Nothing much has changed with Baekhyun and Chanyeol officially together. 

Just that when Chanyeol got back the other night with a high spirit, Jongin can’t help but to shake his head and interrogate Chanyeol for copious details of why he has a -eating grin on his face. It was way past Jungsoo’s 8 o’clock bedtime, so Jongin had all the time in the world to ask after turning the TV off.

Jongin smirks before turning all attention to Chanyeol’s nearing jumpy figure. The couch dips almost unceremoniously that Jongin would’ve fallen due to Chanyeol’s careless freefall, Chanyeol’s head lying flat on the arm rest with his feet on Jongin’s lap, view facing the ceiling. He sighs and sighs some more, his hands right on top of his stomach and intertwined. Except he can’t help the feels and he brings one up to cover his face and he would’ve continued with the daydream, but of course Jongin’s there and Jongin’s bound to interrupt some time and he does.

“So? Are you done getting comfortable?”

“Is Jungsoo asleep?”

“He just did. The stamina of that kid, really. Do you also chase him around the house until he gets tired and couldn’t do anything else and sleep?”

“Of course. Quite the work, yeah?”

“Mhmm,” Jongin hums. “So was Baekhyun good?” It sounds creepily suggestive coming from Jongin that Chanyeol raises a brow at that.

“What do you mean?”

“Did he top and figured that you’re secretly bottom?”

“You are so sick! No, we haven’t gone to that.”

“So I take it you’re thinking about it, then?”

“…”

“Okay, I’m just kidding.”

“I’ve almost forgotten how much of a ert you are.” Chanyeol lightly kicks where it hurts the most on Jongin’s leg.

“Do that again and I will push you.” And Chanyeol does it again. Of course leave it to Jongin not to go back on his words, so he really pushes Chanyeol off the couch to have him fall in a difficult position on the floor.

“You are such an !” Chanyeol sits up, rubbing at his poor numbing leg. “But I can’t have that distract me now with how Baekhyun was so y earlier.”

“Then you just proved it. You were thinking about it with Baekhyun.”

“Not yet, but he did kiss me well.”

“Man, you are so whipped.”

But anyway, getting back, since Baekhyun and Chanyeol couldn’t spend much time together because of schedules, they live with calling and texting each other for at least the week. Baekhyun is left to understand that being a single dad is a struggle for Chanyeol, having to divide his time between work and being the father that he is expected to be to Jungsoo. Chanyeol, on the other hand, is regretful for the most part because he couldn’t spend much time together with Baekhyun. It’s just that it’s been a long time Chanyeol’s liked someone so much and who fortunately doesn’t think of Jungsoo as baggage. It’s before Jungsoo’s birthday so most of what they talk about other than that is still about it and how Chanyeol just bought invitation cards Jungsoo is to give out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

True enough, Jungsoo brings with him a stack of invitation cards to distribute in the middle of the week. Jongin saves him the trouble by carrying the canvas bag full of them. It’s got poppers and a festive decoration littering the inside, names handwritten flatly on the backs of the envelope addressed to the one invited.

 

"Soojung-ah, my birthday is coming soon." Jungsoo hands Soojung an invitation. “You can come along with Jinri and Josephine, if you want.”

 

“What are we going to do there?” Soojung asks innocently. “Can we play and eat and play some more?”

 

“Of course!” Jungsoo exclaims. “My appa says there will be food and lots of them and that we can play in my play room afterwards. It will be just like in here where we could play and eat together. The only thing different is that it would have to be at home.”

 

"Your invitation cards are really pretty, Jungsoo-yah,” Jinri butts in.

 

"I don’t know where my appa bought them, but when he got home he helped me out to handwrite your names written on the back.”

 

“Really?”

 

Jungsoo nods. 

 

“I think I have to tell my mom about it first, though,” Josephine says with a pout. “It’s my first time attending a party of a friend.”

 

“Me too!” Jinri agrees. “And I’m really excited.”

 

“Jungsoo-ya, you’re older than me!” Soojung gasps, hands covering in realization. “Why am I only finding it out now?”

 

Josephine and Jinri just giggle at the side before Jungsoo is hit by a wave of realization.

 

“So should I call you oppa?” It’s with a toothy smile when Soojung says it, simultaneously grabbing at Jungsoo’s hand and swaying to a rhythm.

 

“Then that means we’re all younger than Jungsoo is, right?” Josephine looks thoughtful. “I’m turning six only next year.”

 

“Jungsoo oppa,” Jinri says, testing it out with the roll of her tongue.

 

“I was supposed to say it first!” Soojung argues, a frown on her face forming directly at Jinri. She lets go of Jungsoo’s hand for a moment and crosses her arms over her chest.

 

“It’s just a label, Soojung,” Jungsoo suddenly whispers in her ear. “You’re still the closest girl friend I have, anyway.”

 

“Girlfriend?” Soojung’s eyes widen at that and the last thing she does gets Jungsoo even more shocked as he falls on his on the soft mats.

 

Soojung kisses him on the cheek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hey Baekhyun.”

 

“Jongin hyung.”

 

“Chanyeol told me.”

 

“Told you what?”

 

“The good news.” Jongin smiles, a teasing one that makes Baekhyun narrow his eyes at him. “With his trademark serial killer smile.”

 

“And?”

 

“And?” Jongin repeats, walking towards Baekhyun. “I know probably that I won’t be the perfect best friend to say this, but Chanyeol’s… how do I put this. See, when Chanyeol decides on something and in this case with the pursuing you thing, he’s not kidding. I mean, he talks about you a lot. Isn’t that already saying? He’s serious about you. Just… you know… Chanyeol cried when he was rejected in high school by this girl. She wasn’t all that pretty anyway, but I don’t know how she had the guts to turn down the handsome. But it must’ve been Chanyeol’s lanky syndrome, you know? He has a lot of flaws and he has Jungsoo and...” Jongin stops, seemingly at a loss for words.

 

Baekhyun just stares.

 

“And Chanyeol’s not really all that straightforward. Well, maybe if he has to, like when he can’t take something anymore and he just has to do something about it. I don’t know what I’m saying, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen Chanyeol this happy. That—that’s it!”

 

Baekhyun contemplates for a minute, represses a smile coming onto his face because he didn’t know Jongin could be like this. So caring, so seemingly not like his usual “I’m cool” self. Jongin used to be just this hyung who would hang around the daycare reading his mangas. Practically the only person he cared about in this daycare was Jungsoo and waiting for Jungsoo and taking the child’s hand to walk home. Although there were times he’d see Jongin preoccupied with Kyungsoo bantering and oh, isn’t this also the guy Kyungsoo doesn’t want to like. It’s strange, Baekhyun thinks, but then his train of thought is disrupted by a nudge and he stops thinking because then Jongin looks like he’s waiting for something for Baekhyun to say.

 

“Jongin hyung,” he starts simply, lips formed in a thin line before he sighs and continues, “I like Chanyeol with or without Jungsoo, biological son or not. It doesn’t matter. I mean… we’re still new with all of this and I have my studies. He has his work and he has Jungsoo to take care of and I understand that.”

 

“That’s good to hear. Just…make him happy.”

 

“I will.”

 

“I’m taking your word for it.”

 

“Baekhyun hyung!” Jungsoo exclaims from behind them, waving an invitation card with a smile on his face.

 

Jongin and Baekhyun turn around at him.

 

Baekhyun doesn’t waste time then and says promptly at Jongin’s direction, “Yes, yes. But for now I shall tend to the kids.” Baekhyun points behind him and deftly turns around, only to be stopped yet again by Jongin.

 

“And hey, have you seen Kyungsoo?”

 

So that’s the reason why he came up to him at all.

 

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow in suspicion at Jongin with this. He’s a bit skeptical of whether he should answer Jongin at all.

 

“It’s just that it’s rare for him to be out.”

 

He answers anyway, a few seconds later, “He can’t come today. He’s got some after school activities.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Although, seriously, he can’t help but think how much Jongin even notices Kyungsoo’s absence at all. But for now, he trudges off to where Jungsoo is and messes up his hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of the week flies by so fast.

 

It's still a secret to Jungsoo the deal between Baekhyun and Chanyeol, but Chanyeol thinks it's too soon to justify anything. Moreover, he wouldn’t know how to explain the situation given that Jungsoo’s asked about Baekhyun and Luhan before. It’s not like they were together, but then there’s that whole other issue relating to Baekhyun and Chanyeol this time around instead.

 

Jongin, on the other hand, is another story as he's realized and would sometimes call Baekhyun's name out at random moments when there's only him, Chanyeol, and Jungsoo in the house. Chanyeol resists the urge to throw an orange on Jongin's perfectly jerkwad face sometimes after which looking to the direction Jongin called Baekhyun’s name from, trying to stray the topic away when Jungsoo starts asking why his Baekhyun hyung's name is being mentioned when he’s not even around. What a tease Jongin is, really.

 

Chanyeol surprisingly goes home earlier than expected this week too, making up for all the time’s he’s tasked Jongin to take care of Jungsoo—dropping and fetching him in and from the daycare, feeding him, taking him out to stroll—that he’s practically losing all time for the kid. He makes it a point to even go home before dinner, bringing different dishes home for them to feast on with no time to cook. Following suit bedtime, Chanyeol tucks Jungsoo in to sleep beside him and kisses the kid goodnight before trapping him in one of his sleep-inducing tight hug.

 

At the daycare it’s evident Kyungsoo and Jongin has something going on. There are times when Kyungsoo would ignore Jongin and only ever speaks to him when it’s needed or just to avoid getting teased by Luhan about unnecessary remarks. Jongin doesn’t know why he deserves this kind of treatment, however, and just lets Kyungsoo be—He’s never gone a day without sassing me, anyway.

 

For the first time in a long time, Baekhyun also forsakes daycare duties a few days up until Friday, not because of Chanyeol this time, but because of his extracurricular work after class hours so he doesn’t get to witness firsthand the tension between Kyungsoo and Jongin up close.

 

Who they least expect to notice does, though, because then there’s Jungsoo grabbing at Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s hand on both his left and right begging for them to take him home together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what are the chances that Jungsoo leads Park Chanyeol Kim Jongin to Byun Baekhyun Do Kyungsoo?

 

More like…

 

so what will happen next that we couldn't leave just up to the hands of chance?