Baekhyun and Jungsoo effortlessly free fall on the long expanse of the lounge in Baekhyun's house at the same time as soon as they arrive. Jungsoo's daycare bag also is carelessly dropped right beside the lounge. They're exhausted, because they practically walked the way home. If only Baekhyun isn't running out of cash for the week. 

It takes some time for them to settle down, reveling in the softness the lounge offers. Baekhyun realizes Jungsoo hasn't eaten dinner yet when he hears the little kid's stomach grumble and he laughs and they laugh and Jungsoo blurts out, "I'm hungry."

"Let's see then," Baekhyun stands up, rounds the kitchen as he opens his refrigerator for Jungsoo following right behind to see. "What do you usually eat?" 

But when he sees that it's full of bowled ramyun and junk junk junk, he immediately closes it.

"Hey, I'm not done looking yet!" Jungsoo complains, a little demanding but moving over toward Baekhyun anyway when the latter moves over to open the cabinets at the bottom of his range.

Baekhyun almost closes it again when he sees that the cabinet is full of packs of Lays, Doritos, Ruffles, junk junk junk not really for little kids to eat but then Jungsoo's hand stops him just as he shouts in delight, "Lays!" and grabs a pack without permission.

"You shouldn't be eating that," Baekhyun snorts, watching as Jungsoo munches on chips over the crumbs littering his little angel mouth and cheeks.

"My dad makes me eat them all the time," and Jungsoo only proceeds to stuff yet another chip on his mouth. 

'What kind of dad makes his 5-year-old eat junk all the time?' Baekhyun thinks for a moment.

Baekhyun pieces all the information he knows about Baekhyun's dad and somehow it all clicks. For a moment, he thinks about how irresponsible Jungsoo's dad is just because of the situation they are in now. He means, what sane human being leaves his son in the daycare? That's number one! Number two would have to be Jungsoo's dad probably being the type of person to promote unnecessary habits to his son. Baekhyun somehow realizes that Jungsoo doesn't even ask permission even before he could open up the bag of Lays nor grabbing said pack from his cabin. And well, number three would be neglecting his son's health and making him consume junk all the time. Sure, he may be cool to Jungsoo and to other kids as well, but maybe not necessarily healthy cool.

But then he doesn't really stop Jungsoo from eating, because truth be told there's nothing but junk in his pad and he hasn't got enough money to treat the little kid to any other fancy restaurant out there because his budget is only enough and due today. It's really unfortunate it's Friday and he hasn't gotten his allowance for next week, so he doesn't really protest anymore and in fact dips his hand on the pack of Lays Jungsoo holds in hand.

"I've got milk!" Baekhyun exclaims instead, raises his pointer, because finally there's a better alternative in all of this!

"But I only drink milk when I couldn't sleep," Jungsoo says with a pout.

Baekhyun finds out Jungsoo's spotted the remote control to the television set when he hears a familiar cartoon in the background. And just look at that, Jungsoo didn't ask for permission again! It's strike 4 too, for Jungsoo's dad and his bad parenting skills, because Tom and Jerry isn't necessarily a cartoon of positive morals. 

Chanyeol wakes up, not necessarily to bright rays or anything shining on his face, but a foot on his face! Add to that what sounded like smooches or the sound of lips on lips and they sound like they're moving too. He stares at the ceiling for a few and comes to a conclusion that this isn't his home, neither is it his foot on his face, or him making those sounds. There's an ache in his head he couldn't get rid of even if he tried and when he sighs, he sighs even more because his breath just smelled outright stale and reeks of alcohol. He hasn't had any in a few years, just a couple here and there on occasions when Jungsoo isn't looking, and Jungsoo! He has half the mind to raise his left hand and look at his wrist watch and oh my goodness it’s quarter to 1 and Jungsoo! He totally forgot about Jungsoo!

He snaps awake immediately, pushing the foot off his face, panicking as he stands up and is welcomed by the sight of Minseok and Jongdae apparently face. And...

"Chanyeol, man, you're awake!" Jongdae slurs. "You've been dead beat for a few hours over only a bottle!" 

Sure, he's dead beat. Talk about forgetting about parental duties. 

"I’ve got to go," Chanyeol says in haste, "my keys my keys," he chants to no one, shaking his pockets in relief. "How did we get here?" he asks, turning to face—good thing they're fully clothed—the couple on the carpeted floor he apparently woke up on as well. 

"Your car," Minseok says, and it's obvious he's the sanest one in this situation. "It's outside. Exit to Jongdae's pad is on your left."

Chanyeol immediately recoils, turns to his left and with frantic hands turn on the ignition as soon as he enters his car.

Chanyeol stops and parks messily at the pavement nearest the daycare. He stands outside his car for minutes, fixing his coat better, running a hand through his messy locks to somehow make it look better, and turns over to the daycare. The lights are off. He could see nothing moving. He sighs in frustration. Where is Jungsoo now? Where is everyone? It's 1:30 when he arrives from the long drive to here and he feels like he's lost a chance in Monopoly and 3 full lives playing Super Mario Brothers.

He almost jumps when he feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to a fierce looking man guard almost the same height.

"Are you Park Chanyeol?" the guard asks, looking irritated.

"Yes!" Chanyeol almost yells.

"I need proof," the guard says, and Chanyeol has half the mind to look at him with narrowed eyes in confusion. "ID?"

"Oh, right," he quips, produces an ID out of nowhere. "Here," he flashes his identification card right in front of the guard's face and watches him study it for almost a minute.

"Okay," the guard says. "Here's the address."

Chanyeol thinks to ask what the address is for, but gets the piece of paper anyway. 

'Maybe Jungsoo is here,' he tells himself and speeds off.

For the second time today and early in the morning, Chanyeol stops and parks messily at the pavement nearest the house he was given the address to. It's 2 am and whoever took Jungsoo in must be sleeping now and probably the entire neighborhood. He thinks so, because almost all of the street lights are turned off, save for the ones on the corner of the street. The house he was given the address to have its lights turned off as well. He almost sighs in satisfaction just because the house looks probably well off (a little smaller than the house he goes home to with Jungsoo, but looks just right for at least a person to live in), except he feels an imaginary headache coming onto him in ways he couldn't explain.

He knows he's wrong, leaving Jungsoo at the daycare unattended, but he was barely starting out the company he was hired in. It's Jungsoo or his job that could provide them their need for every day and he chose his job. At least, yesterday. 

Now Chanyeol's at a standstill, looking straight ahead as he contemplates on what to do next. He's frustrated, so he bangs his forearms on his steering wheel for a few times and rests his forehead on it the next second. The situation's now or never, so he's given not much of a choice just as he wasn't for 4 years and counting. Ever since Yerin left him with Jungsoo, really. So he sighs, swallows all the pride he has left, and pushes open his car door. 

It takes him a few minutes to walk to the front door. He's still deliberating what he would tell the person who got Jungsoo as to what happened that he wasn't able to get him, when the last time he thought of Jungsoo was, where he was when Jungsoo needed him as drive home, why he was out working for so long and chose his job over Jungsoo, and how he even managed to get rid of Jungsoo in his mind for a couple of hours all because of work. 

To be honest, he was bracing himself for the worst. The weather wasn't even helping as he tries to rub off the cold and replace it with momentary heat with running his palms up and down over his arms. His thick coat wouldn't even cooperate. He thinks for a moment if he should probably buy a new one, because it's losing all its purpose as a coat. But that isn't really the point now, is it?

What if whoever got Jungsoo is an old lady? That would result in an endless lecture about responsible parenthood. What if whoever got Jungsoo is a terrible person? That would probably result in Jungsoo screaming and crying for a few weeks in trauma and Chanyeol doesn't think he likes the picture, let alone the image of Jungsoo being harassed or anything unlikely of him to think at this moment. Well, what if whoever got Jungsoo is someone the same age as him? That person would be understandable, right? Joonmyun’s out of the picture, because he clearly remembers he goes by the surname Kim, but it gives him some sort of hope that it would just be a volunteer Joonmyun left Jungsoo to. But what if the volunteer’s living with his parents? Still not a good sign either.

But then again,

or not.

But really, all he just needs to do is to get Jungsoo out of the house and fast, right? Maybe he could just save the lecture or anything the person would say for later. 

So Chanyeol does move closer, finally feeling a sense of relief as he's now standing at a welcome mat nearest the front door of the person's house. He doesn't know what he's waiting for, but he doesn't move for a moment. Maybe he's waiting for a sign? A signal? He picks his hand up, hovering over the doorbell in front of him and partially ready to press. But then he stops again, more like pause in midair actually. 

He puts his palms over his face now, rubbing up and down in frustration as he consequently tries to warm them up by blowing warm air out of his system.

Until a miracle happens. 

In the form of light. 

Right on the window next to the door. 

Chanyeol thinks he's found hope once again, after having left him forlorn. Finally, the owner of the house is awake. He doesn't even hesitate now, doesn't even wait for any visual or auditory signs, and presses the doorbell of the house ever so gently. 

It takes a few minutes, clanking he assumes as steps nearing, before the door's opened by a lad he identifies as almost the same age. Except this lad is forcing his eyes to blink awake, head bobbing up and then down, and holding in his raised right hand what looked like a... cup of milk.

And then someone behind the lad creeps in and lets out an ear-splitting scream, "Appa!"

Jungsoo.

Baekhyun seriously doesn't know what chances are when he's greeted by the best sore eye ever right in front of him. Forget about irresponsible, bad habits, unhealthy choices, cartoon violence, Jungsoo's dad is handsome and it's 2 am in the morning it feels like GOOD MORNING but he feels like he's seeing things in his sleep!!?!!!?!!?!!! But if he is, he never wants to wake up again.

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

I—

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