Chapter Text
— We'll be landing soon. Everything will be fine, the plane will land, I'll take this off you and then you can come with me and meet everyone.
Soobin's tone was calm and gentle, as if he were talking to one of his many colleagues, neighbors, or friends. It was an intrinsic characteristic of him: Choi Soobin never lost his temper. The world could be falling apart, a retelling of Dante's Inferno could be happening, all the horsemen of the apocalypse could be outside the building, and he would still maintain a neutral tone of voice and a quick, attentive glance, as if observing everything before speaking.
It was the same tone he used when he was informed that he would have to return to Seoul to take a new position at work. “Okay,” was his simple reply, as if he wouldn’t need to readjust his entire life again based on this news. Luckily, he had friends he could count on to save the day. Friends who were anxiously waiting for him at the arrival gate, according to the message he had received before putting his phone in his coat pocket.
He had moved to Japan some time ago; a unique opportunity to work at a videogame company came his way when he needed it most, and he seized it with all his might to solve problems beyond just the financial ones. Literally, all his college years were for this, to get a job that would justify all the times he argued with his parents that he knew what he was doing and that, yes, he didn't need to be stuck in a closed office from Monday to Friday to support himself and any family he might have.
Soobin knew that if he succeeded in that job, he could make it abundantly clear that he was an independent omega, unburdened by the prejudices and expectations placed upon him because of the subgenre no one expected him to have. “He's so tall, so strong, something must be wrong,” a phrase he'd heard frequently since reaching puberty and realizing he wouldn't be another alpha boy in the Choi family. The weight of expectation did indeed make him an introverted omega who spent much more time in front of the computer, pretending nothing affected him while destroying monsters and conquering pixelated kingdoms, but it was this same isolated behavior that led him to look at his college courses and conclude that, well, perhaps being so good at videogames could be the answer for the rest of his life.
Sure, he considered becoming a streamer and for a while he actually did some live streams on Twitch — in fact, that's how his friends came into his life.
During a live stream, a boy kept bothering him, saying he was using the wrong tactics to conquer a certain level. Soobin got so annoyed by the comments that he challenged the other boy to do a better game in the next match. Choi Beomgyu joined his team and won that level in under fifteen minutes. Soobin got even more annoyed and disconnected. He then came back online to congratulate Beomgyu, who said he enjoyed watching his games and that it would be cool if they were teammates in another game campaign. The conversation went on for a while, they exchanged Discord addresses, and chatted some more until Beomgyu suggested they go out for coffee together: him, Soobin, and his own boyfriend, Taehyun. When they arrived at the coffee shop near the college campus, they found the two of them and another mutual friend, Huening Kai, whom Beomgyu claimed “urgently needed more friends than just the two of them.” After that day, Soobin never went a day without contacting one of the three of them.
— Ladies and gentlemen, we will begin the landing process within the next few minutes. As a safety precaution, we advise you to close the tables in front of you…
The pilot's voice remained calm and monotonous, as if he had done this thousands of times before, but Soobin was already in action, checking once more the tray table in front of him and also Yoojun's, in the seat next to him. He fastened his seatbelt and then his travel companion's, talking to him the whole time so that he wouldn't be startled by the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach caused by the aircraft gradually decreasing altitude, until the wheels abruptly hit the ground.
— Hey, everything's alright, everything's fine. See? You're okay, I'm okay, there's no reason to be scared. Yoojun-ah, everything's fine.
He found himself repeating the same phrase to Yoojun before the crying started and a commotion broke out on the plane. It didn't help much, and he had to reassure him more forcefully, but luckily people understood. They gave him disapproving looks, but they understood.
— Ah, Yoojun-ah, it's been such a nice trip so far… Please, please. Everything's alright — he repeated in a low voice, trying to regain control of the situation.
The whole process of getting off the plane accompanied and with so many bags wasn't as stressful as the landing process itself, since flight attendants and a few passengers took pity on the situation. “But you're so young… how do you manage to do everything just by yourself?”, a phrase Soobin had heard a lot in recent years, but at this point he took it in stride. At least it earned him the sympathy of strangers in moments like that, with the chaos about to start again, as signaled by the low, sulking sounds his travel companion was beginning to make.
— Oh, they're really here! Yoojun-ah, my friends are here, say hi.
Waving excitedly was Kai, a bright smile on his face, while next to him stood Beomgyu, bouncing around. Relief washed over Soobin immediately; things might be difficult at that moment, there was much more at stake than he had explained to them when he asked for a ride to the Airbnb he had rented until he could settle in and find a permanent place, but his best friends were there for him. If he had one of his hands free, he would wave back, but he had a backpack on his back, a luggage cart overflowing with his and Yoojun's bags, and, well, Yoojun himself.
— Hey, guys… I missed you so much — he confessed, as soon as he stepped into the audition line with the two, not wanting to be too sentimental with so many people around them, rushing from one side to the other meeting relatives and such. He was about to hug them when he spotted the name tag on Beomgyu's chest, raising an eyebrow. — Seriously?
The younger one nodded once, his face revealing the pride he had in thinking of it. He tapped the name tag made of post-it note and a felt-tip pen with his index finger.
— Call me Baby's Uncle from now on — he stated, before stretching his hands out in front of his body. — And you're Choi Yoojun. We finally met!
— You're scaring the baby — Kai commented in a low voice, briefly hugging Soobin from the side, and then waving with a small smile at Yoojun.
Soobin adjusted the baby in his arm, allowing him to fit better on his hip, while watching him slightly pout, looking from one uncle to the other, before throwing himself against his neck and hiding his face.
— He slept most of the flight and didn't like landing very much, but it's okay — he explained, before hugging Beomgyu from the side, allowing Kai to take the stroller with the luggage.
— Hyung, I can't believe you're back, especially after… — Beomgyu didn't finish, only looked from Soobin to Yoojun, who was making low sounds, bothered by so much noise and so many strangers around him.
— Yeah… I didn’t expect to come back either — Soobin said, shrugging his shoulders before patting the baby’s back a few times, helping him calm down, a movement so natural to him that he didn’t even realize what he was doing.
— Hyung is a eomma — Kai said, staring at Soobin from behind about three stacked bags of Yoojun’s. — I still can’t believe this happened in two years.
Soobin laughed, immediately looking down at his baby.
— Yeah… sometimes I can’t either.
The Airbnb wasn't exactly spacious, but they could call it cozy as long as they made it their living space. After putting their bags in the room, the four of them went to the kitchen, heating up Yoojun's food while catching up. The baby was too interested in walking around the space, pulling Beomgyu, folded in half, along while holding his finger with his whole hand, giving the other two adults room to speed up dinner that night.
In other times, they would order a couple of pizzas and some burgers with fries and that would be it, they would turn on the PS and start playing something to pass the time while talking about the flight and updates on each other's lives. But now, with a baby among them, things needed to be a little different.
— Fit it down there… That's it, right there. And then you tighten this piece here really firmly because that's where the little table will fit — Soobin explained to Kai, the two of them reading the instructions for Yoojun's high chair while dinner slowly cooked.
It seemed the easiest part of that adventure after holding an irritated Yoojun at the market parking lot while Soobin bought everything needed for the baby's next meal.
— Don't worry, hyung, I think I've got the hang of it — Huening replied, before looking up at the pan. — Are you sure the rice isn't ready yet?
— Who do you think I am that I don't know how to cook rice? — Soobin asked, his lower lip slightly jutting out in insult. But a half-second look at his friend completely shattered his composure. — I've improved a lot, I swear.
— I believe you, hyung — Kai agreed with a smile. — Is Yoojun eating normally yet?
— I'm winning the battle of introducing solids, even though he prefers to eat baby food most of the time — he shrugged, somewhat giving up. — He's a nice guy, he's just not a big fan of my cooking.
— A demanding customer?
— Very! When I was still breastfeeding, I could swear he'd give me a serious look every time I dared to eat junk food instead of home-cooked meals, as if he were judging me for what he was going to eat indirectly — he shook his head, nostalgic for when his baby was just a little ball of personality. — My noona was also against me eating just anything. Maybe it's a family thing.
— It was really nice of her to go there and spend some time with you when Yoojun was born.
— It really was, if she hadn't given me so many tips, I think I would have been lost.
Kai nodded, moving on to setting the table for dinner. A comfortable silence began to grow between them, but Huening's mind was racing, thinking of some way to broach the delicate subject between them. He avoided quick glances in his friend's direction, becoming anxious whenever he threatened to start that specific conversation, even knowing that he would have to do it somehow, sooner or later.
— It's really great that you're back, hyung. We missed you — he said, his voice slow, sounding distracted by the activity.
— I missed you guys a lot too, especially when I didn't have work to distract me all the time — Soobin commented, smiling slightly, looking tired just remembering. — It's one thing to be out of the house every day, including weekends, to code and find new bugs, and it was another thing when Yoojun was about to be born and I needed to stay home more. Suddenly… it was very, very lonely.
— I know, I mean, I don't know exactly what it's like, but I can imagine — he then cleared his throat, risking a longer look at Soobin, who was staring at him curiously. — Your parents…
— They're still mad at me — Soobin explained bluntly. Leaving Yoojun's food to cool, he ran his fingers through his hair, tossing it back in a bit of frustration. — They still can't accept that I decided to become a single mom. 14 months after their grandson was born and it still hasn't sunk in that I'm going to do this by myself, yes, regardless of their beliefs.
— You don't have to do it alone, hyung. You know you have your noona, me, and Beomgyu-hyung, and Taehyun-hyung — Kai pointed out, his eyes conveying that empathy and understanding that only he was capable of, and Soobin knew that no videochat would replace the genuine way those feelings flowed through him when he was just a few feet away from the other. Soobin was seen as the home of his friends, always the one they turned to when things got complicated, but Kai was definitely the one who knew exactly what to say and what to do in difficult times. Even if they were thorny conversations in the kitchen of a rented house. — You can always count on us, especially now.
— Thank you, Kai. This is very important to me — he said, threatening to hug the younger one, but avoiding doing so over the table.
— Speaking of people who were informed. You told Yeonjun-hyung that you were back, didn't you? — Kai's eyes became cautious and Soobin's posture also became more defensive.
— No, I didn't tell him. There was no reason to tell him — Soobin replied, turning his back to his friend and turning back to check if everything was ready to be served.
— Hyung, I understand not saying anything when you were in Japan because, um, you were in Japan. But now that you're in the same city again, I think-
— Kai.
— Sorry, hyung.
— Yeonjun doesn't need to be informed of anything because he means nothing. In the end, he didn't speak to me for anything, so I have the right to never look at him again either — Soobin's tone was firm, some of the warmth of his personality fading as he made it clear how he felt about the matter. — I never needed to tell him that I was going to have a child that was his, and I don't need to tell him that I and that same child are in the same city as him again. As far as I'm concerned, he can go fu-
— So, is dinner ready or not? — Beomgyu entered the kitchen again, now with Yoojun in his arms. The little one was pouting, again, as if he had been abruptly interrupted in his great exploration of the place, which in fact must have happened.
— Yes! Yes, everything is ready. I'll take everything to the table before giving Yoojun his dinner — as if it were a magic word, the baby immediately turned towards his eomma's voice, saying a low “mama?”. Soobin's expression softened completely. — Yes, your food is ready, sweetie.
— I can do that — said Beomgyu, overly confident in what he was doing, adjusting Yoojun in his lap. — Pass me that plate, I'll make him return it clean to you.
Soobin stared at him uncertainly, but did nothing to stop him.
— If you say so…
Taehyun liked to say he would even go to hell and back with Yeonjun, but man… How he wished he would stop going there.
Being in that situation was all Yeonjun's fault. He not only promised but swore to the development team that he would finish the design of those new characters that very day; they didn't need a new deadline. Now they were an hour ahead of schedule, each at a computer, drinking more and more coffee and getting more nervous as the time passed, and there was always still one more layer to render. Sometimes, just sometimes, Taehyun thought that that thing about promising to be Yeonjun's best friend when they were in college, in the pouring rain, both too drunk to remember how to get to their dorm, was a very rash decision for a young freshman, and that he was seeing the consequences of his actions very closely years later.
— Damn it, it seems like every time I finish a version, I realize I need to do the same process ten times over — Yeonjun complained, rubbing his face with both hands, struggling to stay awake in front of the computer screen, where a female character with draconic features stared back at him as if challenging him to get her final expressions right. — I'm going to need a vacation after this.
— You said that last time, and then you took responsibility for the entire design team only to jump into a new project a week later — Taehyun reminded him without even blinking, the only reaction faster than his tongue being the nervous clicks he was making on that 3D project.
— This time I'm serious — Yeonjun grumbled, before pushing his chair away from the computer and marching toward the coffee machine to pour himself another cup. — This job is killing me.
— Sometimes it's not work, you know — Taehyun said, his eyes trained on his own work, until he heard the notification sound from his phone.
Taehyun's phone was always on vibrate mode, but there were two people for whom he had customized the notifications, one being his mother and the other Beomgyu. If either of them was texting him, it was something important; more than once Taehyun had been surprised by his mother and boyfriend casually asking, in the middle of his workday, how a fire extinguisher even worked. So, he knew, he had to answer whatever message either of them sent immediately, a matter of life or death.
— Oh, it's Beomgyu — he commented so Yeonjun would know, the older one nodding with the paper cup of coffee in his hands. — He sent a video.
He didn't even think about it, automatically pressing play.
The video started playing, showing what looked like a small kitchen somewhere in Seoul, the night sky appearing through the small window in the background. The image blurred and then a baby came into focus, covered in what appeared to be bland mashed carrot all over his face and hair. He looked at the camera with his little hands crossed in front of his body, politely questioning what kind of joke this was without saying a word, and then Beomgyu's voice kicked in. “You think this little delinquent is the worst of this culinary accident? Just wait until you see this.” And then the camera switched and Beomgyu's entire shirt was stained with the same mashed carrots, some stains in the exact shape of the baby's hand. Beomgyu stared at the camera, twisting his mouth, as if to say he couldn't believe he'd been betrayed like that. A sticker that read “Baby's Uncle” was visible beneath the dirt. “Oh, Yoojun-ah…” could be heard in the background. In a voice very familiar to Taehyun.
And also to Yeonjun.
— What is this? — he asked, frozen with the coffee cup just inches from his mouth.
— Oh, just another one of Beomie's shenanigans, nothing else — Taehyun replied, locking his phone screen and turning to the computer. A slight chill ran down his spine.
— Yeah, don't tell me, Sherlock. What did he send you? — Yeonjun asked, approaching and leaning over Taehyun, looking quite casual, but clearly curious. — What was it this time?
— Nothing much… We need to finish this work today, don't we? Why are you slacking off now? — Taehyun snapped, avoiding eye contact with his friend, feeling a slight tremor in one of his hands.
It was as if he were the son of divorced parents, and one of them still hadn't gotten over the end of the relationship and was still directly and indirectly trying to find out about the other, putting him in thorny situations. The only difference was that Taehyun wasn't Yeonjun's or Soobin's son.
— I just want to watch the video too, that's all — Yeonjun retorted, making Kang Taehyun, once again, wonder if a freshman's promise was really valid for the rest of his life like that.
— Okay, okay — he picked up his phone again, unlocking it and pressing play.
The video restarted, showing the location and the baby. Yeonjun narrowed his eyes at the child, catching similarities with a face he hadn't seen in a long time in a matter of seconds. And then the voice of that same face emerged in the background, in that same tone as always. Never angry, never truly irritated, just firm and patient.
Yeonjun swallowed hard.
— Where was that? — he asked, in the most casual tone he could muster.
— Hm. He went to pick up Soobin-hyung today at the airport. They must be at hyung's house now — Taehyun explained, without much strength, feeling deep down that he was about to participate in a quiz he didn't want.
— Oh. Cool, cool. I had no idea Soobin was back — he commented, shaking his head slowly. — Cool. Good for him. Cool.
The number of times Yeonjun said the word “cool” made it completely lose its meaning. But at least he had sat down at his work desk again, back to working on the character. Taehyun felt his body relax slightly. Yeonjun pressed his lips together, seeming concentrated on what he had been doing minutes before that notification arrived, the coffee cup now forgotten beside the monitor.
The silence between them lasted about ten seconds.
— And whose baby is this? Soobin's noona's? — Yeonjun asked.
He knew very well that Soobin's older sister's house had nothing to do with the one in the video; before everything else went wrong, he had visited the place a few times. He remembered quick lunches between them and childhood stories being shared over dishes with unbelievable aroma and taste. He remembered the feeling of comfort and how he gradually leaned towards Soobin, enveloped in that feeling of home and warmth. Yeonjun took a deep breath, pushing the memories to the back of his mind, to a space where he pretended that none of that ever happened. He focused on the present, with Taehyun's expression struggling to remain neutral, but they had been friends for too long. Even using pheromone inhibitors at work, he could recognize from afar when his best friend was going through a stressful situation.
— Ahn, he is, you know… he’s Soobin-hyung’s baby — the second part came out very low, like a murmur.
— Excuse me? I didn’t understand — of course he had understood, his shoulders tensing immediately and his heart rate unnecessarily increasing due to the adrenaline rush in his body.
But Yeonjun wanted confirmation that his ears hadn’t betrayed him.
— It's hyung's baby — Taehyun said, biting his lower lip from the inside. — You know. What he had while he was in Japan.
— No, I didn't know — Yeonjun commented, before shaking his head again. — Cool. Very cool. Really… cool.
No, it wasn't cool at all. He felt his stomach churn and somersault, and his entire body went cold on the outside. That terrifying feeling of being on the edge of a precipice, about to fall onto sharp rocks below, as if his life were in its final seconds and he only had the option of screaming and kicking until the imminent fall arrived. It was a nightmare he had whenever he was going through something bad, but it was so bad that Yeonjun had engraved the exact sensation in his mind, and it was mirroring itself at that moment.
— I need to go to the bathroom. Too much coffee — he commented to his friend, before getting up again without saying anything else.
As soon as the living room door slammed shut, Taehyun rushed to his phone, ready to quickly write down everything that had just happened to Beomgyu, when another notification beeped, directly from his boyfriend. A few words, followed by a sticker of a bored dog.
“Don’t open it near Yeonjun. Soobin still doesn’t want to see him or talk about Yoojun.”
— Shit — Taehyun sighed, blinking a few times at the message.
It was a good way to sum things up, to be honest.