Chapter Text
As much as it shames him to admit it, Beomgyu had briefly considered not showing up to the date at all.
He wishes he hadn't.
Junho had been nice enough the first hour or so; he didn’t spend too much time talking about himself, didn’t brag about how much money he made, asked Beomgyu questions and genuinely listened like he cared about the answer. It all went wrong when he brought up the dreaded question.
“So I have to ask,” It always starts this way, Beomgyu can hear the last five alpha’s phrasing it almost the exact same way, “You’re a handsome omega, and you seem to have a good head on your shoulders, you’re funny and smart, why are you being set up on blind dates?”
And like he's reading a script for a drama, Beomgyu always responds the exact same way, a shaky smile, a little sigh, “Ah, I don’t date much. My parents are worried about me. And, well, to be completely transparent it's hard for me to find the time to date, I have a son.”
Sometimes that’s enough for the date to essentially be over, their eyes glossed over with a sense of defeat, that little something in their brain going—I knew this was going too well, I knew he was too good to be true.
Still, they’d ask, and sometimes they truly wanted to know. Beomgyu thought that Junho was one of those ones. He could practically see him doing mental gymnastics in his mind; could he put up with a child, maybe it’d be fine, really it depended on his age.
“How old is he?” Junho gives him a smile with no teeth and Beomgyu takes another sip of his too dry wine.
“Four. He’ll be five in February.”
A furrow appears between Junho’s eyebrows, he can practically hear his thoughts, if Beomgyu’s son is four than Beomgyu must’ve had him when he was—
“I was 16.” Beomgyu answers the question before he can ask it, “My parents helped me out with him. No, the alpha is not in the picture, never has been, never will be.”
Junho is quiet for a moment like he can't quite think of what to say and Beomgyu doesn't bother filling the silence.
“Wow.” Junho finally lands on, his voice somewhere between awe and bewilderment, “You're so brave, I can't imagine being in that position. I don't think I could give up my whole life for a child. Omegas really are more selfless than alphas."
He tries to smile but it feels more like a grimace, he reaches for his glass of wine while he tries to think of anything to say that's not an insult. He settles for a low hum, acknowledging that Junho spoke but not adding anything more to the conversation.
"So what do you do for work?" Junho abruptly changes the subject, not asking a single question about Yejin, like; what's his name, what's he like, y'know any normal question a person actually interested in being in Beomgyu's life would want to know.
"I'm a medical receptionist." He answers curtly, wishing he could drown himself in this shitty wine. Who the fuck even drinks dry rosé?
“Oh, cool. Family practice? Emergency?” It's easier to see now that Junho wasn't actually interested in Beomgyu's answers, just playing a part to make himself seem like a better person than he actually was. He idly wonders how many people fall for the act.
"At an OB." Beomgyu answers, and seeing the confused look on his face, clarifies, “Obstetrics. You know, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum care. That kind of thing. Guess it hit close to home."
"Ah, like I said. Selfless." Junho breaks into a smile that has far too much teeth, "You really are too kind for your own good. I was actually listening to this omega podcast the other day and...”
Time seems to be moving like liquid metal, moving so unbelievably slow it feels like six hours had been stuffed inside of those next thirty minutes.
He should've listened to past Beomgyu and stayed at home eating ice cream with Yejin and Yeonjun. He'd rather be listening to his cousin talk about how shitty a boyfriend Doyun is even though they both know he'll go home to him once they've both cooled off. Then Yejin would want to watch Octonauts and tell him every squid fact he could possibly think of and Beomgyu would say "wah, how cool." even though it'd be his 10th time hearing it just today.
Beomgyu smiles where he's supposed to smile, pretends to think Junho is funny when he makes a self-deprecating joke, even agrees when Junho suggests they order dessert. The cake ends up being too sweet for his palate so he takes two bites then boxes it up for Yeonjun and Yejin to share.
Time seems to finally catch up on itself because the next thing Beomgyu knows he's standing on the curb waiting for his Kakao T to pick him up.
"Look," Junho starts slowly, taking Beomgyu's hand in his own, it's clammy, Beomgyu suppresses a grimace as the alpha rubs his thumb over his knuckles, "You're really nice, and under different circumstances I could really see us being something great. I just, I don't think I'm ready for a kid."
Maybe if Beomgyu was as selfless as Junho thought he was, he would've thanked him for his honesty, smiled politely and said "I hope we can still be friends."
Instead he wrenches his hand out of Junho's as his face contorts in annoyance, "What makes you think I was asking you to be? You think one date means I'm going to introduce you to my kid? Ask you to play house with me?” He scoffs, “Oh, right, I forgot because I'm a single omega I must be jumping at the chance to trap any alpha I meet into a relationship because there's no way I'm competent enough to raise a kid on my own."
He takes a deep breath in like he's been holding that in all night, "God, you can fuck right off with your I'm such a nice alpha bullshit. And by the way, your watch is fake."
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
Beomgyu knows that Yejin isn't sleeping before he’s fully stepped into the apartment, even though he'd reminded Yeonjun before leaving that they had an early morning. He's halfway through taking off his shoes when a little voice calls out, "Daddy!" and Beomgyu can feel the stress of the last few hours melt away.
"Hi baby,” Beomgyu says, stepping into the living room, dropping a kiss to the top of Yejin's head, "Why aren't you sleeping, mister?"
"Uncle Yeonjun said we could watch dinsaurs." Yejin leans into his touch, the sweet scent of home clinging to him, Beomgyu's fingers itch to peel off his scent suppressant so he can properly scent his baby.
"Of course he did." Beomgyu responds, giving his older cousin a pointed look, who sheepishly smiles back. "Daddy's gonna change, then we can have cuddles and go night-night, okay?"
"'M not tired." His son says through a jaw cracking yawn.
"Mhm." Beomgyu hums, a fond smile overtaking his face, “That's okay. Daddy's tired though, he had a very long day."
"Oh, do you need cuddles?" Yejin asks, big eyes blinking curiously, and Beomgyu resists the urge to kiss his little face. His kind baby boy.
"That would be nice."
Cuddles are a sacred thing in their household, reserved specifically for energy recharging, boo-boos, nightmares, and the saddest of days.
"Okay." He nods assuredly, and then as an afterthought he adds, ”Don't forget to brush your teeth."
Beomgyu snorts, hearing his own words come out of his sons mouth, "I won't, baby."
Yejin, considering that matter settled, turns his attention back to the TV, once again transfixed on The Land Before Time. Beomgyu frequently curses Yeonjun for getting his son stuck on this movie, he can only cry over it so many times.
He disappears down the hallway, listening as Yejin lets out a quiet, "Littlefoot's sad."
“I know." Yeonjun says empathetically, in a soft tone that he only uses with Yejin, "It is sad, huh?"
He's closing his bedroom door just as his baby lets out a defeated, "Yeah." It tugs at something in his chest, the way it does the other 100 times they watch this film.
He changes quickly, a pout stuck on his face. He rips off the scent patch, the relief is immediate, the medicinal nothingness gives way to his own scent and he feels like a person again. He pulls on a pair of sleep shorts and one of his old t-shirts, the collar stretched out from years of use and Yejin’s tiny fingers. He brushes his teeth quickly, mentally singing the ABC's out of habit.
His phone buzzes in his pocket and he chooses to ignore it, knowing it's either his mom questioning how the date went or Junho giving him a piece of his mind, either way that could wait until the morning, he has an important cuddle date to get to.
The movie is still playing when he gets back to the living room, Yejin now with his head leaning against Yeonjun's side, looking suspiciously blob-shaped for a child who is "not sleepy."
"Did you brush?" Yejin asks as Beomgyu climbs onto the couch, shuffling over to him immediately, leaning his body weight on top of him with the surety of someone who's done it hundreds of times.
"Mhm, all clean.” Beomgyu confirms, burying his nose in his hair.
"Missed you." Yejin yawns.
"Missed you too, baby." Beomgyu kisses his head one more time and rubs slow circles on his back until his breathing evens out, melting into his dad like ice cream.
"You dick,” He mutters once he's sure Yejin is asleep, keeping his voice low, “I told you we need to be up early tomorrow."
Yeonjun scoffs, reaching a foot out to lightly kick Beomgyu, “How am I supposed to say no when he gives me those big eyes and goes “Uncle Jun can we watch dinsaurs?”
"You say, "Tomorrow, Jinie, it's bed time.” Beomgyu's voice tilts into something that's supposed to resemble Yeonjun's, it doesn't.
“I'm the fun uncle.”
“Tch.” Beomgyu kisses his teeth and rolls his eyes, "Turn something else on, I'm sick of sad dinosaurs."
Yeonjun doesn't argue, just grabs the remote from the coffee table, flipping through Netflix mindlessly before just turning the TV off.
"That bad?” He finally asks, mindlessly scrolling on his phone, already knowing the answer.
Beomgyu lets out a low groan, then rubs slow circles on Yejin's back when he shifts in his sleep.
“He said I was so brave for giving up my life for a child, and that omegas are so selfless compared to alphas.” He snorts, “And he didn’t even ask what Yejin’s name was.”
Yeonjun’s face twists, “…Yikes.”
Because at this point, what else could he say that he hadn't already? All the stupid dates Beomgyu went on all ended in practically the same way. "It's just too much commitment," "I'm not looking for anything serious," and what? Because he has a kid, he is? He's just dying to bring someone home to Yejin so they can leave him too?
“I brought you cake.” Beomgyu says, breaking the heavy silence.
“You did? I knew you loved me.”
"Pick him up for a sec,” In a practiced motion Yeonjun lifts Yejin up just long enough for him to crawl from under him and grab him again, dropping a kiss to his little cheek as his face scrunches up at the jostling.
By the time his baby is all tucked in, and kissed at least three times more, Yeonjun has already made himself comfortable in Beomgyu's bed.
"When are you going home?” He asks as he crawls onto the right side, curling instinctively into Yeonjun's side.
"When Doyun apologizes. He really fucked up this time, you know that omega that he swore was just a friend? Turns out…” Beomgyu misses half the story, he hums in response and lets his eyelids droop shut, lets himself be lulled to sleep by the sound of Yeonjun's ranting, safe and warm at home, with no alpha to ruin his night.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
Beomgyu jerks awake with his heart hammering in his throat, body moving before his mind has even fully caught up, running completely on autopilot. For a half second he thinks it's Yejin and he's almost out of bed before the sound comes again.
A shrill shriek, loud, and furious, and decidedly a baby, but not his baby.
In the bed beside him, Yeonjun lets out a groan and throws a pillow over his face, ”Yejin-ah's crying.”
“That's a baby, dumbass.” He doesn't say that he thought it was Jinie too, for a second in his mind he was 16 again with a baby he didn't know what to do with.
The pillow lowers from Yeonjun's face, and even in the dark he can see the confusion written all over it, “Since when do we have one of those?”
"It's probably one of the neighbors.”
The baby wails again, louder this time, the kind that used to come with Beomgyu having to tell Yejin to breathe because his face was so red that it genuinely terrified him. Beomgyu rubs a hand over his face, squinting at the glowing numbers on his phone where it had fallen half under his pillow.
2:15.
“Jesus,” Yeonjun mutters, sitting up now. His hair is flattened on one side, creases on his face from the pillow, cinnamon scent turning thick with irritation. “How long has that been going on?”
"I don't know.” Beomgyu answers, and the baby wails again, “Should I go check on them?”
Yeonjun turns to look at him like he’s the dumbest person alive, “At two in the morning?”
“It’s a baby, hyung.”
The baby cries again and Beomgyu feels it tug on his heart strings. He hates how quickly his body remembers that feeling of awful certainty that that sound meant that he had to fix something he had no idea how to fix, late nights crying on the bathroom floor while Yejin cried in his arms.
“Gyu,” Yeonjun says carefully, “you don’t even know them.”
“I’m just going to knock.” He says as he gets out of bed.
“It could be a trap, a serial killer playing baby noises to lure unsuspecting omegas to their apartment.”
“You listen to too many true crime podcasts.” Beomgyu grabs the sweatshirt from the chair beside the bed and shrugs it on over his sleep shirt, then pads quietly into the hallway. He stops at Yejin’s door first, opening it just enough to peek inside.
His son is still asleep, one arm thrown above his head, the other tucked under his cheek and his blankets twisted around his feet. Yejin’s nose scrunches at the distant wailing, but he doesn’t wake.
He pulls the door gently shut behind him and walks across the apartment, he shoves his feet into a pair of slippers and goes out into the hallway.
The crying is louder out here, and it's definitely coming from across the hall. Beomgyu stands there for a second, trying to remember who lives there. The beta man who always holds the door for him and Yejin, maybe? Or did he live on the floor below? Maybe it's the couple with the corgis—
Another scream tears through the hallway and Beomgyu winces as it rattles his ear drums, that poor baby sounds miserable.
He lifts his hand tentatively and knocks, and … nothing. He tries again, a little firmer this time. Still nothing.
He debates turning around and just going back home but then the baby screeches again, so he knocks one last time.
The door swings open, and oh. It’s not the couple with the corgis.
It's an alpha, tall, handsome somehow despite looking like he hasn't slept in weeks, dark eyebags visible under black framed glasses. Beomgyu thinks he remembers seeing him before, briefly.
He doesn't remember a baby. She's a tiny little thing, definitely not more than a few months.
“I'm sorry,” The alpha says before Beomgyu gets a chance to say anything, “I'm really trying to get her to calm down.”
It catches Beomgyu so off guard that all he can do is blink stupidly for a moment, mouth gaped open.
"Uh, no. Sorry. I wasn't coming to complain. I live across the hall.” He points over his shoulder in the direction of his apartment, hoping that Yejin is still sleeping and not in bed with Yeonjun questioning where Daddy went. “I was just, I was seeing if there was anything I could do to help.”
The alpha just stares at him, the baby wails into his shoulder, tiny face scrunched up in anger, little fists clenched.
"Really?”
“Yeah. I’ve been there.” Beomgyu offers him a small smile. “Definitely needed a hand when I didn’t have one.”
Once again, the alpha just looks at him, like he expects him to disappear or say just kidding. When he apparently decides Beomgyu isn't a figment of his imagination, his shoulders sag and he steps aside to let him in.
“I don’t know what’s wrong, I changed her diaper, I fed her an hour ago. She fell asleep for maybe ten minutes and then…” He bounces her awkwardly as another scream cuts him off. “She just won’t stop.”
Beomgyu nods sympathetically, “May I?" He holds his arms out to the baby tentatively, the alpha eyes him warily.
“You're staying right here, right?”
Beomgyu’s smiles reassuringly, “Of course.”
The alpha visibly relaxes and carefully transfers the baby into Beomgyu’s waiting arms, lingering for a second longer than necessary before finally letting go.
“Hi there, you've got some big feelings, don’t you?” He murmurs while gently adjusting her, supporting her head a little better resting her against his shoulder, gently patting her back as he sways in a practiced motion.
The alpha watches him helplessly as the little baby keeps crying even through Beomgyu murmurs of reassurances, “Shhh, shhh, shh, what a sad little baby. Don't know why we're crying anymore, huh?”
Her little body trembles against Beomgyu’s shoulder as he continues to sway slowly back and forth. Her cries gradually begin to change, the sharp screams soften into hiccuping sobs, then little whimpers, and then finally—Urrrp.
The burp is surprisingly loud for someone so tiny. She blinks then lets out a sigh, her whole body melting bonelessly against Beomgyu’s shoulder. The apartment is suddenly so quiet Beomgyu can hear the refrigerator humming in the kitchen and a ringing in his ears from spending his teenage years with headphones on far too loud.
“There we go.” He smiles at the alpha, rubbing another gentle circle over her back, “Does she have a pacifier? You might want to try that now while she's calm.”
The alpha looks like he's on the verge of mental breakdown, “Was that seriously it?”
Beomgyu lets out a small laugh. “Looks like it.”
“I tried burping her.” He says, grabbing a pacifier off the coffee table and handing it to Beomgyu.
“I’m sure you did.” He reassures, gently pressing the pacifier into the baby's mouth and waits for her to latch on, “Sometimes they're just stubborn.”
The alpha lets out a long suffering sigh and runs his hands through his hair, “Thank you.”
“Hmm, don't thank me yet, she can decide she's still angry in a few minutes."
To his surprise the alpha huffs out a tired laugh.
“What’s her name?” Beomgyu asks, looking down at the little girl now happily sucking on her pacifier, little eyes drooping under the weight of all the emotions she went through.
“Dabin.”
“Hi, Dabin-ah,” He brushes a finger over her tiny fist that clutches his sweater, “You're beautiful.”
“Ah, thank you?” The alpha says it like a question, Beomgyu fights the urge to laugh, remembering how awkward he was at first accepting compliments on behalf of his baby. “You're really good with kids, do you have younger siblings?”
Beomgyu hums, “Nope, I'm the youngest. I've got a baby of my own. He's not much of a baby anymore though, he'll be five in a few months.”
He stares at Beomgyu for a moment trying to figure out if he's older than he looks or if he just had a kid at a young age, but he doesn't ask, so Beomgyu doesn't answer.
Instead he rubs Dabin's back as another little urrrp, leaves her lips, “How old is she?”
The man in front of him hesitates, brows furrowing, “…I'm not sure.”
Beomgyu's smile freezes on his face, and his grip on the baby tightens.
“Not sure?” He repeats back to the alpha, Yeonjun's stupid ass comment about it being a trap for soft-hearted omegas starts ruminating in his brain like an alarm. He takes a small step back, realizing he's essentially trapped in this room with a man who possibly kidnapped a baby and probably now him. “What do you mean you're not sure?”
“Sorry, I realized that sounded bad as soon as it came out of my mouth.”
“It did." Beomgyu states, keeping eye contact with the alpha like a cornered animal staring down a predator.
“She's my niece.”
Beomgyu doesn't blink.
“The police brought her to me yesterday, they didn't bring her birth certificate or anything. They said the social worker would bring it. They just left me with a baby and a diaper bag and said they'd be in touch if they needed anything else.” He scoffs, “I haven't spoken to my little sister in years, last I knew she was off to Japan for a study abroad program. But apparently she came back home. Apparently she had a baby.”
He lets out a humorless laugh, “Apparently she killed herself. The neighbors called the police because Dabin had been crying for hours and no one was answering the door. They found my name in my sister’s emergency contacts and well, now I have a baby and I have no clue what I'm doing with her.”
His voice has gone completely flat, “Sorry, I don't know why I'm telling a complete stranger all of this, ignore me. I haven't slept in 36 hours.”
Beomgyu bites his lip, staring at him for a long moment, trying to keep his emotions off his face, “Have you eaten?”
“What?” The alpha asks, clearly expecting an "I'm so sorry for your loss,” or another empty platitude that people say when someone dies.
Beomgyu sniffles, gently transferring the baby into the alpha's arms, “Have you eaten? Me and Mini had bibimbap for lunch, I have leftovers with your name on it if you'd like.”
“I, I don't think I have.” He answers truthfully, a big hand coming up to rest on Dabin's back.
“Okay.” Beomgyu's voice breaks a little, “Don't go anywhere I'll be right back.”
He barely makes it until the door is shut before the first tear slips down his cheek, fuck. He doesn't know the alpha's sister, or even her name, but he can't help but think about how alone she must've felt with only a baby who was just as scared as she was.
Beomgyu presses the heels of his palms against his eyes as another tear escapes anyway, a silent sob wracks through his body as he remembers nights of his own thinking about how much he couldn't do this.
He takes a deep breath, wrenches his eyes shut and then walks into his apartment. Yeonjun is sitting on the couch again, Yejin sprawled sideways across his lap, little socked feet hanging over the back of the couch
"He woke up a couple minutes after you left, tried waiting for you to come back—” The older omega's words cut off after he gets a good look at his face, “You okay?”
"No.” Beomgyu answers honestly, walking into the kitchen and yanking the fridge open to grab the bibimbap, “I'll tell you later, I have to go feed the alpha across the hall.”
“Okay… totally normal thing to say with zero context.”
Beomgyu doesn't end up leaving the alpha's apartment for another half an hour, making sure the alpha and Dabin are both settled, leaving the alpha with his phone number and the promise that he would text or call Beomgyu if he ever needed anything. No matter the time.
Then he walks back home, Yeonjun and Yejin now both asleep on the couch. He lifts his son out of his arms and carries him to bed. He holds him tight in his arms, face buried in his hair as he breathes in the milky scent he's slowly starting to lose, and finally lets himself cry.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
Yejin has reached that terrible age where he has to stop and say hi to every single person he crosses paths with which is torture for his introverted father, because everyone thinks his son is cute—they're right, of course—so they say hi back and Yejin decides this means they're friends so he has to tell them all his business. A ten minute walk from the café his moms had met them for brunch had turned into a twenty minute walk because of Mr. Social Butterfly. Beomgyu's more than ready to drag the busy bee up into the apartment and take a much needed nap when he spots a familiar face walking out of the elevator.
"Ah,” he pauses, he doesn't actually know the alpha's name. He purses his lip trying to remember if he told him and he'd just forgotten, but it seems he saw Beomgyu too, he walks over with a friendly smile on his face. Dabin looked like a squished marshmallow in his arms bundled in a little puffy white coat, “How's Ms. Dabin doing today?”
Yejin squirms beside him, fingers clutched in his, trying to get a good look at the baby in the tall man's arms.
"Better, thank you so much.” His smile seems less exhausted today, and Beomgyu can't help but notice how handsome he is, and fuck, dimples. “Really.”
“I'm glad,” Beomgyu smiles back, then awkwardly scratches the side of his neck, “I'm sorry, I don't actually know your name.”
The alpha barks out a surprised laugh, "Right, sorry. I'm Choi Soobin.”
Before Beomgyu can respond, a voice from his left pipes up, “I'm Choi too. Choi Yejin. Do you know how to spell Choi?”
Soobin smiles at Yejin amusedly, “I do, actually.”
Yejin nods, looking impressed.
Beomgyu gives him an awkward smile, “Sorry, we've been practicing for when he starts school. I'm Choi Beomgyu.”
"Well nice to officially meet you, Beomgyu. And you too, Yejin.”
"Nice to meet you." Yejin says robotically, the way his Halmeoni's taught him to greet people, and with the pleasantries officially out of the way, he immediately says, “Can I see your baby?”
Soobin looks at Beomgyu with mild panic on his face, “Is that okay?”
“If it's okay with you, and Yejin-ah is gentle.” And then he looks to Yejin and says, “Gentle. She's very little.”
“I'm am gentle.” Yejin pouts.
“I am, baby.” Beomgyu softly corrects.
Yejin scrunches up his nose, and repeats himself, “I am gentle.”
“Much better.”
Soobin carefully lowers Dabin until Yejin can see her properly. The little girl blinks up at him with sleepy eyes, pacifier bobbing gently as she sucks.
“Her’s so tiny.” Yejin gasps, staring at her in awe.
“She is tiny.” Beomgyu agrees, choosing not to correct him this time.
“Can I touch her, Mr. Soobin?” Yejin looks up at him with big pleading eyes, Beomgyu pitied him, knowing exactly what being on the other side of that look feels like.
He's ready to step in and say no when Soobin beats him to speaking, “Just one finger, be very gentle.”
Yejin immediately sticks out his index finger. He carefully brushes one finger against Dabin’s little fist, her fingers curl instinctively around his.
“Daddy,” Yejin’s eyes go impossibly wide, and Beomgyu hums in response,“She got me.”
Beomgyu laughs, “It looks like she did, Mini.”
Yejin looks up at Soobin with complete seriousness,“I think she likes me.”
"I think so too,” Soobin agrees.
Beomgyu smiles fondly before redirecting his kid, “Okay, Mini, it's naptime. Can we tell Mr. Soobin and Dabin bye-bye?”
“Bye-bye!” Yejin says, waving to baby Dabin, and then as a second thought, “Bye Mr. Soobin.”
Soobin awkwardly waves goodbye, and when they step in the elevator Yejin looks at Beomgyu seriously and goes “Daddy, why didn't Dabinnie say bye-bye?”
“I think she's too little, baby.”
“Oh,” Yejin says thoughtfully, “I can teach her.”
"That's very nice of you.”
As the elevator doors slide shut, Beomgyu catches one last glimpse of Soobin walking out into the parking lot, Dabin bundled securely against his chest.
Does he even have a car seat? He chews on the inside of his cheek, Fuck. I should've gotten his number.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
The next few days slip back into their usual routine, work from 7:45 until 3:30, dropping Yejin off at daycare Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, dropping him off at his grandparents on Thursday—his long day—6:30 to 4:00. Sitting at work answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, smiling at all the newborns that end up in the office for their parent's postpartum follow up—Beomgyu pouts his lips, widens his eyes and goes, “They're so cute,” like it’s the cutest baby he’s ever seen in his life, even though Yejin obviously was. Then he goes home and wrangles his child into eating something besides dinosaur nuggets, or rice, or dino nuggets and rice.
He finds himself listening for crying coming from across the hall, but never does. He argues with himself far too many times about knocking on the door, just to check that they're both still alive. He talks himself out of it, he gave Soobin his number, he'll text him if he needs him. He's sure the last thing he needs right now is someone coming by and making him feel like he can't do it himself.
Beomgyu remembers how hard it was with him and his parents. They didn't know when to help, or when to step back and let Beomgyu take care of Yejin on his own, so they spent the first six months of Yejin's life walking on eggshells around each other and fighting when they didn't.
By Friday, he's finally convinced himself to stop worrying.
Yeonjun went home—he's sure he'll be back in a week or two, Yejin's coloring in his Snoopy coloring book at the table, little legs swinging from the too tall chair that he insisted on using, and Beomgyu is at the stove making ramyunt.
There's a soft knock at his door, and Beomgyu almost convinces himself he imagined it until Yejin loudly states, “Daddy! Someone knocked on the door.” like Beomgyu isn't standing two feet away from him.
"Thank you, Mini.” He takes the pot off the stove and turns it off before walking over, hopefully this is quick he doesn't want his noodles to get soggy.
He pulls the door open and blinks.
Soobin stands in the hallway looking infinitely more put together than the last time Beomgyu saw him. His hair is actually brushed, glasses sitting neatly on his nose instead of halfway down it, and there are noticeably fewer shadows beneath his eyes. Dabin is tucked against his chest in one of those baby carriers, fast asleep with a tiny knitted hat slipping a little low down her face.
For a second they just stare at each other.
“Hi,” Soobin says awkwardly.
“Hi.”
“I wasn’t sure if this was a weird thing to do.”
Beomgyu immediately shakes his head. “No, not at all. You can knock at any time.”
Soobin lifts a hand, a familiar glass tupperware held in it.“I came to return this.”
“Oh.” Beomgyu laughs. “Thank you, but really it was no rush, I know how busy babies can keep you.”
“I know.” Soobin smiles, dimples appearing again. “I, uh, I made cookies.”
“…Cookies?” That catches Beomgyu completely off guard.
“As a thank you.” He holds out the container. “I wasn’t sure if you or Yejin had any allergies, so they’re just chocolate chip.”
Beomgyu stares at the container for a second before taking it, it's still warm, “Uhm, no. No allergies. Thank you so much.”
The interaction could've ended there but for some reason Beomgyu didn't want him to leave yet, “How're things going?"
“Good. Good.” Soobin nods, adjusting the baby carrier absentmindedly. “We’re getting there.”
Beomgyu’s eyes drift to Dabin, fast asleep against Soobin’s chest. “She looks much happier than the last time I saw her.”
Soobin lets out a quiet laugh. “She does a lot less screaming these days.”
“That’s good.” Beomgyu smiles. “For both of you.”
A comfortable silence settles between them before Beomgyu steps back from the doorway,“Do you want to come in?”
Soobin glances over his shoulder toward the elevators before looking back apologetically.
“I wish we could, but we’re actually on our way out.” He pats the diaper bag slung over one shoulder.
“No worries.”
“Maybe another time?” Soobin asks, hopeful enough that it sounds less like politeness and more like a genuine question.
“I’d like that.”
“Okay.” Soobin smiles, all teeth and dimples, eyes crinkling under the weight of it. “I’ll text you.”
“Great. Okay.” He waits for Soobin to walk away before shutting the door.
“Who was that Daddy?” Yejin asks, still staring focused at his coloring book.
“Mr. Soobin and Dabin.” He says as he sets the container on the counter. He looks into the pot, “I think our noodles are a little mushy, how about pizza?”
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
Soobin texts him a few days later.
Hey she's hiccupping a lot, is that normal?
Sorry this is Soobin.
From apartment 605
Yup. They do that sometimes. She'll probably get fussy about it.
— Beomgyu from 604
Okay. Thank you.
And then it becomes a thing. Beomgyu's on yet another blind date when he gets a new text message from 'Soobin from apartment 605'
Her poop is like almost yellow.
Like concerningly yellow.
And I'm assuming that's not normal.
Did you change her formula?
Yeah. They were on sale.
That probably caused it.
Is she fine otherwise?
I think so.
Should be okay then. Her tummy's just adjusting.
Then one night after he's read Yejin the bluey book for the third time this week, and he's conked out with his little mouth wide open like he's had a hard day at work, Beomgyu's phone lights up on the dresser with a new text.
She sneezed 12 times today.
12?
I counted.
I got concerned after the first two.
I'm sure she's fine Soobin. Babies sneeze a lot.
Lots of new things. It means her nervous system is doing its job.
Okay cool.
Is there a number I should be concerned at?
No Soobin. 😭
–
She laughed today.
I tried to get it on video for you but she stopped as soon as the phone came out.
Congrats. I'm sure it was super sweet to hear.
You're doing great, Soobin.
Without realizing it, daily texts with Soobin quickly become a part of Beomgyu's routine, and it's not always just about Dabin—most of the time it is. Soobin will send a picture of her holding her foot and Beomgyu will respond with a picture of Yejin with his shoes on the wrong feet and a "guess how many times I asked if that was the right foot and he still put them on wrong."
But sometimes they just talk about them, he learns that Soobin's parents died when he was 20 and he was taking care of his younger sister by himself and she went no contact with him when she moved to Japan because she thought he was too controlling — Soobin has grown enough to realize he was, he admits to it. He's 27. He works in video games, but he tells people it's a tech startup because he feels like it makes him sound like a nerd if he says otherwise.
Sometimes he drops coffee off to Beomgyu at work as a thank you, and he's been trying to get Dabin some fresh air time even though it's the winter.
It's the start of a beautiful friendship.
Today, Beomgyu's at work, pretending to be busy for the last fifteen minutes of his shift while all he's thinking about is what he's going to make for dinner and kissing his little gremlins cheeks—he had a mini meltdown this morning because the spider-man shirt he wanted to wear was in the laundry and the other three spider-man shirts were no good.
He's expecting it when Soobin texts this time but he wasn't prepared for what the text said.
Emergency
Beomgyu’s heart drops into his stomach, He’s already pushing his chair back to head to the break room to call Soobin when the second text comes through.
Dabin rolled over.
Soobin you scared the shit out of me.
Sorry.
I panicked.
I put her on her tummy for tummy time like you said to and then I turned around for two seconds and she was on her back like a little baby turtle.
Congrats! That’s a big milestone.
This is also the beginning of the end.
The end of what?
Your peace.
You can never leave her unattended ever again.
Really?
Yup. Mini rolled off the bed once.
I don't know who cried more, me or him.
I called my mom sobbing because I convinced myself that I gave my baby brain damage.
She laughed at me.
Mini was okay. I think he just kept crying because I was crying.
okay that makes me feel better.
“What’re you smiling at?” Hana, the other receptionist, gives Beomgyu a teasing nudge.
Beomgyu glances down at the photo Soobin sends a second later, Dabin lying on her back with an expression that lies somewhere between annoyance and confusion, like she can't possibly fathom how she ended up in this position and she's not sure if she likes it.
He laughs and saves the picture, “My neighbor’s baby rolled over. Look.”
“Aww, she's a cutie.” She smiles at the picture, “is this the same neighbor that drops off coffee?”
“It's not like that.” He rolls his eyes, looking at the clock again, how the hell is there still ten minutes to go?
“I'm just saying, if I were single and I had a sexy alpha living next door who brought me coffee and was kind to my kid I'd be all over that.”
“Hmm, good thing I'm not you.” Beomgyu teases back.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
”Hi,” Soobin's standing at his doorstep, Dabin in a baby carrier on his chest, facing outwards, she blinks up at Beomgyu with wide, curious eyes before letting out a tiny coo that immediately draws a smile from him.
“Hey,” Beomgyu says back, and then reaches a finger out to brush Dabin's little hand, “Hi Dabin-ah,” She immediately grabs his finger with surprising strength.
“Look at you,” Beomgyu coos, “You're getting so big,”
“Everything goes in her mouth now,” Soobin warns as Dabin begins the slow process of trying to drag Beomgyu’s finger toward her face.
"Ah, no thank you." Beomgyu gently takes his finger out of her hand, Dabin lets out an indignant little noise.
Beomgyu looks up to see a fond smile on Soobin's face, so sincere that it catches him off guard. They hold each other's gaze for a moment longer than they probably should.
“Baby!” Yejin barrels into the back of Beomgyu’s legs, apparently deciding Daddy has spent long enough standing in the doorway. He peeks around him, eyes immediately locking onto Dabin. “Hi, Dabinnie!"
Dabin’s little face scrunches up in a gummy smile at the sound of his voice, little legs kicking wildly against the carrier.
“She remembers me!” Yejin gasps.
“I think she’s just excited to see another baby.” Beomgyu teases.
“I’m not a baby.” Yejin tries to look serious, but all he manages is a pout.
Beomgyu bends down to kiss his cheek, trying very hard not to smile, “Sorry you're right, Yejin is a big boy.”
“Mhmmm,” He sounds equally proud and sure of himself only in the way a child could be, “I'm almost five, Mr. Soobin.”
“Oh, really?” Soobin sounds impressed, like he hasn't heard Yejin tell him this at least five times over the course of the last few weeks. “That's very grown up.”
“How old are you?” Yejin asks. “Twelve?”
Soobin snorts, trying to disguise it as a cough. “I’m a lot older than that. I’m twenty-eight.”
Beomgyu’s smile falters. He turns to Soobin with narrowed eyes, “Did I miss your birthday? You told me you were twenty-seven.”
“Ahh,” Soobin rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, “It was actually yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” Beomgyu repeats. “You didn’t tell me.”
“It didn’t really come up.”
Beomgyu just stares at him, “Choi Soobin.”
“…Yes?”
“You spent your birthday alone.” He says it like an accusation.
Soobin's face does this weird thing like he's trying to solve a really hard math problem in his head, he eventually settles on an uncertain, “Dabin was there..?”
“You know that's not what I mean.” Beomgyu huffs, crossing his arms over his chest, "Go get your coat and Dabin's diaper bag, we're going out for dinner.”
“Yes, sir.” Soobin's smile is back, all dimples, Beomgyu's heart skips a beat.
“Mini, let's put our coats and shoes on.” He turns to his son, hoping the blush isn't visible on his face, “Meet us in the hallway in 5.”
“Okay.” He doesn't have to look at him to hear the smile in his voice, his tone is soft enough.
Beomgyu shuts the door.
── ⟢ ・⸝⸝
“Table for three!" Yejin says as soon as they're up to the hostess stand, “and a baby.”
“So, four?” The hostess ask, a teasing smile on her face.
“No, Dabinnie is too little to eat food. Her has bottles.” he says very seriously.
“I'm so sorry.” Beomgyu apologizes.
“Don't be, he's very smart for his age.” The hostess smiles and leads them to a table.
“I want Dabinnie to sit by me!” Yejin announces sitting on a chair that is too big for him, he barely comes up over the edge of the table, his little chin almost level with it.
“Would you like a booster seat?” The hostess asks.
“Yes, please.” Beomgyu says with a grateful smile before turning back to his son, “Dabin has to sit with Mr. Soobin, she's still little.”
“It's okay,” Soobin says, “I can sit next to him.”
“Oh. Okay.” Beomgyu tries to keep the shock off his face, though judging by Soobin's expression, he doesn't do a very good job.
“Unless you don't want me to, then I—” He rushes out, looking mildly panicked.
“No, no. It's okay, really." Beomgyu interrupts, smiling reassuringly as he plops into the seat across from Yejin, “I just wasn't expecting you to volunteer when you already have a baby to handle.”
The tension leaves Soobin's shoulders at his words and he settles in the chair next to Yejin.
“Mini, can you take your coat and hat off, please?” He asks, shrugging out of his own, “Do you need help with your zipper?”
“No, I got it. I'm very big.” He puffs his little chest out and fumbles with the zipper until he's free.
“So big.” Beomgyu agrees.
“The biggest.” Soobin adds, nodding along.
Apparently satisfied that everyone has acknowledged this fact, Yejin immediately turns his attention to the half-asleep Dabin in Soobin’s arms.
“Hi, baby," he attempts to whisper, “Hi.”
Dabin just blinks at him sleepily, pacifier tucked in her mouth.
Beomgyu snorts, “What do you want to eat, baby?”
“When's her gonna get bigger so her can play?” Like any four-year-old, Yejin unintentionally ignores the question, too concerned with his own.
“At least a few more months, I think.” Soobin answers, smoothing Dabin's hair after taking off her little hat.
“That’s forever,” Yejin whines, looking at Beomgyu like he can fix it, because what can't Daddy fix for him?
“It is forever,” Beomgyu agrees with a conspiratorial smile, before redirecting him. “Do you want bulgogi or mandu?"
“Mandu!” he says excitedly.
“Good choice.”
“Mr. Soobin, do you like mandu?”
“I do.” Soobin replies, looking away from the menu to give Yejin his full attention.
“Me too.” Yejin nods, and then because it's vital information, clearly, “Daddy doesn't like seafood. He thinks it's nyucky.”
Beomgyu's face scrunches up in disgust as he peruses the menu, “It is nyucky.” He points a warning finger at Yejin. “Don't tell grandma I said that. I'm supposed to be teaching you good eating habits.”
Soobin purses his lips like he's trying not to laugh, then settles on hiding his smile behind Dabin's head, “You're very scary, Beomgyu. I'm sure your secret is safe with him.”
“Thank you.” He can feel the heat rising to his ears and lifts the menu up to hide his face.
Their server arrives and spares Beomgyu any further embarrassment, booster seat in hand, “Sorry about that wait. I think this is for you.”
“Thank you.” Beomgyu responds, getting up to help Yejin get situated.
“What can I get for you?”
—
“Mr. Soobin, do you want to see my magic trick?” Yejin slurps a long noodle into his mouth before Soobin can even answer—never mind that he got mandu, Daddy got jajangmyeon so that means he got jajangmyeon—then rapidly chews, swallows, and opens his mouth, ”Ta-da. It disappeared.”
Soobin gasps dramatically, “Wow. That was amazing.”
Yejin beams.
“Thank you for being so good with him.” It's out of his mouth before Beomgyu can stop it, “Sorry, was that weird?”
Soobin shrugs, “No weirder than me asking about my ba-niece's poop consistency.”
Beomgyu smiles at the slip-up but chooses not to point it out; that can be a conversation when Soobin's ready to have it.
“Well you're doing really good with her, too.” he says instead with a fond smile on his face “Most people get nine months to prepare for this and you didn't even get a heads-up. Truly, you're doing amazing.”
“Are you trying to make me cry?” Soobin jokes, at least Beomgyu thinks, his eyes do look a little misty behind his glasses, “Cause I'll cry right now.”
The laugh that escapes Beomgyu is so abrupt it startles both him and Dabin, who’d been transferred into his arms after he’d finished eating. She gives a tiny little jerk before her face pinches.
“Shh, shh.” He whispers softly, bouncing her gently.
“Daddy says to cry when you're sad. It makes you feel better.” Yejin says matter of factly.
“I do say that.” Beomgyu agrees, rubbing soothing circles on Dabin's back.
“Sounds like Daddy is very smart.” Soobin says, sounding completely sincere,“And he's very helpful.”
“He is.” Yejin agrees, sounding very sure for someone with sauce all over their face.
Beomgyu purses his lips, trying not to smile, and averts his gaze.
—
Thanks for spending my late birthday with me
You should've told me, I would've bought you a present.
I would've made you a cake, I'll let you know I have five star reviews from all my customers.
Are all your customers Yejin?
Maybe.
😂😂😂😂😂
Oh! I actually came over today to ask you something
A very delusional part of Beomgyu's brain screams, sirens blaring, and everything’s on fire like that one SpongeBob episode. The logical part of his brain is holding a fire extinguisher and insisting he's just asking about Dabin.
I'm going back to work in a week and I was hoping that you could recommend me a daycare.
Or even if you knew if the one Yejin goes to is accepting babies right now?
And now he feels like an idiot.
Yeah. Ofc. We can go on Monday and you can talk to the director if that works for you?
That'd be perfect.
Thank you, Beomgyu.
Truly.
You've done so much for me and Dabin.