You And Me Makes Three
Kris/Baekhyun, 6498
Warning: mpreg
Baekhyun can’t take care of himself. Kris doesn’t mind.
A/N: Again, part of artistalks. Written for fopsyche94 but never got posted because it was a pinch-hit, probably, so here it is. Anyways, enjoy!
Jongdae sets down the last box and stands. “Is that it?”
Baekhyun looks around the apartment and sighs before directing his gaze to the three measly boxes in the hallway. “Yeah, that’s it.”
He can see the slight confusion on Jongdae’s face. He thinks it probably has something to do with the fact that he’s been living in this apartment for a year, and only has three boxes-two of clothes, one of toiletries and knick-knacks-to show for it. And yeah, Baekhyun’s kind of wondering about that too.
Jongdae thankfully doesn’t say anything, and just hefts two of the boxes up into his arms and closes the door behind them. Baekhyun deftly locks the door and slides the keys beneath, picking up the only box left, the lightest.
Jongdae leads the way down the hall, ignoring Baekhyun’s protests of being babied and demands of carrying some of the other boxes. When Baekhyun finally grows silent, they’re already by Jongdae’s car. They load the boxes into the back seat and slide into the front. Baekhyun buckles himself in. Jongdae lifts his hand to start the car, but stops halfway. He turns to Baekhyun.
“So. It’s done?”
Baekhyun nods. “Done.”
“Do you,” Jongdae pauses, hand tapping on the gear stick, “Um. How do you feel?”
Baekhyun shrugs. “We broke up last week. I just came to get my stuff. I knew he’d be at work now, so hopefully I’ll never see him again and I can move on.” He looks to the side and sees Jongdae leaning slightly closer. He sighs. “I’m not going to cry on you again.”
“You sure?”
“Yes!”
Jongdae laughs, starts the car. “Alright then. Am I taking you to your place or are we eating lunch? It’s almost noon.”
“Apartment.” At Jongdae’s frustrated whine, Baekhyun elaborates. “I have a lot of work I need to do, and I need to unpack my things.” He makes a face. “I probably need to clean, too. The apartment’s probably covered in dust. I haven’t seen it in forever.”
Jongdae nods and focuses on the road, hand still restless on the gearstick.
Once the car comes to a stop, Baekhyun is out. He quickly takes out the three boxes and sets them by his side, shaking his head at Jongdae when his friend tries to get out of the car. That done, he closes the door and lets out a huff.
“Do you need any help carrying things up?”
“No,” Baekhyun replies immediately, tone unyielding. “I’ll do it in trips, it’s no big deal. I live on the second floor.”
Jongdae searches for something to say. “My couch will miss you.”
“Your couch is lumpy. I won’t miss it at all.”
Jongdae gasps, hand over his heart in mock hurt. “That couch has survived every single hangover I’ve ever had. Do not speak ill of it.” He smiles and shifts to drive. “Baekhyun, call me if you need anything.”
Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Just go.”
Jongdae salutes and then he’s gone. Alone, Baekhyun’s shoulders sag and he picks up the three boxes-he’s young enough, his back will be fine-and makes his way into the building, thanking one of the tenants for holding the door for him on her way out. The stairs aren’t an issue, but he almost drops the boxes when he reaches for his keys. He succeeds though, and drops all three on the ground, flopping onto the couch.
His apartment isn’t anything to boast about; one bedroom, one bathroom, small living area, and half a kitchen. The walls are drab but he’s not allowed to repaint so they’re hidden behind posters of movies and bands that he’s heard a few songs by. His boyfriend’s apartment is much nicer-bright walls, lots of windows, breakfast bar, and room for the queen sized bed that they shared. Baekhyun sighs, pulling the hood of his sweater over his head, covering half of his face. Ex. Ex boyfriend.
They’d been together for over two years, met at a festival in the city and just kind of clicked. For Christmas, he’d bought Baekhyun a really nice watch and invited him to move into his apartment. Baekhyun had noticed that things had gotten a little stale, less time for each other in between work and meeting up with friends individually, but he’d been hoping that they could just power through it and come out even more in love. But he knows now that it hadn’t been a shared hope.
It’s really fine, Baekhyun’s not all that broken up about it now. He had been at the time, but between the time apart and Jongdae’s constant presence, he’d realized that they probably wouldn’t have lasted all that much longer anyway, and it’s nice to be on his own again.
He would be completely happy with the turnout if it wasn’t for the fact that he was pregnant. Two months along.
Baekhyun had found out a mere week before the break up. After trying to rationalize his sudden sickness and coming up blank, he’d bought a pregnancy test on a whim and there it was. He’d actually been trying to find a way to bring it up, to let his ex know that they might want to start looking for a bigger place, but then he’d been sat down and told that, I don’t think we should even stay as friends after this, and between that and the knowledge that the man didn’t even want children, Baekhyun had thought it would be best to keep the information to himself.
Besides, he’s fine. He is an adult, has a stable job, and a kid sounds like fun. He can do it by himself.
He takes the number out of his pocket, the one for the highly-rated obstetrician he’d found-and dials the number on his cell phone. And then he makes his first appointment.
-
He can’t do it.
Baekhyun is terrified.
He’s already had two appointments with his doctor, both of which went very well. She is a very nice woman, hadn’t blinked an eye when Baekhyun told her that the father of the child wouldn’t be joining him. But that doesn't make him any less terrified by the fact that there is a living thing inside of him (he shouldn't have watched Alien last night but whatever). He's gone alone both times and honestly kind of wishes that he had told Jongdae so that he had a hand to hold as the doctor tells him all the things he needs to do to take care of his unborn baby.
The tyke is fourteen weeks old now, and Baekhyun has proof the little guy is there in the slightly rotund shape of his stomach and the way that it doesn't give anymore when he pushes slightly on it. It's honestly terrifying. What's also got him freaking out is the worry that he's already killed the little guy, what with all the crap he's been eating. But he just can't stop.
Baekhyun checks his clock. He has two hours until he has to be at the clinic. That's enough time for a pizza. He opens the website of the closest place that delivers. "I'll get vegetarian. Then it'll be healthy," he murmurs under his breath, nodding slightly.
The mouse is hovering over the confirm order button when he spots another box. Any other requests?
Please come to my doctor's appointment with me. Or else I will die. Thank you.
Baekhyun confirms the order and places his laptop to the side, ready to check what's on television. Something to have in the background while he gets his things together.
Not ten minutes later, his doorbell rings and Baekhyun jumps up. How prompt. He makes his way over to the door, stopping to grab money off the table, and opens the door. Before he can hand over the tip of grab his pizza, he's being pushed back. The door shuts behind him and the other man, who throws the pizza onto the counter so that he can lay both hands on Baekhyun's shoulders.
Baekhyun squeezes his eyes shut, and holds his breath. What is going on?
"Hey. Are you okay?"
Baekhyun opens his eyes. Blinks. "Um. Yeah."
The man frowns. "Then what was up with the request?" When he gets no immediate answer, he takes his hands off Baekhyun's shoulders. "Look, my friend called me on my day off to deliver this pizza and he's back at the place, terrified. So, are you sure that you're okay?"
Baekhyun takes a good look at the man. He's a good head taller than him, he'd had to look up to meet his eyes, and his hands are big. Nice hands to hold when the doctor tells him all the things he's been doing wrong. "Actually." He must be really out of it to be asking this of a stranger. "Would you mind coming to my appointment with me?"
The man's face twitches into something like consideration. "When?"
Baekhyun looks at the clock. "An hour and a half."
"Okay," the man agrees, opening the box and taking out a slice of pizza.
When it's time, Kris insists they take his car. That's really the only thing Baekhyun knows about him. They had given names and a short introduction before settling on the couch to wait until Baekhyun announced that it was time to go.
As soon as they're out of the car, Baekhyun slots his hand into Kris'. The taller man looks down, but doesn't say anything, something that Baekhyun is very grateful for. They step inside and Baekhyun signs in before heading into the waiting room, his hand in Kris' the entire time.
There's only one other couple in the waiting room, and they're called in seconds after Baekhyun and Kris sit down.
"So, what is it? Do you have a fear of needles or something?" Kris asks, looking genuinely curious.
Baekhyun shakes his head. "I'm-"
"Byun Baekhyun!"
They stand simultaneously and greet the nurse, who leads them into a room with bright, white walls, an examination table, two chairs, and a desk. Baekhyun lets go of Kris' hand to heft himself onto the table, the man sliding into the seat beside him.
The nurse makes small talk while she checks his vitals before offering a wide smile and standing back, writing things down on her clipboard. "So, Mr. Byun, you're fourteen weeks along. Do you have any problems you'd like to tell me?"
Baekhyun shakes his head. "I haven't had any."
"Excellent! Then I'll go get your doctor. She'll be with you in a minute."
As soon as the door closes, Kris tugs on Baekhyun's hand. "You're pregnant," he says.
"Yeah," Baekhyun affirms with a nod. "I am."
Kris screws his face up in confusion. It would be funny if Baekhyun wasn't trying to guess what the man's thinking. "Why didn't you have the father come with you?"
"He's, um, we're not together anymore. And I wasn't planning on telling him," Baekhyun explains, feet kicking above the ground.
"Then, what about your friends?"
"Ah," Baekhyun sings, drawing out the single syllable. "I'm still trying to figure out how I should tell them."
Before Kris can fire off another question, there's a knock at the door and then a middle-aged woman is coming in, smiling warmly at Baekhyun.
"Oh," she exclaims when she sees Kris. "Is this..."
Baekhyun shakes his head. "No, he's just... a friend." And he supposes that Kris is a friend now. Or something close to that.
The doctor smiles and greets the both of them before explaining to Baekhyun what she needs to do for this check up. He nods when she asks if he's okay with all of that, and then they move on.
Baekhyun reaches for Kris' hand and after a moment, the man gives it to him and squeezes.
It takes about an hour until Baekhyun is told that she's done and he breathes a sigh of relief, grip on Kris' hand relaxing. Neither of their hands are sweaty, which is nice. Baekhyun's not a touchy person, contrary to anything Jongdae says, but he does like his hand being held. And Kris is good at it.
"I know you've declined to have an ultrasound in the past, but now I’d like to highly recommend that you get one in the next couple of weeks, so that we can make sure that everything’s all right.”
Baekhyun bites his lip. He’s been scared to get one, had nightmares of looking up at the screen only to see a slimy creature staring back-really, he needs to lay off Alien-but he probably does need to get one. “Okay.”
“Fantastic!” The doctor crows, grinning. “You can make the appointments for that and your next checkup at the front desk on your way out. Now, I think we’re just about done here so I hope you have a lovely rest of your day. It was nice meeting you Kris, I hope to see you again!”
After she leaves, Baekhyun pulls on the jacket he’d discarded halfway through the checkup and leads the way out, Kris on his heels. He picks two days in the middle of the week, when he’s the least busiest, for the ultrasound and his next checkup. They’re a fair few weeks in the future, so he has time to prepare himself mentally. Good.
Back in Kris’ car, the silence is more bearable. Baekhyun leans his head against the window and thinks about taking a nap as soon as he’s back. It doesn’t take long, and Kris doesn’t even ask for directions, stopping right in front of the apartment complex like a pro.
“Can I see your phone?” Kris asks as Baekhyun unbuckles himself. Hesitantly, Baekhyun takes the device out of his pocket and hands it over. Kris taps something into it and hands it back. “There, now you can text me the dates of the other appointments so I can take those days off. And, if you need anything else. Don’t be afraid to call me.”
Baekhyun nods, climbing out. “Okay.” He offers a smile and then Kris drives off.
Taking out his phone, Baekhyun considers the idea for a second before going ahead and typing in, what do you think about dinner tomorrow night?, then sends it off to the newest number.
-
He’s definitely starting to show now if he wasn’t before, which is fine, really, because it’s winter and huge sweaters don’t draw attention. He’d just worked up the nerve to tell the boss about his state-with little nudges from Kris, who texts him at least once an hour-and the man had been very understanding, letting Baekhyun know that he could have paid leave whenever he felt like it, and that even if he had to take an extended absence, the man would welcome him back with open arms.
Baekhyun works at a small travel agency, but they pull in a steady amount of customers and Baekhyun is meticulous and efficient at what he does. He likes his job.
“Break time,” Jongdae announces, sliding onto Baekhyun’s table.
The seated man holds up a finger. “Yes, ma’am, that’s right. Okay. Call me if you need anything else. Thanks for trusting us with your travel needs! Goodbye!” He removes his headset and sets it on the desk, leaning back to stretch, frowning when his arms pop at the motion.
Jongdae heads into the break room first and Baekhyun makes sure he’s not looking when he stands. He’s at the point where he needs a little bit of assistance getting up, whether it be the help of a hand or the edge of his desk. His doctor had assured him that the five-month-old fetus was perfectly normal and the ultrasound had confirmed that. Luckily, the experience wasn’t as bad as he’d feared and Kris had held his hand the entire time, pointing out the head when Baekhyun had been madly searching for it.
At dinner afterwards, Baekhyun had learned that Kris was a high school gym teacher-and coach of the nationally-ranked basketball team, he’d boasted several times over the course of the night-not a pizza delivery man. It was his best friend Chanyeol who did the pizza, and at night ran a radio show. Kris sighed when he explained there was really no reason to deliver pizza, as the radio gave him a stable enough income. But Kris claimed that Chanyeol was an enigma that he didn’t have the patience to decode, and that was that.
Jongdae has a cup of steaming coffee waiting for Baekhyun when he enters. He murmurs a thank you and sits down with a low groan, gladly bringing the cup to his lips. It’s already been a long day and his back is aching.
“Hey, we should do an office dinner.”
Baekhyun coughs. Their entire office consists of five people. Jongdae, Baekhyun, two fresh out of college kids named Sehun and Jongin, and Kyungsoo. Baekhyun’s never really talked to Kyungsoo, but the man scares him. He knows that Kyungsoo is a friend of his ex, and the entire time they were dating he’d always felt a sharp glare directed into the back of his head, coming straight from Kyungsoo’s desk at the end of the room. “I don’t know,” Baekhyun tries, desperate to dissuade his friend. “It’s a weeknight and-”
“I’ll treat,” Jongdae says with finality, loud enough to permeate through the floor and Baekhyun knows he’s lost when he hears joyful shouts from their two youngest.
The day goes by impossibly slowly after that. Baekhyun’s exhausted, eyelids threatening to close when Jongdae leans over his desk and tells him that they’re heading out. Baekhyun slowly pulls himself to his feet and follows the others out, watching as Sehun locks the doors behind them.
“Where are we going?” Jongin asks, obviously excited.
“I’m not sure yet,” Jongdae admits, tapping his chin in thought. “But it’s definitely not going to be anywhere with a buffet.”
Baekhyun wakes up a bit at that. He and Jongdae have always gone to buffets. He knows Jongdae’s favorite restaurant is buffet-style. “Why not?”
Jongdae laughs. “Because of you!” At Baekhyun’s confused expression, Jongdae slouches and mimes a protruding stomach, cheeks puffed out. “You’ve been packing on the pounds, man, don’t think I haven’t noticed. The sweaters aren’t very helpful.” He pokes at Baekhyun’s stomach through the fabric and Baekhyun flinches. “You get any bigger and I’ll start dragging you to the gym,” he threatens before spinning on his heel, face lighting up. “Oh! I know the perfect place!”
Baekhyun looks to the left and sees that Kyungsoo has his unreadable stare fixed on him, and Baekhyun has no idea what he’s thinking. He stares at his feet and follows after.
-
Baekhyun taps his fingers on the assembled IKEA crib, staring into the soft unisex bedding-he had declined to learn the gender at his latest ultrasound-and glares down at where his stomach’s brushing against the side. He whirls and turns to Kris, who’s on the floor trying to put together the changing table. He’d demanded that they use his apartment because he has a spare bedroom that he’s not using and Baekhyun had grudgingly agreed. He’s spent enough nights after staying up and watching movies for hours that he’s comfortable in the modern apartment. And, he’ll admit, it’s much nicer for a baby than his own beat-up place with peeling wallpaper and leaky faucets.
“Hey, Kris,” he mutters, disturbing the man, “am I fat?”
“Baekhyun,” Kris says softly, dropping the screwdriver and pulling himself to his feet. He tugs on Baekhyun’s arm, maneuvering the man under his chin, Baekhyun’s shoulder pressing into his ribs as he wraps his arms around the shorter man. “You’re pregnant. There’s another person living inside of you.” He pokes Baekhyun’s stomach for emphasis and has the shorter giggling. “Why? Are you worried?”
Baekhyun sighs and leans his head on Kris’ chest. “No.”
They stay like that for a moment, Kris gently rocking the both of them. Then Baekhyun gasps and grabs Kris’ hands, startling the man for a moment before laying his palms on his abdomen. Then Kris’ expression smooths into one of understanding when he feels the almost imperceptible kicks of tiny feet against Baekhyun’s insides.
Baekhyun’s mouth twists at a particularly hard kick that pushes more weight onto his bladder. “The kid’s a menace already,” he complains with a small amount of fondness.
“He might seem like a football champ right now,” Kris says, voice barely above a whisper, “but I’ll have him shooting three-pointers in no time.”
Baekhyun throws his head back and laughs louder than he has in a long time.
-
He messed up. Baekhyun really messed up. He’s been feeling extremely ill at the smell of sweet fruit-almost threw up all over Kris when the man offered him a mango-so it’s really just his luck that Jongdae chooses a parfait place for dessert after another one of their office dinners.
He waits until they’re all in line before he excuses himself, making a beeline for the bathrooms and falling to his knees inside the first stall, not even bothering to close the door behind him as he gets rid of all the chicken he’d had for dinner.
After he’s sure he’s done heaving, he rests his cheek on the disgusting toilet seat and takes deep breaths. The doctor had said he’d be done with the sickness. He groans when the door opens and the smell of overly sugary fruit wafts into the bathroom.
“So, what do you have?”
Baekhyun looks up and groans. He really doesn’t want to deal with Kyungsoo now. “Stomach flu,” he fibs.
The man sighs, drawing closer. “No, really.”
Baekhyun shuts his eyes and grips onto the edge of the toilet seat. “I’m seven months pregnant and the smell of fruit sets me off.” He prays that Kyungsoo will leave him alone now, but instead, a folded piece of paper towel is hovering by his face. He blinks up at his coworker in question.
“Hold that over your nose. We’re going outside.”
Baekhyun slowly holds the paper over his nose and grunts when Kyungsoo helps him up, still by Baekhyun’s side as they race to the front door. Baekhyun takes greedy gulps of air when they get outside, as he could still smell a bit of the tart aroma, and it had settled on his tongue in the most disgusting way. He feels a hand tentatively land on his back, rubbing in quick, calming circles. He tries to offer Kyungsoo a smile but he's pretty sure it comes out twisted and mangled.
"So what," the man asks, "did he knock you up and then leave you?"
Baekhyun shifts away. "No. We broke up before he knew."
"You never had any intentions of telling him?"
"I did," Baekhyun snaps. "But when he told me that it was over, I figured that there was no point."
Kyungsoo nods to himself, staring at the street. "He hasn't changed since high school, you know. Used to just up and leave people. It happened to a few of my friends so when I heard that you were dating him, I knew it was only a matter of time." He starts, tearing his eyes away from the road. "I'm sorry." At Baekhyun's shrug he relaxes. "I'd just thought you'd been depressed all this time."
Baekhyun snorts. "Yeah, no. The kid just takes a lot out of me."
Kyungsoo smiles and it catches Baekhyun off guard for a moment. "I'm happy for you."
Baekhyun blinks. "Oh. Thanks."
The front door opens and Jondae's boisterous laughing can be heard. Baekhyun groans and buries his face in Kyungsoo's shoulder, grunting in thanks when the hand comes back to rub between his shoulders.
"What's up with him?" Jongdae asks.
Kyungsoo mimes a fingers to his lips. "He's tired."
-
When Baekhyun’s eight months along, he lets his boss know that he could be leaving at any time. The next day, the man walks right up to him and says in his slightly too loud voice, “I hope you and the baby remain well. Feel free to take your leave whenever you feel that you need it, just let me know.” And then he hands Baekhyun a card and it’s all the latter can do to smile and thank him, because all the while he’d been watching Jongdae’s face crumble on the other side of the room.
He waits until Jongdae gets up and makes his way to the break room before pulling himself up and following him inside, shutting the door behind himself. His friend is standing by the coffee machine, back facing him. Baekhyun nervously fists his hands at his side, wondering what he could possibly say.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” the man murmurs. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice. I can’t believe I just thought you were gaining weight.”
“My doctor says I’m not showing as much as others she’s seen,” Baekhyun mumbles. “I would have told you first thing, but I didn’t know what you’d think of me.”
Jongdae turns. “Baekhyun! I would have supported you all the way. You should know that.”
Baekhyun’s lower lip begins to tremble and he wipes at his burning eyes. He curses the hormones. “I know,” he says, barely above a whisper, “I’m sorry.” He starts when Jongdae pulls him forward, into a tight hug, Baekhyun’s forehead resting on his shoulder.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the man placates, rubbing soothing circles into his back. “How long until…”
“My due date is in three weeks.”
Jongdae curses. “How am I supposed to buy enough hilarious baby onesies in that short of a timespan?”
Baekhyun rolls his eyes and pulls away. “I guess you’ll have to start now, then.”
-
“This is stupid.”
“You say that one more time and I am getting out of this car,” Baekhyun threatens.
Kris sighs. “This is so, so stupid. Baekhyun, you are a week past your due date.”
“And yet I am a completely functioning human being. Who would have thought?” Baekhyun snaps back. He chances a glance over and sees Kris glaring murderously at the car ahead of them. He sighs. “Kris, if I have to spend another day just laying in your bed while the damn phantom contractions hit again, I am going to lose my mind. I’ll stay home tomorrow, just let me have this.”
Kris sighs, pulls down the next street and stops in front of the travel agency. “I suppose I can’t convince you otherwise?”
Baekhyun shakes his head.
Kris sighs. "Then, have a nice day. Call me if you need anything." Then he leans over and presses a kiss to Baekhyun's temple, something that he's started doing a lot more often and Baekhyun doesn't think he could ever get tired of. He gives a quick wave before stepping out of the car, slowly rolling his weight onto his feet.
"I'll be here to pick you up as soon as school gets out," Kris promises before driving off.
Baekhyun smiles. He can't remember the last time he was in his own apartment. He's been staying in Kris' indefinitely since they'd set up the baby room. It's beyond fantastic; Kris brings him meals in bed, cuddles him close on cold nights, and forced him outside on the weekends. Baekhyun would go as far to say that it's the perfect environment to raise a child in. Kris would make a great father.
Baekhyun steps inside the office and after the initial fuss, things quiet down and he sets himself up at his desk, reaching over to answer the next call.
It hits him at lunch.
He's holding a sandwich in one hand and his phone in the other, and he drops both when the pain hits him, causing him to double over. No one notices him hunched over at first, but when he lets out a low groan, all heads turn to him.
"Oh my god," Sehun says. "Is he..."
"I am," Baekhyun snaps.
Kyungsoo jumps out of his seat, grabbing his phone and calling someone, talking urgently into the device. Then he's over at Baekhyun's desk, turning the chair to face him. "Come on, you need to get up. A ride's on the way."
Baekhyun uses Kyungsoo to stand up, gritting his teeth and breathing out in a quick hiss before taking a step forward, towards the door. When he passes Jongdae’s desk, he notices that his friend is talking to a customer, but looking a little lost as he stares at Baekhyun.
“Finish your call,” Kyungsoo says, holding one of the doors open. “Call me when you’re done and I’ll tell you where we are.”
Jongdae nods and types something into his computer, speaking into the headset. Baekhyun makes it outside and braces his hands on his knees. When the pain abates, he pulls himself back up and remembers. Kris. He needs to call Kris. He fumbles around in his jacket for his cell before remembering that it’s in his front jeans pocket. Slowly, carefully, he reaches into the pocket and eases out the phone, trying not to strain himself at all. He finally has the phone in his grip when another wave of pain hits him. Baekhyun cries out, hands braced behind his back.
“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,” Kyungsoo chants, tapping his sneaker on the ground. He moves closer to Baekhyun, sighing in relief when a car pulls to a stop in front of them.
Baekhyun looks up and catches a pizza delivery marker on top of the car. What on earth?
“Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo shouts, leaving Baekhyun’s side to fling open the rear car door and usher Baekhyun inside. “What took you so long?”
“I had to deliver a pizza,” the lanky man in the driver seat explains, pulling Kyungsoo into the car. “So, where are we off to on this wonderful winter day?”
“Hospital,” Kyungsoo merely states, jerking his thumb to the rear seat, where Baekhyun’s trying to regulate his breathing.
“Oh my god!” Chanyeol jumps into action, swerving out onto the road. A car honks angrily behind them but at this point, they really can’t be bothered. “Please don’t give birth in my car, I just had it cleaned!”
Baekhyun merely grunts, pressing himself to one of the doors and grabbing the handle above the window frame. When the contractions fade away once more, he immediately raises his hand that’s still clutching his cell and punches in Kris’ number. Thankfully, he picks up on the second ring.
“Hey, what’s up? Do you feel okay? Do I need to come and get you?” Kris’ voice is quiet, an urgent whispering.
Baekhyun’s hand tightens around the phone. “Hospital,” he gets out.
“You need to go to a hospital?” Kris shouts, then seconds later whispers an apology.
“On my way,” he grits out. “Meet me there,” he begs, “please.”
“Baekhyun, I’m in a faculty meeting right now, I can’t-” He cuts off. It’s silent for a moment. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Hang in there, kiddo.”
Baekhyun swallows. “Okay.”
“I love you and I’ll see you in a bit.”
The line cuts out but Baekhyun keeps the phone pressed to his ear. Oh. His face feels all warm and if his heart was racing before, it’s sprinting now. He glances up and sees Kyungsoo turned around in his chair, staring at him.
“Who did you call?”
Baekhyun sets his phone in his lap, hoping the contractions don’t come back anytime soon. “Kris. He’s been taking care of me and I need him to be there.”
Kyungsoo frowns. “Kris?”
Chanyeol looks away from the road for a second, sharing a glance with Kyungsoo. “Hold up. Kris. Like ”My perfect basketball babies went to nationals again” Kris? Lame high school gym teacher Kris?”
“Wait how do you-” Baekhyun starts, and then it hits him. “Oh my god, you’re that Chanyeol.”
“The one and only,” the man sings. “Hey, Soo, wasn’t Kris talking about some new guy?”
Kyungsoo nods. “Said he was expecting something, and then laughed. Such a loser,” he remarks. “Guess he was talking about you, huh?”
Baekhyun blinks. “But wait. Kyungsoo. How do you know him?”
“Chanyeol’s my lameass boyfriend. I know all his friends,” Kyungsoo explains.
Chanyeol squawks, then bursts into laughter. “This is pretty funny, isn’t it? We all know each other.” Then he launches into a rendition of “It’s a Small World” and Baekhyun counts silently in his head.
Baekhyun has two more sets of contractions by the time they finally reach the hospital. Chanyeol lets him and Kyungsoo out at the ER entrance and drives away to find a parking spot.
Having been mentally preparing himself for this exact occasion for the past month, Baekhyun has no issues with marching up to the front desk and telling them that he already has a doctor here, and that he should be on their list. They find him with no problems, and assure him that they’ll have him in a room in no time at all. Baekhyun nods, thanks the woman, and then groans as another contraction hits.
The woman eyes him worriedly. “How far apart?”
“Three minutes,” Baekhyun grounds out, “but-”
“We need to get you into a room now!” The woman exclaims, signalling over a couple of nurses.
Baekhyun’s palms suddenly feel clammy. He grabs for Kyungsoo’s hand and stares at him imploringly, panic rising. Now not only does he have an extremely active child inside of him, but millions of upset butterflies as well.
“I’ll wait here and bring Kris to you as soon as he gets here,” Kyungsoo promises, peeling Baekhyun’s hand from his as the pregnant man is lowered into a wheelchair by the nurses. Baekhyun grabs at the man but his palms are too slippery, they just slide off. The Kyungsoo’s waving at him and it’s all Baekhyun can do to hold onto the arms of the wheelchair, gripping so hard his knuckles begin to ache.
The nurses direct him to lay in a gurney, which he does slowly, hand covering his stomach. When he lays down, all the weight suddenly feels like it’s crushing him and Baekhyun’s heart rate skyrockets, something everyone in the room can tell when they hook him up to the machines beside the bed and the room is filled with incessant beeping.
“Mr. Byun, you need to calm down.”
Baekhyun nods. He knows that.
A doctor steps into the room, head covered and pristine blue gloves on his hands. This isn’t his doctor.
“I understand you’re going to be delivering a baby today, Mr. Byun!” The male doctor says in lieu of a greeting, tone something that would be cheerful if not for the underlying fakeness from too many years of saying the same thing over and over again.
Baekhyun thinks his hair is starting to stick to his head. “Where’s-”
“Your preferred doctor is unable to be here at the moment, so I’ll be taking care of you instead. Don’t worry, I’ve delivered hundreds of babies,” the man says, not looking up from the clipboard that had been given to him by the nurse. “Well, it looks like it’s just about time. We’ll get you an epidural and an IV, then we’ll move you onto an operating table.”
What. “Wait, wait, wait,” Baekhyun cries out, on the verge of tears. “I’m not ready yet, just give me-”
“You may not be ready yet,” the doctor interrupts. “But your baby is. You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Byun, I know people who have been in labor for tens of hours. Consider this a blessing.”
Baekhyun covers his face with his hands as he’s moved onto his side and a large needle is pushed into his back. It stings, but only for a moment. Baekhyun loses track of time as he’s wheeled out of the room, IV stuck into his arm, and then he’s being swabbed and prepared. He simply focuses on calming his breathing, staying as alert as he can while he loses his lower half to numbness and a blue curtain separates him in half.
Then the doors are thrown open and someone’s sitting by his head, running long fingers through his sweat-slick hair and pressing kisses to his temple.
“I’m so sorry, I was having issues with the scrubs,” Kris apologizes, hand already extending for Baekhyun to grab onto. “Now, shall we do this?”
Baekhyun nods, feeling most of the tension bleed out of him. He latches onto Kris’ hand probably tighter than necessary, but the man doesn’t utter a single complaint.
The scar is going to be awful, he knows. But it’s worth it when he hears shrill cries and feels faint tugging. Baekhyun closes his eyes as he’s cleaned up and moved back into the original room, humming when prompted to let Kris and anyone else know that he’s still coherent.
When he opens his eyes, it’s just Kris and him in the room, the taller man on the edge of the bed, small bundle in his arms.
Kris smiles at him when he sees that his eyes are open. “You fell asleep there for a little while. They’ve already run all the tests and the baby’s perfectly fine. But, how are you feeling?”
Baekhyun grunts in answer, pulling himself up.
The man laughs and looks pointedly down at the bundle. “It’s a boy.” And then he’s moving closer, arms extended. “Here.”
Kris offers him the bundle and Baekhyun vehemently shakes his head. “I can’t get attached yet. What if they baby looks like him?”
Kris frowns down at the bundle. “... it looks like a baby.”
Baekhyun shakes his head. “Give him to me,” he demands, accepting the bundle. Kris passes him the newborn and Baekhyun pulls the tyke close. Oh.
Kris sidles up next to him on the bed. “He’s tiny,” he whispers, reaching down to gently poke the newborn’s nose. “He’s got your nose.”
Baekhyun looks over at Kris, watching the way the man doesn’t look away from the baby, instead reaching forward again to play with the few soft dark hairs atop the little guy’s head. “You’d make a really good father.” The words are out of his mouth before Baekhyun even realizes he’s spoken.
Kris merely looks up, offering a mega-watt smile and bright eyes. “That’s good, because I’m going to have to be one now, huh?”
Baekhyun glances between him and the sleeping infant in his arms and scoffs. “Whoever said that I was going to let you take care of my kid?” Kris sputters and Baekhyun actually feels a little bad. “Just kidding,” he whispers, leaning over to peck Kris on the cheek.
They stay like that, bunched together on the tiny hospital bed, baby in Baekhyun’s arms. Kris leans his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder and the latter smiles. Yeah. This is nice.
Warning: mpreg
Baekhyun can’t take care of himself. Kris doesn’t mind.
A/N: Again, part of artistalks. Written for fopsyche94 but never got posted because it was a pinch-hit, probably, so here it is. Anyways, enjoy!
Jongdae sets down the last box and stands. “Is that it?”
Baekhyun looks around the apartment and sighs before directing his gaze to the three measly boxes in the hallway. “Yeah, that’s it.”
He can see the slight confusion on Jongdae’s face. He thinks it probably has something to do with the fact that he’s been living in this apartment for a year, and only has three boxes-two of clothes, one of toiletries and knick-knacks-to show for it. And yeah, Baekhyun’s kind of wondering about that too.
Jongdae thankfully doesn’t say anything, and just hefts two of the boxes up into his arms and closes the door behind them. Baekhyun deftly locks the door and slides the keys beneath, picking up the only box left, the lightest.
Jongdae leads the way down the hall, ignoring Baekhyun’s protests of being babied and demands of carrying some of the other boxes. When Baekhyun finally grows silent, they’re already by Jongdae’s car. They load the boxes into the back seat and slide into the front. Baekhyun buckles himself in. Jongdae lifts his hand to start the car, but stops halfway. He turns to Baekhyun.
“So. It’s done?”
Baekhyun nods. “Done.”
“Do you,” Jongdae pauses, hand tapping on the gear stick, “Um. How do you feel?”
Baekhyun shrugs. “We broke up last week. I just came to get my stuff. I knew he’d be at work now, so hopefully I’ll never see him again and I can move on.” He looks to the side and sees Jongdae leaning slightly closer. He sighs. “I’m not going to cry on you again.”
“You sure?”
“Yes!”
Jongdae laughs, starts the car. “Alright then. Am I taking you to your place or are we eating lunch? It’s almost noon.”
“Apartment.” At Jongdae’s frustrated whine, Baekhyun elaborates. “I have a lot of work I need to do, and I need to unpack my things.” He makes a face. “I probably need to clean, too. The apartment’s probably covered in dust. I haven’t seen it in forever.”
Jongdae nods and focuses on the road, hand still restless on the gearstick.
Once the car comes to a stop, Baekhyun is out. He quickly takes out the three boxes and sets them by his side, shaking his head at Jongdae when his friend tries to get out of the car. That done, he closes the door and lets out a huff.
“Do you need any help carrying things up?”
“No,” Baekhyun replies immediately, tone unyielding. “I’ll do it in trips, it’s no big deal. I live on the second floor.”
Jongdae searches for something to say. “My couch will miss you.”
“Your couch is lumpy. I won’t miss it at all.”
Jongdae gasps, hand over his heart in mock hurt. “That couch has survived every single hangover I’ve ever had. Do not speak ill of it.” He smiles and shifts to drive. “Baekhyun, call me if you need anything.”
Baekhyun rolls his eyes. “Just go.”
Jongdae salutes and then he’s gone. Alone, Baekhyun’s shoulders sag and he picks up the three boxes-he’s young enough, his back will be fine-and makes his way into the building, thanking one of the tenants for holding the door for him on her way out. The stairs aren’t an issue, but he almost drops the boxes when he reaches for his keys. He succeeds though, and drops all three on the ground, flopping onto the couch.
His apartment isn’t anything to boast about; one bedroom, one bathroom, small living area, and half a kitchen. The walls are drab but he’s not allowed to repaint so they’re hidden behind posters of movies and bands that he’s heard a few songs by. His boyfriend’s apartment is much nicer-bright walls, lots of windows, breakfast bar, and room for the queen sized bed that they shared. Baekhyun sighs, pulling the hood of his sweater over his head, covering half of his face. Ex. Ex boyfriend.
They’d been together for over two years, met at a festival in the city and just kind of clicked. For Christmas, he’d bought Baekhyun a really nice watch and invited him to move into his apartment. Baekhyun had noticed that things had gotten a little stale, less time for each other in between work and meeting up with friends individually, but he’d been hoping that they could just power through it and come out even more in love. But he knows now that it hadn’t been a shared hope.
It’s really fine, Baekhyun’s not all that broken up about it now. He had been at the time, but between the time apart and Jongdae’s constant presence, he’d realized that they probably wouldn’t have lasted all that much longer anyway, and it’s nice to be on his own again.
He would be completely happy with the turnout if it wasn’t for the fact that he was pregnant. Two months along.
Baekhyun had found out a mere week before the break up. After trying to rationalize his sudden sickness and coming up blank, he’d bought a pregnancy test on a whim and there it was. He’d actually been trying to find a way to bring it up, to let his ex know that they might want to start looking for a bigger place, but then he’d been sat down and told that, I don’t think we should even stay as friends after this, and between that and the knowledge that the man didn’t even want children, Baekhyun had thought it would be best to keep the information to himself.
Besides, he’s fine. He is an adult, has a stable job, and a kid sounds like fun. He can do it by himself.
He takes the number out of his pocket, the one for the highly-rated obstetrician he’d found-and dials the number on his cell phone. And then he makes his first appointment.
-
He can’t do it.
Baekhyun is terrified.
He’s already had two appointments with his doctor, both of which went very well. She is a very nice woman, hadn’t blinked an eye when Baekhyun told her that the father of the child wouldn’t be joining him. But that doesn't make him any less terrified by the fact that there is a living thing inside of him (he shouldn't have watched Alien last night but whatever). He's gone alone both times and honestly kind of wishes that he had told Jongdae so that he had a hand to hold as the doctor tells him all the things he needs to do to take care of his unborn baby.
The tyke is fourteen weeks old now, and Baekhyun has proof the little guy is there in the slightly rotund shape of his stomach and the way that it doesn't give anymore when he pushes slightly on it. It's honestly terrifying. What's also got him freaking out is the worry that he's already killed the little guy, what with all the crap he's been eating. But he just can't stop.
Baekhyun checks his clock. He has two hours until he has to be at the clinic. That's enough time for a pizza. He opens the website of the closest place that delivers. "I'll get vegetarian. Then it'll be healthy," he murmurs under his breath, nodding slightly.
The mouse is hovering over the confirm order button when he spots another box. Any other requests?
Please come to my doctor's appointment with me. Or else I will die. Thank you.
Baekhyun confirms the order and places his laptop to the side, ready to check what's on television. Something to have in the background while he gets his things together.
Not ten minutes later, his doorbell rings and Baekhyun jumps up. How prompt. He makes his way over to the door, stopping to grab money off the table, and opens the door. Before he can hand over the tip of grab his pizza, he's being pushed back. The door shuts behind him and the other man, who throws the pizza onto the counter so that he can lay both hands on Baekhyun's shoulders.
Baekhyun squeezes his eyes shut, and holds his breath. What is going on?
"Hey. Are you okay?"
Baekhyun opens his eyes. Blinks. "Um. Yeah."
The man frowns. "Then what was up with the request?" When he gets no immediate answer, he takes his hands off Baekhyun's shoulders. "Look, my friend called me on my day off to deliver this pizza and he's back at the place, terrified. So, are you sure that you're okay?"
Baekhyun takes a good look at the man. He's a good head taller than him, he'd had to look up to meet his eyes, and his hands are big. Nice hands to hold when the doctor tells him all the things he's been doing wrong. "Actually." He must be really out of it to be asking this of a stranger. "Would you mind coming to my appointment with me?"
The man's face twitches into something like consideration. "When?"
Baekhyun looks at the clock. "An hour and a half."
"Okay," the man agrees, opening the box and taking out a slice of pizza.
When it's time, Kris insists they take his car. That's really the only thing Baekhyun knows about him. They had given names and a short introduction before settling on the couch to wait until Baekhyun announced that it was time to go.
As soon as they're out of the car, Baekhyun slots his hand into Kris'. The taller man looks down, but doesn't say anything, something that Baekhyun is very grateful for. They step inside and Baekhyun signs in before heading into the waiting room, his hand in Kris' the entire time.
There's only one other couple in the waiting room, and they're called in seconds after Baekhyun and Kris sit down.
"So, what is it? Do you have a fear of needles or something?" Kris asks, looking genuinely curious.
Baekhyun shakes his head. "I'm-"
"Byun Baekhyun!"
They stand simultaneously and greet the nurse, who leads them into a room with bright, white walls, an examination table, two chairs, and a desk. Baekhyun lets go of Kris' hand to heft himself onto the table, the man sliding into the seat beside him.
The nurse makes small talk while she checks his vitals before offering a wide smile and standing back, writing things down on her clipboard. "So, Mr. Byun, you're fourteen weeks along. Do you have any problems you'd like to tell me?"
Baekhyun shakes his head. "I haven't had any."
"Excellent! Then I'll go get your doctor. She'll be with you in a minute."
As soon as the door closes, Kris tugs on Baekhyun's hand. "You're pregnant," he says.
"Yeah," Baekhyun affirms with a nod. "I am."
Kris screws his face up in confusion. It would be funny if Baekhyun wasn't trying to guess what the man's thinking. "Why didn't you have the father come with you?"
"He's, um, we're not together anymore. And I wasn't planning on telling him," Baekhyun explains, feet kicking above the ground.
"Then, what about your friends?"
"Ah," Baekhyun sings, drawing out the single syllable. "I'm still trying to figure out how I should tell them."
Before Kris can fire off another question, there's a knock at the door and then a middle-aged woman is coming in, smiling warmly at Baekhyun.
"Oh," she exclaims when she sees Kris. "Is this..."
Baekhyun shakes his head. "No, he's just... a friend." And he supposes that Kris is a friend now. Or something close to that.
The doctor smiles and greets the both of them before explaining to Baekhyun what she needs to do for this check up. He nods when she asks if he's okay with all of that, and then they move on.
Baekhyun reaches for Kris' hand and after a moment, the man gives it to him and squeezes.
It takes about an hour until Baekhyun is told that she's done and he breathes a sigh of relief, grip on Kris' hand relaxing. Neither of their hands are sweaty, which is nice. Baekhyun's not a touchy person, contrary to anything Jongdae says, but he does like his hand being held. And Kris is good at it.
"I know you've declined to have an ultrasound in the past, but now I’d like to highly recommend that you get one in the next couple of weeks, so that we can make sure that everything’s all right.”
Baekhyun bites his lip. He’s been scared to get one, had nightmares of looking up at the screen only to see a slimy creature staring back-really, he needs to lay off Alien-but he probably does need to get one. “Okay.”
“Fantastic!” The doctor crows, grinning. “You can make the appointments for that and your next checkup at the front desk on your way out. Now, I think we’re just about done here so I hope you have a lovely rest of your day. It was nice meeting you Kris, I hope to see you again!”
After she leaves, Baekhyun pulls on the jacket he’d discarded halfway through the checkup and leads the way out, Kris on his heels. He picks two days in the middle of the week, when he’s the least busiest, for the ultrasound and his next checkup. They’re a fair few weeks in the future, so he has time to prepare himself mentally. Good.
Back in Kris’ car, the silence is more bearable. Baekhyun leans his head against the window and thinks about taking a nap as soon as he’s back. It doesn’t take long, and Kris doesn’t even ask for directions, stopping right in front of the apartment complex like a pro.
“Can I see your phone?” Kris asks as Baekhyun unbuckles himself. Hesitantly, Baekhyun takes the device out of his pocket and hands it over. Kris taps something into it and hands it back. “There, now you can text me the dates of the other appointments so I can take those days off. And, if you need anything else. Don’t be afraid to call me.”
Baekhyun nods, climbing out. “Okay.” He offers a smile and then Kris drives off.
Taking out his phone, Baekhyun considers the idea for a second before going ahead and typing in, what do you think about dinner tomorrow night?, then sends it off to the newest number.
-
He’s definitely starting to show now if he wasn’t before, which is fine, really, because it’s winter and huge sweaters don’t draw attention. He’d just worked up the nerve to tell the boss about his state-with little nudges from Kris, who texts him at least once an hour-and the man had been very understanding, letting Baekhyun know that he could have paid leave whenever he felt like it, and that even if he had to take an extended absence, the man would welcome him back with open arms.
Baekhyun works at a small travel agency, but they pull in a steady amount of customers and Baekhyun is meticulous and efficient at what he does. He likes his job.
“Break time,” Jongdae announces, sliding onto Baekhyun’s table.
The seated man holds up a finger. “Yes, ma’am, that’s right. Okay. Call me if you need anything else. Thanks for trusting us with your travel needs! Goodbye!” He removes his headset and sets it on the desk, leaning back to stretch, frowning when his arms pop at the motion.
Jongdae heads into the break room first and Baekhyun makes sure he’s not looking when he stands. He’s at the point where he needs a little bit of assistance getting up, whether it be the help of a hand or the edge of his desk. His doctor had assured him that the five-month-old fetus was perfectly normal and the ultrasound had confirmed that. Luckily, the experience wasn’t as bad as he’d feared and Kris had held his hand the entire time, pointing out the head when Baekhyun had been madly searching for it.
At dinner afterwards, Baekhyun had learned that Kris was a high school gym teacher-and coach of the nationally-ranked basketball team, he’d boasted several times over the course of the night-not a pizza delivery man. It was his best friend Chanyeol who did the pizza, and at night ran a radio show. Kris sighed when he explained there was really no reason to deliver pizza, as the radio gave him a stable enough income. But Kris claimed that Chanyeol was an enigma that he didn’t have the patience to decode, and that was that.
Jongdae has a cup of steaming coffee waiting for Baekhyun when he enters. He murmurs a thank you and sits down with a low groan, gladly bringing the cup to his lips. It’s already been a long day and his back is aching.
“Hey, we should do an office dinner.”
Baekhyun coughs. Their entire office consists of five people. Jongdae, Baekhyun, two fresh out of college kids named Sehun and Jongin, and Kyungsoo. Baekhyun’s never really talked to Kyungsoo, but the man scares him. He knows that Kyungsoo is a friend of his ex, and the entire time they were dating he’d always felt a sharp glare directed into the back of his head, coming straight from Kyungsoo’s desk at the end of the room. “I don’t know,” Baekhyun tries, desperate to dissuade his friend. “It’s a weeknight and-”
“I’ll treat,” Jongdae says with finality, loud enough to permeate through the floor and Baekhyun knows he’s lost when he hears joyful shouts from their two youngest.
The day goes by impossibly slowly after that. Baekhyun’s exhausted, eyelids threatening to close when Jongdae leans over his desk and tells him that they’re heading out. Baekhyun slowly pulls himself to his feet and follows the others out, watching as Sehun locks the doors behind them.
“Where are we going?” Jongin asks, obviously excited.
“I’m not sure yet,” Jongdae admits, tapping his chin in thought. “But it’s definitely not going to be anywhere with a buffet.”
Baekhyun wakes up a bit at that. He and Jongdae have always gone to buffets. He knows Jongdae’s favorite restaurant is buffet-style. “Why not?”
Jongdae laughs. “Because of you!” At Baekhyun’s confused expression, Jongdae slouches and mimes a protruding stomach, cheeks puffed out. “You’ve been packing on the pounds, man, don’t think I haven’t noticed. The sweaters aren’t very helpful.” He pokes at Baekhyun’s stomach through the fabric and Baekhyun flinches. “You get any bigger and I’ll start dragging you to the gym,” he threatens before spinning on his heel, face lighting up. “Oh! I know the perfect place!”
Baekhyun looks to the left and sees that Kyungsoo has his unreadable stare fixed on him, and Baekhyun has no idea what he’s thinking. He stares at his feet and follows after.
-
Baekhyun taps his fingers on the assembled IKEA crib, staring into the soft unisex bedding-he had declined to learn the gender at his latest ultrasound-and glares down at where his stomach’s brushing against the side. He whirls and turns to Kris, who’s on the floor trying to put together the changing table. He’d demanded that they use his apartment because he has a spare bedroom that he’s not using and Baekhyun had grudgingly agreed. He’s spent enough nights after staying up and watching movies for hours that he’s comfortable in the modern apartment. And, he’ll admit, it’s much nicer for a baby than his own beat-up place with peeling wallpaper and leaky faucets.
“Hey, Kris,” he mutters, disturbing the man, “am I fat?”
“Baekhyun,” Kris says softly, dropping the screwdriver and pulling himself to his feet. He tugs on Baekhyun’s arm, maneuvering the man under his chin, Baekhyun’s shoulder pressing into his ribs as he wraps his arms around the shorter man. “You’re pregnant. There’s another person living inside of you.” He pokes Baekhyun’s stomach for emphasis and has the shorter giggling. “Why? Are you worried?”
Baekhyun sighs and leans his head on Kris’ chest. “No.”
They stay like that for a moment, Kris gently rocking the both of them. Then Baekhyun gasps and grabs Kris’ hands, startling the man for a moment before laying his palms on his abdomen. Then Kris’ expression smooths into one of understanding when he feels the almost imperceptible kicks of tiny feet against Baekhyun’s insides.
Baekhyun’s mouth twists at a particularly hard kick that pushes more weight onto his bladder. “The kid’s a menace already,” he complains with a small amount of fondness.
“He might seem like a football champ right now,” Kris says, voice barely above a whisper, “but I’ll have him shooting three-pointers in no time.”
Baekhyun throws his head back and laughs louder than he has in a long time.
-
He messed up. Baekhyun really messed up. He’s been feeling extremely ill at the smell of sweet fruit-almost threw up all over Kris when the man offered him a mango-so it’s really just his luck that Jongdae chooses a parfait place for dessert after another one of their office dinners.
He waits until they’re all in line before he excuses himself, making a beeline for the bathrooms and falling to his knees inside the first stall, not even bothering to close the door behind him as he gets rid of all the chicken he’d had for dinner.
After he’s sure he’s done heaving, he rests his cheek on the disgusting toilet seat and takes deep breaths. The doctor had said he’d be done with the sickness. He groans when the door opens and the smell of overly sugary fruit wafts into the bathroom.
“So, what do you have?”
Baekhyun looks up and groans. He really doesn’t want to deal with Kyungsoo now. “Stomach flu,” he fibs.
The man sighs, drawing closer. “No, really.”
Baekhyun shuts his eyes and grips onto the edge of the toilet seat. “I’m seven months pregnant and the smell of fruit sets me off.” He prays that Kyungsoo will leave him alone now, but instead, a folded piece of paper towel is hovering by his face. He blinks up at his coworker in question.
“Hold that over your nose. We’re going outside.”
Baekhyun slowly holds the paper over his nose and grunts when Kyungsoo helps him up, still by Baekhyun’s side as they race to the front door. Baekhyun takes greedy gulps of air when they get outside, as he could still smell a bit of the tart aroma, and it had settled on his tongue in the most disgusting way. He feels a hand tentatively land on his back, rubbing in quick, calming circles. He tries to offer Kyungsoo a smile but he's pretty sure it comes out twisted and mangled.
"So what," the man asks, "did he knock you up and then leave you?"
Baekhyun shifts away. "No. We broke up before he knew."
"You never had any intentions of telling him?"
"I did," Baekhyun snaps. "But when he told me that it was over, I figured that there was no point."
Kyungsoo nods to himself, staring at the street. "He hasn't changed since high school, you know. Used to just up and leave people. It happened to a few of my friends so when I heard that you were dating him, I knew it was only a matter of time." He starts, tearing his eyes away from the road. "I'm sorry." At Baekhyun's shrug he relaxes. "I'd just thought you'd been depressed all this time."
Baekhyun snorts. "Yeah, no. The kid just takes a lot out of me."
Kyungsoo smiles and it catches Baekhyun off guard for a moment. "I'm happy for you."
Baekhyun blinks. "Oh. Thanks."
The front door opens and Jondae's boisterous laughing can be heard. Baekhyun groans and buries his face in Kyungsoo's shoulder, grunting in thanks when the hand comes back to rub between his shoulders.
"What's up with him?" Jongdae asks.
Kyungsoo mimes a fingers to his lips. "He's tired."
-
When Baekhyun’s eight months along, he lets his boss know that he could be leaving at any time. The next day, the man walks right up to him and says in his slightly too loud voice, “I hope you and the baby remain well. Feel free to take your leave whenever you feel that you need it, just let me know.” And then he hands Baekhyun a card and it’s all the latter can do to smile and thank him, because all the while he’d been watching Jongdae’s face crumble on the other side of the room.
He waits until Jongdae gets up and makes his way to the break room before pulling himself up and following him inside, shutting the door behind himself. His friend is standing by the coffee machine, back facing him. Baekhyun nervously fists his hands at his side, wondering what he could possibly say.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” the man murmurs. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice. I can’t believe I just thought you were gaining weight.”
“My doctor says I’m not showing as much as others she’s seen,” Baekhyun mumbles. “I would have told you first thing, but I didn’t know what you’d think of me.”
Jongdae turns. “Baekhyun! I would have supported you all the way. You should know that.”
Baekhyun’s lower lip begins to tremble and he wipes at his burning eyes. He curses the hormones. “I know,” he says, barely above a whisper, “I’m sorry.” He starts when Jongdae pulls him forward, into a tight hug, Baekhyun’s forehead resting on his shoulder.
“It’s fine, it’s fine,” the man placates, rubbing soothing circles into his back. “How long until…”
“My due date is in three weeks.”
Jongdae curses. “How am I supposed to buy enough hilarious baby onesies in that short of a timespan?”
Baekhyun rolls his eyes and pulls away. “I guess you’ll have to start now, then.”
-
“This is stupid.”
“You say that one more time and I am getting out of this car,” Baekhyun threatens.
Kris sighs. “This is so, so stupid. Baekhyun, you are a week past your due date.”
“And yet I am a completely functioning human being. Who would have thought?” Baekhyun snaps back. He chances a glance over and sees Kris glaring murderously at the car ahead of them. He sighs. “Kris, if I have to spend another day just laying in your bed while the damn phantom contractions hit again, I am going to lose my mind. I’ll stay home tomorrow, just let me have this.”
Kris sighs, pulls down the next street and stops in front of the travel agency. “I suppose I can’t convince you otherwise?”
Baekhyun shakes his head.
Kris sighs. "Then, have a nice day. Call me if you need anything." Then he leans over and presses a kiss to Baekhyun's temple, something that he's started doing a lot more often and Baekhyun doesn't think he could ever get tired of. He gives a quick wave before stepping out of the car, slowly rolling his weight onto his feet.
"I'll be here to pick you up as soon as school gets out," Kris promises before driving off.
Baekhyun smiles. He can't remember the last time he was in his own apartment. He's been staying in Kris' indefinitely since they'd set up the baby room. It's beyond fantastic; Kris brings him meals in bed, cuddles him close on cold nights, and forced him outside on the weekends. Baekhyun would go as far to say that it's the perfect environment to raise a child in. Kris would make a great father.
Baekhyun steps inside the office and after the initial fuss, things quiet down and he sets himself up at his desk, reaching over to answer the next call.
It hits him at lunch.
He's holding a sandwich in one hand and his phone in the other, and he drops both when the pain hits him, causing him to double over. No one notices him hunched over at first, but when he lets out a low groan, all heads turn to him.
"Oh my god," Sehun says. "Is he..."
"I am," Baekhyun snaps.
Kyungsoo jumps out of his seat, grabbing his phone and calling someone, talking urgently into the device. Then he's over at Baekhyun's desk, turning the chair to face him. "Come on, you need to get up. A ride's on the way."
Baekhyun uses Kyungsoo to stand up, gritting his teeth and breathing out in a quick hiss before taking a step forward, towards the door. When he passes Jongdae’s desk, he notices that his friend is talking to a customer, but looking a little lost as he stares at Baekhyun.
“Finish your call,” Kyungsoo says, holding one of the doors open. “Call me when you’re done and I’ll tell you where we are.”
Jongdae nods and types something into his computer, speaking into the headset. Baekhyun makes it outside and braces his hands on his knees. When the pain abates, he pulls himself back up and remembers. Kris. He needs to call Kris. He fumbles around in his jacket for his cell before remembering that it’s in his front jeans pocket. Slowly, carefully, he reaches into the pocket and eases out the phone, trying not to strain himself at all. He finally has the phone in his grip when another wave of pain hits him. Baekhyun cries out, hands braced behind his back.
“Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up,” Kyungsoo chants, tapping his sneaker on the ground. He moves closer to Baekhyun, sighing in relief when a car pulls to a stop in front of them.
Baekhyun looks up and catches a pizza delivery marker on top of the car. What on earth?
“Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo shouts, leaving Baekhyun’s side to fling open the rear car door and usher Baekhyun inside. “What took you so long?”
“I had to deliver a pizza,” the lanky man in the driver seat explains, pulling Kyungsoo into the car. “So, where are we off to on this wonderful winter day?”
“Hospital,” Kyungsoo merely states, jerking his thumb to the rear seat, where Baekhyun’s trying to regulate his breathing.
“Oh my god!” Chanyeol jumps into action, swerving out onto the road. A car honks angrily behind them but at this point, they really can’t be bothered. “Please don’t give birth in my car, I just had it cleaned!”
Baekhyun merely grunts, pressing himself to one of the doors and grabbing the handle above the window frame. When the contractions fade away once more, he immediately raises his hand that’s still clutching his cell and punches in Kris’ number. Thankfully, he picks up on the second ring.
“Hey, what’s up? Do you feel okay? Do I need to come and get you?” Kris’ voice is quiet, an urgent whispering.
Baekhyun’s hand tightens around the phone. “Hospital,” he gets out.
“You need to go to a hospital?” Kris shouts, then seconds later whispers an apology.
“On my way,” he grits out. “Meet me there,” he begs, “please.”
“Baekhyun, I’m in a faculty meeting right now, I can’t-” He cuts off. It’s silent for a moment. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Hang in there, kiddo.”
Baekhyun swallows. “Okay.”
“I love you and I’ll see you in a bit.”
The line cuts out but Baekhyun keeps the phone pressed to his ear. Oh. His face feels all warm and if his heart was racing before, it’s sprinting now. He glances up and sees Kyungsoo turned around in his chair, staring at him.
“Who did you call?”
Baekhyun sets his phone in his lap, hoping the contractions don’t come back anytime soon. “Kris. He’s been taking care of me and I need him to be there.”
Kyungsoo frowns. “Kris?”
Chanyeol looks away from the road for a second, sharing a glance with Kyungsoo. “Hold up. Kris. Like ”My perfect basketball babies went to nationals again” Kris? Lame high school gym teacher Kris?”
“Wait how do you-” Baekhyun starts, and then it hits him. “Oh my god, you’re that Chanyeol.”
“The one and only,” the man sings. “Hey, Soo, wasn’t Kris talking about some new guy?”
Kyungsoo nods. “Said he was expecting something, and then laughed. Such a loser,” he remarks. “Guess he was talking about you, huh?”
Baekhyun blinks. “But wait. Kyungsoo. How do you know him?”
“Chanyeol’s my lameass boyfriend. I know all his friends,” Kyungsoo explains.
Chanyeol squawks, then bursts into laughter. “This is pretty funny, isn’t it? We all know each other.” Then he launches into a rendition of “It’s a Small World” and Baekhyun counts silently in his head.
Baekhyun has two more sets of contractions by the time they finally reach the hospital. Chanyeol lets him and Kyungsoo out at the ER entrance and drives away to find a parking spot.
Having been mentally preparing himself for this exact occasion for the past month, Baekhyun has no issues with marching up to the front desk and telling them that he already has a doctor here, and that he should be on their list. They find him with no problems, and assure him that they’ll have him in a room in no time at all. Baekhyun nods, thanks the woman, and then groans as another contraction hits.
The woman eyes him worriedly. “How far apart?”
“Three minutes,” Baekhyun grounds out, “but-”
“We need to get you into a room now!” The woman exclaims, signalling over a couple of nurses.
Baekhyun’s palms suddenly feel clammy. He grabs for Kyungsoo’s hand and stares at him imploringly, panic rising. Now not only does he have an extremely active child inside of him, but millions of upset butterflies as well.
“I’ll wait here and bring Kris to you as soon as he gets here,” Kyungsoo promises, peeling Baekhyun’s hand from his as the pregnant man is lowered into a wheelchair by the nurses. Baekhyun grabs at the man but his palms are too slippery, they just slide off. The Kyungsoo’s waving at him and it’s all Baekhyun can do to hold onto the arms of the wheelchair, gripping so hard his knuckles begin to ache.
The nurses direct him to lay in a gurney, which he does slowly, hand covering his stomach. When he lays down, all the weight suddenly feels like it’s crushing him and Baekhyun’s heart rate skyrockets, something everyone in the room can tell when they hook him up to the machines beside the bed and the room is filled with incessant beeping.
“Mr. Byun, you need to calm down.”
Baekhyun nods. He knows that.
A doctor steps into the room, head covered and pristine blue gloves on his hands. This isn’t his doctor.
“I understand you’re going to be delivering a baby today, Mr. Byun!” The male doctor says in lieu of a greeting, tone something that would be cheerful if not for the underlying fakeness from too many years of saying the same thing over and over again.
Baekhyun thinks his hair is starting to stick to his head. “Where’s-”
“Your preferred doctor is unable to be here at the moment, so I’ll be taking care of you instead. Don’t worry, I’ve delivered hundreds of babies,” the man says, not looking up from the clipboard that had been given to him by the nurse. “Well, it looks like it’s just about time. We’ll get you an epidural and an IV, then we’ll move you onto an operating table.”
What. “Wait, wait, wait,” Baekhyun cries out, on the verge of tears. “I’m not ready yet, just give me-”
“You may not be ready yet,” the doctor interrupts. “But your baby is. You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Byun, I know people who have been in labor for tens of hours. Consider this a blessing.”
Baekhyun covers his face with his hands as he’s moved onto his side and a large needle is pushed into his back. It stings, but only for a moment. Baekhyun loses track of time as he’s wheeled out of the room, IV stuck into his arm, and then he’s being swabbed and prepared. He simply focuses on calming his breathing, staying as alert as he can while he loses his lower half to numbness and a blue curtain separates him in half.
Then the doors are thrown open and someone’s sitting by his head, running long fingers through his sweat-slick hair and pressing kisses to his temple.
“I’m so sorry, I was having issues with the scrubs,” Kris apologizes, hand already extending for Baekhyun to grab onto. “Now, shall we do this?”
Baekhyun nods, feeling most of the tension bleed out of him. He latches onto Kris’ hand probably tighter than necessary, but the man doesn’t utter a single complaint.
The scar is going to be awful, he knows. But it’s worth it when he hears shrill cries and feels faint tugging. Baekhyun closes his eyes as he’s cleaned up and moved back into the original room, humming when prompted to let Kris and anyone else know that he’s still coherent.
When he opens his eyes, it’s just Kris and him in the room, the taller man on the edge of the bed, small bundle in his arms.
Kris smiles at him when he sees that his eyes are open. “You fell asleep there for a little while. They’ve already run all the tests and the baby’s perfectly fine. But, how are you feeling?”
Baekhyun grunts in answer, pulling himself up.
The man laughs and looks pointedly down at the bundle. “It’s a boy.” And then he’s moving closer, arms extended. “Here.”
Kris offers him the bundle and Baekhyun vehemently shakes his head. “I can’t get attached yet. What if they baby looks like him?”
Kris frowns down at the bundle. “... it looks like a baby.”
Baekhyun shakes his head. “Give him to me,” he demands, accepting the bundle. Kris passes him the newborn and Baekhyun pulls the tyke close. Oh.
Kris sidles up next to him on the bed. “He’s tiny,” he whispers, reaching down to gently poke the newborn’s nose. “He’s got your nose.”
Baekhyun looks over at Kris, watching the way the man doesn’t look away from the baby, instead reaching forward again to play with the few soft dark hairs atop the little guy’s head. “You’d make a really good father.” The words are out of his mouth before Baekhyun even realizes he’s spoken.
Kris merely looks up, offering a mega-watt smile and bright eyes. “That’s good, because I’m going to have to be one now, huh?”
Baekhyun glances between him and the sleeping infant in his arms and scoffs. “Whoever said that I was going to let you take care of my kid?” Kris sputters and Baekhyun actually feels a little bad. “Just kidding,” he whispers, leaning over to peck Kris on the cheek.
They stay like that, bunched together on the tiny hospital bed, baby in Baekhyun’s arms. Kris leans his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder and the latter smiles. Yeah. This is nice.