol’s hand and place it alongside himself in the cart.

“It’s fun though, isn’t it Sooyoung?” Chanyeol replied with a laugh, leaning down to meet Sooyoung’s gaze.  She nodded excitedly.

“Faster!” she demanded, making Chanyeol smile mischievously as he tensed his muscles.

“Okay, hold on,” he cautioned, laughing along with Sooyoung as he took several quick strides down the aisle before drawing the cart to a sharp stop at the end so as not to collide with any unsuspecting shoppers.

In front of him, Sooyoung was cackling excitedly.  “Again, again!”

Chanyeol laughed and reached out to ruffle her hair before looking down at Baekhyun who looked less impressed by their impromptu ride.

“Do we need anything else?” he asked, nodding pointedly to the phone in Baekhyun’s grasp, which had a copy of their shopping list.

Baekhyun focused on his phone, evaluating their list while waiting for his heart to stop beating so quickly.  The sudden rush of speed had triggered his adrenaline, making his heart beat rapidly and Chanyeol smiling down at him with his wide grin wasn’t helping it slow at all.

Finally, he looked up, feeling a bit more collected as he pointed to the right.  “We need to go look at the nightlights for Sooyoung.  Then we’ll be done,” he said, ignoring the way his heart sped up once more as Chanyeol smiled wide and turned their cart in the direction of the electronics section of the store.  He decided to instead focus on Sooyoung, explaining that she was going to get to pick out lights for the hallway.

Needless to say, when Sooyoung was presented with a variety of large, round push lights, she selected the ones with red plastic encircling the the bulb.

---

They set up the lights in strategic places along the hallway and in the corner of Sooyoung’s room.  It was far away enough that she could see it, but not so bright that it would keep her awake.  Baekhyun hoped they would work.

That night, Sooyoung asked Chanyeol to read her bed time story, and Baekhyun felt a little jealous as Chanyeol animatedly read the story of Rapunzel to Sooyoung complete with sound effects.  “It’s a preschool teacher thing,” he explained as Baekhyun brought it up with a raised eyebrow, chuckling as Chanyeol blushed lightly in the middle of brushing his teeth.  Baekhyun chuckled and returned to brushing his own.

“Sure,” he said, a smile on his face.

---

The following day, Baekhyun found himself sitting in an electric wheelchair looking at Chanyeol and Sooyoung as Chanyeol carefully packed her small school bag.  The chair had been delivered the previous evening, a rental that he’d return in two weeks when crutches became an option, but Baekhyun wasn’t really focused on that.  He was focused on Chanyeol, who was kneeling on the floor, finishing up packing Sooyoung’s bag.

“Did you remember her change of clothes?  And her extra snacks?” Baekhyun asked, peering over to watch more closely.  He always made sure to have a back up outfit in case of any unexpected accidents, and the snacks were for when all the other students had left for the day, but Sooyoung needed to wait a bit longer to be able to leave.  Usually that was because Baekhyun came the latest to pick her up.  Now, it would be because Chanyeol and Kyungsoo had to clean up the daycare center before they could depart.

“Yes and yes,” Chanyeol replied confidently, zipping the bag shut and pulling the strap over his shoulder.  “We’ve got snack, clothes, and even some extra toys.  Everything is going to be great, isn’t it Sooyoung?” he asked, looking down at Sooyoung while offering her his hand.

She took it with a wide smile.  “Great!” she parroted, making Baekhyun chuckle.

Chanyeol smiled widely before returning his attention to Baekhyun.  “More importantly, are you going to be okay?  I could just drop Sooyoung off.  Kyungsoo doesn’t need me to stay.”

Baekhyun shook his head.  “I’ll be fine.  You’ve made me a very effective route,” he said, motioning to the paths Chanyeol had cleared to the bathroom and kitchen by pushing furniture around that morning.  He couldn’t get back to his bedroom upstairs, but he could get around the lower level just fine, and Chanyeol had already checked repeatedly that anything Baekhyun could possibly need was on the ground floor.  Baekhyun would be able to handle a few hours by himself.

Chanyeol still seemed a bit uncertain.  “There’s food in the kitchen.”

“I know Chanyeol.”

“And if you need me, just call.  I can be here in 15 minutes.”

“I know Chanyeol.  I’ll be fine.  I promise.  You just focus on making sure your students have fun,” Baekhyun said assuringly, offering up a boxy smile.

Chanyeol relaxed slightly, a smile on his face as he gave Sooyoung’s hand a squeeze.  “We always have fun.  Don’t we Sooyoung?” Chanyeol asked, swinging this linked hands.

“Yes!  Fun!” Sooyoung exclaimed.  “Let’s go!” she added, starting to tug Chanyeol towards the door.  Chanyeol let her do it, laughing while calling out a goodbye to Baekhyun as they went.

And with that, the house was quiet.  Too quiet.  Baekhyun reached for his phone to turn on a movie, hoping the noise would fill in the empty space, but it was only mildly soothing.  He ended up spending most of the day napping in his chair between reruns of The Office and responding to Chanyeol’s texts checking in on him.

Yes he ate lunch.

Yes, pizza for dinner sounded great.

No he didn’t need anything.

He almost groaned as he felt his phone buzz again.  He knew Chanyeol was worried, but he really didn’t need to check in every hour.  Baekhyun was fine.  His brow furrowed this time as he realized the message was a picture.  He unlocked his phone and tapped over to the message, waiting for the picture to load.

This time, instead of a checking in message, he was presented with a widely smiling Sooyoung and Chanyeol both holding up peace signs as they held up a drawing between the two of them.  

[CH] We told the kids to draw what they did over the weekend - was the caption accompanying the message.

Baekhyun smiled as he took in the roughly drawn picture of what Baekhyun could only assume was him and Sooyoung in the shopping cart being pushed by Chanyeol.

Smiling, he keyed in a response.

[BH] Very cute <3

The response, Baekhyun thought wryly, was accurate both for the drawing and the pair that accompanied it, but he figured Chanyeol wouldn’t read into it that much.  It didn’t seem he had, when he saw Chanyeol’s next response.

[CY] Sooyoung says thank you!  We’ll be home in about two hours.  You’ll be fine right?

Baekhyun shook his head, a small smile on his lips as he keyed in his next response.

[BH] Yes Chanyeol, I’ll be fine.  Make sure to drive home safely.

[CY] Of course.

Baekhyun smiled as he put down his phone.  He was looking forward to the pair’s return.

When they finally did come through the front door, pizza in hand and Sooyoung bounding forward to tell him about her day, Baekhyun could only smile wider.

During the day, the house had felt empty.  Now, it felt full.

---

Time began to pass quickly.  Everyday followed the same routine.  Chanyeol would carry Baekhyun down stairs and set him up in his wheelchair.  Then he’d go about getting himself and Sooyoung ready for school.

Throughout the day, Baekhyun would laze around watching Netflix and waiting for Chanyeol’s updates.  The worried check-ins became less frequent, but in their place were more pictures of Sooyoung playing outside on the playset, coloring, and eating snacks she helped prepare herself.  Sometimes, Chanyeol’s smiling face would also be in the picture.  Baekhyun found he liked those pictures the most, seeing them both smiling, eyes alight as they shared Sooyoung’s latest accomplishment with Baekhyun.

Baekhyun would save those in his camera roll, tapping the favorite button so he would always be able to find them.

When Sooyoung and Chanyeol got home, Baekhyun would happily listen to Sooyoung recount her day, something he’d done even before the accident.  The difference was, instead of him doing it while preparing their dinner, it was Chanyeol working in the kitchen, preparing meals for the three of them.  They weren’t all as elaborate as the first night, and they even got take out sometimes when Chanyeol arrived home and seemed a bit tired.   Baekhyun didn’t want him working too hard, and Chanyeol’s relieved smile on those days let Baekhyun know he was reading things right.

Sleeping next to Chanyeol also wasn’t as weird as Baekhyun might have thought it would be.  For one thing, every few nights, it wasn’t just Chanyeol, but also Sooyoung.  The nightlights had worked, and now, every few nights, Baekhyun would awaken to the sound of tears as Sooyoung crawled onto his bed.  

Those nights, he’d hold her to his chest, soothing her until she fell back asleep with Chanyeol at his side, gently Sooyoung’s hair until she drifted off.

That was why, when Baekhyun found himself awakened by sniffles late into the second week of their cohabitation, he was instantly expecting to find Sooyoung crawling up between them on the bed, but he didn’t.  There was no movement, no rustling of sheets.

Baekhyun’s brow furrowed in confusion as he reached out, feeling around until his hand collided with a trembling shoulder, eyes slowly adjusting to the dark.  “Chanyeol, Chanyeol are you alright?”

The figure beneath his hand froze.  A moment later he heard a deep shaky inhale.  “I’m fine.  Baekhyun, you should go back to sleep,” Chanyeol answered, voice strained.

Baekhyun frowned, drawing back his hand to instead reach for the lamp on the nightstand.  He flicked it on before returning his attention to Chanyeol, whose face, now illuminated by the light of the lamp, was a ruddy red, stained with a few tracks of tears down his cheeks.

Baekhyun frowned, reaching out to brush the tears away.  “What is it?” he asked softly.

Chanyeol’s eyes fluttered under Baekhyun’s hand, wet lashes brushing against his cheeks as he let out a soft sigh.  Baekhyun let his hand keep caressing his face, waiting.  Finally, Chanyeol opened his eyes, red from crying as he darted up to catch Baekhyun’s hand in his, giving it a squeeze.

“You know earlier, when I said the call from my mom wasn’t a big deal?”  He asked.

Baekhyun nodded.  It’d come while they were eating dinner.  Chanyeol had gotten up to take the call, and when he’d come back, he’d looked pretty shaken.  Baekhyun had asked him what was wrong then, but Chanyeol had dismissed the question.  Baekhyun wished he’d been more persistent then, now that he’s seeing Chanyeol like this.

“What did she say?” he asked quietly, squeezing Chanyeol’s hand in his.

“She went to the doctor.  They found,” Chanyeol swallowed thickly, taking a breath, “a lump.”

Baekhyun squeezed tighter, heart beat elevating.  “Is it…” Baekhyun let his voice trail off, his silence asking the question.

Chanyeol nodded his head.  “Yeah.  She said it’s early.  They think it’ll be alright with treatment, but...”

“But?” Baekhyun prompted gently when Chanyeol did not continue.

Chanyeol took another shaky breath, looking away from Baekhyun’s face towards the ceiling voice barely above a whisper.  “My grandmother died from the same thing.”

Oh.  Oh.  Baekhyun found himself tugging on Chanyeol’s hand, trying to pull.  Chanyeol looked down at their linked hands, then up at Baekhyun, confused.

Baekhyun kept pulling.  “I’d like to hug you, but I can't move so you have to,” he complained, pulling again when Chanyeol just stared at him in disbelief.  Finally, he moved, letting himself be drawn up into a half hug as Baekhyun rested against the headboard.

It was not unlike what Baekhyun did for Sooyoung when she came into his room crying like this.  He cradled Chanyeol’s head against his chest, a hand rubbing against his back as Chanyeol’s arms squeezed around him.

“Thank you,” he whispered, face burrowing into Baekhyun’s chest.

“After everything you’ve done for me, it’s the least I can do.  Stay as long as you’d like,” he whispered, hand continuing to rub up and down Chanyeol’s back as he clutched tighter, not speaking as his shoulders began to tremble again.

Baekhyun said nothing, just continued to hold Chanyeol to him until the tears subsided and Chanyeol drifted off against his chest.  Then Baekhyun looked down, brushing the hair off Chanyeol’s brow.  On an impulse he leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Chanyeol’s brow.

“It’ll be okay,” he whispered, giving Chanyeol a little squeeze.  

Chanyeol responded by squeezing closer, and Baekhyun found himself sliding down onto the mattress with Chanyeol still wrapped around him.  Tonight, he’d let Chanyeol lean on him.  It was only fair after Baekhyun had spent so much time leaning on him.

---

“How are you feeling?” Baekhyun asked the following morning as Chanyeol handed him coffee while he sat up to the kitchen table.  Chanyeol took a sip of his own cup before responding.

“Better. Thank you,” he said softly.  

Baekhyun smiled.  “I’m glad.  If you need to leave today, I can look after Sooyoung.  The doctor said I’m fine to use crutches yesterday anyways, so long as I don’t push it.”

Chanyeol shook his head.  “No.  I’m going to go in a few weeks.  After the surgery.  That’s when my sister will need my help,” he said.

Baekhyun nodded, remembering that Chanyeol had mentioned his sister still lived at home, though she was engaged to be married soon.

“Besides,” Chanyeol continued, looking towards Baekhyun with a smile.  “I made a promise to Sooyoung that I’d be at her party today, or did you forget your daughter’s own birthday?” he asked, tone teasing.

Baekhyun chuckled, allowing Chanyeol to redirect the conversation.  Sometimes, the best medicine was a distraction.

“How could I possibly forget?  You promised her a cake, didn’t you?” he said, pushing himself up in his chair, to look at Chanyeol accusingly.  “You better be able to bake, because I can’t.”

Chanyeol laughed as he set his coffee on the counter and turned to open the cupboard.  “I can’t do it that well either,” he admitted, “but this should help.”  Chanyeol pulled down a box of strawberry cake mix and a tub of pink, strawberry frosting.  “We just have to follow the directions.  I even got a pan,” he added, going under the sink to pull out a round cake tin.

Baekhyun’s eyes widened.  “When did you get all of this?” he asked, staring at the collection of ingredients on the counter.  Baekhyun definitely hadn’t bought all of this.

Chanyeol smiled as he began to look for a large mixing bowl.  “Our last shopping trip.  Remember how I had to go back to grab some batteries?”

Baekhyun nodded.  Chanyeol had made some excuse about needing to go back to grab some batteries, leaving him and Sooyoung in the car for about five minutes before he’d returned, dropping a new bag in the trunk of the car.

“Clever,” Baekhyun complimented as he drew his chair away from the kitchen table and rolled over next to Chanyeol at the kitchen counter.  “So, what do we do?” he asked, looking over the ingredients once more.

Chanyeol reached for the cake mix box, opening it and dumping the bagged contents out onto the counter before handing the box to Baekhyun.  “How about you read and I do the mixing?” he said.

“So you know you don’t want me doing the measuring, huh?” he asked, accepting the box from Chanyeol with a chuckle.

Chanyeol laughed back as he went to the fridge to find some eggs and milk.  “I’ve learned that your cooking style isn’t very precise, yes,” he replied, remembering a few nights ago when he’d had to make Baekhyun’s meatloaf from scratch at Sooyoung’s request.  Every ingredient amount had been “a pinch” or “a dash” or “until it looked right.”  Somehow, they’d still ended up with edible meatloaf, though Sooyoung did say it wasn’t quite as good as Baekhyun’s.

“What’s first?” he asked as he returned to Baekhyun’s side, depositing the additional ingredients on the counter.

Baekhyun scanned the box, reading the directions before pointing towards the stove.  “First we need to turn that on to 375,” he said.

Chanyeol nodded and reached for the dial, ready to see how this cake turned out.

---

It wasn’t a disaster.  The cake tasted good.  Chanyeol and Baekhyun had both checked when it’d come out of the oven, eating the pieces they cut away to level the cake off.

That being said, Sooyoung had woken up while the cake was baking, and her excitement had lead to her helping frost the cake, which resulted in it looking more like a pink, splotchy bob as opposed to a perfect, round cake.

Baekhyun could only laugh as Sooyoung’s frosting covered hand collided with Chanyeol’s face when he moved the wrong way.

“Oops, sorry,” Sooyoung said, hand pulling back as Chanyeol blinked in surprise, the frosting smeared over his cheek.

Baekhyun still laughing, leaned forward to wipe the frosting off Chanyeol’s face, popping his frosting covered finger into his mouth with a smile.  “Tasty,” he teased, watching as Chanyeol's cheeks turned pink before he focused back on the cake, reaching for the candles to distract himself.  He let Sooyoung count out the four candles that should go on her cake before placing them neatly in the center.

Perfect.

---

The rest of the day was spent trying to explain to Sooyoung why she couldn’t eat the cake immediately, but she finally accepted it, allowing herself to be distracted by the present from Uncle Minseok and Uncle Jongdae which arrived in the mail.  She ran around the whole house in the brightly colored sarong, which Baekhyun could only assume was bought on the couple’s honeymoon in the tropics.  He’d have to send them a thank you later.  Sooyoung adored the thing, playing dress up with it all afternoon as Chanyeol kept googling different ways to tie the fabric.

They finally settled on a halter top style wrap dress which Sooyoung was still wearing as they settled down to finally eat the cake after dinner, Sooyoung having happily munched through her spaghetti, one of her favorites.

“Let me light the candles.  Then we’ll sing and you can blow them out to make a wish,” Baekhyun said as Chanyeol stood behind Sooyoung to hold back her hair.

Sooyoung bounced excitedly in her chair.  “Hurry daddy,” she said, making Chanyeol chuckle as Baekhyun finished, shaking out the match and leaning away from the table so that Sooyoung could blow out the candles unimpeded.

One smooth rendition of “Happy Birthday” later, she did just that, clapping her hands excitedly as Chanyeol proceeded to cut them all a slice of cake.

It was as they ate the cake, which Baekhyun was proud to say tasted very good, even if all he’d done was read directions, that Sooyoung said something that made him freeze.

Chanyeol had teasingly asked what she’d wished for.  Neither of them had expected her response.

“That Mr. Chanyeol stay forever,” she declared, smiling wide as Chanyeol shot Baekhyun a look from across the table.

The harsh, silent reaction from both of them had Sooyoung looking between them worriedly.

“Is it bad?” Sooyoung asked, wilting in her chair, withdrawing slightly.

That had Baekhyun and Chanyeol both scrambling, reaching out to her.

“No sweetie,” Baekhyun reassured.  “It’s not bad, it’s just…”

“Staying forever might be a bit hard,” Chanyeol supplied, filling in as Baekhyun trailed off.  Baekhyun shot Chanyeol a grateful look even as Sooyoung’s frown deepened.

“B-but,” Sooyoung whispered, eyes welling up as she looked between Chanyeol, Baekhyun and the table.  Chanyeol reached out to catch the tears before they could spill, wiping them away carefully with his finger.

“Please don’t cry sweetie.  Even if I go home, I can still come visit,” he said softly.

“And you’ll see him at school,” Baekhyun added, hoping Sooyoung would be comforted by the thought.

“Mr. Chanyeol no like Sooyoung?  So he go home?” Sooyoung asked, tears still threatening to spill as her lower lip trembled.

Those words had Chanyeol moving, lifting Sooyoung up from her seat to hold her against his chest as he rocked her gently.  “No, no.   I like you a lot Sooyoung.  I promise.  We will still play together at school everyday,” he reassured.

Sooyoung looked up as Chanyeol as she took a heavy sniff.  “Really?” she asked.

“Really,” Chanyeol said, looking down at her with a soft, reassuring smile.

“Pinkie promise?”  Sooyoung asked, holding out her tiny pinkie in a motion that made Baekhyun’s heart clench uncomfortably.

“Pinkie promise,” Chanyeol said, linking his pinkie with Sooyoung’s own and sealing it just the way Baekhyun would do by pressing their thumbs together.  The motion seemed to allay Sooyoung’s fears, accepting Chanyeol’s suggestion that she finish her cake, but as Sooyoung focused on finishing her cake, Chanyeol shot Baekhyun another look from across the table.

Baekhyun agreed.

They had a problem.

---

“What are we going to do?” Chanyeol asked as they lay next to each other that night in Baekhyun's bed, Sooyoung deep asleep a room over, unaware of Chanyeol’s plan to leave the next day.  Baekhyun was mobile.  He would be heading back to teaching on Monday and could drive.  There was no longer a reason for Chanyeol to stay.

Baekhyun let out a heavy sigh, ruffling his hair in what had become a familiar gesture.  “I don’t know.  I didn’t expect her to get so attached,” he said, clearly troubled.

“I can stay,” Chanyeol offered, almost already able to hear Baekhyun’s refusal.  There was no reason for Chanyeol to stay, not in Baekhyun’s mind, not anymore.

“I don’t know if that would help,” Baekhyun replied biting his lip.

Chanyeol sighed heavily.  And there it was, the refusal.  He’d expected it, but it still stung.  Chanyeol was more than willing to stay.  The past two weeks with Baekhyun and Sooyoung had been like a dream, but, it was time to return to reality, wasn’t it?

“Is there anything I could do that could help?”  Chanyeol asked, wondering if Baekhyun had any ideas on how to fill the hole his departure would leave in his and Sooyoung’s hearts.

“She’ll still see you almost every day.  Hopefully that will be enough,” Baekhyun said after another heavy sigh, turning to face Chanyeol where he laid, a small frown on his face.  “I’ll miss you too.  Thank you.  For all your help,” he whispered softly, his frown transitioning into a small grateful smile that caught Chanyeol off guard.

He stared for a moment, just drinking Baekhyun in before slowly, carefully, reaching out to push back a piece of hair that has fallen over Baekhyun’s eyes.

“Will you be okay?” he asked quietly.

Baekhyun smiled wider, offering up a nod.  “Yeah, I think we will.”

Chanyeol didn’t have the courage to tell Baekhyun that the ‘you’ in his sentence hadn’t included Sooyoung, not that time.  Instead, he smiled back and wished Baekhyun goodnight, for the last time.

---

“Chanyeol, can you get that?” Baekhyun asked, groaning as his alarm blared.  He didn’t feel like getting up yet.  He groaned as the sound didn’t cease, rolling on his side to tap Chanyeol where he slept.  “Chanyeol—”

Baekhyun froze as his hand collided with nothing.  Oh, yeah, Chanyeol was gone.

Baekhyun groaned as he pushed himself up out of bed, swinging his legs over the side and reaching for his crutches which he had left on the floor.  It was time to get up.

He made his way to the bathroom, beginning his morning routine, but Baekhyun couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.  He’d gotten too used to having company in the morning.  Now, his bathroom was quiet save for the whirr of his electric toothbrush.  He sighed as he slid it back in its holder.  He should get used to it.  Chanyeol didn’t have a reason to come back.

---

“How was she this morning?” Kyungsoo asked quietly as Sooyoung bolted across the room towards Chanyeol.  He was anticipating it this time, catching her in his arms and spinning her around twice before setting her feet back on the ground and beginning an animated conversation that Baekhyun could not hear as he responded to Kyungsoo’s query.

“Not great,” he admitted.  Sooyoung had been almost teary as she had gotten ready with only Baekhyun there to help her.  It was only his reminder that once they got to school that she’d get to see Chanyeol that seemed to lift her spirits.  Then she’d been ready to practically run to the car, forcing Baekhyun to hold her back as they finished getting her dressed and packing her things.

Kyungsoo let out a quiet, understanding hum.  “Chanyeol was moping too,” he murmured, making Baekhyun’s eyes widen.

“He was?” Baekhyun asked, head snapping towards Kyungsoo in surprise.

Kyungsoo gave a small nod, keeping his voice low as he turned his gaze towards where Chanyeol and Sooyoung were still talking excitedly.  “He’s always wanted a family you know. After figuring out he was gay, he never really had the confidence to pursue it, but maybe…”

Kyungsoo let his voice trail off, the suggestion clear in his tone, though unspoken.

Baekhyun’s mind stalled as Chanyeol finally pushed himself up from the squat he’d been in while talking to Sooyoung, sending a wave in Baekhyun’s direction before refocusing on his task of cleaning tables while Sooyoung headed for a pile of toys.  “I… I don’t know what to say,” Baekhyun admitted quietly as he waved back without a thought, the wide smile Chanyeol had shot in his direction making his heart race.

Kyungsoo let out another thoughtful hum.  “I can understand that, but, could you think about it?  I can watch Sooyoung for a few hours if you two want to go out, maybe have a chat.”

Baekhyun watched as Chanyeol yet again abandoned his cleaning duties to greet another student that had just arrived, smile wide and endearing.  Baekhyun’s heart clenched uncomfortably.

“I’ll think about it,” he whispered softly, eyes never leaving Chanyeol’s face.

“Thank you,” Kyungsoo replied simply.

Baekhyun was quick to leave after that, mind turning over a hundred thoughts.  When he’d decided to adopt Sooyoung, he’d closed off thoughts of personal romance.  Sooyoung was his family, his world, but, he couldn’t deny that in the past two weeks, Chanyeol had wormed his way inside that space.  The question was whether Baekhyun wanted him to stay.

In his heart, Baekhyun already knew the answer to that question.

---

“Kyungsoo said you wanted to see me?” Chanyeol asked, walking up to Baekhyun where he stood rested against the hood of his car, a crutch under each arm.  

“Yeah, get in,” Baekhyun said, motioning towards the passenger side door.

“What?” Chanyeol asked, surprised.  Was something wrong?

“I need to take you somewhere,” Baekhyun explained vaguely, pushing himself away from the car and beginning to make his way to the driver’s side door.  Chanyeol’s brow furrowed as he followed after him, reaching to hold the door open as Baekhyun slid into the driver's seat.

“What about Sooyoung?” he asked, taking Baekhyun’s crutches and throwing them into the back.

“Kyungsoo is going to watch her,” Baekhyun replied assuredly before turning on the engine.  “Is something wrong?” Chanyeol asked worriedly as he got in the passenger side seat.

Baekhyun shook his head.  “No, everything is fine.  I just need to take you somewhere,” Baekhyun replied, still being vague.

“Where?” Chanyeol asked, setting back in his seat as Baekhyun pulled out of the parking lot.

“You’ll find out soon,” Baekhyun promised.

---

“We’re going shopping?” Chanyeol asked confusedly as they drew up in front of the supermarket.

Baekhyun nodded his head as he parked his car.  “Yeah.  Can you do me a favor?” He asked, looking over at Chanyeol with a small smile on his face.

Chanyeol cocked his head to the side.

“What?” he asked, feeling even more confused than when he had first gotten into Baekhyun’s car.  Just what was this about?

“Go get a cart.  I don’t feel like walking,” Baekhyun answered, laughing as Chanyeol’s eyes widened in surprise before he began to laugh as well.

“You serious?” he asked, reaching for his door handle.

Baekhyun nodded.  “Yes.”

---

“So what are we buying?” Chanyeol asked as he pushed Baekhyun through the store, following his directions as they turned and walked down a few different aisles.

“A carseat,” Baekhyun answered, finally stopping his pointing as they reached an aisle lined with car seats on either side.

“You need a new one?” Chanyeol asked, confused.  As far as he knew, even after the accident, Sooyoung's car seat was fine.  Baekhyun had been driving her in it for over a week for crying out loud.  Baekhyun’s answer left him feeling even more confused.

“Not exactly,” he answered, not giving Chanyeol time to respond before he was pointing to a red car seat display model.  “Can you grab that one for me?” he asked.

“Sure,” Chanyeol responding, going up on his toes to pull down the model from the shelf.  It was a good size, and had adjustable parts that could adapt as Sooyoung grew.  In short, it was a good car seat.  Chanyeol just couldn’t fathom why Baekhyun needed it.

“It pays off that you’re so tall, and strong too,” Baekhyun said offhandedly as he accepted the seat from Chanyeol’s grasp.  Chanyeol cheeks flushed at the compliment as he handed over the seat which Baekhyun proceeded to inspect critically.

“What do you think?  Do you think she’d like this one?  Or should we get the same one I have already?  Would that be better?”

Chanyeol stared, confused and silent.  What was Baekhyun even trying to do.  Finally, after a couple of moments of silence, Baekhyun turned away from the carseat to look at Chanyeol.  “Chanyeol?  What is it?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Chanyeol jolted.  “I—what exactly are we doing Baekhyun?” he asked.  He couldn’t understand why he was here.  Even if Sooyoung did need a new car seat, why bring him?  Why not bring Sooyoung?  What was Baekhyun trying to do and why was he looking at Chanyeol with a smile?

“Well, we’re buying a car seat,” he supplied, smile widening as Chanyeol let out a huff.

“I can see that, but why would we do that when you already have one?”

“Because, you can’t keep stealing the school’s when you need to drive Sooyoung and I around,” Baekhyun answered simply.

Chanyeol’s brow furrowed.  “Why would I…” his voice trailed off as Baekhyun stared at him pointedly, mind stalling for a few seconds until Baekhyun lost his nerve and looked away, down at the floor.

“I mean, if you want to drive us around that is,” he whispered, arms clutching around the carseat, squeezing it to himself as Chanyeol tried to process the implication behind Baekhyun’s words.  Finally, he arrived at a conclusion, one that was hard for him to believe.

“Are you, are you really asking me out over a car seat?”  Chanyeol asked, hesitant, almost stumbling over the words, not wanting to embarrass himself if he was wrong.

Baekhyun kept his gaze on the floor, cheeks red and talking fast.  “Yes?  Maybe.  I don’t know.  I haven’t had to do this in a long time.  I didn't think I’d ever do it actually after I got Sooyoung and I couldn’t really figure out a way to ask—”

“Baekhyun.”  Chanyeol’s voice cut off Baekhyun’s rambling as he hooked a finger under Baekhyun’s chin, making him look up to where Chanyeol stood alongside the cart.

Baekhyun stared back at him cheeks flushed.  Chanyeol reached for the car seat, pulling it out of Baekhyun’s grasp and setting it on the floor before returning his attention to Baekhyun, a hand cupping the side of his face.

“If I say yes, can I kiss you?” he questioned softly.

Baekhyun nodded his head, tone breathless as his tongue darted out to his lips.  “Yeah.”

Chanyeol smiled and leaned forward, laying a chaste peck upon Baekhyun’s lips that Baekhyun met willingly.  When Chanyeol pulled away, Baekhyun’s cheeks were still red, but he was smiling, as was Chanyeol when he drew back to pick up the car seat from the floor and return it to the shelf.

“Let’s go with this one.  Then I’ll have the cool car seat,” Chanyeol said with a laugh as he pulled out one of the boxes below the display.

“Watch it, I’ll make you take mine and I’ll use this one,” Baekhyun teased as he took the box from Chanyeol, letting it rest on his lap in the cart.  Chanyeol chuckled in response, leaning down to whisper in Baekhyun’s ear.

“Not if I pay for it, then its mine,” he whispered.

“She’s my daughter, I’ll pay for it,” Baekhyun quipped back, making Chanyeol laugh.

“It’s for my car though,” Chanyeol replied, placing a quick kiss on Baekhyun’s cheek before drawing back and heading for the handle of the cart so he could push it back towards the check out.

“Fine, we’ll split it,” Baekhyun said, determined if a bit flustered by Chanyeol’s second kiss and the way his low, husky whisper still echoed in his ear.

In front of him, Chanyeol laughed.  “Okay,” he said, not fighting as they both handed over their cards at the register.

It was the start of something new, for all three of them.

Chanyeol was looking forward to it.