Chapter Text
“Sir? Are you sure this is where you’re gonna live?” Chanyeol scans the slightly run-down apartment complex. It’s a three-story building, with around six to eight rooms… Chanyeol isn’t particularly sure, he only asked his assistant to look for an apartment complex that’s far from the city, somewhere people wouldn’t find him easily. His assistant came back with a few apartments that are great looking and have a bigger rent. Chanyeol declined all of those, he wants to live somewhere they wouldn’t find him or an area where they wouldn’t look for him.
Chanyeol isn’t running away from anyone. He simply wants to get away from a recent event that happened. Managing the business from home wouldn’t be too hard. He has someone acting as his representative at work so he’s still technically working and he’s also gonna work here too.
He just doesn’t really want to go back to the city and see familiar faces at the moment. Not until he’s okay again. But knowing them, they’ll probably look for him when they find out that Chanyeol isn’t at work and managing it from somewhere else… That’s why Chanyeol wants to go to a place where they wouldn’t look for him and after going through every place and their location, he decided on this area.
“What is wrong with it?” Chanyeol asks.
“Uh… It’s completely different from where you lived before. I am not sure if you are going to be comfortable with this. The room is a one-bedroom and one-bathroom space, the kitchen and living room are almost non-existent…” His assistant says.
“I’ll be fine. I need a bed, a bathroom, and a stove. Other than that, I don’t need anything else.” The alpha says and crushed the butt of his finished cigarette with his foot.
“But sir-”
“I’ll be fine, Kyυngsoo. Don’t worry too much about me. Is everything already placed inside?” Chanyeol asks and the beta assistant nodded, handing him a key. “This is the key to your room. 2-B, it’s on the second floor. By the way, sir… Just like you asked, I did some investigating… Your neighbor is an omega with a son. They’re in a tough situation that’s why they’re staying in this place.”
“Didn’t you say that this place is often visited by alphas in rut?” Chanyeol asks and the assistant nods.
“Yes, there is a relief house for alphas in rut near this place, just a few blocks away… But since the rent is cheap, I think they decided to stay here instead of somewhere safer.”
Chanyeol shrugs, life is tough like that. The omega probably couldn’t afford a higher rent that’s why he’s risking like this. This place is dangerous like Kyυngsoo said, relief houses, nightclubs, and strip clubs are near here, in most cases, there would be an alpha near his rut losing his mind while trying to reach the relief house. Theft and trespassing are also prominent in the area, so it’s really unsafe - especially for an omega and his kid. He can handle himself, he knows he’s strong enough to handle dangerous things that’s why he doesn’t fret about his safety or whatsoever.
And Chanyeol doesn’t really care about them, his neighbors. He doesn’t know them personally that’s why he shouldn’t care.
“I heard that he has-”
“It’s alright, I don’t want to hear about it.” Chanyeol looks at the key in his hand and then puts it in his pocket. “You can go now, Kyυngsoo. Take care and go home quickly.” Chanyeol says and the assistant bows his head, “I’ll be going now.”
Chanyeol goes up the stairs, taking his hand off of the railing because of how rusty it is. He walks down the hallway to the second door and looks at the little plate in front of the door.
He was gonna get the key from his pocket when he hears footsteps on the stairs and soon, a small omega with his child comes into view. The omega is petite - his body is thin and his cheeks are a little sunken. There are dark circles underneath his eyes but he’s smiling at his son who… seems to be an alpha.
The kid is small too, around 2 or 3 years old. He looks like a copy of his mother.
Both of them stopped in their tracks when they see a big alpha on the door next to theirs.
It was quiet for a minute, with Chanyeol and the omega staring at each other, waiting for someone to speak up.
The omega looks down and the kid goes behind him, making Chanyeol frown internally. It’s not like he did anything wrong?
“H-Hi… Are you our new neighbor?” The omega asks in a cautious voice. But his tone is sweet and kind.
“Yes, I’m Chanyeol.” Chanyeol says and turns to them, keeping his hands in his pocket.
“It’s good to hear that the place beside us is finally taken… Nice to meet you, I’m Baekhyun… This is Yuan, he’s a bit shy.” Baekhyun says, not walking any closer to shake hands with Chanyeol so the alpha figured out that he’s probably still cautious. If Chanyeol is an omega, he would also be wary of new people, especially in this area - so he understands him.
“It’s nice to meet the two of you too. I’d like to chat more but I have to get settled in. I’ll see you guys around.” Chanyeol is quick to dismiss the conversation, seeing the omega’s dull eyes look surprised a little before it goes back to how it was before. “Is that so? I’ll see you too…” Baekhyun moves and inserts his key on the door, smiling at Chanyeol slightly before going inside with his child.
Chanyeol goes inside too and he hums to himself, looking around the place. The omega looks like a sweet person and the child… doesn’t look shy. He looks scared. Baekhyun looks scared too but it’s not like Chanyeol will do anything bad so it’s up to them to calm down whenever they figured that out.
He sighs and looks around, checking the tiny bathroom and the bedroom which could only fit a small table, a single bed, and a dresser. The kitchen is a wall wide, behind a living room that could fit a couch and a tv. There’s a little dining table and then a tiny balcony.
This place is fine for him but for two people, it would be really cramped. In Baekhyun’s case, he would have to share a bed with his kid as well as share a dresser with him. Chanyeol opens the balcony door a little before sitting down on the couch, pulling out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lighting a stick before putting his feet up on the table.
This is not half as bad as he thought but he’ll get used to this sooner or later.
—-------
Chanyeol wakes up at around 7 in the evening. His nap must have pushed longer since he planned to wake up at around half-past five. He stands up from the hard couch and grimaces at the ache on his lower back because of his sleeping position. He fell asleep on the couch while slouching and his feet are up on the table that’s why it hurts a little on his back.
He grabs his key from the table and then goes out of his apartment, locking it behind him. Since it’s still a bit early, he’ll walk around so he can get familiar with the area and the stores nearby. He’s not good at cooking, but he can make food for himself and that’s what matters.
He starts walking and then buys himself some things in the convenience store nearby, the cashier man must be wondering why he bought everything he needed in here instead of the grocery store that is a fifteen-minute drive from here. But Chanyeol is too lazy to go there today, he doesn’t want to take his car out yet since the place is awful and someone might try to do crazy shit with his car. It’s one of the few expensive things that he brought here so he should be cautious of it even though he could get one right away.
He walks around again until he sees a small fast food place, with barely anyone inside. Chanyeol doesn’t really like fast food, he finds them unhealthy but then again, he’s not in a place where he should look for fancy restaurants. The alpha walks inside, immediately noticing the way the people’s heads inside turn to look at him.
Who wouldn’t turn their heads when they see such a big handsome alpha, with strong pheromones and dominating aura?
Chanyeol walks up to the counter and looks at the menu, ordering something for himself. He can see that all of them are staring at him from inside, maybe because he’s a new face. When he’s about to go get his food, the lady behind the counter asked if he’s new to the place and he said yes.
They probably know a lot of people in this neighborhood since it’s a small one…
He thanked her and then walks back to the apartment, taking about fifteen minutes to go back home. When he gets there, he sees Baekhyun by the door, holding a black bag of trash.
“Oh, hey Chanyeol… If you don’t know yet, it’s garbage collection day tomorrow, don’t forget to take out your trash.” Baekhyun smiles at him, moving out of the way for him. Chanyeol observes the omega’s actions, he’s very wary. It’s like he doesn’t want Chanyeol near him and the alpha is okay with that. He respects that, so he passes Baekhyun by and stands by the front of his door.
“I don’t have much trash yet, except for boxes. But thank you for letting me know.”
Baekhyun holds the knob of the door and hums, “Dinner?”
Chanyeol motions at the plastic bag he’s holding. “This is my dinner for tonight. What about you?”
“I-uh… Yuan and I already had dinner, I just made quick pasta.”
“Sounds delicious. I gotta go head back inside and eat this, see you later.” Chanyeol says goodbye and the omega smiles again at him before going inside the room first. The omega looks thin and fragile like if Chanyeol is to hold him by the wrist a little tighter than a usual grip, he feels like Baekhyun would feel it in his bones.
Baekhyun is also, undeniably, really beautiful. Even though he looks like he’s gonna break if Chanyeol even bumps into him, he looks beautiful - especially his eyes that look innocent. Chanyeol wonders what happened with him and the other father… But then again, it’s not really any of his business so he pushes the thought out of his brain.
—------
Chanyeol is done showering. He’s already laying down on his bed. The mattress is stiff and he plans to replace it with something softer. The water is cold too but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’ll probably go to the store tomorrow to get a lot of things. He wants some plants, good kitchen stuff since he just has a thin-bottom pot for noodles. He needs curtains and blankets too.
He covers himself with the blanket and the moment he closes his eyes, he hears crying.
The small kid, Yuan, from next door is crying. He can hear Baekhyun comforting his son through the paper-thin walls and he sighs. He thought he wouldn’t have a problem with them.
/”Baby, it’s okay… Mama will be here, hm? I’m not going to leave. Go on, go lay down.”/ Chanyeol made out the words from Baekhyun’s sentences and it took a lot of minutes - maybe 10 to 15 - for Yuan to stop crying.
By that time, Chanyeol’s sleepiness evaporated.
He sighs and grabs the pack of cigarettes on the nightstand, getting up from the bed. The alpha then remembers that Baekhyun told him about the garbage collection day tomorrow. Since he ate and he unpacked some items, there’s a lot of trash now. He might as well take them out and take a smoke downstairs. He grabs his jacket, putting it on before grabbing the bag of trash.
Chanyeol took it out and then goes downstairs, chucking it with the other black bags. He finishes one cigarette before going upstairs, feeling sleepy again. He closes the door once he was inside but then he hears the door on the other room open and shut. Did Baekhyun go out too?
He was gonna ignore it again when he suddenly hears little sniffles. The alpha frowns, hearing muffled sobs and cries from outside. He carefully opened the door and peeked, seeing that Baekhyun is sitting down on the floor, leaning on the wall in front of their door. The omega didn’t seem to notice Chanyeol’s door slightly opened.
Chanyeol closes it again before the omega thinks he’s crazy for only staring.
It must have been a rough night for them, Chanyeol feels bad for calling them a problem.
But then again, he shouldn’t give care about what happened nor should he engaged with them any further.
He’s had enough of people taking advantage of his kindness.
Baekhyun and his son - they are beyond Chanyeol’s concern.,
Chanyeol groans at the sound of his phone ringing. He blinks his eyes open and stretches his arm, grimacing when it hits the wall. This apartment is really tiny and he had to press up the bed against the wall so he could fit a bigger dresser. He grabs his phone which is ringing on the nightstand and looks at the person calling him. He sees that it’s Kyungsoo so he answers it and puts it on speaker, putting the phone on his chest as he closes his eyes again.
“Sir, I compiled all of the files that need your signature today. Please check your email and please sign all of them before this day ends.” Kyungsoo says and Chanyeol hums, half-listening to his assistant.
“Sir,” Kyungsoo calls him.
“Hm.”
“Please sign-”
“All the files you sent to my email. Got it but at least let me have my breakfast first.” Chanyeol says and the beta was quick to apologize. “Yes, sir. Should I send someone to deliver food-”
“I can handle it. I’ll call you later,” Chanyeol says and ends the phone call, putting his phone to the side before lying on his stomach. His feet are hanging off of the bed because it’s too small and he has to lie down diagonally. It’s uncomfortable but it’s alright. He sits up and then goes to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
Chanyeol looks at the time once he gets out of the bathroom and sees that it’s almost 10 in the morning. He woke up late so he’ll just prepare brunch for himself. He opens the fridge door and hums. He has eggs, milk, and bread. He has a stick of butter too so he’ll just make toast and scrambled eggs.
Chanyeol tried to make it tasty but it ended up being a fail because it was too salty and the bread got soggy since he pan toasted it and he put too much butter. He doesn’t have a toaster yet and that reminds him to buy one later. He needs to buy a lot of things. Toaster, microwave, some pans and pots, groceries, a good mattress, and other things he needs in the house.
Chanyeol ate his unsatisfying breakfast, grumbling underneath his breath cause he doesn’t even have any coffee, another thing that he needs to buy later is some coffee supplies because he’s very particular about it. After eating breakfast, Chanyeol got dressed and then grabs the keys of his car. He looked it up last night and saw that the store is a fifteen minute drive and considering he needs to get a lot of stuff and go to many stores too, he has to take the car with him.
He locks the door and then drives off to the nearest supermarket.
—------
Chanyeol’s cart is getting filled each aisle he goes. He told himself that he will only buy the things he needs but he didn’t realize that he would need this much. It’s not like he’s buying excessively, he just wants to buy things that will make him comfortable in his new home… Like the new pack of sheets he got.
If he was to live in his old home, he wouldn’t need to do this. Someone will do everything for him but since he’s trying to get away from that life for the meantime, he needs to do all of this on his own.
He pushes his cart to the next aisle and sees some junk food. He’s not really a fan of them, so he was about to go to the next aisle when he sees a slightly familiar omega.
Chanyeol thought it was Baekhyun and when the omega turned, he really was Baekhyun. The omega was surprised to see him too and since he’s wearing the store’s uniform, he must be working at this place.
“C-Chanyeol, hey.” Baekhyun greets him.
“Hey… It’s nice to see you here.” Chanyeol says politely and Baekhyun smiles a little, shifting from one foot to another. “It’s nice to see you too. Doing groceries?”
Chanyeol nods, “Yes. My apartment is completely empty other than the necessities so I need to buy some things.”
“Oh, well - is there anything I can help you with? Looking for anything?” Baekhyun asks.
“No, thank you. I think I can manage on my own and besides, you must already be busy. And Yuan? Is he at the daycare?”
Baekhyun stiffens but quickly shakes his head, “He’s playing in the staff room. I always bring him to work,” He answers. “And he’s friends with most of the staff here, he even has a little corner in the room.” Baekhyun adds and Chanyeol nods once.
He wants to ask why Baekhyun won’t drop him off at the daycare since in that place, Yuan will get to interact with more kids and play with them but he’s not really Yuan’s parent, thus - he doesn’t know what’s best for the child.
“Is that so? He probably wants to be with you all the time,” The alpha mutters making the smaller man chuckle. “I think so too. Anyway, I have to go since there are more fixing to do in the other aisles. I’ll see you around?” Baekhyun says and the alpha nods. “I’ll see you too…”
Baekhyun turns around after that. He feels a little tensed every time he’s talking to Chanyeol. The alpha always looks like he’s not interested in Baekhyun or what he has to say. He’s emotionless and he talks monotonously, he’s big and almost double in Baekhyun’s size… He’s intimidating.
He was about to walk further when a kid came running pass him, bumping him and making the omega stumble backwards. He thought he was gonna fall down on the floor when he felt strong and hard arms wrapped around his chest and held him up.
Baekhyun turns to his side and sees Chanyeol looking at him. “Are you alright?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun quickly stands up, moving away from the alpha.
It took him a few moments to compose himself and he smiles at Chanyeol, “I-I’m okay, thank you…” After that, Baekhyun turns away and then rushes to the next aisle, breathing deeply. He just felt like his breath was taken away by Chanyeol.
The man is handsome, even if he’s far away, Baekhyun could already tell by the sharp features and beautiful eyes… But in close, he looks ethereal. His face is just flawless and even though he shows no emotion - Baekhyun felt his heart racing with just one look.
Chanyeol on the other hand, watches the omega hastily walk away from him, wondering why he was so red when it’s not even too cold or too warm inside this building…
—------
Baekhyun looks at his kid who refuses to eat his dinner. They’re already at home after a long day at work and since it’s already a little late, he doesn’t have a lot of time to cook. They got take outs and Yuan usually eats a lot but right now, he’s not even touching his food. He’s just playing with his toy.
“Yuan… Didn’t Mama tell you that toys aren’t allowed in the table?” Baekhyun says and looks at the toddler who glances up at him. Yuan drops the dinosaur toy on the floor but didn’t touch the food still.
“What’s wrong, love? You like nuggets right?” Baekhyun asks and pokes the nuggets with Yuan’s fork.
Yuan takes the fork from Baekhyun but only nibbles at it making the omega sigh. Sometimes, Yuan has troubles saying what he wants and right now, it’s a game of finding it out. He stands up from his chair and then walks over to the child, crouching down to his level.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Mama smells wrong.” Baekhyun frowns at that. Smells wrong? He consciously sniffs himself because he just took a shower so he doesn’t smell bad. What is Yuan saying?
“Wrong?” He asks and Yuan nods. “Before go home. Mama smells wrong. Wike neigh’or.”
Before they got home? He smells like the neighbor?
“C-Chanyeol?” Yuan nods, pouting. “Mama smell wike ‘Yul.”
Baekhyun thought about why he would smell like Chanyeol… He then remembered that he talked to him in the market and Chanyeol helped him up but was Chanyeol’s pheromones that prominent? Is it that strong to the point where it could stick to Baekhyun even if it’s just a few moments?
“‘Yul hurt mama!” Yuan says, holding Baekhyun’s shirt. His lips turned downwards and he starts tearing up so Baekhyun is quick to hug him and kiss his forehead. “Baby… Not everyone is like Jinho. Not all alphas will hurt me, love. You are an alpha, does that mean you will hurt mama?” Baekhyun asks and the kid cries, hugging his mother tightly, wrapping his little arms around his neck.
“Yuan no hurt mama!”
“I know, honey… That’s why we should know that not everyone will hurt mama, okay? Chanyeol helped mama earlier, that’s why I smell like him. We should thank him instead, right?” Baekhyun says and the little alpha nods his head, “Just like Uncle Dae… Uncle Dae always helps Mama, that’s why we thank Chanyeol next time, okay?” Baekhyun adds and Yuan nods his head again, letting Baekhyun pull away from his tight hug.
“Are we okay now? No more crying?” Baekhyun asks, even though his heart is breaking inside of his chest.
The kid said a little “yes” before starting to eat his food, even though his cheeks are damp with tears. Baekhyun goes back to his chair and eats quietly too, watching Yuan finish his food. After they’ve eaten, Baekhyun gave Yuan a warm bath and then got him ready to go to bed.
“Yuan… Look at this shirt, you see the three holes? Your arms go here and here…” Baekhyun points at the shirt, “And this is big hole in the middle, it’s for your head.” He says and pointed at it. Yuan frowns but lets his mother guide his arms through the shirt and then on his head.
“Good? Ready to sleep?” Baekhyun asks and Yuan nods, waddling over to the bed and climbing up. He goes to his side which is the side that is pressed up against the wall. Baekhyun purposely put him there so he won’t fall even if he rolls over to the side, since Baekhyun will be blocking the right side. They don’t have the money and space for a second bed and although Baekhyun wants his child to grow into a bigger home and have a nicer bed other than this stiff one, he knows that there’s nothing he can’t do about it. This is the only thing he can afford and this is the only thing he could ever give.
“Night, mama.” Yuan says and reaches for his mother, kissing him on the cheek before snuggling under the covers. Baekhyun smiles at him and lays down beside his kid, watching him fall asleep right away since he didn’t take a nap earlier.
While watching Yuan sleep, all Baekhyun could ever think about is how bad of a mother he is. He let Yuan grow up in a dark environment, where the kid saw his mom got hurt by his father… Where he got scolded for playing and for watching TV… Too many bad things happening all at the same time - Baekhyun couldn’t even save his son from them and he’ll be forever traumatized by it.
He hates that he can’t provide a brighter future for his son. He’s only a market employee, he earns minimum wage - he has to pay rent, bills, food and everything… He has to squeeze in himself in that budget or else he’ll have nothing else but what he’s wearing.
He wants to give Yuan better toys and books he needs, but he can’t even afford one.
Baekhyun stands up gently, leaving the room and going out in the hallway. He doesn’t cry inside the apartment because often, Yuan would sense it and wake up. Even though he’s a kid, he’s still an alpha with strong senses that’s why he knows when his mother is crying… That’s why Baekhyun cries outside - so Yuan wouldn’t hear him or sense him.
He leans on the wall and bites his lip, heart tightening inside his chest.
He wants to give so many things to his son. He wants to give his everything but this is everything he has at the moment… Yuan will grow - he needs to go to school, he needs to eat more food and he needs to socialize with other kids… But he can’t do that because his child is afraid of people.
Baekhyun can’t give anything more than this.
He can’t give anything more than his tears that he suppresses every second of the day.
—-------
Chanyeol stares at his ceiling. Baekhyun is once again crying outside and he doesn’t know what to do about it…
He wants to comfort him and ask him what’s wrong but they literally just met yesterday… And the thing is, they met yesterday and this is the second time that he hears Baekhyun cry. He wants to make sure that everything is okay but he doesn’t want to get himself involved with it.
So instead of going out to check it, he turns to his side and covers his face with a pillow.
—------
The alpha steps out of his room, carrying the trash bag that he needs to take out again since it’s filled with more boxes and plastic from all of the stuff that he bought yesterday.
When he steps out of the room, he sees Baekhyun and Yuan holding hands, Baekhyun dressed in his uniform and Yuan in warm and comfy clothes.
“Good morning, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun greets him and the alpha nods, “Good morning to you too… And Yuan.”
Yuan looks down and kicks nothing, “Yuan… You said you have something to say to Chanyeol, right?” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol’s eyebrows rose up. What did the scared kid have to say to him. Yuan bites his lip and looks up at Chanyeol, “Thank you for helping my mama.” He says and then hides behind Baekhyun shyly.
Baekhyun chuckles, “He wants to say thank you because you helped me up yesterday. Thank you for that again… Anyway, we have to go since I’ll be late. See you later, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun smiles at him and waves before walking downstairs with Yuan.
Chanyeol is left dumbstruck.
Baekhyun and Yuan…
Both of them are too thankful for nothing.
“Yuan, I have something important to tell you,” Baekhyun says and then crouches down in front of Yuan. The kid tilts his head to the side, “What Mama?” He asks and Baekhyun smiles.
“Since Yuan has been a good boy lately… Mama will give him something. Later when he gets to work, you can pick out a toy and Mama will buy it for you.” Baekhyun says and loves the bright smile that erupts from the kid’s face. His smile is so wide and it motivates Baekhyun to work even harder and work more overtime so he could save up to buy him more toys.
“Mama buy Yuan toy?” Yuan asks and Baekhyun nods. “Thank Mama!” Yuan says and wraps his arms around his mother’s neck, hugging him tightly. Baekhyun feels his heart aching inside of his chest again. He stands up and grabs Yuan’s hand, “Let’s go to work now? You miss Uncle Dαe?” He asks and the kid nods.
“Miss Uncle Dαe…”
“We’ll see him today.”
Yuan goes inside the car with Baekhyun’s help, sitting down on the child seat while Baekhyun straps him in. Baekhyun drives to work with his old car that’s barely holding on together. It’s a wonder how it even works because of how old it is and everything is just patched up. He is saving up for a new car but so far, it’s not going well. He’s using this car because the drive is just fifteen minutes to work and he needs to use this whenever Yuan is going to the doctor for his check-up since the clinic is far away from this area.
Once they got to the market, they immediately went to the toy section and Yuan looks around with excited eyes, trying to spot a good stuffed animal. “Yuan, baby… Choose here. There’s a lot of good ones here…” Baekhyun says and points at the big container containing a lot of animal stuffed toys.
“Mama tiger.” He grabs the tiger stuffed toy and shows it to his mom.
“Do you want this baby? You don’t want the elephant or dolphin?” Baekhyun asks and his son shakes his head, thrusting the toy to Baekhyun’s hand gently.
“Okay…” Since the tiger is cheaper than the money Baekhyun allotted for it, he bought a new learning book for Yuan too. He’ll try to teach him later when they got home. Baekhyun walks to the cashier and paid for the toy and book, smiling at his friend who greeted Yuan.
After paying for it, Baekhyun and Yuan walked to the back and Baekhyun removed the tags of the toy and book, letting Yuan come inside Jongdae’s office. Jongdae is his best friend and he’s the manager of the store. He has a small office where there is a place for Yuan. The corner is covered with some playing mats and some toys that Jongdae got for Yuan. When Yuan wants to nap, there’s a small loveseat couch where he lays down. Yuan’s bag is filled with necessities that Yuan himself takes out when he needs it, like his bottle that has milk…
Baekhyun feels bad for not being able to take care of Yuan properly. He wants to send him to the daycare so he could be with some kids and so that someone can take care of him fully while Baekhyun is not around. But he knows that Yuan has separation anxiety and he is scared of other people… Not only that but Baekhyun can’t pay for daycare too.
But for some lucky reasons, Jongdae told him that he can bring Yuan here. Jongdae is mostly in his office, doing paperwork and all of that so he gets to keep an eye on him even though the kid mainly just plays on his own and takes a nap when he wants to. He really is a good kid and Jongdae is proud of Yuan for not giving his mother a headache by behaving.
“Morning Un’le Dαe.” Yuan greets Jongdae and the man smiles at him, patting his head.
“Good morning, Yuan. What did you have for breakfast today?”
“Uhm… ‘an-cakes with nanas…”
“Pancakes with bananas? That sounds delicious… Your mama bought you a new book?” Jongdae asks and Yuan nods, showing it to him before going to the corner to open it and then play with the tiger stuffed animal.
“Finally bought him a new toy from the overtime… I need to find a second job so I could provide more but I’m scared that my next job won’t allow him to be with me.” Baekhyun leans on the doorframe.
“I really think that the best option is to opt for the daycare but I also know about Yuan’s situation… How about you let Yuan get a bit older before you go find a second job?”
“I think so too… I gotta clock in, thank you as always, Jongdae.” Baekhyun smiles at his friend who rolled his eyes. “You always say thank me for nothing. Your kid is the most behaved kid I’ve ever seen in my life. He asks politely for things, he plays on his own, and asks questions if he really doesn’t know it… He naps if he wants to without throwing tantrums… He asks for snacks if he’s hungry… It’s like having an adult around.” Jongdae says and Baekhyun laughs.
“I guess so… Gotta go, see you around.” Baekhyun waves at him. “Yuan, mama will work now. Behave, alright?”
The kid nods before going back to his toys. Baekhyun sighs and before walking out to the store. He should at least find a job for the weekends, anything would do right now.
—-----
Chanyeol sighs, scrolling through his computer. There are tons of unanswered emails that he needs to reply to one by one. Even though he’s not in the company physically, he still has to go through each and every single one of these until all of them are answered. He stands up for the meantime, stretches his back, and then goes to the kitchen to pour himself some coffee.
He can’t stop thinking about what happened this morning. He was really surprised when Baekhyun and Yuan thanked him again. The omega must have told his son that he helped him up that afternoon and it has nothing to do with his son yet Yuan still said thank you. And it wasn’t even a big deal. If you could help someone up before they fall to the ground and injure themselves, of course, you would do it. Chanyeol happens to be behind Baekhyun that’s why he helped him so it’s literally nothing.
The thought has been running through his head since this morning and he doesn’t want to think about it anymore.
What if Baekhyun and Yuan are thankful people? Nothing wrong with that, right? So why is Chanyeol still thinking about it as it matters?
He sighs and goes back to his room where his table is. The table is big enough to fit his computer and he installed a shelf on top of it where he can store his books and some of the folders containing files. He replaced the mattress with a softer one, changed the curtains to heavier ones to block the light in the bedroom but the curtains in the living room are light so the sun can shine through.
Overall, his apartment is looking cozy and clean. The space is tight but it’s fine, it’s only him in this apartment so…
He goes back to his room and sits down on the chair, reading and answering each email there is until all of it is gone. Chanyeol then frowns when he notices that it’s already dark outside and when he checked the time, it’s already dinner. He didn’t know that he’s been working for hours now. He stands up again and then goes to the kitchen to look for something to eat.
He’s not in the mood to cook anything hard or try out new recipes… Chanyeol is not a great cook and he wants to learn about it but he’s really unmotivated to do it when all the outcomes of his practices get worse each time.
Chanyeol grabbed some chicken in the freezer and chopped them while boiling water for the pasta that he’s gonna make. He saw this recipe from the internet and the video made it look so easy so he’s gonna try it out. In the video, they only used a few ingredients so when it turns out bad, Chanyeol at least didn’t waste a lot of ingredients.
He cooked the sauce which tasted good after a few adjustments in the spices, took out the pasta, and then mixed them together, cursing himself because the recipe said that it’s good for four people… He lives alone and he doesn’t want to eat this again in the morning…
Maybe Baekhyun and Yuan would want some because it will be a waste if no one would eat it. After getting a portion of the pasta and eating it, Chanyeol placed the dirty dishes in the sink while putting the rest of the pasta on a nicer plate.
He should have at least checked the yield first before doing this because if Baekhyun and Yuan don’t want it - then Chanyeol will probably just keep it in the fridge until it’s spoiled.
The apartment next to him is empty and that’s probably because Baekhyun goes home at around 7:30, from what he could tell yesterday. Chanyeol waited around in the living room, watching some TV while he’s at it.
At around 7:30, Chanyeol goes out to the hallway - playing with his phone while waiting for the two to come home so he could give the food.
And Chanyeol wasn’t wrong because, at around 7:35, he could hear the familiar voice of the omega and the familiar cries of the kid.
“Yuan… Baby, it’s fine… Stop crying now.” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol sees him going up the stairs with difficulty because one hand is on the railing while his other arm is carrying Yuan who is crying really hard.
“Baekhyun? What’s wrong?” Chanyeol walks closer to them and Baekhyun huffs, trying to get Yuan to stop crying.
“I-I… I bought him a toy this morning but in the car, it got stuck on the door and he pulled it… It’s broken now and he won’t stop crying. He didn’t get to nap earlier too…” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol could see how tired he is. Coming from a long day at work with your son, the toy you bought earlier is now destroyed, you and your son are hungry and he won’t stop crying.
Baekhyun looks like he’s about to cry so Chnayeol pushes every single thought away and asked, “Can I carry him?”
Baekhyun was surprised at that, “C-Chanyeol… He’ll cry even more - he’s not really good with people-”
“I will scent him.” Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol. An alpha’s scent is really calming and if he does that to Yuan, then the child will definitely stop crying but Baekhyun is contemplating whether he should let Chanyeol hold Yuan.
Baekhyun, who looked like he was out of choice, nods his head and hands Yuan over. The kid started crying even more because he doesn’t like Chanyeol. He tried pulling away from him, kicking and throwing a tantrum but Chanyeol grabbed a hold of his arms and legs and started releasing his pheromones in the air. Slowly but surely, Yuan stops crying, knowing that he can’t do anything and that his mother is just in front of him and staring at him. His mother is not going anywhere and that comforted Yuan even though he’s in the arms of another person - but truthfully, it was Chanyeol’s scent that took over the tensed air, and relaxes the kid down. Even Baekhyun is affected by it because Chanyeol released his scent in the air and Baekhyun feels like his mind is a little clearer.
Once Yuan has stopped crying, Chanyeol immediately returned Yuan to his mother. Yuan wraps his arms around Baekhyun’s neck and presses his face on his shoulder, his cries turning into sniffles.
“Chanyeol… I - thank you. Today was a bad day for us but you made it a little better. Thank you…” There is Baekhyun again, saying thank you over and over while looking sincere and really thankful.
“It’s nothing, Baekhyun. I only calmed him down so he would listen to you…”
Baekhyun hums, “Yuan… It’s only a toy, okay? Mama will buy you another one when I get my pay…”
Sleepily, the child nods once and closes his eyes…
Baekhyun sighs when Yuan falls asleep. “He’s finally sleeping… I didn’t know what to do earlier, thank you.”
Chanyeol’s mind is once again taken over by the thoughts of Baekhyun repeating his gratitude over and over again - because of just one single deed.
“Have you guys eaten?”
Baekhyun shakes his head, “I was gonna cook… But since Yuan is asleep, I’ll probably clean up a little before cooking…”
“I made some dinner but I made too much. Wait here and I’ll go get it.” Before Baekhyun could even protest, Chanyeol is going inside his apartment to grab the plate filled with pasta.
“I’ll bring it inside since your hands are full…” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun nods, opening the door with his key. But Chanyeol noticed that the knob doesn’t lock fully and if someone is to tug at it really hard - the door will open… Nonetheless, he goes inside the apartment that looks similar to his - but the inside is more filled and cluttered because of Yuan’s things.
“You can just put it on the table, Chanyeol… I’ll just put Yuan to bed,” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol watches as he goes inside the bedroom to lay Yuan down on the mattress gently. He goes out of the room and sees the pasta that Chanyeol made.
“This looks delicious… You’re our savior today.” Baekhyun says. “I- wait, do you want anything to drink? I don’t have a lot to offer but-”
“It’s okay, Baekhyun… I have lots of drinks in my fridge. Go take a seat and eat, you look tired.” Baekhyun chuckles at that and runs a hand through his hair before sighing.
“Well, I am tired… Thank you for this dinner. I’ll make some for you too when I got the time to make proper food…”
“No problem… I’ll go back now since I’m working.”
“Y-Yeah, sure… Thanks again,” Baekhyun waves at Chanyeol and the alpha goes back to his apartment.
Baekhyun looks at the door that Chanyeol closed behind him. And he couldn’t help but think that the emotionless alpha is such a kind man.
Baekhyun is glad that it’s Saturday today. He feels like he’s gonna pass out from how tired he is. Last night, Yuan woke up and cried again, apologizing to his mother for destroying the toy and Baekhyun couldn’t go back to sleep right after that. Yuan asked him again and again if he wouldn’t get mad at him and Baekhyun repeated it until the kid understood that he will never be mad about an accident.
It happened before when Jinho bought Yuan a toy and Yuan didn’t mean to break it… Jinho got mad at him and yelled at him - Baekhyun was so angry at Jinho because the kid didn’t know any better. He’s just a year old back then so how would he have known that the toy is broken? That’s why Yuan is always saying sorry even though he didn’t mean to do it. The toy got stuck and Baekhyun is even thankful that it wasn’t Yuan’s arm or anything…
When Yuan went back to sleep, Baekhyun stayed up looking after him until he eventually fell asleep at 5 AM.
Now, Yuan woke him up at around nine, telling him that it’s already morning. Baekhyun gets up after that and makes a quick breakfast for Yuan. He doesn’t feel like eating so while Yuan is watching some TV and eating, Baekhyun is cleaning the apartment. He opened the curtains and started vacuuming… After that, he washed some dishes and cleaned the clutter in the living room before changing the sheets in the bedroom.
He chucked all of the dirty clothes in the hamper and dressed Yuan to go outside. They’re gonna do the laundry today and then go back home to spend some time with each other. Since Baekhyun didn’t get to teach Yuan about the new book that he bought for him, he’ll try to teach him about it when they get home.
“Mama where going?” Yuan asks, finishing his milk.
“Laundry, love… Dino needs to be washed too.” Baekhyun says and Yuan bites his lip, looking at Dino who’s supposed to be lime green in color but now, is a darker green.
“Mama…” Yuan holds the hem of Baekhyun’s shirt.
“Yes?”
“Dino no broken in twistie?” Baekhyun slightly chuckles at the term that Yuan used for the washing machine. He always called it “twistie” because he can see that the clothes inside the washing machine are twisting around.
“Dino will be fine, Yuan…” Baekhyun says and puts on a thin jacket before helping Yuan put on his shoes. The kid is still having trouble determining the left shoe from his right shoe so Baekhyun does it for him. When they got out of the room, Baekhyun huffs at the broken doorknob. He tried fixing it a week ago but it’s still not locking properly. Although there’s really nothing to steal inside, someone could still come in while they’re sleeping.
Baekhyun should replace them as soon as possible.
“Yuan, wait here for Mama,” Baekhyun says and Yuan nods, waiting at the top of the stairs. The omega takes the laundry basket filled with heavy and dirty clothes, taking it down the stairs since he can’t carry it and hold Yuan at the same time.
While waiting for his mother to come back, Yuan tried to go down on the stairs on his own - holding onto the railing but Chanyeol sees him. The alpha is going out to go to the market since he forgot to buy some milk. He doesn’t have a habit of writing down what he needs to buy so he just grabs what he sees in the market, and he completely forgot about the milk.
“Hey, kid. Where’s your mom?” Chanyeol asks and the young alpha looks frightened when he sees him. In a panic, Yuan tried going down the stairs even more so Chanyeol quickly rushes forward and holds him by the back of his shirt.
“Yuan?” He hears Baekhyun’s voice downstairs and after a few seconds, the omega appears. “Chanyeol, good morning.”
“Good morning. This little one’s trying to come down the stairs without you.” Chanyeol says and lets go of the back of his shirt. Chanyeol doesn’t know why the kid is so afraid of him. He doesn’t give off the attitude or the aura that he’s gonna hurt him or scare him - and yet he and his mother is always so jumpy and fidgety around him.
“Yuan… What did I say about going down the stairs on your own? The stairs are steep so you’ll hurt yourself. Don’t do this again, okay?” Baekhyun says and takes Yuan’s hand. “Thank you for holding him back, Chanyeol.” The omega smiles up at him and Chanyeol only nods once.
“Are you two heading off somewhere?” Chanyeol asks, going down the stairs too.
“Ah yes, we’re gonna do the laundry,” Baekhyun says and the three of them head down the stairs.
“The laundry shop is a few blocks away from here, are you gonna take your car with you?”
Baekhyun shakes his head, “Yuan and I always walk to the laundry shop since it’s still early…” Chanyeol eyes the laundry basket that’s filled to the brim with dirty clothes. He grabs the handle and lifts it once.
“This is heavy. You’re gonna carry this to the laundry shop?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun nods his head. “I usually have the one with the wheel but the wheel gave out last week so I’m gonna carry this today,” Baekhyun says with a little smile, and Chanyeol hums.
“Wait for me, I’ll just take my car out and I’ll drop you guys off to the shop-”
“Ahh, there’s n-no need for that. W-We can go on our own and besides this isn’t that heavy-” Baekhyun lifted the basket and Chanyeol isn’t convinced since he had to carry it with two hands.
“It’s okay, omega… I am headed to the market anyway. I forgot to buy something so it’s not a big deal.” Chanyeol says and then goes to take out his car. Baekhyun could only watch him and then crouches down to face Yuan.
“Yuan… Don’t go down the stairs on your own again, okay? Not until you’re older… Good thing Mr. Chanyeol saw you.” Baekhyun says and his kid looks down on his feet, nodding while his bottom lip is jutted out. The omega kisses him on the forehead before standing up, seeing an expensive-looking car in front of them. Chanyeol goes out and opened the back door, carrying the laundry basket and putting it inside the car.
Chanyeol shuts the door and opens the passenger one for Baekhyun. The omega takes a seat and puts Yuan on his lap. It’s only a less than a five-minute drive to the laundry shop so it shouldn’t be a problem…
“You’re not working today?” Chanyeol asks as he starts the car again, slowly driving since Baekhyun and Yuan are in the front seat. He insisted on driving them but forgot that Yuan is two years old and needs a child seat.
“No, I don’t work on weekends. By the way… You mentioned last night that you are working? What do you do?” Baekhyun asks, holding Yuan firmly.
“I’m a corporate employee but I work from home.” Chanyeol answers and Baekhyun blinks, nodding his head right after. It would be nice if he could work from home too, at least he’ll get to keep an eye on Yuan while he’s working.
“I wonder how you can keep your focus while working… The neighborhood isn’t the most peaceful one.”
Chanyeol hums, “I just close the windows every time it would get loud. Ah - the pasta last night, was it any good? I don’t cook a lot so I don’t know if it’s up to your standards.” Chanyeol asks, glancing at the kid on Baekhyun’s lap - noticing how behaved he is. Usually, kids will be playful or will try to get out of their seat but he looks like he’s comfortable in Baekhyun’s lap.
“The pasta was delicious and it was the best meal we had in a while… Right, Yuan? My baby ate a lot last night.” Baekhyun says and nudges Yuan who only nods.
“That won’t do… Yuan, what do we say to Chanyeol?” Baekhyun says and Yuan glances up at Chanyeol like a little puppy before muttering a small, “Thank you…”
Chanyeol’s heart slightly warms at that and he hums, “You’re welcome. Baekhyun, let me know if you want more… I’ll cook.” Chanyeol says, stopping in front of the laundry shop. Baekhyun removes his seatbelt, “It’s okay, Chanyeol! I’ll cook next time and give you some. Thank you for dropping us off.” Baekhyun says and opens the door, carrying Yuan down the car. The tall alpha got off of the car too and carried the laundry basket up to the front of the shop.
“Thank you, truly… It’s good to finally have a nice neighbor around. It’s been too quiet with only Yuan and me.” Baekhyun smiles at Chanyeol who shakes his head. “Please do not keep on thanking me, omega. I’m not going out of my way for you and Yuan.”
Baekhyun blushes a little and shakes his hands in front of his chest. “Still, I don’t want to keep on troubling you. You said you’re working and Yuan probably bothers you when he cries…” The omega answers.
/It’s your cries that keep me up at night./
Chanyeol wonders how Baekhyun does it. He could hear him crying at night. He heard him cry twice now and he always sounds like he’s tired and frustrated and Chanyeol wants to comfort him but he knows the omega will probably feel embarrassed when he does that… He hears him cry and yet the next day, he smiles at Chanyeol like everything is okay. He talks to his kid like everything is doing well.
How is he keeping all of that sadness and frustration all to himself? Chanyeol doesn’t really know… Because he’s the type of person who expresses his frustration to someone else, like Kyυngsoo and Sehυn… He never keeps it to himself because he doesn’t like bottling feelings up. Now, Chanyeol doesn’t know if Baekhyun has a friend that he tells his problems too but he hopes he has one because it will definitely drag him down if he’s only keeping everything to himself.
“I can hear him sometimes, but he’s quick to stop crying. It’s normal so don’t even bother apologizing.”
Baekhyun chuckles dryly, scratching at the back of his neck. “How’d you know I was gonna apologize? Anyway… We’re gonna come inside now. Thank you for dropping us off, again.” Baekhyun says and then lifts the heavy basket and carries it inside, waving at Chanyeol one more time before turning around.
Chanyeol turns around too and then goes back to his car, sitting there for a few moments to think about what he said.
He really told Baekhyun that he’ll cook when the omega asks him to?
Chanyeol sighs, “What am I even doing…”
With that, he goes to the market.
—-------
Chanyeol thinks he’s a fool. He told himself that when he moves out, he’ll stop being kind to people who aren’t worth his kindness. But at the same time, Baekhyun and Yuan are kind people too who are just struggling to give back.
Unlike Chanyeol who is being kind through material things - Baekhyun and Yuan are kind with their words. They always express their gratitude - that’s something they never fail to do and Chanyeol noticed that for the past few days that he’s been here.
They’re just a sweet family of two and although Chanyeol doesn’t want to keep on being kind to them because people tend to abuse his kindness as time passes by - he also can’t help himself.
If he stops being kind to Baekhyun and Yuan, the mother and son pair would probably be sad that their neighbor is an intimidating alpha with a cold demeanor. And he doesn’t want to be mean to them too since they’re really nice.
He glances at the three items on the back of his car that weren’t on the list of what he had to buy.
He sighs at himself before driving back home.
Chanyeol carries the bag filled with the things he bought today and slowly comes up the stairs, hearing Baekhyun’s voice in the hallway. It seems like he’s talking to someone on the phone.
“I have no idea if it’s affecting Chanyeol’s apartment too… But ours is almost flooded.” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol frowns.
“The wall is leaking water and our bed and dresser are completely drenched… Can we take a look at this today?” Baekhyun asks and Chanyeol walks up to him. The omega glances up at him and he looks like he’s about to cry again. Yuan is sitting on the couch, watching some TV so Chanyeol goes to his apartment first to put everything he bought to their respective places.
When he comes out again, Baekhyun just finished talking to the person in the phone.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun shakes his head.
“The wall… I think there’s a pipe problem and now our bed is really drenched. The dresser is wet too, our clothes… Everything in the bedroom is wet.” Baekhyun says.
“Mine isn’t affected… Can I take a look inside?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun nods his head. The alpha walks inside the apartment and takes a look at the place. There’s water everywhere and the bed that is up against the wall, as well as the dresser, is drenched.
“When did the landlord say he’ll have someone take a look at this?” Chanyeol asks. “He said he’ll try today but I’m sure it wouldn’t be fixed right away.”
Baekhyun’s day started off really nice and it just had to come to this. He thought of sleeping over in Jongdae’s house but he remembered that he recently got a roommate so he and his son can’t squeeze in there. They would probably sleep in the living room… With Yuan on the couch and Baekhyun on the floor. If the mattress could dry today, then he could place it in the living room…
“Let’s take the mattress out to the balcony so it could dry a bit,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun thought about that too so he helped Chanyeol who did most of it since the mattress is heavy… They took it out to the balcony to dry it and then Baekhyun goes to the dresser, taking out their wet clothes from the dresser, and put them in the basket.
“Where are you and Yuan gonna sleep?”
“I- I haven’t decided yet. I can’t sleepover at my friend’s house since he has a roommate now. We’ll probably sleep in the living room. Yuan can sleep on the couch and I’ll probably sleep on the floor. Hopefully, the mattress dries before nighttime - so we could put it down on the floor until everything is fixed. Ah, the clothes are wet, I should bring them to the dryer.” Baekhyun says, looking out of it.
“Omega, you should eat first. Have you even eaten breakfast?” Baekhyun looks at his watch and sighs, “I didn’t know that it’s already afternoon… I’ll make some lunch first.”
Baekhyun went to the kitchen and opened the fridge, making some quick sandwiches for Chanyeol too. He’s a bit embarrassed that he can’t make something better but there’s not a lot of food in the fridge and he needs to go back to the laundry shop again to load the wet clothes in the washing machine.
“You guys should spend the night at mine for the meantime, at least until the situation gets better,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun turns to him, shaking his head.
“That would be too much, Chanyeol. You already did too much for us - we’re gonna stay in the living room-”
“My couch is a sofa bed, I could sleep in there while you two take the bed. The living room is cold at night and sleeping on the floor will be bad for you.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun sighs, “And you’re telling me that you’ll sleep in the living room instead?”
“I have many blankets and I am an alpha. I don’t get cold easily. Baekhyun, it’s okay with me if you spend a night or two in the apartment. It’s not really a bother to me and the situation couldn’t be helped. Please take up the offer. What if the leak gets worse? It could flood the living room too…”
Baekhyun stops to think about it. The alpha is insisting on letting them stay. It’s not like his apartment is far away, it’s literally a few steps from theirs. If he needs anything, it’s just next door. Not only that but the living room is indeed cold in the night - their blankets are wet so sleeping over at Chanyeol’s is the best idea at the moment.
“I- yeah okay, thank you…” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol shakes his head.
“It’s nothing-”
“No, it’s everything at the moment… Thank you,”
To be treated like his kindness is everything and not something to abuse - that’s what Chanyeol ever asked for.
Baekhyun and Yuan are dressed in their pajamas while sitting down on the couch of Chanyeol’s apartment. The TV is on and Yuan is engrossed with the show while Baekhyun is folding their clothes. All of their clothes are thankfully dried but the mattress is still wet so they can’t use it anyway. Baekhyun volunteered to cook for the three of them since they’re gonna bother Chanyeol in his home for the night and he’s even gonna sleep in the living room just so Baekhyun and Yuan could sleep on the bed.
Chanyeol’s house is cleaner, maybe because he just moved in… But everything inside is new and Baekhyun feels bad for staying here for the night at Chanyeol’s first week of staying here.
Since it’s still early, Chanyeol said he’ll just send a few emails while Baekhyun and Yuan are in the living room. Chanyeol sent the last email he needed to send and then sees the items he bought earlier on the corner of the room.
He picks the bag and then goes to the living room where the pair is.
“Baekhyun, we’re you able to fix the broken stuffed toy?” Chanyeol suddenly asks, sitting down on the dining chair. The omega frowns at the random question but shakes his head, glancing at Chanyeol right after.
“I threw it away because it beyond saving… Why’d you ask?”
“I saw this when I was about to go home earlier. I think this is the same one that you bought?” Chanyeol asks and pulls the same stuffed tiger from the bag. Yuan’s eyes brightened at the toy and his attention left the show that’s playing on the television.
“Chanyeol… Y-You didn’t have to -”
“It’s okay, omega… I know that Yuan liked it and was upset when it was broken.” Chanyeol says. Baekhyun bites his lip and feels his heart rapidly beating. He doesn’t know why Chanyeol is being so kind to him… The broken toy is really none of his concern and yet here he is, giving Yuan a new one since the kid was upset about it. Admittedly, Baekhyun was upset about it too since he worked overtime for the toy, but still - it was not Yuan’s fault or anyone…
“Yuan? Mr. Chanyeol has something to give you… Can you go up to him?” Baekhyun asks and Yuan looks at him, hesitant. He’s still not comfortable with Chanyeol but it’s getting better a little…
“It’s okay, baby… He’s not a bad man.” Chanyeol eyes Baekhyun who is looking at his son. The omega is right, he’s not a bad man - and yet the omega himself is slightly aloof.
Yuan slowly takes little steps towards Chanyeol and then looks up at him… Chanyeol grabs the stuffed animal and gives it to the kid. Yuan takes it and then fidgets, still standing in front of him but not saying anything.
“Thank you for tiger…” He says in a small voice before running towards Baekhyun and burying his face on Baekhyun’s chest. Chanyeol hums, “You’re welcome. Also, Baekhyun - your door isn’t locking properly.” The man says and Baekhyun opens his mouth to speak but no words came out for a moment.
“A- How’d you know?”
“I noticed last night… I’ll go check it tomorrow if it’s fine with you. The neighborhood isn’t that friendly, you know.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun feels a little embarrassed that the alpha noticed it. He feels like Chanyeol knows everything at this point but he’s thankful that the alpha is even thinking about their safety.
“I should be the one asking if it’s fine with you. Y-You’re our neighbor but you keep on doing things for us… I feel embarrassed now because of how much we owe you - and you haven’t even been here for a week.” Baekhyun looks down on his son who pulled away and takes a seat right beside Baekhyun, playing with the tiger toy.
“You don’t owe me anything, I volunteer to do it…” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun huffs, shrugging. “I mean I guess.”
It was quiet for a few seconds and then Chanyeol looks at the time. “It’s already 9 in the evening, what time is Yuan’s bedtime?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun looks at the wall clock, blinking.
“Oh no, I didn’t think it’s already a little late… I should put Yuan to bed.” Baekhyun stands up from the couch and grabs the unfolded clothes, putting all of them inside the basket before putting them to the side so that they’re not in the way. Chanyeol unfolded the sofa bed too and grabs some blankets and his extra pillows from the bedroom before laying them down on the surface.
“Chanyeol… Is it really okay? I mean, Yuan and I can fit in the sofa bed-”
“The heater is in the bedroom so it’s much warmer there… Please, just take the bed.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun looks down, nodding. Yuan takes his tiger and then looks at his mom. “Mama… Why no in ‘r bed?”
“Our bed is wet, sweetie. We have to let everything dry first before we sleep there.” Baekhyun nudges Yuan inside the bedroom and puts him to bed. Yuan holds the tiger to his chest as he listens to his mother tell a fable that he just made up inside his head.
Soon enough, since it’s already late, Yuan is fast asleep. Baekhyun on the other hand is wide awake.
Everything smells like Chanyeol. The pillowcase, the blanket, the bedsheets - his scent is overwhelming but in a good way. Chanyeol’s scent, although it’s strong, is comforting. He made Yuan stop crying in a matter of seconds because his scent just takes their senses away. And for some odd reasons, it makes Baekhyun feel secured and safe.
If he pulls the blanket up, it would feel like the alpha is surrounding him and that makes him feel like Chanyeol is protecting them. He hates himself for thinking that way because the alpha is just being nice and there’s no need for him to think more about Chanyeol’s actions. He’s just doing this for a friend, and not for his omega because Baekhyun is definitely not his omega.
Baekhyun is sure that Chanyeol probably has someone… Maybe they’re beautiful and kind too. The alpha is handsome, tall, generous, and appealing - it would be a surprise if he does not have an omega or at least a significant other. Baekhyun just knows that whoever it is, must be very lucky to have someone like Chanyeol.
He huffs at himself for thinking of that. There’s no need for him to pry or think about Chanyeol’s private life - it’s really none of his business.
Seconds turn to minutes and minutes turned to hours - Baekhyun can’t still sleep. His son is already deep in his dreams and Chanyeol is probably sleeping too. But since he can’t sleep, he should just finish what he was folding earlier. He slowly opens the door and peeked his head outside, he feels embarrassed when he saw Chanyeol looking at him from the couch. The alpha is still reading a book and he feels dumb for trying to sneak.
“I-I uhm, I was gonna get the laundry to fold it.”
“You’re not sleepy yet?”
“Uh yeah…” Baekhyun says and stands up straight.
“You can fold the clothes here if you want,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun nods his head, dragging the laundry basket before sitting down on the couch in front of Chanyeol, taking out the unfolded clothes and doing them.
“Yuan is asleep?” Chanyeol asks, flipping to the next page of his book that Baekhyun didn’t see the title of.
“Yes, the moment he lied down. I think it’s your scent again.” Baekhyun hums, slowly folding the clothes. The quietness in the air is comfortable and serene… Baekhyun could hear the scent diffuser at the back as well as the sound of Chanyeol’s fingers on the pages of the paper. For once, it was quiet in the neighborhood.
“I’ve been told that my scent works better than melatonin,” Chanyeol says as a joke and Baekhyun chuckles a little before nodding. “It really is. But tonight, I think the coffee I drank earlier is still working.” The omega clears his throat before continuing.
“Chanyeol, if you don’t mind me asking… Do you have an omega?” Baekhyun asks and glances up at Chanyeol who shakes his head.
“I don’t. And I’m also not looking as of the moment… Why do you ask?” The alpha says and Baekhyun shakes his head. He doesn’t know why but he feels a strange disappointment in his heart when Chanyeol said that he isn’t looking to date anyone. It’s not like Baekhyun wants to date again too.
“Nothing - I was just curious. But I think whoever will be your omega or your partner, will be really lucky to have such a kind alpha like you.” Baekhyun says, folding Yuan’s small shirt. The alpha is just looking at Baekhyun, trying to process what he said.
“Why do you think so?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun looks up a little before clearing his throat and fidgeting a little. He flushes a little while folding the clothes, “W-Well… I think you’re selfless. I mean, if it was someone else - I don’t think they’d let their less-than-a-week neighbor sleep in their home even if the situation is dire. But you did… Not only that, you did a lot of things for the past few days too. You stopped Yuan from crying, you helped us with the laundry, you gave Yuan a toy, you helped dry our bedroom a little and you’re even letting us sleep here. All of that in less than a week? I think you’re really a savior.”
“But they are only small things, omega.”
Baekhyun wants to squirm. There’s just something about Chanyeol’s deep voice calling him “omega” that’s making his stomach clench and his heart race. It’s not really uncommon to be called like that but the emotionless alpha makes him feel weird things.
“They’re still bits of your kindness. If you weren’t selfless, we wouldn’t be here.” Baekhyun says.
Chanyeol makes a noise, closing his book before putting it on the coffee table. “It’s a shame that there are not a lot of little kids in this area. Yuan would at least have friends that he can play with, no?” The alpha mutters, changing the subject.
Baekhyun nods, “Yeah, I wish there were more kids too but of course, this place isn’t the nicest so I’m sure not a lot of parents want to raise their kids here… Besides, Yuan is scared too.” The omega says, feeling a little sad now that he thought about what happened again.
“Why is Yuan scared?” Chanyeol asks, staring at Baekhyun.
The omega swallows the lump on his throat and he diverts his attention back to the clothes that he was folding. “Yuan’s father is a bad person. It took me every cent to get away from him and take Yuan with me. Although we are still in a difficult situation, it is better than before. Yuan is turning three in a month, and it was the best decision for us to move away - though a little late but better than never.”
“I am glad you got out of that situation, Baekhyun. You are a very strong omega.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun opens his mouth to protest but he just closes it again.
“Thank you, Chanyeol.”
“No, thank you for telling me. I’m sure it’s not that easy to tell but you still did.” Baekhyun folds the shirt and then leans back on the couch sighing. It was quiet for a moment but Baekhyun spoke again.
“It’s hard to tell but if someone as kind as you is listening, then it feels better to let it out once in a while.” The omega puts the folded shirt on the laundry basket and stands up. “Anyway, it’s getting late so I should head to sleep. I’m sorry that we’re taking up your bed again…”
Chanyeol doesn’t want to count how many times he heard “I’m sorry” and “Thank you” from Baekhyun today. But he still has something to give to him so he prepares himself to hear another one.
“Baekhyun, before you go to sleep - I bought something for you. I know that it’s not really an ideal gift but I think you’ll appreciate it.” Chanyeol says and then goes to the kitchen, opening the cabinets underneath to pull out a portable laundry hamper and Baekhyun’s hands fly up to his face, causing a chuckle to erupt from Chanyeol’s mouth.
“Wha-”
“You said it was broken so here you go…”
Baekhyun looks at it before looking at Chanyeol, “W-Why-”
“Consider it as a thank you from me,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun frowns, “Thank you for? And this… You already gave Yuan a toy.”
“For welcoming me warmly. It is difficult to find a kind neighbor in this place but you two are very nice to me. So - thank you.”
Today is just filled with gratitude.
And that’s something that doesn’t go missing in the Byun Household.
—------
Yuan gets up from beside his mom and then walks to the door, opening it slightly to peek outside. He could see that Chanyeol is on the kitchen counter and drinking his coffee.
Chanyeol couldn’t help but shake his head. The kid is literally the same as his mother. Last night, Baekhyun was peeking at the door too before stepping out and it’s not like they’re gonna get bitten if they walk straight out of the door.
“Yuan,” Chanyeol calls him, and Yuan yelps, trying to close the door again.
“Your mother is still sleeping, do not bother him.” The alpha says and Yuan is still for a few seconds before he comes out of the door and closes it, sitting on the couch while Chanyeol is by the kitchen counter.
Chanyeol has never been fond of kids, to be honest. He finds them annoying because all they do is cry and whine for everything but Yuan is not like that. Yuan is actually well-behaved and although he cries, he’s quick to stop crying when comforted by his mother.
“G-Good morning,” The kid greets, not staring at Chanyeol and he couldn’t pronounce the “r” properly yet and it’s probably because he’s just about to turn 3.
“Thank you for your polite manners. Good morning too.” Chanyeol says, surprised that the kid greeted him. He thought that he would just stay quiet until Baekhyun wakes up.
“Your mother is tired and he needs to sleep more.” The taller alpha says, sipping on his coffee. He wants to prepare breakfast but he doesn’t know if Baekhyun or Yuan wants anything specifically.
“Mama tired?” Yuan asks.
“Yes, he could not sleep properly. It will be better if you can help me prepare breakfast for him.” Chanyeol mutters and Yuan looks confused for a few seconds, not really knowing how to “help” prepare breakfast for his mother.
“Y-Yuan ‘ant cook…”
“Then can you tell me what your mother eats for breakfast?” Chanyeol stands up from the stool, going to the fridge to see if he has the food that Yuan will say.
“Mama eats box…” Yuan says and that made Chanyeol frown. “Your mother eats box?”
Yuan then pointed at the cereal box on the counter that Chanyeol hasn’t put back in the cupboard yet. He closes his eyes, not sure how he’s handling Yuan. He has no experience with children whatsoever, he hasn’t even babysat his whole life so talking to a kid who could barely make out the idea he wants to say is kind of stressful to him.
“Your mother doesn’t eat boxes. He eats “cereal”.” Chanyeol takes out the bag from inside the box. “This is a box and this is cereal, your mother doesn’t eat this.” The alpha says and shakes the box.
And eating only cereal for breakfast isn’t that filling since it’s that healthy compared to eating a full breakfast with proteins and proper nutrients.
“Mama eats ce’al…”
“It’s cereal, Yuan.”
“Ce’al.”
Chanyeol didn’t say anything and starts cooking up some eggs and bacon. He doesn’t know if Baekhyun would want to eat it but if he wakes up hungry, then he should eat something like this and not a bowl of cereal only. He could hear Yuan going back to the bedroom and then after a few moments, he comes back - taking a seat on the couch again but this time, with the toy that Chanyeol got for him.
“Mister… Can Yuan call mister, “Mister Tiger?” Chanyeol turns around with a frown.
“Why “Mister Tiger”? You can just call me Chanyeol.”
“But mister gave Yuan ti’er…” Yuan says and Chanyeol looks at the kid who is hopefully looking at him while holding the toy tight to his chest like he treasures it really well.
“Suit yourself, little alpha.”
Chanyeol may not be good with kids, but Yuan is too adorable to ignore.
Thankfully, the broken pipe was fixed in the morning and everything dried up. The mattress is usable again since it’s dry and Baekhyun and Yuan can get out of Chanyeol’s hair. They thanked Chanyeol again before going back to their apartment but the alpha also fixed their doorknob, replacing it with a new one that he said he has lying around the house. Baekhyun doesn’t think it’s just “lying around the house”, he thinks Chanyeol bought a new one for them but he didn’t question it anymore since Chanyeol is already kind and humble enough.
“Mama…” Yuan says and tugs at Baekhyun’s pants. The omega who’s in the kitchen looks down at his son and stops what he’s doing. “Yes, baby?”
“Can Yuan have eggie?” Yuan asks his hand on Baekhyun’s pants and the other holding the tiger that Chanyeol gave to him.
“Of course, darling. Mama will cook them for you.” Baekhyun says, smiling at his son who’s always so polite. “Thank Mama.” He says.
When he says that, Baekhyun will have to go down so Yuan can kiss him on the cheek because that’s what Yuan means when he says “thank mama”. He bends down and the kid kisses him on the cheek before waddling over to the couch where he was watching the TV.
Baekhyun boiled some eggs for Yuan while he’s cooking the chicken. He wonders if Chanyeol would want some too, but since Chanyeol has been so nice to them - he cooked more to give to him later. Since the chicken was easy to cook, Baekhyun finished it in no time. He put some of the rice he cooked, some side dishes, and then chicken before preparing Yuan’s food. He sliced up the eggs and put them on Yuan’s plate along with the chicken and rice.
“Yuan, Mama will just give this to Chanyeol,” Baekhyun says and gives Yuan his plate along with a glass of apple juice.
Yuan looks up at him worriedly, “Mama…”
“Baby, I’ll be back right away. Do you want to see Mama on the door?” Baekhyun asks and Yuan nods. Baekhyun hums and takes the plate and the glass, putting it on the small coffee table before getting Chanyeol’s meal on the counter. They walked to the door and Baekhyun goes out of the door while Yuan stands in front of it, waiting for his mother to come back.
Baekhyun knocks on the door and waits for Chanyeol to come out. A few moments later, the alpha comes out with a confused look on his face.
“Baekhyun? What’s wrong?”
Baekhyun quickly shakes his head. “No, uhm - I wanted to give you this. I don’t know if you had dinner yet, but I made you some dinner in case you haven’t yet. If you want more, then there’s more in the kitchen.”
Chanyeol takes the food, “This looks delicious, Baekhyun. Thank you.” He says and looks over at Yuan who is waiting for his mother.
“Yuan, I’m not gonna disappear with your mother.” He says kiddingly but the child hid behind the door, making Baekhyun chuckle. “I think he has to make sure that I come back right away.” Baekhyun says, “Well, I got to go since we’re gonna eat too… Do you want to come to eat with us?” Baekhyun asks.
Chanyeol thought about it. If he says no, then he’s gonna eat in front of his computer while reading never-ending emails. If he says yes, then he will eat his dinner peacefully, surrounded by nice people and the cartoon noises on the TV as their background.
“If you’ll have me,”
“Of course… Come on,” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol comes inside their home while Yuan goes to his seat on the couch. He always likes to eat in front of the TV while Baekhyun will take a seat on the dining chair, watching over his son.
“The door’s working properly now, thanks to you,” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol tried twisting the knob again and locking it, seeing that’s it locking perfectly now.
“No problem. You need to be extra secured. You should even put a chain on the door for extra protection… I’m sure you know how bad people can be.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun nods. “I’ll get it tomorrow.”
Both of them ate their dinner and the alpha complimented him for his cooking.
“This tastes great, Baekhyun…” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun flushes a little. “I-It’s just a simple recipe, it’s foolproof.”
“I do not think so. I failed to cook the simplest recipe on the internet, I really do not know how to cook well.” Chanyeol says, eating his food well. Baekhyun is just glad that he likes it because no one really eats his food except Yuan and him and it always tastes the same.
“I’m sure you’re gonna do better next time. The pasta you gave us the other night was very delicious and Yuan even asked for more.” Baekhyun answers, taking a bite of his food.
“I’m glad you found it appetizing.” They talked for a bit more until Chanyeol finished his food and volunteered to do the dishes. Baekhyun was quick to push him gently and tell him that it’s okay since Baekhyun is used to washing the dishes.
“Please, Chanyeol… It’s fine-” Baekhyun says, chuckling a little when the alpha kept on insisting to wash it.
“But I should clean up after myself-”
“You are a welcomed guest, and it’s just an extra plate. Please…” Since the omega insisted, Chanyeol gave up and told Baekhyun that he had to go back to his apartment. He still has to finish a lot of things for the office so he had to head back as soon as he can.
“Thank you for the meal, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun smiles kindly at him. “You’re welcome… Yuan, come here and say goodnight to Chanyeol.”
The kid slowly stands up, putting his food to the side before walking over to his mom and once again hiding behind his legs.
“Goodnight, Mister Tiger.” The kid says and Chanyeol reaches towards him, ruffling his hair.
“Goodnight Yuan,” Chanyeol mutters and looks at Baekhyun. “Goodnight, Chanyeol. Thank you for today.” He says and involuntarily, the alpha’s hand travel from Yuan’s head to Baekhyun’s hair, ruffling it softly. The omega was surprised and turned red - even Chanyeol is surprised at his own actions because he didn’t know why he did that.
“Goodnight, Baekhyun.” Chanyeol didn’t dwell with it further as he walks out of the door. It’s just a habit of his, he thinks. Baekhyun was left, blushing like crazy. He doesn’t know why Chanyeol’s affirmation means a lot to him but he’s happy that he got it - it makes him feel like he did great today.
“Mama… Yuan bath.”
Baekhyun snaps out of his thoughts and looks at his child. “Okay, let’s take a bath now.”
—------
Chanyeol dries his body with the towel before getting some clothes from his closet. He puts the clean clothes on and then grabs the book he was reading. He stayed on the couch for an hour, reading the book until he felt sleepy. He closes it and looks at the time. It’s almost twelve in the morning and he usually hears Baekhyun crying during this time but it seems like everything is peaceful tonight.
He lays down on the bed and then pulls up the blanket to his chest.
Chanyeol may not be up tonight because of Baekhyun’s cries but he’s still up because the omega’s scent is all over his pillow.
Since their pillows last night were still wet, they used Chanyeol’s while Chanyeol used a new one.
He remembered the omega using it last night while Yuan is using the other one.
His scent is really sweet. He smells like grapefruit with a hint of floral scent and Chanyeol could smell it all over the bed. He raises the blanket up to his nose and it smells like him too.
Baekhyun’s scent is similar to candy and Chanyeol can’t help but chuckle. He closes his eyes and covers his face with the pillow, probably suffocating himself with the omega’s sweet scent.
It’s oddly comforting and cozy, Chanyeol can’t help but like it.
—-------
Chanyeol woke up to the sound of the alarm blaring and he immediately grabs his phone from the nightstand and turns the loud sound off. After that, he looks at the time and then sits up. It’s still a bit early so he’ll relax for a few minutes before doing his routing before work.
He’s in his old house – the big empty one where he stays in for the sake of its distance to his work. If it’s not for that then he would find an apartment near the office and stay there alone.
It’s a few minutes later and Chanyeol’s phone ran. He sees the it’s Meewon. He answers it and pressed the phone against his ear.
“Meewon, good morning.” Chanyeol greets her.
“Chanyeol, good morning… I received the money you sent me yesterday but I forgot to the you that I got it.”
“Why didn’t you say right away? I was afraid that it didn’t go through since it’s a pretty big amount.” Chanyeol says. “I was busy and my phone died. But yeah, I received it. Just wanna tell you that and to eat your breakfast before going to work.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Okay then, I’ll call you when things get better. Bye…”
“Bye, take care and call me when you can,” Chanyeol says and he hears a hum at the other side of the line. After that, the call stopped and he looks at his phone.
Meewon… She is Chanyeol’s fiance and her mother has a chronic disease. Since Meewon is dependent on Chanyeol, she doesn’t have any job and Chanyeol is supporting her mother’s medication and hospital bills. They are expensive but they don’t really case a dent in Chanyeol’s bank account… But it’s been more than a year and her condition is not getting any better.
Meewon has to be with her all the time since no one will take care of her. As much as Chanyeol wants to be with her and makeup with her since they’ve drifted apart… He can’t because he needs to work here while she’s with her in the US.
They’ve drifted apart, terribly. Time differences, lack of communication and all that – Chanyeol wants to do something about it but he can’t do anything.
Meewon is probably tired because she takes care of her mother every single day so Chanyeol doesn’t do anything and just waits for her to call, not wanting to take up too much of her time.
But as month pass by, it’s getting harder and harder for him. He barely talks to Meewon and she just calls him when she needs money and Chanyeol didn’t want to think badly about it but he couldn’t help but think that way…
Kyungsoo comes to him one day and told him about his findings. He sent Kyungsoo to the US, saying that the should take care of Meewon and her mother as a part of his job – since Chanyeol can’t do that himself. He’s the director of the company so he can’t go to the Us – and when Kyungsoo came back… he was bearing bad news.
It seems like Meewon’s mother has been okay for a while now and most of the hospital bills were covered by insurance. Meewon has been taking his kindness for granted and using a big amount of his money for herself and her new lover.
Chanyeol was furious. She took advantage of him and she’s been fooling Chanyeol for too long. The alpha felt stupid for letting the thought go over and over again just because he loves her. Meewon drained every single love that Chanyeol has for her and turned them to hatred.
After that, Meewon came back and tried to make up with Chanyeol but the alpha wasn’t having it. He felt betrayed and he cut off ties with her completely. Chanyeol would have been okay if Meewon broke up with him and say that she doesn’t like him anymore…
Chanyeol would have continued supporting her mother who clueless about everything. The alpha would still pay all the bills but Meewon had to cheat with someone else and use all the money on the wrong things.
A few months after breaking up with her, Chanyeol used some of his time to heal himself. He doesn’t love her anymore, but the bitter feeling of being used was still there.
So Chanyeol decided to go and take a break from everything – working from somewhere they don’t know except Kyungsoo. The board members didn’t like the idea and insisted that Chanyeol stayed but the life in the office is too mundane and it only reminds Chanyeol of himself, working too hard for someone who’s only gonna take advantage of him.
And now he’s all alone, in this one bedroom apartment, trying to get away from reality.
—------
Chanyeol’s body sprung up from his bed and he sighs, rubbing his forehead. It’s the dream again.
He always has dreams of Meewon every now and then and this time, it’s the dream that he found out she was lying to him the whole time. It’s not like he loves her still - it’s just the bitter remnants of their memories playing with Chanyeol’s head all the time. He felt so stupid for trying to continue loving someone who has let go of him and replaced him with someone who was nearer.
Every time he gets that dream, he’s reminded that he shouldn’t let anyone take advantage of him ever again, and maybe…
Maybe he dreamed of it again because he’s being too kind again.
Chanyeol sighs.
He stands up from the bed and then goes to the bathroom, washing his face to try and clear up his mind.
—-----
Baekhyun is making some food for Yuan since he has work today and the child needs to eat before they do their agenda which is to go grocery shopping in the afternoon. It’s a peaceful morning and Baekhyun woke up a little early and got to clean a little. He grabs his phone which is ringing and then answers it, seeing that it was the landlord.
“Hello? Mr. Hwang?” He answers the call.
“Baekhyun, the pipe is fixed now?” The landlord asks and Baekhyun hums, “Yes. It was quickly fixed the next day…”
“Oh then - since there’s no problem anymore, just want to remind you that you are a day late to your due. Supposedly, you needed to pay yesterday but since the pipe was broken - I thought of giving you a day extension. But you need to pay up now since you are a month behind the due.”
Baekhyun stops and looks at the date. He was indeed late for the due date and he cursed himself for forgetting.
“A-Ah, I’m sorry it slipped my mind again… I’ll uhm I’ll drive by your house in a minute and pay.”
“Sure, just don’t forget about it. You’re two months behind the rent so make sure you pay for all of it today.” The landlord says and then ended the call. Baekhyun huffs, sighing. He forgot that he was behind the due so he needs to work more overtime since it will take up the money he saved up again.
He looks at the time and since it’s still a bit early - he could just drive up to the landlord’s house, which is around 10 minute drive away from here… But he would need to wake Yuan up and bring him,
The thing is, Yuan hates the landlord. The old man can be mean with his words and he always make Yuan cry that’s why when Baekhyun is paying, he’ll leave Yuan with Jongdae or inside the car.
Yuan then wakes up and starts looking for his mother. “Mama…”
“Yuan… I’m gonna go to the landlord and pay for our rent today.” Baekhyun says and the kid freezes up. “Mama no go there - old man bad…” Yuan says and Baekhyun shakes his head.
“I have to go there, baby… He’ll kick us out if we don’t pay. Do you want to come with mama?”
The kid quickly shakes his head.
“You can come with mama but just stay in the car…” Baekhyun says. The child shakes his head again and goes back to the bed, starting to cry.
“Mama - Yuan no go there! Mean old man!” He says and Baekhyun closes his eyes.
“We have to, Yuan… W-Wait.”
What if he leaves Yuan with Chanyeol? The alpha may comfort the kid for around half an hour and then Baekhyun will come back right away.
“Do you want to stay with Mister Tiger? Do you see the clock? Mama will come back when the long hand is on thirty…” Baekhyun says and Yuan looks at the time.
“Mama will not take long?” Yuan asks and Baekhyun nods his head, “Yes… Mama will come back right away. Do you want to stay with Chanyeol first?”
Yuan slowly nods. It seems like he has warmed up to Chanyeol and Baekhyun is glad about that.
“Okay… Let me just talk to him.” Baekhyun goes out of their apartment, with Yuan staying on the door again while his mother knocks on Chanyeol’s door.
It took a while for the alpha to come out and when he did, he looked a little frustrated.
“Chanyeol… H-Hi, good morning.”
“Good morning, what’s wrong?” He asks because the omega looked frantic. “Uh… The landlord called and I have to pay our rent right now. I was wondering if y-you could look after Yuan, for just less than an hour… Y-You see, Yuan is scared of him and it would-”
“I can’t,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun blinks, swallowing the lump on his throat. “I’m sorry, Baekhyun - I have to do something too.”
“O-Oh… Yeah, sure. I’m sorry for interrupting you.” Baekhyun feels a little ashamed.
The first thing he’ll do in the morning is knock on his neighbor’s door and make him look after his child - of course, anyone would be a little irritated.
Chanyeol glances at him before nodding his head once, shutting the door.
Baekhyun looks at the closed door.
Is Chanyeol mad at him?
Baekhyun really thinks that Chanyeol is mad or at least annoyed at him.
Of course, no one wants to be disturbed by their neighbor early in the morning just to have them babysit his kid and maybe Chanyeol had enough of them too. They’ve been all over Chanyeol for the past few days and that’s probably off-putting so Baekhyun understands if Chanyeol doesn’t really like to see them right now.
They practically invaded his home yesterday and Chanyeol did so many things for them already so maybe asking him to look after Yuan was the last push. Or maybe Chanyeol is really just gonna be busy that morning…
Baekhyun knows that he shouldn’t try to bother him anymore because Chanyeol is also working from home and he needs a lot of focus while he works. They’re probably bothering him a lot, especially when Yuan cries in the night or when he’s throwing a tantrum… Baekhyun will try to not disturb him anymore because that would be the most rational thing to do.
“Mama… Yuan no go there!” Yuan says, trying to get away from Baekhyun but Baekhyun just wraps his arms around him as they go inside the car.
“Yuan, please behave for Mama… I can’t do anything about it, so please just come with me. Mama will be okay.” Baekhyun says as he straps Yuan in his seat.
“But old man says bad things!” Yuan says so Baekhyun quickly takes his hands and looks at him. “Mama is okay and I can take care of myself, okay? You don’t have to worry, baby…”
Yuan looked like he was holding back his tears and Baekhyun is thankful that he stopped. He goes to the front seat and starts driving to the landlord’s house. It’s quiet because Baekhyun is thinking about Chanyeol still. He should at least say sorry for bothering him this morning, maybe he was still sleeping when Baekhyun knocked.
Baekhyun feels really bad because it felt like he was taking advantage of Chanyeol’s kindness. He’s the first neighbor and yet they’re already giving them a headache on his first week.
“Mama… Mister Tiger mad at Yuan?” Yuan asks and Baekhyun glances at him in the rear mirror.
“N-No, he’s not, baby… Why do you think so?”
“Didn’t say morning to Yuan…” The kid says and Baekhyun feels his heartache a little. Yuan must have trusted Chanyeol a little and Baekhyun told him that it’s a must to always greet people “good morning”... so he probably thinks that Chanyoel is mad at him because the alpha didn’t greet him.
“No, he’s not mad at you… He must have forgotten, love.”
Yuan looks down at his fingers, “Okay, mama…”
He’s pretty sure that Chanyeol is mad at him and not at Yuan.
—------
Chanyeol is laying down on the couch, the couch pillow is on his face when he hears the mother and son pair coming back. Yuan is crying and Baekhyun is trying to hush him down. Now, he feels bad that he didn’t look after Yuan even though he’s completely free.
“Mama!” The kid is crying and Baekhyun shushes him, “Yuan, baby… Stop crying - Mama’s alright.” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol wonders what happened to make Yuan cry.
They entered their room and Chanyeol sighs turning around.
He really feels bad for not looking after Yuan because now, the little alpha is crying and Baekhyun is frustrated. Even though Chanyeol couldn’t see him, he knows that the omega is frustrated. He could hear the shakiness of his voice and he also sounds like he was carrying Yuan.
Chanyeol sighs and didn’t think more about it. The omega and his son are strong and they’ve gone through a lot of things in the past that Chanyeol knows the omega doest want to speak of. They’ve come a long way and they can do without Chanyeol.
Instead of thinking about it, Chanyeol just stands up - puts on a jacket, and grabs his wallet, phone, and car keys before heading out.
———
“He asked you if you can look after the kid for thirty minutes?” Kyungs00 asks and Chanyeol nods his head, playing with the breakfast that he ordered a while ago.
“Why didn’t you take care of him? Didn’t he say that it would only take half an hour?” Kyungs00 asks, wondering. If he’s Baekhyun’s neighbor, he would have looked over the kid since it was just thirty minutes and Chanyeol did say that Baekhyun came back in less than an hour.
“I do not want people to think of me as someone who will-“
“You are worried that Baekhyun would take you for granted and make you look after his kid all the time?” the secretary chuckles, shaking his head. Right now, they’re in a restaurant, getting some breakfast while catching up and discussing some things in the company.
“You know that’s not the point…” Chanyeol says, starting to get irritated because Kyungs00 cut him off to say something wrong.
“I know… I’m just kidding. But from what you said, I don’t think he’s the type of person to take advantage of someone else? I mean… you told me that he’s working hard to provide for the kid and that he’s always stressed out… I haven’t met him yet but he doesn’t seem to be the type of person who’ll take advantage of you.” Kyungs00 slices his pancakes and eats them. Chanyeol picks up the cup of coffee and shrugs, “I don’t want to jump to conclusions just yet…”
“Well then… At least be prepared to be avoided.” Kyungs00 mutters.
“Avoided?”
“You declined his favor and you were kind of mean… if they’re really the type of people you described them to be, they would be embarrassed. You said that it’s hard for them to ask for a favor and you blatantly said no… I don’t think that omega will ask anything from you ever again.” The secretary says and Chanyeol stops from eating, his eyebrows furrowing together.
“Even I would be embarrassed to talk to you again if I was your neighbor.” The beta adds and Chanyeol sighs.
Why does it feel like Baekhyun and he are back to square one?
——
Baekhyun looks at Yuan who’s taking a nap on the couch. The kid fell asleep as soon as he stops crying and Baekhyun is slightly glad that he already asked for the Landlord’s bank account so he could just wire him the money every time he would pay the rent.
There’s no way in hell Baekhyun and his son are going back there again. Yuan is right, the old man is a bad person and he talked shit to Baekhyun as if Baekhyun isn’t already having a hard time. And it’s not like his apartment is the best thing in the world too for the old man to say bad things to him and his kid without knowing what really happened.
While Yuan is crying on the way home, Baekhyun wants to breakdown to because his child didn’t deserve to be called like… Yuan is the most precious thing in the world and he’s the only one that Baekhyun has…
The old man said that Baekhyun should learn how to pay on time and dumbly related it to the pipe breaking down in their bedroom. Not only that but he told Baekhyun that he always needs to be with an alpha and that he shouldn’t be prancing around with his kid. He said omegas like Baekhyun are useless when It comes to everything and Yuan didn’t like that word. He often hears Jinho saying those words to Baekhyun back then and it must have been stuck on his mind that those words are bad so he immediately starts crying. When he cried, the landlord called him a spoiled runt and Baekhyun wanted badly to slap the old man but he held himself back. Violence never solved anything so he just kept quiet until he’s done ranting about Baekhyun needing an alpha to survive.
Yuan doesn’t like it when someone’s talking badly to his mother and he ended up crying until they left the old man’s home.
He sighs and starts doing chores in the house while his son is sleeping while thinking of a way to talk to Chanyeol and apologize for being rude this morning…
—-----
Chanyeol hasn’t seen Baekhyun again today and Chanyeol is starting to think about what Kyungs00 said this morning about Baekhyun avoiding him. But still, it could have been a coincidence. Maybe Baekhyun didn’t really have anything to do outside that’s why he stayed in with Yuan all day. Maybe Yuan is still upset, that's why Baekhyun can’t leave too.
Anyway, Chanyeol prefers reading in the bedroom because it’s cozy in there with the blankets but lately, he’s been reading in the living room. He tells himself that it’s because the light in the apartment is good but he knows that it’s an excuse.
It’s an excuse to hear if Baekhyun will come outside during the night and sit in the hallway to silently cry his eyes out when Yuan is sleeping. Chanyeol feels bad for just waiting here in his living room for the omega to come out when he doesn’t even do anything to comfort the crying man. Baekhyun will probably feel embarrassed if Chanyeol comes out and talks to him so he just stays in here and listens to him rather than read his book.
A few minutes have passed by and Chanyeol is starting to get into his book when he hears the door slightly opened outside and he closes his book. Moments later, he hears little sniffles and Baekhyun isn’t crying like he was the last few days. He’s just sniffing and sobbing a little but Chanyeol still wants to ask what’s wrong but he refrains. He wants to go outside but if he does that, Baekhyun might not be able to release his pent-up, frustration from the day since he’ll be shy to Chanyeol.
Baekhyun is probably crying because he’s overwhelmed with emotions and because he’s really sad. Since he doesn’t have a partner, there’s no one he could turn to and there’s no one for him to share his burdens with. He also can’t tell Yuan his problems because the child will never understand and as much as Chanyeol wants to help him and comfort him - he and the omega aren’t close enough.
Yet.
The omega is outside for like ten minutes and Chanyeol wants to see if he’s at least wearing a jacket because it’s really cold outside but then when he was about to check out, he hears Baekhyun coughing. Then, the door next to his opens and then shuts. Chanyeol looks at the time. It’s already eleven in the evening so Baekhyun will probably go to sleep now.
The alpha closes his book and puts it on the small coffee table, standing up from the couch and then walking to his bedroom.
He feels stupid for sitting in here and listening to Baekhyun cry when he could do something about it.
But he knows that he should also take things slow so the omega will trust him enough to share his frustrations with Chanyeol.
So the least he could do now is listen to him cry.
—--------
Chanyeol thinks that Baekhyun is /really/ avoiding him now.
It’s been about two days since the incident happened and Chanyeol barely sees Baekhyun’s shadows in this apartment. He and Yuan would leave at around 10 in the morning and then come back at around 6 or 7 in the evening. After that, they’ll eat dinner and then prepare for bed. Chanyeol would know because the walls are paper thin and he can hear Baekhyun’s voice whenever he will tell Yuan that it’s time for bed.
When Chanyeol comes out in the morning so he can see the pair, they will just say good morning to him and then leave. The omega doesn’t even meet his eyes. Yuan is still the same, hiding behind his mother as if he’s still wary of Chanyeol.
He texted Kyungs00 and asked if the omega was avoiding him. Kyungs00 just says he doesn’t know because he hasn’t even seen the omega in person but if he’s not looking at Chanyeol, then he still probably feels embarrassed about what happened.
And Chanyeol doesn’t want that to happen. He admits that he was a little mean and he could have been politer when he declined Baekhyun’s favor but that’s why he also wants to see him. He wants to at least say sorry for that but he could barely see Yuan and Baekhyun.
“Yuan, just wait here - Mama will take out the trash,” Baekhyun says. The voices are quiet but he could still hear it - mainly because his alpha and his senses are stronger, but also because the walls are thin and they’re literally next door.
“Come with Mama?”
“No, just stay here and watch TV. Mama will be back in a minute…”
“Okay, mama careful.” Baekhyun chuckles at that. “Yes, baby… I will.”
Chanyeol then took that as an opportunity and grabs the bag of trash that he was supposed to take out this morning but contemplated against.
He comes out of his apartment and Baekhyun sees him. The omega’s eyes drifted everywhere except on him.
“H-Hi… Taking out the trash too?” Baekhyun asks the obvious and he mentally slaps himself for that.
“Yeah, should I take that with me?” Chanyeol asks, gesturing at the trash bag that Baekhyun is holding and the omega quickly shakes his head. “It’s okay, Chanyeol… I can carry this - it’s not heavy at all.”
They were quiet for a few seconds when Baekhyun clears his throat. “By the way…. About the last time - I’m really sorry for suddenly asking you to look after Yuan. It’s just that - he’s scared of the landlord that’s why he refuses to come with me. I didn’t mean to ask so comfortably, I’m sorry.” Baekhyun looks down on his feet.
Baekhyun is apologizing for asking Chanyeol that favor? Now Chanyeol feels even worse for his actions.
The omega must have thought that he was rude for asking Chanyeol comfortably, like they’ve been friends for so long, for a favor that’s why he’s apologizing right now.
“No… You don’t have to apologize, I was a bit impolite that morning so it’s me who needs to apologize. I was gonna meet up with a friend that day so I couldn’t look after Yuan.” Baekhyun bites the side of his lip and shakes his head. “It’s okay, I understand that - there’s nothing to apologize for because I was the one asking for a favor.”
Chanyeol watches as Baekhyun turns away and then goes downstairs to put the trash bag in the bin. Chanyeol follows him shortly and when they went back upstairs, Baekhyun only smiles at him before going inside their apartment. He didn’t meet Chanyeol’s eyes, not even for a few seconds…
They might have apologized but Chanyeol still feels that the omega will continue being distant, like how they were on his first day here.
Chanyeol sighs as he enters his apartment.
He didn’t mean to scare the omega off… He’s aware that Baekhyun is scared of a lot of things because of his bad past with his ex, and Chanyeol should have been more careful about his approaches and the way he says things… But in the end, they were back to square one.
He needs to do this better.
—------
Baekhyun couldn’t sleep. It’s already 2 am and he needs to get up at 8 later and yet he can’t even get himself to close his eyes for more than a minute. Yuan is sleeping beside him so Baekhyun just stares at him. They are always faced with challenges that Baekhyun doesn’t know how they overcome and at almost three years old, Yuan has been the strongest little kid he’s ever seen. Yuan is so smart and although he gets scared because of how they were treated by Jinho, at least he’s getting better now.
He goes outside the bedroom to go get some water when he hears footsteps outside the door. He flinches when a loud banging suddenly erupts on the door and his hands start beating rapidly.
“Hey, Iseul open up the door!” He hears a man outside. From the smell - it seems like he’s a drunk alpha and Baekhyun feels his feet freezing up in place.
“Iseul, you crazy woman - open this up!” He yells and continuously bangs the door, rattling the doorknob. Chanyeol fixed the doorknob so it’s properly closed but if he didn’t then it would have had opened right away from how hard he’s trying to push it.
Baekhyun feels like crying - moments of Jinho trying to knock down the door of the bathroom when Baekhyun is hiding from him starts flashing in his brain and his hands are shakily holding onto the counter. He then remembers Yuan who is in the bedroom and quickly goes inside, locking the door behind him.
“Iseul! Get the fuck up and open this door before I break it down!” Baekhyun’s chest is beating like crazy and it’s tightening up.
“M-Mama? Mama…” Yuan opens his eyes and when he hears the man at the door, he immediately goes to his mother and hugs him tight.
Chanyeol who fell asleep in the living room jolts up at the sound of the door banging. He can hear an alpha screaming outside. He was gonna ignore it when he realized that the man was knocking on Baekhyun’s door so he immediately got up and went outside.
“Excuse me? Who are you looking for?” Chanyeol says, crossing his arms at the alpha who’s trying to unlock the door of Baekhyun’s apartment.
“Huh? I’m looking for Iseul - who the fuck are you?”
“You’re on the wrong floor. Don’t you live on the floor above us? That door won’t open because there’s no Iseul inside that apartment.”
“Don’t fucking tell me what to do, this is our apartment.” The man says and faces Chanyeol, irritated. Chanyeol could smell the alcohol in his breath so this man is probably not on his right mind. And he could hear Yuan crying from the inside so Chanyeol wants him to leave right away.
The man cowers down as Chanyeol moves closer, his alpha pheromones taking over the air as he sized the man up. He’s a lot taller than the man and he could take him down in one move. He’s scaring the family inside the apartment and Chanyeol could already sense their fear from here…
“If you do not leave right now, I will send you to your apartment knocked out.”
The alpha moved away and then turned around, hurriedly going up the stairs. Chanyeol watches as he trips over his feet trying to get away from the stronger alpha who sighs.
Baekhyun could hear that Chanyeol is talking to the man but he couldn’t understand what their saying. Yuan is crying because of the same reason as Baekhyun…
Fear.
It’s like the same thing with Jinho all over again.
It’s like they’re trying to hide from the abus1ve alpha once again…
“M-Mama,” The kid says, burying his face on Baekhyun’s chest. The omega shushes him and kisses him on the forehead.
Then, they hear a soft knocking on the front door.
“Baekhyun? This is Chanyeol… Can you open the door for me? The drunk man is gone.” they hear Chanyeol’s deep voice from outside and like the light at the end of the tunnel, Baekhyun carries Yuan - rushing over outside to open the door.
Chanyeol was surprised to see how distressed the two are. Both of them are crying and holding onto each other tightly like they’re protecting each other and Chanyeol didn’t know that they would be this… scared.
“Omega… It’s okay, he left.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun bursts out crying, holding the hem of Chanyeol’s shirt.
“T-Thank you-”
Chanyeol couldn’t help it.
He goes inside the apartment and hugs the two tightly. Baekhyun cries onto his chest while Yuan is hugging him and he feels his heartbreak at the sight of them. They’re always trying to smile, always trying to make everything seem okay - but their fear breaks them down and Chanyeol hates to see that. They’re kind people who just want to live a quiet life and yet things are always the hardest for them.
Since Chanyeol scents in the open air, his pheromones filled up the small room quickly. But that’s not enough to calm down the crying omega so he scents them, letting them cry until Baekhyun’s sobs turn into sniffles and Yuan just lays down his head on his mother’s shoulder.
“Are you calm now? You’re safe, omega…” Chanyeol’s voice is soothing. It’s deep and calm and he always pronounces things so slowly.
Baekhyun nods once, his heart going back to its normal beating. He doesn’t know how Chanyeol calms them down so fast but he feels so protected when he’s inside Chanyeol’s arms. He never felt this secure before and he never saw himself trust someone as fast as he did with Chanyeol. It’s like his inner omega knows that Chanyeol is a safe person who can protect them from harm and he’s comforted by that fact.
“You’re okay… He just got on the wrong floor because he was drunk - he won’t go back here again.” He strokes Baekhyun’s hair softly. They look awkward standing in the middle of the living room, hugging each other tightly but it doesn’t matter. What matters is that Baekhyun and his son are calming down… They must have gone through such a bad experience to be scared like that.
Indeed, this is a bad place for an omega and his son but they still risked living here just to get away from their bad past and Chanyeol couldn’t find a stronger pair than them.
His hand travels down to the back of Baekhyun’s neck, massaging it softly until the omega feels docile inside his arms. His child on the other hand is on the brink of falling asleep so Chanyeol leads them to their bedroom. Baekhyun puts Yuan down on the bed and kisses him, hugging him closely as he lays down beside him.
“May I sit here?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun nods, his eyes drooping. His senses are just filled with Chanyeol and Yuan and he can’t fight the sleepiness that’s taking over him. Chanyeol scent is so strong that it acts more like a tranquilizer…
He drapes the blanket over Baekhyun and Yuan’s body, his hand still massaging the omega’s nape to relax him. He was really scared because Chanyeol could sense his fear meters away from the front door so he’s taking his time to calm the omega down.
“C-Chanyeol…”
“Hm?”
“Thank you…”
“We’ll talk tomorrow, Baekhyun. Get some sleep, it’s already almost 3.”
The omega was quiet for a few seconds. The alpha’s hand stops massaging Baekhyun when he turns around to face Chanyeol and looks at him with glassy eyes.
“Will you go back to your room?” He asks in a small voice.
“If you want me to stay here, I will,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun grabs his hand, his eyes pleading now.
“Can I ask you for a favor?”
Chanyeol hums, “What favor is it?”
“W-Will you stay here with us? Just this once…”
Chanyeol nods his head, “I’ll stay here until you wake up. I’ll take the couch…”
Baekhyun’s eyes closed - a relieved look on his face. “Get some sleep now,” Chanyeol says and the omega nods his head a couple of times before turning to Yuan - kissing him on the cheek before relaxing.
“Thank you, alpha.” Those are the last thing that Baekhyun said before he falls asleep and Chanyeol just looks at them.
Chanyeol doesn’t want to question Baekhyun’s intentions anymore. He could see right through Baekhyun whenever he looks at his eyes and he knows that the omega doesn’t mean any harm… Instead - Chanyeol feels the overwhelming urge to protect them from any harm…
So that is what he’ll do from now on.
This is the first time in a while that Baekhyun hasn’t had a dream. Usually, it’s nightmares - that’s why he goes out to cry or if everything’s too much… Sometimes his dreams are a mess and he couldn’t even remember anything the moment he wakes up.
But today, he’s had the nicest sleep he’s had in a while. He didn’t have any dreams today and he feels well-rested.
Baekhyun wakes up without Yuan beside him and that made him sit up fast. The omega rushes out of the bedroom, only to see Chanyeol and Yuan sitting on the couch while watching television. The alphas’ heads snap towards his direction and he deeply sighs in relief.
“Mama, morning…” Yuan gets down from the couch and walks over to him, tugging at the hem of his shirt. Baekhyun crouches down and feels the child’s kiss on his cheek. “Good morning, baby… What do you want for breakfast?” Baekhyun asks and Yuan shakes his head.
“Mr. Tiger cooked eggies…”
Baekhyun looks at Chanyeol, “Chanyeol… Thank you for making breakfast.”
“Good morning, Baekhyun. It’s nothing… Yuan, let your mother prepare first.” Chanyeol says and Yuan looks at him then at his mother whose hair that’s sticking up in too many directions, before going back to his seat.
Baekhyun rubs his face and excuses himself, going to the bathroom to freshen himself up. He remembers everything that happened last night and he feels a little shy from how he acted. He was on the brink of falling asleep when he asked Chanyeol to stay and it probably burdened Chanyeol - seeing how he slept on the couch instead of his own comfortable bed just for Baekhyun and Yuan.
When he comes out of the bathroom, he sees Chanyeol preparing a plate of breakfast for him.
“Baekhyun, what time is your work?” Chanyeol asks
and puts down the plate in front of Baekhyun who silently thanked him, glancing at his son. Yuan probably forgot about what happened last night cause he was awake for a few minutes only, and Baekhyun could tell that because the child seems okay.
“At 10…” Baekhyun says and sees that it’s almost 9 on the wall clock.
“You have a lot of time so eat your food well.” The alpha says and Baekhyun glances at him. Chanyeol is really tall. He’s probably double Baekhyun’s size and that’s why Yuan looks so little beside him… But even though he’s bigger than Baekhyun - he’s oddly gentle. So gentle.
“Did you eat?” Baekhyun asks and Chanyeol nods his head.
“I did. How are you feeling by the way?” He asks and Baekhyun is quiet for a moment before he shrugs. “I’m okay… I was just so surprised and… afraid. I didn’t mean to bother you last night -”
“I came here because I wanted to check up on you and Yuan. I know that you will be scared so I checked for myself if you two are okay,... It is not a burden for me to help kind people, so don’t bother apologizing.” Baekhyun turns a little red and sighs.
“But is the couch at least okay?”
“I used to fall asleep on my chair at work all the time- so it’s not the worst.” Baekhyun huffs and starts eating. “I should at least repay you with something…” The omega says.
Chanyeol shakes his head, sipping on his coffee on Baekhyun’s mug. “There’s no need for you to do that,”
“Hmm… What can I do…” Baekhyun says, not listening to Chanyeol. One thing that Baekhyun always does is when Chanyeol does something for them, he’ll do something in return for that favor. It doesn’t have to be money but he’ll always try to do something in return.
“Ahhh… I told Yuan that I’ll try to make cookies today after we get home. Do you want some cookies?” Baekhyun asks, his eyes brightening like a child’s when offered a reward.
“I do not like sweets,” Chanyeol says and he watches Baekhyun’s face drops, his shoulders sagging in disappointment. Chanyeol contemplates for a quick second - he doesn’t really like sweets but Baekhyun will go out of his way to do something in return for what Chanyeol did last night. So instead of making him do that, he should just accept the omega’s offer.
“But I will eat the cookies you will make because I know it will be delicious.” At that, the omega’s face brightens up again and he smiles at Chanyeol.
“Okay… I’ll buy some ingredients before going home later…”
“Mama…” Yuan says and walks over to Baekhyun, putting his little hands on Baekhyun’s thighs. “What is it, love?” Baekhyun turns to his son.
“Mama make cookie?”
“Yes, mama will try to make cookies later.” Baekhyun ruffles Yuan’s hair, smiling kindly at him. “By the way, Yuan… Since we have a lot of time, Should we take a walk at the park first?” The omega asks. The park is just next to the market so they can sit down there for a few minutes before going in since Baekhyun’s shift doesn’t really start at exactly 10 AM.
“No!” Yuan suddenly pulls away and then runs toward the couch, crying.
Baekhyun sighs and rubs his temples, standing up and then walking towards his child who is crying his heart out. Chanyeol watches them, wanting to know the reason why Yuan is crying about the park.
“Baby… It’s okay, we’re not gonna go if you don’t want to go.” The mother says softly, taking Yuan’s hands. The child takes his hand away and starts crying even more, not listening to his mom.
“Why is he crying?” Chanyeol asks, walking over to them. He takes a seat next to Yuan and Baekhyun looks at him, sighing. “We went to the park a couple of times before but it was okay… Until some mean kids decided to make him leave the slide. Now, he doesn’t ever want to go to the park and we should go there a few times since it’s good for him to play outside too…”
Chanyeol hums, “Go back to eating your food, omega… I’ll talk to him.”
The omega looks hesitant for a few moments before stands up and goes back to the dining table.
“Yuan, your mother is not gonna make you go to the park if you do not want to.” Chanyeol calmly says and Yuan didn’t listen to him.
He goes down from the couch to meet Yuan’s eyes and stares at him. Baekhyun watches the two interact and he wonders how Chanyeol is so emotionless and calm when talking to them…
“Are you a good alpha?” Chanyeol asks and Yuan sobs, nodding his head.
“I do not think you are. A good alpha listens.” Chanyeol says and the kid shakes his head, answering in between sobs. “Yuan good alpha!”
“Then listen to those who are older than you.” The taller alpha says and Yuan holds his tears back, trying his best to listen to Chanyeol.
“Your mother only wants what’s good for you. He wants you to play outside since that’s good for your body, but if you do not want to and if you are gonna cry every time - then he will not make you go. Now answer me, do you want to go to the park?”
Yuan shakes his head.
“Answer me with words,” Chanyeol says.
“N-No…”
“Then you will not go to the park. It is that easy. You did not have to throw a tantrum or raise your voice at your mother.” Chanyeol says and the cries turn to sniffles. Baekhyun drinks his water, thankful that Chanyoel can handle everything so calmly without needing to raise his voice…
“If you want to continue being a good alpha, help your mother by preparing your clothes so you can leave early,” Chanyeol says and the kid goes down on the couch, walking to the bedroom to grab his bag and the clothes from their dresser. His clothes are on the lower part of the dresser so he could open them.
“I - you’re really good at handling Yuan… Do you have any experience with kids?” Baekhyun asks.
Chanyeol goes back to the kitchen and leans on the counter, “When my cousin comes over, he usually brings his kid with him. The kid is… spoiled - so I learned how to handle his tantrums. It is a mess…” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun chuckles a little.
“I see…” Yuan comes out of the bedroom, carrying the first clothes he could get from the dresser, and then hands it over to Baekhyun.
“Your mother is eating, give it to me,” Chanyeol says and Yuan looks hesitant. The omega nods his head, encouraging Yuan to let Chanyeol dress him up. Yuan goes to Chanyeol and shyly hands him his clothes. “Here,” The older alpha walks to the living room, motioning Yuan to come closer.
He lets Chanyeol dress him up shyly and Baekhyun finishes his food, putting the plates on the sink.
After that, he prepares himself to leave for work too and when he comes out of the bedroom - the whole living room and the kitchen are already cleaned. Clutters have been put away and Chanyeol is helping Yuan prepare his bag for the day.
“Chanyeol… T-Thank you for cleaning up…”
“It’s nothing… Yuan’s bag is prepared, you two can leave now.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun nods his head.
“Yes… Thank you again.”
Chanyeol stands up, grabbing his things - getting ready to go back to his apartment too. “Take care at work, Baekhyun. Yuan, behave…” Chanyeol says and the mother-son pair nods their head.
“Okay… I’ll knock at your door later, you should eat dinner with us too…”
“Alright, I’ll be here for dinner…” And that’s the last thing that Chanyeol said before going back to his apartment.
When he opens his laptop to work, he sees the never-ending emails so he just shuts it down again and lays down on his bed.
—------
“Good morning, Dae-”
“Hold on… Are you okay?” The other omega asks, sniffing around Baekhyun who moved away because his best friend is being weird. “I-I’m okay, what are you smelling me for?”
“You smell like an alpha! I - Do you have a boyfriend? Even Yuan smells like them!” Jongdae exclaims, his eyes wide. Baekhyun sighs, shaking his head as he helps Yuan settle down on his playing mat.
“It’s our neighbor. He just moved in recently and he’s been… really helpful. There was a drunk alpha at our door last night and he made him leave.” Baekhyun says and Jongdae is quiet for a few moments before he hums. “That’s thoughtful of him… Is Yuan comfortable with him?” The omega asks.
“Yuan is okay with him, although he’s still shy… But yeah, Chanyeol is a gentle guy and that’s probably why Yuan isn’t that scared of him.”
“He sounds nice. I should meet him when I come over too, just so I could be sure if he’s really a good person.” Since Jongdae knows everything about what happened, he is cautious about the people around Baekhyun too and as much as possible, he sees if that person is safe or not. One look and one meeting with Jinho, Jongdae already knows that the guy is a bad person and he feels bad for not being able to help Baekhyun leave right away.
When Baekhyun was with Jinho, he’s only a stocker so there’s nothing much he could do since he’s earning minimum… Baekhyun had a good job at that time and he knows that he’s saving up to leave but if only he helped - then Baekhyun could have left the place with Yuan faster.
“He’s not really… a friendly type of guy…”
“What?” Jongdae frowns.
“Well, he’s intimidating because he’s big and his scent is just strong. But he also doesn’t really smile, you know? His face is just blank all the time, I can’t tell what he’s thinking.” Baekhyun says and Jongdae hums.
“And you don’t think that’s weird?” He asks and Baekhyun shakes his head, “No… Honestly, I feel like it suits him? If that makes sense… Anyway, let’s stop chit-chatting because I need to go back there and stock up… Yuan, behave for mama, okay?”
The child nods and then he waves at Jongdae before starting his work.
—-------
Baekhyun is almost done with work since it’s already 6:45. Jongdae said he could leave early once he was done so he’s just on his way back to Jongdae’s office to get Yuan. They’re gonna buy the ingredients for the cookies since Yuan said he wants to be with Baekhyun to shop for the food.
“Mama…” Yuan says and walks over to Baekhyun. The omega was surprised that Yuan came to meet him in here when he could have waited at the office for Baekhyun to come to fetch him. “Hey, baby… Let’s go buy-”
“Is he your son?” A lady, standing behind a pushcart asks and Baekhyun looks at her before nodding his head, “Yeah…”
“You got no alpha with you in this neighborhood?” The woman says, looking at Baekhyun’s neck to see that there’s no bond and that made Baekhyun frown because he doesn’t know why he’s being observed?
“No… Why are you asking?” He says and the woman shrugs, “Don’t you think it’s unsafe for the kid to grow up without protection from an alpha? This area is filled with bad people and you’re wandering around without any alpha… Mine is just on the next aisle so he’ll always be here to protect me… But you’re with a child, without anyone to protect you.”
It sometimes makes Baekhyun wonder why people always love to stick their noses on other people’s businesses. Yuan is a healthy child who’s living okay and better with Baekhyun - and they don’t know that so they shouldn’t meddle with how he’s dealing with this.
“I think I can protect my son even without an alpha.” And that’s true. Baekhyun will do everything to protect Yuan so there’s no need for them to say anything about him being single.
“We are omegas so we’re helpless when it comes to-”
“It’s different with everyone. Some omegas want to rely on alphas to protect them, and some omegas want to live alone - not all omegas are the same so please don’t compare yourself to me.” Baekhyun says and the woman scoffs.
“I’m just being considerate-”
“You were being rude by implying that I can’t protect myself and my son because I don’t have any alpha, unlike you who has one,” Baekhyun answers, holding Yuan too close to him.
The woman rolls his eyes, moving his cart - “I’m just saying that you can’t protect a kid all by yourself-”
“You dare say that when you’re literally weaker than me,” Baekhyun says, a little pissed.
“What?” The lady says, turning to him before crossing his arms over his chest.
“I raised my kid all alone and we’ve been living by ourselves for years now. I did everything on my own while you rely on your alpha to be your knight in shining armor. And yet you say I can’t protect my kid because I don’t have an alpha?”
“What the hell-”
“Baekhyun? Your shift is over, come on.” Jongdae interrupts and that’s the only time that Baekhyun noticed him. It seems like he followed Yuan and was just listening to them. It’s a good thing that he came in and stopped Baekhyun before something else could happen.
Yuan follows his mother until they’re inside the car, wondering what they were talking about earlier and why his mother looks really upset.
Baekhyun is mad at himself because if only he became an alpha instead, then he wouldn’t have to be questioned like this. He might be an omega but he did everything, emptied his pockets, and risked his life for his kid. Yes, this is the only thing he could provide to Yuan but that doesn’t make him any less of a mother.
“Mama… What about cookies?” Yuan asks.
Baekhyun sighs, putting his forehead against the wheel, trying to hold back his tears.
“I’m sorry, Yuan - no cookies today.”
—------
Chanyeol was just about to light up his cigarette when he hears Yuan’s familiar cries and when he looks at the stairs, he sees Baekhyun and Yuan coming up. Yuan is crying inside of his mother’s arms and Baekhyun looks like he’s just about to cry too, and it’s not helping that the kid inside his arms is throwing his hands and kicking his legs everywhere.
“Baekhyun? What’s wrong?” He asks and it made Baekhyun feel like crying even more. They’re constantly faced with problems and Baekhyun is always one push away from losing it.
“I- come in for a moment…” Baekhyun leaves the door open for Chanyeol. The alpha watches as Baekhyun puts down Yuan for a moment before looking at Chanyeol. He runs his hand through his hair, his other hand on his waist.
“I couldn’t make any cookies today and he’s throwing a tantrum again…”
“Why couldn’t you make it?” Chanyeol asks, making the omega sit down on the dining chair.
“I’m upset… And I feel bad that I couldn’t make the cookies because Yuan is looking forward to that. Some omega implied that I can’t protect Yuan because I’m an omega and I don’t have an alpha. It makes me so mad because I raised Yuan all by myself and I’m… I-I’m trying my best in everything. Even if there’s nothing left for me - I still do it because I love Yuan and I wish I could give him a better life… Now, I let that woman get to me and he’s crying because he really wanted the cookies.” Baekhyun explains, his voice shaky and tears are pooling in the corner of his eyes.
Chanyeol hums… “Give me a moment.” The alpha turns to Yuan and he feels Baekhyun’s hand on his arm.
“C-Chanyeol wait,”
The alpha frowns, “What is it?”
“D-Don’t hurt him-”
“Omega, I will not hurt you and your son. I will only get him to stop crying…” Chanyeol reassures Baekhyun and the omega reluctantly lets go of his arm after a few seconds.
Chanyeol walks over to Yuan and makes him look at him. “Stop crying, you are making your mother more upset.” He says but once again, the kid wouldn’t listen to him. Chanyeol sighs and scents the kid lightly - until he’s just sobbing and not wailing out.
“Yuan, you are being unfair.” The taller alpha says and Yuan shakes his head. In his view, it is Baekhyun who is unfair for not doing what he told Yuan he would do.
“Your mother will get sadder if you do not stop crying. Do you want him to be sad?” Yuan shakes his head because, on the other hand, he doesn’t want his mother to be sad.
“Then stop crying and listen to me,” Chanyeol says, taking the kid’s hands and holding them lightly, just so the kid will listen to him.
“Are you listening now? The alpha asks and Yuan just looks at him, eyes teary.
“This morning, when you cried because you didn’t want to go to the park, did your mother force you to go even if you did not want to?” Chanyeol asks, his voice emotionless but at the same time, it’s lightly stern - enough for Yuan to listen to him carefully.
“N-No.”
“He didn’t force you to go, that’s right. Now, your mother is tired from work. He wants to sleep and he wants to be comforted and yet you are crying because you did not get what you want. Isn’t that unfair? He didn’t force you to go to the park, so why would you cry if he doesn’t want to make your cookies today?”
“Mama promised!”
“No, your mother did not promise anything. I was here when he said that he will try to make cookies. Your mother is tired, hungry, and sad… He is upset for more reasonable things and yet you are being upset with him, rather than being understanding. You might be a kid but you need to learn about all of this.” Chanyeol says and Yuan listens to him.
“Your mother deserves your respect. He raised you by himself, he worked hard for you - so at least, respect him. Do not get upset when you do not get the things that you want because you can’t have everything you want and when you want it. Do you understand, little alpha?” Yuan slowly nods after listening to Chanyeol.
“If you really understood then you will apologize. Go say sorry to your mother.” Chanyeol stands up and then Yuan stands up, walking over to his mother. He lets his mother carry him and the kid hugs him, kissing his cheek.
“Mama, Yuan sorry…”
“It’s okay, baby… Mama is sorry that he can’t make cookies today too.”
Baekhyun hugs Yuan tightly, a tear falling down from his eye. He’ll do everything and anything to protect his son.
When they pulled away from each other, Chanyeol told Yuan to go to the couch.
The alpha looks at Baekhyun who wipes his tears. “Sorry… You probably think I’m weak too for crying over small matters.”
“It’s not a small matter, and that’s why you cried. Do not think you are weak for crying… It is just that you’ve been trying to be strong for so long that a little push makes you want to give up.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun looks up at him, his eyes being filled with tears again.
“You are the strongest omega I’ve known in my entire life. You did everything you could to take Yuan away from bad things and bad people. Right now, you’re working hard to provide for him… I know that it is your duty as a parent to provide what your kid needs but you do so because you love Yuan and you will do everything for him. You are not weak for that, so do not let others say otherwise.” Chanyeol says slowly and Baekhyun nods.
“You did well today, omega.” Chanyeol’s hand goes up to the top of Baekhyun’s head and ruffles his hair softly, his fingertips massaging his scalp a little.
He told himself that he doesn’t need any alpha anymore but it only takes single praise from Chanyeol for him to feel this accomplished.
The omega reaches up and grabs Chanyeol’s hand, pressing it against his face and snuggling closer to the warmth of his palm. “Alpha, thank you…”
Chanyeol is frozen for a second before he strokes Baekhyun’s cheek with his thumb.
Precious.
Baekhyun and Yuan are precious.
Baekhyun gets up while Yuan is still sleeping. He goes to the bathroom and then washes his face before going to the kitchen to start breakfast. It’s almost 9 in the morning so he needs to start preparing since he has to go to work. Yuan’s bag is already prepared last night so it saves Baekhyun a lot of time this morning.
Yuan’s bag is just hard to prepare because whenever they go home after work, Yuan will just take everything out and put it everywhere in the house. He thought he’s cleaning it up but in reality, he’s just misplacing things. Like the other day, Baekhyun is having a hard time looking for Yuan’s bottle since the kid put it under the bed.
He starts making pancakes because he has the ingredients around and if he spreads some light chocolate spread on Yuan’s, the kid will like it and might actually forget how upset he is over the cookies last night.
Chanyeol might also like some pancakes so he made extra for him. After he set aside Yuan’s food, he goes to prepare Chanyeol’s food. Yuan wakes up, immediately looking for his mom so Baekhyun instructed him to go brush his teeth. Yuan already knows how to brush his teeth and although he still needs to be potty trained, he’s so close to learning it fully and Baekhyun is proud of him for that.
When they were in Jinho’s place, the other would scream at Baekhyun for “not teaching his son” how to potty when Yuan was just a year old back then. Yuan, of course, like every other kid - has accidents on the bed and Jinho would always scream at them for that. Instead of teaching his son how to use the toilet, he tells Yuan that he’s useless and then goes along with his day.
Baekhyun shakes his head at the bad thought that interrupted his good mood and then went back to making food.
“Baby, I’ll just go give this to Mr. Tiger so just eat there, okay?” The kid nods and his eyes focus back on the TV, watching cartoons at a low volume. Baekhyun smiles at himself and then goes out of their apartment to knock on Chanyeol’s door with a plate in his hand.
It took quite a while and a few sets of knocks before he hears movements inside the room. Soon after, the door opens, and Chanyeol, whose hair is flying in every direction possible and looks like he literally just opened his eyes appeared behind the door.
“Baekhyun, good morning.”
Baekhyun is a bit surprised because Chanyeol is always up early in the morning before them but right now, he looks like he slept in. The alpha also told him that he usually gets up at six in the morning because that’s when he usually goes to work when he was still going to the company and his routine has never changed since then. So, seeing him still not up at this hour is a bit surprising. And Baekhyun also feels bad for waking him up for just pancakes.
“Ah… I’m sorry if I woke you up…” Baekhyun quickly apologizes.
“No, it’s fine… I was asleep for too long anyway. Is there anything wrong? Are you okay?” The alpha asks and it just amazes Baekhyun how he’s so caring even though he just woke up. Baekhyun has seen a lot of people who are like dragons in the morning, who don’t even want to be talked to… And yet here is Chanyeol, always ready to hear Baekhyun out if there’s a problem.
“Uhm… I made some pancakes. It’s probably not filling enough so there’s more in the apartment if you want some more.” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol leans on the doorframe, only noticing the plate of pancakes on Baekhyun’s hand.
He crosses his arms over his chest and inspects the pancakes before looking over at Baekhyun who grows nervous because of the alpha’s stare. “Are you not gonna invite me over to eat breakfast with you and Yuan?” Chanyeol asks and the omega flushes red right away, shaking his hand in front of his chest.
“Of course! I was gonna say it but I just assumed that you might want to eat breakfast alone since we’ve been all up in your space lately.” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol shakes his head. “That’s nonsense, I always want to spend time with you and Yuan because you are nice.” the alpha says, and Baekhyun nibbles at the corner of his lips.
“W-Well… If you want to eat with us, then you can come now. I’m sure Yuan would love to eat breakfast with you.” He says and Chanyeol takes the plate from his hand.
“What about you?” The alpha asks and Baekhyun looks at him.
“What?”
“What about you? Don’t you want to eat with me?” Chanyeol asks and Baekhyun nods his head, “It’s always nice to eat with you… I’ll wait for you in the kitchen, you can just come in.” Baekhyun says, smiling brightly at him before walking back to the apartment.
Chanyeol watches him walk away and then looks at the pancakes in his hands.
The alpha didn’t really have a good sleep last night. For some reason, he couldn’t even sleep even though he didn’t drink coffee, and even though he’s really tired. He kept on turning around, trying to find the most comfortable position to sleep in but in the end, he fell asleep at 5 AM this morning.
He just stayed up to finish his emails since he couldn’t sleep.
And, if Kyungsoo is to wake up Chanyeol even though he literally just got four hours of sleep, the alpha will be really grumpy and would be moody until he gets in the proper mood. But how can he be mad when a sweet omega is knocking at his door so early in the morning with a plate of pancakes for him?
And not only that, but he also told Chanyeol to eat breakfast with them, and eating with Baekhyun, even though it’s not really a big deal to anyone, is really nice. He finds himself relaxed whenever the omega is around and that’s probably because the omega is such a kind person.
He comes back inside his apartment and then places the plate down on the counter before going to the bathroom to wash his face.
After he has freshened up, he brought the plate to the apartment beside him and Baekhyun is waiting for him by the small dining table.
“Yuan, Mr. Tiger is here,” Baekhyun says and Yuan’s head snaps in the direction of the door. He slowly gets down from the couch and then walks over to Chanyeol. Once he’s at a safe distance, like two feet away from the taller alpha, he looks up and fidgets.
“Good morning, Mr. Tiger.” Yuan says even though he has difficulty pronouncing the “r” since he’s just almost three years old.
It amazes Chanyeol how the kid is really polite. Yesterday, he might have thrown a tantrum but he’s still so polite afterward and Chanyeol didn’t have any trouble asking him to apologize to his mother. And that’s probably because he loves his mother a lot and Baekhyun taught him that when you’ve done something wrong, it is a must to always apologize.
The omega must have also told him to always greet everybody “good morning” or “good afternoon” because there’s not a single time that this kid didn’t greet him.
“Good morning, little alpha. Are you eating your food?” Chanyeol asks, ruffling the kid’s hair softly.
He nods and then runs back to the living room, sitting back on the couch to focus his attention on the cartoon that’s playing. Chanyeol places the plate on the dining table and then takes a seat in front of Baekhyun.
“This looks delicious, omega,” Chanyeol comments as he picks up the fork. He takes a bite and hums at the delicious taste of the pancake. The omega gives him a smile before eating his food. “I put chocolate syrup on Yuan’s pancake to at least make up for the cookies that I didn’t get to make last night. Hopefully, tonight - I’ll be able to make some for you.” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol looks over to Yuan who’s watching the television.
“Kids love rewards for their good deeds so I think before you make some cookies for him, you should bring him to the park first,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun stops from eating his food, looking over at Yuan worriedly. His son is really scared of going to the park now because of some mean kids.
“But he’ll cry again and he’ll throw another tantrum…”
“Kids cry and throw tantrums all the time too, it’s not gonna be anything new. If he doesn’t try it again and continues being scared, then when will he learn that going to the park is not as scary as it seems? Just like how he has to learn that not all people in this world will be bad people. I noticed that he was really scared of me at first but as soon as I kept on coming here and I kept seeing the two of you, didn’t he warm up a little? It’s just like that too.” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun never knew that the alpha is /that/ observant.
Of course, he knows that Chanyeol is observant. The alpha even noticed the broken doorknobs and just about everything happening to Baekhyun whenever he sees him - but he didn’t know that the alpha thinks about them. Because if Chanyeol doesn’t really think about them, even if he’s seen how scared Yuan is, he wouldn’t know that Yuan is scared of new people and that the kid is scared of him until he warms up slightly just recently.
“You’re right, but if he starts crying when we’re outside - it’s gonna be really hard for me to go to work. Since I leave him to my friend’s office at work, he won’t want to let me go to work.” Baekhyun says, picking up his fork again to resume eating.
“Then I’ll come with you two… If he cries, then I’ll comfort him. He needs to know that there’s nothing wrong with going to the park. Playing outside is good for him…” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun sighs.
“Yuan, come here,” Baekhyun says and Yuan looks over to his mother before walking over to him.
“Mama?”
Baekhyun smiles at his son before brushing his hair back, “Yuan, remember when mama said he’ll make cookies today? Mama told Yuan that I’ll try to make cookies for you today, right?” The omega says and his kid nods, fidgeting in front of Baekhyun.
“Mama thinks that… Yuan should get the cookies.” Baekhyun says and a smile starts forming on the kid’s lips but it disappeared when Baekhyun says the next part.
“But… Only if Yuan will go to the park.” The omega adds and the kid starts shaking his head rapidly, trying to take his hand away from his mother.
“Baby-”
Chanyeol stands up from his seat and then carries Yuan up, holding him with his arms as the kid starts crying right away.
“Yuan, do not cry - your mother isn’t hurting you. No one is hurting you here.” Chanyeol says but the kid continues crying so he hushes him.
“Listen, your mother here is trying to make your health better. If you keep on crying all the time, you are not gonna do your mother any good. If that happens, then are you deserving to be called an alpha? You do not follow what your omega mother wants you to do, does that make you a good alpha?” Chanyeol says and Yuan’s tears subside, replacing them with little hiccups.
“I will be there with you. No one is gonna hurt you when I’m right there. Your mother will also be beside you. You do not have to talk to other kids, you just have to play outside because that is good for your growing body.” The alpha says and Yuan glances at him.
“M-Mama and Mr. Tiger there?” The kid asks, rubbing his eyes. The kid’s nose is red now because of his crying.
“Yes, we will be there, baby…” Baekhyun says, holding his child’s hand. “You know that mama doesn’t put Yuan in danger, ever - right? That’s why nothing bad will happen when we go to the park.” Baekhyun adds and Yuan nibbles on his lip.
“Besides, I will be there. I will make sure that you don’t get hurt.” Chanyeol says and the kid glances up at him, looking like he’s really thinking whether or not he should go.
“What do you say, Yuan? Mr. Tiger will protect Yuan from mean kids…” Baekhyun says, stroking his son’s cheek while he’s still raised up by Chanyeol’s arms.
“Mama too,” Yuan says, and that made the two older people frown.
“Mama too?” Baekhyun asks and Yuan nods his head. “Mr. Tiger ‘tect mama too…” He says and Baekhyun turns red at that. Yuan is telling Chanyeol to protect him too and he doesn’t know where his kid learned this but it’s a bit embarrassing to ask that from the stoic alpha.
“Of course. I will always protect you and your mother. If someone says mean things to your mother again, I would be there to tell them off.” Chanyeol says and Yuan slowly nods his head, glancing at his mother shyly before asking to be carried.
Baekhyun carries his son and hugs him tightly when the younger alpha said, “Yuan go park…”
“Thank you so much, baby… Go get your clothes so I can get you ready.” Baekhyun says and puts him down, watching his son waddle to their bedroom to get the clothes that Baekhyun prepared for him earlier.
“Chanyeol…” He starts, looking at the tall alpha who went back on his seat.
“What is it?” The alpha asks.
“I- you can just ignore what Yuan said. I really don’t know w-where he learned-”
“No. I meant what I said earlier. Last night, someone said some mean things to you and although they’re wrong, you were still hurt. There’s gonna be more of those people since this world is not that understanding and cruel.” Chanyeol says, watching Baekhyun go back on his seat too to finish his food.
“B-But it’s not really your obligation to protect us, you’re not-”
“I may not be your alpha and I may not be Yuan’s father, but I care enough for the two of you. Anyone with a kind heart will look after you. And I mean this not to invalidate your independence and strength because you are a really independent omega who doesn’t need anyone… I only mean this as a friend who wants to do you good because it is what you deserve.” Chanyeol says and it makes the omega want to squirm on his seat. He doesn’t know where Chanyeol is getting his words from but they’re making Baekhyun’s stomach twist and turn.
The alpha really has a way with his words.
“Well, i-if that’s what you please…”
“It is. Go finish your food and get dressed now…” Chanyeol says, glancing at the clock on the wall. Baekhyun nods his head, finishing his food rapidly, not to get out just in time but to get up from the table because Chanyeol’s presence is overwhelming and it’s driving him insane. The alpha doesn’t notice it but his scent is just dominating and Baekhyun feels like if he lets his guard down, he’ll just be another docile omega right in front of the alpha.
He feels like if he lets his guard down, he’ll just completely lose control over himself.
After they finished getting ready, Chanyeol is already dressed and waiting for them downstairs. They’ll take different cars because Chanyeol doesn’t want to walk back home and Baekhyun needs his car later so Chanyeol can’t really drive them to the park using Baekhyun’s car.
—-------
“Mama…” Yuan says, looking at the kids playing in the park. Baekhyun smiles at him, taking his hand. “Should we play together on the swing? I’ll push Yuan…” Baekhyun says and the kid looks hesitant before nodding.
The air is really cool since it will start snowing soon. The weather is a bit gloomy but it’s fine since the park is filled with kids’ laughter. They started with the swing, with Baekhyun pushing Yuan lightly, making the little kid giggle at the wind hitting his face. Baekhyun is smiling too because Yuan is starting to have fun and it looks like he has overcome his fear of going back to the park… Of course, all of it is thanks to Chanyeol who insisted.
Speaking of Chanyeol, the alpha is just watching them from the side, smoking a cigarette while watching Baekhyun and Yuan have fun on the swing. While watching them, he observes that Baekhyun’s happiness is easy to fulfill. If Yuan is happy, then so is he.
As easy as that.
And Chanyeol figured that the omega is really a great mother despite going through what they’ve been through together. Chanyeol doesn’t know what happened entirely but he knows enough.
He knows that Baekhyun and Yuan were hurt by Yuan’s father that’s why they have grown scared of the people coming into their lives. Not only that, but leaving Yuan’s father has put them in a difficult situation wherein Baekhyun has to work hard and almost beg for overtime just for extra pay - all of it while bringing his son with him since he couldn’t afford to put Yuan in daycare.
Chanyeol only knows this much and it’s just the gist of everything that Baekhyun and Yuan are going through. He knows this much but it’s enough for him to know that Baekhyun will be happy as long as his son is. The alpha doesn’t really have a lot of idea on how he could make Baekhyun happy without making his son happy first but he wants to figure it out.
He wants to know what makes Baekhyun happy and he wants to do that as soon as possible because the omega doesn’t deserve any of the hardships that he’s going through and he’s been through.
After finishing his cigarette, he sits down on the bench right in front of the slide and watches the pair play together, with Baekhyun guiding Yuan and making sure that he’s okay…
“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol calls the omega whose head turns to him. His eyebrows raised. “Yeah?”
“Let Yuan play alone…” He says and Baekhyun looks at Yuan who looks at his mother. “Mama, don’t go,” Yuan says so the alpha stands up from his seat and walks over to them.
“Yuan, your mother and I are just gonna sit over there. You don’t have to be scared.” Chanyeol says and Yuan shakes his head, the smile from his lips disappearing as his eyes become teary again.
“Do not cry, your mother and I will not leave you. Didn’t we promise to be here? Look at that chair over there.” Chanyeol interrupted the kid’s cry and points at the bench which is just three or four meters away from the sandpit.
“Baby, mama and Mr. Tiger are just gonna talk over there. We’re not gonna leave you and we only have five minutes left here anyway because mama has worked.” Baekhyun says. “If you’re gonna be extra brave and play here on your own while mama and Mr. Tiger sit there, I’ll give Yuan extra cookie…”
The kid took the bribe as he slowly nods his head and takes a seat on the sandpit all alone. Baekhyun smiles at him before going back with Chanyeol to the chair. Yuan looks at them, making sure that they are booking before starting to play on his own with the toy shovel in there as well as some buckets.
“Bribery really works on kids, no?” Baekhyun says and Chanyeol chuckles a little.
“Well, now that you say that - it only means you really need to make cookies later.”
Baekhyun sighs with a smile, “It’s not a big price to pay knowing that my son is finally okay with going to the park once again… Thank you, as always…”
“I barely did anything.”
“No… You did everything.”
—------
“Cookies cookies…” Yuan keeps on saying as they drive back home. Baekhyun already has the ingredients with him. But right now, it’s raining really hard and Baekhyun has forgotten to bring an umbrella with him. He drives slowly because the road is really slippery and once the car is parked, he turns to the Yuan who’s at the back of the car.
“Yuan, mama will just get an umbrella okay? I will be back in one minute.” Baekhyun says and Yuan looks worried but he nods his head. Baekhyun then runs out of the car, wincing when the cold drops of rain hit him. He shivers as he gets to the apartment, grabbing Yuan’s jacket from behind the door as well as the big umbrella.
He goes back to the car and removes Yuan’s seatbelt, putting a jacket on him before making sure that the little kid is not getting wet by the rain. They walked to their apartment and once their inside, Baekhyun shivers. He’s still wet from the rain and because this apartment building is really old and almost run down, the heater hasn’t been replaced with a new one and it barely functions.
That also means Baekhyun needs to save up for a new one because it will be winter soon and the nights will get colder.
“Mama cold…” Yuan says so Baekhyun closes the door right away and bundles Yuan up even though he’s also shivering.
“Mama will just get changed, go watch some cartoons…” Baekhyun says and Yuan nods his head, wrapped up in the blanket that Baekhyun gave him.
Baekhyun changes into some warmer clothes but he still feels slightly cold from the rain… But he didn’t pay any attention to it as he starts making a quick dinner for them as well as the cookies that he promised earlier. He bought extra ingredients for it since he’ll be giving some to Chanyeol too.
About an hour or so, food is prepared and Yuan is still watching… “Yuan, come here and start eating, Mama will just text Chanyeol so he can come over for dinner if he wants to.”
Chanyeol gave his number to the omega a couple of days ago, saying that he usually naps in the afternoon during his break from work, hit, and maybe, up until now, Chanyeol is working… So Baekhyun doesn’t want to interrupt him in case he’s in a meeting, by knocking on the door. That’s why he just texted him saying that there’s food in their apartment if Chanyeol wants to eat with them.
Five minutes later, someone is knocking on their door so Baekhyun gets up to open it. Chanyeol stands behind the door, with a sleepy look on his face, like he just woke up.
“Hey, omega… Good evening…”
“Good evening, Chanyeol… I made dinner and cookies, come in.”
The alpha comes in and the delicious smell of sweet cookies fills up his nose.
“It smells lovely in here but I already ate dinner so I’ll just eat the cookies that I was promised,” Chanyeol says and the omega slides the plate of cookies towards his way and Chanyeol picks up a piece, taking a bite of it.
“This is delicious, now I understand why Yuan likes it very much.” The alpha says, taking a seat on the couch while he was eating. “Thank you,” Baekhyun mutters before eating his food.
“By the way, isn’t it a bit colder in here? Or is my room just set up to be warmer…” The alpha noticed and Baekhyun sighs, “No… It’s a little colder in here because the heater doesn’t work that well anymore. It works but it takes a bit longer…”
They continued eating and Baekhyun even plated a movie for Yuan and Chanyeol to watch while he was washing the dishes that Chanyeol tried to wash, even though he didn’t eat with them.
Chanyeol was gonna leave but Baekhyun told him to stay for the next movie if he wants to and Chanyeol wasn’t gonna say no to that. He loves being around the omega and his son because they keep him company in this lonely apartment.
Chanyeol told him that he’ll just take a shower so the omega said that they’ll take a shower too before the movie.
After about thirty minutes, all of them are dressed in their sleepwear, sitting down on the couch of Baekhyun’s cramped living room. There’s a movie playing and although it’s not the older people’s taste since it’s an animated movie, they don’t really mind. Baekhyun is in the middle of the couch, cramped between two alphas who are watching the movie intently.
Baekhyun shivers a little, still feeling cold from earlier. He warms his hands up, feeling a little sleepy.
“You okay?” Chanyeol whispers, glancing at the kid who is too focused on the movie playing.
“Yeah, just a little cold,” Baekhyun says. “I forgot to take an umbrella earlier and it was really raining hard, so I had to run here…”
“You will catch a cold, you should wear warmer clothes,” Chanyeol says, looking at the hoodie that Baekhyun is wearing. He’s probably not wearing a shirt underneath the hoodie that’s why he’s cold.
Baekhyun turns a little red when he sees the alpha’s wandering eyes. He then tries focusing back on the movie playing when he feels Chanyeol pulling him close to his chest.
He glances over to Chanyeol and the alpha didn’t look at him, eyes on the television too.
“A-Alpha…”
“Shh, we’re watching a movie,” Chanyeol says and Baekhyun wants to scream because why is the alpha teasing him. “Besides, aren’t you cold? It will be warmer this way.”
Baekhyun only relaxes after a few moments and he just goes back to watching the movie, snuggling closer to the warmth coming from the alpha.
Soon enough, the movie finishes and Yuan looks at his mom, surprised to see that he’s sleeping comfortably inside Chanyeol’s arms.
“Mama…”
“Shh… Your mother is sleeping…” Chanyeol says, his arms wrapped around Baekhyun securely.
He glances down at the sleeping omega and one thing is for sure.
The omega is really beautiful, especially up close.