rustle | exo: what if this storm ends? (1/3)

what if this storm ends?
— Baekhyun/Kyungsoo, NC-17 for brief mature scenes. 43270 words.
— Sometimes you need to be a child again to have the courage to take a few necessary risks that can make being an adult so much easier. (Warnings: semi-public sex, mentions of unwanted pregnancy, minor character death/car accident)
— Written for

severalstories for

chinguline 2014! Originally posted HERE. Also available on AO3. Many, many thanks to maknae and Frances for all cheer-leading, hand-holding, the brainstorming sessions – you name it. You two are my heroes ♥ For some music, here's Snow Patrol's The Lightning Strike.

In the small window of opportunity between the entire office celebrating bagging the Agency of the Year award for the third straight year and Joonmyun getting drunk as fuck, Kyungsoo tenders his resignation.

It's not a spur-of-the-moment idea. The thought has been brewing in his mind for a while already, for the past two years that he's spent building, deconstructing, and rebuilding the organizational structure of the digital team, fixing the process for production, pacifying clients left and right. The letter has been sitting in his local drive for the past three months, untouched and unedited from when he'd first written it, and only now — legs crossed on the floor as they take two shots of tequila, Joonmyun slumped against him, mumbling, "I have a meeting at nine-fucking-a.m." — does he feel that there's no perfect time but now. So he drops the bomb after pointedly telling Jongin that no, he's not taking another shot, grips Joonmyun by the wrist to get his attention and weasel the last bit of soberness out of him.

"I'm going to resign, Joonmyun."

Joonmyun snorts, chuckles, asks Jongin for another shot. His eyes are wide open but his lips are poised in a manner that tells Kyungsoo that Joonmyun's still halfway out the door, toeing the line between clearheadedness and inebriation. "Sure, you are. You've been planning to do that for a while already but you never pushed through with it—"

"Joonmyun," Kyungsoo says, louder this time. He tightens his grip on Joonmyun's wrist, takes Joonmyun's other hand. The press of their hands is warm, hot. Prickly. "I'm going to resign."

Joonmyun takes another shot and takes a deep breath before turning back to him. "You're going to resign."

So Wednesday afternoon sees Kyungsoo in XOXO, Chanyeol's three-year-old daycare center that was a product of his release from the cruel agency life, clad in a white t-shirt and black jeans that Chanyeol often mistakes for Kyungsoo's favorite track pants. He hasn't worn the blazer in his car in a while, not since he's finally handed in his clearance documents and taken all of his belongings with him, and Chanyeol has finally stopped calling him an 'office guy'. That doesn't stop Chanyeol from making him narrate the resignation story, though, demanding all of Kyungsoo's attention and saying, five minutes before the next play activity starts, "Come on, one more time!"

"Hyung," comes Sehun, firm and resolute, from a few feet away. He's got two little girls in his arms, their tiny hands balled into fists in his hair. He isn't wincing, but there's defeat in the way he furrows his eyebrows. Kyungsoo smiles a little and nudges Chanyeol, snaps him out of his reverie. "I'm calling in my favor. Get one of them off of me."

"But little Sehunnie looks so cute with all the girls—" Chanyeol cranes his neck and cackles. "—with all the girls yanking his hair—"

Sehun exhales loudly, the small smile on his lips thinning into something less cheerful. "Hyung, please—"

Chanyeol rolls his eyes and slowly pushes himself away from the counter, walking to the other side to take one of the children draped on Sehun's shoulder. "You owe me, maknae. I expect no less than steak."

A smile resurfaces on Sehun's lips as soon as some of the weight is lifted from his shoulders, and he shoots Kyungsoo a quick, apologetic look before turning back to Chanyeol. "Not in the mood for steak. Samgyupsal?"

"Hey, I was kidding."

"I wasn't," Sehun replies. He tucks the girl's hair behind her ear and nuzzles her nose. "Kyungsoo-hyung, you in?"

Kyungsoo has his lips poised for a response when one of the children inside starts crying and Zitao starts calling for help, the I need someone here dripping from his lips growing heavier with panic with each repetition. "It's time for Superman!" Chanyeol says, more to convince himself that everything will be alright than to humor the little girl in his arms, and extends his free arm as he makes tiny jet sounds that make the girl giggle all the more.

"I'm in if you're paying!" Kyungsoo calls out before Sehun can disappear into a corner, and Sehun only waves in response, other hand busy with making sure that his kid isn't moving around too much.

The bell sounds off, marking the end of the period for the first afternoon session, and there's a collective noise of children being shuffled from one play area to another for a while. When the sound fades out, Kyungsoo returns to the other side of the counter, sinks back in his seat and fishes his phone from his pocket, exhaling loudly. It would probably be nice to be a kid again, to not have to worry about anything and everything and just enjoy everything that life has to offer. He'd been trained to grow up at such an early age, and maybe now, thirty-two and jobless and far from penniless, he can afford to be a child again — but only a little.

"Uh, excuse me. I need to leave my kid here—"

Kyungsoo looks up tentatively before sitting up straight, and he quickly slips into his practiced smile, one he has perfected after years of dealing with clients on a daily basis. The man on the other side of the counter smiles, albeit a bit awkward at the corners, and rocks the baby in his arms lightly. "Just a few hours. I don't know. I have a pitch and I just can't bring her there and—"

He gulps hard and peeks inside, trying to see if anyone from the staff can attend to the client more properly, but Chanyeol has already disappeared and Sehun and Zitao have their hands full with their own kids. Jonghyun had to leave before the start of the afternoon session, and Jinki has already started his afternoon class in the learning area according to the schedule. Taking a deep breath, he opens the log sheet to a new page, hands the man a pen, and tries to recall the standard procedure Chanyeol usually carries out when dealing with clients. "Ah, sure. I'll just need your name and your contact number here," he says, pointing at the blanks that need to be filled out as he gives instructions. "And his name, too."

"Her," the man corrects. "She's a girl."

"Right." Kyungsoo taps the heading for the information of the child and continues, "Right here. You just have to write down her name here—"

The man quickly grabs the pen and starts scribbling characters on the page, and Kyungsoo keeps his best smile on.

And then a small sob escapes the baby's lips, the slightest hint of discomfort in the way her voice peaks, then cracks, gradually growing louder as she cries even more. "Oh shit—" the man says, croaks, and the once empty look in his eyes leaves just as soon as panic surfaces on his features. He drops the pen, turns the baby around, tries his best to smile as he cradles her in his arms. "Hey, hey, hey," the man whispers, each repetition more breathy than the other, and Kyungsoo can only gulp hard as he watches the scene unfold before him — a baby crying, a man trying his best to pacify her, her father hapless and hopeless as he draws her closer to his chest in an attempt to calm her down.

He worries his bottom lip for a while and, with a deep breath, walks over to the other side of the counter.

Years in media have taught him that the impossible is only possible when no one does nothing, so he clasps a hand on the father's shoulder, breath hitching when the man almost jumps and looks at him with watery eyes. He keeps a steady smile on his lips, though, albeit tight-lipped, and leans closer when the baby looks up. Her face feels warm against the back of his hand but he presses on, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "Hey, don't worry. Appa will come back for you," he says in a voice he hasn't heard himself use in a long, long while. His throat feels dry and he can feel the roughness of his lips when he continues, "He just has to go to work, but he'll come back for you. So don't cry now, okay?"

"O-okay," the father replies, voice almost dropping to a whisper. Kyungsoo offers him a smile, too, then takes the baby from his arms. "I'll come back for her," the father rushes. "I promise I will."

The baby balls her fists in Kyungsoo's hair and tugs at the clump a little. The sobbing has died down considerably. He tries hard not to wince when she tugs harder the second time around.

It takes the father no more than five minutes to accomplish the form, and he gives the baby a kiss on the forehead before he leaves. "Thank you," he whispers to Kyungsoo, then bows a little and, before Kyungsoo can even choke up a reply, the man has already driven off in his fancy car, back into Seoul's much kinder traffic in the afternoon.

Kyungsoo looks at the baby in his arms, looks at her name on the information sheet, and smiles a little. "Soohyun, huh?" he hums, then laughs when he sees his reflection in the mirror — hair ruffled, face smushed between a baby's small hands. Grinning from ear to ear, not a trace of fatigue in his eyes. The most alive he has been in a long, long while.

☂

"Wake up, kid."

Kyungsoo counts to three before unfolding his arms, pushing his torso up from being rested on his thighs as he uncurls. It takes a while to register Chanyeol's voice, lethargy still pulling at his eyelids, so he doesn't bite back when Chanyeol grabs him by the shoulders and shakes him. "Is the baby still here?" he asks once he finds his voice again, and Chanyeol shakes his head in response.

"Are you sure you're not making him up? I mean the dad?" Chanyeol teases, quickly moving away when Kyungsoo begins to move his arms. "Kidding. What time did he say he'd be back?"

Kyungsoo shrugs. "He just said he'd be back. He has the daycare's number, though."

He stands from his seat, one hand mapping his path on the wall as he presses his palm against it for balance. Soohyun is still in her stroller, chewing on air, and giggling at nothing in particular. Her fingers are splayed on her tummy and she squeezes her own stomach a few times before letting out soft laughter. Kyungsoo smiles for a while before sifting through the pages of the log book. He runs a finger down the names listed, stops on an entry for Byun Baekhyun written in almost illegible characters.

"Are you gonna save this one again?" Chanyeol asks after a while, crouching so that he's at eye level with Soohyun. The dim lighting in the daycare adds shadows to Chanyeol's worsening eyebags, but it softens the sharp angle of his cheeks, the lines of age at the corners of his eyes. Thirty-three and the owner of his very own daycare center, Chanyeol barely gets any rest, but he always says he feels so much younger than when he'd still been working in an agency, slaving over scripts that always make it to television screens.

You have thing for lost causes, Chanyeol had said then, eyes tightly shut as he received his second antibiotic shot of the day through IV. Working hard shouldn't be rewarded with getting sick, and yet— Saving people — you really like that, don't you? Chanyeol reached out, feeling around for Kyungsoo's hand, and Kyungsoo moved closer. Their hands were a perfect fit, warm against the cool white hospital bedding. Somehow, that's how things have always been between them — Chanyeol veering off his path, Kyungsoo guiding him back to where he should be, Chanyeol toeing the line between good and bad and something excessive, and Kyungsoo scampering to his feet to make sure Chanyeol doesn't do anything stupid.

Only stupid people like you, Kyungsoo had replied, and Chanyeol snorted. Kyungsoo pulled away and stayed the night in the hospital, and then a couple more days and nights until Chanyeol no longer looked like a zombie trying to breathe life back into himself with lopsided grins.

Kyungsoo walks over to where Soohyun is now, wrapping his fingers around the handle and tilting his head to get a better view of her. "I wouldn't mind," he answers after a while. He hasn't had much experience in taking care of children, but working in media molds you into someone who feels the need to 'make things happen' all the time, at the expense of your sanity. Kyungsoo hasn't quite outgrown that habit yet. It's a skin that he has grown into already, and it's not easy to slip out of it so soon. Luckily Soohyun isn't as annoying as most clients he's serviced in the past. Luckily she's cute and cuddly; unfortunately for Kyungsoo, he's weak to anything and everything cute.

The doors of XOXO crack open just a little. It's futile to try to be subtle when all the walls and the corners are made of glass but Kyungsoo humors the newcomer, nonetheless, raises both of his eyebrows. "Oh, so he's actually real," Chanyeol says, snapping his spine straight and putting his best smile on. Chanyeol hasn't lost his touch yet, old media practice that turns you from a rowdy teenager into a sparkling young professional in a bat of an eyelash. "Good evening, sir. Here to pick up your child?"

Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol, smiles in reply, then turns to address Kyungsoo with a nod. "I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner. The clients were asses and the pitch was extended and traffic's a bitch during rush hour—"

"It's fine. It's our job to be your kid's temporary parents while you're away," Chanyeol assures, then assumes his place on the other side of the counter. He's got the information sheet for the baby ready, the log book opened at the page where Baekhyun had written his number earlier, and Kyungsoo walks closer to the counter as if coaxing Bakehyun to do the same. "You made it in time — we close at 7:30."

"Well, it's thirty-five right now," Baekhyun replies.

Baekhyun grips the handle of the stroller and Kyungsoo lets his hand fall to his side. Soohyun's less that an arm's length away, but her father is here now. There's no excuse for Kyungsoo to stick closer than the usual, or coo at her and to nuzzle her tiny feet. "You're just lucky," he teases, lips moving quicker than his brain could have him press them thinly together, and Baekhyun widens his eyes at him, cackles, laughs.

"Yeah, I probably am," Baekhyun admits after a while. He shakes his head then twists his torso, turning to face Kyungsoo. "And thank you for the save. I… wasn't able to thank you properly earlier, sorry."

It takes a few seconds for Kyungsoo to register the hand on his shoulder, the warm press of Baekhyun's palm on his plain shirt. He gets this a lot — a pat or a slap on the arm, a hand squeezing his shoulder, non-committal hand-holding when he manages to save someone's sorry ass and make things right — but he hasn't had the chance to deal with people like Baekhyun just yet. Business troubles, he can definitely take care of; parenting issues? Not so much. Still, he warms up to it, the same way he had when Chanyeol grabbed him by the shoulders the day they met. "It's okay. She's cute," he says, for lack of anything else to say, and he earns laughter from Baekhyun again, brighter this time.

Baekhyun clasps a hand on his mouth not too long after, then checks on Soohyun. "Even when she cries?"

Kyungsoo snorts. "Especially when she cries."

"You have a very weird definition of 'cute', then, mister—?"

Baekhyun's gaze travels a bit south, like he's looking for a name tag of sorts, and Kyungsoo rubs the tip of his nose in an attempt to cover his chest a little. "Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo. Just Kyungsoo is fine, though."

"Byun Baekhyun. And no formalities, please. My minions don't even call me sir or anything," Baekhyun then says, extending a hand in Kyungsoo's direction. He laughs a little, possibly the third or fourth time since he's returned from work. It makes staring at Baekhyun's outstretched hand feel a bit silly. "Although you probably picked up my name just by reading the information sheet."

Baekhyun's hand is warm in Kyungsoo's own, and the fit feels nice, like a blazer tailored to make Kyungsoo's shoulders seem wider than what they really are. A quick chat while Chanyeol processes Baekhyun's transaction and endless thanks to Chanyeol and Kyungsoo after, and Baekhyun's off, closing the glass door behind him. It takes no more than a split second for him to open the door again, though, no more than a second for him to return and say, "I'll be back!" and Kyungsoo only nods in response.

"Looks like you've just won a pitch," Chanyeol says, winking, before slipping into the play area to do his last round of checks. Kyungsoo shakes his head and laughs at himself. He doesn't even work here.

☂

It's another weekday afternoon when Kyungsoo sees Baekhyun, clad in an oversized polo, this time, that makes him look like 70% high school student trying to be an adult and 30% just struggling with something to wear. His hair is neatly combed, the way it had been when Baekhyun came over to pick up Soohyun, not when they first met, and he looks meeting-ready despite the weird fashion. Kyungsoo isn't quite sure if the child in his arms is supposed to make him look older or younger than he should be, but the pink bag Baekhyun's carrying on the shoulder Soohyun isn't pounding on with her first definitely softens the office look.

"You again," Baekhyun says, smiling. Without panic wrapping around his voice, it actually sounds as if he's singing. Pop, a voice at the back of Kyungsoo's mind says, and he only shrugs the thought away. Baekhyun hoists Soohyun a little, and out comes a hint of Soohyun's laughter. Her eyes are still a bit half-mast but she's giggling. Kyungsoo's lips twitch involuntarily.

"You again," Kyungsoo repeats. He looks around, and he sees Chanyeol busy with a couple of kids a few meters away. He takes the log book and Soohyun's information sheet, scribbling the date today under the logs.

Baekhyun moves closer, taking the pen in his free hand. "I did say I'm coming back, didn't I?"

Not on my watch, Kyungsoo wants to say, but Baekhyun doesn't have to know he doesn't work here even if him being an an outfit completely different from what the others are wearing is a complete giveaway. He hasn't quite made a habit of covering for missing employees just yet, hasn't jumped in to salvage a Zitao trying to stay calm despite three children crying in front of him or a Sehun whose cheeks have already gone too red and numb after having a two-year-old smush them longer than he should. The most he's done is to take calls and reservations and keep Chanyeol sane whenever the 'problematic kid' comes in — his favorite among the bunch, even if Chanyeol constantly reiterates that No, that kid actually gives me a headache every single time. And I'm not crying. I'm just sweating through my eyes, I swear. I'm not sad because he won't be coming in for the next few days.

"She looks happier now," Kyungsoo says, completely ignoring Baekhyun's statement. "Less tired and stressed." He gulps hard, feeling the tension in his jaw ease a little. He hasn't had much opportunity to converse outside of reservation-related matters, only occasionally aimed a snide comment at Sehun or snorted at Zitao's panicking, and Chanyeol has always been around to fill his loud silences somehow. "How old is she?"

Baekhyun leans back for a while, giving Soohyun a long look before pressing a soft kiss on her nose when she coos at him. "We're doing better now. Bonded over papers and staple wires at the office. What fun!" Baekhyun answers, and Kyungsoo doesn't know what to make of the grin on Baekhyun's lips and the rolling of the eyes that goes with it. Baekhyun giggles, though, when Soohyun reaches up and tickles the underside of his jaw, and the slight furrow of his eyebrows eases. "I guess you're only interested in the man paying for the babysitting service, huh? And I thought you actually cared about the kid—"

Kyungsoo taps at the blank space for the birth date and smirks. "And you're only interested in running away the first chance you can."

Baekhyun's features quickly change, the look Kyungsoo had first seen surfacing on the plane of his cheeks, the dark circles under his eyes. He scribbles Soohyun's birthday the fastest he can, taps the pen on the sheet as soon as he's done. "I'll try to be back by 7," Baekhyun then says, voice dropping low, then plants a kiss on Soohyun's forehead before handing her over to Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun zips up the pink bag and places it in the compartment under the seat, then moves the stroller closer to the counter. "We close at 7:30," Kyungsoo calls out once Baekhyun reaches the door, one foot halfway out, and Baekhyun looks over his shoulder this time to meet him in the eye.

"7:35," Baekhyun says, gaze lingering before he pushes the door even wider. "XOXO closes at 7:35."

There's a small smile at the corners of his lips, lifting the rest of his features. In the afternoon sunshine, Baekhyun looks a bit too young for this, looks like a father still trying to digest the entire situation — having a kid, having to leave her at a daycare so he can earn enough money for the two of them (maybe even more) — but it's only been twenty-four hours since Kyungsoo has met him. Kyungsoo knows better than to judge people. Media has taught him to gather all pertinent information before making a move, so he pushes the weird thoughts to the back of his head where only the voices that haunt him can hear.

☂

Baekhyun returns from wherever with two boxes of doughnuts in one hand and two cups of coffee in the other. "I won't put this in her milk," he assures Kyungsoo when Kyungsoo furrow his eyebrows, and Baekhyun takes both cups from the carrier, handing one to Kyungsoo then collapsing the carrier before throwing it into the trash can. "It's the least I could do for that, uh, scare the other day. And for being late last night."

"And today," Kyungsoo adds, finding courage after the first whiff of the coffee. Baekhyun widens his eyes just a little, letting the rest of surprise show in the quirk of his mouth. "And we've seen worse, I guess," he goes on to say. He fishes for Soohyun's information sheet and opens the log book, stopping when he sees the page with Baekhyun's name on it. "So really, it's fine. You could say it's part of our job."

"Pacifying crying parents?" Baekhyun asks as he writes down the time, then signs on the space beside it. He hands his card to Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo stares at it for a while.

"Making sure parents don't drop their babies while they cry," Kyungsoo answers. He runs a thumb along the numbers of the card, then confesses, "Please excuse me. I'll have to get Chanyeol for this."

He prepares to leave the counter to seek Chanyeol's help, shuts the log book and slipping the information sheet in one of the folders, but Baekhyun pins him in place, his gaze sharp, focused. The corners of his lips are curled up, like there's something amusing about Kyungsoo putting things back where they belong or not knowing how to process a credit card transaction, but Baekhyun can be staring at anything — the whiteboard just beyond his shoulder, the schedule written on it, the splash of colors on the wall. Still, Kyungsoo feels his fingers grow cold. He wraps one hand around the cup of coffee, seeking warmth.

"I don't have to pay extra if I want to stay here for a while, do I?" Baekhyun asks now. His arms are crossed, rested on the handle of the stroller, and Soohyun's looking up at him and smiling that boxy smile of hers. "When I get back home, I'll have to work again and Soohyun probably won't like that."

Kyungsoo plays with the card in his hand for a while, then looks down at the cup. There's a smiley face doodled on it — Baekhyun must be friends with the barista. He does seem the type to hit it off with people who make his coffee. "You're not sure?"

"I'm sure," Baekhyun answers. He scrunches his nose, rubs the tip. He exhales loudly. "Maybe."

"We only charge for having kids stay over," Kyungsoo says. "And as far as I know, you're not a kid."

Baekhyun's eyes light up, and the small smile on his lips tugs on the corners even more, blooming into a grin. He has the same smile as Soohyun's, all sharp corners instead of the smooth edges of Chanyeol's smile that Kyungsoo has gotten used to, the hint of Baekhyun's gums peeking from the corners of his mouth. He has the same twinkle in the eyes as she does. Maybe Byun Baekhyun is a bit of a kid, even if it's his card that Kyungsoo will be swiping in the machine in a while, once he figures things out. "Awesome," Baekhyun replies, then plops down on the seat beside the stroller, humming when he leans in to kiss the tip of Soohyun's nose.

Kyungsoo looks at the credit card in his hand, then at the corridor ahead. There's light at the end of the path. He takes a step forward, and another, and another, until Baekhyun's humming fades out and there's nothing he can hear but his heavy breathing.

When he looks over his shoulder, he catches Baekhyun smushing his own face. Soohyun giggles. He snorts in lieu of laughter and knocks on Chanyeol's door. There's work to be done.

☂

"You really like that kid, don't you?"

Kyungsoo looks up from his phone, locking the screen before he can see Soohyun's picture from the corner of his eye again. He'd snapped a picture earlier, when Soohyun was flailing her short arms around and Baekhyun was much too caught up in cooing at her to even think of documenting the moment. "She's really cute," he replies after a while, running his thumb along the home button of his phone. He contemplates on unlocking it for a moment, but quickly remembers the No Phones Policy Chanyeol implements during meals. He lays it face down on the table, then, and meets Chanyeol in the eye. "Chubby cheeks, big eyes… She seems to think I'm cute, too."

Chanyeol chokes on his kimchi, eyes going wide as he hits his chest repeatedly. "Well, she smushed my cheeks. And Sehunnie's, before she punched him in the face."

Kyungsoo snorts. "She smushes mine the most, which means she thinks I'm the cutest." He smiles a little when Chanyeol rolls his eyes at him. "She loves me."

"It's only her second day. She can't possibly be in love with grumpy grandpa Soo."

"Shut up. You're just jealous."

Chanyeol squints for a while as he worries his bottom lip. "Maybe," he mumbles, then adds, "I'm your boss. You can't talk to me like that."

"I don't even work for you."

"Maybe you should!" Chanyeol replies, bumping his shoulder into Kyungsoo's. "The kid was gurgling at you. You've got a baby tamer charm or something. Must be the eyes."

"Or because I'm not you, who scares kids shitless 90% of the time," Kyungsoo retorts, putting all of his weight on his left arm as he digs into Chanyeol's side.

Kyungsoo has known Chanyeol practically half of his life. They met back in highschool, during a club meeting, and back then Chanyeol wasn't 70% legs and 30% everything else yet. Chanyeol was meek, shy, unbearably quiet as he surveyed his surroundings. Only after the third meeting did he choke up the courage to greet Kyungsoo, ask him, this is the meeting for the school paper, right?, sit next to Kyungsoo when Kyungsoo nodded and offered a small smile in response. Kyungsoo remembers being tempted to say, no, this is the meeting for the drama club, but Chanyeol had looked so lost then, so worn out by classes and homeworks and a backpack that pulled his shoulders down. It isn't a sin to be nice. It just doesn't make him seem as a strong as he wants himself to be perceived.

"I don't scare them. They just can't handle my tantalizing eyes—"

"Oh, stop it."

Chanyeol's halfway through enveloping him in a bone-rushing hug when Joonmyun and Jongin arrive, all big smiles and waves. Kyungsoo looks at Chanyeol for a while, eyebrows furrowed in question — you invited them? "Figured you missed them even if you didn't say it," Chanyeol reasons out just before the two step inside the restaurant. "You never say anything. I always have to decode your language of punches and smirks."

Kyungsoo punches Chanyeol lightly in his side, then twists his fist as he whispers, "Thanks."

Joonmyun and Jongin have always been generous with hugs, even back in the agency and despite their heavy workload, but tonight their hugs linger longer than the usual, with Joonmyun squeezing Kyungsoo's arm before letting go. "Well-rested," Joonmyun says, more of a statement than a question, and Kyungsoo simply smiles and shakes his head before gesturing for them to take a seat.

Joonmyun then calls for a waiter, adds a couple of dishes to their order, and Jongin orders a bottle of soju despite Joonmyun's tight grip around his wrist. "It's been a while, hyung," Jongin reasons out, and Joonmyun loosens his grip considerably before turning to Kyungsoo.

"Chanyeollie said someone else was joining us. A friend, I think? A client of yours in the daycare?"

"He's not a client," Kyungsoo replies, sighing. The side dishes arrive, and he busies himself with arranging the tiny plates in short, neat lines. "And I don't work there."

"You should've seen him handle the kids," Chanyeol says. Joonmyun smiles a little. "It was cute."

Kyungsoo's phone gives off a short beep and Chanyeol looks at him for a while before getting back into discussion with Joonmyun. Two notifications, five text messages — one from Sehun, saying that he's craving ice cream so can they just have ice cream tomorrow instead of samgyupsal, pretty please?, and the other from Baekhyun, one that says, hi! this is soohyun's dad, kekeke. what time's ur shift tomorrow? (o⌒．⌒o)

byun baekhyun, in case ur not looking at d records ryt now
rly just making sure u remember because uknow, too many ppl coming in everyday (/ω＼)

He laughs a little, quickly swallowing the sound as he gulps hard. In the thirty minutes that Baekhyun had spent in the daycare, past closing time and Soohyun's supposed sleeping schedule, he'd learned quite a few things about Baekhyun — his voice peaks when he gets excited, even more when Soohyun makes gurgling sounds at him. He talks in fifty feet of run-on sentences. He loves the sound of his voice and hates silence, filling all the gaps with hiccuped laughter. Nuzzling Soohyun's nose has almost become second nature, evident in the way he leans in to make their noses bump midway through a conversation with Kyungsoo about knowing the right consistency for baby milk. He's noticed that Kyungsoo doesn't wear a name tag unlike the other employees. "Are you the boss?" Baekhyun had asked somewhere along the way, and Chanyeol had only snorted as he filed all the folders in the caddy.

why? he quickly types, then locks his phone again. When he surfaces, he meets Joonmyun's gaze, heavy and evaluating.

"What?"

"Your jjigae's getting cold," Jongin points out. He reaches over, grabbing the pot by his index finger and thumb, and draws it closer to them. "I'm eating this if you aren't."

"Hey," Kyungsoo retorts, clashing his chopsticks against Jongin's own. His phone beeps once, twice, and then another, and Chanyeol grins up at him before taking a sip of the stew. To Chanyeol, Kyungsoo says, "Hey."

Kyungsoo notices Joonmyun's gaze flitting from him to Chanyeol and back, and the careful gaze flickers to turn into something more practiced, neutral. Joonmyun then narrates his day and Jongin planning to take up his graduate studies a year from now, the company potentially being crippled at the loss of Jongin and everyone missing Kyungsoo back at work.

"And they want you back," Joonmyun says, looking straight at Kyungsoo after taking a shot of soju. Chanyeol tosses a few pieces of kimchi into the grill and pokes at them until the slits leave faint marks. "I know you're not planning to return, ever, but… I dunno, I'm still hoping—" He slaps Jongin's hand when Jongin pours him another shot and presses the glass against the back of Joonmyun's hand. "—because things haven't been the same ever since you left."

Kyungsoo laughs a little. "It's only been a week."

"A week without Do Kyungsoo to spearhead digital projects and squeeze the last bit of creativity out of his team," Chanyeol adds. He leans on Kyungsoo's shoulder, the fit seeming a bit uncomfortable when Chanyeol shifts in his position a little. Chanyeol places a big hand over Kyungsoo's smaller one — this is a better fit. "Well, sorry, but he's mine now. You can't take him away."

There's a smile on Joonmyun's lips that Kyungsoo doesn't want to breathe meaning into. Instead, he sticks his tongue out at Joonmyun and keeps his hand there, beneath Chanyeol's warmth, Chanyeol's fingers slotted between his own.

Jongin broaches the subject of resigning to pursue his masters degree in a different country and Joonmyun sinks in his seat, resigned and relenting. Chanyeol laughs at Joonmyun's attempts at trying to convince Jongin to hold out a little longer, until his team is more stable, or at least unit he finds time for a second exhibit. "You'd have built an even better portfolio by then," Joonmyun even says. Kyungsoo lays his free hand on top of his phone and drums his fingers on the surface, setting the pace to his steady heartbeat. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad working in a daycare, working alongside Chanyeol and Sehun and Zitao, holding children in his arms or playing with them on a daily basis. There's no harm in trying, after all, and if it made Chanyeol regress in age, then a baby's warm and gentle touch might only mean something good.

He takes a deep breath and flexes his fingers, then hooks them on Chanyeol's own. If he's going to try something new then he might as well drag the person who convinced him to do it along with him. Chanyeol only shoots him a brief glance before laughing at one of Jongin's stories about Joonmyun and keeps their fingers linked under the table until Kyungsoo has to pull away to reach for a water pitcher, hand too warm around the pitcher's cool surface.

☂

Kyungsoo pulls up at a red light and unlocks his phone, suddenly remembering to ask when Jongin's exhibit is. He'd promised to come with Joonmyun, but forgot to ask for the details in the flurry of conversations and laughter. when do i have to free up my sked for you huh? he means to text Jongin, but four unread messages from Baekhyun greet him as soon as the lock screen disappears.

well so far ur the only 1 soohyun hasn't punched
she tends 2 hit ppl in d face wen they try 2 carry her?? (╯_╰)
so wat tym wil u b around to play wid my kid hmmm?

kyungsoo? (⊙︿⊙)

Maybe, he thinks, then looks up at the stop counter — fifteen seconds left.

whole day. same time, he types rather hastily, deletes, then types again, adding c: at the end. He hits 'send' as soon as he's done and lays his phone down on the empty seat beside him, face down, and ignores the three messages that come in in succession.

He takes a deep breath and smiles a little. The light turns green.

☂

"So I made a name tag for you," Chanyeol begins, then pins it on Kyungsoo's chest like a badge. "Just in case, y'know, you decide to work here for real. Permanently, I mean, but I'd understand if—"

"Chanyeol," is all that Kyungsoo says as he watches Chanyeol fix the tag on his shirt, one hand on his chest as the other works on straightening the tag. He'd mentioned wanting to try out taking a job at the daycare just to see how things would unfold, and Chanyeol had nodded at him, movements fast and sharp that Kyungsoo reached up to cup Chanyeol's nape — a safety precaution to keep him from straining his neck even further. "Don't get your hopes up, I'm just gonna give it a shot," he'd said then, but Chanyeol kept the same big grin on his lips and snaked an arm around his shoulder to pull him close for a choking hug.

Chanyeol's fingers are cold. His touch stings through the thin material of Kyungsoo's shirt. Kyungsoo puffs out tiny balls of air and says, "I can do that on my own."

Chanyeol presses on, though, and he leans back once he's done to take a gander at his work, fingers dancing on Kyungsoo's chest as he lets his hands slide down to rest on Kyungsoo's waist. "Better," Chanyeol says, soft enough for only the two of them to hear.

"Orange shirt?" Sehun asks, then cackles, and Kyungsoo affirms with a kick to Sehun's calf, applying just enough pressure to make Sehun remember to never question the existence of colored clothes in his closet ever again. "What's next, Kyungsoo-hyung in a jumper?"

Zitao pulls Sehun away from the scene just in time for Kyungsoo to kick Sehun in the calf one more time, grumbling when he narrowly misses. A couple of customers come in, and Chanyeol greets them, sunshine smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

The last time he had 'first day jitters' was five years ago, when he moved from Mindshare to Masscom in a decision that took more than a year to actualize. He likes that, planning things out carefully, running through each step of the plan in his mind again and again until he gets sick of his own voice. He likes a spontaneous adventure, too, and this — starting from scratch and attempting something he has never done before, doing something he isn't completely clueless but doesn't know much about — is exactly what he needs.

Chanyeol is as good with children as he is with people, Kyungsoo notices later, during the formal play sessions. It shows in the way one of the little girls walks up to him and reaches for his hand, or the way one of the younger boys sits on his feet and refuses to get up until Chanyeol picks him up. He ends up with a both kids in his arms, precarious, but unwavering in the song he sings to the two even as they grab his hair and yank at it playfully.

The child in Kyungsoo's arms giggles a little and plants a soft kiss on his chin. Chanyeol furrows his eyebrows when their eyes meet, but there's nothing but laughter and a smile on his lips. Kyungsoo grins when the child blows hot air on his chin, but it can also be the work of Chanyeol widening his eyes, gets himself cross-eyed, makes funny faces at him. He narrows his eyes when he feels his legs again, until Chanyeol breaks the eye contact and laughs into the crown of the girl's head.

They are kids as much as they are adults. No one ever grows up completely.

Lunch break sees the children leaving one by one, parents coming to pick up their kids and say their 'thank you's' to the staff. Chanyeol takes care of reporting to the parents, telling them about their children's milestone for the day or activities that their kids enjoyed, and Sehun processes transactions, a small smile on his lips as he engages in short chats with the outgoing clients. Zitao is still trying to free himself from a kid who has recently taken a liking to him, and Kyungsoo bends his knees to give the boy a pat on the head before whispering, "Tao-hyung isn't going anywhere, okay Jaehwan?" He ruffles Jaehwan's hair and offers a small smile. "You'll be back tomorrow, right?"

The boy looks up at him, then at Zitao. "Taotao-hyung, you won't leave, right?"

Zitao laughs a little, then crouches so he can take the kid in his arms and give him a hug. "Tao-hyung will never leave."

"Then I'll come back!" the kid soon says, giggling into Zitao's neck as Zitao twirls him around for one last time.

Baekhyun waves just beyond the door, his other hand wound around the handle of the stroller. The crowd has thinned considerably, and Chanyeol has taken over processing transactions to give Sehun time to prepare for his next class. "You didn't answer my text so I didn't bring food," Baekhyun says once he's inside, then adjusts the collar of his polo. He's wearing plaid today, his shirt at least three sizes bigger than him. If Kyungsoo were his boss then he'd make Baekhyun come in at work in a white polo tomorrow, coupled with blue jeans. Presentability is everything at work, after all, and Baekhyun looks more like a kid than a father looking to leave his kid at a daycare center.

"I was busy with the kids, sorry," Kyungsoo replies. He tilts his head just slightly to get a glimpse of Soohyun's face — her eyes are shut but not as tight, and her cheeks are a light shade of pink. She looks so fragile like this, skin caught in the afternoon sun. She has a mole just above her upper lip. "You'll be back in the evening?"

"Yeah, meeting," Baekhyun replies. He locks his arms behind his back and cracks his neck. "Before closing time, I promise."

Kyungsoo shrugs, then bends a little, reaching over to where Soohyun is. "May I?" he asks before holding Soohyun to lift her, and Baekhyun nods, even laughs a little, like Kyungsoo asking if he can carry Baekhyun's baby is the silliest thing ever.

Soohyun's balled fists relax when Kyungsoo picks her up by the waist, and she holds out her arms as Kyungsoo raises her in the air. He brings her closer to his chest, and she makes this tiny, indiscernible noise that sounds more like a gurgle than a sound of protest. There's still a hint of sleep in her eyes, the way the lids shut close when Kyungsoo doesn't move, arms as steady as the ground. Kyungsoo presses his thumb lightly on a corner of her lips and lifts it a little; she chuckles.

"Jongdae did the same thing earlier and she cried at once," Baekhyun comments. He moves closer, pressing his hand on Soohyun's tummy, and he tickles her with the pads of his fingers. "At the very first touch."

Kyungsoo looks up, leaning back a little to see Baekhyun's face properly. His bangs fall over his eyes, but he can still make out the crinkles at the corners when Baekhyun's tight-lipped smile turns into a full one, toothy, a bit juvenile. "Well, at least she doesn't do that with you. That would be a problem," he says after a while, once Soohyun's giggling dies down a little, and Baekhyun keeps his hand there, rubbing Soohyun's tummy lightly.

"I'm still working on that. I'm not exactly the best dad," Baekhyun confesses. He bends his knees a little and leans closer to Soohyun to plant a kiss on her forehead. There's something in Baekhyun's voice, a peculiar tone beneath the cracks, when his voice lilts then dips a bit too abruptly. It makes Kyungsoo wince, but maybe that's just Soohyun shifting in his arms doing its work. "But I do try to be."

"She likes you enough to not hit you in the face," Kyungsoo replies. He cocks his head in Sehun's direction. "That co-worker of mine takes a punch to his cheeks every single day."

Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows. "A real punch? I mean baby punches, like this?" He takes Soohyun's arms, gently holding them by the wrists and trying to imitate the action but falling short. Soohyun pops her lips, as if in a question, and Kyungsoo simply caresses Soohyun's cheek lightly as he chuckles. "Yeah, you get the picture. But really, he does?"

"He loves teasing the kids. Always ends up getting teased in return."

"Karma's a bitch," Baekhyun says, snorting. "Whoops. I keep forgetting this is a PG place. No room for people who curse a lot like me!"

Baekhyun leans in for another kiss, this time on Soohyun's cheek, before going through his last round of checks just to see if everything is in the bag in the stroller's compartment, and Kyungsoo holds Soohyun tight as he follows Baekhyun with his eyes. Baekhyun pours every ounce of his attention into making sure that everything Soohyun needs is where it should be like he's making up for something — bad memories, lost time, a stupid mistake? Kyungsoo can't exactly tell. He hasn't known Baekhyun for that long yet, hasn't seen all of his facets, so he keeps watching, observing, like if he tears his gaze from Baekhyun, he'll miss a tiny yet important detail that will soon make sense in the days to come.

Kyungsoo blinks a few times. It's not as if he'll be staying in the daycare for too long, or that Baekhyun will be coming over on a regular basis to make sure his child gets the love and care that she deserves. With a deep breath, he swallows the rest of his thoughts and bids Baekhyun goodbye, the promise of returning written on his smile, in the way Baekhyun flashes him a thumbs up, in the way Baekhyun glances at Soohyun for one last time before getting back in his car and driving off.

"Well, aren't you chatty?" comes Chanyeol's voice from behind, and Kyungsoo only peers at him from his bangs before pushing Soohyun's stroller forward, to the play area. He doesn't address the upward curl of the lip or Chanyeol's soft chuckles. Instead, he cradles Soohyun in his arms and hums a soft melody under his breath until Soohyun stops shifting and presses her palms on his cheeks, chuckling as she squeezes them lightly.

☂

"So, guess who's here early?"

Kyungsoo rubs an eye before looking over his shoulder. Outside, the lamp posts cast a dull glow on the passersby, and there's no longer the usual noise enveloping the daycare. Six in the evening usually sees a few more children in XOXO, rolling on the rubber mats or playing in the ball pit, but today the learning area has already been wiped clean and the play places are no longer occupied by kids. "You're early," Kyungsoo croaks, throat still tight with drowsiness. He repeats his statement when Baekhyun takes a few steps closer, cocking his head slightly. "I said, you're actually early."

"I got lucky," Baekhyun replies, then sits cross-legged on the floor. His knees bump into Kyungsoo's, and Kyungsoo winces at the surge of electricity up his thighs. Baekhyun apologizes by way of a light pat on the knee that only makes another sliver of electricity course through his veins, and Kyungsoo grabs his wrist, looks at him straight in the eye and shakes his head.

"Don't touch me."

Baekhyun frowns, bottom lip jutted out as he retracts his hand. "I get here early to pick up my kid and chat with you and you give me this?"

This is a roll of the eyes, a slap on the arm, an urge to kick Baekhyun in the calf or maybe pinch him in his sides. This is a loud exhale and Kyungsoo looking around, searching for Soohyun's crib until he accidentally rams his toe into the its leg, craning his neck to check if Soohyun is still asleep and is far from rousing from it. He feels his shoulders relaxing along with his spine as he curls his back a little and slips into a more comfortable posture. The image of Soohyun's peaceful sleeping face is fresh in his eyes. "Well, congratulations," he simply replies after a while — polite, familiar but not quite — and lays his palm flat on Baekhyun's thigh. "You've made me proud."

Baekhyun cocks an eyebrow, maybe surprised or a little shocked, but the light quirk of the lip eases the knots in Kyungsoo's stomach. "Thanks," Baekhyun replies, then pushes himself off the mat to take Soohyun in his arms and cradle her.

There's silence for a while, disrupted only by the noise coming from the light chatter in the faculty lounge, fading out with every swing of the door. Baekhyun settles back down on the mat with him, more carefully this time, knees no longer banging into his when he tries to look for a comfortable spot. "Can't believe it's been two weeks," Baekhyun whispers, shaking his head lightly. His eyes are still on Soohyun, searching, discerning, like he's still trying to digest the entire situation and that, maybe, Soohyun might just be a doll — an eerily realistic-looking one. "Just two weeks. It feels like forever."

Kyungsoo worries his bottom lip for a while. "Just two weeks?" he repeats in a softer tone, drawing out the syllables in a careful assessment of Baekhyun's reaction to his question. "Isn't she eight months old?"

A corner of Baekhyun's lip tugs up and he laughs a little. "She is, but I've… only been a father for two weeks."

Kyungsoo lets his eyes travel from Baekhyun's, down to the quiver of his lip and to the light tremble of his fingers. Baekhyun's eyes are unfocused, almost empty, unlike the way they had been when he first walked into XOXO with Soohyun in his arms and uncertainty in the way he darted his eyes from one object to another. He waits — for life to come rushing back to Baekhyun's eyes, for Baekhyun to muster a light laugh or a chuckle, for Baekhyun's fingers to steady and start tracing patterns on Soohyun's back.

Soohyun hiccups in her sleep, then nuzzles Baekhyun's chest. The tightness at the corners of Baekhyun's mouth ease. "I'd tell you the whole story but that would involve chips and a shitload of beer," Baekhyun says after a while. "And corny movies, maybe, just so there won't be any awkward silence. Background music or something, the upsound when I start to ramble and forget I'm talking to someone else but myself—"

"Upsound?" Kyungsoo presses his lips thinly, bottom lip jutting out after a while. He hasn't heard that brand of work jargon in a while. In fact, he rarely heard it back then, even if he was once so immersed in brainstorming sessions and production. Cue fanfare, drums and cymbals and trumpets, except he hasn't hit that eureka moment yet — all he ends up with is a small smile on Baekhyun's lips, less of the fatigue Baekhyun has brought with him from work in his eyes and more of Soohyun reflected in them. Baekhyun reaching out, his hand settling on the crown of Kyungsoo's head to fluff his hair.

"Upsound, like your officemate's voice right now," Baekhyun says, cocking his head in the direction of the reception where Chanyeol's laughter goes from a light giggle to thunderous laughter — he must have been successful in convincing Sehun to take a morning session with one of the little girls. Upsound, like Soohyun making tiny sounds in her sleep and eventually chuckling. Upsound, like Baekhyun slowly opening the door of XOXO then greeting Kyungsoo or Chanyeol with his bright voice.

"Next time, then?" Baekhyun hums. He's swaying his head, like he's dancing to a melody only he can hear.

"Next time," Kyungsoo mimics, resolute. There's a funny sensation at the pit of his stomach, a sudden lurch that almost makes him giggle. Next time, he says in his head this time. It sounds better in Baekhyun's voice.

☂

Kyungsoo isn't certain how Baekhyun had convinced him to give him his Kakao ID. Sending texts has always been a chore, somehow, but maybe it's because he finds it easier to call up a person he needs to talk to instead of typing out an explanation in a text message. It's more convenient, and it's quicker to get answers through a spontaneous phone call. It can be off-putting, but it gets the job done. And the reality is that, in media, that's the only thing that's important.

So when he relents, navigating to his KKT profile and showing Baekhyun his ID. He stares at Baekhyun's face — donned with a grin and Soohyun's reflection in his eyes — for a while. "byunbabehyun is an awful ID, by the way," he says, recovering, and Baekhyun only rolls his eyes at him when Baekhyun replies, "Anything is better than therealdks."

"Like you're proclaiming you have a real dick," Chanyeol says now, in response to Kyungsoo's narration of the encounter. He shifts in his seat, adjusting the seatbelt as he wiggles. Chanyeol has never been fond of being held down, after all. "Not that I've ever doubted you really had one. I mean, it does look real—"

Kyungsoo snorts. He grips the steering wheel tight. "Next thing I know, you'll already be writing an ode to my dick." He smiles a little when Chanyeol hits him on the arm. "That will be the best birthday present ever. The sweetest."

"You're secretly a koala beneath the grizzly bear exterior!" Chanyeol exclaims, voice soaring above the music on the radio. The station is playing the top ten right now — Chanyeol's pop favorites have made it to the list again.

"Who's got the bamboo?"

"Hmmm." Chanyeol hums for a while. The traffic light turns red, and Kyungsoo steps on the brakes. "Who is the bamboo?"

Kyungsoo looks to his side, meeting Chanyeol in the eye as he licks his lips. Chanyeol's hand, the one he'd been hit with, is warm on his thigh, and city lights from the scene outside dance in Chanyeol's eyes. He feels a shiver run down his spine, numb his back and wound itself around his abdomen. He'd long lost the feeling in his fingers, but he'll never tell Chanyeol that. Chanyeol worries about everything — the small things, the big things, the things that don't affect him directly but affect the people around him, the ones he shouldn't be paying attention to at all — so Kyungsoo stays silent, clenching and unclenching his fists on the steering wheel.

From the corner of his eye, he sees the traffic light turn green. With a deep breath, he turns back to face the road ahead. Chanyeol turns up the volume and starts singing the song blasting on the stereo.

At the next traffic light, two Kakao messages come in in quick succession, and Kyungsoo fishes for his phone from his pockets to see who it is. Two messages, both from Baekhyun — the first is of him saying, SHE'S KINDA CRAWLING ALREADY???, and the second is a picture of Soohyun on her knees and hands, looking at the camera with wide eyes and a small smile on her lips. He shoots Chanyeol a quick glance and types a short reply — congratulations!!! — then sends a bunny sticker with eyes glimmering in happiness. He quickly contemplates retracting the sticker, but KKT isn't like Outlook where you can recall emails as long as they haven't been read by the recipient yet.

The worst part is that Baekhyun has already read the messages by the time the thought of taking everything back crosses Kyungsoo's mind.

i mean she falls on her face most of d tym but crawling!!!! ( ꒪Д꒪)ノ
aaaaaaaa!

lol don't forget to breathe

"You're giggling," Chanyeol points out, a lilt in the tone of his voice. There's a peculiar smile on the curl of the lip, a familiar glint in his eyes. Kyungsoo thinks he's just seeing things and maybe he really is, because, as soon as he blinks, it's all gone, and all that's left is Chanyeol's steady gaze. "It's cute," Chanyeol adds after a while, barely above a whisper, and Kyungsoo feels his throat tighten, his chest constrict, all of his words trapped in his chest, threatening to explode.

☂

The next few times Baekhyun comes over to drop Soohyun off, he stays long enough to finish a cup of coffee.

Kyungsoo notices one Thursday, when Baekhyun comes back from pacing to the door to twist the cup so that the logo can still be seen from outside. "I'll be back," he says as always, like he has to make a promise everytime he leaves, and wiggles his fingers in the air when he waves at Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo waves back, despite knowing that Baekhyun won't see with his back turned to the glass walls of XOXO, but Soohyun acknowledges his gesture and giggles, then raises her hands as she grabs air.

"Does Soohyunnie want me to carry her?" he asks, consciously using Soohyun's name instead of talking to her directly. Baekhyun had mentioned one time that he'd begun training her to respond to her name already, and he'd promised to help. "It's part of our job," he'd reasoned out when Baekhyun looked at him with wide eyes and a smile that threatened to rip the corners of his lips. "To help kids and help their parents, I mean."

Soohyun's still smiling, and he takes it as a sign to lift her by the waist and hold her close to his chest, rocking her lightly from time to time in tandem with her soft chuckles.

He takes out the cup much later, once Soohyun has already fallen asleep on his shoulder, a patch of drool cool against his skin. When he lifts the cup, it's completely light, and he catches sight of a doodle on the other side of the logo, just beside the customization panel. He goes through the scribble again and again until it's easier to digest, the text coming to life in a voice he imagines to be Soohyun's.

thank you, oppa~ ♥ soohyunnie

His phone buzzes, one notification after the other, and he digs deep in his pocket to fish for his phone. kyungsoo-oppaaaa~ appa might finish late so pls don't kill him ok?? ╥﹏╥ the first one says, and already he can feel the surge of heat up his arms, wrapping around his throat. Stop it. You're not Soohyun, a voice in his mind says, and Soohyun makes makes a tiny hiccup, clawing on air before promptly letting her hands fall to her sides.

can u bring me to appa's office if he doesn't arrive by 8pm?? u r d only 1 i trust oppa (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

i'm charging extra, he simply replies and, halfway through slipping his phone back in his pocket, he adds, and you're welcome, soohyunnie.

Two in the afternoon in the daycare is usually a calm and quiet hour, but today he hears Soohyun's soft giggles through her steady breathing, Baekhyun's laughter through the beeping of his phone, the thrumming in his chest growing louder by the minute. He lays Soohyun down on the stroller, pulling her small blanket up to her balled fists, and takes a few deep breaths to still the racing, flush the music out of his system. There's nothing that he needs right now but white noise, static in the background. An empty title card for a commercial that has yet to see the light of the day.

When he opens his eyes, he catches the scent of coffee in his hair, on the pads of his fingers, between his nails. Baekhyun leaves stains on Kyungsoo's skin and gets away with it, completely remorseless. And Kyungsoo drinks everything up, each and every piece of Baekhyun that he leaves whenever he arrives at the daycare with Soohyun, forgets to pick up when he returns to take Soohyun away (and maybe a part of Kyungsoo, as well).

☂

Baekhyun is possibly the worst person to ask directions from, Kyungsoo thinks as he puts the gear shift on reverse and retraces his steps. The instructions are already a mess, as it is, and Baekhyun had made him take a few shortcuts that only had him taking a roundtrip at Guanghuidong and missing a right turn at Chungmuro. just give me the address, i'll use my gps, he texts after a while, exhaling loudly, and Baekhyun sends a string of crying emoticons and stickers, the address of the building sandwiched between them.

He contemplates on texting Chanyeol just to make sure that he's taking the right route, but he knows there will be a string of questions following Chanyeol's reply. And then there will be a conversation about it, and Chanyeol will never let on, teasing him about heading to Baekhyun's office even if he's not getting paid for it. And he'd be tempted to hit Chanyeol on the arm, but he won't; instead, he'll just roll his eyes at Chanyeol and laugh with him a few seconds after. Chanyeol is that Post-it note, a reminder of the things Kyungsoo shouldn't be doing and the ones that he should be, a gentle push to the off-beaten path. A taste of something new that takes you to an old place, something familiar that feels a lot like home.

A funny feeling at the pit of your stomach that leaves you without a choice but to smile. Chanyeol has that effect on people.

Soohyun stirs just as soon as Kyungsoo pulls over near Baekhyun's building, waking up to the sound of two beeps. east tower, 15th floor. ty ty ♡, Baekhyun says through text, then rushes, 501 u can take minseok-hyung's parking 2nyt he isn't around anyway. Kyungsoo frowns, studying the winking sticker Baekhyun has just sent, and types up a reply before turning off the hazard signal of his car.

i'm not breaking any rules for you, byun. what if they ask for an id?

i'll make sure they won't ;)

Kyungsoo heaves a sigh and steps on the gas. He knows better than to trust Baekhyun after the incident involving wrong directions, but Baekhyun sounds confident enough about this, somehow, that there simply isn't any reason not to trust. So Kyungsoo does, against his better judgment, and drives to the parking lot, with Soohyun approving of his actions through the flailing of her arms.

He gets through security without a hitch. He should give Baekhyun more credit next time.

Signature Towers is already beautiful as it is from the outside, but inside it looks much more sophisticated than the reflective surface makes it seem. Pristine white walls, glass divisions for some rooms at the ground floor, warm lighting at the reception and helpful staff — all these make Kyungsoo miss reporting to work in an office building and not expecting to be welcomed by a pool of children whose smiles are bright enough to rid Kyungsoo of his morning lethargy. He presses the button to the 15th floor, rocks Soohyun's stroller lightly when she makes a steady, low hum that could possibly be the beginnings of getting upset. She hasn't had her milk yet, and Kyungsoo would have made her some if Baekhyun hadn't specifically told him, "She just knows when someone else makes her milk. The kid's psychic!"

She only wants the best, and that's what she thinks her dad can offer, Kyungsoo wants to say. That's why parents are often considered heroes by their children. Kyungsoo snorts a little — maybe he's an isolated case since his hero is himself.

He bends his knees a little to draw Soohyun's blanket up. Air conditioning is too good in the building and, even in the lift, Kyungsoo can feel the numbing cold wrap around the tips of his fingers.

The place feels oddly familiar, with Kyungsoo navigating its twists and turns without any difficulty like his feet know exactly where they should take him. Maybe he's been here before, three to four years ago when the offices he visited weren't only those of clients or production houses. It's not impossible. His memory isn't the worst, but the wear and tear brought about by working too hard and too much has been manifesting more recently, taking its toll on him at the age of thirty-two.

Kyungsoo turns right at the fork, making his way to the east side of the tower. Familiar logos greet him left and right, and he chuckles a little when he finds Baekhyun standing at the entrance of Starcom MediaVest's office. Of course Baekhyun would be working in a media agency. He's a perfect fit — an aura that can uplift any room he walks into, words so effortlessly convincing that he can con any client into believing that he can work magic on the most impossible of requirements. An I can make things happen attitude—

—the top three buttons of his polo undone and his hair a mess, possibly from yanking at it in lieu of screaming out loud. Glasses sliding off the bridge of his nose. The corners of his lips tight and a bit strained, his features void of the sparkle he usually has when he arrives at XOXO to pick up Soohyun.

Something tosses and turns at the pit of Kyungsoo's stomach. The last meal he's had was lunch. Chanyeol had offered him chips at six in the evening but he'd declined, saying he had plans. It's both a good and a bad decision.

"Sorry you had to come here after work," Baekhyun says as a greeting, smiling a little and bowing at him before proceeding to give Soohyun a kiss on the forehead. The corners of his eyes crinkle, but there's no longer the same glimmer in his eyes, as if work had sucked all the happiness out of him. His voice, at least, hasn't changed, albeit not as donned with playful tones and lilts. "Work's been insane the past few days."

"I know," Kyungsoo says, gaze shifting from Baekhyun to the logo behind him. He frames the image in his mind, the rays in Starcom's logo looking like a crown on Baekhyun's head. Baekhyun furrows his eyebrows at him, but his attention is promptly snatched by Soohyun's fingers grazing his chin. "Agency life can be crazy."

Baekhyun looks at him one more time, assessing, and waits for a follow up, but Kyungsoo remains silent, slipping on a mask he used to wear on a regular basis back when he was still working in media — a light upward tug of the lip, a steady gaze, eyes that are blank enough to pass off as an empty look. Then Baekhyun's turning around, running his ID by the scanner and opening the door for Kyungsoo.

"Welcome to Starcom," Baekhyun says, smiling. It looks more natural now, with Soohyun in his arms. "Hope you enjoy your stay."

The office is mostly empty, and the few people who are still working on their desks all have earphones plugged, hands moving deftly across the keyboard. It feels too familiar, so much like home that Kyungsoo wants to wear a second skin he has come to grown accustomed to, the same skin he'd peeled off weeks ago when he left the world of media and advertising. This is the type of workplace that has molded him into who he is today — Do Kyungsoo whose resolve is as strong as steel, whose decisions are always founded on facts and figures and are always for the benefit of everyone. Do Kyungsoo whose heart only melts in the face of an eight-month-old girl in the arms of a man who works in a rival company.

Do Kyungsoo who has a past he can never run away from, no matter what he does.

Baekhyun's office is a spacious place at the end of an aisle, glass walls surrounding it and the door serving as the only thing that's opaque. Frosted letters decorate the glass walls and, through the spaces in between, Kyungsoo can see someone inside, shoulders hunched and eyebrows furrowed. "He doesn't bite," Baekhyun teases, cocking his head in the man's direction, and he holds the door open until Kyungsoo has gotten inside.

The man looks over his shoulder at the sound of Kyungsoo's footsteps, and what greets Kyungsoo is a bright smile that betrays the strain on the man's eyes. "You're back with your friend," the man says, looking at Baekhyun. To Kyungsoo, he says, "I see you don't drive as dangerously as Baekhyunnie does." The man grins at the end of his statement, and Baekhyun walks past Kyungsoo, straight to where the man is to give him a light jab on the arm. The man only laughs in response, hands steady on the keyboard, and Kyungsoo feels as if he's intruding, like he's supposed to leave now since his business is done and Soohyun is safe in Baekhyun's arms.

Baekhyunnie. The syllables echo in his ears the same way the man had said them. Baekhyun looks at him, like he's expecting a response, but there's something about the way his lips curl up that makes Kyungsoo think he means to say something else. "Only sometimes," Kyungsoo then replies. "When I have a baby in the back seat."

Baekhyun laughs, and Kyungsoo catches the way his shoulders relax. Soohyun pounds on his chest with her small fists, and that has Baekhyun giggling all the more.

"You should learn from him, Baek. I mean, I spend half the day worrying about Soohyunie's safety," says the man. He then stands from his seat, walking over to where Kyungsoo is, but he promptly stops in his tracks when Baekhyun stretches out one of his legs, as if to trip him. There's silence for a while as Baekhyun meets the man's eyes, and the strangest image of a fight scene flashes before Kyungsoo's eyes — Baekhyun's friend as the controllable character, Baekhyun as the AI, both of them ready to battle. Kyungsoo can't exactly take sides — it's not a choice he can make — but he takes a step back to watch the scene unfold, anyway.

The man is the first to break eye contact and he eludes Baekhyun's foot with ease, but he rams it into one of the tables, instead. Baekhyun's response is immediate — shrill laughter, jarring to an extent, but uninhibited by office rules and fatigue — and soon the man is laughing in accord, crouching low with the crown of his head pressed against the table.

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and takes a few steps back. This is probably his cue to leave.

Something in his chest gets caught up in knots when Baekhyun walks over to where he is and grabs him by the wrist, keeping him close by. "Whatever. I'm the one who has to worry about her when you're 'taking care' of her," Baekhyun retorts, using air quotes to prove his point, and the man gets back up, slowly approaching then. "No, no, no, don't you even dare—"

"I'm not touching her, okay! I learned the hard way!"

"She can sense your dark aura from a foot away!" Baekhyun argues, then draws Soohyun a bit closer to his chest. The man frowns but retreats, leaning against the table. "Shoo, shoo, go back to work."

Soohyun whimpers a little, and the man takes a few steps back at the same time that Baekhyun gasps. A scene replays in Kyungsoo's head, one that looks a lot like Baekhyun's scare when he first walked in XOXO, and it feels like faulty editing in a commercial, a lapse in post-production. Taking a deep breath, Kyungsoo moves closer, reaching for Soohyun's cheeks and caressing it with his thumb. "She won't bite," he then tells the man and, beside him, he hears Baekhyun's sharp intake of breath.

He can feel Baekhyun's heartbeat on his skin when Baekhyun leans forward. Soohyun does, too — a choked sob, wide eyes looking up at Kyungsoo, a look he hasn't seen on her in all the days that he has spent taking care of her. Kids are extra sensitive, he reminds himself, hears Chanyeol's voice in his head, and he wills his muscles to relax, shoulders slumping a little.

Soohyun hiccups, then giggles.

Kyungsoo used to think that Chanyeol was kidding about his magic touch when it came to children, but this — pacifying Soohyun with a stroke of the hand, a light pinch of the cheek — isn't the first time it happened. Most of Kyungsoo's experience with taking care of kids came from looking after Seungsoo's little boy and Yura's twins, and the two had somehow agreed that it made sense to shove Kyungsoo in the direction of the kids or the other way around at the onset of crying. Appeasing Seungsoo's child had been more challenging than the other two, but it usually took no more than a lullaby and a kiss on the forehead for the child to look up at him with cheeks dry from crying.

Kyungsoo hasn't had the same luck with older people, but he does have the uncanny ability of making people smile with his awkwardly-worded jokes. Even Sehun whose punning skills are top-notch seem to find it hard to not cackle at Kyungsoo's attempts at pulling one off, no matter how silly it is.

"I don't believe it," the man says, tentatively leaning closer to check if Soohyun is, indeed, not crying. "You weren't lying when you said he was a baby tamer. I thought—"

"The one and only," Baekhyun says, grinning. He looks at Kyungsoo and wiggles his eyebrows a little. Kyungsoo feels, hears his breath hitch. "So yeah, long overdue intro — this is Do Kyungsoo, baby tamer extraordinaire. Kyungsoo, this is Kim Jongdae. He's one of the bosses here. Certainly not mine, thank God."

"I've also been subjected to the sad fate of being his best friend," Jongdae adds, huffing as he bumps his hip into Baekhyun's. Kyungsoo feel the muscles of Baekhyun's arms tense, so he rests a hand on Soohyun's arm to assure Baekhyun that his child won't fall. "Nice to meet you. I was beginning to wonder if you were real. I mean, no one can possibly be that good at stopping babies from crying."

Baekhyun snorts. "You just have the kind of face that scares kids."

"My face or yours?" Jongdae retorts, grinning. He turns to Kyungsoo with half of his mouth still upturned in the weird combination of a scowl and laughter that he'd given Baekhyun earlier. "Just call me Jongdae, please. My underlings don't even treat me like their boss."

Kyungsoo laughs a little, then drops the hand that he'd used to caress Soohyun earlier to his side. Baekhyun lifts Soohyun by the waist to nuzzle her nose, and through the sliver of space Kyungsoo catches Jongdae's features softening, eyes following Baekhyun's actions.

"Then please, call me Kyungsoo," he says, recovering, and extends a hand in Jongdae's direction. It takes a while for Jongdae to address the gesture, and Kyungsoo only chuckles in response when Jongdae whispers an apology. "Were you the Jongdae who tried to make Soohyun smile by, uh—" Kyungsoo pinches at the air and does an upward pulling motion, trying to relay his message, and Baekhyun laughs lightly beside him. "By doing that?"

Jongdae narrows his eyes at Baekhyun, an eyebrow cocked lightly. "I don't know what he's been telling you, but that's probably me. He's not lucky enough to get another 'Jongdae' in his life."

"Thankfully," Baekhyun says, then wheezes when Jongdae pokes him in his side. "Cut it out. I'm trying to be a dad."

You don't have to try so hard, Kyungsoo wants to say, but all his thoughts get lost in Soohyun's laughter and the way Baekhyun's eyes brighten up when she claps her hands just a few inches shy of Baekhyun's nose. Enter Kim Jongdae and his giggles, the upsound that drowns out Baekhyun's protests when Jongdae tentatively reaches over to pinch Soohyun's cheeks. And Jongdae succeeds, but not for too long because Soohyun starts hiccuping again, soft sobs escaping her lips. This is the type of material that makes it big online, gets turned into a viral video and gets parodies made out of it, but Kyungsoo has only met Jongdae. He can't make assumptions yet, even if his guesses have always been on point. So he takes a step back and ganders at the scene some more until Baekhyun turns to him with pleading eyes and Soohyun's sobs finally swell into tears — a director who watches a good scene unfold from a distance, watches it turn from good to bad and waiting for the right time to say 'cut'.

Kyungsoo's throat is dry and tight from where Baekhyun's laughter had wound itself around his neck. He wiggles his fingers before reaching out to wipe Soohyun's tears away, instead.

☂

"You didn't expect me to pay you for your overtime, did you?"

Kyungsoo reaches out to slap Chanyeol lightly on the arm, but his aim has never been the best at half past six in the morning without coffee to keep him. He misses by a few centimeters, the pads of his fingers grazing Chanyeol's skin, and he scowls a little when he bends his fingers too much. "At least buy me coffee," he says, and Chanyeol traps him in a headlock loose enough to be considered comfortable. "You're really asking for it, aren't you?"

Chanyeol tightens his hold for a while, then sneers right in Kyungsoo's ear. "Your attention? Maaaybe," he says, humming, then releases Kyungsoo from his grasp after Kyungsoo successfully hits him with an elbow to the stomach. "Hey, you don't get to ditch me for you client and hit me like this!"

Kyungsoo steps to his side, narrowly avoiding Chanyeol reaching out to grab him by the wrist, and holds up one of the small chairs in the learning area to shield himself from Chanyeol's attacks. Chanyeol is swaying from side to side, like a boxer looking for an opening. This is as good as Chanyeol's athletic skills can get — he's not exactly the worst at activities that involve being athletic or at least being physically active, but most of the time it seems as if he can't control his own limbs, always miscalculating distances and ending up falling on the floor, face first.

"He's not my client," Kyungsoo reiterates, possibly for the third time since he'd come in. Jongdae had called him Baekhyun's 'friend', after all. He'd like to think that after going out of his way just to make sure that a client's daughter is safe in her father's arms, he's already graduated from a babysitter to something more — an acquaintance, afternoon coffee buddy, the best baby tamer Baekhyun has ever known. A friend, if that sits well with Baekhyun.

"And you actually work here, yeah." Chanyeol teases, then lunges to grab the chair by the legs. He yanks it out of Kyungsoo's grasp and sets it back down, then inches closer to trap Kyungsoo again.

The quick wrestling session results in sore arms and Chanyeol's hair in an even worse state, sticking up in several directions. Kyungsoo reaches up, standing on the tips of his toes, and tries to make sense of the mess, pressing down on the strands that stick up and out. He scowls under his breath when he feels the effective stretch in his calves, straining, and it takes a few seconds for him to register the warmth of Chanyeol's arms around his waist, Chanyeol's big palms flat on his back, then squeezing his shoulders as he hoists Kyungsoo up so he can smoothen his hair better. "Done," Kyungsoo whispers, pulling away, and he falls back into Chanyeol's waiting arms as he tries to feel for the ground with his feet.

It isn't cold, not yet, but Chanyeol's fingers are cool against the fabric of his shirt, a complete contrast to Chanyeol's warm breath that tickles Kyungsoo's nose. The walls are frosted in this part of the daycare. "You can put me down now," Kyungsoo says, nonetheless, balling his hands into fists in an attempt to regain the feeling in his hands.

"You can let me go, too," Chanyeol says, smiling as he looks at one of Kyungsoo's feet hooked around Chanyeol's leg. Kyungsoo wiggles his leg free from the hold and waits — for Chanyeol to put him down, for one of the employees to come in, for the voices in his head to start talking or screaming until he can't hear himself in his head anymore.

"Coffee," he mumbles once Chanyeol guides him back down, on the floor. "Before the people start coming in."

There's a flash of something in Chanyeol's features that Kyungsoo only briefly catches, and he grabs the stuffed toy closest to him, chucking it at Chanyeol's face. Chanyeol fights back, hitting him with a hotdog pillow until Sehun walks in and says, voice still thick with sleep, "Are you twelve?" They only exchange light laughter and Chanyeol gives Sehun a light pat on the ass before walking to the door.

"Grow up," Sehun mumbles. "And I'm having a Signature Hot Chocolate, not my usual. Thanks for asking."

What greets them when they get back is Baekhyun at XOXO's doostep, checking his pockets for his phone as he rocks the stroller lightly to keep Soohyun from crying at such an early hour.

"Oh, hey," Baekhyun says, the smile on his lips tight at the corners, resulting to a awkward upward tug. He looks different — sharp and older than he should be with his hair styled and slick with gel, white polo buttoned up all the way and necktie firmly in place. The sneakers have been replaced with dress shoes, but the dark maroon jeans breathe a bit of 'Baekhyun' into the whole ensemble. The cuffs of his sleeves, too, that are undone, but he struggles with them while he greets Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, eyes darting from the two to his clothes from time to time. "Are you really not accepting kids before 7:30 a.m.?"

Kyungsoo takes a few steps forward, tucking his cup of coffee between his arm and his side as he buttons up the cuffs of Baekhyun's sleeves. Baekhyun gulps, too hard to miss with the movement in his neck, and Kyungsoo looks up briefly before turning his attention to the other cuff, securing the button in place as well. He reaches for Soohyun, pinching her cheek, before pulling away and looking over his shoulder to shoot Chanyeol a glance. "Ask the boss."

"He's your boss?" Baekhyun asks, eyebrows furrowed just slightly, then turns to Chanyeol. "You're the boss?"

Chanyeol chuckles. "I look more approchable than most bosses, even employees—" Chanyeol pauses to raise an eyebrow at Kyungsoo, and Kyungsoo steps on his foot in return. "But yeah, I'm the big boss. And I guess we can make exceptions for a regular customer."

Baekhyun smiles. "No one can resist Soohyunnie's charms."

"Apparently," Chanyeol replies. "Even grumpy grandpa Soo."

A grin breaks across Baekhyun's features, and he soon erupts into a peal of laughter that has Soohyun clapping her tiny hands, has Chanyeol laughing in accord, has Kyungsoo watching the scene unfolding in front of him like a director watching the final edit of a commercial that inevitably ends in a product freight meant to make viewers remember the brand and make the client happy. Mega-fucking-branding, Kyungsoo thinks as he lets his eyes linger on the curve of Baekhyun's lips, the dip at the middle, the tiny, almost indiscernible mole just north of Baekhyun's upper lip. Baekhyun's classic cackle. The way Baekhyun's laughter seeps into his skin and has him choking out giggles pre-coffee and at seven in the morning.

The way Baekhyun's features soften as they lock eyes, the way Baekhyun's lips quiver. The way heat sizzles down Kyungsoo's abdomen and makes his insides turn, and the way Chanyeol cocks an eyebrow at him before ushering Baekhyun inside.

He has a child, Kyungsoo. A child that came from a mother because he doesn't seem like the type to carry a kid in his womb for months, he reminds himself, and pushes Soohyun's stroller inside, eyes fixed on the back of Baekhyun's head.

☂

Zitao hands a sandwich to the last kid in line, and Sehun steps in even before the kid could get his hands on the food. Zitao furrows his eyebrows at Sehun at first, almost scowling, but Sehun runs his thumb along the label that says kimchi bacon egg sammy. "Taotao-hyung will give you something better, right?" Sehun then says, nudging Zitao with his elbow, and Chanyeol only chuckles as he watches a few good feet away from where the group is.

"You knew he was going to give the kid the weird sandwich," says Kyungsoo as he slides beside Chanyeol. He can still taste the kimchi at the back of his teeth and the bacon on the corners of his mouth. This has got to be the best sandwich Zitao has ever made, if the disaster of a chicken and egg sandwich that Zitao made a week ago is anything to go by. "But you didn't stop him."

"My mom said I've always liked kimchi, even when I was still a child," Chanyeol reasons out, then snakes an arm around Kyungsoo's shoulder. They watch as Sehun and Zitao shuffle the kids inside the can, and the two give them a wave before the kids say goodbye in chorus. "When I have a kid, I'll train him to like kimchi at an early age."

Kyungsoo laughs a little. "Not every kid is like you, Chanyeol."

Chanyeol sneers. "Aren't you glad?"

Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes in response, but he doesn't fight the light upward tug on the corners of his lips. "Get back to work, boss," Kyungsoo mumbles, and he shivers as Chanyeol slides a hand down the slope of his back, resting just above his waist.

"You get back to work," Chanyeol teases. He pushes Kyungsoo forward, back inside the daycare and into reality. "I won't tolerate laziness."

Baekhyun's loud calling follows, slipping through the small opening of the door just before Chanyeol closes it behind him. "Hey, hey!" Baekhyun's breathing is heavy and ragged, but his grip on the handle of Soohyun's stroller is steady, movements still careful. "Did you just come back from lunch? Because I saw two guys in shorts and jumpers get on the van and…" His voice drifts off and he furrows his eyebrows, unsure of how to continue, but his free hand is still gesticulating the word he's trying to grasp.

"We just sent off some kids on a field trip," Chanyeol says. "The two adults in jumpers included." Baekhyun cackles in response, and there's a flash of amusement in Chanyeol's eyes for a brief moment that Kyungsoo chances upon just before Chanyeol laughs. "Zitao fed us with lots of sandwiches, though. Ah—"

Chanyeol reaches over the counter, like he's looking for something, and Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo as he exhales loudly. "I was… actually hoping I could invite you for lunch. Or something."

The sound of a few things falling over stops, and Chanyeol looks over his shoulder from where he is. "Or something?"

"Yeah, like—" Baekhyun scrunches his nose, ribbing the tip as he worries his bottom lip. "Food and coffee and maybe some clothes shopping? I mean, for Soohyunnie. I don't know how to pick out clothes for girls."

Kyungsoo finds himself chuckling, and he bites the inside of his cheek lightly to keep more sounds from slipping from his lips. Soohyun does that, too, the nose-scrunching thing, when Chanyeol pokes her tummy and tickles her. Sehun has been spared from the same reaction, somehow, and has almost managed to carry her without sparking tears from her. Sehun best record so far is a minute, a far, far cry from Kyungsoo's hour-long record. Kyungsoo hasn't even had formal training in handling kids.

"Oh? Not even for your wife?" Chanyeol asks as he straightens up.

Baekhyun's eyes widen, and his hand drops to his side at the mention of her. Kyungsoo has seen this before, the half-horror-striken, half-lost look, when Baekhyun had walked past the doors of XOXO for the very first time, and the day after when he returned to drop off Soohyun again. It's not a good look on Baekhyun; Kyungsoo can feel his stomach turning.

"She's just a friend," Baekhyun answers after a heartbeat. The corners of his lips are tugged down now. Kyungsoo reaches over, resting a hand atop Baekhyun's own, and gently pulls on the handle of the stroller. Baekhyun looks at him for a while. "Can I have Kyungsoo for the rest of the afternoon? I don't mind paying extra, I just really—"

"My afternoons are blocked off for Soohyun," Kyungsoo says. He holds Baekhyun's gaze, assessing, until he catches the slightest quirk of Baekhyun's lips.

"Awesome." Chanyeol squeezes Kyungsoo's arm lightly, then offers a small smile to Baekhyun. "I apologize in advance if he gets extra grumpy. This dog bites sometimes."

And then there it is — Baekhyun's laughter, shrill and bright and loud. A surge of warmth to the tips of Kyungsoo's fingers. Soohyun chuckling in her stroller, clapping her hands to the rhythm of Baekhyun's laughter that has softened to giggles. The same weird, lurching sensation at the pit of Kyungsoo's stomach that makes him want to stay rooted in his place to gander at the sight and keep the image of this moment in his memory. An excuse to stay and bask in the warmth of Baekhyun's smile.

☂

"Hey," Baekhyun begins, then rubs the tip of his nose. "Thanks for coming with me."

Kyungsoo scoffs, then hoists Soohyun a bit higher. She's been moving around more recently, pointing at blocks of colors or whatever catches her eye, pressing her palms on Kyungsoo's cheeks whenever she has the chance. "The call for help seemed genuine," he says, speech garbling a bit as Soohyun puffs up her cheeks at him. She lets all the air out at once, chuckling as she ends, and he finds himself half-frowning, half-smiling at the adorable face Soohyun makes.

"That's really cute," Baekhyun comments, and Kyungsoo gulps hard. He's a hundred percent sure Baekhyun was talking about Soohyun and not him.

He looks to his side and widens his eyes when he catches Baekhyun staring. "Well, I really am the worst at picking out clothes," Baekhyun confesses, then leans closer to pinch Soohyun's nose. "I think she likes pink, though? Or maybe Jongdae was just playing with me," he continues, then takes two hoodies — one in pink and the other in yellow, soft pastels going well with the white lining along the hem. He holds them close to her, squinting as he switches from one to another. "I should teach Soohyun to pick better colors."

Kyungsoo takes the pink one and throws it into the shopping cart. "Like?"

"Like black, white, gray…" He points at some dresses, lips pressed thinly as he turns to look at Kyungsoo. "Light gray, cream white, off-white?"

"Kids like seeing colors," Kyungsoo says, then takes a brighter-colored outfit — a blue top and yellow pants that come with a white hoodie when purchased together. Baekhyun only rolls his eyes and grabs Kyungsoo by the wrist, shaking him until he lets go of the clothes and lets the collection fall into the shopping cart. "Thank you. I'm glad you approve of my fashion choices."

"You're one of the few good decisions I've made recently," Baekhyun says, humming, then places a tiny bonnet on Soohyun's head. "Maybe even the best."

"Maybe?" Kyungsoo tries, choking a little as he ends. "You're not sure?"

"I'm not sure about a lot of things," Baekhyun admits, then reaches over to squeeze Kyungsoo's arm lightly. "But I'm sure of this one."

Kyungsoo takes a deep breath, biting the inside of his cheek until the feels the numbing sting of teeth pressing against flesh. It's a toss up between grinning ear-to-ear and feeling the violent stretch of a smile across his lips and keeping everything inside, a slow simmer at the pit of his stomach as Baekhyun seeks his approval on one outfit after another, searching his eyes for the green light.

"You're the worst shopping buddy, by the way," Baekhyun says at the end of their shopping journey, taking a deep breath as he takes his credit card from his wallet. "The absolute worst."

Kyungsoo laughs a little, then parts his lips slowly for a comeback, but the words on the tip of his tongue vanish when Soohyun looks up at Baekhyun and makes a small, almost indiscernible sound, one that sounds a lot like appa. "Soo...hyunnie? Say that again," Kyungsoo urges, rocking Soohyun in his arms a little, and Soohyun repeats the same syllables — appa, appa, appa! — again and again as she stretches out her arms in Baekhyun's direction, hands grabbing at the air.

"Soohyunnie's talking—" Kyungsoo exhales, then pulls Soohyun closer to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Soohyunnie is talking, oh my God—"

The biggest, brightest grin surfaces on Baekhyun's lips as he takes Soohyun from Kyungsoo's arms and cradles her close to his chest, nuzzling her nose as she touches his face. "Soohyunnie called me appa," he says, voice dropping to a whisper, and he closes his eyes as Soohyun repeats those two syllables in his ear, slower with each passing repetition, striking a chord in Kyungsoo's heart even harder as the last appa slips from Soohyun's lips.

He fishes for his phone from his pocket and takes a picture — Baekhyun with his eyes closed and his lips pressed on Soohyun's forehead, Soohyun with her eyes closed, as well, as she laughs, arms raised up in the air. Baekhyun opens his eyes at the sound of the shutter and looks at Kyungsoo, still smiling, and Kyungsoo takes a picture of that, too — Baekhyun's soft smile, glimmering eyes looking straight at the camera, into the lens, at him.

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