Work Text:
It’s the day of Christmas when Chan's whole world turns upside down.
He's lying face down on the couch when the doorbell rings. The shrill sound worsens his growing headache. He slowly wakes up. Sitting up, he opens his eyes.
He winces when the bright sunlight flashes on his eyes directly. Distantly, he can still hear the doorbell ringing. Chan glances around the messy living room and notices two figures lying on the ground.
He panics. Then, he realises that these two bodies are not dead but are instead those of his best friends and housemates – Jisung and Changbin.
Jisung’s lower body is hiked up on the couch while his upper body is on the carpet. Chan knows that Jisung will be complaining about his aching body as soon as he wakes up. Chan is about to dive back into sleep but a groaning Changbin stops him.
“Hmph. Get... the fucking... door,” he manages to slur out.
Being the eldest and consequently the most responsible out of all of them, Chan decides to take some pity on his drunken friends. Chan makes a mental note to never party that late ever again. He successfully reaches the door though he wobbles a little. When he opens it, he is surprised to see that there is no one outside. If the sudden gush of cold wind does not sober him up then the sight at his feet definitely does.
He lets out a scream.
Right on the newly bought ‘welcum' mat (Yes. It’s spelled like this because Jisung thought it would be hilarious when they went shopping at the mall last week) there is a basket containing a baby.
A living, breathing baby girl. Who is looking up at Chan with curious little eyes.
The scream that Chan let out must have alerted his friends because they both come at the doorstep and immediately freeze. Changbin stops scratching his butt while Jisung’s stretched arms remain hanging in the air.
No one says anything.
Chan closes his eyes and counts to ten. When he opens them, the baby is still there. This must be a dream. It has to be.
“I was gay since the day I was born,” Jisung declares, “so this baby is not mine.”
Changbin low whistles. And Chan is more sober than he ever had been.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
After checking outside to see that no one had mistakenly left their baby behind, the three men confirm that the baby was intentionally dropped at their doorstep.
Chan brings the basket inside and carefully sets it down on the coffee table. Chan and Changbin peer at the baby who was now fast asleep, all bundled up in the pink blanket.
“Wasn’t she awake like five seconds ago?” Changbin questions in wonder. Chan agrees. He does not know how exactly babies' sleeping patterns work but he would really appreciate it if that applied to him as well.
Jisung returns back from the kitchen with a bottle of water in his hand. Yawning, he lies down on the opposite couch. He lazily takes a few sips from the bottle.
He must sense that two pairs of eyes are staring at him in confusion because he returns the same look.
“What?”
“How can you be so calm right now? We literally have a baby in our house.”
Jisung crosses his legs. “Like I said earlier, that’s not my baby. She must be one of yours.”
Offended, Changbin grits out, “She’s not mine either.”
Chan sighs. He really cannot handle these two arguing right now. He is about to interrupt them before Changbin throws him under the bus.
“She must be Chan's hyung baby. She looks exactly like him.”
The betrayal does not stop there. Jisung has the audacity to nod, agreeing with Changbin. Changbin leaves Chan's side and goes to join Jisung on the couch. Jisung immediately rests his head on the other man's lap. He orders Changbin to give him a head massage. Although Changbin initially denies him, Chan knows he will eventually do it.
No one stands a chance against a pouty, clingy Jisung. Especially Chan.
“Okay, concentrate guys. We have an unidentified baby in our house.” Chan summarises.
“It’s a UFB, sir,” Jisung says in a serious tone.
Chan hates himself for this but he can’t help asking, “What’s a UFB?”
“God, you are so old, hyung. It stands for Unidentified Flying Baby.”
Changbin snorts. Chan laughs at the absurdity of this whole situation. He can always count on Jisung to lighten the mood when Chan gets too serious or worried.
The baby stirs in her sleep. Chan's heart leaps in his chest, afraid that she will start crying. She does not. Still, Chan steps closer to ensure that the baby is fast asleep. That’s when he notices the white envelope tucked under the blanket.
Chan thinks he knows what’s inside the letter when he opens it. But, the sink in his gut cannot be avoided after he finishes reading it. It’s one thing imagining it and another thing confirming it.
It’s the 25th of December when Chan finds out that he is the father of a four-months old baby girl.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
There are many instances where Chan has considered himself lucky that he ended up being best friends with Changbin and Jisung. The housemates thing ended up being a bonus honestly.
In the middle of high school, when Chan struggled with defining his sexuality, his two friends always made him feel comfortable. Eventually when he came out as pansexual to them, in the cramped broom closet where they usually share a stolen cigarette with each other, Changbin had smiled at him. Jisung had inevitably followed up with a “so are you attracted to pans?” joke.
That’s when Chan knew that he was getting stuck to these two idiots for the rest of his life.
Even right now, Chan can't be more grateful. When he shakily hands them the letter, he sits down on the floor to gather his thoughts. The silence is stifling. Tears start forming in Chan's eyes when the implication of the situation dawns on him. He can barely take care of himself. How on earth will he be able to raise a child?
Before he has a total mental breakdown, two pairs of hands encircle his upper body. Jisung's reassuring words are as warm as Changbin's hug. Chan cries, allowing himself to drown in them.
The warmth is gone as soon as it came. Chan, for a brief moment, wants to chase it. Changbin and Jisung sit beside him. Once Chan is visibly calmed down, Jisung softly says, “It’s okay Chan-hyung. You are not alone.”
“Yeah,” Changbin confidently adds, “You will always have us.”
Chan kind of wants to sob again. He is so fucking lucky to have them.
“Besides, how hard can raising a baby be?”
Then, the baby starts crying.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
When they finally conclude that the baby is crying because she is probably hungry, another crisis hits. What to feed her?
Jisung leaves them to go to the kitchen. Changbin follows him. Since the kitchen is just opposite to the living room, Chan can clearly see them. They open the fridge – foraging for something edible to give her.
Jisung points at something inside. He takes out a box of muffins. He had baked them a few days ago.
“What about these?”
Changbin squints his eyes at the youngest. “Are you dumb or stupid?”
Jisung squeaks out, “What?”
Changbin snatches the box from Jisung's hands and shoves it back inside. Chan heaves a sigh of relief. At least, he can trust Changbin not to poison his daughter. Then, he retrieves a slice of pizza and questioningly stares at Chan.
“I bet she likes pineapple on pizza.”
Never mind. Chan takes back his words.
Taking matters in his own hands, Chan intervenes. If he does not, his daughter will end up drinking beer at this rate. “Guys. We need baby food.”
The comprehension that takes over their faces and the little ‘ah' they let out is amusing. Chan chuckles. Jisung and Changbin can be very cute (and stupid) sometimes. Chan suggests that he will make a quick run to the nearest supermarket and grab the necessary things that they will need for tonight.
But, Changbin stops him. “No no. Hyung. You stay here and look after her.” He then heads to his room. A few minutes later, he comes back with his wallet and jackets for him and Jisung.
“We will be back soon, Channie-hyung. In the meantime, try to bond with this little cutie.”
Chan nods at them, giving them a thankful smile. When he hears the car driving off the driveway, Chan turns to take a proper look at her daughter. She has stopped crying for a while now. The three of them tried their best to distract her, pulling the most funniest and weirdest facial expressions they could.
Chan takes a deep breath. Then, as gently as he can, he lifts her up and cradles her against his chest. He makes sure that her neck is supported by his arm. As soon as Chan looks at her in his arms, he starts tearing up.
It’s unbelievable that this little, beautiful human being is his daughter.
“Hi, baby,” Chan greets. He ignores the crack in his voice. And so does his daughter because she smiles. Mouth apart with no teeth but it’s the prettiest sight in Chan's opinion. Maybe it’s the father's instincts that kick in but Chan straight away promises that he will protect her at all costs.
As she busies herself playing with a thread hanging in his sleeve, Chan takes his time to admire his daughter. Changbin and Jisung were right earlier. She looks exactly like him. The same nose. The same smile. The same pale skin. Hopefully the same dimples.
But, her eyes resemble that of her mother's. Almond light brown eyes. Chan sighs.
Sae Bom was a beautiful, young woman. Chan had actually once thought that he was going to marry her. Changbin and Jisung were completely against that. They never liked her. Chan did not quite understand. Sure, Sae Bom was reserved and quiet. She often came across as a cold and arrogant person to many people but Chan knew better.
It did not come as a surprise when she broke up with him. At that point of time, they both wanted different things from their lives. They had amicably called things off and promised to stay in contact. But, it never happened.
According to the letter that she wrote, Sae Bom found out that she was pregnant two and a half months after they broke up. She had decided to keep the baby, thinking that she would be able to raise her. Unfortunately, she recently got an amazing acting offer. She explained that she would no longer be able to look after her. Chan understands. Sae Bom was always a career-oriented person.
She thought it would be better that their baby would be brought up by Chan instead of sending her to an orphanage. The letter ended with her sincere apology.
Chan looks down at his daughter.
“Saeyon-ah,” Chan calls out, the name rolling naturally off his tongue, “Appa is going to take good care of you. I promise.”
Saeyon makes an intelligible noise in her throat as if she understood every word that Chan said. God, she is so cute. Chan leans down and presses a feather-light kiss on her forehead.
The sound of laughter brings Chan back to reality. He immediately recognizes the high-pitched laughter. It belongs to Jisung. Sure enough, the door opens to reveal an annoyed-looking Changbin followed by a laughing Jisung.
They quickly get rid of their snow-covered coats and shuffle in the living room. Changbin puts down two bags filled to the brim on the wooden floor. Chan's eyes almost fall out of their sockets. He needs to pay Changbin later.
“What’s so funny?” Chan asks out of curiousness. The sudden hustle bustle even earned Saeyon's attention.
“Nothing,” Changbin hisses spitefully. At the same time, Jisung doubles over in laughter. He tries to catch his breath before dissolving into giggles again. Cute.
“Oh my god, hyung,” Jisung loudly narrates, “You should have been there.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We were in the aisle for baby food and we were absolutely lost. Changbin looked like he would faint on the spot. Thankfully, we bumped into a lady who kindly helped us.”
Jisung purposely stops. He does this whenever he wants to build up the suspense.
“She started rambling about baby stuff. She mentioned something about sterilising nipples. We thought we heard it wrong. So, we asked her to repeat it. When she did say the same thing again, Changbin-hyung, the absolute idiot, glanced at his own nipples and pointed at them.”
Jisung cackles. Chan laughs as well. He covers it up as a cough when Changbin glares at him. He does a pretty bad job at it.
“You should have seen the lady's face. Oh my god.” Jisung imitates her expression and Chan has to admit that given the context of the situation, the widened eyes and agape mouth was hilarious.
Changbin pouts, crossing his arms. He whines out, “Stop laughing. I'm the victim here. How am I supposed to know that she meant nipples for baby bottles?”
Chan and Jisung laugh much more loudly now. Sensing the funny atmosphere, Saeyon laughs with them. It’s more of a giggle but it counts.
Changbin's eyes soften at the sound. His pout deepens, “Fine. Only Saeyon can laugh at me from now on.”
Jisung fakes gasps, stepping closer to Chan. He kneels down and plays with Saeyon's swinging hands. “Looks like, I have competition now. She is cuter than me.”
Chan was worried for no reason. Saeyon is going to fit it just right.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
The days leading up to Saeyon's arrival is a mess – both literally and figuratively.
Their house can no longer be considered liveable. If anyone would visit them and take a peek inside, they would immediately shut the door and never come back. Okay, maybe Chan is exaggerating. But, it’s really bad.
The couch in the living room is drowned in Saeyon's toys, all graciously gifted by his friends. On hearing the news that Chan has been upgraded from a single workaholic producer to a barely-surviving dad, the rest of his friends stormed their way into their house. As expected, Saeyon charmed her way to their hearts easily.
Minho ended up being the one who got along with Saeyon the most. He communicated with her in baby noises and made her laugh a lot. And if Seungmin was not enamoured enough of Minho, this had definitely sealed the deal for him. The others had to bear Seungmin sending heart-shaped eyes at Minho throughout the whole evening.
Jeongin carried Saeyon only once, his whole body stiff since he was afraid that he was going to drop her. On the other hand, Hyunjin almost dropped her with his clumsy hands. Changbin snatched Saeyon from him while Jisung chastised him. They only calmed down when Chan reassured Hyunjin that it was okay.
Saeyon started crying as soon as Felix greeted her in his deep voice. They all laughed at a flustered Felix trying his best to quiet her down.
It was nice, for once, to not think about the insecurities surrounding the upbringing of Saeyon and just enjoying the moment with his friends.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Chan definitely did not expect to stumble into the new year with a baby but here he is now. With a babbling and bright Saeyon by his side while his two best friends squabble on what to feed her.
Saeyon is safely tucked in her stroller, fascinated by her own little hands and stuffing them in her mouth. Drool trickles down on her chin and Chan has to stop himself from cooing. He asks the two men in the kitchen to hurry up since they were way past Saeyon’s feeding time.
“Channie-hyung. Please help us. We can’t decide which one to choose,” Jisung pouts. Changbin copies him.
Chan fondly sighs and makes his way to the island counter. On the granite marble, there are about four to five cartons of baby cereal food, each one different from each other. Chan makes a quick scan through them all and picks up the middle one.
“This one has more iron in it,” Chan explains when he feels both of their inquisitive gazes on him. His mother had recommended him this one when they video called yesterday. She took the news of Chan being a dad surprisingly well. With her gentle comforting voice, she managed to erase Chan's worries. She also shared some tricks and secrets for which Chan couldn’t thank her enough.
Excited by the idea of feeding Saeyon, Jisung grabs the carton from his hands. Chan lets him, standing in silence. He opens the carton in which an aluminium packet is found.
Jisung tears apart the packet a bit too hard which sends the powder flying all over his face. It covers his mouth and round cheeks, some particles having made their way on his eyelashes.
Changbin, finding the situation very funny, laughs right at Jisung's face. With a blank expression, Jisung throws the packet's content on Changbin's face. The powder enters Changbin's mouth - he makes a disgusting expression while he tastes the bland taste of the food.
Unable to contain his laugh, Chan points at both of their faces, making fun of them. Then, Changbin snatches the packet from Jisung's hands and dumps the remaining powder right on Chan's head.
All three of them burst out in laughter. Warmth blooms in Chan's lungs and sneaks its way through his heart, clenching in happiness as he witnesses his best friends openly laughing.
“Han Jisung. You brat. You are going to pay for this,” Changbin jokingly threatens. He starts making his way for Jisung. Fearing for his life, the youngest male starts running away.
Changbin chases after him. They start repeatedly circling the island counter. Their laughter rings around the kitchen. Chan finds that it’s contagious. He keeps laughing with them.
Changbin eventually catches Jisung. Grabbing him by his elbow, he turns him around and manhandles him until he is on the tiled ground. Changbin straddles him. Jisung dramatically screams, begging Chan to save him, as Changbin tickles his sides.
Jisung laughs, the noise so high-pitched that it sounds like a whine. Tears prickle at his eyes. The sight of a squirming Jisung under Changbin's stronghold makes Chan suck in a harsh breath.
Jisung accepts defeat after some time. A smirking Changbin stops his torture. He stays still as he waits for Jisung to catch his breath. When Jisung's breathing comes back to normal, he seems to realise exactly what position he is in. Chan watches with rapt attention now.
Jisung's ears are red while he bites his lips nervously. Changbin also catches on to the sudden change in the atmosphere. It’s no longer light-hearted.
Changbin's gaze unmistakably lowers down to Jisung's lips. Chan wants Changbin to lean in and kiss Jisung senselessly. As if Jisung can read his thoughts, he looks over at him. Chan's breath catches in his throat as there is a flicker of desire in Jisung's sparkly eyes. It’s gone as soon as it came.
Jisung clears his throat and just like that, the spell is broken.
They don’t talk about it. They silently work together as they make Saeyon's breakfast. The thought of wanting to see Changbin and Jisung make out haunts Chan the whole day.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
The spoon clatters as it hits the ground for the third time. Jisung, heavily sighing, picks it up again and waddles to the kitchen sink to wash it.
Chan is worried.
Saeyon has not been eating well these past few days. At first, Chan assumed it was because her teeth were starting to grow. But, as soon as Chan brings the spoon to her mouth, she either turns her head to the other side or tightly presses her lips.
“She is stubborn like you,” Changbin points out. Chan doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this similar personality trait.
Jisung comes back and gives Chan the spoon. He attempts to feed Saeyon again but it’s fruitless.
Jisung leans down, putting his hands on his knees until he is eye to eye level with Saeyon. The little girl is leaning against the grey high chair as she swings her legs in the air.
“Saeyon-ah. Why are you not eating?” Jisung asks softly, a tint of worry clearly laced in his tone.
Blissfully unaware of what Jisung is talking about, Saeyon reaches for his hands. Enthralled by the silver rings adorning Jisung's fingers, she grabs it and tries to put them in her mouth. Jisung breaks out into a giggle, cooing over how cute she is.
And there it is again, that warm fuzzy feeling that lodges in Chan's chest whenever he sees Jisung and Changbin interacting with Saeyon. These days, this unnamed feeling keeps growing stronger. It engulfs Chan, making it hard for him to breathe properly.
Silently, Changbin rests his hand on Saeyon's forehead. His eyebrows scrunch up in concentration. Chan can’t help but notice how cute he looks.
“Hyung. I think she has a fever.”
Chan checks and indeed, Saeyon's skin feels hot under the palm of his hand.
Panicked, Chan wastes no time to call up Saeyon's paediatrician. Chan would have apologised for calling him at such a late hour but he is too worried to care about that. The doctor calmly explains to him that having a fever at this age is normal. He instructs Chan to make a cold compress and apply it to Saeyon. If her fever does not go down by morning, Chan has to bring her to his clinic.
Saeyon's health deteriorates during the night.
She fell asleep quite quickly because she had been rendered tired by the fever. Her breaths are coming out laboured. Chan's heart squeezes in pain. He feels helpless because he can’t alleviate the pain of his little girl.
Chan hears the door opening. Changbin comes with a fresh bowl of cold water and hands it to Chan. He thanks him. He dips the cloth in the water and presses it on Saeyon's forehead.
Changbin does not leave.
A hand is placed on his shoulder for reassurance. “She will be fine, Channie-hyung. She is a strong girl.”
This is the last straw for Chan. His lips wobble as he tries to stop himself from crying out loud. Changbin immediately plops down beside him, arms wrapping around his shoulders. Changbin comforts him with whispered words and warm half-hugs. When Chan finally regains his composure, he sends Changbin a smile to thank him. The other smiles back.
A sleepy Jisung enters the room half an hour later and perches over the cradle to look at Saeyon. She is still sleeping and though it’s very minimal, her temperature has gone down a little.
“Weren’t you asleep, Sung?” Changbin asks.
Jisung nods, “Yeah. I wanted to check up on her.”
Chan is expecting him to go back to his room, ready to fling himself on his bed. But, to his surprise, Jisung sits down next to Chan and rests his head on his shoulders.
“Go back to sleep, Jisung. You have work tomorrow,” Chan scolds.
“Yeah,” Changbin agrees, “The bakery has been really busy these days.”
Jisung has been working at the local bakery for years now. Passionate about baking, he was so happy that he got a job there. Even though sometimes he is overworked, especially during holiday seasons, Jisung has never complained.
Lately, he has been coming home late at night. And then, he has to wake up early to open up the bakery. If he does not get enough sleep, he will collapse at one point.
“No. I'm not going anywhere,” Jisung states in a final tone. Chan and Changbin do not even dare to convince him because neither of them can budge a stubborn Jisung.
He then takes Chan's hand in his and starts tracing asymmetrical shapes on his palm.
“I can’t leave Saeyon or you guys alone like this,” he confesses in a meek voice. Changbin's hand also makes its way to their hands and covers all of their palms together.
“Yeah. We promised that you will always have us, hyung"
Chan recalls the day when Saeyon first stumbled in his life and how these two stayed by his side. His heart squeezes in his chest once again but this time, it’s not with pain.
Chan brings all their hands together to his mouth, lightly pecks them and sets them on the lap. He admires the way all their hands fit together perfectly.
“I love you,” Chan says out loud. He never shies away from telling Changbin and Jisung that he loves them, but this time, it means something much more.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
“What do you think?”
Saeyon makes a noise as if she is contemplating Jisung's question. She then cutely shakes her head.
“Got it. No jacket then.”
Jisung takes off his thin white jacket, throwing it blindly at the chair. The piece of fabric falls on the floor. He twirls around to show his outfit. Saeyon plays along, clapping her hands. Jisung beams.
“I can’t believe you are taking fashion advice from an eight-month old baby,” Changbin mocks but there is an evident fond smile on his face. Jisung then goes off about how he and Saeyon have a special connection and how Changbin is just jealous of their bond.
Chan, who was watching them from the doorway the whole time, finally decides to intervene.
“Okay that’s enough. You guys should go now or else you will be late for your double date.”
Saeyon lets out a squeal of excitement when she sees her bottle of milk in Chan's hand. She throws her arms wide open, indicating that she wants Chan to pick her up. Her father coos.
“I'm so nervous. It’s been a while since I went on a date. What if I lost my touch?” Jisung rambles.
Changbin rolls his eyes.
“You'll be fine, dude.”
The date thing was brought up at the start of the week. Having played all day, Saeyon was tired and slept early. The three of them decided to enjoy the spring air while they were sipping beer on the balcony.
Out of the blue, Jisung had complained that his co-worker had been pestering him to go on a blind date with his cousin. Changbin jokingly said that he wanted to be set up as well.
Chan immediately felt guilty. He didn’t realise that his two friends had their own lives. Changbin and Jisung were already doing him a big favour by looking after Saeyon. He can’t be selfish to ask them to sacrifice their love lives for him.
So, even if the idea of Changbin and Jisung dating someone else stirred an ugly feeling in his stomach, Chan swallowed it and encouraged them to go on dates. In the end, they agreed.
That’s how Chan finds himself on a Saturday evening, carrying Saeyon as he waves his two friends goodbye at the front door.
Chan takes Saeyon's hand and waves at Changbin and Jisung. He mimics a childish voice, “Where's my goodbye kiss?”
Changbin steps forward, “Of course, pretty. How could we forget?”
Jisung comes in as well. Both of them bend forward at the same time and pecks Saeyon's cheeks on each side. The sight is so domestic that Chan yearns. He thinks it wouldn’t be so bad if he had that everyday.
Without any warning, Changbin and Jisung leans up and presses twin kisses on his cheeks. Chan's mouth opens in a quiet gasp. Even after his best friends are long gone, Chan is still stuck at the front door, cheeks burning red.
He is snapped out of his reverie when Saeyon slaps his face. Right, Chan has to feed her.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Once Saeyon has drunk her milk, Chan settles down on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate. He barely takes a sip before he hears the sound of farting. Soon after, the smell of poop wafts in the air.
Chan looks down at the culprit – Saeyon's eyes are twinkling with mischief. A laugh involuntarily leaves Chan's mouth. Placing the mug on the table, he bends down to pick Saeyon up.
“Time for a bath, you little gremlin,” Chan snickers.
He first discards the dirty diaper in the trash can. Then, he removes her clothes. Chan makes Saeyon stand up in the bathtub, using one hand to support her. With his other free hand, he takes the showerhead and thoroughly washes her butt cheeks.
Chan starts whistling a tune that he has been working on to entertain his daughter. She successfully sways her hips side to side which earns a giggle from Chan. He really can’t live without his little girl.
The ringing of his mobile phone cuts through the sound of water running. Saeyon whips her head towards Chan, very much familiar with his phone's ringtone.
“I know, baby,” Chan says while he rubs soap on her, “The phone is ringing but I can always pick it up later.”
Chan lets her play in the water for a few minutes after washing her completely. When he deems that it has been enough, he wraps her in her elephant-patterned towel. The ringing is incessant but Chan ignores it to dress Saeyon as quickly as possible.
He is in the middle of brushing Saeyon's hair when the front door is slammed open loudly. Frantic footsteps can be heard and then, Jisung and Changbin appear in the room. They are both panting as if they ran the distance from the driveway to Saeyon's room.
Jisung mutters a quiet ‘thank god' under his breath while Changbin sighs in relief.
Confused, Chan glances at the wall clock.
“Umm, why are you guys back already? You just left forty minutes ago.”
Jisung replies to his question with another query, “Hyung. Why weren’t you picking up your phone?”
Oh. So it was Jisung who was constantly calling him earlier. Hearing Jisung's voice, Saeyon perks up. She happily crawls on the bed until she reaches the edge. Thankfully, Changbin catches her in time. He lifts Saeyon in the air and blows a raspberry against her stomach. Saeyon laughs.
The sight inevitably makes Chan smile. Then he remembers that Jisung had asked him something.
Chan clarifies, “I was bathing Saeyon. That’s why I couldn’t pick up. Sorry.”
Jisung swats his hand in a gesture to say that it’s fine. He marches over to Changbin and ruffles Saeyon's head.
Changbin then says, “We were worried, hyung. We thought something happened.”
“Oh Binnie. We are okay, I promise.”
Chan chuckles at his friends' antics. Folding up the wet towel, he dumps it in the laundry basket. Then, he realises that Changbin and Jisung's date night was a failure.
Chan throws them a sympathetic look.
“How was your date even if it was very short?”
“Oh,” Jisung says nonchalantly, “We never went to the restaurant.”
Chan’s eyes widened. To say he is shocked would be very understandable. “W-what? Why?”
They remain silent for a few seconds but it stretches too long for Chan's liking. His skin starts itching with anxiety. Finally, Changbin decides to explain. He averts his eyes from Saeyon and stares directly at Chan.
“It felt wrong to be away from you and Saeyon,” he sincerely confesses.
Chan thinks his heart might stop. Not having an ounce of mercy on Chan, Jisung continues talking.
“One second without seeing you and Saeyon feels like torture.”
Chan may be a bit dramatic right now but his soul is about to leave his body. Jisung is sharing the same intense look with Changbin. Speechless, Chan just gapes at them. Soon, it gets too much for Chan so he breaks eye contact.
The implications behind their words makes Chan's head spin. His heart starts beating fast, as if it will break out of his ribs any second now. If they notice a red hue spreading from Chan's face to his neck, his friends are kind enough not to mention it.
The three of them end up cuddling on the spare bed in Saeyon's room. When Chan's eyes slowly start to close, it’s to the warmth of Changbin's and Jisung's arms wrapped around his waist, their even breaths and their words from earlier echoing in his brain.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Something has changed between them since that night. It’s nothing monumental but it’s still significant enough that Chan notices.
Whenever Chan makes eye contact with Changbin or Jisung, the tension in the air is palpable – it makes Chan's hands all sweaty. Whenever Changbin’s fingers graze with his when he is handing him Saeyon's toy, Chan's skin burns. Whenever Jisung comes back from work and he greets Chan with a kiss on the cheek, Chan's heart races.
Chan doesn’t address it. Neither does Changbin and Jisung. So he lets himself enjoy whatever they have going on.
Except, he should have known that he would have to face it sooner or later. But, he didn’t know that it would be like this.
Summer had already rolled in. It was one of the rare weekdays where Chan actually got off work early. When he gets out of his car, he looks up at the clear blue sky and decides to take Saeyon to the park.
He knows that both Jisung and Changbin are at home right now. The youngest has a night shift at the bakery today while the other is still working from home. That’s why he does not make his presence known when he enters the house. He wants to surprise them.
Gingerly walking to the living room, he notices Saeyon already strapped in her stroller, admiring the plastic mobile toy in her hand.
Chan greets her with a quick kiss on the forehead. His daughter barely acknowledges him. Chan chuckles.
Depositing his laptop bag on the couch, he loosens his tie. He wonders where his two friends are. As if in response, a noise is heard from the kitchen. They are probably heating Saeyon's milk.
Chan makes his way into the kitchen. He is about to yell ‘surprise' to startle Changbin and Jisung when he stops in his tracks.
Jisung and Changbin are kissing.
Jisung is sitting on the counter, caged in between Changbin's beefy arms. Eyes closed and lips moving hungrily against each other, they are lost in their own world. Changbin then pulls away, continuing his ministrations by leaving open-mouthed kisses on Jisung's neck. One of Jisung's hand is gripping Changbin's hair tightly. When Changbin sucks on a sensitive spot, Jisung moans. Belatedly, Chan realises that this is the sound he heard earlier.
Bearing witness to this scene is both a blessing and a curse.
It’s a blessing because this is all what Chan has been thinking and dreaming about. Hell, it’s even better than what he had imagined.
However, it’s also a curse because in those imaginations, he was a part of the equation. He was there with them, kissing both Changbin and Jisung and watching them kiss each other.
Chan, without meaning to, makes a noise which mostly resembles a choke.
Jisung's eyes snap open, hands immediately shoving Changbin away. Changbin protests but as soon as he turns around, his eyes widen as well, caught red-handed.
Seeing the guilty looks on their faces makes Chan feel as if he interrupted them. An intimate moment shared just between Changbin and Jisung. Without Chan.
“I'm umm gonna take Saeyon for a stroll,” Chan announces awkwardly, cringing at the way his voice comes out croaked.
Chan quickly returns to the living room. He grabs the handle of Saeyon's stroller and hastens his steps to the front door.
“Wait. Chan-hyung,” Jisung calls out.
Chan pointedly ignores him and slams the door shut. He needs to clear his mind.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
The noise at the park successfully distracts Chan. There are kids chasing and shouting at each other. Couples are cozied up on picnic mats while owners of food trucks are screaming to grab the attention of passers by.
When Chan's heels start to burn from aimlessly pushing Saeyon around, he decides to sit on a bench to take a breather.
The images of Jisung's swollen lips and Changbin's flushed face sneak in Chan's brain. Even when he closes his eyes, the pictures are permanently etched behind his eyelids. Fuck.
Chan harshly rubs his face. He thinks back to all those little moments shared between the three of them. Has he been reading the situation wrong this whole time? Or worse, did he come in between Changbin and Jisung?
Chan's heart sinks.
“Oh what a lovely baby you have here. Is she your daughter?” an elderly woman asks. She is crouching to look at Saeyon. Chan smiles when she pinches Saeyon's cheeks.
“Yes, she is. Her name is Saeyon,” he replies politely.
Just then, Chan's phone vibrates in his pants pocket. He takes it out and sees his lock screen lighting up with a kakao talk icon. It’s from their group chat. He taps on the notification.
Saeyon's Protection Squad
Jisungie :
chan-hyung
it's not what it looks like
i promise
Changbinnie :
please come back home, hyung
we can explain
Sighing, Chan exits from the app. His gaze is then stuck on his home screen wallpaper. Unknowingly, a smile forms on Chan's face. It’s a blurry selfie that the three of them took with Saeyon when she walked on her own for the first time. There is pure happiness radiated on their faces accompanied with a few tears because they got emotional over Saeyon's growth.
“That’s a nice family you have there, son,” the stranger says softly, out of the blue, her eyes casting downwards at Chan’s phone.
And that’s when it clicks for Chan.
He murmurs a quick a ‘thank you' to the lady. Grabbing Saeyon's stroller, he rushes back to his car. He needs to get home.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
Chan has been called dense by his friends multiple times before but this one has got to take the crown. He is so stupid. All this time, he had everything he wanted right by his side but he was too scared to reach out.
Changbin and Jisung did not look guilty because Chan came between them. They looked guilty because they did it without him. Chan had misread the situation – he let his insecurities get the best of him.
After what feels like an hour but is really only fifteen minutes, Chan finally arrives home. There is only one mantra stuck in his head when he hangs his car keys on the key hanger board – he has to fix this.
Once Chan enters the living room, with a fast-asleep Saeyon tucked on his shoulder, his world stops.
Changbin and Jisung are sitting side by side on the couch. Changbin has his arms wrapped around Jisung's shoulders. Head hanging low, Jisung is bouncing his legs up and down. He usually does this when he is nervous.
Chan clears his throat to let them know of his presence.
Heads whipping up, both Changbin and Jisung scramble to stand up.
“Channie-hyung. You are back.”
He makes a shushing gesture to indicate that Saeyon is sleeping. They both nod like obedient puppies. Cute.
After Chan tucks Saeyon in, he comes back in the living room with shaking hands and a heavy heart. Changbin and Jisung are still standing.
As soon as Jisung sees him, he starts talking, hands fumbling in the air.
“Hyung. I promise that what you saw earlier is not what it looks like. There is nothing going on between me and Binnie-hyung. Not that I would be opposed to it if that happened. Actually, no. Fuck. I would want that to happen but also with you. Are you getti-“
Not being able to resist anymore, Chan crosses the distance between them. Without any warning or whatsoever, he interrupts Jisung by cupping his face and crashes their lips together.
Jisung momentarily freezes, instantly going stiff but when he senses that Chan is not going to let go anytime soon, he shyly moves his lips as well. Jisung is the first one to pull away, his hands fisting around Chan's shirt.
“Wait. Hyung, you are not mad?” Changbin confusedly asks.
Chan decides to answer him by grabbing Changbin by his collar and locking their lips together. Unlike Jisung, Changbin immediately reacts. He fervently presses his lips and even bites Chan's bottom lip.
“How could I ever be mad at you two?” Chan fondly admits when they part away, the three of them slightly out of breath.
They settle down on the couch, determined to finally talk about their relationship. It was long overdue. Chan apologises for storming off before, pouring out his feelings to make them understand his thought process. Butterflies swarm in his stomach when they instantly forgive him with a peck on his lips.
“We were going to talk with you today but then Changbin-hyung seduced me in the kitchen,” Jisung loudly complains.
“It’s not my fault that you look so cute when you pout, Sungie.”
Changbin's eyes search for Chan's, mischief shining in them. Chan agrees with him. This makes Jisung blush a crimson red. He lightly hits Changbin's chest with his fist. But, the other uses it as leverage to pull him closer and kiss him.
Chan welcomes the warm feeling flooding from his head to his toes when he watches Changbin and Jisung kiss each other. It’s like when you finally plug in the missing piece in the unfinished puzzle.
Complete. Chan feels complete.
Mimicking the way he intertwined their hands on the night Saeyon was sick, Chan brings their hands to his mouth again and pecks them each.
“I love you. Both,” Chan confesses. This time, Changbin and Jisung know what he means exactly.
They copy his gesture as well. And with love oozing in every flutter of their eyelashes, they finish the missing puzzle.
“We love you too, hyung. We'll be good boyfriends,” Jisung whispers.
“And good dads as well,” Changbin mumbles.
Boyfriends. Dads.
Chan likes the sound of that.
─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
9 years later, Christmas Day
“Where’s my small dose of happiness?” Jisung calls out, clearly looking for Saeyon.
Chan finishes tying the ribbon around the box and places it under the Christmas tree. The tree is quite big this year due to the courtesy of Saeyon. It’s tradition to let Saeyon choose the tree but they keep getting bigger each year.
Glancing to Jisung who is lazily climbing down the stairs, Chan jokes, “Binnie is in the kitchen.”
Jisung snickers.
“Hey! I'm not small,” a very much offended Changbin shouts from the kitchen, followed by a faint giggle. Chan can imagine him pouting from here.
Jisung walks towards Chan, slumping his whole body on him.
The elder opens his arms to properly accommodate him. He slings his arms around his waist. When Jisung sighs in pleasure, Chan merely kisses the crown of his head.
“Did you sleep well, baby?”
Jisung makes a non-committal noise in his throat. Which basically means a no. Patting his butt, Chan encourages him to freshen up. Jisung only relents when Chan bribes him with some kisses and a promise of a delicious breakfast.
As Jisung saunters off to the bathroom, Chan steps into the kitchen. His heart immediately flutters.
Saeyon is standing on a stool, the chair allowing her to reach the height of the kitchen island. Next to her is Changbin who is gently guiding Saeyon's hands around the decorating piping bag. Since this morning, these two have been busy decorating the batch of gingerbread cookies that Jisung baked by staying late up all night.
No matter how many times he sees Changbin or Jisung interacting with Saeyon, his reaction will be the same. His heart tightens with unparalleled happiness, making the sides of his mouth curl upwards, twin dimples popping out.
Over the years, this feeling has increased tenfold. Chan has a small fear that one day, he will drop dead and the cause will be ‘overload of happiness after seeing my husbands mingling with our daughter.’ Quite embarrassing, isn’t it?
Shaking his thoughts away, Chan helps Changbin and Saeyon to finish the task at hand. At one point, Saeyon, sneakily dips her hand in the pipe. She rubs a smatter of the pink cream on both Chan and Changbin's noses. She has a wide grin on her face, looking far too proud of her actions.
Chan does the same to her.
Then, because he wants to, Chan approaches Changbin and catches him off guard by licking the cream on his nose. Changbin flushes red and lightly bumps his hips against his.
“Ewww,” Saeyon scrunches her eyebrows in disgust.
Changbin rolls his eyes before leaning down and licking the cream off her cheek. Saeyon screams. It’s worth it. Jisung chooses that exact moment to enter the kitchen. He pouts.
“Why are you guys having a kissing party without me?”
Saeyon sarcastically answers, “Not our fault that you woke up late, Dad.”
Chan and Changbin break out in loud laughter. They both high-five a smirking Saeyon. Jisung sends them a glare for the betrayal.
“Sometimes, I wonder where you got that sharp tongue from,” Jisung ponders. Chan leads Saeyon to the sink, opening the tap to rinse her dirty hands off.
Changbin then casually comments, “She obviously got it from Channie considering how good he is with his tongue.”
Scandalised, Chan can only let out a weak noise. Jisung just laughs. His husbands can be very shameless sometimes. Thankfully, Saeyon does not pay attention because she is too engrossed in playing in the water.
Breakfast goes smoothly without any more additions of dirty remarks much to Chan's relief. When they are done devouring the pancakes, they all relocate to the living room.
Saeyon is practically squealing, jumping up and down. She has been restless since last night to open her gifts. Sitting in a circle, they all watch with amusement and fondness as Saeyon tears apart the wrapping paper. With a grey light-up Sketchers, an electronic piano keyboard and a full set of art supplies, Saeyon is beaming with joy.
She thanks them each with a lingering kiss on the cheek and a tight hug and leaves them to go to her own room.
Chan, Changbin and Jisung then exchange their gifts between them. The last gift box is to Changbin from Jisung. Chan knows it must be something dangerous judging by the way Jisung smirks when he hands Changbin the box.
Chan was right. It was indeed dangerous.
Changbin is holding a pink lingerie set, a lacy bralette with a matching high-waist thong. Chan has to suppress a shiver. Jisung looks like he's having the time of his life while Changbin is blushing furiously.
The recipient of the gift stammers out, "Jisung. What the fuck?”
Jisung wiggles his eyebrows. “I think you will look really pretty in this, hyung.”
Chan does his utmost best to absolutely not think about Changbin in these garments. (He fails miserably.)
To further prove his point, Jisung lunges forward and possessively grabs Changbin’s pecs. The silver ring studded with diamonds on his ring finger shines under the Christmas lights.
“Have you seen your tiddies, bro?”
Changbin makes a grimace, “Please don’t call me bro while you are holding my pecs.”
“I will call you bro while I fuck your tits,” Jisung retorts back.
Changbin and Jisung bicker back and forth. The familiarity of the situation hits Chan with a sudden nostalgia. He didn’t even realise how much time has passed since these two have been in his life.
Hearing noises, Saeyon leaves her room. Yelling, she runs and jumps on Changbin and Jisung. Soon, it’s a tickling fight. Chan's two husbands mercilessly tickle their daughter. She throws her head back as she squirms around, laughing in their hold.
Chan lets himself silently enjoy their presence, drinking in their every giggle and laugh. Then, Changbin switches sides. Recruiting Saeyon by his side, they start repeatedly hitting Jisung with a pillow.
Later, when they will ask, what is he looking at, Chan will mumble that it’s nothing and lean forward to kiss his husbands square on the mouth. Then, he will join his family in their pillow fight.