The house was located in a quiet neighborhood and the house was quite inconspicuously, surrounded by a few trees. A couple of flower pots were set up all along the staircase that led to the front door and Chanyeol shook his head to blank out all these little details he happened to notice as he and Baekhyun walked up to wooden door.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

The teacher nodded. “Yes.”

 

After the unexpected call of Mr. Lim, the retired teacher invited Baekhyun and Chanyeol to his house to talk to them in person. Chanyeol was excited but also quite nervous. Mr. Lim had offered his help but it didn’t mean that they would actually be able to gather together enough evidence to make that devil of a woman fall.

 

Knocking on the door, Mr. Lim’s wife opened the door for the couple, greeting them with a friendly smile. “Hello, nice to meet you.”

 

“Nice to meet you too,” Chanyeol said, returning the smile. “And thank you very much for helping me out.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Mrs. Lim as she mentioned them to come in. “When you’re lawyer called I felt as set back in time. I can’t believe she still does it.”

 

“Well,” Chanyeol started. “I’ve been a little blind though. I didn’t really notice that she was interested in me.”

 

“Neither did my husband.”

 

Following the woman all the way through the house, Chanyeol and Baekhyun soon found themselves on the Lim’s garden terrace. Mr. Lim was there, sitting in a wheelchair. “Hello, Baekhyun greeted him first, offering the man a hand.

 

“Hello,” Mr. Lim responded, shaking Baekhyun’s hand while giving him a smile. “Nice to meet you and congratulations.”

 

“Oh,” Baek laughed out. “Thank you.”

 

“Please have a seat,” Mr. Lim said after Chanyeol also had greeted him. “I hope you’re okay with us sitting outside.”

 

“Sure,” Chanyeol said. “The weather is great today.”

 

“It is,” Mrs. Lim smiled. “Would you like to have something to drink?”

 

“I’d take a coffee if you have,” Yeol said.”

 

“Of course. And you? A tea or some juice, perhaps. I have freshly squeezed orange juice.”

 

“Oh, well then I’d like to have some of the juice,” Baekhyun voiced out. “Thank you.”

 

Mr. Lim’s wife went back inside and only moments later arrived with a tray full of drinks. Setting the cups and glasses on the table, she then took a seat in the chair next to her husband. “May I ask if you already have children?”

 

“We have three,” Chanyeol answered the question. “This is also why we asked to meet you this early, I apologize.”

 

“Oh, no worries,” the woman smiled. “We have five kids of our own, we know that you only get things done when they’re in school or kindergarten. How old are they?”

 

“All six,” Baekhyun this time said. “They just got into elementary school.”

 

“So, were they students of her or you?” Mr. Lim wanted to know, gazing at Chanyeol.

 

A sigh slipped past Chanyeol’s lips. “They were students of her. I’m a middle school teacher.”

 

“Oh, so you haven’t directly worked with her.”

 

“No. There was one time when we had to teach at another school but that’s about it. She actually only knew me through our children, as they went to her class.”

 

“I see,” the elderly man said, nodding his head a little. “When did she start to get this weird?”

 

“Months ago,” Baekhyun voiced out. “At first she only had these typical reactions of jealousy when she found out that Chanyeol wasn’t single and I think the first major act-out she had was when our kids told their friends that they’d get a sibling. She called the boys liars and it got to a point where one of the boys broke into tears and didn’t want to go to school anymore.”

 

“I assume she apologized?”

 

“She did, yes.”

 

“Had she ever been able to make you two fight?”

 

“Oh yes,” Chanyeol nodded, growling a little. “When we were on the trip to support the other school, she somehow managed to get into my room and slipped a piece of undergarment into my luggage. I had a hard time to defend and justify myself.”

 

“Which is understandable,” Mrs. Lim said. “After all she is a beautiful woman and can be quite charming.”

 

Baekhyun nodded. “That’s why I got angry. Chanyeol was not only calling her by her first name, he also had a night in which he was not quite sober. All this and that caused me to freak out a little. Chanyeol was on to just ignore her actions but that’s not me, so I went to confront her. She accused me of just using him and called me some not so nice names. Cherry on top for me is when she didn’t take our son’s injury serious. He broke his finger and she just wrapped a band-aid around it.”

 

Mr. Lim sighed softly. “I know you’ve gone through a lot already but I can assure you, it’s not too late to fix all this. To me it’s seems that she’s got a little impatient.”

 

“I don’t think so,” his wife said, shaking her head. “I think that she hasn’t expected that much resistance.”

 

Both, Chanyeol and baekhyun frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

“She has done similar things to me but the torture I had to go through lasted almost two years until she her patience reached limits and she accused me of having ually harassed her,” the man said. “I think it’s because we worked together and she had the chance to be close to me during the hours I was at school. And she didn’t have any contact to our children.”

 

Chanyeol let out a hum. “So, you think because she got sick and tired of you not giving into her, she accused you of all this?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What happened after you got suspended?”

 

“We desperately tried to find any evidence that proved me innocent. The entire teaching staff helped but we’re not able to find a thing.”

 

“But you didn’t get sentenced, right?” Baekhyun carefully asked.

 

“No,” Mr. Lim said. “It was her word against mine. I wasn’t able to prove my innocence but she also wasn’t able to prove that any of her words were of true nature. I didn’t have to face jail but I had to give up my job. Nobody wants to have a teacher around that’s been accused of ual harassment. It doesn’t matter if you’re innocent or not, as long as you can’t prove it.”

 

Nodding his head, Chanyeol gazed into his lap and sighed. He knew if they weren’t able to get in hand against her, he would end up the same as Mr. Lim.

 

“My life was going down the drain,” the man spoke. “I was depressed and it got to point where I didn’t want to live anymore.”

 

Baekhyun hardly swallowed when the retired teacher patted his thighs.

 

“I was driving down the road when a bend came up and I decided to not drive into it but the alluring looking brick wall that was acting as barrier between the street and a moat. I lost it in that moment and just wanted it all to end. You can’t live a good life with that behind you. People don’t believe you if you can’t prove your innocence. They just don’t-”

 

When the man paused for a moment, Baekhyun reached over to grab his fiance's hand.

 

“I lost friends I’ve known for more than twenty years. Your neighbors suddenly treat you like a stranger and people you’ve never met before get onto the other side of the street because they have seen your face in the news and believe what’s said there.”

 

“We don’t want this happen to you,” Mrs. Lim said. “And we give our all to help you.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

♥

 

  

As the sun shone bright and it was fairly warm for an April day, the kids were outside in the garden, playing with the family dog. Yixing was with them as Junmyeon decided that his home was boring and so the whole Wu family was over, liven things up.

 

Chanyeol sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, changing his second goodchilds diaper after he had fed Sehun his bottle.

 

“So, how did it go?” Junmyeon asked. “Do you have a plan?”

 

“Not yet,” Baekhyun answered, eyes focused on Chanyeol as he dressed baby Sehun back up. “So far we’re glad that they are willing to help us. They don’t have to, after all. This poor man has gone through hell. He even tried to commit suicide.”

 

Junmyeon gasped, while Kris nodded his head. “I feel him. I don’t know if I could live with all this blame and hate, knowing that I’ve done nothing wrong.”

 

“Yeah,” Chanyeol said, lifting the infant up. “Me neither.”

 

Junmyeon hummed. “We have to get her to talk.”

 

“Yes, but how?” Baekhyun asked. “She’ll never talk when a third party is around.”

 

“Then we need to record her.”

 

“That’s what I have thought of,” Chanyeol said. “But according to my lawyer it could get ditched as evidence in court.”

 

“Oh what, really?”

 

“It’s because these days things like audio records can be easily faked. If you want to record her it should be done by a camera and most possible not a hidden one.”

 

“Oh god, that’s almost impossible.”

 

“Or not,” Kris voiced out.

 

“What?” Baek asked. “What? Come on, talk to us!”

 

“Yes, Yifan. Talk,” Junmyeon urged his husband to open his mouth.

 

“I could ask if the headmaster would install cameras in school. If he agrees then all we have to do is to get her to talk in a room that’s CCTV supervised.”

 

“Do you think he’d do that?”

 

“Sure! The whole teacher staff is on Chanyeol’s side!”

 

“That flatters me,” Chanyeol said, giving a small smile. “But to be able to put up cameras Mr. Cho needs a valid reason. Otherwise he could get in trouble.”

 

“True.”

 

Junmyeon hummed. “Back when I was still in high school there one year was this guy who sold the answers to the exmans. He broke into the staff room, stole the paper and copied it. And he didn’t even leave the school property for that. He simply went into the middle school building and printed the sheets there.”

 

Baekhyun’s eyes grew wide. “The suspicion of someone stealing delicate papers from the staff rooms would be a valid reason to hang up cameras, right?”

 

Both teachers nodded. “Sure.”

 

“Oh my god, that’s it,” Kris said. “All Mr. Cho has to do is to install cameras in in the staff rooms of all buildings. If someone would ask why he’d install one in the preschool building the reason is simple: It’s accessible for everyone and after 2pm only a few teachers are still there.”

 

“And that would give any naughty student who tries to make copies of exam answers the opportunity to do so in peace,” Baekhyun added.

 

“Alright Watson and Holmes, hold your horses,” Chanyeol spoke up. “You know that the installation of CCTV has to be announced in such a case, right? All teachers have to be informed about it.”

 

“We can inform all of them, just not her,” Kris said, shrugging. “That’s easy.”

 

“I’m not so sure about that.”

 

“I am,” Baekhyun announced. “Let’s give it a try! And if Mr. Cho really approves of this, all we need to do is to get her and Mr. Lim into one room.”

 

Chanyeol sighed. “That’s crazy.”

 

“not as crazy as her,” Junmyeon said. “Come on, let’s try. What could go wrong?”

 

“A lot,” Yeol said.

 

“Nonsense! If we make it to the point where she meets Lim there are only two options. She either talks or she doesn’t. And if she does, we got her!”

 

Baekhyun gave a firm nod. “Right!”

 

“Your words in god’s ear,” Chanyeol mumbled, gently rocking the sleeping Sehun in his arms.

 

“I’ll call Mr. Cho right away,” Kris said, reaching for his phone.

 

Everyone was absolutely quiet when Yifan called the headmaster of the school and Baekhyun almost broke into tears when the man agreed to their plan, offering his full support.

 

“Thank you so much, Mr. Cho,” Chanyeol spoke into the phone. “I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

 

“You’re more than welcome,” the man’s voice came from the phone. “We all hope this disaster is soon over and we can welcome you back at our school. You’re dearly missed, Chanyeol.”

 

Chanyeol felt that they were only a small step closer to might solving his problem but Mr. Cho agreeing to the idea with the video surveillance was reason enough for the other three to celebrate.

 

“Oh come on,” Kris said, wrapping an arm around his best friends. “We have to embrace every small step, no matter how small it is. Relax a little and have beer, try to get your head free a little.”

 

At first the teacher wanted to complain but his friend was not wrong and so he tried to relax a little and not to think of the whole situation too much. Ordering some chicken, the two families sat down together in the living room, enjoying their sumptuous meal.

 

Cookie lay next to baby Sehun’s carrier and every now and then looked at the infant, gently nudging the boy’s tiny foot with his nose. Junmyeon watched the pup and chuckled softly. “It’s too cute when he does that,” he said. “He’s so gentle.”

 

Baekhyun nodded his head and smiled. “Yeah, I’m glad he’s so calm.”

 

“Maybe we should get a dog too,” Kris said.

 

“Oh hell, no,” Junmyeon laughed out, shaking his head. “A dog. Who’s supposed to walk it?!”

 

The Chinese grimaced. “You didn't even properly think of it.”

 

“I have thought of it and no, we won’t get a dog.”

 

“Why would you like to get one?” Baekhyun asked, picking up a new piece of chicken to bite into it.

 

“Yixing really likes Cookie and he talks about him alot. He really likes dogs and I thought getting him a pet would be nice. He’s very responsible after all.”

 

Chanyeol hummed. “Why don’t you get him a cat, then? Kittens are playful and cuddly but already quite independent. Basically all you need to do is clean the litter box and feed it. And you’ve got a garden, so it could go outside as well.”

 

“I don’t know,” Junmyeon said. “I’m not sure. Maybe one day. For now I don’t have time for a young animal. Sehun is work enough at the moment.”

 

“Well, that’s true,” Baek said. He leaned back a little and rested his weight on his palms. “Baby, children and dog, it’s quite some work.”

 

“Will you get some help? Like a nanny?”

 

Chanyeol frowned. “Why would we get a nanny?”

 

“We’re thinking of getting one,” Kris said, gazing at his husband.

 

“Why?”

 

“I’d like to go back to work,” Junmyeon answered. “It’s not possible with Sehun, especially when I have to attend meetings and such. With someone around who’s there for the kids, I’d be able to start work again as soon as possible.”

 

“Well yeah, if you see it that way it’s actually quite logical to get a nanny,” Baekhyun said.

 

“Have you thought of going back to work? Working as in being physically present at the company?”

 

“Sure,” Baek hummed. “I mean, do miss going there. May-” “We’re not getting a nanny,” Chanyeol cut it, still frowning. “There’s no need for us to get a nanny.”

 

“Why not?” The expecting asked his fiancee. “If you go back to work and I go back to work, he have to figure something out. After all Luhan will be home for at least two years.”

 

“If you want to go back to work, then I’ll take parental leave. There’s no way someone is coming into my house and takes care of my children.”

 

“Oh, very sensitive topic I see,” Junmyeon hummed.

 

“I don’t get why,” Baekhyun said, turning to Chanyeol. “What’s so bad about hiring a nanny. It’s not like he or she would be there 24/7.”

 

“I just don’t want our baby to be taken care of by someone else,” the teacher said. “It may be only for half a day but half a day is a long time and no matter what, that person will always have their own point of view when it comes to parenting. I don’t want someone to interfere into my education.”

 

Baekhyun frowned. “God, you make it sound as if we’d give our child away.”

 

“I just don’t like nanny’s. They might be helpful to others but not to me. There are other ways of handling a baby and work.” He gazed at his friends. “No offence.”

 

Kris raised his hands and laughed out. “No need to say that to me.”

 

Junmyeon gasped. “Excuse me.”

 

“Babe, come on. We had a fight because of that too. I didn’t and still don’t want a nanny.”

 

“But why,” Baekhyun said. “I really would like to understand.”

 

“Yeol is right with the parenting thing. A nanny can interfere into your parental education. If you’d leave Luhan with her, let’s say from eight to four, she’s got the majority of the time he’s awake. It’s the time he learns the most, so if she for example decides to keep feeding him because it’s more convenient for her as it doesn’t make any mess, he’ll learn that getting fed his the most comfortable way to eat and he’ll demand you to feed him. Or if she’s the type of person that cleans up for him, carries everything for him, does whatever he says, he easily could become bratty.”

 

Baekhyun let out a hum.

 

“Don’t get me wrong but as a teacher I know these type of kids. They’re used to having someone around that gets paid to care for them and they know that they get away with much more than they would with their parents.”

 

“Kyungsoo had a nanny and I don’t think that he’s bratty or spoiled.”

 

“But from what age on did he have his nanny?”

 

“Two and a half,” Baekhyun answered.

 

“So she basically brought him to nursery, picked him up and then spent some hours with him until you’re back home?”

 

“Yes. But she lived with us as well and sometimes I had to work until late night, so she brought him to bed as well. A-” “Yeah, and that’s exactly why I don’t want to have one,” Chanyeol cut in. “Kyungsoo may not be bratty but he was lonely, because you weren’t there. And I don’t want Luhan to experience the same, at least with you.”

 

“Excuse me, what?!” Baekhyun gasped loudly. “You make that sound as if I’d hire someone so I could easily spend hours and hours at the company.”

 

“Yeah, wouldn’t it turn out this way? You’re eager to go back to work, eager to sit back down behind your desk. If you’d be able to do it right now, you would.”

 

“Woah, cut,” Kris said when Chanyeol’s voice dropped an octave. “Yeol, I don’t know what it is but you’re about to say things you’ll regret.”

 

“Yes,” Junmyeon agreed, nodding. “Don’t fight about this. That’s ridiculous.”

 

Chanyeol huffed and Baekhyun glared at the taller. “What?” He grumbled. “Is it that bad that I want to work again?”

“I never said that it’s bad. If you want to work, work. I just don’t want a nanny.”

“Then what should we do? Shall I stay home until you come back from school and hand Luhan over to you? But then please keep in mind that I’ll be gone the whole afternoon and can’t be there for the other three kids.”

 

Chanyeol shook his head and rolled his eyes.

 

“What are you rolling your eyes at now, huh? It just is not that easy,” Baekhyun hissed, trying not to yell. “If I want to go to back to work we have to figure something out.”

 

“Yeah, it’s not that we couldn’t do that,” Yeol said, folding his arms in front of his chest. “You make this sound as if a stupid nanny is the only option we have left.”

 

“Well, maybe it is,” the expecting shrugged. “And then? What will you do then? I won’t stay home only because you’re too fine to hire a nanny. I’m the head of a company, I have to present and I won’t miss another two years. After all it’s not that I wanted that child in the first place.”

 

Chanyeol’s eyes widened the second the words slipped past Baekhyun’s lips and Junmyeon wasn’t able to hold back a gasp,  just like his husband. Both Wu’s cupped a hand over their mouths when Baekhyun came to realize what he just had said. “I-”

 

Face expressionless and without a word Chanyeol stood up and left the living room. He only called out for Cookie after a moment and then left the house, letting the front loudly fall shut behind him.

 

“B-baekhyun-”

 

“I d-didn’t mean it that way,” Baekhyun stuttered, eyes filling with tears. “I mean-”

 

That their parents had some tension going on had gone past the kids so far but now where Chanyeol abruptly had left and Baekhyun was fighting with the tears, the children noticed that something was going on. Minseok was the first to come over and sink down next to the expecting. “Appa, you okay?”

 

Biting down his lip, Baek nodded. “Yes.”

 

The boy tilted his head. “Did you and Daddy fight?”

 

Jongdae hugged him from behind. “Don’t be sad,” he said. “When Daddy comes back you just have to apologize.”

 

“Yes,” Kyungsoo agreed. “You have to say sorry and Daddy has to say sorry.”

 

Junmyeon cooed softly. “Well, they’re not wrong.”

 

Baek sniffled a little, nodding his head. “I know-”

 

Like usual when they had some troubles, Chanyeol was gone for quite some time. He eventually came back home when the kids were about to go to bed and much to his surprise the kids right away addressed their fight.

 

“Daddy!”

 

“Y-yeah?” Chanyeol raised his brows at the sight of Jongdae standing in the doorway with both hands slammed into his hips. “What is it?”

 

“You and Appa have to talk! Fighting is not nice!”

 

Sitting in the children's bedroom on their shared bed, Baek ducked his head a little, listening to the younger twin talking.  

 

“You always have to be nice to each other,” the boy lectured his father in a stern voice. “Appa cried, so you should apologize!”

 

For a moment it was quiet and Baekhyun held his breath. “You know,” Chanyeol eventually spoke up. “You’re right. We always should be nice to each other and yes, we have to talk and we’ll do it right after we tucked you in.”

 

Turning his head towards the door when Chanyeol stepped into the kid’s room, he tried to gift the taller a smile but it turned out to be nothing more than an awkward lip twitch. Kissing and hugging their children goodnight, Baekhyun felt a little tense when they eventually left the bed room.

 

They for sure needed to talk but he was afraid of it. He had no idea how to explain what he had said about him not wanting Luhan in the first place and he was scared Chanyeol again would take it the wrong way.

 

“I’ve seen the dishes downstairs,” Chanyeol said. “I’ll take care of that.”

Baek nodded his head. “Thank you.”

While Chanyeol left to take care of the dirty dishes, Baekhyun went to take a shower. He tried to make it as long as possible to ditch the conversation with his fiancee but he eventually left the shower and was not surprised to find Chanyeol sitting on the edge of their bed, waiting for him.

 

“Are you okay?” Chanyeol asked him.

 

“U-uh yes, why?” Baek answered, fixing the collar of his bathrobe.

 

“I took quite a long shower, I thought you may be in discomfort.”

 

“Oh no, everything’s fine.”

 

Chanyeol let out a soft sigh. “Good.” He paused for a moment and looked at his expecting fiancee. “Baek, we need to talk.”

 

“Y-yeah, I know-”

 

The younger man’s lips curled into a smile. “Oh, so that’s why you kept on showering.”

 

Flushing a little, Baekhyun gave a nod. He sat down next to Chanyeol and fiddled with the belt of his robe. “I’m sorry,” he spoke up. “What I said-”

 

“I know, I get it,” Chanyeol said. “I mean, you’re not wrong. Luhan wasn’t planned so-” “Yeah but I shouldn’t have said that. I love him and I’m more than happy to have him. In that moment i was just really hurt by your words. I know I’ve done wrong in the past with leaving Soo alone all the time but you don’t need to rub it into my face all the time. I’m trying to change.”

 

“And you’ve changed a lot,” Chanyeol said. “I’m sorry for saying that. I don’t know. I knew it was wrong the moment I said it and I actually didn’t leave because of what you said about Luhan. I left because I felt myself getting aggressive. I felt that a lot recently and I guess it’s because of all this that’s going on. I just don’t know. We’re stuck and I really try to be positive, try to think and stay positive but it’s just not easy. All this is eating me out. And I apologize for how cold I’ve been lately. It’s just-”

 

Baekhyun smiled at Chanyeol when the man paused. He reached out and cupped his cheek. “It’s fine,” he said, voice quiet and soft. “I only can imagine how hard this all must be for you but I understand that this is the reason you’re a little off these days. I apologize, too. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so pushy.”

 

Closing his eyes, Chanyeol leaned into his fiancee’s warm touch. He only blinked his eyes back open when Baekhyun pulled his hand back and shifted next to him. The expecting had crawled onto the mattress and shuffled towards him, taking place in his lap. His knees rested on each side of Chanyeol’s thighs and his round baby bump pressed against the taller’s torso.

 

Chanyeol rested his hands on Baekhyun’s waist and sighed softly when he got kissed. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled against Baek’s soft lips.

 

“Me too,” the expecting replied, kissing Chanyeol again. “I love you.”   

 

“And I love you.”

 

Sharing a few innocent, gentle kissed Chanyeol broke into a chuckle when Baekhyun started to move his lap, bucking his hips a little. “Is this the start of make-up now? Are you ?”

 

“Kinda, yeah.”

 

“Kinda?”

 

Baekhyun hummed. “I am ,” he said, nipping at Chanyeol’s jaw. “But I just want you to touch me.”

 

“Well,” Yeol said, slowly letting his hands wander down Baekhyun’s sides to reach under the bathrobe. “Then I’ll do that.”