Work Text:
Yunho wakes to a white world.
Snow is piled up on his windowsill and falling outside in lazy white drifts. The house is freezing, and Yunho rolls to his feet with a shiver. He turns the heating on and scrubs a hand through his hair, yawning behind one hand. It had been one of his rare days off and he'd spent most of it sleeping, though in his defense they had been up obscenely late the night before. He rubs his chin - he needs to shave - and wonders idly where Changmin is.
One quick shower later a clean-shaven Yunho leans his hip against the kitchen counter and contemplates what to eat. Nothing in the fridge looks appealing, so instead he pulls his phone out.
「Where are you?」 He texts. A reply lights his screen seconds later.
「Went to dinner with the dance crew. Come join?」 Changmin texts back. Yunho considers it for a second - this is shitty weather to be out in, but it's not like he has anything better to do and he's not keen on staying home all alone.
「Okay」
Changmin texts him the address. Yunho bundles up, grabs his keys and heads for the door. He yanks it open and almost trips over the basket sitting on the doorstep.
Yunho frowns, preparing to nudge the object out of the way - sometimes stalkers would leave stuff for them to find outside their homes - but then the basket moves and he pauses. Something whimpers under the swathe of blankets and Yunho reaches down to pull them aside.
A pair of big dark eyes gaze up at him, set in a pale face with cheeks red from the cold.
Yunho gasps.
The baby starts crying.
- - -
Changmin gets back shivering and ducks thankfully into the warmth of their house. He stamps snow off his boots and sheds layers of clothing as he proceeds down the hall. Yunho had texted him a while ago that he wasn’t going to make it after all, and though Changmin wasn't peeved he was curious as to what had made the other man change his mind.
Unfamiliar sounds filter towards him and he wonders if Yunho is watching some weird show. Changmin turns the corner and stops in the doorway, dumbfounded.
Yunho has a baby balanced on his thighs and is cooing happily at it, laughing as it babbles back at him. It can't be more than a few months old, pale and chubby with a mop of silky black hair.
"What," Changmin says, eloquently. Yunho turns to look at him with his face all lit up.
"Changmin-ah, look what I found on our doorstep! Isn't she beautiful?"
Changmin gives him a horrified look. "You put that back where you found it right now," he orders.
"On our doorstep? It's snowing, she'll freeze to death," Yunho frowns.
"Is this some kind of hidden camera? Are we doing that baby show and no-one bothered to tell me?"
Yunho laughs and turns back to the kid. "Don't be so dramatic. She's just a baby."
Changmin narrows his eyes at the intruder, unmoved by the cute round face that blinks back at him.
"It's a boy," he says before turning away.
"What? How can a boy be so pretty?"
"It's a boy," Changmin repeats from his bedroom. Yunho gives the baby an apologetic look, lays it down and peeks inside its diaper.
"Huh. How'd you know?" he asks as Changmin walks back into the lounge holding his toothbrush, this time in a t-shirt and a pair of sweats. Changmin shrugs.
"I just knew. Now get rid of it. Go drop it off at an orphanage or something," he says.
"Don't call him it, he's a person," Yunho cuddles the baby protectively against his chest. The child laughs and thumps his hands against his shoulder. Yunho grins. "We should give him a name."
"No. Oh no. You're not naming it," Changmin says, his toothbrush halfway to his mouth.
"Why not?" Yunho frowns.
"Because once you name it you'll start getting attached to it, and once you get attached to it you won't want to let it go and it's not staying here. No way."
Yunho ignores him, gazing at the baby with a contemplative look on his face. They had found him in the snow, so. . .
"Let's call him Yuki," he says. The baby gurgles and Yunho smiles, tickling his stomach. "Yeah, you like that?" he coos.
"Why the hell would you give our kid a Japanese name?" Changmin asks around a mouthful of foam.
"Oh so suddenly he's our kid?" Yunho grins. Changmin points his toothbrush at him, silently cursing his own slip-up.
"Don't get cute with me Jung."
Yunho sniggers and bounces the newly-christened Yuki in his arms. "Well, we're in Japan so he's probably Japanese. It doesn't make sense to give him a Korean name," he reasons. Changmin hates that he doesn't have a reply for this.
"I'm not helping you take care of him," he declares, leaving to spit in the bathroom sink.
"Your mommy's in denial," he hears Yunho tell Yuki. The baby gives a shriek of laughter. Changmin is officially in domestic hell.
- - -
He jerks awake at 3am to the ear-splitting squalls of a seriously pissed off baby. Yunho is shaking him, face frantic as Changmin rolls over and fixes him with a death glare.
"Changdola help, he keeps crying and I don't know what to do. I fed him and everything but he won't stop," Yunho sounds like he's panicking. Changmin wants to kill him.
"Fuck my life, fuck my life, fuck my life," he mutters as he rolls upright and stumbles into Yunho's room. Yuki is lying on the bed, flailing and screaming at an unimaginable volume. Changmin flinches.
"What did you do to him?" he demands as he sits on the bed and pulls the crying baby towards him.
"Nothing! Everything was fine until a few minutes ago," Yunho says. Changmin sniffs, then leans down and checks Yuki's diaper. An unbelievable stench greets him and he recoils with a shudder.
"He needs a nappy change," Changmin says flatly. Yunho's mouth forms a small 'o' of understanding. Changmin sighs and gropes on the bedside table for a pen and paper.
"Okay, look. The 24-hour convenience store down the road will be open. Run down and grab these things," he says, scribbling down a list that consists of items like ‘baby wipes’, ‘diapers’, ‘instant formula’ and ‘that gross mush babies like eating’. Yunho nods and bounds away, but not before giving Changmin a grateful peck on his cheek. Changmin sighs.
The front door slams, and calm descends in its wake. Yuki has stopped crying, though he continues to whimper on and off, his face red and scrunched up. Changmin stares at him, and the baby stares back. Changmin's eyes narrow.
Yuki starts crying again.
"You stop that right now," Changmin orders, pointing a finger at him. Yuki stops abruptly, staring in fascination as Changmin's finger hovers closer. He goes slightly cross-eyed trying to follow it, then reaches two tiny hands up and wraps them around the appendage. He transfers the finger laboriously towards his mouth and proceeds to suck on it, eyes alight with curiosity. Changmin sucks in a breath and feels something inside him melt.
He is in so much trouble.
- - -
Yunho gets back to find Changmin dozing beside a cooing Yuki, who seems to find the man's hands just the most fascinating things ever. Yunho bites back a smile and gently shakes Changmin awake.
"What took you so long?" Changmin asks as he sits up, voice rough with sleep.
"Sorry - there were so many choices I got confused, so I asked the lady for help but she recognised me and got really suspicious about why I wanted baby stuff so I had to leave and go to a different store -"
"Did you get everything?" Changmin interrupts. Yunho nods and lifts a bag triumphantly, as if he's achieved something amazing. Changmin rolls his eyes and digs the diapers out, pulling Yuki towards him by his ankle. Yunho watches quietly as he cleans and changes the baby with quick efficiency.
"How are you so good at this?" he asks, impressed. Changmin shrugs.
"I have little sisters," he says. "And it's not exactly rocket science. Any idiot can figure it out, except apparently you."
Yunho lets the insult slide, smiling softly as Changmin lifts Yuki and settles him in his lap. Yuki squirms and looks up at him. Changmin sighs.
"He's probably hungry," he raises an eyebrow at Yunho, who jumps to comply. He watches Changmin feed Yuki, the baby's hands stroking Changmin's fingers where he's holding the bottle, and feels warmth spread through him. Changmin slants a look at him.
"What?" he asks. Yunho shakes his head.
"Nothing," he smiles. "You look cute like this, mommy."
"I'd throw something at you if my hands weren't full," Changmin says, but it's without heat. Yunho laughs and props himself up on his elbow, tickling Yuki's feet as he drinks his fill. Yuki kicks out at him, milk gurgling out of the corner of his mouth.
"We can't keep him," Changmin says after a while, his voice soft and low. Yunho sighs and lies back.
"I know. Just - let me enjoy it for now. Okay?"
Changmin hums in acknowledgement, letting Yuki squirm out of his arms once the bottle's empty. The baby crawls onto Yunho's chest, babbling happily and wide awake. Changmin groans and flops down on the bed.
"You handle him now," he says, and promptly passes out.
- - -
They have an early schedule the next day and no time to make alternative arrangements, so they're forced to take Yuki to the shoot with them. After explaining the situation and dissuading everyone's initial reservations he becomes an instant hit with their staff. Their stylists coo over how pretty and good-natured he is and the photographer spends more time trying to make him laugh than giving Changmin and Yunho instructions. Yuki seems to love the attention, and Changmin spots him in the arms of various coordis throughout the shoot. The child takes in everything with bright-eyed curiosity, crawling around to explore the set. He seems smart for his age, a fact Changmin observes with approval. No kid of his is going to be a dumbass.
This last thought, sudden and unbidden, makes him groan and rub a hand over his face. He finds Yunho examining their pictures with Yuki in his arms, having reclaimed him from their stylist.
"You!" Changmin growls at him. Both Yuki and Yunho blink innocently at him and he feels like ripping his hair out.
"Me?" Yunho says.
"We're going to an orphanage the second we get a spare minute," Changmin declares. Yunho's face falls, but Changmin's gaze is steady and unwavering. He licks his lips and nods.
"Okay," Yunho says, but his arms tighten around Yuki.
That spare minute comes towards the end of the day, when they're done with their schedules but it's still early enough for most places to be open. Changmin drags an unwilling Yunho to the nearest orphanage, an old but sturdy-looking building with vines creeping up its sides. It's dark and cold inside and Yuki fidgets in Yunho's lap as they wait to talk to the lady who runs the place. Changmin tries to ignore him - this whole situation is getting more ridiculous by the second and the sooner it's over the better.
"Mrs Nakamura can see you now," the girl at the counter says, and they're ushered into a small but neat office.
It turns out there've been no recent reports of missing children, nor any distressed parents looking for a child of Yuki's description. Mrs Nakamura reluctantly offers to take the child in, though the orphanage is poorly funded and already over capacity. Changmin exchanges a glance with Yunho and sees the hesitance on his face.
"Can we have a minute to discuss it?" he asks, and the lady smiles warmly and says of course. She leaves to fetch tea for them and Changmin turns to Yunho as the door closes behind her.
"We have to do it," he says.
"I don't want to," Yunho says through stiff lips.
"Yunho -" Changmin sighs.
"This place is no good. They don't have the resources to take care of him. Let's go somewhere else," Yunho says.
"All orphanages are the same. They're all going to be like this. That's just his fate if no-one wants him -"
"I want him," Yunho says, his arms clasped tight around Yuki, who is now slumbering against his shoulder. Changmin knows he's being cruel, but reality is cruel and they are in no position to be raising a child. He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.
"Be reasonable," he says.
"I am being reasonable. You think it's reasonable to leave a kid in these conditions when we can offer him so much better? I never thought of you as cruel," Yunho says, voice low. Changmin shoots him a glare.
"I'm not the bad guy here. Take it up with whoever left him on our doorstep."
"Our doorstep. . ." Yunho murmurs. A sudden thought occurs to him. "What if it was a fan?" he says.
"What?"
"It can't just be a coincidence that he turned up on our doorstep out of all the doorsteps in Tokyo. It could be a fan. Which means they might come back to get him."
Changmin knows he's just fishing for reasons not to leave Yuki here, but he gives Yunho the benefit of the doubt. "Even if it was a fan, if they wanted him back they'd have filed a missing child report by now," he says.
"Why would they do that? They know exactly where he is."
The door opens and Mrs Nakamura enters with their tea. Changmin levels a serious look at Yunho. This is a terrible idea, his eyes say.
Yunho strokes a hand up Yuki's back. No it's not.
Changmin sighs and picks up his tea with a nod of thanks. He scratches his ear with his free hand. You are going to owe me so big for this.
A smile curls Yunho's lips. He meets Changmin's eyes. Thank you.
- - -
Having a baby to take care of changes everything. They have to learn to be less selfish and put someone else's needs before their own. Changmin's patience gets stretched to its limit, then finally snaps. He and Yunho fight, quietly at first, then louder and louder as they take out their frustrations on each other. Yuki wakes up and adds his voice to the fight, and they only stop when his crying turns into quiet, whimpering sobs that are heartbreaking to hear. Changmin picks him up and retreats into his room, slamming the door behind him.
They manage to keep Yuki a secret for two weeks before the fansites and tabloids start questioning who the mysterious baby always with them is. They shrug it off, saying it's their coordi noona's kid, but speculation persists. Their fans seem to be half thrilled at this adorable addition to their dynamic, half confused as to what they're even doing. Changmin can't answer their questions because he doesn't even know himself anymore. When they have performances outside of Japan or Korea and can't take Yuki with them they leave him with their families or close friends, but both of them worry incessantly the whole time anyway. Changmin knows his parents love having Yuki with them, but it's a burden nonetheless. Their house becomes cluttered with baby things, and Changmin sacrifices his room to Yuki's cot and moves back in with Yunho.
His neat, ordered personal spaces are no longer neat and ordered, but for some weird, inexplicable reason Changmin is also the happiest he’s ever been. He doesn't even mind waking up in the middle of the night anymore, though thankfully Yuki starts doing that less and less. They take him to a pediatrician for a checkup and he tells them that Yuki is around 7 months old, perfectly healthy and very bright. Changmin already knew that, but it's nice to get confirmation.
"Yuki say Changmin," he says over dinner one night, trying to get the squirming baby to eat some more of his baby food. "Chang - min," he enunciates slowly. Yuki blows a raspberry at him.
"There's no way he's saying Changmin, it's too hard," Yunho says. "Try something easier, like Chami. Or mommy."
"I am not teaching him to call me mommy," Changmin says, throwing a cushion at a cackling Yunho. "And you better not be entertaining thoughts of teaching him to call you daddy."
Yunho looks shifty and Changmin rolls his eyes at him. "Yuki say Chami. Cha - mi," he says, drawing the syllables out. Yuki giggles at him. Changmin points at himself. "Chami." He points at Yunho, sitting on the couch behind them. "Yuno. Chami," he says, ignoring the way Yunho is shaking his head and mouthing 'daddy' at Yuki from behind him.
They manage to get a 'cha' out of him, and Changmin figures that’s good enough for now.
- - -
They land in Korea a few weeks later after a brief stint in America, exhausted and jetlagged, and go straight to Changmin's parents' house to pick up Yuki. Changmin falls asleep with him in his arms on the way home, and wakes when they arrive and Yunho takes the dozing baby from him. Changmin stumbles upright and follows him into the house, not really looking where he's going. He finds the bed and flops on it face-down, a bone-deep exhaustion running through him.
After a while he hears Yunho come in and shifts over to make room for him.
"Yuki?" Changmin mumbles into his pillow.
"Fast asleep," Yunho says. Changmin nods, then sighs when Yunho reaches down to stroke his back. He arches into it and Yunho's touch become more purposeful, kneading his sore muscles. Changmin moans softly and turns his head. He feels Yunho leave briefly, then the bed dips under his weight again.
"Take your shirt off," Yunho says. Changmin is too tired to question it, tugging his top over his head and tossing it aside. He feels Yunho straddle him, and some sweet, pungent scent fills the air, and then oil-slicked hands are massaging his shoulders and it's the most amazing feeling in the world. Changmin melts under Yunho's ministrations, groaning when he hits a particularly painful cluster of knots and massages tension out of them.
"Good?" Yunho's voice is low and rich, sliding over him like warm honey. Changmin shivers and nods.
"Mm." In a minute he'll stop to think about how weird this is, how it's dangerously close to crossing some unspoken line. They joke a lot about being married and those jokes have only increased since Yuki's arrival. Yunho calls him his wife sometimes and Changmin allows it, but it's not like they're actually a couple, though by all definitions it would appear that that's exactly what they are. Changmin tenses, and Yunho feels it immediately under his hands. He pauses.
"What is it?" he asks. Changmin turns over so he can look at him and Yunho blinks down at him.
"Are we a couple?" Changmin asks, never one to mince his words. Yunho shrugs.
"Kind of, I guess," he says. Changmin stares at him.
"And you're just okay with that?"
Yunho's hands flutter down and settle on his shoulders, squeezing lightly. He seems to understand what he's really asking, which is lucky because even Changmin isn't sure what he's really asking.
"I'm okay with being anything you want me to be for you," Yunho says quietly. He leans down and Changmin sucks in a breath.
"There's no going back if we cross this line now," he warns.
"I'm okay with that too," Yunho whispers, and kisses him. Changmin makes a soft sound and melts into him, their lips clinging and tasting hungrily, and somewhere in the back of his mind Changmin wonders why it took them so long to get to this point.
He wakes several hours later to the sound of Yuki crying in the next room. Yunho shifts as Changmin untangles himself from him, grumbling something under his breath about lazy partners who don't do their share.
"Before sunrise he's your son," Yunho mumbles, and Changmin resists the urge to whack him. He goes into Yuki's room and picks him up, murmuring soothingly as he changes and feeds him. To his surprise Yuki doesn't stop crying even after he's done, squirming and flailing unhappily in Changmin's arms no matter how he tries to calm him down. Worried, Changmin carries him to their room and nudges Yunho awake.
"He won't stop crying," he says when Yunho groggily opens his eyes. He sits up and holds his arms out, and Changmin transfers Yuki to him. This only makes Yuki cry harder, his volume rising, and Yunho stares at him in surprise. He's never failed to improve the baby's mood, having always played the good cop to Changmin's strict bad cop. He tries bouncing him a few times but Yuki thrashes in his hold, his cries unrelenting.
Yunho starts to panic. Changmin does the only thing he can think of - he calls for backup.
- - -
"You are so lucky I was already up for a late recording," Boa says, cooing at the baby in her arms. Yuki gurgles back at her, babbling his happy baby language. He's fine while she's holding him, but the moment Yunho or Changmin try to approach him he starts crying again. It's confusing and distressing and Changmin is starting to lose it a little.
"What's wrong with him?" he asks despairingly. Boa gives him a sympathetic look.
"Relax, I'm sure it's no big deal. Babies are sensitive to a lot of things - bright lights, new sounds, different smells." She sniffs. "Speaking of which, why do you both smell so strongly of lilacs?"
Changmin blushes. They had gotten a little carried away with the massage oil after their steamy makeout session earlier, and he hadn't realised the scent was still clinging to them. He has the uncomfortable feeling Boa knows exactly why they both smell like lilacs, if her raised eyebrows are anything to judge by.
"Hey, you don't think that's why he's crying is it?" Yunho says, changing the topic. He fetches the bottle and brings it close to Yuki's nose. Yuki gives a squawk of protest and arches away and Yunho quickly pulls it back. Boa smiles.
"I think you've got your answer. I'll watch him, you two go shower," she says. "Not together," she calls after them cheekily, and Yunho groans. She's never going to let them hear the end of this.
They emerge clean and lilac-free and Yuki tumbles happily into Yunho's arms. Changmin sighs in relief and pats his silky little head.
"Thanks Boa," he says, smiling and tickling Yuki's neck.
"My ovaries are exploding just looking at you three," she informs them, bouncing to her feet.
"By the way, the company's been getting some weird letters about Yuki lately. Some woman keeps writing and saying he's hers," she says before she leaves. Changmin frowns.
"Why hasn't anyone told us this?"
"They're trying to keep it from you so you don't worry, but I think you ought to know. It's probably just some crazy fangirl who wants to use it as a ploy to meet you, but keep a sharp eye out anyway."
"We'll look into it. Thanks," Yunho says. He hands Yuki to Changmin and hugs her goodbye, then turns to meet Changmin's worried gaze with one of his own.
"He's not ours," Changmin reminds him. "Somewhere out there could be a woman who he really does belong to."
"I know," Yunho says, and watches Changmin's arms tighten unconsciously around their baby.
- - -
At one point somebody suggests they do a photoshoot with Yuki. Some big magazine wants to capture them in a domestic setting and a baby is the perfect addition to produce a heart-melting spread. It helps that Yuki's so adorable and photographs well.
Changmin is reluctant to agree. He doesn't want to expose Yuki too much to the celebrity part of their lives, but they assure him the interview will contain no questions about the child. Yuki will function just as a baby model for the shoot, and probably only eagle-eyed fans will realise he's the same kid that's been spotted around them so much. Yunho leaves the decision up to him and eventually Changmin gives in after much hesitation. What've they got to lose?
The shoot is one of the easiest they've ever done. They're both professionals in front of the camera, but having Yuki around makes it impossible to keep the smiles off their faces, and that's exactly what the photographer is looking to capture. He tells them to just have fun with it and for a while Changmin forgets they're even on camera, rejoicing in coaxing smiles and laughter out of the little boy. Yuki is well-behaved on set even through long stretches of boredom between set changes, and they reward him with a new Pororo plushie.
"We should get him some chew toys, he's teething," Yunho says later that night as they watch Yuki gnaw on Pororo's head. Changmin makes a sound of agreement and flops back, making the whole bed jump.
"We've got the day off tomorrow. Could go then," he says lazily. Pororo rolls off the bed and Yuki makes a surprised sound, looking around to see where it's gone. Yunho picks the toy off the floor and scoops Yuki away from the edge, depositing him near Changmin's prone figure. Changmin smiles as Yuki thumps at his chest. "Hi baby," he murmurs. Yuki gurgles something unintelligible and laughs.
The room is dim with the light of only a single lamp, and in its soft glow Changmin is quite breathtaking, lying back with one hand idly carding through Yuki's hair. Yunho watches them and feels some strong emotion well up inside him.
"You've ruined me for traditional marriage, I hope you know that," he says softly. Changmin chuckles, stroking Yuki's back as the baby yawns and rubs his eyes.
"I'm sorry," Changmin says, and he really does mean it. He knows better than anyone how much Yunho wants kids of his own. Then again, if this experience has taught them anything it's that families are made by love, not blood. And also that they apparently make great dads. "Although to be fair, I'm pretty sure you've ruined me for traditional marriage too. Even most women don't like kids as much as you do," he adds. Yunho grins, and watches Changmin settle Yuki in the crook of his arm as the boy starts to nod off.
"Most women who are as caring as you don’t try to hide it like it's some shameful secret," Yunho says. Changmin feels heat crawl up his cheeks. They watch Yuki fall asleep, one chubby hand curled in the soft material of Changmin's t-shirt, then Yunho leans down and presses his lips against Changmin's. He kisses him in soft, deep strokes and Changmin opens for him, mindful of the baby nestled between them. Yunho pulls back and nuzzles his cheek, leaving butterfly kisses along his nose and jaw and Changmin's eyes flutter.
"Changmin-ah," he whispers. You know I love you, right? his gaze asks.
Changmin smiles and closes his eyes. I know.
- - -
The response to their shoot with Yuki is phenomenal. Every copy of the magazine sells out and the company is flooded with requests for more. Their fans immediately make the connection between the mysterious baby spotted around them and the baby in the photoshoot, and overnight Yuki acquires his own fancafe. They nickname him Tohoshinki's Hoshiko, some cute portmanteau that translates to baby star. Yunho secretly loves the nickname and is vastly entertained by the speculation surrounding Yuki's origins.
On the flip side - because there is always a flip side - a number of disturbing occurrences start happening after the release of the magazine. A woman gets dragged away from them by security at the airport, screaming that they stole her baby. Letters from various women all claiming to be Yuki's mother start appearing not only in their fanmail, but in the fanmail of fellow SM artists. Their friends throw the letters away and don't mention it to them, but they know what's happening from the increasingly anxious looks Boa shoots the baby. It worries them, because there's a slim chance one of those claims might actually be legitimate, but there's no way of knowing which. One night someone tries to break into their house, fleeing before they can call the police, and after that they start keeping Yuki in their bed when they sleep. A strange sort of frenzy seems to grip everyone around them, and Changmin has the unsettled feeling that their time with Yuki is coming to an end. It only makes him want to cling harder.
Three months after they found Yuki they wake to the sound of a familiar voice saying, "Man, your fangirls would pay me millions for this picture," followed by the click of a camera phone. Yunho opens his eyes a crack. Yuki is nestled above the covers between them and Changmin has his nose buried in his neck, inhaling his sweet baby smell. Yunho had his arm stretched across them both protectively, but he lifts that now as he turns over to frown at the intruder in their room.
Boa grins and snaps another picture. "Aw Yunho's grumpy morning face, I could probably get a decent sum for that too."
"What are you doing here?" Yunho asks, throat scratchy with sleep. Boa has spare keys to their house, but that doesn't really explain her presence.
"I'm here as moral support for when you see the news," Boa says. Yunho's brow furrows.
"What?" Beside him, Yuki shifts in his sleep, curling closer to Changmin with a sigh. Boa leans over Changmin to stroke the baby's cheek.
"Delete those pictures," Changmin mumbles into his pillow, wagging a finger at her.
"What news?" Yunho asks, a chill sliding down his spine. Boa gives him a grimace and heads for the door.
"Get up my handsome men, it's a new day and there's a shitstorm waiting to greet you," she says.
The news is all over the net. A couple has stepped forward claiming to be the parents of Tohoshinki's mysterious baby, and apparently they have proof. They don't want anything except to get their baby back. They even apologise for going to the press, but say their hand was forced by SM's lack of response to their letters.
Boa makes them breakfast and they eat in silence, shoulders slumped with dejection. Changmin knows they should be happy, that Yuki's parents reclaiming him was their ideal situation, that they knew all along they couldn't keep him forever. He knows all this, but all he feels is incredibly depressed. Yuki is still asleep, bracketed by his and Yunho's pillows so he won't roll off the bed, and Changmin watches him from the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, as though that'll stop it from aching. He feels a presence at his side and then Yunho's arms slide around him from behind. He props his chin up on Changmin's shoulder and sighs.
"We should arrange a meeting with them," Changmin says, his eyes not leaving their sleeping baby.
"I talked to manager. He's on it," Yunho murmurs. Changmin sighs and lets his head fall forward so his hair swings down and covers his face.
"I want them to be phonies," he whispers. "Isn't that terrible? I'm so selfish." Yunho's arms tighten around his waist and he kisses the back of his neck, a soft gesture that says I understandand me too.
- - -
The meeting is arranged for later that day at the main Avex building. They're both tense with apprehension and Yuki, always receptive to their moods, is quiet and watchful in Changmin's arms. Changmin wants them to appear calm, intimidating and in control, but it's kind of hard when one of them is holding a baby and the other is holding a giant bag full of said baby's necessities. To think, once upon a time they had a cool image.
They're led into a meeting room and sit on one side of the wide oval table. Their manager and lawyer are also present, as arbitrators in case things get ugly, and after a while the couple from the news is ushered in. They look like simple, hardworking people, both of them somewhere in their early thirties. Their clothes are clean but of poor quality, and Changmin stares at the man's weathered face. He has Yuki's eyes.
The woman takes one look at Yuki and bursts into tears, crying 'my baby, my baby' over and over as the man tries to calm her. Changmin and Yunho exchange a look - their legitimacy is already difficult to judge. How are they supposed to remain impartial when her distress seems so genuine?
Eventually she calms down long enough to be led to a chair. She wipes her face and gives them a wobbly smile.
"I'm so sorry. I'm not normally like this," she says.
"Mrs Matsui," their lawyer says, examining his notes. "Can you please explain the circumstances under which this baby came to be in my clients' care?"
The warm timbre of his voice seems to calm her. She straightens and clears her throat before exchanging a look with her husband. He nods encouragingly.
"My husband is a construction worker for a Chinese building firm. He works in Shanghai most of the time and comes home infrequently - the last time was when Kaito was born," she glances at the baby in Changmin's lap. Her mouth wobbles, but she composes herself and continues. "The job didn't pay well, but it was enough to live by." She takes a deep breath. "Four months ago, I got a phone call from his company. There had been an accident, and my husband was in the hospital. He was in a coma, and they said there was little chance of him ever waking up. They gave me their condolences and then they just - hung up. And that was it. I had nothing - no job, no savings, not even enough money to go see him. Since technically he wasn't dead, I wasn't even entitled to a severance check. Instead they wanted me to pay for his hospital bills, which his contract didn't cover. I tried to get odd jobs here and there, but I could barely feed myself, let alone Kaito."
Mrs Matsui swallows and meets Yunho's eyes for the first time. "I couldn't feed my own baby. It was. . .my worst shame as a mother, worse than giving him up. I have no friends or family who could take care of him, and I didn't want to give him to an orphanage that would provide him with a life little better than what I could offer." She glances between the two of them, hands twisting nervously in her lap. "I had seen you on TV now and then. You seemed like good, decent men. I asked around on the forums and found out where you lived. I thought, if he was with a public figure, at least I might be able to see him from time to time, at least I'd be able to make sure he's okay. . ."
Mrs Matsui starts crying again, rocking back and forth in her chair. "I knew I'd made a mistake the moment pictures of him started appearing on your fansites. And then last month my husband woke up and came home and asked me where our baby was, and I didn't know what to do anymore. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, because you've been so kind to him and I've been so selfish -" She breaks off, sobs shaking her slight frame. Changmin lets out a breath he hadn't even realised he was holding.
"Mrs Matsui," their lawyer says. "I'm sorry, I'm sure your story is genuine, but we need to be certain. Can you describe in detail the night you left the child on my clients' doorstep?"
Mrs Matsui nods and describes everything perfectly, right down to the weave of the basket and the colour of the blankets Yuki had been wrapped in. She can even name the brand of the diaper he was wearing that first night - it's clearly a memory that is branded vividly in her mind. Her story checks out, and Changmin doesn't know whether to feel depressed or elated. This is it. They've found her, they've found Yuki's mother and now he will no longer need them. . .
His arms clasp tight around the baby and Yuki squeals, the first sound he's made since the proceedings began. Changmin loosens his hold, then rises slowly and transfers him into Mrs Matsui's arms. She clutches him tight and sobs and thanks them again and again. Yunho brings her a glass of water and she drinks it gratefully, hands shaking. They can't be angry at this desperate, broken woman for doing the only thing she could think to do for her child, even if she had used them a little in the process. Yunho crouches near her and slips the baby bag off his shoulder.
"We, uh, brought his things," he says, trying to give her a cheerful smile. Changmin knows his heart is breaking inside him. "His favorite Pororo plushie and his chew toys and -" he swallows. "He hates the smell of lilac. And he wakes up at exactly 4:20am every night, but mostly it's just to make sure someone's there."
Mrs Matsui is staring at him, her lips trembling with some complex emotion. Changmin can't bear to hear this - he turns away, hand rising to cover his mouth.
"Chami."
Changmin freezes, his heart jumping into his throat. He turns slowly and sees Yuki reaching for him, chubby arms outstretched and mouth parted in a gummy smile.
"Chami," he repeats, straining out of his mother's arms. Changmin goes to him in a daze and a bewildered Mrs Matsui relinquishes her hold on Yuki, letting him climb into Changmin's arms and cuddle against his chest.
"That's - the first word he's ever said," his mother says softly.
"Yeah," Changmin says, feeling his throat close up. "Yeah it is."
"Chami!" Yuki repeats, excited about his new achievement. Yunho rises to his feet and Yuki points at him with a happy gurgle. "Yuno," he says.
Yunho looks ecstatic, and Changmin lets him take the baby. Yuki squeals and repeats his name and Yunho hugs him tight, his face buried in Yuki's shoulder. Changmin strokes that silky mop of black hair and tries not to break down into hysterical sobs.
"My baby," he whispers. "Our little snow baby." Yuki blows a raspberry against his cheek.
Mrs Matsui is watching them with the oddest expression on her face, which clears when they eventually untangle themselves from Yuki and hand him back to her. She gives them a warm smile and exchanges a look with her husband. "You can come visit him sometime. If you like," she says.
"We would like that," Changmin says softly. They stand to leave, and Changmin lets Yuki clutch his finger one last time before he's pulled away.
"Thank you," Mr Matsui says, the only words he's spoken so far. "Thank you for not only taking care of my son, but for loving him."
Changmin swallows and nods, and they shake hands. Yunho walks them to the door and then out into the hallway, where he has some long conversation with Mr Matsui. He seems to be insisting on something but the other man shakes his head, bowing repeatedly even while clearly rejecting whatever Yunho's saying. Eventually Yunho sighs and nods, and they part amiably after exchanging details.
"You were offering to pay child support for him, weren't you," Changmin says on the way home. Yunho frowns.
"I just want to know he's being taken care of, that's all. But Mr Matsui wouldn't hear of it."
"You are so ridiculous, I hope you know that," Changmin says fondly.
Their house feels empty and forlorn. The evidence of Yuki's presence lingers everywhere, and Changmin picks up a baby blanket before dropping it with a sigh. Yunho pulls him down on the couch and he curls up against him, long legs stretched across Yunho's thighs.
"I miss him already," Changmin mumbles.
"I know honey." Yunho kisses him, long and sweet until Changmin is limp and gasping in his arms. It occurs to him now that there are also advantages to having the house to themselves again. Yuki's presence might have been what helped their relationship blossom to a new level, but it had also made them self-conscious of themselves and hyperaware of how they acted around the child. As a result they had barely touched since that first time, other than to steal kisses here and there. Now, he can feel desire hardening Yunho's body and can't remain unaffected.
"Would it be too weird if I said I would totally have your babies if I could?" Changmin mumbles against his lips. Yunho groans.
"God, you are so sexy right now," he breathes.
Changmin laughs and lets Yunho drag him to the bedroom.