Chapter Text
Days rolled by and it was just like any other night. Byul who had snuggled himself against his parent woke up rubbing his eyes. It was the same name in his dream- The Sagittarius Killer. It always knocked him right out of sleep and never left his mind.
As he roamed his eyes at his Papa, he stared at the sleeping male wondering what were the secrets he was keeping buried in him and what were the secrets of his other father. He waved his hands over his parent's face and saw that he got no response.
Byul silently slid out of the bed-careful to not make any noise- and skipped out of the room. As he walked down the dark hallway, he halted in front of a door. It was Baekhyun's study and it was the only room he, or anyone for that matter, was allowed to enter.
It always remained locked so his eyes widened like saucers as he twisted the knob and entered the room. He turned on the lights and the sight of countless books welcomed him. The room was smaller than the other rooms in the house but it was maintained so neatly, almost satisfying. He looked at the shelves which covered two walls of the room. Most were his Papa's works but a few were novels and reference books to killers and psychopaths.
Byul gulped down the lump in his throat as he continued to look around. He squinted his eyes at the curtain which seemed to be hiding the wall. The black curtain screamed no but the boy's curiosity got the best of him.
As he pushed it away and dread filled him-mouth agape- a gasp- he stared at the wall in front of him. It was a huge pin-up board with newspaper clippings and photographs. The newspaper clippings were the same as the few pictures he had managed to catch a glimpse of at the station.
Then as he roamed his eyes on the board, his body froze seeing the man who had confessed to being the killer near his Papa.
"Park Byul!" his feet seemed to have frozen, "What do you think you're doing here?" Baekhyun hurried to close the curtain and drag his son out of the room before locking it. The single crouched to his son's level and shook him by his shoulders, "Park Byul, answer me!"
"Don't call me, Park!" was the only holler he got from his son who ran to his room. Baekhyun stared at his retreating back and the door fall shut behind him. The writer panicked and walked to the boy's room.
He knocked on the door, "Byul-ie, come out and talk with Papa, baby. Please, honey. Let me in. Ask me anything, don't make assumptions, honey." Not you too, Byul...
Baekhyun knocked and tried to get the child to come out but to no avail. Byul turned deaf to his Papa's pleas outside the door and buried himself under the blanket as he silently sniffled. I hate you...
Baekhyun never knew when he fell asleep but he found himself waking up in front of his son's door. Judging from how cold it was, he assumed it was either early in the morning or still night. His joints ached from the position he had slept in but he stood up and stretched himself a little before walking to his room to freshen up.
"Wow, I look horrible," was the first thing out of his mouth as he stared at his reflection. His eyes were swollen, hair in different- from how much he pulled on it last night from all the frustration. "You still look beautiful to me," he heard a whisper and the writer laughed with his hoarse voice, "Shut up, Yeol!"
Later the smile curved to a pout, "Did I make some mistake with Byul?" Another whisper, "No, B." Baekhyun's lips curved into a smile again, "I'll make him his favorite, maybe he'll forgive and forget."
Just like that, he freshened himself before rushing to the kitchen to cook up his baby's favorite- tteokbokki. Though he could never do the exact one as his lover always did, it was not bad. Once everything looked perfect in his eyes, the brunet went up to his son's room to see him sound asleep.
As much as he hated disturbing his baby's sleep, school was a bitch and there was no way around it. Baekhyun gently sat on the edge of the bed and slowly pulled down his son's blanket. His heart painfully clenched seeing the dried tear stains on his baby's cheeks and his swollen eyes.
"How long did you cry, honey?" he pushed back the hair from the boy's forehead. Baekhyun patted his chest, "Wake up, my sweet star. Let's hang out today, you don't have to go to school." Byul shifted in his sleep as his parent tapped his chest gently.
A few minutes later, he cracked open his eyes and flinched at the bright daylight. "Byul-ie," he heard the soothing lullaby-like voice of his parent, "Get up, baby. I made your favorite. Tteokbokki! Yay!"
Byul opened his eyes before sitting up. He rolled his eyes at his parent before getting off the bed. Baekhyun gulped the lump in his throat before trying to crack a smile on his lips, "Good morning, Byul-ie."
The boy disappeared into the bathroom to get ready. Baekhyun with a sigh retreated to the kitchen to set up the table for his son. It was about half an hour later when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
But his smile fell soon seeing the boy all dressed up for school. Nonetheless, he tried to keep the smile on despite failing miserably. "You're off to school? Thought you'd like a day off and hang out at the mall." Said Baekhyun as the boy sat up for breakfast.
But Byul stayed mum. The parent only sighed as he sat opposite to his son and began trying to shove the food down his throat. The always cheerful, lively duo ate in silence for the first time. Baekhyun's throat choked up as he blinked away the tears.
Byul said nothing as he finished his breakfast and ran out the door. Once the slam of the door resonated through the eerily quiet house, Baekhyun broke down at the table. He let his tears mix with the food as he sobbed out the pain in his heart.
___________
Byul walked down the familiar route and pushed open the door to the police station. His eyes wandered around and finally fell on the person he was looking for, "Officer Nini." Jongin looked at the boy and flashed a smile, "Are you looking for Sehun or Junmyeon? They're yet to be here, Byul."
The student shook his head and only then did the officer look at his attire, "What are you doing out of school?"
"Can you help me with something, Officer Nini?" Jongin scratched his nape yet nodded and asked him how he could be of help. "You know Wu Yifan?" once he got a nod, the boy continued, "I want to meet him and talk. Please, it's important."
Jongin stared at him puzzled he tried to shrug off the boy's request and said he'd ask Sehun about it but the boy was adamant. He was desperate for answers. The officer was adamant as well but not more than the boy.
Byul sat there saying he'd only go for lunch of the officer agreed, "I don't care of it's for a week or a month, I need to talk with him, Officer Nini. Please?"
"What do you even have to ask him, Byul?"
"About my dad."
Jongin sighed, he accepted defeat as he told the lad to follow him. As soon as the officer was done writing about their visit on the register, Yifan was called to meet his visitors.
He was beyond recognition. His hair had grown quite long and rough and stubbles all over his face from not having shaved enough. His frame had become thinner and he looked unhealthy but that venomous look in his cunning eyes never left.
As soon as he saw the boy behind the glass, his lips curled into a vicious smirk, "So, it's true. The seed lives on. I thought I finished you off for good." Byul stared at the prisoner puzzled and cleared his throat. "You knew my dad?" The inmate laughed, "Knew? That piece of shit is the reason I'm here."
Jongin glared at him, "Stop lying and answer the boy, Wu!"
"I'm not lying. If Park Chanyeol had not gone all cuckoo and killed everyone, I would've never gotten into killing either" He turned to the boy who had tears in his eyes, "Did my dad really kill all those people? Those people with numbers on their bodies and the Sagittarius symbol?"
Jongin was surprised to see a glimmer of pity in the inmate's eyes. A sigh left the other man's lips, "Hate to break it to ya, kid. But yes, yes he did and you have a killer's blood in yo—"
"Wu Yifan!"
The said man shrugged, "What? I was just being honest and I didn't wanna keep fooling the boy like everyone else." Byul only had his eyes wide in shock. He took a few minutes to recover before looking up at the inmate, "You know my Papa?"
"Byun Baekhyun?"
Byul nodded and Yifan licked his lips with a dirty smirk, "Oh, how can I ever forget him. Such a beauty, you know? His eyes, those pink lips, his voice, smooth and God! That ass!"
"Wu Yifan!"
"Did my—um—was my Papa the reason my dad killed so many people..." Byul asked fiddling with his fingers, "Did Papa know..." Yifan nodded, "He killed people who disturbed Baekhyun but not just that. He initially killed for pleasure, he loved to hunt people down like animals and watch them bleed to death."
Jongin glared at the male but he knew he was powerless, "He used Baekhyun as an excuse to kill and Baekhyun knew all about it. It's good the world doesn't have a Chanyeol anymore. Unless," he stared into the little boy's innocent eyes, "you plan on following his footsteps."
"Wu Yifan!" Jongin hollered before dragging the boy out of there. The officer drove the boy back to the station and got him some juice. "It's strawberry, your favourite." He cooed but the boy did not budge.
"Want me to take you home or wanna wait for Sehun?" Byul looked up and shook his head requesting the officer not to tell the detective. Jongin only nodded his head yet never promised. The young Park bid his goodbye saying he knows the way back home and the officer halfheartedly let him leave. As Byul walked back home, he saw a few graffiti artists showing off their skills with the spray cans. He saw a few scattered on the asphalt.
He picked up one and ran off in the direction opposite to his house oblivious to the artists. The walk was a little longer but he was at his destination- the churchyard.
After having come there countless of times with his Papa who loved to talk with his Dada, he was more than familiar with the place. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and stood in front of the grave of his other parent.
Angry tears fell down his eyes as he gripped the can as tight as he could that his knuckles had turned white. His hands moved on their own as he began spraying the paint over the tombstone covering it with words like killer, glad you died, go to hell, and such.
He finally broke down as he tossed the can to the ground and fell on his knees. "Let it out, buddy. Let it all out" he looked up. "Uncle Sehun..."
"I heard what happened, cry it out. Scream it out. Break something. Throw stuff around, do anything but don't hurt your papa, baby. You've no idea how much he's been through."
Earlier that day, Baekhyun had cried to his heart's content to Sehun over a cup of coffee. He had told him the events of the night and how he was afraid his only will to live hated him. His attention came back to Byul who was sobbing with snot and tears cascading down his face.
The boy looked over his shoulder and saw someone come in, "Papa's here!" Sehun took him to hide and the boy had his hands clasped over his mouth to prevent his voice from being heard.
Baekhyun had a plastic bag in his hands as he walked toward his lover's resting place. Once in front of it, his eyes widened as he became hysteric. He settled down the bottle of soju before rushing to the nearest mart to get anything that could clean up the mess on his precious' tombstone.
Sehun and Byul were still in hiding. The detective was trying his best to calm down the sobbing child in his arms so that they could get out of there. As he contemplated running to his car and leaving before the parent of the child returned, the writer was quicker. The little boy silently cried in guilt seeing his parent try to scrub off the rubbish on the stone with tears down his red eyes.
"How dare they! I'm sorry, Yeollie. I'll make sure to catch whoever did this, baby."
The people were so angry with Chanyeol that they protested against bestowing a tomb, a place in their grave to a killer and not just any killer but the Sagittarius killer who was responsible for the death of so many. So Baekhyun was sure that if not for him, no one would actually take an initiative to clean it up unless he paid them a very handsome amount.
Once he saw the grave looked alright again, he sat beside it. Baekhyun opened the bottle of soju and poured it into the two glasses he brought with him. Seeing he had turned the other way, the detective and the student silently snuck away to the detective's car.
Byul could not help but visit what he'd seen earlier- his parent talking about everything which hurt him, crying with none to comfort him. The boy broke down and Sehun was quick to pull over.
"Byul..."
"I'm the reason Papa's crying. I shouldn't have done that to his grave."
Sehun sighed knowing it was all because of him- Byul coming to know of his father, his visit with Wu Yifan. He knew he had to come clean soon or he'd have to watch the two break apart into a million little fragments.
About half an hour later, Byul was only sniffling looking out and the detective drove to the writer's place. He took a deep breath as Byul opened the door and entered the house. The detective hesitated, his hands becoming clammy- he had to face the music.
"Should I fix you something to eat, Byul?" the adult asked since his parent was yet to be home. Byul quietly shook his head as he sat on the couch with his bag thrown carelessly on the carpet. Sehun took a sharp intake of breath as he sat beside the child.
He reached out to smooth the boy's locks, sighed, "Byul, I'll talk to your Papa, okay? It'll be all over tonight and there'd be no need for you to be sad, okay?" Byul looked up. "No, Papa's already sad. I'll tell him tomorrow, everything." He tried to force out a smile before turning to face the carpet.
It wasn't long before Baekhyun came back. A large grin found its way to his lips unconsciously at the sight of his little boy. "Hey, honey!" he rushed to sit beside his baby, "How was school today?"
The parent moved his eyes up to the detective who was gulping and fiddling with his fingers, "Thank you for bringing him home, Sehun-ie." The smile made Sehun want to dig a grave right then and there and slowly die of oxygen deprivation. "It's okay, Baek."
"Would you like to join us for dinner? I just got all the ingredients for my star's favorite dinner!"
Byul shifted to the detective's lap and Sehun understood what he meant. "I'm sorry, B. I kinda treated him to a burger at McD's. He was just really sleepy, guess the activities at school really tired him out."
Baekhyun nodded brushing his baby's hair out of his eyes, "Guess it did." The taller stood up with the boy in his arms, face buried in the crook of his neck and the child's breath tickling his nape softly. He volunteered to tuck him in bed but the parent looked reluctant.
"I'll do that, you can go home. It's getting late, right?"
Byul acted as if he was asleep and the detective was quick to dodge the parent. The parent watched the two ascend the stairs with a pout and a sigh escaping his lips.
Once inside the room, Sehun helped the boy out of his clothes and changed him into his nightwear before tucking him into bed. "Are you sure you don't want to eat anything?" Byul shook his head refusing.
"I made Papa cry today, Uncle Sehun. I hurt him so much and he doesn't know I did it."
Sehun hugged the crying boy comforting him, or at the least tried to. The boy was devastated and it broke the man's heart knowing that he played a huge role in it. "It's gonna be okay, baby. I'll set it all right, I promise."
The detective put away the boy's uniforms in the laundry before heading off to the kitchen. When Sehun came into the kitchen, the writer was busy putting away the groceries sniffling. The detective walked up to the oblivious male before hugging him from behind. Baekhyun broke down in his arms. "He hates me, Hun. Byul hates me. So much."
The detective turned him in his embrace letting the writer dampen his shirt with his tears. "I should've told him everything but I didn't. It's all my fault..."
_____________
A little later, with Sehun's help, Baekhyun was done putting away the groceries. He settled on the couch with a bowl of ramen, his glasses sitting on the tip of his nose. His right hand was occupied with a pair of chopsticks while the other with a book he had taken up a few days ago.
His bowl was soon empty as he continued to read. A chuckle left his lips as he read the part about the elf's description. The dumbo, elf-like ears. A dimple. A tall stature. His mind drifted off to his late lover. A lone tear slipped his eye. Baekhyun took off his glasses to wipe it off before placing the glasses on the tea table.
Putting the book away, he made his way to the laundry room. Shaking his head, he saw the pile of clothes mindlessly thrown around beside the washing machine. They were partially turned inside out- typical Oh Sehun! The writer began to take up the clothes to toss it in the machine and as he did, his blood ran cold.
His lips began quivering, eyes blinking away unshed tears. The blotch of black paint on the cuff of his baby's uniform. It was not what he was thinking, right? No way, right? Baekhyun crouched on the floor as he clutched the shirt in his hands.
He was not crying, nothing. He was numb. He was still processing.
Gulping down the lump in his throat, he composed himself as best as he could before shakingly walking up to his baby's room. The writer paused for a second with his hand on the knob of the room before twisting it, letting himself in.
He sat on the bed beside the lump under the covers. "I don't know why you did what you did, but maybe I do. Baby, please just talk to me. Don't let the world tell you anything, I'll tell you everything."
"Then tell me, Papa."
Baekhyun almost gasped seeing his son was still awake. The writer showed the boy his uniform, "Were you the one who did that to Daddy's grave?" Byul went silent as he looked at his fingers and a slow, hesitant nod.
"Tell Papa what happened and I'll tell you everything."
Byul nodded again before reciting everything that had happened. From finding his Daddy's files to talking with Yifan, not forgetting the part about the spray can. As soon as he was done, Baekhyun embraced his child.
"Thanks for telling me, baby. I'm so glad, honey. I love you so much."
When his son was calm again, the parent cuddled his baby close to him, "Your Daddy was a good man. All he wanted was love and he had everything stolen from him. He had no childhood and he spent his life running away." He paused to chuckle, "Your Daddy once confessed he wanted to kill me but thought I was too sweet to die." Byul widened his eyes but soon laughed with his parent.
"We were so in love, Byul. Your Daddy made me feel so much happiness more than I ever have and he was my knight."
"Like the knight who slayed the dragon?"
Baekhyun smiled through his tears, "Yeah, just like that. He promised to never let anyone lay a finger on me and till his last breath, he kept his promise. He just loved me so much, baby. Daddy loved you so, so much, baby. Till you were born, he said I was the only one in his heart and suddenly after you came to us, his heart had space for two.
"You can't imagine having to stay away from me, Uncle Sehun, Jun and Xing, right? Daddy was sent away 'cause Yifan killed his family and framed him for murder. People cornered Daddy and he had nowhere to go. He was lost, Byul. The world painted an innocent child, smaller than you, to be some cold-blooded killer who killed his entire family.
So you know, as Shakespeare says, ''Tis better to be vile—"
"Than vile esteemed. I know Papa, you always tell me that."
Baekhyun hugged his son closer, "I understand your Daddy did some bad stuff but he wasn't born evil, baby. He was made to be and it was inevitable, baby. He had to survive and he just found himself on the wrong side of the tracks."
"How did Daddy die, Papa?"
Baekhyun made a sharp inhale of breath. "I... I don't know, Byul. Your Daddy did not tell me when he was to be, you know, executed 'cause you were just born and so no one told me. I never got to see him breathe his last—" he had not realized he was crying until he felt Byul's little fingers wipe off his tears.
"They only gave me his body neatly dressed in the suit he had picked out without my knowledge. He bought it before turning himself in and he never told me. Your Daddy was sneaky just like you, my little star." He pinched his son's cheek before pecking his raven hair.
"When your Daddy left, my world was dark and dull. And you were the light in my life. Stars shine bright in the darkest sky and that's why I named you Byul. My brightly shining, little star in my dark life."
Byul smiled and kissed his Papa's mochi cheeks. "Does that clear up everything, baby?" the boy nodded, "I'm sorry I never asked you first, Papa." Baekhyun smiled playing with the boy's hair, "I love you, baby."
"Love you too, Papa."
"Let's sleep?" Byul nodded asking his parent to sing for him. Baekhyun's voice was magic as it slowly lulled the boy to sleep. The writer inhaled the boy's soft baby scent, he'd never moved on Johnson's baby shampoo.
A huge, suffocating burden had been lifted off his heart. It actually felt refreshing and his heart felt free, feather-like. He had nothing more to hide from his baby. They were gonna be just fine.
____________
The next morning had Park Byul laughing. He was laughing his little stomach off seeing his Papa pull on his Uncle Sehun's poor red ear. "Now what do you understand from all I've said?"
"We must never lie." Sehun whined trying to move away from the writer's sharp fingernails. "And?" the detective rolled his eyes at the writer, "if it's something about Byul, I should never compromise."
Baekhyun smiled victoriously, "Now let go of me, you tyrannical midget!"
Junmyeon sneaked up behind the writer before smacking him with the spatula. "Stop tormenting, my partner-in-crime, and help me out with the barbeque at the back!" He shifted his eyes to the little boy, his eyes turning to little crescents, "Let's go fill your tum-tum with some yum sausage and patty?" Byul nodded in glee.
They had decided to have a BBQ party in the Park's backyard to celebrate the Zhang twins! Yes, you heard right: Yixing and Junmyeon had just found out they were having twins and were out of the world. Their happiness knew no bounds when the doctor handed them the sonogram.
"We were thinking if one of the twins was a boy, we'd like to name him after my brother, after Byul's dad- Yeol. Do we have your permission, Baek?" the writer looked at the detective's hands which were holding his against the elders small bump. Baekhyun nodded, a happy tear sliding down his cheek.
"I'd be honored, Hyung. Thank you..." the shorter detective hugged the younger, both smiling the widest. The two soon pulled away when they smelled Yixing burning the sausages. Baekhyun watched the couple bicker with his son trying to help poor Yixing who was losing against his husband.
Just as he was taking in the view in front of him, Baekhyun felt a hand slip in his. He looked up to see Sehun. "Will you consider giving me another chance? A chance to be in love with you and treat you like a queen?" Baekhyun's eyes widened before softening.
He looked up to the sky, a serene smile playing on his lips.
"Take me out for coffee first, Detective Oh."
While Sehun was dancing in his head from the happiness and all the excitement, the writer looked up at the silent blue sky once again,
'Be at peace, my love, and watch over us. I love you.'
A gush of breeze tickled him pink as if whispering gently, I love you too.