His musing was interrupted when he recognized the words and tune the teen was singing under his breath.
/What the hell?/
“I love this song. Don’t you?” Sehun replies with a fond smile.
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“You won’t believe me anyway, papa.”
“I’m fine,” he answers crisply. “Listen kid, I don’t know what your deal is, but I am going to get to the bottom of this. If I found out that you approached us with ill intentions, there will be hell to pay. You got it?”
“I’ll have to trust you, I guess,” he replies dejectedly. “Hopefully, you’ll be out of my hair by noon.”
“Oh, that’s um…” Baekhyun stutters, not knowing how to answer.
“I didn’t know Baekbom had a teenager?” his assistant says, confused.
“No, actually I’m a cousin’s son,” Sehun replies again. At least one of them wasn’t having a mental breakdown.
“Joohyun, can you please tell Jongdae to see me?” he interrupts, before the woman asks more questions.
His secretary blinks once and goes back to business mode. “Of course. I’ll need those mocks signed by noon, please.”
With that, Joohyun leaves and he was once again left with Sehun. Baekhyun clears his throat before addressing the boy.
“Go sit on the couch for now. Let’s wait for Jongdae and hear what he has to say.”
“Sure,” he replies as he shrugs off his jacket and hangs it on the rack. Despite his doubts about the boy, he couldn’t stop himself from asking.
“No thank you, papa. I’m still full from breakfast,” Sehun answers with the same cheeky grin. It was growing on him.
“You’re very polite,” he comments before he could think twice about it.
Baekhyun could swear he felt an overwhelming sense of pride with those words.
“Come in.”
Jongdae immediately notices Sehun, and turns to Baekhyun with question. “Who’s the kid?”
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“Hmm,” his friend ponders, thumb on his chin as he takes another look at Sehun who had a sheepish smile on his face.
Baekhyun exchanges a look with Sehun and the boy had almost a smug look on his face. His heart was racing, his brain too muddled to think straight.
/What if?/
He dismissed the thought almost immediately.
/Just no. There was no freaking way./
Baekhyun could swear his two companions heard his sigh of relief when the elevator doors finally opened.
“Finally!” the photographer exclaims as they enter. “I was beginning to think we wouldn’t be able to get started until noon!”
Baekhyun averts his eyes. He and Chanyeol used to look at each other like that. He didn’t remember when the last time was.
“What’s the matter?” Baekhyun asks, holding back a groan. Why was nothing going right today?
“The clothes the supplier sent are too big for the model.”
Minseok shrugs. “I have no fucking clue. We tried it on earlier and none of them fit. Our catalogue will look like a joke if we push through with the shoot.”
“We can, but it won’t get here until late this afternoon. We need to do the shoot now, if we want to make it to editing and the printers for the hard copies.”
Baekhyun massages his temples, feeling the onslaught of a very bad headache coming.
“Baekhyun’s nephew,” Jongdae answers for him.
“It’s a long story,” Baekhyun simply answers, trying to dismiss the topic. “You were saying?”
“Well, the clothes are about his size…” Minseok trails with a knowing look.
“Why not?” the photographer challenges. “We need a model. We have one right here.”
“He’s not a model!”
“Excuse me, what’s going on?” Sehun politely interjects, not fully grasping the situation.
“Minseok!”
“Baek, I don’t think it’s such a bad idea,” Jongdae interrupts. “We won’t even shoot his face, just the clothes from the neck down. I mean, desperate times, right?”
“But...”
“I’ll do it,” Sehun says from beside him. He turns to the teen and gives him a warning look that goes unnoticed. “No face, right?”
“No face.”
“Great!” Minseok says and beams at Sehun. “Okay, everyone! Get ready, we don’t have much time.”
Baekhyun pulls Sehun to one side and glares at the teenager. “What are you doing?”
“Relax, papa. I’m just trying to help.”
What if what? What if Sehun was really from the future and people find out about his identity? What if he was really his and Chanyeol’s son? Leaving behind evidence of his existence would complicate things
“Everything’s going to be okay, papa. No face,” Sehun tells him, apparently reading his thoughts.
Was he a mind reader now, too?
He could come up with a list of a hundred things that could go wrong with this, but he was powerless.
In the end, he just decided to leave it all to fate.
Where was the boy they found drenched on their porch this morning? This certainly did not look like him.
“You know, he reminds me of someone,” Jongdae beside him whispers.
“Who?” Baekhyun asks distractedly.
Baekhyun felt like he was punched in the gut as wave after wave of memories came crashing back.
Baekhyun’s hands balled into fists, reining the emotions in. It was all too much.
“Baek?” Jongdae calls his attention again when his friend notices his silence.
“Y-yeah?”
“You okay?”
“Of course.”
He had arrived there and went looking for
“Nope, none. No juvie records. Not in the missing persons’ list either. How old did you say the kid was?”
Shoot. Baekhyun had forgotten to ask Sehun.
Jongin hums and types a few more things into the computer, but the screen still comes up blank.
“There is no record of a Sehun residing in this area, either. Where did you say he was from?”
The officer had offered to look into it further, even telling Baekhyun that he could call other stations to see if Sehun had a record there.
So now, here he was, back to square one.
At least he was sure Sehun wasn’t an axe murderer.
“I grew up watching my dad, so…”
“Really? Your parents seem to be really good people, the way you talk about them.”
At this point, Baekhyun decides to make his presence known. He taps the door lightly with his knuckles, startling the two.
“Hey, you guys ready to grab some lunch?” he asks.
“Minseok had to rush to another shoot, so it’s just going to be the three of us,” Jongdae tells him.
Baekhyun nods. “Let’s go.”
Baekhyun turns to look at Sehun, who now had his head down. He could see how the boy’s cheeks reddened at the praise.
“I guess it does,” he says, almost to himself. But Sehun hears this, and his head perks up to look at Baekhyun. He maintains eye contact with him, and Baekhyun was almost sure the teen was tearing up.
“We have a busy afternoon, though. So we should hurry,” Jongdae reminds him, and the moment is over.
Sehun nods, still looking a bit dazed.
“Are you okay?” Baekhyun asks, starting to get worried.
Baekhyun hums and gets back to finishing his food. They were done after a few minutes, and Jongdae excuses himself to go to the restroom while Baekhyun calls for the check.
How was Baekhyun going to say no to /that/ face?
“Yes, please,” the boy nods, eyes twinkling in delight.
Baekhyun gestures for Sehun to follow him to the front of the store where the ice cream display was.
“What would you like, sir?” the attendant asks them in greeting.
“Can we get dad’s favorite flavor instead, papa?” Sehun says from beside him.
Sehun shakes his head firmly. “/You/ like strawberry. Dad likes mango. He only eats the strawberry ‘cause you like it.”
Baekhyun was left mum. How could he have forgotten?
“One scoop each of the strawberry and mango please, ma’am,” Sehun answers with a grin.
“Papa?”
“Yes?” he answers distractedly. Sehun’s smile grew wider.
“I’ll take this to our table. Uncle Dae’s back.”
Baekhyun nods without thinking about it, then turns to the store clerk.
“Oh, is that so? Over here please,” she answers with a pleasant smile.
Baekhyun watches thoughtlessly as she punches several keys on the register and tells him an amount.
“Your son?” she asks, obviously talking about Sehun. “He’s very well-mannered. I wish my son was that polite. My boy can’t even say “please” to save his life. You must be proud.”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “He’s a good kid. I’m lucky.”
It was a miracle that they hadn’t gotten into an accident yet.
Baekhyun hadn’t though much of that statement earlier, but now, it was like he got slapped in the face. He tries to look back and pinpoint when and where it had all gone wrong.
So how exactly did they fall apart?
The worst thing was he never heard his husband complain. Not even once.
“Papa? What’s wrong are you hurt anywhere?” Sehun asks, panic evident in his voice.
Without another word, the teen gathers the sobbing Baekhyun into his arms and cradles the older’s head on his chest. It was weird to be comforted by a teenager of all people, but Baekhyun decides he doesn’t hate it.
“It’s okay, papa,” Sehun says to him over and over. “Everything’s going to be alright. You’ll see.”
Sehun simply shakes his head and smiles kindly. “It doesn’t matter, papa. I don’t mind. Are you feeling better now?”
“I- Yes. Yes, I am.”
“Okay.”
They find Chanyeol in the kitchen fixing himself his own lunch. Baekhyun looks at his wristwatch.
Baekhyun castigates himself further at the thought.
“Did something happen?” his husband asks worriedly.
‘You’re doing it again,’ he scolds himself internally.
“Oh, no, no. Of course I don’t mind,” Chanyeol responds just as fast.
He exchanges a quick glance with Sehun and turns back to his husband. “He’s alright, I guess.”
“No. I think he can barely harm a fly.”
“Hey!” Sehun says in mock offense, a silly grin on his face. Then his face lights up as he holds out the bag in his hands and shoves it into Chanyeol’s arms.
“O-Oh. Uh, w-wow. I’ve been craving for some straw-”
Chanyeol stops mid-speech as he opens the bag and sees what was inside. “This is...”
A smile blooms on his face as he starts his car and drives away. He was going to make things right with his husband, no matter what it takes.
*A/N: Sehun spends time with dad next!
Please do let me know what you think so far. RQs are always appreciated as they also motivate me to write.
Will be posting this on AO3 too.
Thank you as always! I hope you're still here for next ones!
“Uhm, dad? Are you okay?” Sehun asks, eyes alarmed.
“You were about to put mustard in your ice cream,” Sehun answers as his eyes drift to Chanyeol’s hand that he was still holding. Apparently, Chanyeol had /really/ been about to squeeze mustard into the dessert he had scooped up in a bowl.
“I like mustard,” he says in an attempt to explain his behavior.
Sehun stares, unblinking. “Not on ice cream. Are you feeling okay? You look a little flushed.”
“Did something happen today?” he asks Sehun. “Baekhyun’s acting really strange.”
“How so?” the teen asks with furrowed brows.
He blushes instantly as he remembers the /surprise/ he got. His lips were tingling from that brief contact. Really, what was up with him?
To his relief, Sehun merely shrugs and doesn’t press further. He asks another question, though.
“Aren’t you going to the studio today?”
“I have to finish an initial demo before I bring it in for full production. I’ll do it in the basement,” he says, referring to his converted home studio.
“Potentially,” he says as he brushes the crumbs off his shirt and carries his plate to the sink.
Sehun does the same and follows behind him. “Cool. I hope you get it.”
“Me too.”
Chanyeol shakes his head in disagreement. “I wasn’t always. There was a time when I didn’t make a dime. All I had was passion and a lot of debt.”
Chanyeol shrugs noncommittally. “I guess.”
“Uh, thanks,” he says, still distracted. He was about to leave, but decides against it and turns back to the Sehun again. “Did you want to come with me to the basement?”
Chanyeol chuckles. “Sure. If that’s something you wanna do? You might get bored.”
The teen shakes his head almost violently. “No way! I’m won’t be any trouble, I promise.”
“The stairs beside the bathroom,” Sehun finishes for him.
“I’ll be right down!” Sehun says enthusiastically and goes back to his chore.
Chanyeol was in a good mood in the next few hours he spends with Sehun in his home studio. Just as he promised, the teen was no trouble at all, even managing to pitch-in some of his inputs which have proved to be valuable.
He was in the process of putting the finishing touches on his demo, when Sehun asked if he could take a look around the studio.
“Huh, what?” he answers distractedly, not taking his eyes off the computer screen. “Hold on one second.”
“What’s the title of this one?” Sehun asks again, oblivious to Chanyeol’s sudden change in mood.
“Oh, /that/. That’s... um, unfinished.”
It almost feels like I’m looking at you
You’re like everything that shines bright
When the night sky grows dark
The whole world is sparkled with light.”
“I just... Didn’t feel like it anymore.”
What Chanyeol doesn’t tell Sehun was that any inspiration he had when he first started writing this
Chanyeol had lost his muse, and in effect, lost any motivation to continue. Sehun, nevertheless, sees right through him in ways Chanyeol didn’t think possible.
The question throws him terribly off guard. “What makes you think so?”
“It’s these lyrics. I just feel like you’re describing papa. How bright his smiles are, how he gives light to your life."
“Sorry, dad,” Sehun says apologetically when he notices how somber Chanyeol suddenly looked. “I shouldn’t have said anything. My mouth has no filter, sometimes.”
He doesn’t need to be cross with Sehun. The teenager didn’t do anything to ruin his and Baekhyun’s relationship in the first place. Chanyeol did it all by himself.
To make ends meet, Baekhyun started working an eight-to-five office job that took most of his weekdays,
For the first few years, it was okay. They weren’t wealthy, but they were getting by. Then, just a little after their third anniversary,
Make no mistake, Chanyeol was thrilled for his husband. He was the first one to celebrate with Baekhyun. He still vividly recalls the fancy dinner he had setup and the amazing, mind-blowing sex that followed.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he had already started feeling insecure.
Chanyeol raises an eyebrow at this. “We?”
“I’ll help you, of course!”
“Uh-huh,” he answers non-commitally. For some reason, he doesn’t see Sehun as someone helpful in the kitchen. A lot like /someone/ he knows.
Or eaten together, for that matter.
“Well, why don’t we give him a call to find out?” Sehun suggests with a hopeful smile.
“I don’t want to bother him. I’m sure he’s really busy.”
“Let me borrow your phone. I’ll talk to him.”
He hits speed dial number one and Baekhyun’s name immediately comes up on the screen. He puts the phone on speaker and waits for the call to connect.
“Chanyeol? What’s wrong? Are you two okay?”
“Uhm, we’re okay,” he replies and looks over to Sehun who was sporting the same confused look as him.
“Why?” he asks, not able to help himself.
“Ah,” he answers lamely. What else was he supposed to reply to that?
Chanyeol then remembers the /real/ purpose of this call. “Sehun wanted to talk to you.”
He brings the phone closer to Sehun so that Baekhyun can hear him better.
“Hey, papa,” Sehun greets eagerly.
Baekhyun’s response takes Chanyeol aback. Something definitely happened when the two were in the former’s office. His husband doesn’t even tell Sehun off for calling him “papa” anymore. Just what the hell was going on?
“You’re eating dinner here tonight, right?” Sehun asks without missing a beat as Chanyeol holds his breath and prepares for rejection.
That one word was all it took for him to lose his cool.
“Really?” Chanyeol blurts, skeptical.
“Yup,” Baekhyun answers at once, unaware of the effect it has on him. “Jongdae and I will finish up a little early today so I’ll just head home right away.”
“That’s great, papa!” Sehun answers when he remains at a loss for words. “Dad and I are cooking tonight!”
“You are?” Baekhyun says excitedly and Chanyeol /hopes/. He shouldn’t but he does.
Chanyeol hears genuine regret in his voice and the spark of hope that he sees in his head glows a little brighter.
“That’s totally okay!” he says, not caring if he sounded too eager. “Just... As long as you get home safely.”
“Bye, papa! Don’t work too hard!” Sehun adds.
Chanyeol bids his husband goodbye and hangs up with a dazed look on his face.
“Dad?” Sehun says, waving his hand in front of Chanyeol’s face to get his attention.
“Huh?”
He frowns and playfully flicks the teen on the forehead. “Let’s go.”
“Where?”
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One more scene done!!! Phew!
I have one more fic fest entry to finish, so I will be updating this after that. It will be soon, though. Just a little after my short vacation. Thanks for understanding!
See you again soon. Love you, guys!!!😘
Chanyeol doubles over in laughter, holding on to Sehun's left shoulder as he struggles to right himself.
"It certainly does not taste /fine/. I'm sorry, Sehun. The least that could happen is you get sued if you let anyone drink this. It's /awful/.”
Chanyeol chuckles some more and playfully ruffles Sehun's hair. "I'm just looking out for you, bud. I don't want you ending up in jail for trying to poison someone."
"If what you mean by "fun" is having Sehun try to kill me, then sure," Chanyeol answers cheekily, earning him a displeased whine from the teen.
"Papa, dad's being an ass."
"It's... um... exotic?" he offers as Chanyeol breaks into loud guffaws once more.
Baekhyun glances at Sehun, ready to apologize. But instead of looking dejected, the teen was smiling fondly.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Chanyeol complains. Sehun merely sticks his tongue out at the older. Then, he walks over to Baekhyun and takes his bag from him.
Baekhyun was about to tell Sehun that he had to go up to change himself, but stops when he remembers the /matter/ that had been bothering him on the whole drive home.
"Yes, please," he answers. "You can just leave it on my study table."
Sehun nods and turns to leave.
Baekhyun doesn't even notice that Sehun didn't need to ask him where his room was. He figures he has maybe two minutes before the teen comes back.
"Chanyeol," he calls. His husband looks up from the pot he was stirring and meets his eyes. Baekhyun immediately shrinks back.
/How does he start?/
"You need to move back into the master's bedroom," he blurts out without thinking.
To his utter surprise, Chanyeol merely nodded.
"I'm back!" Sehun calls, interrupting his reverie. "I'll go set the table now - why are you both so red in the face?"
A/N:
Hi! I'm sorry for being MIA the past few weeks. Things have been hectic at work since I got back from vacation and I haven't had a single break. Hopefully, I have more time to write in the following days.
And yes, the current events happened only within the span of the day. It's craaaazyyyy.
Anyways, I wanna write more of Sehun and his parentals so I'll extend his stay.
'Til next time! Gimme some love, I'm tired of life. HAHAHA!
Love you guys!
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archiveofourown.org/works/19950922…