June 10, 2021 AD

Baekhyun woke up from his deep slumber with a smile on his lips. He snuggled into his pillow and relished in the lingering scent of his husband left on the soft fabric. The sun was shining beautifully outside his window and birds could be heard singing in the distance. It was the weekend, so he woke up late. His husband, on the contrary, was an early riser and got out of bed to prepare breakfast while Baekhyun slept a little more. 

Baekhyun smiled at the thought. His husband always pampered him, treated him like a king ever since they started dating in college. Even after they married, his husband kept showing his love for Baekhyun every single day. 

They married young, right after graduating. They’d started dating in the very first year of university and their love only grew from there. At twenty-nine, they were still as devoted as the first day, if not more. 

Baekhyun chuckled under his breath. Their friends always teased them for being so cheesy and in love, but Baekhyun paid them no mind. All that mattered to him was his marriage and the bettering of their connection with every day that went by.

The smell of food stirred Baekhyun out of his train of thought. his stomach grumbled as soon as the delicious scent hit his nostrils. Gah, he loved food. And his husband’s food was the best, of course. 

Baekhyun sat up and stretched. He rubbed his eyes and looked at the time on the alarm clock on his bedside table. It was nine in the morning. He could use some more sleep, but then he remembered he had plans he couldn’t back out from. 

He got from his bed and left the bedroom with slow strides. Giggles and murmurs could be heard from the kitchen and Baekhyun’s heart instantly filled with warmth. Ah, that was another thing he loved about his mornings. Waking up to such joy in his home always tightened his chest with affection. He didn’t know what he did to deserve such happiness, but he didn’t question it either. He knew he was lucky and he made sure to thank the universe every day for the many blessings it had bestowed upon him. 

Baekhyun sneaked quietly into the kitchen, entering on his tiptoes to keep his presence secret. And he wasn’t disappointed. The scene that greeted him made a smile spread across his lips instantly. 

His husband was twirling around the kitchen to the sound of Twice in the background with their son in his arms. Their son was giggling at his father’s antics, mumbling along to the upbeat lyrics of Yes or Yes. 

“I thought you were making breakfast,” said Baekhyun. The pair jumped in the spot and stared at Baekhyun with widened eyes. The scene was comical and Baekhyun couldn’t stop himself from giggling. 

“Love, good morning,” said Chanyeol. He tried to act cool and nonchalant, but the tips of his ears were bright red. 

“Good morning papa,” mumbled Hyunjin, their three-year-old son, with a cute pout that turned Baekhyun into putty. 

“My baby,” he cooed as he stepped forward. Hyunjin extended his arms so Baekhyun could carry him and Chanyeol leaned forward to peck Baekhyun’s lips.

“How was your sleep?” Asked Chanyeol.

“Amazing,” replied Baekhyun. 

Baekhyun knew why Chanyeol asked. While most nights he slept like a rock, on some occasions he tended to wake up due to panic attacks caused by the nightmares that plagued him from time to time. They were always the same, of a different Baekhyun with long white hair and sad eyes. A Baekhyun that was constantly suffering, filled with sorrow and pain. Chanyeol would be nowhere to be found and Hyunjin, his precious baby, was murdered over and over again in front of his eyes. 

Chanyeol would often hold Baekhyun in his arms to mutter sweet words of comfort until the panic attack passed. The thought of losing his family scared him more than anything, but Chanyeol was always there to remind him that their reality was different. That they were safe and in love. A common little family, with a pretty house and boring jobs. 

Regular human beings like any other. 

Baekhyun kissed his son’s forehead. Ah, he didn’t know what he would do if his loves were taken away from him. It would devastate him, for sure. He wouldn’t be able to function. 

Thankfully, it was only a nightmare. It wasn’t real. 

They ate their breakfast together and enjoyed the time they shared as a family. They took bites of their food in between giggles and anecdotes. And when they were done, they continued their little dance routine, Likey now their background music. 

Once they grew tired, Chanyeol went upstairs to bathe Hyunjin while Baekhyun took a shower. It was family day and Baekhyun had promised to take Hyunjin to the zoo. And a promise made to Hyunjin was a promise that could never be broken. 

Baekhyun took over the task of dressing Hyunjin while Chanyeol got ready himself, and once they were done, they hopped on their car and went on their merry way.

Baekhyun stared outside the window as Chanyeol drove down the street. Before they got married, Chanyeol showed Baekhyun a terrain that he inherited from his grandfather. It was a wide lot that extended for miles and an old house that stood in the middle. A meadow connected the back of the house with a beautiful view of the city and the entire area was surrounded by a thick shrubbery of trees. Birds were constantly singing in the background and the sun always shone the brightest in the center of the meadow.

Baekhyun had instantly fallen in love and as soon as they could afford it, they remodeled the house to their liking. 

For whatever reason, Baekhyun was very attached to the place and his heart ached every time he took a seat on the withered stone bench that looked directly towards the city. It was old and Chanyeol offered to have it changed, but Baekhyun had refused. He couldn’t bear the thought of removing the bench from that area, for whatever reason it may be. 

Once surrounded by the city, Baekhyun and Chanyeol sang along to their son’s favorite songs and laughed together at the silliness of it all. Chanyeol held his hand the entire ride and he only let go when they stepped out of the car in the parking lot of the zoo.

The place was crowded with families equally as eager to spend a fun time together. At the entrance, Chanyeol bought the tickets and Baekhyun paid for some animal hats that a street vendor was selling outside. He got a wolf hat for Hyunjin, a tiger for Chanyeol, and a corgi for himself. They proudly entered the zoo with the silly hats on and walked around enthusiastically looking at the animals. 

In front of the jaguars’ cage, someone bumped Baekhyun’s shoulder. He turned around, ready to apologize even if he knew it wasn’t his fault, but froze as soon as his eyes studied the features of the person in front of him. 

It was a girl with fiery red hair like lava and vivid brown eyes filled with mischief. She was smiling at Baekhyun and tears had welled in her eyes. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, worried he could’ve hurt her somehow.

The girl nodded. “Yes, don’t worry. It was my fault,” she said. Her eyes then fell to Chanyeol, who had Hyunjin in his arms, and her features lit further. “Is that your son?”

Baekhyun wouldn’t normally speak so casually to a stranger, but the girl gave him an odd good vibe. “Yes, he’s my son Hyunjin and this is my husband, Chanyeol. I’m Baekhyun.”

“Nice to meet you,” she replied. She stared at them for a while with a strange emotion in her eyes, almost like longing. “You have a beautiful family.”

“Thank you,” said Baekhyun. 

Silence fell between them, but surprisingly, it was not awkward. If anything, it was comfortable, the kind of silence you share with someone you trust, like a friend or a family member. The girl also seemed awfully familiar, but he couldn’t tell where exactly he had met her.

“It was nice to meet you,” she said. She turned around, ready to leave, but Baekhyun felt the need to stop her.

“Wait,” he said. She stopped in her tracks and turned her attention to him. “What’s your name?”

She smiled. “My name’s Chaeyoung.” And with that said, she walked away before Baekhyun could ask more. 

“Have we met her somewhere?” Asked Chanyeol. 

Baekhyun shrugged. “I don’t know, but...I hope we see her again. She was nice.”

Chanyeol nodded. “She was.”

They spent the rest of the morning walking around the zoo and during lunchtime, they headed over to a restaurant. As they sat together and Baekhyun watched Chanyeol feed Hyunjin, his heart grew warm and a blanket of peace surrounded him. He loved his family dearly and would do anything for them. He could only wish they could remain happy for the years to come. 

Baekhyun placed a hand on his belly and bit his bottom lip. Yes, he could only hope their lives continued to be filled with love and that the new blessing on the way would only make their luck grow further.