Chapter Text
The dinner had long since come to an end. The dining table, which had been overflowing with food and lively conversation only an hour earlier, now displayed the pleasant aftermath of a well-enjoyed meal. Empty plates were stacked near half-finished glasses, while traces of second and third servings remained as evidence that no one had held back. The comforting aroma of food still lingered throughout the house, blending seamlessly with the warmth that seemed to fill every corner of the home.
No one remained seated. Por's father was carrying dishes to the kitchen while Por's mother carefully wiped down the table. Nearby, Kong and Thomas were engaged in a heated yet entirely unserious argument over who had eaten the final piece of dessert. Their exaggerated accusations echoed through the room, drawing occasional laughter from everyone else. Meanwhile, the child sat proudly on the kitchen counter, swinging his legs back and forth as though he were supervising the entire operation. The confidence on his face suggested he considered himself the manager of the household.
Por remained comfortably seated in his chair, one hand resting on his stomach. As his pregnancy progressed, standing for long periods had become increasingly uncomfortable, and no one expected him to help with the cleanup. TeeTee, however, moved between the dining room and kitchen carrying dishes and assisting wherever he could. Watching everyone bustle around him, Por couldn't help but smile. The atmosphere felt peaceful and familiar, the kind of ordinary evening he had once thought impossible. For a brief moment, everything felt complete.
The sudden ring of the doorbell broke the comfortable rhythm of the evening.
"I'll get it," Por's father said casually before making his way toward the entrance. At first, no one paid much attention. Conversations continued, dishes clinked together, and the child continued his self-appointed supervision. However, as the minutes passed, an unusual silence gradually settled near the front door. Por frowned slightly when he realized his father had not returned. Instead, he appeared to be standing at the entrance speaking quietly with someone.
A moment later, Por's father stepped aside, revealing the visitor. The entire house fell silent. TeeTee nearly dropped the plate in his hands.
"Mom?"
Standing in the doorway was his mother.
She looked nervous, a rare expression on a woman who normally carried herself with effortless grace and confidence. There was no anger in her eyes, nor disappointment. Instead, she seemed uncertain, as though she had spent the entire journey debating whether she should come at all. Her gaze slowly traveled across the room, moving from TeeTee to Por, then to the child, before finally settling on the unmistakable curve of Por's stomach.
No one knew what to say.
The child glanced between the adults before pointing toward her. "Who is that?"
TeeTee carefully set down the plate. "My mother."
"Oh." The child considered this information for a moment before his face brightened with understanding. "Grandma?"
The room froze for a second time. Both of them didn't have time to think why the everything known child doesn't know the mother.
TeeTee's mother smiled. It was small and fleeting, but entirely genuine.
"Hello," she said.
The child smiled back without hesitation.
Por's mother quickly stepped forward and offered a welcoming smile. "Please come inside."
For a brief moment, TeeTee's mother hesitated at the entrance, as though she was still deciding whether she truly belonged there. Then, after taking a quiet breath, she nodded and stepped inside. Although Por's mother welcomed her warmly, the atmosphere remained awkward for several minutes. No one seemed entirely sure how to act, and an uncomfortable silence lingered between them until everyone eventually drifted toward the living room.
Por settled carefully onto the sofa, and TeeTee immediately took the seat beside him. Before anyone could say a word, the child squeezed himself between them with complete confidence, as if that space had always belonged to him. In truth, it had. No one attempted to move him.
For a while, TeeTee's mother simply sat and observed. She watched the effortless way everyone moved around one another, the countless small gestures that had become second nature. TeeTee automatically adjusted a pillow behind Por's back, ensuring he was comfortable before settling down himself. The child climbed into TeeTee's lap without permission, entirely certain he would be welcomed there. None of it seemed forced or rehearsed. Everything felt natural, easy, and undeniably real. As she watched them, she realized she was not looking at strangers or at some temporary arrangement. She was looking at a family.
Eventually, TeeTee broke the silence. "Did Father send you?"
His mother's response came without hesitation. "No."
The answer immediately caught everyone's attention. "I came by myself."
TeeTee stared at her, clearly surprised. "You didn't tell him?"
"No."
The certainty in her voice left no room for doubt. The room grew quiet once more as she held her son's gaze. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice softer than before.
"I wanted to hear the truth from you."
No one interrupted her. No one attempted to fill the silence. For perhaps the first time in years, someone was genuinely giving TeeTee the opportunity to explain himself instead of judging him before he spoke.
And so he did.
Slowly and patiently, he told her everything. He explained how he had met the child and how Por had unexpectedly entered his life. He spoke about how they began living together, how the child had gradually changed everything around them, and how love had quietly grown in a place where neither of them had expected it. He told her about Por's identity and pregnancy, about their plans for the future, and about their determination to raise both children together no matter what challenges lay ahead.
Throughout the entire explanation, his mother never once interrupted. She simply listened. Occasionally, her gaze drifted toward Por. At other times, she found herself watching the child, who remained blissfully unaware of the significance of the conversation unfolding around him. Different emotions crossed her face as she listened. Sometimes her eyes softened with sympathy, while at other moments she appeared lost in thought. Yet through it all, she never judged him. She never criticized him. Most importantly, she never raised her voice.
When TeeTee finally finished speaking, silence settled over the room once again. His mother remained quiet for several moments, absorbing everything she had heard. Then she turned her attention toward Por.
"You must have been through a lot."
Por blinked in surprise. Of all the things he had expected her to say, that was certainly not one of them.
"Ah..."
His uncertain response seemed to make her expression soften even further.
"Carrying a baby is difficult."
Por instinctively rested a hand over his stomach before nodding. "It is."
Her gaze lingered on his stomach for a moment before she asked, "The baby is healthy?"
A small smile appeared on Por's face. "Yes. The doctor said everything is fine."
Relief briefly flickered across her features before she could hide it. It lasted only a second, but everyone noticed. Then her attention shifted toward the child. The child immediately waved at her with the enthusiasm only children seemed capable of. "Hello."
A small smile touched her lips. "Hello."
Apparently satisfied with this exchange, the child returned to eating his cookie as though nothing particularly important had happened.
TeeTee, however, continued watching his mother carefully. "Mom." She turned toward him.
"Aren't you angry?"
The question lingered in the air. For a moment, she simply looked at him before a sad smile appeared on her face.
"No."
The answer stunned him. Slowly, she lowered her eyes and folded her hands together. "When your brother left..."
The room instantly fell silent. Nobody had expected her to mention Tutor.
"I said nothing," she admitted quietly. "I watched everything happen."
Pain flashed across her face, and for the first time that evening, her composure seemed to crack. "I was afraid." Her gaze remained fixed on her hands. "I was always afraid. Afraid of arguments. Afraid of conflict. Afraid of standing against my husband."
The guilt she carried was impossible to miss. It lingered in every word, every pause, every glance she avoided. When she finally looked back at TeeTee, her eyes shone with emotions she had hidden for far too many years.
"I don't want to make the same mistake twice."
The words settled heavily over the room. For the first time, TeeTee saw genuine regret in his mother's eyes. Not disappointment. Not resignation. Regret. Slowly and carefully, she reached forward and placed her hand over his. "I can't promise everything will be easy," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "But I want to know my son's family."
TeeTee's eyes widened. His mother offered him a gentle smile. "If you'll allow me."
For a moment, no one spoke. Emotion hung heavily in the air, making the room feel strangely fragile. Then, without warning, the child enthusiastically raised his hand.
"You can."
The response was so immediate and sincere that the room erupted into laughter. The tension that had been building all evening shattered instantly. Even TeeTee's mother laughed, a genuine laugh that reached her eyes and transformed her entire expression.
As the sound of everyone's laughter filled the room, TeeTee felt something stir quietly within his chest. It was a feeling he had not expected after everything that had happened, after all the disappointment, fear, and uncertainty.
Hope.
Perhaps not every wound could be healed overnight. Perhaps some scars would take years to mend, and perhaps certain things could never be completely repaired. But tonight, for the very first time, someone from his family had chosen not to walk away. Someone had chosen to stay, to listen, and to understand. And for tonight, that was more than enough.
After a little while, TeeTee's mother finally rose from her seat. The conversation had ended, and although there were still many things left unsaid, the tension that had accompanied her arrival had softened considerably. Before leaving, she stopped in front of her son and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. A small smile touched her lips, carrying years of regret, affection, and emotions that words alone could never fully express. It was not a perfect resolution, nor did it erase the pain and misunderstandings of the past, but it was a beginning. Sometimes, beginnings were enough.
"Take care of yourself," she said softly.
Then her gaze shifted toward Por and the child sleeping peacefully nearby.
"And take care of your family."
For a moment, TeeTee simply looked at her. Countless responses formed in his mind, yet none seemed right. In the end, he merely nodded. Somehow, his mother appeared to understand exactly what he meant without him having to say a single word. A few minutes later, she left, and the house slowly settled back into its familiar warmth.
The remainder of the evening passed peacefully. Por's parents stayed for a little longer, helping clean the last dishes and pack away leftovers while conversations drifted lazily from one topic to another. Meanwhile, the child had long since surrendered to exhaustion. He lay sprawled across the sofa with one arm dangling over the edge, completely unaware of the activity around him. The excitement of the day had finally caught up to him.
As everyone moved about the house, Por's mother quietly approached TeeTee and sat beside him. "You did well today."
TeeTee looked at her in surprise. "Did I?"
A warm smile spread across her face. "Yes. Standing up for the people you love is never easy."
Nearby, Por's father nodded in agreement. "You have more courage than you think."
The words caught TeeTee completely off guard. He lowered his eyes, uncertain how to respond. Praise from older family members was not something he was accustomed to receiving. For most of his life, approval had always felt distant and difficult to earn. Yet those simple words settled warmly inside him, carrying more meaning than either of them probably realized.
Eventually, the evening drew to a close and everyone began preparing to leave. However, Por quickly noticed that Kong and Thomas seemed to have absolutely no intention of going anywhere. At first, he assumed they simply wanted to stay longer, but after noticing Kong's unusually flushed face and Thomas's inability to remain more than a few steps away from him, understanding dawned almost immediately.
Kong released a dramatic sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Looks like we're staying."
Thomas immediately placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We already prepared the guest room."
Por stared at them for a moment before realization slowly spread across his face. "Oh."
Kong immediately pointed a warning finger at him. "Don't say it."
Por struggled to suppress a smile. "I didn't say anything."
"You were about to."
This time, Por couldn't stop himself from laughing. The sight of Kong's embarrassment was simply too entertaining.
For the first time, he became consciously aware of something he had never truly understood before.
The scent surrounding Kong.
It was faint and subtle, neither overwhelming nor particularly strong, yet it lingered in the air all the same. Before becoming an omega, Por had never understood why people spoke so often about scents. To him, it had always seemed like one of those strange aspects of the world that everyone else understood except him.
Now, however, things felt different.
He finally understood that scents were far more than simple smells. They carried familiarity, comfort, and recognition. They were capable of announcing someone's presence before they even entered a room. They felt warm and reassuring in ways that were difficult to explain.
His gaze instinctively drifted toward TeeTee, who was helping Thomas carry blankets toward the guest room. Without realizing it, a small smile appeared on Por's face. The scent he had become most familiar with wasn't Kong's. It was TeeTee's.
Somewhere along the way, amid all the unexpected changes that had turned his life upside down, TeeTee's presence had become one of his greatest sources of comfort. Whether it was the warmth of his voice, the touch of his hand, or simply the reassuring scent that lingered whenever he was nearby, TeeTee had quietly become the person Por relied on most.
As the night deepened, the apartment gradually grew quieter. Conversations faded into comfortable silence, lights were switched off one by one, and the peaceful stillness of late evening settled gently over the home. Por rested a hand against his stomach and immediately felt movement beneath his palm. The baby shifted softly, as though responding to his touch, and a tender smile spread across his face.
A few moments later, TeeTee returned and lowered himself onto the sofa beside him.
"Tired?" he asked quietly.
"A little."
Without another word, TeeTee slipped an arm around his shoulders and gently pulled him closer. "Let's go home."
Por leaned against him without hesitation, allowing himself to sink into the familiar warmth of his embrace. For a very long time, he had believed that home was a place, a building, a room, an address written on paper. Yet somewhere along the way, without him even realizing it, that definition had changed.
Home was no longer a place.
It was the people who stood beside him during difficult moments. The people who stayed when things became complicated. The people who chose him again and again despite every challenge. And as he sat there surrounded by warmth, laughter, and the quiet promise of tomorrow, Por realized that he had finally found the home he had been searching for all along.