A/N: Basically, I love writing about babies because they are adorable little things and I like to think about things from their point of view sometimes and this sequel was begging to be written.

            Jongdae is lounging in the dorm’s living room, legs spread wide as he sits on the floor. It’s been almost five months now since the public found out about little Baekhyun and about four months since he started dating Yixing. As far as being an unmarried pop star idol with a baby goes, Jongdae doesn’t think his life could get any better. Everyone has been rather accepting of the situation, but then again, once pictures of Baekhyun spread via Tao’s multiple social sites, no one could resist loving the little guy with his partially gummy grin, his adorably chubby cheeks, and his lovely puppy dog eyes. The fans couldn’t get enough of him, eating up every bit of information they were allowed to know and fawning over his cute baby pictures, even commending Jongdae for fathering such a perfect child.

            All was well, even Jongdae’s relationship with Yixing that officially started with an anxious confession on Baekhyun’s first birthday. Yixing had loved Jongdae for some time but it took a bit for Jongdae to realize how he felt about his group mate. It didn’t help that Jongdae had the whole Baekhyun fiasco to worry about when Yixing originally revealed his emotions, but everything locked into place once things settled down concerning the baby and their fans and now they’re happy together. The group accepts them as a couple and Baekhyun loves Yixing as much as he loves Jongdae.

            Even now, Baekhyun refers to Yixing as “mama” and Jongdae as “dada.” He associates them as his parents and lovingly clings to them any chance he gets. He’s grown accustomed to the other members of the group and feels safe with them, but he’s suddenly hit a stage of clinginess that Jongdae is finding difficult to handle. He’s beginning to fear there is something wrong with his son the more Baekhyun acts like a spider monkey. It breaks Jongdae’s heart each time the group leaves and Baekhyun starts crying because he doesn’t want his “dada” to go.

            The truth is, after the first hospital incident with Baekhyun’s cold, Jongdae has began to read parenting books. He’s been learning about child development and how to foster Baekhyun’s growth. The pediatrician he was recommended for Baekhyun’s one-year check up assured Jongdae that he was doing a fine job and that Baekhyun was developing both mentally and physically well. “He’s right on track with his development. As a first time parent you’re taking great care of him,” the doctor had said and yet, Jongdae doesn’t believe it.

            He’s worried that he’s hindering Baekhyun’s progress because he can’t be with his son all the time and because his environment is a bit unstable what with the group constantly coming and going at irregular hours during the day. There are times when Jongdae only gets to see Baekhyun sleep, unable to even hold him for fear of breaking his routine by waking him up too early in the morning. Jongdae thinks Baekhyun must be feeling uncertain about not seeing him often enough and that maybe his son’s worried that his father isn’t a secure fixture in his life. Maybe deep down Baekhyun’s scared of being left again, because even though he’s so young, he knows someone important is gone from his life. Deep down he misses his mother and it hurts because Jongdae can’t fill that hole in Baekhyun’s heart. He can’t replace Baekhyun’s mother and neither can Yixing. Deep down Baekhyun will always miss her and Jongdae innately knows this, which is why he’s trying to be the best father he can possibly be.

            Jongdae finally has an afternoon off which is why he’s on the living room floor with Baekhyun trying to get in some much needed father-son bonding time. Baekhyun’s ecstatic. He squealed when Jongdae came home unexpectedly early and scooped him up into his arms for a long hug. Baekhyun hadn’t really seen his father for the past two days because of his hectic schedule and in baby terms that’s like two years, so he’s absolutely thrilled to be in his father’s arms, even if they are just sitting in the living room facing each other.

            “Baekhyun,” Jongdae coos in his sweetest baby voice. The baby’s eyes widen as he stares up as his father. “C’mere,” he says, lifting Baekhyun up to stand on his feet. Jongdae keeps a firm hold on his son’s hands to keep him steady while standing. He attempts to urge him forward by pulling his hands closer but Baekhyun’s not budging. Instead, he stands on sturdy legs staring at his father trying to figure what’s wrong with him. “Baekhyun, why won’t you walk for daddy? Just take a few steps.” Baekhyun simply stares in defiance before plopping down, tired from standing. “You are such a lazy baby,” he teases, sliding Baekhyun forward to give him a kiss on the forehead just after badmouthing him.

            “Don’t rush him,” Yixing chides. He joins the two on the floor passing Baekhyun his Mickey Mouse sippy-cup of apple juice.

            “He should be walking by now. All the baby books say he’s late and that I should be concerned about his development.” Jongdae watches as Baekhyun grips the cup tightly with his tiny fingers before clumsily guiding it to his wide mouth, now half-filled with tiny white baby teeth. Even though Baekhyun is behind in walking, he’s progressing beautifully in the teething department.

            “We’ve talked to the pediatrician already. He said Baekhyun is growing perfectly and that he’ll walk when he’s ready. Who knows, he may just be a late bloomer and one day he’ll start walking like a pro and bypass all the terrifying wobbly practice sessions.” Yixing tries to console Jongdae, but he’s found that no matter what he says Jongdae will always be the panicking father who’s overly concerned about his child, which really isn’t all that bad, except that maybe Jongdae’s protectiveness is holding Baekhyun back.

            After a moment of thought, Yixing pulls Baekhyun away from his father. At first the baby pouts in frustration at being separated from his father but he realizes it’s Yixing holding him and finds that he’s content with being in Yixing’s possession. Yixing slides across the floor away from Jongdae before standing Baekhyun up in front of him so that the little guy is facing his father. “Try to get him to come to you while I keep him on his feet.”

            “We’ve tried this like a thousand times and he always ends up crying,” Jongdae replies in frustration.

            “Well we might succeed this time, but we’ll never know if we don’t try. Isn’t that right Baekhyun?” Yixing shakes Baekhyun’s arms making him do a little jig causing him to giggle happily.

            “Fine, okay.” Jongdae extends his arms towards his son. “Come here Baekhyun. Come to daddy.”

            Baekhyun simply stares for a moment, eyes trailing to the floor between them as if sizing up the distance. He looks back to his father, eyes curious as to why his father doesn’t just come to him.

            “Come on. Come to me Baekhyun. Walk to daddy.” Jongdae wiggles his fingers for emphasis, urging Baekhyun to come closer by showing how much he truly wants Baekhyun in his arms. “C’mere,” he coos.

            Baekhyun leans forward as if trying to get closer, but his feet never budge from their spot on the floor. Annoyed, he looks back at Yixing as if asking why he’s being kept away from his dad because now he really wants to be in Jongdae’s arms. Yixing leans forwards with Baekhyun a bit and the baby thinks for a moment that he’s getting what he wants, but then he’s not really going anywhere. He’s still in the same spot on the floor.

            “You have to pick up your foot,” Yixing stays, not really helping Baekhyun in anyway other than holding him upright. “If you want to get to Jongdae, you have to walk.”

            Baekhyun frowns, staring at the floor angrily before peering at his father pitifully as if asking for help. Jongdae can mentally hear his son saying, “Daddy, help me.” This is a huge moment for Jongdae because he’s realizing that the only way to help his son at the moment is by not helping him. He has to let Baekhyun figure this out. He can’t just scoop him up and play hero like he wants to.

            “Come on. I know you can do it,” Jongdae says, trying to get Baekhyun to walk.

            The baby huffs, struggling to pulls his arms free from Yixing’s grip so that he can reach out to his daddy because he knows from experience that his daddy will pick him up if he reaches his arms out. He knows that this is the signal he has to give his daddy to tell him that he wants to be held only he can’t do that because “mama” is not letting him, so in turn he decides to start whining and struggling harder.

            “No,” Yixing chastises sternly, holding Baekhyun still. “None of that.” He let’s go of one Baekhyun’s hands, now attempting to give the baby a clue as to what they want him to do by guiding the baby’s feet into a stepping motion, first one foot and then the other. Baekhyun watches in rapt attention as Yixing picks one foot up making it bend at the knee before placing it down again a little further forward than it’s previous position. He then does the same this with the other foot and Baekhyun looks up at Jongdae to realize that he’s a little closer now.

            Yixing repeats the process once more before urging Baekhyun to try it for himself. “All you have to do is pick up your leg and move it forward. I know you can do this. You know how to use your legs and don’t pretend you don’t because you’ve kicked all of us plenty of times.” Yixing tries to guide little Baekhyun forward but by this point the little guy is absolutely fed up with these big oafs that are supposed to be giving him everything he wants and needs when he shows them what he wants that he decides not to continue with their stupid game choosing to plop down on the floor instead.

            He stubbornly stares at his father, hands still caught in Yixing’s as if he’s being detained. He looks like a tiny criminal who refuses to show penance for his actions. Yixing releases him, choosing not to force Baekhyun to try again and as soon as his arms are free, Baekhyun crawls over to Jongdae, practically colliding headfirst into his stomach in his eagerness to get back to his dad.

            “Did you miss me that much?” Jongdae teases while pulling Baekhyun into a tight hug. “Maybe you’re right,” he concedes to Yixing. “Maybe we shouldn’t rush him.”

            Yixing shakes his head in exasperation. “Give him his juice and don’t forget to make him take a nap at three. He’s excited we’re home early but he still needs to stay on his routine.”

            “I know. I know,” Jongdae groans, crossing his legs so Baekhyun can sit in his lap while he’s sipping from his cup.

            In the end, Jongdae forgets to make Baekhyun nap at his appointed time, which means the baby ends up sleeping through his scheduled dinnertime, which causes him to eat later in the night making the little guy cranky when it’s finally time for him to go to sleep. It’s the first rough night they’ve had in months. Baekhyun ends up falling asleep on Jongdae’s chest, refusing to let go when they try to place him in the crib they ordered just after his first birthday. He gets to sleep with his dad for the rest of the night.

            “You’re spoiling him too much,” Minseok chastises while he watches Jongdae carry Baekhyun around the kitchen as he prepares himself a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Today’s an odd day when the group gets a four-hour midday break. They had to practice two new routines that morning and then that afternoon they have a final wardrobe fitting and an early photo shoot for their new end of year calendar sale.

            “I’m not spoiling him,” Jongdae counters, hiking Baekhyun up on his hip to resituate him. Baekhyun reaches for Jongdae’s food but his arms short by just a few inches. Jongdae offers Baekhyun a bowl of banana slices and peach cubes instead which the little guy rejects because he wants what his dad’s eating. “He just misses me a lot.”

            “I understand that, but you shouldn’t be encouraging his clinginess. You’re going to stunt his growth.” Minseok’s half joking as he says this but Jongdae takes him very seriously.

            Jongdae turns to stare wide-eyed at his group mate, sandwich hanging in midair before his gaping mouth. “Do you really think it will affect his growth? Could this be why he isn’t walking yet? Is it my fault he’s not where he should be for his age?” He glances down at his son, fingers now full of bread he was able to finally tear from the sandwich.

            Minseok shrugs. “Could be, but don’t take my word for it? I’m not exactly baby savvy remember.” He feels a little guilty for making Jongdae so concerned but Minseok thinks it’s common sense that parents shouldn’t coddle their children regardless of the circumstances. “Look, I know you feel horrible about not being with him as much as you should be but over indulging him is a bad idea. Give him the love he needs but don’t overdo it.” With that, Minseok stands from his seat at the table to deposit his cup and plate in the sink before giving Jongdae a pat on the back and Baekhyun a nudge on the arm. Minseok’s grown more comfortable with being around the baby but he still doesn’t like being left alone with him or holding him for that matter. “Just think about it,” he says before exiting the room.

            Jongdae looks to the baby on his hip. “Are you spoiled?” he asks as if the baby can understand him.

            Baekhyun simply grins, bread mush still evident in his mouth. He tries to grab some more before Jongdae can pull his sandwich away but he misses. This time Jongdae choose to give Baekhyun some cheese along with the bread.

            “Yeah, you’re definitely spoiled.” He takes a bite from his ham and cheese before grabbing Baekhyun’s bowl of fruit and moving to the living room so they can eat comfortably. He decides he can work on not spoiling Baekhyun tomorrow because he doesn’t have time to think about it today. He has to go back to work in less than two hours and he wants to have some fun with his son before reality kicks back in because right now, for just a small amount of time, he actually gets to act like a real father and these are the moments he cherishes the most.

            Jongdae tries the whole “not spoiling Baekhyun” thing for a week. He tries to abstain from holding Baekhyun for too long or constantly picking him up each time Baekhyun asks for it or starts whining. He makes sure the other members are in on it too and it’s tough at first to tell Baekhyun no but they all try to help each other out. Yixing thinks Jongdae’s being a little too severe but he doesn’t say anything because Jongdae’s the father and he wants to do what he thinks in best for Baekhyun even though he really has no clue how to do that.

            At the end of the first week, Baekhyun starts getting really frustrated. He’s still a very happy baby by all means, but he can tell there’s a difference in the way people treat him. He’s not necessarily being ignored or neglected but he misses the large doses of affection he had been receiving on a regular basis. He liked all the hugs and kisses. He wants to be adored like that again, but he doesn’t know how to get it because whining, begging, and crying doesn’t work. He’s done everything short of throwing an all out tantrum and still nothing.

            On one particular day, Baekhyun’s left in the living room. He’s sitting atop his favorite ninja turtle blanket, courtesy of Wufan, accompanied by all his favorite toys, white alpaca plushie included. He’s just sitting there, left alone like he’s expected to entertain himself while the half of the group bustles around doing whatever it is that needs to be done. The other half are out shopping.

            He can see Jongdae, Yixing, and Luhan in the kitchen working on dinner and because he can see them, he doesn’t feel particularly upset about being ignored, but he does want their attention. He tries to speak words, only knowing a few really so he ends up babbling. “Dada, om me an mama.” He huffs, picking up his alpaca. “Mine,” he says clearly and the grownups in the kitchen look over at him curiously. Baekhyun notices he finally has their attention. “Dada come,” he orders and Jongdae finds himself laughing because Baekhyun’s insistence is cute.

            “What is it?” he asks not moving from his spot next to the refrigerator.

            “Dada.” Baekhyun holds his hands out gesturing that he wants to be picked up. “Come,” he whines, lip quivering slightly as if he might cry at any moment.

            Jongdae crosses his arms defiantly. “No. If you want me, then you come over here.”

            Baekhyun thinks for a moment, frowning at his father for not obliging him before turning his attention back to his alpaca plushie. He’s pretending that he’s not hurt by his father’s ignorance in regards with how to please Baekhyun.

            Upon seeing his son’s actions, Jongdae returns to speaking with his group mates about something that happened earlier in the day. Baekhyun doesn’t want to give up just yet in getting his father’s attention, but he needs to rethink how he goes about doing so because his normal actions don’t work anymore.

            After thinking it over, Baekhyun decides to get closer to his father so he drops forward and begins crawling across the wide space of the living room. About halfway there he decides he’s not going fast enough so he stops, stares up at the three in the kitchen observing their postures. Trying to follow their movements, Baekhyun plants his hands on the ground pushing his upper body up before planting his feet on the ground. He ends up with his in the air and slowly walks his hands closure to his body until he feels stable enough to push himself up right. He unsteadily bends his knees, squatting for a moment and then standing up fully.

            The adults in the kitchen haven’t noticed yet, but that’s okay because Baekhyun’s still trying to figure this whole walking thing out. His body feels unbalanced and his diaper feels too big, but he thinks he can do this. So he takes a step forward and in that moment, Jongdae glances his way. He freezes as he watches his son look down surveying the ground beneath him with his arms outstretched like a zombie to keep himself steady as he attempts a second step forward. Wanting to share this moment with the others, Jongdae taps Yixing on the shoulder making him turn from the stove. Yixing’s eyes follow the direction that Jongdae’s pointing in. He covers his mouth when he sees Baekhyun take his third wobbly step and Luhan’s attention drifts towards the same point of focus as the others when Baekhyun takes his fourth step.

            They all watch in suspenseful silence as Baekhyun continues his trek across the living room. He’s concentrating so hard on the floor and his own feet that he doesn’t realize he’s finally succeeded in getting the adults’ attention. Baekhyun takes a total of twelve steps before he looks up to find his father proudly grinning at him. Baekhyun grins back, cheeks crinkling as his lips part to reveal little white teeth and pink gums. Jongdae stretches his arms out gesturing for Baekhyun to keep moving forward and upon seeing what he wants Baekhyun shuffles forwards excitedly, all the while tottering dangerously.

            Jongdae crouches down, mildly panicked with eyes practically popping out of his head as Baekhyun takes the final steps into his father’s awaiting arms. “Dada,” Baekhyun practically squeals when he’s scooped up and hugged tightly.

            “You were so amazing. I’m so proud of you.” Jongdae bounces Baekhyun joyfully, causing him to giggle with pleasure. Yixing and Luhan take a moment to break into Jongdae’s reverie by cooing congratulations to little Baekhyun for passing a very significant milestone.

            “The others are going to be so jealous they missed it,” Luhan says.

            “I told you he would walk when he was ready.” Yixing grins, hugging Jongdae from behind while peering over his shoulder to look at Baekhyun. “He’s a smart little guy. He just didn’t feel like walking until now.”

            “I think he was just being lazy.” Luhan grips Baekhyun’s sides before tickling him playfully. “Isn’t that right Baekhyun? You were just being lazy. You were just making us worry for nothing.” His voice turns mushy as he speaks baby-talk to Baekhyun.

            Baekhyun shies away, laughing until he’s breathless and flushed. His little arms clutch at his sides trying hard to protect himself from Luhan’s relentless attacking fingers. “No,” Baekhyun cries, wiggling and kicking in Jongdae’s arms to the point that his father almost loses his grip at which time Luhan stops tickling him.

            Before Luhan can start again, Baekhyun tries to get into Yixing’s arms in the hopes that he will be safer there. “Mama,” Baekhyun says with a laugh and Yixing’s more than happy to take him. When Baekhyun first started referring to him as “mama” Yixing was worried that this would upset Jongdae, but on the contrary, Jongdae found this cute and even encouraged it, so Yixing’s come to accept it as well. He knows Jongdae will explain everything to Baekhyun when he’s older, but for now, he just wants to keep the little guy happy.

            “Hey sweetie. You are so smart.” Yixing takes Baekhyun into his arms giving him numerous small kisses on his cheek and neck. “And…I’m…so…very…proud…of…you,” he says between kisses, drawing out the “you” with one final kiss to Baekhyun’s forehead.

            Feeling shy, Baekhyun pushes Yixing away, covering his attacker’s lips with his tiny hands. Yixing pretends to bite at his fingers, making the little guy shriek as he pulls them safety against his tummy. Jongdae watches them fondly before choosing to attack Baekhyun with kisses as well and suddenly the little guy is getting more attention than he anticipated.

            Luhan smiles as he witnesses the happiness of the three before him as their unconventional family celebrates this momentous event. “So,” Luhan says, interrupting their moment. “Who won the bet?”

            “What bet?” Jongdae asks, completely clueless.

            “Oh,” Luhan grins mischievously. “We were taking bets on what day Baekhyun would walk. I think the pot’s up to like two hundred dollars now.”

            “Are you serious? You were betting on my child.” Jongdae looks between his two group mates as if they betrayed him.

            Luhan shrugs unfazed. “We knew it was a touchy subject for you so we didn’t include you.”

            “Were you in on this?” Jongdae asks Yixing, hoping the other is on his side.

            Yixing smiles innocently. “It sounded like fun.”

            “I can’t believe this.” Jongdae steals Baekhyun away from Yixing as if to show he’s lost trust in the other, but Yixing knows Jongdae just exaggerating his feelings.

            Yixing ignores his boyfriend by looking to Luhan. “What’s today?”

            “I think it’s the sixth of November.” Luhan clarifies this by looking at his phone. “Yeah, it’s the sixth.”

            “Then I won,” Yixing announces. “I always bet on the sixth because Baekhyun was born on the sixth.”

            “Darn,” Luhan shoves his phone back in his pocket. “I had my eye on a new winter coat. What’re you going to do with the money?”

            Yixing tugs at Baekhyun’s arm playfully. The little guy holds Yixing’s fingers to make sure they don’t suddenly attack him, feeling very cautious of the adults around him. “I’m going to buy Baekhyun some Christmas presents with it. I wouldn’t feel right spending the money on myself.”

            “Gee thanks,” Luhan says sarcastically. “Way to make me look bad.”

            “That’s not exactly hard to do,” Yixing teases, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand lovingly.

            “See if I ever listen to your love problems again,” Luhan huffs, crossing his arms and turning away from his roommate.

            “Wait. We have love problems?” Jongdae asks suddenly concerned because he thought their relationship was progressing smoothly.

            “No,” Yixing says soothingly, giving Jongdae a quick peck on the mouth. “We don’t have problems. He’s talking about what happened before we started dating.” He looks to Luhan. “If it makes you happy, I’ll let you break the news to the others and I’ll also let you go shopping with me to pick out Baekhyun’s first pair of walking shoes.”

            “Really?” Luhan eyes glisten with excitement. “I guess I can accept that.” He glances over at Baekhyun. “Do you think we can get him to walk again? I want to send the guys a video as proof.”

            “I guess we can try,” Yixing says, taking Baekhyun back from Jongdae. “Get your phone ready. I’ll sit Baekhyun in the living room and let Jongdae call him over.”

            This time Baekhyun seems to understand what the adults want and still enjoying this sudden overdose of attention he decides to indulge them. Luhan has his camera on, ready to push the record button at any moment. Yixing’s back at Jongdae’s side both of them waiting anxiously for Baekhyun to make the trek across the living room again.

            “Baekhyun, come to daddy,” Jongdae encourages, arms outstretched.

            His son stares for a moment before falling forward, hands holding himself up as he hikes his diapered in the air just as he did the last time. Feeling just as wobbly as before, Baekhyun extends his arms to steady himself before taking an unsecure step forward. Luhan’s recording everything with bated breath. Baekhyun slowly totters across the living room as if he’s done this a hundred times. When he’s only a couple of steps away from Jongdae he hastens forward, practically plunging into his father’s awaiting arms. Jongdae lifts him into the air, hooting proudly at his son’s accomplishment.

            Luhan clicks save, already typing out a group message while Jongdae and Yixing continue to celebrate Baekhyun’s success at walking for a second time. “The guys are going to love this,” he says to himself before clicking send, deciding to upload the video later to share with their fans.

            As much as Jongdae wanted Baekhyun to walk, he soon realizes that this developmental milestone isn’t all fun and games. Now that Baekhyun can totter about on his own, he’s constantly on the go, moving from one room to another in their apartment, always getting into things he shouldn’t and causing numerous messes. They now have to baby proof the entire apartment because Baekhyun is a very curious and adventurous child who likes to play daredevil every chance he gets. He has to investigate everything and curiosity is a great way for children to learn but it’s not okay for Baekhyun to dump food out of the refrigerator whenever he pleases.

            On the other hand, Baekhyun’s content because he no longer has to worry about how to get everyone’s attention. On the contrary, most of the time he has more attention than he really wants.

Well...I really wanted to add something to this and now I have. I've been in a writing slump during the holidays. I hope this will kick me in the and get me to write other things that I've promised to write.

I hope you all enjoy this and thank you for reading :D I also love comments

<3 Jae