I HAD TO HIDE THE CHAPTER AND UNHIDE AGAIN BECAUSE I FORGOT TO INCLUDE THE LAST PART!! SO PLEASE CHECK IT OUT NOW. T_T

quick A/N: It's not rated M at all! It may just be because of the mention of ia. I've tried unchecking it, but it kept on coming back so... -_-

There are lots of reasons Baekhyun likes the new kid Park Jungsoo. At least, he'd like to think he does because he's strangely drawn to the kid in ways he couldn't explain. Maybe it's because of his refusal of wanting to talk unlike all the other kids or maybe it's because Baekhyun remembers his days as a kid in him. He remembers himself being anti-social. He doesn't know why exactly. He just was. It always seemed to him that he's exerting so much effort in being able to make friends that he puts all effort away and lets potential friends be lured unto him if they liked him. It didn't exactly work to Baekhyun's favor then, but somehow at least. He kind of met Kyungsoo that way and look at them now, best best best friends for forever.

Or maybe Baekhyun thinks he likes the kid Park Jungsoo, because he is just too adorable and handsome for his tender age of 5. Just don't mistake Baekhyun as a e, because he isn't. He just happens to be very drawn to this kid Park Jungsoo.

The idea of volunteering at the daycare actually came from Kyungsoo a week back, with Kyungsoo saying they need some work experience and the skills needed in the outside world before graduating. They needed an accountable for volunteer job in relation to child development and Kyungsoo just had to come across a flyer posted near his house to give Baekhyun the next day they saw each other. 

Baekhyun was actually thinking twice if they had enough time to even volunteer and every after school, too, but when he saw the four walled establishment he put away all of his doubts and exerted all of his effort in convincing the owner that they badly wanted to volunteer and fast. 

That's when they met Kim Joonmyun, owner and founder of Funshine, near enough from Kyungsoo's house and a kilometer walk away from their university. 

Baekhyun couldn't even begin about how he felt looking at the four walled establishment. The first time he saw it and walked inside, it was perfect! It was the perfect haven for kids and probably the best reverie for Baekhyun after a long day at school or when he couldn't find anything to do on weekends. It was cozy and really colorful inside. Everywhere there were colorful stripes and polka dots as wallpapers. Wherever he looked, the floor is covered with soft puzzle floor mats. There is a designated room for slides, toy blocks, and lots of kiddie toys he assumes is the indoor playground. There are also two mini inflatables he saw the kids enjoying a week back and felt like just wanting to join them. In the bathroom, there are little potties. There is also an activity room with small little tables put together, papers and paints distributed in each table. Not to forget the little island-like patch of structure designated as a place for eating for the kids near the entrance.

But right now, as he snaps out of his thoughts, he's staring at the kid Park Jungsoo and sort of ignoring Soojung, Minkee, and the list of kids he swore he wanted to see again just earlier. He thinks of when Jungsoo would finally warm up to him as he walks slowly near the boy and asks him of his name even if he knows it already. Jungsoo, fortunately does respond, "Jungsoo," almost a whisper and barely heard but Baekhyun gets it and he thinks that maybe it's a start.

Soojung, Minkee, and all the others were quite sad by this and retreated to Kyungsoo to tell him of their woes and asks him why Baekhyun oppa wouldn't pay attention to them. Kyungsoo could just shake his head a 'no' in response and sigh, patting the heads of the kids Baekhyun's rejecting.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, is spacing out on his work, exerting so much effort here and there for a better living for Jungsoo and him. He shouldn't have lazed around that much after graduating. Now it seems like it would take him a lot of time adjusting to the workload. He shouldn't have wished to graduate all too soon. If he hadn't, then maybe he'd still be living with his parents. But then again, they were the one who insisted that he had to move out with Jungsoo, because the little kid was disrupting every little sleep his parents could muster in their old age with his cries at the wee hours of night. 

Honestly speaking, it was so much better last week when he'd only received the letter stating that he was accepted in the job his father helped him apply for. 

He remembers waking up a week ago, turning around in his wake to be welcomed by the sight of Jungsoo sleeping sound. He remembers poking fun at Jungsoo's cheeks as he lightly snored and running a hand through the soft brown locks of the kid that also became a reason Jungsoo woke up. He remembers them chasing each other at the expanse of the living room and falling over each other in a laugh as they race downstairs to eat breakfast. He remembers fixing Jungsoo his favorite cereal snack Trix over at the living room whilst watching Oggy and the Cockroaches at Cartoon Network again and again and again because that's all it ever shows early in the morning even if the idea may sound gross because of the pest gracing the television as they’re eating. Then he remembers messing Jungsoo's hair and Jungsoo whining because of it. He remembers putting Jungsoo to sleep as night came, casually tapping and humming him a good night's song.

He was really troubled how he would fend for himself a week back, let alone Jungsoo, if he starts working. If not for the newly established daycare in tow, really. He couldn't thank the heavens enough, that the daycare perfectly fits his schedule during the weekdays and also exactly closes at 7 pm (except for when it closes at 5 pm on weekends, which isn’t really a problem), just enough travel time back for him when he gets off at 6.

He really couldn't imagine at the moment who he's doing this job for if not Jungsoo. He closes his eyes and all of a sudden he sees a flash of Jungsoo's smile in his mind. It makes him relax, feeling all fuzzy inside just because of the little kid who he's lived with for 5 years now and counting. It changes to the memory when Jungsoo first called him appa, however inappropriate it sounded then, when he was 1 and Yerin had to go away without notice. At first he thought it would be a bad idea to be a teenager dad at barely 19, but he just got so used to the idea of being around the kid that he just had to accommodate him wherever he went. Even if it meant no parties, no drunk nights out, and partially becoming anti-social because he needed to take care of the kid. At least with Jungsoo he feels a revisit of his long lost childhood every day, play dates and amusement parks a package deal whenever the weekend comes by.

It couldn't be helped thinking about him, but Chanyeol would last his first day at work and claim Jungsoo as fast as he could at the daycare the minute he gets off work. And maybe they could go eat at a fancy restaurant and celebrate his first day of work.

Thinking about it, his job's not so bad after all despite the work load. He's thankful the corporate executive he's assisting is just a few years older than him. He goes by the name Kris Wu, not really Korean but Chinese and heard to have worked his way up from zero. Chanyeol couldn't be intimidated enough. Kris isn't only taller than him a few inches, but has good looks to match and probably a hardworking person too. For how could he have worked his way from zero? Chanyeol could only snicker mentally at his failures in life as he only ever got this job with the help of connections. But it was okay, because at least Kris turned out his first friend at work as well and didn't mind him talking about Jungsoo for almost the whole duration of his first day at work. He just hopes he wouldn't fire him in the succeeding days if he continues to.

Later on, it turns out that Kris had quite gotten the message that Chanyeol wanted to get off work as fast he could. So Kris lets Chanyeol off earlier than he should, save for the fact that he's only doing this for only today and Chanyeol couldn't be more happy grinning and thanking him as much as he could.

"It's half past 6, Baekhyun," Kyungsoo reminds, tapping at Baekhyun's shoulder repetitively. "Give the kid a rest because he clearly doesn't want to talk to you."

"He does!" Baekhyun exclaims, pouting just a little because he knows deep down Jungsoo really does. "He talked to me and told me his name's Jungsoo, Kyung."

"Yes yes, okay, but we kind of told Luhan that we may or may not be at his house at around 7 to finish the thesis, right?" 

"Okay," Baekhyun sighs, putting his hands up in surrender. "Let's just go say bye to Joonmyun hyung and we'll be off and maybe I could get to say bye to Jungsoo as well."

But when Baekhyun turns around, he's greeted by the back view of a man wearing a black coat and crouching down in front of Jungsoo. Baekhyun has half the mind to think who he might be and finally it rings that maybe it's his dad and that maybe he looks handsome too!

Baekhyun doesn't see his face, though, because as soon as the man walked over to Joonmyun probably saying his thanks, the man quickly carries Jungsoo in his arms away and makes him enter through the driver's door. Baekhyun blames fatigue creeping up on his back, he swears he could have walked over to Joonmyun as fast as he could to maybe get to meet Jungsoo's dad as well and simultaneously bid farewell to him and Joonmyun, but he could only look at the speeding car slowly fading away from his sight. Then he sighs, 'maybe next time.’

"How was your day?" Chanyeol asks Jungsoo, looking straight ahead as he drives.

Jungsoo spaces out for a minute, hands palming his cheeks as he thinks of what to say. 

"Fine."

"Is all?" Chanyeol asks again, glancing at Jungsoo's direction to see if something went terribly wrong. "Don't you like the daycare?"

"There was this hyung who wouldn't stop looking at me," Jungsoo says. "Said his name was Baekhyun and that we'll be great friends."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Chanyeol asks again for the third time and sees Jungsoo only slumping further on his seat through his peripheral view. 

"He's a hyung hyung," Jungsoo emphasizes. "He looks almost the same age as you."

"Oh? A volunteer? He must be really fond of you then," Chanyeol says. "How were the kids, though?"

"Appa, I don't like it there," Jungsoo says truthfully this time. "When are we staying home again like we used to? It was okay with just the two of us, right? Don't you want to be with me anymore?"

"It's not that, Jungsoo-yah," Chanyeol's voice almost cracks. 

He knows Jungsoo must be feeling really lonely having to stay there at the daycare, but he also knows that maybe he'll get used to their new arrangement sooner or later. It's not like they could do anything about it either. So he stops just right at a pavement, hovering over a side walk. He turns to Jungsoo once he's stopped the ignition and notices him leaning over the window of the passenger's door. Chanyeol reaches out a hand, turning Jungsoo over to face him and making him sit the way he really should. It breaks his heart when he sees Jungsoo cry, a flurry of emotions running through him even more as he watches him hastily wiping the tears away with both his hands. It's not his usual cries either, whining over a broken toy or just because he scraped his knee. Chanyeol knows this is different, because it's deeper... more emotional and even though he doesn't want Jungsoo feeling this way, he truthfully doesn't know how to comfort him in this one because it's just different and it's the first time.

"We could still go to the amusement parks every weekends!" Chanyeol exclaims amidst the emotional situation. He begins to hover over Jungsoo, reclines the passenger seat, and takes off Jungsoo's seat belt to carry him over and onto his lap. "It would just be a little different," Chanyeol explains again. "Because appa needs to go to work, so that we'll have food to eat every day, right? So I could buy your favorite cereals and make you watch Cartoon Network."

"But I don't even get to watch Oggy and the Cockroaches anymore!" Jungsoo whines. "And it's okay. I don't care about Trix or watching TV. I want to stay with you appa!"

"I can't bring you to work either," Chanyeol calmly says, trying to pacify the situation. "It's the adult's business in there and kids aren't allowed."

"I'll behave and sit all day then if I have to!" Jungsoo cries even harder. He buries his face on Chanyeol's chest and muffles his cries. 

"It just doesn't work like that," Chanyeol whispers softly, smoothing Jungsoo's soft brown locks. "You're going to have to go to school soon, too, you know. So you'd have to get used to it somehow. You'll meet really nice people there and maybe one's like your Baekhyun hyung too like your teacher's, right?"

"I don't care about school," Jungsoo stubbornly says, but ceases crying somehow as he sniffs.

"Tell you what," Chanyeol says, "If you don't go to the daycare, go to school and study well, you won't be like appa. You said to me before you wanted to be like me, right? You said appa's handsome, that appa's really cool. Do you think you'll be like that if you keep on being stubborn?"

And somehow it works, because now Jungsoo's looking at Chanyeol with wide eyes and an 'O' shape as if signifying shock with his mouth. Chanyeol could only internally party in victory because finally Jungsoo's getting it and submitting to what he's saying, even if they're not all that accurate. But at least he was able to pacify the situation and successfully too.

"Oh no!" Jungsoo puts a hand over his mouth.

"Yes," Chanyeol says, thumbs at Jungsoo's eyes to wipe away the tears. "Now you better stop crying, because if not I won't treat you tteokboki. That's your favorite, right?"

"Tteokboki?" Jungsoo's eyes brighten and he smiles, putting his little hands around Chanyeol's neck for a hug. 

They stay like that for a while, holding onto warmth, holding onto how much they missed each other for the day. But most of all, holding onto what may be in store for them in the future even if they wouldn't be together anymore like they were 24/7.

So what are the chances that Park Jungsoo leads Park Chanyeol to Byun Baekhyun?

Now?

A staggering 50/50!

A/N:

Oops, barely betaed but oh well.

And the chapter rated itself? Is it because of the mention of ia? Hahahah! Unchecked it, though. But it keeps on coming back!? :(

I still updated today, despite telling myself that I'd probably update tomorrow or next week again but I really really really just couldn't get my hands off the keyboard!! 

Oh right, before I forget Happy

#LeaderSuhoDay!