*SATURDAY*

The next morning Chanyeol woke to the combined smell of chocolate chip cookies and blueberry pancakes. He bounded down the stairs and greeted his parents as he sat down at the table. His father sat with him, enjoying a cup of coffee while the tall boy enjoyed his breakfast. They agreed it was a struggle to leave the freshly baked chocolatey yuminess to cool on the counter. But both males knew better than to test Mrs. Park, so they left the cookies alone.  

As soon as he finished eating, Chanyeol went back upstairs to his room and got dressed in jeans and a plain light blue T-shirt. He chose the color for a reason, but he was nervous to see how the conversation would go if he brought it up. The thought had come to him when he was going to sleep the night before. He just had to choose his words carefully and hope for the best.

About 11:30 his phone blinged with an incoming message. 'On our way - see you in about 20 mins!' 

Chanyeol texted back with a thumbs up emoji then whirled around, looking at every area possible in his room. He had straightened and cleaned everything the night before. Just his bed was slightly rumpled now, and he made it up quickly. Then he raced back down the stairs and called out, announcing to his parents,"They're on their way!"

His mother called back, "OK!"

The tall boy went to the familly music room and looked around. The piano had been dusted, the books straightened, and a fresh notepad of lined music paper was sitting on the small desk. Obviously Mrs. Park had done more than just vaccuum the floor the night before while Chanyeol was upstairs cleaning his own room. As he sat down on a chair he made a mental note to thank her later. He picked up his guitar, tuning it as he waited. 

Soon the doorbell rang, and Chanyeol put the guitar down as he called out, "I'll get it!"  He quickly checked his hair in the hallway mirror, then hurried to the front entrance. The tall boy took a deep breath, then opened the door. "Come in!" he said warmly.

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun smiled happily as they came in, stepping out of their shoes at the entrance. Chanyeol guided them into the family room area where his parents were sitting. "Mom, Dad.. These are my friends Kyungsoo and Baekhyun. Guys, these are my parents." he introduced them. Both boys bowed politely. 

"Very nice to meet you boys!" Mrs. Park smiled. "Which one is which?" 

Kyungsoo raised his hand a little. "I'm Kyungsoo.." he said, smiling.

"I see.. So that means you're Baekhyun.." she nodded at each boy as she spoke.

"Yes Ma'am.. Thank you so much for having us in your home." Baekhyun said politely.

"We're happy to have you!" said Mr. Park. "Our boy usually doesn't have any friends over except for Jongin."

"His mother worked nightshift when he was growing up, so Jongin stayed here a lot. Chanyeol has never asked other friends to come to our home until now." Mrs. Park added.

Both boys looked surprised, but didn't get a chance to comment as the lanky boy was already guiding them out of the room and down the hallway. He stopped at a thick wooden door with intricate carvings and pushed it open. As the two guests stepped into the room, they both made sounds of amazement.

Sitting the middle of the mid-sized room was a mahogany baby grand piano. A couch and two smaller chairs were arranged against two of the walls facing the piano. Over to the other side was a small wooden desk and chair. Next to that was a stool and two guitars sitting on stands. A musical mural was painted on one of the walls, and the other walls were all lined with insulating decorative foamboard. In the corner was a small booth with two microphones on stands and equipment sitting on three shelves above each other. A monitor sat on the wall above that with a keyboard on a swing-out shelf. 

"This is an amazing setup!" Baekhyun exclaimed. Chanyeol let the door swing almost shut as he grinned at their excitement. The hazel-eyed boy turned around to the taller, beaming. "We can get SO much done here!" 

Kyungsoo echoed his excitement. "This is perfect! This is a soundproof room, isn't it?" he asked.

Chanyeol nodded. "Our housekeeper's brother is an artist and he painted the mural on wall board before we put it up, so even that wall is insulated.

Baekhyun unexpectedly flopped down cross-legged on the floor and looked around, turning almost in a circle.

The tall boy looked at him with amusment. "There are plenty of chairs.." he said.

Kyungsoo grinned and walked around the room a little as he explained. "He does this in places he might want to bring Junnie. This way he can see what the little one might see and possibly try to get into trouble with."

Chanyeol was surprised that the dark-headed boy said the child's name so freely, but then he remembed that everyone in the room knew about the baby. His parents did too, but neither of his guests knew that yet. But what the young parent was doing made a lot of sense and it made the tall boy happy that Baekhyun's first action after entering the room was to see how safe his son would be there. That meant he was seriously considering bringing the baby with him to the Park family home in the future. 

Chanyeol leaned over the brunet's shoulder, deliberately getting close to the boy's hair as he spoke. "Like what you see?" he asked.  He remembered he said those same words for a totally different reason two years ago. This time he leaned back, noticing a light blush blooming on Baekhyun's cheeks. Chanyeol filed the view away in his mind, adding it to all his thoughts about the moments he had been remembering recently. By the time the brunet turned around to look at him, the tall boy had already walked over to the stool where he had sat before, and picked up his guitar. 

"Um.." Kyungsoo spoke up. "I wanted to ask about something your mother said."

Chanyeol cocked his head and smiled, waiting. 

The owl-eyed boy turned around to look at his host. "She said Jongin stayed with you a lot when his mother was at work. Why didn't he stay with his dad?"

The tall boy.gave a small nod of understanding."Well, his parents aren't together, and so he was raised by a single mother."

"Are they divorced?" Baekhyun asked.

"No. He actually grew up not knowing who his father was until she told him the truth when we were in middle school. Turns out she snuck into a bar when she was 16, had a one night stand with a guy and ended up pregnant. She never found out his name and she said right after he was done with her the  said he had to get back to his wife so she didn't want him in her life after that. When her parents found out she was pregnant they were really mad, and a month after she had the baby they kicked her out. She stayed with a neighbor for about a year but it was hell trying to work a job to get money to live and also pay a babysitter." Chanyeol said, lightly strumming the guitar as he explained.

Both of the boys looked at him in shock. Baekhyun finally spoke up. "Wow. It makes sense now why he doesn't want to just party or hook up."

The lanky boy nodded. "Believe me," he said, looking at Kyungsoo, "when he decides he's interested in someone, he's sincere about it. He won't play around with feelings." The owl-eyed boy blushed and nodded back, a small hint of a smile tugging at his face.

Chanyeol continued as he plucked the strings of the guitar. "My mom met his mom at the pediatric clinic when they brought us there for check-ups while we were both still babies. She saw how much Jongin's mom was struggling and offered to babysit for free, and we've been hanging out ever since. They actually lived with us for a little while." 

Baekhyun cooed. "Awww.. Baby Chanyeol and Baby Jongin.. how cu~ute!"

The tall boy stopped playing the instrument as he blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Thanks.. I guess." The other two boys laughed at him.

Kyungsoo walked over and sat on the piano bench, but then whirled around to look at Chanyeol. "So is that why you said your parents would be ok with bringing Junnie here? Because of Jongin's mom?"

Chanyeol nodded then looked at the brunet, who was already staring at him. "Please don't be mad, but last night I actually told my Mom that you were kinda in the same situation." He raised his voice a little in panic as he saw the hazel-eyed boy looking shocked and starting to get mad. "I DIDN'T SAY YOU WERE KICKED OUT OR ANYTHING! I just told her you had a baby.. I knew she would understand what you're going thru.. and .. yeah." 

The dark-headed boy quickly leaned over to his friend and put his hand on his shoulder as though to hold the brunet down.

Right at that moment, there was a knock at the door and Mrs. Park peeked her head into the room. "Hi boys! I'm going to order pizza, and I brought cookies for you to snack on til' it gets here." She smiled as she walked over and placed the cookies and napkins down on the desk, then turned around to face the group. "Now..what do you like on your pizza?" she asked.

Chanyeol didn't look away from the boy in the floor. He realized his mother had heard everything from the hallway before she had knocked. Baekhyun was obviously still trying to recover from the shock he had just gone thru. Kyungsoo gripped the brunet's shoulder a little tighter as he spoke to Chanyeol's mother. "We're fine with whatever you would normally order for Chanyeol." he said politely. 

"Oh I don't know... he's got this thing for pineapple on his pizza that his father and I can't stand. I wouldn't blame you if you tell me you don't want that." she laughed.

"Actually..." Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were caught off guard as Baekhyun spoke up suddenly. "I like pineapple on my pizza as well." The brunet had a strange expression on his face as he looked over at the tall boy. "I've never met anybody else that does tho..."  His friend loosened his grip, changing to a caress of his shoulder.

Mrs. Park smiled softly. "Well then.. pineapple it is! Anything else? What about you, Kyungsoo?" Her smile became a grin. "I'll be ordering two, so at least one of them won't have pineapples on it." 

The owl-eyed boy laughed, his eyes scrunching up behind his glasses. "That's good. I'm fine with just pepperoni and cheese, thank you!" he smiled.

Baekhyun got up off the floor and started towards the couch, but Mrs. Park reached over and caught his hands in hers, stopping his movement. He was startled as he looked up at the woman. "Please don't be mad at my son. He has nothing but good intentions and would never want anyone he cares about to be uncomfortable." she said quietly. Baekhyun looked down at their joined hands as he nodded slowly in understanding. His eyes were suspiciously glassy. Mrs. Park continued. "And you are welcome to bring your little one here at any time. Children are a gift and we treasure them in this household." Baekhyun made a quick noise like a strangled sob as a single tear fell. The woman patted the back of one of his hands with hers as she turned to look at Chanyeol. "I'll go order the pizza now. Your friend needs you." She released the brunet's hands and left the room, carefully closing the door behind her. Baekhyun slumped down in a quick movement to sit on the couch.

The tall boy was surprised his mother had said that to him and not to Kyungsoo. He looked at the owl-eyed boy, who looked back at him and shrugged. Chanyeol put the guitar on the stand and went across the room to sit carefully next to the brunet. "I'm sorry for sticking my nose in where it doesn't belong-"

"No!" Baekhyun startled both boys with his reaction. His eyes glistened, and instead of looking mad the brunet actually had an earnest expression on his face as he looked up at the taller boy. "You do have- I mean- I know you had the best of intentions.. and I appreciate that." 

Chanyeol visibly relaxed, slouching down on the couch beside the hazel-eyed boy. "Ohhh I'm so glad you're not mad. I was really worried." 

Baekhyun wiped his eyes under his glasses and gave a little smile as he looked over at Kyungsoo. The dark-headed boy gave a small smile and nod back. Then he turned to the piano and began slowly picking out a few chords. "Baek is really good at piano.. I can help with harmonies and such, but my short fingers don't like to move quickly enough to play nicely." He held his hands up and wiggled his fingers comically. The other two chuckled at his actions, the humor easing the tension in the room.

The tall boy got up and went back over, taking his guitar off the stand. "So maybe you could write out the stuff we come up with? There's staff paper on the desk.." 

Kyunsoo immediately jumped up. "Great idea!" He went over and sat at the desk, picking up a pencil and looking expectantly at Chanyeol. The lanky boy grinned and turn around to look at Baekhyun.

The brunet looked at the two of them with a cookie already in his mouth. "Whuu?" he voiced, looking caught in the act. The other two burst out laughing.

"Ok, maybe we need a little extra energy food before we start.." Chanyeol grinned widely as he set the guitar back down again and went over to the plate of cookies. The dark-headed boy made a noise of agreement and came over to claim a cookie for himself. 

The boys enjoyed their time together. They talked thru song ideas and figured out a possible melody for their Music Appreciation project. When their lunch arrived, they chose to sit in the kitchen around the island with the two pizza boxes opened, laughing and talking together comfortably. All too soon the large grandfather clock in the hallway chimed at the 2:30 mark, and it was time to clean up and go to the school for the basketball game. 

Kyungsoo was still helping with throwing away the trash in the kitchen when Baekhyun ran out towards the family room. Chanyeol watched as the brunet made a point of bowing and thanking Mr. and Mrs. Park for allowing the boys to visit so freely in their home. The dark-headed boy spoke quietly for only the taller to hear. "He was so nervous earlier, wanting to make a good impression on your family. He- " Kyungsoo stopped himself. When Chanyeol looked at him, he only smiled and shook his head. At that point Baekhyun came bouncing back over, smiling from ear to ear.

They were ready to leave and Baekhyun had rode with Kyungsoo, so they climbed in his car and Chanyeol got into his blue BMW, and they all headed to the school. Arriving at the familiar parking lot, they pulled their cars into spaces right beside each other.

As they climbed out of their cars, Chanyeol spoke up. "I realized on the way over here that I never got to show you the rest of my house. And I definitely have to show you my room next time." The other two boys looked very interested as the tall senior continued. "You'd love it - it's got huge windows that let in so much sun it almost makes my skin glow, and my hair and eyes look lighter, like they're a different color." he smiled.

"Wow.." Baekhyun commented as he adjusted his glasses on his face. 

"Yeah, our housekeeper's eyes are naturally a little lighter anyway, but when she's in that room they almost look blue. Not as light as my shirt, but I have seen that color eyes before.." the taller continued. "I think some blue eyes can be pretty, don't you..?" he asked casually as he looked at the hazel-eyed boy.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol with an unreadable expression. Kyungsoo looked between the two awkwardly then quickly slipped his hand around the smaller's arm and gave a deliberate smile as he began to pull his friend towards the school. "Come ON! I don't want to be late and end up with a crappy seat!" The brunet seemed to come back to his senses as he laughed at the dark-headed boy's antics and adjusted his speed to match Kyungsoo's power-walking. The tall senior followed along behind closely, a smile on his face but his thoughts turning. 

They entered the gym thru a side door and made their way over to the bleachers. The crowd attending was small, and it was easy to find a good spot for the three of them to sit. Baekhyun sat beside his owl-eyed friend, and Chanyeol chose to sit directly behind them. The basketball players were warming up and not paying much attention to the crowd that had gathered to watch the game. 

Kyungsoo seemed dissapointed that Jongin hadn't noticed them come in, so Chanyeol decided to do what he knew would get the basketball player's attention. The tall senior cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and yelled, "HEY NINI!"

Jongin immediately whipped his head towards the sound of his friend yelling, while several of his teammates were also distracted by the outburst. Chanyeol grinned as he reached down between the two friends sitting in front of him and grabbed each of their wrists, waving their hands at the now embarrassed basketball player. The two boys caught on to what was going on, and they laughed as they comically waved. Jongin smiled sheepishly as he waved back at the three silly boys.

The three on the bleachers chatted casually as they waited for the game to start, talking about the basketball players, the dirty gym corners, the coach's funny shorts, and how hard the seats were. Chanyeol noticed Baekhyun's eyes lingering on his blue shirt a couple of times, but he didn't bring it up and did his best to keep the conversation light and fun. The lanky boy had his suspicions but he didn't want to cause any discomfort. 

Within minutes the coach had blown the whistle and the team gathered around for a last minute talk. Suddenly Baekhyun whacked Kyungsoo on the arm, but the owl-eyed boy seemed to be in a daze as he watched the players on the court. Half of the basketball team had taken off their shirts while the other half left theirs on to signify the two opposite teams for the game. And one of the shirtless musclebound boys walking around was the tanned boy that lately had been paying a lot of attention to Baekhyun's dark-headed friend.

Chanyeol grinned as he watched Kyungsoo visibly gulp then start to squirm a little on the hard seat. The tall senior leaned down to speak into the brunet's ear. "I'm going to get us some drinks from the vending machine. He looks thirsty.."  Baekhyun's cackling response echoed in Chanyeol's ear and he grinned as he jogged out of the gym. 

About 5 minutes later the tall senior was back at his seat, handing out cold waters to the boys in front of him.

"Any score yet?" he leaned over between them and asked loudly.

Baekhyun half-turned and placed his hand on Chanyeol's knee for balance as he stretched up to yell over the noises of the game. "4 to 6.." His voice trailed off as his eyes met the taller's. They looked at each other steadiliy for a moment then the brunet colored prettily and turned back towards the game, taking his hand back down to fiddle with his bottle of water. Chanyeol internally sulked at the loss of contact. 

But then unexpectedly the shorter leaned slightly as he took a drink of his water, resting his back against the lanky boy's knee. Even as he brought the drink back down and secured the cap to safely continue cheering for the game, the brunet didn't lean back forward. From that point on thru the rest of the game, Chanyeol had a hard time concentrating on anything other than the slight pressure on his knee and shin. He clapped and yelled words of encouragement for Jongin and the other players, but felt so distracted that he made a mental note to apologise to his tanned friend later. He knew the basketball player would understand. Afterall, when Kyungsoo had whooped loudly when Jongin made his first basket of the game, the poor boy's tanned skin turned pink from blushing so hard. 

All too soon the game was over and the final score showed the "skins" side of the team had won by 4 points. The team gathered around the coach for last minute instructions while the crowd on the bleachers applauded and then began to slowly leave the gym. Chanyeol and the two shorter boys stood up and lingered at the edge of the basketball court, making idle chatter as they waited. Pretty soon Jongin came rushing over with a towel around his neck, covering most of his chest. "Hey! I have to shower, but then maybe we can go get burgers.. or something?" 

"Actually, I need to get home.. but Kyungsoo is free to go, right Kyungie?" the brunet grinned as he offered for his friend. 

The dark-headed boy blushed as he stammered. "Well..! I, um.. yeah."

Chanyeol knew a chance when he saw one. "Perfect! I can take Baekhyun home, and Kyungsoo can wait for you to shower then drive you to get burgers!"

Baekhyun shot a glance at the tall boy. "Perfect..!" he echoed. Then he turned back to the basketball player. "Great game by-the-way..! Looks like you guys are really ready for the season!"

Jongin had seen the glance between the two, but he deliberately didn't make a big deal about it. He just added it to the list of things to ask his friend about later. Instead he smiled broadly at the three others.  "Yeah we think so! And as long as all you guys keep coming to the games, we'll have the best cheering section in the division!"

Chanyeol whooped loudly. "YEAH MAN!" The sound echoed, pointing out how empty the gym was becoming. The tall senior pointed towards the locker room. "You better go shower quick! We'll wait for you outside.."

The basketball player nodded and grinned as he took off running in the direction the taller had pointed. They laughed at his enthusiasm as he slipped going around the corner. Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol as the three of them began walking towards the exit door. "So.. why do you not play basketball? You seem athletic enough, and your height would be an advantage." the brunet grinned. "You could even play volleyball or something.."

The tall senior smiled as he held the door open for the other two boys. "Yeah..  I never was into playing sports much. I've always been better at playing video games than games like basketball or soccer or such. I never tried to build muscle, so I figured I'd settle on being a tall musician instead."  They all walked slowly, enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

"Must be nice to be so tall.." Kyungsoo said wistfully. "You can see everything from up there! You're like a tree or something!" he grinned.

Chanyeol burst out laughing and the other two boys laughed along with him as they got closer to their parked cars. You're so tall. And so HOT. I wanted to climb you like a damn tree as soon as I saw you walk in tonight. 

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun waved his hand in front of the tall boy's face. "You ok?"  

The lanky boy hadn't realized he had stopped walking. "Uh.. yeah!" He pulled out his keys, hitting the button to unlock his car doors. "I was just-" 

"Hey guys!" Jongin yelled as he ran out the side doors of the gym. His hair was dripping and he obviously had rushed through his shower.

Kyungsoo stood a little straighter as soon as he saw the tanned basketball player. Chanyeol nudged the brunet as he grinned and subtly pointed at the dark-haired boy. Baekhyun grinned widely back at the taller and wiggled his eyebrows before walking over to the blue BMW. "So I guess we'll see you later then, Kyungie?" he called to his friend.

The dark-headed boy shot him a brief look of panic, but then seemed to think of something. "And you get home safe, Bee..!"

Chanyeol noticed that Baekhyun reacted with a quick look of panic of his own before turning to open the car door and slide in, closing it quickly behind him. The tall senior smiled at the brunet's actions, then looked over the car to where Kyungsoo was still standing. "I will take care of him. ." the taller said reassuringly.

The owl-eyed boy nodded seriously at him then turned to Jongin with a shy smile. "Let's go..? " 

The two got into Kyungsoo's car and Chanyeol got into his own car.  Baekhyun was already buckled in and looking down at his phone.  His son's picture showed on the screen for a second, but then he turned his phone screen off. He looked over at the tall senior. "How much time do you have today?" Baekhyun asked. 

"I've got plenty of time. Why?" Chanyeol responded kindly.  

The brunet looked down at the dark screen on his phone.  "I was thinking... Did you want to meet him?" 

The taller knew exactly who the "him" was, and he couldn't contain his grin.  "I would LOVE to meet him!" He started the car. "Where are we going?!" he asked, continuing to smile widely as he began backing out of the parking place. 

Baekhyun waved cheerfully to Kyungsoo and Jongin in the other car as they pulled away.  Then he turned back to face the front, almost bouncing on the seat.  "OK! So..turn left here.." he grinned happily as he began giving directions for Chanyeol to follow.  

As they drove, the two talked easily with each other, both comfortable with the other's company. At one point Baekhyun laughed so hard at something they had said, that he had to take his glasses off and wipe his eyes. Immediately after he did that, he seemed to be in a hurry to put them back on again. Chanyeol glanced over but then looked back at the road, paying attention to the traffic. "They look good on you.. the glasses. But I think you look good with them off too." he said carefully.

The brunet shifted a little nervously on the seat. "Yeah..?"

"Yeah.."  The taller knew he might be pushing his luck a little, but he wanted to know. "Do you ever wear contacts..?"

Baekhyun had a cautious expression on his face. "I have in the past..." he said, a little quieter. His eyes flickered over to the lanky boy but didn't linger.

"Hmm.." Chanyeol gave an interested hum, but didn't comment. 

The hazel-eyed boy pointed to the next intersection. "Turn left there and then take the second right."  The taller drove carefully as he followed the instructions, pulling into a quiet subdivision. "It's the fourth house on the right.." Baekhyun said, turning on the screen of his phone. He typed out a quick message and then turned his phone screen back off just as Chanyeol was bringing the car to a stop in front of an upscale condo-style home. 

The tall senior turned the car off and pulled his keys out of the ignition, but didn't climb out of the car yet. The smaller boy seemed to be thinking about something as he stared down at the blank screen on his phone. Chanyeol noticed the brunet seemed a little nervous, and he reached out to gently touch the smaller boy's hand. "Hey.. I don't have to meet him if you don't want me to... It's ok." 

"No you have every right- I mean- I want you to meet him. I want him to meet you." Baekhyun responded. He took a deep breath then looked up at the taller. "Can I ask you something?"

The question interrupted what Chanyoel had intended to say, but he recovered quickly. "I- um.. Sure!" 

"What would you say if someone kept a really big secret from you?" 

"Baekhyun, I already know about your son-"

"No it's not that. I mean, it is.. but.. there's more.." Baekhyun looked back down at his lap.

Chanyeol felt his heart sink. He had been so attracted to this boy for such a long time, but things had been going almost too well this past week. Maybe the hazel-eyed boy wasn't dating anyone because he was already taken. Maybe the person who was waiting inside the house with Baekhyun's son was the other father. Maybe he-

"Two years ago.." The brunet's nervous voice snapped the tall senior out of his thoughts. "..I didn't have this dark hair." He looked at Chanyeol and waited until their eyes met before he continued. "I had blonde hair." Baekhyun said. 

"...and sometimes wore contacts..?" Chanyeol offered quietly. 

"Yeah.." The brunet gave a little smile, then continued. "Anyway, so that year my school had a late fall break so I came to the city to visit my cousin Junmyeon and I went to a party with him and some of his friends. There were a few kids from a couple of other schools there too." Baekhyun tapped his fingers nervously on his phone a little. "I didn't plan to get drunk and I was just sipping my drink, but when I saw this gorgeous guy walk in I downed my cup without even realizing how much alcohol was in there. Turns out the guy didn't seem all that happy about the girls that kept trying to get his attention, so I thought I might have a chance, you know..?" The brunet watched the tall boy for any reaction as he told his story. "I watched him for like- an hour or something.. I dunno, I lost track of the time with just how adorable he was as he got more and more drunk."

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun with a soft expression but didn't say anything, just letting him continue. The hazel-eyed boy gave a little huff, as tho bracing himself to finish his story and tapped his fingers some more. "He was like, hot and cute at the same time, and eventually I couldn't stand it anymore, so I just grabbed him and pulled him into one of the bedrooms. I didn't have a plan, but I couldn't stop myself. He was just SO GORGEOUS, and I hadn't had before but I just HAD to have him. We were both drunk but he made me feel really good and gave me all sorts of compliments the whole time. I felt like we really connected and I was really happy and didn't feel bad about it or anything.. until the end." 

By now the tall senior had reached over and grasped the brunet's nervous hand, holding it softly to stop the figiting. Surprisingly, the smaller entertwined their fingers and began rubbing the back of Chanyeol's hand in an intimate gesture. It was more than what "just friends" would do, and the taller held his breath as he allowed himself a sliver of hope. 

"So.." Chanyeol cleared his throat to work through his emotions. "Why.. why did- what happened..?" he asked quietly. 

Baekhyun stared at their joined hands. "I had just finished when he told me I had beautiful eyes." he said softly. "I was wearing colored contacts but the guy didn't know. It hit me like a ton of bricks that I had just had  with a total stranger, and I panicked. Within minutes of him finishing he cuddled up with the blanket, so I just threw my clothes on as quiet as possible and ran. I saw the tanned guy he had come in with so I told them where he was, then I found my cousin and said I felt sick and wanted to go home." 

The car was silent for a moment. 

"You know..." Chanyeol said gently,  "I knew they couldn't be your real color, but I still dreamt about blue eyes for weeks after that."  Baekhyun looked up at the taller in shock. Chanyeol smiled softly and continued. "Jongin took really good care of me while I got over my hangover, but.. he knows my heart has never really recovered even after all this time." 

"Chanyeol I need to tell you-" the brunet started.

"It's ok if you don't feel the same way-" the taller interrupted.

"No, I do but you may not-" the brunet cut him off.

"But I do-"

"'Chanyeol! He's yours!" Baekhyun blurted out loudly.

"Wait- what..?"

"We didn't use protection.." the hazel-eyed boy said slowly. "And I- hhh-", his shoulders sagged with a sigh. "I don't sleep around. At all."

The tall senior looked blankly ahead as he tried to process the smaller's words. The hazel-eyed boy quickly put his phone down and gripped both of Chanyeol's hands in his own. "I know this might change how you feel about me and I can deal with that." he said earnestly. "I'm not asking for anything, I just- I just wanted you to know. You deserve to know." he continued. "And.. Junseo deserves to know his other father."

Chanyeol slowly looked down at their joined hands. He sat thinking for a minute.

Then a soft smile crept back onto his face. "You deserve to know.. I told Jongin.. that I met the love of my life that night." 

Baekhyun was surprised for a second then looked a little uncertain as he slowly asked. "But..?"

The tall boy looked up to smile directly at the worried brunet. "But I didn't know I helped create another great love of my life in the same night." 

A loud sob of relief and joy exploded out of Baekhyun as he launched himself across the seat into Chanyeol's waiting arms. The two clung to each other, enjoying the feeling of finally being where they had both wanted to be for so long. The taller cradled the crying boy, gently petting his head and making comforting shushing noises as he smiled into the brunet's soft hair.

The sounds of the brunet's sniffling was suddenly interrupted by the "Baby Shark" song playing from his phone. The two broke apart from their hug, laughing.

"It's 5:45." Baekhyun said, wiping his eyes as he turned off the alarm on his phone. "Time for Junnie's dinner." 

Chanyeol immediately looked very excited and interested. "Can we go help?" he asked eagerly.

The hazel-eyed boy grinned through the last of his tears. "Are you prepared to get pureed carrots and chunks of fruit on your clothes? He throws things when he's excited, and lately eating big-boy food has been really exciting for him..." 

The tall boy reached for his door handle. "Bring it on!" he grinned. 

Baekhyun laughed as he opened his passenger door. "Oh, he will..  Don't worry!" 

Both boys got out and the taller locked the car doors as he waited for the brunet to come around the car. Half-way up the walkway he stopped the boy from walking towards the house. Baekhyun furrowed his eyebrows. "Chanyeol?" he asked, suddenly unsure. 

The tall senior took one of the smaller hands. "I wanted to ask you.. If you would go out with me..?" 

The hazel-eyed boy flushed and looked at the taller with amazement. "You want to date me?"

"What part of 'love of my life' did you not understand?" Chanyeol asked, teasing the blushing brunet. 

"I know you said that," Baekhyun said, as his skin turned pinker, "but I thought it changed with Junnie being here now.." his voice got quieter.

"Junseo is very important, but I would still feel this way about you even if we didn't create him that night." the tall senior said seriously. 

The blushing boy looked extremely pleased. "Oh..!"

"Oh. .K?" Chanyeol leaned down to get closer to the pink-faced boy in a teasing manner.

The smaller unexpectedly looped his arms around the taller's neck. "OK.." the brunet said quietly with a soft smile, and pecked the tall senior on the nose. Chanyeol made a surprised yet pleased sound and grinned at the hazel-eyed boy. He circled his own arms around the smaller's waist, linking his hands together at Baekhyun's lower back. The two looked at each other quietly for a moment, then the tall boy slowly leaned down. The brunet understood the action and closed his eyes as their lips met in a soft kiss. 

The sound of a door opening, followed by a baby's loud squeal of "PA!" interrupted the sweet moment. Baekhyun turned his head towards where a familiar looking man was standing at the open door with the baby in his arms. Chanyeol remembered him as the man that had been at the hospital with the baby earlier that week. "Junnie! How's my pumpkin?" the brunet called enthusiastically. The little boy kicked happily at seeing his father who was still being hugged by the tall boy. The pair broke apart but the smaller reached his hand to entertwine their fingers again before leading the tall senior the rest of the way up the walkway and into the house.

As soon as they came in the door, Baekhyun took Junseo into his arms and turned to the tall boy beside him. Big matching eyes looked at each other with wonder and the brunet smiled broadly at them both. "Junnie.. this is your Daddy. Can you say Hi?" Baekhyun said softly.

Chanyeol smiled and waved his hand at the little boy. "Hi Junnie! It's nice to meet you.."

The baby acted a little shy and leaned his head into his father's chest, but he smiled sweetly and didn't fuss. Chanyeol was immediately smitten, and he cooed at the cute act. Baekhyun grinned. "Daddy is gonna help us with dinner time today!" he said enthusiastically. The baby obviously understood what his father had said, and he began to wiggle and make excited babbling noises.

"You remember my cousin, Junmyeon.." The brunet said as he turned towards the kitchen area and his cousin, but he saw that Junmyeon had turned his back and was wiping his eyes. Baekhyun gestured to the baby chair that was already set up next to the table. "Hey Chanyeol, can you- um.. hang on.." He started to move the baby to his hip so he could maneuver the tray of the baby chair, but the tall boy put his hands out towards the little one.

"I can hold him.. if that's ok..?" Chanyeol said tentatively.

"Yes..!" The hazel-eyed boy looked at Junseo. "Daddy is going to hold you while Papa fixes your tray, OK?"  

The baby looked at his father then turned and looked up at the tall boy again. Chanyeol smiled and put his hands out in a grabbing gesture. To everyone's surprise the baby smiled and leaned towards Chanyeol's hands, obviously comfortable with the situation. Chanyeol took the little boy into his arms and cooed at him, bouncing just a little as the baby babbled a bit. Baekhyun stood as tho in a trance as he watched the sweet scene. The sound of a camera shutter made them look over at Junmyeon, who was holding his phone up while smiling thru more tears.

"Make sure you send me a copy of that." Baekhyun said.

"Me too!" the tall boy echoed.

Junseo squealed happily in Chanyeol's arms. "You too Junnie?" Chanyeol asked playfully. The other two laughed and Junmyeon began taking more pictures as Baekhyun fixed the tray area for the baby's seat. 

True to the warning, Chanyeol did end up with some "big-boy food" on his shirt, but he didn't mind. After they all enjoyed dinner, Junmyeon insisted on doing some laundry and loaned the tall boy a shirt while the dirtied blue t-shirt was being washed. As they waited they sat in the living room and took turns playing with the baby. They talked about Junmyeon's school, where Baekhyun was working, and how Baekhyun and Junseo had ended up coming to live with Junmyeon. 

Baekhyun's parents lived far out in the country, so he and his son were living with Junmyeon while Baekhyun was in his senior year of high school. The plan had been for Baekhyun to attend the prestigious prep school earlier in his high school career, since it would be great help for being prepared for college. But when the pregnancy happened he decided to wait to change schools until the baby was at least a year old, which was in late August. The brunet's cousin was a college student, 3 years older and living in his own condo while he attended his classes. The location of the home had been ideal for Baekhyun to bring Junseo and move in with him. Junmyeon's mother was happy to come to watch the baby whenever both of the boys were busy with school.

Junmyeon made it very clear that he was relieved Chanyeol was so accepting of everything that had happened. The tall boy explained his own situation and family values, which made Baekhyun cry and Junmyeon eager to meet the wonderful people that had raised such a smart boy. This reminded Chanyeol that he needed to let his mother know his evening plans, and he excused himself onto the back porch of the house to make a phone call. 

"Mom?" the tall boy greeted his mother, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice. He should have known she could read him like a book.

"Everything alright?" she immediately asked.

"Yeah. Everything's.. great, actually." The events of the afternoon and the newly confirmed knowledge seemed to hit him like a ton of bricks. Chanyeol felt himself tearing up. "I have so much to tell you. I already ate dinner out, but I won't be too late getting home tonight."

"I'll wait up for you. I didn't let your dad finish off the cookies, so there should be a few left for us to enjoy a late-night snack when you get back." Mrs. Park said kindly.

"Thanks Mom. I'll talk to you later." the tall boy responded and ended the call. He knew his parents would be in shock about the news, but they would also be ecstatic to be grandparents. They would be a big help in making sure Junseo was a happy, healthy baby. And they would love Baekhyun. 

As tho he knew the tall boy was thinking about him, the brunet opened the sliding door to the porch. "Everything ok?" he asked.

Chanyeol reached out and took the shorter's hand, pulling him in for a gentle hug. "Mom asked the same thing." he chuckled. Baekhyun hummed a short sound of humor against the taller's chest but didn't say anything. Chanyeol could tell the boy was nervous, and he tightened his embrace a little. "I'm going to tell her everything when I get home tonight." he said carefully. The smaller tensed in his arms. Chanyeol put his hand on the brunet's head. "It will be fine. My parents already love you, and this will give them even more to love. Don't worry."

"How can I not worry?? I'm the boy that defiled their son when he was drunk and got pregnant, and then kept the baby a secret from him for 2 years! You can't tell me to not worry!" Baekhyun flailed in the taller's embrace. "I am worried, OK??" He slung his arms back around the taller in a tighter hug as he pouted and huffed. 

Chanyeol made consoling shushing noises. "Hey. shh.. Hey! It's ok.. shhh..." he said, running his fingers throught the brunet's bangs. Then the taller chuckled. 

The smaller pulled back as tho offended, but Chanyeol was quick to explain. "They're still a little wet." he said, lifting the hairs with his fingers. After dinner Baekhyun had to rinse out some pureed vegetables, compliments of Junseo's enthusiasm. Now, the damp hairs helped them break up the serious tone of their conversation. 

Baekhyun sighed and leaned back to be able to look up at the tall senior, then smiled softly. "It's time to put Junnie to bed. Did you want to help?" he asked.

Chanyeol nodded in eager agreement and followed the smaller back inside. Sure enough, Junseo was almost totally asleep in his uncle's arms. Junmyeon handed the baby to Baekhyun, and then the brunet led the way down the short hallway to a mid-sized room. He switched on a lamp as he walked into the room with the tall boy trailing behind him. 

A crib was set up in a corner of the room and a low dresser was next to it. The dresser top had high edges around it and a small soft blanket was inside the area, creating a changing area for the child. Baekhyun brought the sleepy baby over and laid him on the top of the dresser in the safe area, then opened the top drawer of the dresser and pulled out a new diaper and a clean onesie. Chanyeol watched as Baekhyun expertly undressed Junseo and changed the baby's diaper, then quickly slipped the clean onesie onto the child.

"You make that look so easy." the tall boy whispered in awe.

The brunet smiled. "I've had a lot of practice." he said quietly.

"You've done a great job with him." Chanyeol responded. 

Baekhyun stepped a little to the side, keeping his hand on the baby's stomach. "You can practice some and put him in his crib if you want."

The brunet chuckled as the tall boy's eyes lit up like he'd just won the lottery. Junseo stirred a little at his father's quiet laughter, and Chanyeol immediately reached over and carefully picked up the baby. He gently bounced as he began humming under his breath. The little one seemed to sense he was in secure hands and settled back down easily in the taller's embrace. Chanyeol smoothly moved over to the crib as he hummed, leaning over slowly to place the baby down on his back in the center of the small mattress. He pulled a light blanket from the corner of the crib and spread it over the baby's lower torso. The whole time the look of complete adoration never left his face. He stood and watched the baby breathing a little bit, then turned to speak to the brunet. 

Any words the tall boy planned to say were lost when he saw the hazel-eyed boy holdling his hand over his mouth as he held back tears. Chanyeol stepped over and wrapped his arms around the smaller in a warm embrace. The brunet gripped the borrowed shirt and pushed his forehead into the taller's chest. Time seemed to stand still as they stood wordlessly together. The sleeping child's breathing echoed softly in the room. 

Baekhyun had calmed down and Chanyeol had started to enjoy their matched breathing patterns when a soft knock sounded at the door. Both boys looked over as the door opened and Baekhyun's cousin leaned his head in. "The laundry is clean and dry now.." he said. 

"Thank you." Chanyeol said quietly. Junmyeon nodded and walked away, leaving the boys in the slightly darkened room. The tall boy pulled his phone out and looked at the time. "I should probably go home soon." he said. 

The brunet nodded and lead the way out of the room, leaving the door opened just a little. They walked down the hallway together to the kitchen where Chanyeol's cleaned shirt was hanging over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. When he saw it, he quickly pulled the borrowed shirt up over his head. As he lifted the blue t-shirt up to put it on, he noticed Baekhyun shamelessly checking out his chest. Chanyeol smirked. "Like what you see?" he asked, deliberately dropping his voice an octave.

"That's the third time you've said that to me." the brunet said, his face a little flushed. The taller lifted an eyebrow with a smirk but waited for Baekhyun to continue. The smaller moved a little closer to be able to run his fingers over the toned stomach of the topless boy. "And every time it sounds so damn y..." he breathed out in almost a whisper.

Chanyeol groaned in response "Mmmh.. Damn." He slipped his shirt on quickly. "You don't know how much I would love to keep talking with you about this.." he wrapped his arms around the smaller and leaned down a little to speak into Baekhyun's ear. "But we'll have to wait for another time when there are less witnesses."  

The brunet giggled. "I look forward to that.." he said. He pulled out from the taller's arms then grabbed his hand to lead Chanyeol towards the front door. 

"Thank you for a fun and enlightening evening..!" The tall boy called out to the living room where Baekhyun's cousin was sitting on the sofa and working on some schoolwork. Junmyeon smiled widely and raised a hand to wave goodbye then went back to his studying.

At the doorway Chanyeol turned suddenly and gave the brunet a tight hug. "Thank you." he whispered. 

Baekhyun was confused. "For what?" 

"For not hating me for getting you pregnant. For letting me meet our son. For being such a good father. For coming back into my life. I think-  no, I KNOW I missed you more than I was willing to admit to myself. And here you are, letting me be in your life so freely. I'm overwhelmed. I really am.. Thank you." The tall boy had spoken clearly through his explanation, but he sniffed back tears at the last part. 

The brunet choked back his own emotion. "Stop or you're gonna make me cry. I've done enough of that.." 

Chanyeol loosened his hold just enough to reach for the smaller's chin and lift it to let their lips meet. The gentle kiss started sweet but it lasted a while and began to get heated as their hands moved, caresses turning daring in the hug. After a moment the taller pulled back. "OK I have to go." he said lowly, pecking the smaller's lips a few times more.

The brunet sighed and pulled back. "I know.. Can I get a rain-check?" he asked cheekily.

The tall senior laughed. "Absolutely." He pecked the smaller on the nose then pulled away from the hug, dragging his keys out of his pocket. "Have a good day at work tomorrow"

"Thanks!" Baekhyun watched the tall boy walk towards his blue BMW. "Drive safely.." he called after him.

Chanyeol grinned as he turned around. "I'll text you when I get home!" he called back.

"You'd better!" the smaller grinned back.

The tall boy unlocked the doors, climbed in, and started the car. He gave one last wave before pulling out onto the street. 

 

As soon as he pulled up at his house and parked, Chanyeol texted Baekhyun to let him know he was home. Then he climbed out of his car and went inside the house.

He walked into the kitchen where his mother had placed a small plate of cookies on the island and was pulling the milk out from the refrigerator. She gestured to two empty glasses. "Want some?" He nodded in agreement and sat down on a kitchen stool. When the glasses were filled the tall senior pulled one over. Right at that moment his phone buzzed with a text message from [💗🐝]. He smiled as he looked at it and sent a quick reply, then turned the phone face-down on the countertop. 

"Wanna tell me what's going on?" Mrs. Park asked gently. 

The tall boy took a gulp of his milk. "OK.. so.. first of all, we're officially dating now."

His mother squealed. "Oh Honey! Congratulations!" She reached over and patted his hand excitedly. "When do we get to meet his baby?"

Chanyeol chuckled. "I knew you would ask that. Actually, I'm glad you're OK with it, because there's more to the story.. A LOT more."

Mrs. Park smiled understandingly. "There always is.." she picked up a cookie then pushed the plate over to her son.

Chanyeol ignored the cookies and looked directly at his mother. "Mom.. he's the blonde."

"What?? You mean-  from two years ago?" she asked, amazed.

The tall boy nodded. "Yeah. All this week I've been getting flashbacks of things that happened. Apparently my drunk brain from that night remembered the important stuff." 

"Oh Honey..." His mother was totally wrapped up in what Chanyeol was saying.

"Yeah, And I also remembered that we did a lot more that night than I originally told you about..."

"You mean.."

"His name is Junseo, and he's just over a year old. He's so cute, and smart, and healthy, and.. Mom, he looks just like me...!" Chanyeol gushed, turning over his phone and opening the gallery to his pictures.

Mrs. Park came around to look at the pictures of her son holding the baby. She smiled and took the phone out of his hands as she zoomed in a little on the picture. "Oh My! He even has your ears, bless him!" she laughed. 

"Mo~om!" Chanyeol protested good-naturedly. He took the phone back and looked down at the picture a little longer, obviously smitten.

His mother put her hand on his shoulder. "But.. are you together just because of him?" she asked carefully.

"No, no... we actually really really like each other. I told him I would want to be with him even if we hadn't created Junnie that night."

"Oh that's a GOOD ANSWER! My own boy is gonna make me swoon...! Making Momma so proud..!" she crooned, fluffing her son's hair affectionately.

Chanyeol giggled as he protested a little bashfully, "Mo~om.." 

His giggles died down as his mother hugged him, then pulled back to put her hands firmly on his biceps. "I won't push." she said. "And I'll explain everything to your dad. Just remember, there are a lot of important things to take into consideration from now on." She looked her tall son straight in the eyes. "That baby and his father are part of our family now. And in this house we treat family with respect, no matter how feelings grow or change."

The tall boy nodded at his mother's serious words. "Don't worry Mom. I already care so much for both of them.. I'm pretty sure the feelings will only grow from now on."

She smiled and then reached over and handed Chanyeol a cookie. Patting him on the back as he took a bite, she continued. "You two just be careful from now on so that you don't give Junseo a sibling for at least a couple of years, OK?'

Chanyeol's big eyes got even bigger as he choked on his cookie. "Mo~om!" he mumbled out through the crumbs.

Mrs. Park laughed and put the glass of milk into his hand. "So.. tell me more about your boyfriend..." 

The tall senior took a drink of milk to wash down the cookie before responding. "He's not my boyfriend yet.. but we've agreed we're dating so I'll ask him soon. I don't want to stress him out tho. His parents live way out in the country, so right now Junnie and Baekhyun are living with his cousin who is three years older than him. Baekhyun has a part-time job..." he continued to tell his mother about Baekhyun for a while until his phone buzzed again.  

Mrs. Park patted her son on the hand then picked up his empty glass. "That's probably him now. I'll clean up and then go to bed. You go ahead to your room and don't keep your sweetheart up too late. Remember he has to work tomorrow."

Chanyeol leaned over to kiss his mother on the cheek, then grabbed his phone and headed to his room. He checked his phone as he plopped down on his bed and saw that his mother had been right in her guess about the sender of the message. A short and sweet "Goodnight my handsome tree" made him blush and giggle. He responded with an equally cheesy "Sweet dreams my love". He changed Baekhyun's ID in his contacts to read [💗Junnie's Papa🐝] then connected his phone to his charger and went to take a quick shower.

When he got out of the shower, a quick check of his phone showed that Baekhyun hadn't texted him back, but there was a message from Jongin. Instead of texting back, the tall senor pushed the call button. The basketball player told him how he and Kyungsoo had gotten burgers to go, and sat in the park eating and talking for over two hours before ending their time together. Then he asked about how the tall senior was doing. Chanyeol spent the next hour explaining to a shocked and amazed Jongin about all the things that the tanned boy had been unaware was going on in the taller's life the last week.