ROUND 01: MUGGED-UP LOVE (PROMPT #70) PT. 1
Title: Mugged-up Love
Pairing: Chanyeol/Baekhyun, side!Suho/Chen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: Approx. 13,808
Warnings: Some swear words
Summary: Son. His boss has a son. Baekhyun definitely needs to rethink his game plan.
Prompt #: 70
Part 2. This is Part 1.
It's such a pretty little thing; Baekhyun squeals in excitement when he thinks about going home and curling up on the couch while sipping on some cozy, freshly brewed tea.
Yum.
He turns it in his hands, sighing in satisfaction. Finally, another mug for Baekhyun to add to his ever-growing collection. This particular shipment had taken absolutely ages (read: a week), and in fear of it arriving when he wasn't at work, Baekhyun had taken to hanging out at the shop whenever he had free time, which made his coworker Sehun particularly annoyed. Especially since Baekhyun came during the weekdays - his office job from Monday to Friday usually meant Sehun didn't have to suffer his presence those five days, only during Baekhyun's part-time job during the weekends.
"Why don't you just help me manage the counter, then, since you're here literally all the time?"
"Because that's your job." Baekhyun had retorted snidely, staring persistently at the door.
But now, it doesn't matter how long this beautiful, beautiful mug had taken to reach Baekhyun, because now it was his, and his only.
"Mine..." Baekhyun murmured, squatting down beside the elevator and hugging the mug possessively. He overestimates his physical talents and falls over, knocking his head quite badly on the sides of the elevator. Clearly thick thighs do not make one a better squatter.
Baekhyun stands up in a daze, clutching his head in one hand and the mug in the other. Could I call in sick tomorrow with this sort of injury?, he contemplates this question for a good five minutes before deciding that too much thinking makes his head hurt. Possibly also because he lost a lot of brain cells when he fell. Shut up, Baekhyun.
"What if I accidentally fall and hit my head on something during work? It's not like I can afford to lose any more brain cells..." He pouts, hugging the mug even closer to his chest.
"Mister?" Baekhyun looks down to see a little hand tugging at his shorts, "Why are you hugging a cup?"
The little kid doesn't seem to be aware of Baekhyun's blushing cheeks (though it's more likely he doesn't care), because he continues looking up at sweater-clad male with wide eyes.
"Um...that's because..." Baekhyun looks around frantically, before giving up and just throwing out the first thing he thinks of, "my mom gave it to me and I really love it!" Good job, Baekhyun, you idiot. He sees the kid staring suspiciously at the price tag still tied around the handle of the mug and smiles awkwardly as he shoves it into the folds of his sweater (because never in a million years would his mother give him a cup that says "classy sassy & a bit smart assy" 'cause she's a proper lady but whatever).
"Your mom?" Baekhyun feels guilty for lying to a kid, but he nods anyways, inconspiciously stuffing the mug back into his shopping bag.
"What's she like?"
"She's lovely, the best mom ever." Baekhyun says absentmindedly, before finally realizing that the kid is by himself. Talking to a stranger (aka him). Crap.
999. SOMEONE. PLEASE. LOST KID HERE. HELP.
"Um. So. Speaking of moms, where's yours?" Baekhyun asks, already clutching the kid's hand.
"My mommy? She left me and my daddy a long time ago."
"Oh. I'm sorry..." The two of them walk in awkward silence for awhile before Baekhyun realizes simply walking around and hoping the poor kid will finally reunite with any one of the passerbys is too much to hope for. He sighs. The help desk it is, then. Peering at the floor directory, Baekhyun begins steering them in the opposite direction.
"So, what's your name?" Baekhyun asks. Maybe he can get one of the workers here to call for the kid's guardian using the PA system.
"My name's Kyungsoo. I'm six." Kyungsoo informs him, wriggling uncomfortably as his backpack straps dig into the junctures between his neck and shoulders.
"Let me help you with that." Baekhyun offers, but Kyungsoo shakes his head politely.
"It's okay, I'll be fine. But thank you." Baekhyun almost coos - this one's definitely going to grow up to be a fine gentleman.
"Anyway, Kyungsoo, who brought you here?"
Kyungsoo pouts in thought, looking here and there nervously before whispering "Chanyeol..." very quietly.
The name sounds strangely familiar, but Baekhyun dismisses his gut feeling impatiently. Ain't nobody got time for that.
"Who is Chanyeol?" Baekhyun patiently asks.
Kyungsoo looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Chanyeol is Chanyeol..."
Baekhyun sighs, about to ask again, but he's intercepted by a very, very deep voice calling out for Kyungsoo from behind.
Wait... this voice...
Though he's more used to hearing this voice barking out orders at him and his colleagues, Baekhyun recognizes it all the same.
By the time he comes back to his senses, Chanyeol, his amazing (sarcasm intended) boss is already standing in front of him, head tilted in curiousity. He's decked in a form-fitting white button-up shirt and black slacks, and he looks way better in the simple ensemble of clothing than he should. Kyungsoo's cheek is squished against his slacks, and he looks severely disgruntled.
"Don't you work for me?" Chanyeol asks him, pressing Kyungsoo even closer to him. Baekhyun's face heats up.
Fact number one about Chanyeol: He's a scary boss who looks too cute than he should whenever his lower lip juts out when he's thinking and whenever he shakes his head like a little (maybe large) puppy when he realizes "this plan is not going to work and the entire department should wake up or get fired".
Fact number two about Chanyeol: One of his workers, a certain puppy-like (Junmyeon's words), fabulous (Baekhyun's own opinion) person, has a crush on him.
Baekhyun quickly shakes his head, dispersing such thoughts. Focus on the important stuff, Byun. You found a kid lost in a mall, and your boss just so happens to be his guardian. Does that mean Kyungsoo is Chanyeol's son? The new knowledge that his boss (aka his teensy weensy office crush) is single - a single parent - is too much information for Baekhyun to take in at once.
I need to re-evaluate my game plan.
Baekhyun shakes his head, completely oblivious to his boss still standing there, waiting for an answer.
"Excuse me?"
Baekhyun looks back up hastily.
"Ah, yes?"
"I just asked if you worked for me." Well, technically speaking, you're not my employer, just my boss. However, Baekhyun ultimately decides against any snarky answers and settles for nodding his head, wordless.
"Um... yeah, I do. I'm Baekhyun, by the way." He stumbles a bit, but manages to regain his composure. However, when Chanyeol turns his back on Baekhyun's offered hand, he wavers a bit, awkwardly dropping it back to his side.
"Come on Kyungsoo, we're going."
Kyungsoo is the only one who looks back, waving at Baekhyun and shouting goodbye as his father shushes him and ushers him away.
=
Weekends always pass quickly, and this one is no exception. That sucks, because Baekhyun has to go back to his boring job in the company. At least in his weekend job he can stare at all the beautiful mugs instead of just mucking around with numbers.
The only thing remotely fun about working during weekdays is that Jongdae has the same lousy job, and his being Baekhyun's best friend automatically gives the mug-maniac permission to annoy him at least half the time they're at work. Especially after their department head (the boss) has yelled at all of them for mucking around and not doing actual work. Baekhyun may have the hots for Chanyeol but he can't deny the man has a crappy personality.
However, his boss has been yelling at them a lot more lately - their CEO is retiring, and it's not secret Chanyeol's goal is to take over that position. So he probably doesn't care about anything except boosting the productivity of his department, just like all the other department heads are doing.
Poor Kyungsoo. Baekhyun can only imagine the environment at home when your only parent is working 24/7.
It's only twelve in the afternoon, but Chanyeol's been out of the office to yell at the entire department twice already, and Baekhyun's finished (at least) a week's worth of work (he's really good at working under pressure). Of course he had only been at the office three hours, and most of that time had been spent on frantically messaging Sehun to be careful ordering and bringing in some new mugs, but it was twelve, which meant he could use the excuse of lunch to quickly escape the serious atmosphere of the office.
And of course Jongdae would have to come with him.
"Jongdae-yah..." Baekhyun whines, throwing his arms all over the papers his friend is working on, in an unabashed attempt to gain his attention.
"What do you want?" Jongdae snaps.
"Woah, woah," Baekhyun throws his hands up in a sign of surrender, "what's up with you today? Got a stick up your ass?"
His friend groans, rubbing vigorously at his eyes.
"Last night I did. Multiple times. And now it hurts like hell."
"Duuuude. Did not need the mental image of you and my brother doing the do, alright?"
Papers rustle as Jongdae shrugs, his elbows scrumpling up several sheets very important work stuff.
"You were asking for it anyways."
"At least I'm not like..." Baekhyun gestures towards Jongdae's awkward sitting position on his wheely chair, intended for optimal comfort, "disabled."
Normally, his coworker slash terrible best friend would've probably shoved him off the desk like the vicious little thing he is, but today he seems surprisingly complacent.
"Well, isn't it the duty of good, law-abiding citizens to help the disabled as much as possible?"
"I guess...?" Baekhyun says, his eyebrows hiding warily under his fringe. He doesn't like where this conversation is going.
"Then," Jongdae has his cheshire-smirk on, "you can help me hand this file in to the boss, right?"
The tone of his voice is annoyingly saccharine, and Baekhyun doesn't like it. Nor the suggestive raising of his eyebrows. Not one bit.
(Next time he gets drunk he will seal his lips with duct tape, or else Jongdae might know more details about his infatuation with the boss.)
"What if I don't want to?" He retorts snarkily, though his voice is already wavering a little bit.
"Then I would force you to do it." Baekhyun raises a brow questioningly, silently challenging the other male to do his worse.
"Your brother is my boyfriend. Let's just say I have lots of blackmail-worthy information. Like that time in high school when you had a crush on Kim Taeyeon?"
Baekhyun's face pales.
"Fine, fine." He says hastily, and Jongdae hands over the file, the edges of his lips quirking up in satisfaction.
Holding the file in his hands, Baekhyun slowly approaches Chanyeol's office, trying to peek through the blinds. Thankfully, the lights are off, which usually indicates that Chanyeol has gone out for lunch.
At least, that was what Baekhyun thought.
Upon entering the dark room, he finds himself staring straight at Chanyeol, who had put on his suit jacket (which was usually another good way to tell if the boss was heading out for lunch) but was sitting at his desk hastily typing. Some kind of minor emergency? Of course, Baekhyun only knows he was about to head to lunch because he has a habit of staring through the blinds to get a glimpse of his handsome boss once every day.
Okay, maybe once every ten minutes.
Anyways, Baekhyun's prior guess of Chanyeol having gone out to lunch already was wrong, and he had definitely chosen the wrong time to intrude. Fortunately, Chanyeol doesn't seem to notice him at all, not looking up from his work even once.
What if he just casually slipped the file under Chanyeol's elbow...
His boss looks up, clearly judging Baekhyun, if the look on his face is anything to go by.
The smaller male's breath gets stuck in his throat as he anxiously waits for his boss' reaction. The chances he'll remember someone he met in passing is infinitesimal, but it still makes him nervous.
His boss' right eye twitches, as if he's trying to recall something, but he shakes his head and looks back towards his work without a second glance at the smaller male.
"Just leave it there."
He shifts his elbow a bit, and Baekhyun quickly puts the file on the corner of his desk before darting out the door, his heart in his throat.
Phew. That was close.
=
The air-conditioning in the mug store is crap, Baekhyun decides. In the summer it's almost as hot as the temperature outside, and in the winter it's way too cold to be comfortable. It's winter now, and Baekhyun's decked in an oversized sweater and some warm boots. There's a Starbucks just a minute's walk away filled with overpriced coffee, which is tempting, but Baekhyun feels frozen to his seat behind the counter. The slight warmth underneath him is enough convincing for Baekhyun to stay firmly glued to his position, with absolutely no intention of moving for the next few hours.
This all changes quickly when the automatic doors whiz open, the sensors nearby blaring that godforsaken tune. Customers. Baekhyun stands up, almost knocking over the chair in his haste.
"Hello," Baekhyun turns the corner and immediately stops, eyes wide. He quickly composes himself, continuing with the usual, routine greetings.
"Welcome to the store. How can I help you?"
Fortunately, Chanyeol doesn't recognize his voice and doesn't turn around, still browsing the shelf in front of him, one hand planted firmly on the crown of Kyungsoo's head.
"We don't need help." He says, and when he picks up one of the mugs Kyungsoo takes it as an opportunity to escape from his father's hold, wiggling away insistently. Baekhyun watches him trot off into another aisle before he decides he really can't be dealing with this right now - the aircon is blasting all the cold air straight at him and he feels too frozen to reallly think about anything.
"Okay." That should be enough, he reassures himself as he hides away behind the counter. If he's lucky, Chanyeol with have found what he wants and be gone soon. Fingers crossed.
However, Baekhyun should've realized their meeting that day was inevitable. First of all, Chanyeol (a.k.a. the boss Baekhyun spends most of his weekday job trying to observe) is very direct. There's no dilly-dallying with him, so naturally Chanyeol wouldn't have come into the store just to have a look around.
But of course Baekhyun hadn't remembered any of that depite staring at him all the time (until Chanyeol felt someone looking at him and turned around warily), or he would've spent the last half an hour texting Sehun in full-on caps lock telling him to get his skinny noodly ass to the store straight away, no questions asked.
Baekhyun seriously ponders if the otucome of that would've been any better, but knowing Sehun, he can't say his chances would've been any better.
Alright, Fate. You win this one.
Chanyeol drops his boxed mug onto the counter, and Baekhyun stifles a giggle when he sees two little hands trying to climb high enough to see what's happening, but only manage grasp the edge. He hears a irritated huff before he sees Kyungsoo wandering away.
Getting back to work, Baekhyun grabs the mug and scans it.
"Ten thousand won, please."
Right at that moment, Chanyeol's phone begins to ring. Do most people not change their ringtones after getting their phones?, Baekhyun wonders. He knows for a fact that whenever he calls anyone, they're going to get an earful of "I Got A Boy" - first chorus by Girls' Generation and the second by Baekhyun. It's loud, it's exciting (*entirely Baekhyun's opinion), and the total opposite of Chanyeol's.
"Wait a minute." The ringtone stops abruptly.
As Chanyeol takes a few steps away to receive the call, Baekhyun preoccupies himself with a loose string on his sweater, twirling and twisting it around his fingers, determined not to look in Chanyeol's direction (which he "accidentally" does a couple times).
His boss - no, Chanyeol is still talking on the phone, his eyebrows furrowed and a stricter undertone present in his voice. Baekhyun can't hear what he's talking about, but it must be serious. Chanyeol hangs up with the same frustrated expression on his face, approaching the counter with weary steps.
His head dips as he runs a hand through his hair and Baekhyun gulps. Hot damn.
Chanyeol suddenly seems to notice something about Baekhyun, squinting suspiciously at him.
"I think I've seen you before."
"Um, because I work here?" Baekhyun offers.
"No, not just here, but somewhere else."
"I... I sort of also work under you at the office..."
Chanyeol's eyes widen in understanding before they narrow, judging Baekhyun quietly.
"So you're the one with two jobs. Within the same company."
Baekhyun chuckles nervously.
"W-well...when you put it like that..." It is flagrant, but do you have to say it like that?
"It doesn't matter," Chanyeol is quick to interrupt him, "But I do have a favour to ask of you."
Baekhyun sighs. It's not like he really has a choice - talking back to someone like Chanyeol could probably get him fired from both his jobs. Which would be a very, very bad thing. For his future and his mug collection. He sighs again.
"Yeah? Sure...? I guess?"
"Good. Kyungsoo, come here."
At his father's words, Kyungsoo comes tottering out from behind one of the shelves, his school backpack jostling with every step. Seeing Baekhyun at the counter, he immediately executes a clumsy but absolutely adorable bow.
"Hello, Mister...," Kyungsoo squints at his name tag, "Baek... Hyun?"
Baekhyun melts a little on the inside.
"Aww...," He bends over so his head is dangling off the counter, "you can just call me Baekhyun, you know."
Chanyeol coughs under his breath, muttering quietly, "Hey...," he points at Baekhyun's extremely graceful position (sarcasm intended), "isn't that a little... dangerous?"
Baekhyun's chest is pressed against the cool marble of the counter and the toes of his scuffed-up Converse shoes are barely touching the ground, so Baekhyun decides this might be a good time to get back on the ground.
"So," He quickly brushes himself off, "what did you want?"
"I have a meeting, and since you work for me, I need you to take care of Kyungsoo for a while."
How long is a while?, Baekhyun wants to ask, but he probably won't get a definitive answer anyways.
"Sure..." He answers reluctantly instead. Kyungsoo seems like a good kid, so it shouldn't be much of a hassle.
Kyungsoo's father, on the other hand, is a complete mystery (and a seemingly unsolvable one at that). Or Baekhyun is just not aware of new social cues, because his boss is holding his hand out to him as if he thoroughly expects his clueless employee to understand what he's trying to get at.
Baekhyun stares down at Chanyeol's palm then back up to his face, confused.
The taller male gestures irritably.
“Pass me your phone."
Baekhyun pauses with his fingers slipped into the back pocket of his skinny jeans.
"Wait, why?"
Chanyeol purses his lips in annoyance, and the only thing Baekhyun can think about is damn he has nice-looking lips.
"I don't trust you." He says blatantly.
Look here, sir. I like you and all but could you fix that attitude of yours a bit? And if you don't trust me then why the heck are you leaving your kid with me?
Of course, Baekhyun doesn't say any of it out loud, only obediently handing over his phone.
Chanyeol gives the screen a few taps before he sighs and hands the phone back to him, staring at Baekhyun pointedly.
Oh right. The password.
Baekhyun shields with his palm while he quickly types out Chanyeol's birthday, a piece of information he had found out when one of his boss' friends had come over to the company building with a cake and everything on November the 27th. Chanyeol had told Sehun to get out and to make sure to take all the balloons with him.
Grumpy pants.
Chanyeol types in his number with one hand, sending (presumably) a text message with Baekhyun's number to himself. His other hand runs through his hair again, and Baekhyun melts.
Hot grumpy pants.
"Right," Chanyeol passes the phone back to Baekhyun, "I'll be leaving, then."
"Okay. Bye?" His words trail off into thin air. Baekhyun keeps his hand in the air for a few moments - just in case Chanyeol happens to turn around - but drops it with a sigh as soon as the door slams behind the taller male's retreating back.
Prying his eyes away from the door, Baekhyun's met with a deceptively empty store with no sign of Kyungsoo anywhere. He takes a deep breath, massaging the sides of his head. I did not sign up for this, he grumbles to himself, baby-sitting wasn't in the description for either of my jobs.
There's usually an influx of customers around this time, but thankfully, the shop has remained empty for a while. Baekhyun takes this as a go-ahead for him to quickly walk through the aisles and find Kyungsoo. Hopefully the kid hasn't decided to go on an impromptu adventure outside the store and get lost, because if that happened, the possibility of Baekhyun getting his ass kicked (out of the company) is quite likely.
Fortunately, Kyungsoo's just wandering restlessly around the store, and Baekhyun finds him in a corner, tiptoeing in an attempt to peek at one of the higher shelves. He stands awkwardly at the end of the aisle, debating on what to do. The fact is, the last time he interacted with anyone new was when he (sort of) helped Kyungsoo look for his dad in the shopping mall just a week ago, and frankly, because he seems so mature for his age, Baekhyun has no idea what to make of him. Should he approach like a kindergarten teacher? Or treat him like he's the same age?
Whatever, just do it.
"Hey, Kyungsoo! My name's Baekhyun, and your dad told me to take care of you while he goes to do some grown-up stuff, okay?" The little kid turns to regard him impassively, large eyes unblinking. He tilts his head to the side, as if considering Baekhyun, before turning back to the shelves.
"I know that." He states apathetically. Baekhyun's face drops.
Why did I ever think this was a good idea?
"Haha, right." Baekhyun chuckles brokenly in an attempt to salvage the situation, "Anyway, it's almost my lunch break, so is there anything you want to eat?"
"Eat?" Kyungsoo looks over with the teensiest bit of interest in his eyes.
"Yup, eat!"
There's a moment of silence before Kyungsoo gives his laconic reply.
"Anything you want."
Goddamnit. I give up.
=
Frankly, there are a lot of better places he could've brought Kyungsoo too. In fact, Baekhyun hadn't really wanted to bring Kyungsoo to a fast food restaurant. But the truth is, Baekhyun's really horrible at dealing with finances, especially his own. So when he had checked his wallet a few minutes after leaving the store, Kyungsoo clutching one of his hands, Baekhyun had finally discovered the true state of his finances. His wallet was as thin as a few pieces of paper (money), and that was barely enough to buy food for two at a fast food restaurant.
"This is sort of bad for your health," Baekhyun confesses as they approach the counter, "but please don't tell your dad."
"I don't think daddy will ask." Kyungsoo answers simply, turning his attention to the bright menus plastered on a nearby wall. Unable to find an answer, Baekhyun sighs. He glances around, checking the menus (looking out for the sets currently on discount), quickly deciding on a fish fillet burger. Other offices in the vicinity started emptying for lunch a bit later than the store, so they were in luck, with almost no one lining up at the counters.
"I'm going to go get the food now. What do you want?"
"Food? How do you get food here?"
Slowly, Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo, appalled. The collar of his sweater feels a little too stuffy, so he tugs at it a bit, before saying, with a sort of disbelief in his voice, "You order it. Over there." He points to the counter to clarify his explanation, but Kyungsoo still looks thoroughly confused.
"How?" He impatiently asks again, right eyebrow arching.
Baekhyun lets out a deep breath he didn't know he'd been holding, questioning, " Have you ever been to a restaurant before, Kyungsoo?"
"I think daddy brought me to one once? I think?" Kyungsoo visibly hesitates, looking quite dubious and uncertain of his own answer.
Baekhyun swallows down a string of shocked profanity. Poor Kyungsoo. He really doesn't deserve this at all.
"It's alright," He says, trying to keep his expression light and cheerful, "I'll teach you, okay? But just this once."
Baekhyun quickly settles Kyungsoo with a Happy Meal, quickly adding a strawberry yogurt onto the order after a few glimpses of the kid's puppy eyes. Judging by the way he had eyed the item on the menu, even without the puppy eyes, Baekhyun couldn't have possibly avoided buying it for him.
They grab seats beside the window, and for a good ten minutes, there is silence, with Kyungsoo chewing slowly on his burger and Baekhyun staring blankly outside under the guise of watching passerbys. However, in his mind, things are running wild.
Chanyeol said a few hours, right?
How many hours is he talking about, exactly?
What will happen if he goes back to the store and neither Kyungsoo or I are there?
What if he's at the shop right now, waiting to pick Kyungsoo up?
Although he knows his thoughts are irrational - barely one hour has passed since Kyungsoo had been temporarily passed into his care, but the possibility still urges Baekhyun to finish the rest of his burger in two bites.
I guess I'll just have to cut my lunch break short.
To Baekhyun's dismay (and to Sehun's delight), he's forgotten that his lunch break usually extends into the start of Sehun's shift, when the younger man has to carry the new stock to the back of store. It's also the reason Baekhyun arrives a bit late every shift after his lunch break.
Unforunately for him, Sehun has exactly two boxes left to bring to the stock room, and forces Baekhyun to carry one of them for him while he gives Kyungsoo curious glances over the top of the labelled box he's carrying. He nudges the glass doors open wordlessly, letting Baekhyun follow with Kyungsoo in tow, the latter already anticipating the interrogation ahead.
As expected, Sehun starts talking right off the bat the second both of them have dumped their boxes into the stock room, retreating to the cashier area.
"Is there anything you wanna tell me?" Baekhyun's about to explain, but Sehun intercepts. "Wait - don't answer. Did you accidentally knock someone up? Who was it? Hmm... I never imagined you topping, though, and you've told me at least a hundred times you had a crush on Chan - mmfgh."
Baekhyun slaps his hand onto Sehun's mouth only to snatch it away a few seconds later, wiping the saliva left by the latter on the counter.
"Sehun, seriously!"
The younger man wears a deceptively innocent look on his face, tilting his head to the side as if asking Baekhyun what he did wrong.
Brat.
"Don't talk about stuff like that in front of kids," Baekhyun hisses into Sehun's ear, glancing back once to make sure Kyungsoo isn't listening, "especially not this one."
Sehun furrows his eyebrows in confusion before turning to Kyungsoo, staring at him intently.
"He's Chanyeol's kid." Baekhyun whispers under his breath, and Sehun's mouth forms an understanding o.
"Wait, then why is he with you?"
"His dad had a meeting." The shorter man explains, but Sehun still wears an expression of blatant disbelief.
"And he decided to leave the kid with you? Of all people he could've chosen, you?"
Baekhyun pouts in mock anger, crossing his sweater-clad arms over each other. "I don't like what you're implying."
Sehun chuckles, picking up both boxes with ease and shuffling towards the store room. "But you know it's true."
"He's such a brat." Baekhyun tells Kyungsoo fondly.
=
Winter nights in Seoul are freezing, especially if you don't know where to go.
Having offered to lock up the store, Baekhyun's stuck with mumbling curses under his breath as he twists his wrist, trying to turn the key. It takes him several attempts before the resounding click is heard. The sun has set for a long time, and the moon seems to shine the brightest at nine o'clock on this cold winter evening.
The streets are empty and quiet, the only sign of light being the 24-hour diner across the road. The neon of a suspiciously phallic object, plastered on a sign on the second floor catches Baekhyun's eye, but he sensibly chooses not to mention it. His breath comes out in white clouds, his lips feel almost numb, and Kyungsoo's hand, clutched tightly in his own, is covered with goosebumps, but where can he go?
Having Kyungsoo with him and no sign of a big grumpy boss anywhere in the distance, Baekhyun has no choice but to wait, Even the deflated, discoloured seats in the diner seem tempting compared to staying out in the cold.
That's not an option, Baekhyun reminds himself, Chanyeol said he'd come back here for Kyungsoo. He plops his sorry, freezing ass onto the curb. His jacket rustles as he stifles a yawn before shuffling over, making space for Kyungsoo to squish in beside him, stealing warmth off his body like a little parasite.
It's a sad sight - two figures, one small and one only slightly larger, sitting lonely on the street, with nowhere else to go.
Baekhyun blows away another icy breath, remarking idly, "It's cold, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." Kyungsoo agrees, rubbing his chubby hands together before cupping his cheeks with them. "I hate nights during winter..."
"Hm, I like them well enough if I'm indoors. Then I can just lay on the couch, watching reruns of some old dramas and drink some warm tea from a nice mug. Ah..." Baekhyun sighs wistfully just thinking about it.
"Baekhyun hyung, you must really like mugs!" Kyungsoo smiles, his mouth forming a little heart.
"I do," Baekhyun answers readily, "I even collect them. I'll have you know I've got over a hundred in my collection," he puffs his chest out proudly, "and there's so many I have to keep boxes of them in my room. I also added more cabinets in my kitchen just so I could store more there."
"Hyung? I have a question."
"Oh sure, ask away." Baekhyun says airily.
"When I got lost in the mall, that mug you were hugging... it wasn't from your mommy, right?"
The elder male scratches the side of his head sheepishly. "Haha, yeah. I'm sorry."
"Your mommy wouldn't give you a present like that." Kyungsoo says, backing his point, and heat spreads to Baekhyun's neck. He's usually the one subduing people with his snarky remarks, but Kyungsoo's honesty hits him to the core.
"What's your mommy like?" Baekhyun bites his lips at the question. With the knowledge that Kyungsoo's mother has been gone for a long time, he has to tread carefully with his answer.
"She's really nice. And kind. Maybe I could take you to see her someday."
"That would be so cool!" Kyungsoo brightens up for a moment, but relapses a bit, a small frown appearing on his face.
"I miss my mom sometimes... I wonder if she misses me too." He admits, looking down sadly.
Baekhyun's overwhelmed with a wave of emotion - anger to Chanyeol, for not taking care of his precious kid, sympathy to Kyungsoo, but overall, the feeling of wanting to do something, wanting to change all this. He doesn't know what he wants to change, what needs to change, but the feeling is tingling at his fingertips, urging him to reach out and do something, anything. It's all too hard to explain to a six year old, so Baekhyun hugs Kyungsoo closer to him, whispering "I'm sure she does.", hoping that he will understand all the thoughts flying through the elder's head right now.
The feeling of Kyungsoo smiling against his shoulder makes him smile.
It'll be alright. I promise you.
"C'mon. Let's go somewhere."
"Where?"
Baekhyun hesitates.
"Anywhere."
=
Friday is the best day of the week, Baekhyun decides.
It's ten minutes before work ends for the day, and the soles of his feet are already itching in anticipation. Baekhyun fidgets relentlessly, fingers drumming a spontaneous rhythm his head conjures up, occasionally sneaking quick peeks at the digital clock perched on the edge of his desk.
His boss had already left several hours ago, presumably for another meeting. The bags under his eyes had been identical to Baekhyun's - after staying at the 24-hour diner awhile the other night, Baekhyun had taken Kyungsoo back to the store only to wait another few hours for a bloodshot Chanyeol to turn up, breathless from running, snatch up Kyungsoo and leave without a second word.
Baekhyun sighs, slumping down on the desk. He slips his phone out of his pocket, intending to play a game of Tetris to pass the time.
He's in the middle of the tenth level, when things are finally beginning to speed up. However, his phone suddenly starts blaring the first chorus of "I Got A Boy", and that completely throws him off; Baekhyun curses as the Tetris block drops into the wrong position, somehow managing to destroy his entire game.
Great. I didn't even get to pause beforehand.
He nonchalantly swipes down the notifications screen, expecting to see some kind of routine notices from one of his games only to see one missing call from the one and only, Park Chanyeol.
All traces of irritation dissipate from his face, replaced by curiousity. Baekhyun speedily dials his boss' number, holding his breath anxiously as he waits for the man to pick up.
"Hello?" He says cautiously.
"I have another favour to ask of you." Straight to the point as usual. Baekhyun rolls his eyes. It was pretty obvious Chanyeol was issuing him a command - the choice to accept wasn't Baekhyun's at all.
"Bring me a file from my office. It's the big one on my desk, labelled 'Stocks'".
"Okay." Baekhyun sighs, permanently relinquishing his game of Tetris and all thoughts of rushing back home straight after work to do, honestly, nothing at all.
"I'll text you my address," Chanyeol is still talking as Baekhyun weaves his way through the now half-empty cubicles (everyone really rushes home the very second work ends here, don't they?), "try to get here within the next half hour."
"Okay, okay..." Baekhyun mutters a reply, the phone clamped between his jaw and neck as he searches for the file that should, presumably, be on Chanyeol's desk, keeping both hands occupied with finding it.
"Gotcha." Baekhyun makes a little noise of satisfaction as he finally manages to locate the mentioned object, speaking to the dial tone that had automatically played as Chanyeol hung up on him.
Rude.
He gets back to his desk, packing up speedily. The sooner he can deliver the file to Chanyeol, the sooner he can get home and throw his feet up.
(Baekhyun totally isn't hurrying because his heart is thumping at the thought of going to Chanyeol's home, where he lives - maybe, if he's lucky, his boss will let him glimpse past the living room. He hopes so.)
Baekhyun closes his eyes. Please please please.
The click clack of his shoes meeting the cold tiled floors are the only sounds in the building, and the silence is a bit overbearing. He can almost hear the ins and outs of his breathing resonate through the hallway.
Baekhyun turns the corner, the strap of his backpack (he's one of those sloppy people who only wear one strap of their backpacks) digging into his shoulder, a very familiar sounding moan reverberates through the walls.
His cheeks flush red immediately and he almost trips over his own feet. Baekhyun hadn't noticed he'd been standing directly outside Junmyeon's office, and the moan that had startled him out of his wits confirms that Jongdae is most likely in there with him.
"Keep it down, guys!" Baekhyun yells, scowling at the soon-to-be bruise on the side of his foot (and the chuckling from inside the room) as he forces himself into a jog, not waiting for any form of a reply.
Standing on the streets of Seoul at night, Baekhyun debates on whether to take a taxi, but a Google search quickly reveals that Chanyeol's apartment is barely ten minutes away from the office, as expected from a true workaholic. Still, his legs are numb from sitting at the desk, cooped up in a cubicle all day long...
Nah, Baekhyun decides. He needs to save money for the new shipment of mugs that will be coming into the store next month. The thought of his beloved mugs cheers him up a bit, and gives him the energy to walk (somewhat) enthusiastically towards Chanyeol's apartment.
However, the cold weather soon freezes his good mood.
"Why meee?" Baekhyun complains for the umpteenth time. Unfortunately, no one is there to hear his life's woes, but it's not like they would do any more than stare blank-faced at the (quite) young man in a suit complaining about god knows what.
"I wanna go home..." He yawns with an open mouth, throwing away any semblance of manners he may have had beforehand.
Baekhyun hates it when people turn air conditioners on in winter, like it's cold enough outside, do you really have to make it even colder inside? He's reminded of exactly why as he steps into the lobby of Chanyeol's apartment building, which feels a lot like the North Pole, temperature wise. Baekhyun shivers, hugging his thin suit jacket even closer to his body.
"Kyungsoo? Is that you?"
The kid looks around, clearly debating on answering before settling with silently looking down at his shoes.
Baekhyun walks forward slowly (always approach things carefully especially if the object in question is below shoulder height).
"What're you doing out here so late?"
Kyungsoo bites his lips, his silence pervading the atmosphere. Baekhyun gives up - he can't force someone to answer his questions if they don't want to.
"Come on, let's bring you back home."
"I don't want to go home!" Kyungsoo's sudden outburst makes Baekhyun backtrack a bit, looking over his shoulder at him worriedly. Kyungsoo looks to be on the verge of tears, right hand still grasping tightly at the straps of his backpack, so tightly Baekhyun can see his knuckles turn white.
"Why not?" Baekhyun asks gently, and Kyungsoo's lower lip quivers.
"I don't want to stay there! I hate it! I hate it so much!"
"Kyungsoo, please don't say that," Baekhyun pleads with the younger, "let's just go home first, okay?"
The smaller male sniffles miserably, eyes fixtated on the floor, but he lets Baekhyun coax him into the elevator anyway.
"Which floor?" Kyungsoo tiptoes to point at the tenth floor, then huddles to Baekhyun's side as the adult presses the elevator buttons, quickly closing the doors before the gossipy middle-aged guard can make a snarky comment.
"So, what's the matter?" Baekhyun inquires. Kyungsoo lets out a little sniffle before bursting into a full-blown rant.
"My daddy doesn't care! He never, ever, ever cares! I thought mommy was going to take me away but she didn't and she left me here!" He breaks down into full, body-wracking sobs.
It's okay is what Baekhyun wants to tell him, but somehow, those two words don't seem to cover it.
Instead Baekhyun pats his back in a perfunctory manner, at a loss of what else to do. What's the proper reaction for something like that?
=
No one answers the door.
In fact, Baekhyun's rang the door about five times, but there's been no reply of any sort thus far.
"C'mon..." He grumbles, slumping against the door, "not now, please..."
"Sorry," Kyungsoo says apologetically, eyes still red and looking quite helpless himself, "Daddy usually doesn't answer the door when he's working, so I do it, but... well..."
"Oh no, it's not your fault. I guess we'll just have to wait until your dad takes a toilet break or something, right?" Baekhyun manages to flash a cheeky grin even though his mind and heart are yelling at him to go home and go to his nice cozy bed where he doesn't have files to deliver and (potentially, if he left) angry bosses to deal with. At least Kyungsoo looks slightly relieved by his humour, though Baekhyun himself is not sure why.
Chanyeol finally answers the door when Baekhyun throws away all his sanity in favour of flinging his entire body against it, and the resounding clap is, fortunately, loud enough for the taller male to hear it.
"Oh, you're finally here." His boss greets, oblivious to Kyungsoo inconspiciously slipping into the apartment and disappearing into his room, and oblivious to the way Baekhyun's rubbing his head in pain.
"Yeah." By the way, your door is really sturdy. The smaller male grimaces in memory of the reason for the throbbing headache he now has. "And here's the file."
"Thanks." Chanyeol mutters, taking a few steps backward with the file in hand.
"Wait," Baekhyun interrupts before the taller male can close the door on him, "can I come in for a bit? Just to check on Kyungsoo." He's surprised with his sudden courage and Chanyeol looks as if he is too, for one second. But he pushes the door back open anyways, allowing Baekhyun inside.
"His room is there." Baekhyun murmurs a quiet thanks, but the door is already closed behind the both of them and Chanyeol is walking away. A resounding slam can be heard as Chanyeol disappears into his office. Baekhyun winces; it's not a pretty sound.
He remembers staring at the door for a very long time, shoulders slumping in exhaustion before his brain finally wakes up to remind him that he's half-asleep in his hot boss' hallway and if Chanyeol comes back out he most certainly will be kicked out. Still, he allows himself a few minutes of observation, but frankly, Chanyeol's apartment looks like something out of a design magazine - really nice-looking in the way that you could never tell who inhabitated the apartment until you saw them.
Not much to see here, Baekhyun thinks disappointedly as he turns to Kyungsoo's room. He knocks a few times before going in just to be courteous, really, and finds Kyungsoo sitting at his desk, silently reading a book.
"Hey, Soo." The nickname is a spontaneous thing, and Baekhyun just goes with it. Kyungsoo's eyes widen a bit, swiveling around in his wheely chair until his gaze meets the elder male's.
"Baekhyun hyung? Why are you still here?" Kyungsoo's voice still sounds a bit hoarse from crying and the area around his eyes is red. Baekhyun purses his lips in worry.
"I'm here to check on you. Have you had dinner yet?" It's quite early in the evening, but Baekhyun just wants to make sure.
"No. I'll make some ramyun later." The elder male swears he can hear his jaw drop in the silence that permeates the atmosphere afterwards.
"Ramyun?" Kyungsoo frowns, clearly hearing the shock in Baekhyun's voice.
"Yes... is there anything wrong with it?" The wide-eyed child asks, and Baekhyun swallows.
"No, no, not really." Yes, this is a huge problem; you're a kid and all you're eating is ramyun and on top of that you're making it yourself. Is your dad really so busy he doesn't have time to at least order takeout? "Do you want me to make something for you?" The elder male offers. Kyungsoo graciously accepts his offer, not like Baekhyun would've let him refuse it anyways.
"I'll bring it to you later, alright? Just stay here and keep reading." Baekhyun returns by himself to the living room, almost jumping in shock when he sees Chanyeol in the adjacent dining room, papers and files all around him as he types noisily on his laptop.
"Umm..." Baekhyun presses his lips together before giving a little cough, just to grab the taller male's attention.
His boss looks up at him.
"Did you check on Kyungsoo?"
"Yeah, he's reading right now."
"Okay. Thanks, you can go." Chanyeol tucks the file underneath him as he buries his face into his arms, sighing deeply.
Ask him now, Baekhyun, now.
But Baekhyun can't, because he always flees whenever a situation has the potential to become awkward, for the outcome to be bad for him. But at the same time, he doesn't like the thought of Kyungsoo having to cook ramyun by himself - a six year old kid having to cook his own dinner just because his father doesn't care. And if he does, it isn't visible now on Chanyeol's weary face. The taller male's shoulders slope downwards under the weight of all his work responsibilities and also the fight for the position of CEO.
"A-are you sure you're okay?"
This is Baekhyun's boss, the one probably gets some sort of sadistic satisfaction from yelling at people all day long, who had an uncanny talent of emba rrassing Baekhyun. But this is also Chanyeol, father and single parent to Kyungsoo, who must work long hours everyday, then still have to come home and take care of his kid.
Baekhyun doesn't know why, but he cares.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Chanyeol snaps, either unaware of or ignoring Baekhyun's concern. The smaller male jumps a bit at the harsh tone, slightly wincing.
"Just go." The man says in resignation, palming his furrowed forehead, and Baekhyun knows he can't leave this household right now.
"After I make dinner and send Kyungsoo to bed." Baekhyun persists, and the obstinate glint in his eye is evidence that he will not go until Chanyeol lets him.
"Fine, fine. Just do what you want then leave, alright?"
Baekhyun nods obediently. Not wanting to stretch the taller male's limits any more, he scurries off to the kitchen without another word. He scrounges the cupboards and cabinets of Chanyeol's kitchen and takes (steal isn't the right word when he's making food for all three of them) a jar of spaghetti sauce and some angel hair pasta. Good enough, Baekhyun thinks, shoving a couple of expired ramyun packets down the bin.
He quickly whips up some spaghetti, tiptoeing past Chanyeol to drop off a plateful for Kyungsoo, before leaving another beside the taller male on the table, a peace offering. Determined, Baekhyun stalls when putting on his shoes, untying his perfectly fine shoelaces before tying them again, until he finally hears the quiet clink of the fork being picked up. With a last, satisfied little smile, he finally leaves the apartment.
Pairing: Chanyeol/Baekhyun, side!Suho/Chen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: Approx. 13,808
Warnings: Some swear words
Summary: Son. His boss has a son. Baekhyun definitely needs to rethink his game plan.
Prompt #: 70
Part 2. This is Part 1.
It's such a pretty little thing; Baekhyun squeals in excitement when he thinks about going home and curling up on the couch while sipping on some cozy, freshly brewed tea.
Yum.
He turns it in his hands, sighing in satisfaction. Finally, another mug for Baekhyun to add to his ever-growing collection. This particular shipment had taken absolutely ages (read: a week), and in fear of it arriving when he wasn't at work, Baekhyun had taken to hanging out at the shop whenever he had free time, which made his coworker Sehun particularly annoyed. Especially since Baekhyun came during the weekdays - his office job from Monday to Friday usually meant Sehun didn't have to suffer his presence those five days, only during Baekhyun's part-time job during the weekends.
"Why don't you just help me manage the counter, then, since you're here literally all the time?"
"Because that's your job." Baekhyun had retorted snidely, staring persistently at the door.
But now, it doesn't matter how long this beautiful, beautiful mug had taken to reach Baekhyun, because now it was his, and his only.
"Mine..." Baekhyun murmured, squatting down beside the elevator and hugging the mug possessively. He overestimates his physical talents and falls over, knocking his head quite badly on the sides of the elevator. Clearly thick thighs do not make one a better squatter.
Baekhyun stands up in a daze, clutching his head in one hand and the mug in the other. Could I call in sick tomorrow with this sort of injury?, he contemplates this question for a good five minutes before deciding that too much thinking makes his head hurt. Possibly also because he lost a lot of brain cells when he fell. Shut up, Baekhyun.
"What if I accidentally fall and hit my head on something during work? It's not like I can afford to lose any more brain cells..." He pouts, hugging the mug even closer to his chest.
"Mister?" Baekhyun looks down to see a little hand tugging at his shorts, "Why are you hugging a cup?"
The little kid doesn't seem to be aware of Baekhyun's blushing cheeks (though it's more likely he doesn't care), because he continues looking up at sweater-clad male with wide eyes.
"Um...that's because..." Baekhyun looks around frantically, before giving up and just throwing out the first thing he thinks of, "my mom gave it to me and I really love it!" Good job, Baekhyun, you idiot. He sees the kid staring suspiciously at the price tag still tied around the handle of the mug and smiles awkwardly as he shoves it into the folds of his sweater (because never in a million years would his mother give him a cup that says "classy sassy & a bit smart assy" 'cause she's a proper lady but whatever).
"Your mom?" Baekhyun feels guilty for lying to a kid, but he nods anyways, inconspiciously stuffing the mug back into his shopping bag.
"What's she like?"
"She's lovely, the best mom ever." Baekhyun says absentmindedly, before finally realizing that the kid is by himself. Talking to a stranger (aka him). Crap.
999. SOMEONE. PLEASE. LOST KID HERE. HELP.
"Um. So. Speaking of moms, where's yours?" Baekhyun asks, already clutching the kid's hand.
"My mommy? She left me and my daddy a long time ago."
"Oh. I'm sorry..." The two of them walk in awkward silence for awhile before Baekhyun realizes simply walking around and hoping the poor kid will finally reunite with any one of the passerbys is too much to hope for. He sighs. The help desk it is, then. Peering at the floor directory, Baekhyun begins steering them in the opposite direction.
"So, what's your name?" Baekhyun asks. Maybe he can get one of the workers here to call for the kid's guardian using the PA system.
"My name's Kyungsoo. I'm six." Kyungsoo informs him, wriggling uncomfortably as his backpack straps dig into the junctures between his neck and shoulders.
"Let me help you with that." Baekhyun offers, but Kyungsoo shakes his head politely.
"It's okay, I'll be fine. But thank you." Baekhyun almost coos - this one's definitely going to grow up to be a fine gentleman.
"Anyway, Kyungsoo, who brought you here?"
Kyungsoo pouts in thought, looking here and there nervously before whispering "Chanyeol..." very quietly.
The name sounds strangely familiar, but Baekhyun dismisses his gut feeling impatiently. Ain't nobody got time for that.
"Who is Chanyeol?" Baekhyun patiently asks.
Kyungsoo looks up at him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Chanyeol is Chanyeol..."
Baekhyun sighs, about to ask again, but he's intercepted by a very, very deep voice calling out for Kyungsoo from behind.
Wait... this voice...
Though he's more used to hearing this voice barking out orders at him and his colleagues, Baekhyun recognizes it all the same.
By the time he comes back to his senses, Chanyeol, his amazing (sarcasm intended) boss is already standing in front of him, head tilted in curiousity. He's decked in a form-fitting white button-up shirt and black slacks, and he looks way better in the simple ensemble of clothing than he should. Kyungsoo's cheek is squished against his slacks, and he looks severely disgruntled.
"Don't you work for me?" Chanyeol asks him, pressing Kyungsoo even closer to him. Baekhyun's face heats up.
Fact number one about Chanyeol: He's a scary boss who looks too cute than he should whenever his lower lip juts out when he's thinking and whenever he shakes his head like a little (maybe large) puppy when he realizes "this plan is not going to work and the entire department should wake up or get fired".
Fact number two about Chanyeol: One of his workers, a certain puppy-like (Junmyeon's words), fabulous (Baekhyun's own opinion) person, has a crush on him.
Baekhyun quickly shakes his head, dispersing such thoughts. Focus on the important stuff, Byun. You found a kid lost in a mall, and your boss just so happens to be his guardian. Does that mean Kyungsoo is Chanyeol's son? The new knowledge that his boss (aka his teensy weensy office crush) is single - a single parent - is too much information for Baekhyun to take in at once.
I need to re-evaluate my game plan.
Baekhyun shakes his head, completely oblivious to his boss still standing there, waiting for an answer.
"Excuse me?"
Baekhyun looks back up hastily.
"Ah, yes?"
"I just asked if you worked for me." Well, technically speaking, you're not my employer, just my boss. However, Baekhyun ultimately decides against any snarky answers and settles for nodding his head, wordless.
"Um... yeah, I do. I'm Baekhyun, by the way." He stumbles a bit, but manages to regain his composure. However, when Chanyeol turns his back on Baekhyun's offered hand, he wavers a bit, awkwardly dropping it back to his side.
"Come on Kyungsoo, we're going."
Kyungsoo is the only one who looks back, waving at Baekhyun and shouting goodbye as his father shushes him and ushers him away.
=
Weekends always pass quickly, and this one is no exception. That sucks, because Baekhyun has to go back to his boring job in the company. At least in his weekend job he can stare at all the beautiful mugs instead of just mucking around with numbers.
The only thing remotely fun about working during weekdays is that Jongdae has the same lousy job, and his being Baekhyun's best friend automatically gives the mug-maniac permission to annoy him at least half the time they're at work. Especially after their department head (the boss) has yelled at all of them for mucking around and not doing actual work. Baekhyun may have the hots for Chanyeol but he can't deny the man has a crappy personality.
However, his boss has been yelling at them a lot more lately - their CEO is retiring, and it's not secret Chanyeol's goal is to take over that position. So he probably doesn't care about anything except boosting the productivity of his department, just like all the other department heads are doing.
Poor Kyungsoo. Baekhyun can only imagine the environment at home when your only parent is working 24/7.
It's only twelve in the afternoon, but Chanyeol's been out of the office to yell at the entire department twice already, and Baekhyun's finished (at least) a week's worth of work (he's really good at working under pressure). Of course he had only been at the office three hours, and most of that time had been spent on frantically messaging Sehun to be careful ordering and bringing in some new mugs, but it was twelve, which meant he could use the excuse of lunch to quickly escape the serious atmosphere of the office.
And of course Jongdae would have to come with him.
"Jongdae-yah..." Baekhyun whines, throwing his arms all over the papers his friend is working on, in an unabashed attempt to gain his attention.
"What do you want?" Jongdae snaps.
"Woah, woah," Baekhyun throws his hands up in a sign of surrender, "what's up with you today? Got a stick up your ass?"
His friend groans, rubbing vigorously at his eyes.
"Last night I did. Multiple times. And now it hurts like hell."
"Duuuude. Did not need the mental image of you and my brother doing the do, alright?"
Papers rustle as Jongdae shrugs, his elbows scrumpling up several sheets very important work stuff.
"You were asking for it anyways."
"At least I'm not like..." Baekhyun gestures towards Jongdae's awkward sitting position on his wheely chair, intended for optimal comfort, "disabled."
Normally, his coworker slash terrible best friend would've probably shoved him off the desk like the vicious little thing he is, but today he seems surprisingly complacent.
"Well, isn't it the duty of good, law-abiding citizens to help the disabled as much as possible?"
"I guess...?" Baekhyun says, his eyebrows hiding warily under his fringe. He doesn't like where this conversation is going.
"Then," Jongdae has his cheshire-smirk on, "you can help me hand this file in to the boss, right?"
The tone of his voice is annoyingly saccharine, and Baekhyun doesn't like it. Nor the suggestive raising of his eyebrows. Not one bit.
(Next time he gets drunk he will seal his lips with duct tape, or else Jongdae might know more details about his infatuation with the boss.)
"What if I don't want to?" He retorts snarkily, though his voice is already wavering a little bit.
"Then I would force you to do it." Baekhyun raises a brow questioningly, silently challenging the other male to do his worse.
"Your brother is my boyfriend. Let's just say I have lots of blackmail-worthy information. Like that time in high school when you had a crush on Kim Taeyeon?"
Baekhyun's face pales.
"Fine, fine." He says hastily, and Jongdae hands over the file, the edges of his lips quirking up in satisfaction.
Holding the file in his hands, Baekhyun slowly approaches Chanyeol's office, trying to peek through the blinds. Thankfully, the lights are off, which usually indicates that Chanyeol has gone out for lunch.
At least, that was what Baekhyun thought.
Upon entering the dark room, he finds himself staring straight at Chanyeol, who had put on his suit jacket (which was usually another good way to tell if the boss was heading out for lunch) but was sitting at his desk hastily typing. Some kind of minor emergency? Of course, Baekhyun only knows he was about to head to lunch because he has a habit of staring through the blinds to get a glimpse of his handsome boss once every day.
Okay, maybe once every ten minutes.
Anyways, Baekhyun's prior guess of Chanyeol having gone out to lunch already was wrong, and he had definitely chosen the wrong time to intrude. Fortunately, Chanyeol doesn't seem to notice him at all, not looking up from his work even once.
What if he just casually slipped the file under Chanyeol's elbow...
His boss looks up, clearly judging Baekhyun, if the look on his face is anything to go by.
The smaller male's breath gets stuck in his throat as he anxiously waits for his boss' reaction. The chances he'll remember someone he met in passing is infinitesimal, but it still makes him nervous.
His boss' right eye twitches, as if he's trying to recall something, but he shakes his head and looks back towards his work without a second glance at the smaller male.
"Just leave it there."
He shifts his elbow a bit, and Baekhyun quickly puts the file on the corner of his desk before darting out the door, his heart in his throat.
Phew. That was close.
=
The air-conditioning in the mug store is crap, Baekhyun decides. In the summer it's almost as hot as the temperature outside, and in the winter it's way too cold to be comfortable. It's winter now, and Baekhyun's decked in an oversized sweater and some warm boots. There's a Starbucks just a minute's walk away filled with overpriced coffee, which is tempting, but Baekhyun feels frozen to his seat behind the counter. The slight warmth underneath him is enough convincing for Baekhyun to stay firmly glued to his position, with absolutely no intention of moving for the next few hours.
This all changes quickly when the automatic doors whiz open, the sensors nearby blaring that godforsaken tune. Customers. Baekhyun stands up, almost knocking over the chair in his haste.
"Hello," Baekhyun turns the corner and immediately stops, eyes wide. He quickly composes himself, continuing with the usual, routine greetings.
"Welcome to the store. How can I help you?"
Fortunately, Chanyeol doesn't recognize his voice and doesn't turn around, still browsing the shelf in front of him, one hand planted firmly on the crown of Kyungsoo's head.
"We don't need help." He says, and when he picks up one of the mugs Kyungsoo takes it as an opportunity to escape from his father's hold, wiggling away insistently. Baekhyun watches him trot off into another aisle before he decides he really can't be dealing with this right now - the aircon is blasting all the cold air straight at him and he feels too frozen to reallly think about anything.
"Okay." That should be enough, he reassures himself as he hides away behind the counter. If he's lucky, Chanyeol with have found what he wants and be gone soon. Fingers crossed.
However, Baekhyun should've realized their meeting that day was inevitable. First of all, Chanyeol (a.k.a. the boss Baekhyun spends most of his weekday job trying to observe) is very direct. There's no dilly-dallying with him, so naturally Chanyeol wouldn't have come into the store just to have a look around.
But of course Baekhyun hadn't remembered any of that depite staring at him all the time (until Chanyeol felt someone looking at him and turned around warily), or he would've spent the last half an hour texting Sehun in full-on caps lock telling him to get his skinny noodly ass to the store straight away, no questions asked.
Baekhyun seriously ponders if the otucome of that would've been any better, but knowing Sehun, he can't say his chances would've been any better.
Alright, Fate. You win this one.
Chanyeol drops his boxed mug onto the counter, and Baekhyun stifles a giggle when he sees two little hands trying to climb high enough to see what's happening, but only manage grasp the edge. He hears a irritated huff before he sees Kyungsoo wandering away.
Getting back to work, Baekhyun grabs the mug and scans it.
"Ten thousand won, please."
Right at that moment, Chanyeol's phone begins to ring. Do most people not change their ringtones after getting their phones?, Baekhyun wonders. He knows for a fact that whenever he calls anyone, they're going to get an earful of "I Got A Boy" - first chorus by Girls' Generation and the second by Baekhyun. It's loud, it's exciting (*entirely Baekhyun's opinion), and the total opposite of Chanyeol's.
"Wait a minute." The ringtone stops abruptly.
As Chanyeol takes a few steps away to receive the call, Baekhyun preoccupies himself with a loose string on his sweater, twirling and twisting it around his fingers, determined not to look in Chanyeol's direction (which he "accidentally" does a couple times).
His boss - no, Chanyeol is still talking on the phone, his eyebrows furrowed and a stricter undertone present in his voice. Baekhyun can't hear what he's talking about, but it must be serious. Chanyeol hangs up with the same frustrated expression on his face, approaching the counter with weary steps.
His head dips as he runs a hand through his hair and Baekhyun gulps. Hot damn.
Chanyeol suddenly seems to notice something about Baekhyun, squinting suspiciously at him.
"I think I've seen you before."
"Um, because I work here?" Baekhyun offers.
"No, not just here, but somewhere else."
"I... I sort of also work under you at the office..."
Chanyeol's eyes widen in understanding before they narrow, judging Baekhyun quietly.
"So you're the one with two jobs. Within the same company."
Baekhyun chuckles nervously.
"W-well...when you put it like that..." It is flagrant, but do you have to say it like that?
"It doesn't matter," Chanyeol is quick to interrupt him, "But I do have a favour to ask of you."
Baekhyun sighs. It's not like he really has a choice - talking back to someone like Chanyeol could probably get him fired from both his jobs. Which would be a very, very bad thing. For his future and his mug collection. He sighs again.
"Yeah? Sure...? I guess?"
"Good. Kyungsoo, come here."
At his father's words, Kyungsoo comes tottering out from behind one of the shelves, his school backpack jostling with every step. Seeing Baekhyun at the counter, he immediately executes a clumsy but absolutely adorable bow.
"Hello, Mister...," Kyungsoo squints at his name tag, "Baek... Hyun?"
Baekhyun melts a little on the inside.
"Aww...," He bends over so his head is dangling off the counter, "you can just call me Baekhyun, you know."
Chanyeol coughs under his breath, muttering quietly, "Hey...," he points at Baekhyun's extremely graceful position (sarcasm intended), "isn't that a little... dangerous?"
Baekhyun's chest is pressed against the cool marble of the counter and the toes of his scuffed-up Converse shoes are barely touching the ground, so Baekhyun decides this might be a good time to get back on the ground.
"So," He quickly brushes himself off, "what did you want?"
"I have a meeting, and since you work for me, I need you to take care of Kyungsoo for a while."
How long is a while?, Baekhyun wants to ask, but he probably won't get a definitive answer anyways.
"Sure..." He answers reluctantly instead. Kyungsoo seems like a good kid, so it shouldn't be much of a hassle.
Kyungsoo's father, on the other hand, is a complete mystery (and a seemingly unsolvable one at that). Or Baekhyun is just not aware of new social cues, because his boss is holding his hand out to him as if he thoroughly expects his clueless employee to understand what he's trying to get at.
Baekhyun stares down at Chanyeol's palm then back up to his face, confused.
The taller male gestures irritably.
“Pass me your phone."
Baekhyun pauses with his fingers slipped into the back pocket of his skinny jeans.
"Wait, why?"
Chanyeol purses his lips in annoyance, and the only thing Baekhyun can think about is damn he has nice-looking lips.
"I don't trust you." He says blatantly.
Look here, sir. I like you and all but could you fix that attitude of yours a bit? And if you don't trust me then why the heck are you leaving your kid with me?
Of course, Baekhyun doesn't say any of it out loud, only obediently handing over his phone.
Chanyeol gives the screen a few taps before he sighs and hands the phone back to him, staring at Baekhyun pointedly.
Oh right. The password.
Baekhyun shields with his palm while he quickly types out Chanyeol's birthday, a piece of information he had found out when one of his boss' friends had come over to the company building with a cake and everything on November the 27th. Chanyeol had told Sehun to get out and to make sure to take all the balloons with him.
Grumpy pants.
Chanyeol types in his number with one hand, sending (presumably) a text message with Baekhyun's number to himself. His other hand runs through his hair again, and Baekhyun melts.
Hot grumpy pants.
"Right," Chanyeol passes the phone back to Baekhyun, "I'll be leaving, then."
"Okay. Bye?" His words trail off into thin air. Baekhyun keeps his hand in the air for a few moments - just in case Chanyeol happens to turn around - but drops it with a sigh as soon as the door slams behind the taller male's retreating back.
Prying his eyes away from the door, Baekhyun's met with a deceptively empty store with no sign of Kyungsoo anywhere. He takes a deep breath, massaging the sides of his head. I did not sign up for this, he grumbles to himself, baby-sitting wasn't in the description for either of my jobs.
There's usually an influx of customers around this time, but thankfully, the shop has remained empty for a while. Baekhyun takes this as a go-ahead for him to quickly walk through the aisles and find Kyungsoo. Hopefully the kid hasn't decided to go on an impromptu adventure outside the store and get lost, because if that happened, the possibility of Baekhyun getting his ass kicked (out of the company) is quite likely.
Fortunately, Kyungsoo's just wandering restlessly around the store, and Baekhyun finds him in a corner, tiptoeing in an attempt to peek at one of the higher shelves. He stands awkwardly at the end of the aisle, debating on what to do. The fact is, the last time he interacted with anyone new was when he (sort of) helped Kyungsoo look for his dad in the shopping mall just a week ago, and frankly, because he seems so mature for his age, Baekhyun has no idea what to make of him. Should he approach like a kindergarten teacher? Or treat him like he's the same age?
Whatever, just do it.
"Hey, Kyungsoo! My name's Baekhyun, and your dad told me to take care of you while he goes to do some grown-up stuff, okay?" The little kid turns to regard him impassively, large eyes unblinking. He tilts his head to the side, as if considering Baekhyun, before turning back to the shelves.
"I know that." He states apathetically. Baekhyun's face drops.
Why did I ever think this was a good idea?
"Haha, right." Baekhyun chuckles brokenly in an attempt to salvage the situation, "Anyway, it's almost my lunch break, so is there anything you want to eat?"
"Eat?" Kyungsoo looks over with the teensiest bit of interest in his eyes.
"Yup, eat!"
There's a moment of silence before Kyungsoo gives his laconic reply.
"Anything you want."
Goddamnit. I give up.
=
Frankly, there are a lot of better places he could've brought Kyungsoo too. In fact, Baekhyun hadn't really wanted to bring Kyungsoo to a fast food restaurant. But the truth is, Baekhyun's really horrible at dealing with finances, especially his own. So when he had checked his wallet a few minutes after leaving the store, Kyungsoo clutching one of his hands, Baekhyun had finally discovered the true state of his finances. His wallet was as thin as a few pieces of paper (money), and that was barely enough to buy food for two at a fast food restaurant.
"This is sort of bad for your health," Baekhyun confesses as they approach the counter, "but please don't tell your dad."
"I don't think daddy will ask." Kyungsoo answers simply, turning his attention to the bright menus plastered on a nearby wall. Unable to find an answer, Baekhyun sighs. He glances around, checking the menus (looking out for the sets currently on discount), quickly deciding on a fish fillet burger. Other offices in the vicinity started emptying for lunch a bit later than the store, so they were in luck, with almost no one lining up at the counters.
"I'm going to go get the food now. What do you want?"
"Food? How do you get food here?"
Slowly, Baekhyun turns to Kyungsoo, appalled. The collar of his sweater feels a little too stuffy, so he tugs at it a bit, before saying, with a sort of disbelief in his voice, "You order it. Over there." He points to the counter to clarify his explanation, but Kyungsoo still looks thoroughly confused.
"How?" He impatiently asks again, right eyebrow arching.
Baekhyun lets out a deep breath he didn't know he'd been holding, questioning, " Have you ever been to a restaurant before, Kyungsoo?"
"I think daddy brought me to one once? I think?" Kyungsoo visibly hesitates, looking quite dubious and uncertain of his own answer.
Baekhyun swallows down a string of shocked profanity. Poor Kyungsoo. He really doesn't deserve this at all.
"It's alright," He says, trying to keep his expression light and cheerful, "I'll teach you, okay? But just this once."
Baekhyun quickly settles Kyungsoo with a Happy Meal, quickly adding a strawberry yogurt onto the order after a few glimpses of the kid's puppy eyes. Judging by the way he had eyed the item on the menu, even without the puppy eyes, Baekhyun couldn't have possibly avoided buying it for him.
They grab seats beside the window, and for a good ten minutes, there is silence, with Kyungsoo chewing slowly on his burger and Baekhyun staring blankly outside under the guise of watching passerbys. However, in his mind, things are running wild.
Chanyeol said a few hours, right?
How many hours is he talking about, exactly?
What will happen if he goes back to the store and neither Kyungsoo or I are there?
What if he's at the shop right now, waiting to pick Kyungsoo up?
Although he knows his thoughts are irrational - barely one hour has passed since Kyungsoo had been temporarily passed into his care, but the possibility still urges Baekhyun to finish the rest of his burger in two bites.
I guess I'll just have to cut my lunch break short.
To Baekhyun's dismay (and to Sehun's delight), he's forgotten that his lunch break usually extends into the start of Sehun's shift, when the younger man has to carry the new stock to the back of store. It's also the reason Baekhyun arrives a bit late every shift after his lunch break.
Unforunately for him, Sehun has exactly two boxes left to bring to the stock room, and forces Baekhyun to carry one of them for him while he gives Kyungsoo curious glances over the top of the labelled box he's carrying. He nudges the glass doors open wordlessly, letting Baekhyun follow with Kyungsoo in tow, the latter already anticipating the interrogation ahead.
As expected, Sehun starts talking right off the bat the second both of them have dumped their boxes into the stock room, retreating to the cashier area.
"Is there anything you wanna tell me?" Baekhyun's about to explain, but Sehun intercepts. "Wait - don't answer. Did you accidentally knock someone up? Who was it? Hmm... I never imagined you topping, though, and you've told me at least a hundred times you had a crush on Chan - mmfgh."
Baekhyun slaps his hand onto Sehun's mouth only to snatch it away a few seconds later, wiping the saliva left by the latter on the counter.
"Sehun, seriously!"
The younger man wears a deceptively innocent look on his face, tilting his head to the side as if asking Baekhyun what he did wrong.
Brat.
"Don't talk about stuff like that in front of kids," Baekhyun hisses into Sehun's ear, glancing back once to make sure Kyungsoo isn't listening, "especially not this one."
Sehun furrows his eyebrows in confusion before turning to Kyungsoo, staring at him intently.
"He's Chanyeol's kid." Baekhyun whispers under his breath, and Sehun's mouth forms an understanding o.
"Wait, then why is he with you?"
"His dad had a meeting." The shorter man explains, but Sehun still wears an expression of blatant disbelief.
"And he decided to leave the kid with you? Of all people he could've chosen, you?"
Baekhyun pouts in mock anger, crossing his sweater-clad arms over each other. "I don't like what you're implying."
Sehun chuckles, picking up both boxes with ease and shuffling towards the store room. "But you know it's true."
"He's such a brat." Baekhyun tells Kyungsoo fondly.
=
Winter nights in Seoul are freezing, especially if you don't know where to go.
Having offered to lock up the store, Baekhyun's stuck with mumbling curses under his breath as he twists his wrist, trying to turn the key. It takes him several attempts before the resounding click is heard. The sun has set for a long time, and the moon seems to shine the brightest at nine o'clock on this cold winter evening.
The streets are empty and quiet, the only sign of light being the 24-hour diner across the road. The neon of a suspiciously phallic object, plastered on a sign on the second floor catches Baekhyun's eye, but he sensibly chooses not to mention it. His breath comes out in white clouds, his lips feel almost numb, and Kyungsoo's hand, clutched tightly in his own, is covered with goosebumps, but where can he go?
Having Kyungsoo with him and no sign of a big grumpy boss anywhere in the distance, Baekhyun has no choice but to wait, Even the deflated, discoloured seats in the diner seem tempting compared to staying out in the cold.
That's not an option, Baekhyun reminds himself, Chanyeol said he'd come back here for Kyungsoo. He plops his sorry, freezing ass onto the curb. His jacket rustles as he stifles a yawn before shuffling over, making space for Kyungsoo to squish in beside him, stealing warmth off his body like a little parasite.
It's a sad sight - two figures, one small and one only slightly larger, sitting lonely on the street, with nowhere else to go.
Baekhyun blows away another icy breath, remarking idly, "It's cold, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." Kyungsoo agrees, rubbing his chubby hands together before cupping his cheeks with them. "I hate nights during winter..."
"Hm, I like them well enough if I'm indoors. Then I can just lay on the couch, watching reruns of some old dramas and drink some warm tea from a nice mug. Ah..." Baekhyun sighs wistfully just thinking about it.
"Baekhyun hyung, you must really like mugs!" Kyungsoo smiles, his mouth forming a little heart.
"I do," Baekhyun answers readily, "I even collect them. I'll have you know I've got over a hundred in my collection," he puffs his chest out proudly, "and there's so many I have to keep boxes of them in my room. I also added more cabinets in my kitchen just so I could store more there."
"Hyung? I have a question."
"Oh sure, ask away." Baekhyun says airily.
"When I got lost in the mall, that mug you were hugging... it wasn't from your mommy, right?"
The elder male scratches the side of his head sheepishly. "Haha, yeah. I'm sorry."
"Your mommy wouldn't give you a present like that." Kyungsoo says, backing his point, and heat spreads to Baekhyun's neck. He's usually the one subduing people with his snarky remarks, but Kyungsoo's honesty hits him to the core.
"What's your mommy like?" Baekhyun bites his lips at the question. With the knowledge that Kyungsoo's mother has been gone for a long time, he has to tread carefully with his answer.
"She's really nice. And kind. Maybe I could take you to see her someday."
"That would be so cool!" Kyungsoo brightens up for a moment, but relapses a bit, a small frown appearing on his face.
"I miss my mom sometimes... I wonder if she misses me too." He admits, looking down sadly.
Baekhyun's overwhelmed with a wave of emotion - anger to Chanyeol, for not taking care of his precious kid, sympathy to Kyungsoo, but overall, the feeling of wanting to do something, wanting to change all this. He doesn't know what he wants to change, what needs to change, but the feeling is tingling at his fingertips, urging him to reach out and do something, anything. It's all too hard to explain to a six year old, so Baekhyun hugs Kyungsoo closer to him, whispering "I'm sure she does.", hoping that he will understand all the thoughts flying through the elder's head right now.
The feeling of Kyungsoo smiling against his shoulder makes him smile.
It'll be alright. I promise you.
"C'mon. Let's go somewhere."
"Where?"
Baekhyun hesitates.
"Anywhere."
=
Friday is the best day of the week, Baekhyun decides.
It's ten minutes before work ends for the day, and the soles of his feet are already itching in anticipation. Baekhyun fidgets relentlessly, fingers drumming a spontaneous rhythm his head conjures up, occasionally sneaking quick peeks at the digital clock perched on the edge of his desk.
His boss had already left several hours ago, presumably for another meeting. The bags under his eyes had been identical to Baekhyun's - after staying at the 24-hour diner awhile the other night, Baekhyun had taken Kyungsoo back to the store only to wait another few hours for a bloodshot Chanyeol to turn up, breathless from running, snatch up Kyungsoo and leave without a second word.
Baekhyun sighs, slumping down on the desk. He slips his phone out of his pocket, intending to play a game of Tetris to pass the time.
He's in the middle of the tenth level, when things are finally beginning to speed up. However, his phone suddenly starts blaring the first chorus of "I Got A Boy", and that completely throws him off; Baekhyun curses as the Tetris block drops into the wrong position, somehow managing to destroy his entire game.
Great. I didn't even get to pause beforehand.
He nonchalantly swipes down the notifications screen, expecting to see some kind of routine notices from one of his games only to see one missing call from the one and only, Park Chanyeol.
All traces of irritation dissipate from his face, replaced by curiousity. Baekhyun speedily dials his boss' number, holding his breath anxiously as he waits for the man to pick up.
"Hello?" He says cautiously.
"I have another favour to ask of you." Straight to the point as usual. Baekhyun rolls his eyes. It was pretty obvious Chanyeol was issuing him a command - the choice to accept wasn't Baekhyun's at all.
"Bring me a file from my office. It's the big one on my desk, labelled 'Stocks'".
"Okay." Baekhyun sighs, permanently relinquishing his game of Tetris and all thoughts of rushing back home straight after work to do, honestly, nothing at all.
"I'll text you my address," Chanyeol is still talking as Baekhyun weaves his way through the now half-empty cubicles (everyone really rushes home the very second work ends here, don't they?), "try to get here within the next half hour."
"Okay, okay..." Baekhyun mutters a reply, the phone clamped between his jaw and neck as he searches for the file that should, presumably, be on Chanyeol's desk, keeping both hands occupied with finding it.
"Gotcha." Baekhyun makes a little noise of satisfaction as he finally manages to locate the mentioned object, speaking to the dial tone that had automatically played as Chanyeol hung up on him.
Rude.
He gets back to his desk, packing up speedily. The sooner he can deliver the file to Chanyeol, the sooner he can get home and throw his feet up.
(Baekhyun totally isn't hurrying because his heart is thumping at the thought of going to Chanyeol's home, where he lives - maybe, if he's lucky, his boss will let him glimpse past the living room. He hopes so.)
Baekhyun closes his eyes. Please please please.
The click clack of his shoes meeting the cold tiled floors are the only sounds in the building, and the silence is a bit overbearing. He can almost hear the ins and outs of his breathing resonate through the hallway.
Baekhyun turns the corner, the strap of his backpack (he's one of those sloppy people who only wear one strap of their backpacks) digging into his shoulder, a very familiar sounding moan reverberates through the walls.
His cheeks flush red immediately and he almost trips over his own feet. Baekhyun hadn't noticed he'd been standing directly outside Junmyeon's office, and the moan that had startled him out of his wits confirms that Jongdae is most likely in there with him.
"Keep it down, guys!" Baekhyun yells, scowling at the soon-to-be bruise on the side of his foot (and the chuckling from inside the room) as he forces himself into a jog, not waiting for any form of a reply.
Standing on the streets of Seoul at night, Baekhyun debates on whether to take a taxi, but a Google search quickly reveals that Chanyeol's apartment is barely ten minutes away from the office, as expected from a true workaholic. Still, his legs are numb from sitting at the desk, cooped up in a cubicle all day long...
Nah, Baekhyun decides. He needs to save money for the new shipment of mugs that will be coming into the store next month. The thought of his beloved mugs cheers him up a bit, and gives him the energy to walk (somewhat) enthusiastically towards Chanyeol's apartment.
However, the cold weather soon freezes his good mood.
"Why meee?" Baekhyun complains for the umpteenth time. Unfortunately, no one is there to hear his life's woes, but it's not like they would do any more than stare blank-faced at the (quite) young man in a suit complaining about god knows what.
"I wanna go home..." He yawns with an open mouth, throwing away any semblance of manners he may have had beforehand.
Baekhyun hates it when people turn air conditioners on in winter, like it's cold enough outside, do you really have to make it even colder inside? He's reminded of exactly why as he steps into the lobby of Chanyeol's apartment building, which feels a lot like the North Pole, temperature wise. Baekhyun shivers, hugging his thin suit jacket even closer to his body.
"Kyungsoo? Is that you?"
The kid looks around, clearly debating on answering before settling with silently looking down at his shoes.
Baekhyun walks forward slowly (always approach things carefully especially if the object in question is below shoulder height).
"What're you doing out here so late?"
Kyungsoo bites his lips, his silence pervading the atmosphere. Baekhyun gives up - he can't force someone to answer his questions if they don't want to.
"Come on, let's bring you back home."
"I don't want to go home!" Kyungsoo's sudden outburst makes Baekhyun backtrack a bit, looking over his shoulder at him worriedly. Kyungsoo looks to be on the verge of tears, right hand still grasping tightly at the straps of his backpack, so tightly Baekhyun can see his knuckles turn white.
"Why not?" Baekhyun asks gently, and Kyungsoo's lower lip quivers.
"I don't want to stay there! I hate it! I hate it so much!"
"Kyungsoo, please don't say that," Baekhyun pleads with the younger, "let's just go home first, okay?"
The smaller male sniffles miserably, eyes fixtated on the floor, but he lets Baekhyun coax him into the elevator anyway.
"Which floor?" Kyungsoo tiptoes to point at the tenth floor, then huddles to Baekhyun's side as the adult presses the elevator buttons, quickly closing the doors before the gossipy middle-aged guard can make a snarky comment.
"So, what's the matter?" Baekhyun inquires. Kyungsoo lets out a little sniffle before bursting into a full-blown rant.
"My daddy doesn't care! He never, ever, ever cares! I thought mommy was going to take me away but she didn't and she left me here!" He breaks down into full, body-wracking sobs.
It's okay is what Baekhyun wants to tell him, but somehow, those two words don't seem to cover it.
Instead Baekhyun pats his back in a perfunctory manner, at a loss of what else to do. What's the proper reaction for something like that?
=
No one answers the door.
In fact, Baekhyun's rang the door about five times, but there's been no reply of any sort thus far.
"C'mon..." He grumbles, slumping against the door, "not now, please..."
"Sorry," Kyungsoo says apologetically, eyes still red and looking quite helpless himself, "Daddy usually doesn't answer the door when he's working, so I do it, but... well..."
"Oh no, it's not your fault. I guess we'll just have to wait until your dad takes a toilet break or something, right?" Baekhyun manages to flash a cheeky grin even though his mind and heart are yelling at him to go home and go to his nice cozy bed where he doesn't have files to deliver and (potentially, if he left) angry bosses to deal with. At least Kyungsoo looks slightly relieved by his humour, though Baekhyun himself is not sure why.
Chanyeol finally answers the door when Baekhyun throws away all his sanity in favour of flinging his entire body against it, and the resounding clap is, fortunately, loud enough for the taller male to hear it.
"Oh, you're finally here." His boss greets, oblivious to Kyungsoo inconspiciously slipping into the apartment and disappearing into his room, and oblivious to the way Baekhyun's rubbing his head in pain.
"Yeah." By the way, your door is really sturdy. The smaller male grimaces in memory of the reason for the throbbing headache he now has. "And here's the file."
"Thanks." Chanyeol mutters, taking a few steps backward with the file in hand.
"Wait," Baekhyun interrupts before the taller male can close the door on him, "can I come in for a bit? Just to check on Kyungsoo." He's surprised with his sudden courage and Chanyeol looks as if he is too, for one second. But he pushes the door back open anyways, allowing Baekhyun inside.
"His room is there." Baekhyun murmurs a quiet thanks, but the door is already closed behind the both of them and Chanyeol is walking away. A resounding slam can be heard as Chanyeol disappears into his office. Baekhyun winces; it's not a pretty sound.
He remembers staring at the door for a very long time, shoulders slumping in exhaustion before his brain finally wakes up to remind him that he's half-asleep in his hot boss' hallway and if Chanyeol comes back out he most certainly will be kicked out. Still, he allows himself a few minutes of observation, but frankly, Chanyeol's apartment looks like something out of a design magazine - really nice-looking in the way that you could never tell who inhabitated the apartment until you saw them.
Not much to see here, Baekhyun thinks disappointedly as he turns to Kyungsoo's room. He knocks a few times before going in just to be courteous, really, and finds Kyungsoo sitting at his desk, silently reading a book.
"Hey, Soo." The nickname is a spontaneous thing, and Baekhyun just goes with it. Kyungsoo's eyes widen a bit, swiveling around in his wheely chair until his gaze meets the elder male's.
"Baekhyun hyung? Why are you still here?" Kyungsoo's voice still sounds a bit hoarse from crying and the area around his eyes is red. Baekhyun purses his lips in worry.
"I'm here to check on you. Have you had dinner yet?" It's quite early in the evening, but Baekhyun just wants to make sure.
"No. I'll make some ramyun later." The elder male swears he can hear his jaw drop in the silence that permeates the atmosphere afterwards.
"Ramyun?" Kyungsoo frowns, clearly hearing the shock in Baekhyun's voice.
"Yes... is there anything wrong with it?" The wide-eyed child asks, and Baekhyun swallows.
"No, no, not really." Yes, this is a huge problem; you're a kid and all you're eating is ramyun and on top of that you're making it yourself. Is your dad really so busy he doesn't have time to at least order takeout? "Do you want me to make something for you?" The elder male offers. Kyungsoo graciously accepts his offer, not like Baekhyun would've let him refuse it anyways.
"I'll bring it to you later, alright? Just stay here and keep reading." Baekhyun returns by himself to the living room, almost jumping in shock when he sees Chanyeol in the adjacent dining room, papers and files all around him as he types noisily on his laptop.
"Umm..." Baekhyun presses his lips together before giving a little cough, just to grab the taller male's attention.
His boss looks up at him.
"Did you check on Kyungsoo?"
"Yeah, he's reading right now."
"Okay. Thanks, you can go." Chanyeol tucks the file underneath him as he buries his face into his arms, sighing deeply.
Ask him now, Baekhyun, now.
But Baekhyun can't, because he always flees whenever a situation has the potential to become awkward, for the outcome to be bad for him. But at the same time, he doesn't like the thought of Kyungsoo having to cook ramyun by himself - a six year old kid having to cook his own dinner just because his father doesn't care. And if he does, it isn't visible now on Chanyeol's weary face. The taller male's shoulders slope downwards under the weight of all his work responsibilities and also the fight for the position of CEO.
"A-are you sure you're okay?"
This is Baekhyun's boss, the one probably gets some sort of sadistic satisfaction from yelling at people all day long, who had an uncanny talent of emba rrassing Baekhyun. But this is also Chanyeol, father and single parent to Kyungsoo, who must work long hours everyday, then still have to come home and take care of his kid.
Baekhyun doesn't know why, but he cares.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Chanyeol snaps, either unaware of or ignoring Baekhyun's concern. The smaller male jumps a bit at the harsh tone, slightly wincing.
"Just go." The man says in resignation, palming his furrowed forehead, and Baekhyun knows he can't leave this household right now.
"After I make dinner and send Kyungsoo to bed." Baekhyun persists, and the obstinate glint in his eye is evidence that he will not go until Chanyeol lets him.
"Fine, fine. Just do what you want then leave, alright?"
Baekhyun nods obediently. Not wanting to stretch the taller male's limits any more, he scurries off to the kitchen without another word. He scrounges the cupboards and cabinets of Chanyeol's kitchen and takes (steal isn't the right word when he's making food for all three of them) a jar of spaghetti sauce and some angel hair pasta. Good enough, Baekhyun thinks, shoving a couple of expired ramyun packets down the bin.
He quickly whips up some spaghetti, tiptoeing past Chanyeol to drop off a plateful for Kyungsoo, before leaving another beside the taller male on the table, a peace offering. Determined, Baekhyun stalls when putting on his shoes, untying his perfectly fine shoelaces before tying them again, until he finally hears the quiet clink of the fork being picked up. With a last, satisfied little smile, he finally leaves the apartment.