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“Date night, let’s gooo!”
Haknyeon switched the song on the radio, trying to find something better on the stations. He switched a few times until he settled on a song that neither of them hated. “You’re all excited when it's not even your date night.”
“Yeah, because Serena is so fucking cute!”
“Language.” Eric winced and backed away as best as he could in his seat from Haknyeon smacking him in the arm. It was a light tap, him being dramatic when Haknyeon hardly touched him. “Kevin would kill us if she started saying curse words when she can hardly ask for water.”
Kevin and Jacob had adopted a cute little girl in Canada, and now that they had returned to Korea after the whole process, Haknyeon and Eric were on babysitting duty. This was the third time they had watched Serena, and they had only seen her a few other times since then, so the excitement was still bubbling.
She was almost two now, learned how to toddle around and say a few words, but not much else. Eric was not exactly the best babysitter, but he really loved kids and practically begged Kevin and Jacob to watch their little girl while they had date night. They reluctantly agreed, only if Haknyeon would come too.
Since then, they had become a duo in watching Serena. Eric kept her entertained and cleaned up her messes while Haknyeon made sure they didn’t get too rowdy and cooked her healthy meals. Nothing could go wrong. At least, not usually.
Eric was bouncing off the walls in the elevator ride up to Kevin and Jacob’s apartment, that coffee he had a few hours ago definitely made him more energetic than normal. It took a few minutes for one of them to answer the door, Eric immediately rushing past Jacob to pick up Serena and swing her around.
“Sorry for him. We got coffee and now he’s—” Haknyeon raised a hand to reference the very energetic boy who already had Serena on his hip to bounce her around, “Him.”
Jacob just laughed, closing the door behind Haknyeon and watching him walk up to Eric and steal Serena away from him. She babbled a bit, grasping onto Haknyeon’s shirt that he pried her fingers off of. “Dada!”
“I am not your dad, kiddo,” Haknyeon responded to the little girl, a smile all over his face. Eric had already rushed up to brush her hair out of her face and straighten it out. He always doted on her, squishing her cheeks in his fingers. She whined at it, trying to push his hand away, Eric reluctantly listening and turning his attention back to Jacob.
He was pulling out a sippy cup from the cupboard, pouring some apple juice into it, and screwing the top on. The boys followed him to the kitchen, Jacob handing over the cup to Serena which she happily took.
“She is probably going to spill that all over you,” Jacob commented to Haknyeon when he turned to put the juice back in the fridge. “She has a habit of just dropping the cup since she’s not used to it.”
On cue, Serena dropped the cup between her and Haknyeon, wedging it between their stomachs. The juice spilled out just for a second before Haknyeon grabbed it to tip upright again. He sighed, Eric laughing uncontrollably in the background and coming over to pull Serena from Haknyeon’s grasp.
Eric put the sippy cup on the kitchen counter they were standing by, wiping her lips with his shirt to get off the juice she didn’t quite get in her mouth. Haknyeon pulled his shirt out in front of him, most of the front now soaked in apple juice. Accidents were bound to happen, but he wasn’t expecting one so soon. The two of them worked together to pull Serena’s wet shirt off of her body and make sure she was dry.
“Kev?” Jacob called from the living room, wandering toward their bedroom. “Are you ready, babe?”
Kevin came out of their room in a nice outfit, something a little too formal compared to how Jacob was dressed. A nice shirt with some black jeans was all Jacob was wearing, Kevin in nice slacks and a blouse. He always was a bit extravagant compared to Jacob, but that was just how he was.
“Daddy!” Serena called, turning and grabbing for him across the room. Eric was kind enough to bring Serena over, Kevin pulling her into a big hug as he placed her on his hip. He kissed her forehead and then her nose, the little girl giggling in the process. “Where’s her shirt?”
“Apple juice accident,” Haknyeon responded. Kevin looked Haknyeon up and down, hiding a snicker that Haknyeon just brushed off. “I can use your washing machine, right?”
“Absolutely you can. If you want to steal one of our shirts, by all means, go for it.”
Haknyeon left the three of them in the living room, with Serena’s dirty shirt in hand, off to the bedroom. Likely to find another shirt out of the closet to wear. Kevin handed the little babbling girl over to Eric while Jacob looked for another shirt to put her in. They struggled to get it on with a cranky toddler, but teamwork makes the dream work.
“Alright, we’ve gotta head out,” Jacob interrupted, wrapping an arm around Kevin’s waist to kiss his cheek. “We’re already going to be short on time at the art museum if we want to make dinner.”
With a kiss goodbye, they left Eric and Serena on their lonesome in the living room. The two of them plopped down on the floor by the coffee table, pulling out crayons and some coloring books to keep Serena entertained.
Sure, it wouldn’t keep her busy for long, but it would be enough for Haknyeon to start a load of laundry and return to give Eric a helping hand. Serena had not learned to color inside the lines yet, scribbling away at a drawing of a unicorn with a purple crayon.
It was a few minutes until Haknyeon had returned, waltzing into the living room with nothing but his jeans and socks. He looked around for a moment, Eric turning to glance up at him from where he was sitting on the floor with Serena.
“What are you looking for?”
Haknyeon pat his pockets as he wandered over to the pair coloring away. He looked at the TV, watched a few seconds of the movie Eric had put on, before crouching on the floor to ruffle Serena’s hair. “My phone. I thought I brought it with me into the bedroom, but I can’t find it.”
“Did you leave it on the counter in the kitchen?”
Eric tried his best to look away when Haknyeon stood, stretching his arms to the sky. His stomach contracted as he let out a huff, letting his arms fall back into place and wander off into the kitchen. “Yep, you’re a lifesaver!”
Haknyeon quickly disappeared back into the bedroom, Eric watching his figure leave before leaning back onto the floor and burying his face in his hands. Serena babbled something, toddling over to poke his face with her purple crayon.
When Eric moved his hands she plopped on the floor with him, losing the crayon in the process. He admired her, bright wide eyes and a smile on her face being completely clueless to everything that just happened. Eric moved a hand to poke her cheek, a sigh leaving his lips.
“You can’t talk yet,” Eric began, mostly to himself, “Can you keep a secret?” Serena babbled something, Eric quickly interrupting her and putting his arms behind his head to stare at the ceiling.
“You saw him, Serena. He’s really attractive and really pretty— have you seen him without makeup? — that’s not the point. I really like him, I just don’t know how to tell him without ruining the friendship, yanno? I don’t wanna make things weird or scare him away.” He turned toward the little girl, her reaching out to tug on Eric’s ear.
He let out a sigh, staring at her and her inability to fully understand anything he just said. “I’m venting to a baby like a loser.”
Eric sat up, Serena crawling to sit next to him. She was a pretty quiet toddler other than the babbling. Didn’t cry much, and often just followed whatever Haknyeon or Eric did. A really good baby so long as someone had their attention on her. There was that one time Eric helped Haknyeon make dinner and she ended up scribbling on the walls and bruising her arm by running into a wall, but besides that, things went pretty well.
Maybe that’s why they let Eric babysit. It wasn’t that he was a good babysitter, it was that Serena was a pretty good baby who didn’t need a lot of sitting.
“Do you wanna go down to the park?” Haknyeon asked, a little jog in his step with a brand new shirt on. It was definitely Kevin’s, an old band tee that had the arms cut off and sides low to show off the tattoo on his ribcage.
Haknyeon looked incredible in it, the muscle in his arms that normally weren’t shown prominent as he leaned down to pick up baby Serena in his arms. He fixed her hair that was all messed up from rolling around on the floor with Eric, and Eric was pretty sure he forgot how to breathe. He wanted to reach out and touch Haknyeon’s arm to admire at it a little longer, to see if Haknyeon could pick him up and spin him around like he did with Serena.
“Eric?”
“Shit, sorry—” Haknyeon glanced over at him, a fire in his gaze as Eric realized his mistake. “Fuck—”
Eric slapped his hand over his mouth, closing his eyes to just nod in response. That was embarrassing and Haknyeon was going to yell at him as soon as he got the chance. He locked his lips with his fingers and tossed the key, Haknyeon holding out a hand to help him up from the floor.
It took a while for them to grab Serena’s stroller, snacks, and drinks, but eventually, they made their way down to the street to walk toward the park that was a bit down the street. Haknyeon pushed the stroller, a few people stopping to wave and say hello to Serena on the way. She only cried once on the way there, mainly because she hated shoes, and ended up going the rest of the way with only one shoe on after she kicked off one of them but wouldn’t let Eric take off the other.
The weather was beautiful outside, a breeze making the sun feel less awful on the skin. They walked around the park, Haknyeon pushing an empty stroller while Eric had Serena on his shoulders in a piggyback ride. They ran into a cute little pomeranian that Serena played with for a while, they fed the ducks some of the snacks they brought, and soon enough it was time for dinner.
Eric and Haknyeon played rock, paper, scissors on what they made for dinner, Eric’s dino nuggies winning. Haknyeon put the nuggies in the oven and worked on some fruits and veggies to have with them while Eric got Serena into her pajamas. It was still a bit early for that, but playing at the park definitely tired her out.
They toddled toward the kitchen, Eric sitting her in her high chair next to where he was going to sit. Haknyeon was standing cutting up strawberries, Eric setting himself down and watching. The muscles in Haknyeon’s arm weren’t doing much, but it was enough for Eric to be distracted. Haknyeon didn’t seem to notice other than handing over some of the fruit to Eric occasionally to give to Serena.
He ate half of them without Haknyeon looking, Serena babbling at Eric every time he ate one of her pieces. He mumbled a “sharing is caring” through a mouthful of strawberry at her, Haknyeon glancing up at him to see what was happening.
“Eating her fruit?”
“Hey, I need fruit too, you know! Gotta get strong and stuff.”
The timer on Haknyeon’s phone went off, the boy popping a strawberry into his mouth and turning it off with his pinky before pulling out the nuggies from the oven. He plated their dinners just like Serena’s, all three of them eating on Disney themes plates with baby silverware.
Dinner was always a mess, Serena babbling and sometimes throwing food at one of the boys to get their attention if they didn’t answer fast enough. She was always a mess afterward, Haknyeon having to clean her up with a baby wipe solely because Kevin said they weren’t allowed to bathe her by themselves. He was a worried, anxious father, and they both understood that.
Eric cleaned up the kitchen while Haknyeon entertained Serena, watching a movie as she settled down for the night. Haknyeon had her in his lap when Eric finally plopped down on the couch. She was sleepy, a blanket wrapped around Haknyeon’s shoulders and Serena’s in his lap.
She looked toward Eric, blinking once, then twice.
“Kissy?”
“You want a kiss, bunny?” Eric asked, leaning over to give her a kiss on the forehead.
She put her hand out and pressed against his pursed lips before he could get to her. “No! You!”
Eric backed up, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Haknyeon grabbed her hand to place back into the blanket they were bundled in. He tilted his head, doting on her for a minute as she stared between the two boys. “Eric was gonna kiss you. Was that not what you wanted?”
Serena shook her head, moving to point at Haknyeon. “Eric, Kissy?”
Haknyeon met eyes with Eric, watching Eric sit back and his face flush red. He hid his face in his hands, letting out a little whine that the other two just stared at. “That was supposed to be a secret, Serena!”
“What is she talking about?” Haknyeon asked softly, like he always did when Eric freaked out about something. It was not making this situation any better. Eric moved his hands to glance at him only to tear his eyes away again.
Haknyeon was so perfect to Eric. He cooked well, was incredibly attractive, loving. He made sure Eric was okay and taken care of, even when it was never asked of him. Children loved him, he was amazing with kids, and having Serena in his lap made that all the more apparent. Haknyeon was going to be an amazing father and trying to explain that Eric wanted to be a part of that felt impossible.
“I may or may not have told her I liked you…”
Eric’s eyes were anywhere but Haknyeon’s, his hands in his lap in an attempt to hide. He wanted to shy away, to go home and crawl into bed. Yeah, he wanted to tell Haknyeon eventually, but not like this. He wasn’t prepared for this conversation, for admitting his feelings, for maybe ruining their friendship.
Haknyeon laughed, a sweet little chuckle that made Serena laugh too. He looked down at the little girl in his lap who was still dozing off and pat her butt gently. “I’m going to put her to sleep, I’ll be back in a minute.”
A minute felt like a lifetime. Eric could hear Haknyeon singing softly in the other room while he paced the living room and kitchen. He turned the lights off after a bit, sitting and watching this dumb kids’ movie to pass the time.
He was anxious, a worried mess, and eventually, he lied down to help settle his beating heart. With the blanket pulled over him and his eyes closed he got his breathing to slow down, and the pounding in his chest to go back to normal. He was so focused on his own body that he didn’t even notice when Haknyeon settled down on the floor next to the couch.
“Hey.”
Eric’s eyes fluttered open, a small “hey” falling from his lips in return.
“Nervous?” Haknyeon asked, leaning his head on the couch not far from where Eric was resting. It forced Eric to meet eyes with him for their talk, Eric just nodding in response and trying to pull the blanket tighter around him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
There was a long pause, Eric watching Haknyeon’s eyes sparkle in the lowlight of the apartment. They were soft and welcoming, one of Haknyeon’s hands moving to push a lock of hair out of Eric’s face.
“I didn’t want to ruin what we had.”
Haknyeon let his hand gently drag down Eric’s cheek, a thumb brushing gently to calm him down. He smiled, moving forward until he could press his lips to Eric’s forehead. The kiss was soft and sweet, Eric letting out a small sigh at the feeling of closeness with Haknyeon.
“What does that mean, Haknyeon?”
“What do you want it to mean?”
Eric sighed, pulling Haknyeon’s hand into his own to intertwine their fingers. This wasn’t the first time they had held hands or had platonic kisses, but this time everything felt different. Now Haknyeon knew that Eric had feelings for him, and the meaning of all their intimacy was fuzzy.
“I want you to like me back, but it's not about what I—”
“Are you going to let me kiss you or not?”
Eric pushed himself to sit up, leaning on his elbows to be the same height as Haknyeon who was still sitting on the floor. They met eyes, Eric searching for any kind of hesitation from Haknyeon and finding none of it. Just patience for Eric to say something, waiting for him to be comfortable.
“Hurry up before I chicken out.”
Their lips connected softly, Haknyeon raising a hand to cup Eric’s cheek and pull him closer. It was slow, the kiss deepening with every passing minute. They moved in tandem, ensuring it never broke even between breaths and movements until finally, Eric hummed a small whine against Haknyeon’s mouth.
Haknyeon pulled away, looking into Eric’s eyes to make sure everything was okay. Eric could see the concern on Haknyeon’s face, and he just shook his head in reply. “My arms hurt from holding myself up like this.”
“Scoot over then, babe.”
Eric pressed his back to the couch, opening the blanket for Haknyeon to slide into. It wasn’t the most comfortable, the two of them hardly fit on the couch. They tangled their legs together Haknyeon swinging an arm over Eric’s waist and the other under his head.
“Comfy?” Haknyeon asked before pulling Eric into a soft, chaste kiss.
“Not really, but it's okay. Do you think Kevin and Jacob will be mad we fell asleep on babysitting duty?”
Eric already had his eyes closed, nuzzling himself into Haknyeon’s chest. Cuddling wasn’t new between them, but this time he could tilt his head up and pull Haknyeon into a loving kiss if he wanted, and that made him happy.
“I’m sure it's fine,” Haknyeon yawned, “Next time, don’t trust the two-year-old with your secrets, m’kay babe?”