Chapter Text
“Choi Hyeon, come back here!”
“Catch me if you can, daddy!”
“Yah, Hyeon-”
The little boy stops running when he suddenly runs into the wall, his head hitting the plaster, which makes a big 'BOINK!' sound, and his father can only stare at him before he breaks out into laughter. Hearing his father laugh, Hyeon starts to laugh as well, and the two double over from how hard they’re laughing.
“You two really are father and son,” mutters a familiar voice, walking toward Hyeon to check if he’s alright.
“Of course we are, Kai,” his father chuckles. “He has my blood.”
“The least you could do is check if your son’s alright, Beomgyu-hyung,” Hueningkai sighs.
“I’m okay, Uncle NingNing,” Hyeon whines. “'M didn’t get hurt.”
“I’m just checking since your idiotic father didn’t bother to,” Kai says, which makes Hyeon giggle.
“Rude,” Beomgyu huffs. “I’m standing right here, Kai.”
“I know.”
Beomgyu rolls his eyes, and he walks toward the younger two, taking the chance to finally dress the little boy in his pajamas. Hyeon lets out a small whine but still lets his dad dress him.
When they’re done bantering with each other, Beomgyu and Kai take Hyeon to his bedroom, where they tuck him in and tell him a bedtime story before kissing his forehead goodnight. Hyeon is already asleep by the time they both give him the forehead kiss, and since he’s a heavy sleeper, the two alphas don’t worry too much about being quiet as they walk out of Hyeon’s bedroom, Beomgyu closing the door behind them.
“Thanks for your help again, Kai,” he says as he and the younger alpha walk back downstairs.
“What are besties for, hyung?” he says with a smile. “I don’t mind taking care of Hyeon. You know that.”
“I know, but it still wouldn’t hurt to mention how grateful I am,” Beomgyu says pointedly. “I appreciate your help.”
“You better,” Kai warns jokingly, making Beomgyu let out a small smile. “Anyway, I sadly have to leave. I have exams soon, and I still haven’t studied for them.”
“Couldn’t you have studied for them whilst Hyeon was at school?”
Kai shrugs. “I was too lazy. I’ll see you later, hyung. Get some sleep.”
“I’ll try to,” Beomgyu says as he follows Kai to the front door.
“Hyung,” he says in a warning tone.
“What? I said I’ll try.”
Kai rolls his eyes. “Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow, hyung.”
“See you, Kai. Get some sleep, too.” The two hug each other before Kai walks out the front door. Beomgyu closes it behind him but doesn’t lock it until he makes sure Kai gets to the nearest bus stop safely.
Now that Kai is gone, Beomgyu lets out a sigh, turning back around. For the last four years, the same cycle has gone on: he goes to work, Kai comes over to take care of Hyeon, Beomgyu returns from work, and they both tuck Hyeon into bed before Kai leaves. The cycle repeats each day, and whilst Beomgyu wishes it wouldn’t, he doesn’t have a choice. It’s hard enough being a single parent to a five-year-old boy, but working whilst having one is a whole different story. Hyeon is a lot of work like all little kids are, which is why Beomgyu is lucky and grateful that he has a best friend like Kai, who doesn’t mind taking care of his son whilst he’s away at work or running errands.
Everything would be different if Beomgyu and Kai weren’t doing this alone. Hyeon’s mother ran out on him and Beomgyu the morning of Hyeon’s first birthday for no reason at all. She hasn’t returned since, and Beomgyu gave up calling, texting, emailing, and trying to find her after a year. She obviously doesn’t give a fuck about Beomgyu or Hyeon anymore, so why should Beomgyu give a fuck about her?
Beomgyu sighs and decides to walk upstairs to his office to continue working to take his mind off things for now.
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“Daddy, wake up! It’s time for school!”
Beomgyu stirs in his sleep but doesn’t wake yet. It isn’t the first time Hyeon has woken him up, and it certainly isn’t the first time Beomgyu doesn’t wake up when someone tries to wake him.
“Five more minutes,” he mutters, turning to his other side.
“Daddy,” Hyeon giggles, immediately following him. “It’s time for school.”
Beomgyu sighs and finally opens his eyes, making Hyeon break out into a huge smile. “You just can’t leave daddy to sleep, can you, honeybun?”
Hyeon smiles sheepishly. “Only the best for my daddy.”
Beomgyu smiles. “Have you changed?”
“Um…no…?” Hyeon smiles sheepishly.
“What am I going to do with you, Hyeon?” Beomgyu says playfully as he sits up.
“Love me, feed me, never leave me,” Hyeon replies, climbing onto his dad’s lap.
Beomgyu chuckles, looking down at him. “Did you get that from Garfield?”
“Obvi.”
Beomgyu shakes his head, placing a soft kiss on the top of his son’s head. Fortunately, he doesn’t have work until nine a.m., which gives him enough time to get Hyeon ready for school and drop him off.
“Let’s get you ready then, honeybun,” Beomgyu says, getting up with Hyeon in his arms.
Hyeon squeals, making Beomgyu smile at the sound. They walk toward Hyeon’s bedroom, where Beomgyu helps Hyeon change out of his pajamas and into normal clothes. After he’s changed, Beomgyu styles Hyeon’s hair, so it won’t look like a rat’s nest. They then walk downstairs, where Hyeon excitedly runs toward the kitchen for breakfast.
“What do you want for breakfast, honeybun?” Beomgyu asks as they arrive in the kitchen.
“Fruit Loops!” Hyeon replies excitedly.
Beomgyu nods. “Go get your bag ready whilst I serve breakfast, then.”
“Okay, daddy!” Hyeon runs to the living room to do what he is told.
Beomgyu serves himself and Hyeon Fruit Loops in separate bowls, pouring milk into them and placing the spoons. When Hyeon comes back, he already has his bag in his hands, looking ready for school. He just has to eat breakfast and brush his teeth; then they’ll be out of here.
“Daddy, can I FaceTime Grannie?” Hyeon asks as he begins eating.
“Sure, honeybun,” Beomgyu says with a small smile. Every day before he leaves for school, Hyeon FaceTimes his grandparents to see their faces and feels a boost when they wish him a good day at school. Beomgyu takes out his phone and FaceTimes his mom, waiting for her to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Grannie!” Hyeon greets excitedly before Beomgyu can even say a word to her, grabbing the phone from his dad’s hands. He practically shoves his whole face onto the camera, a bright grin spreading across his face.
“Hi, Hyeon,” she returns, a smile immediately lighting up on her face. “How’s my sweet little boy doing?”
“Good! Daddy and I are eating breakfast!”
“Ooh, what are you guys eating?”
“Fruit Loops!”
“Wow, that sounds yummy. I want Fruit Loops,” Beomgyu’s mom says, her lips forming into a small pout.
Hyeon’s eyes light up. “Maybe daddy and I can drop some off later!”
His grandmother’s eyebrows raise. “Then that’ll mean you guys can come over.”
Hyeon’s eyes light up. “Ooh, we can!” He looks at his dad with hopeful eyes. “Can we, Daddy? Please??”
Beomgyu lets out a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, honeybun, but you know Uncle NingNing doesn’t have enough money or a car to take you over to your grandparents’ house.”
“Aw, that’s boring,” Hyeon frowns. “Can’t you take me, daddy?”
“Why don’t you guys come over on Sunday?” his mom suggests. “That way, both you and your daddy will come over, Hyeon. Maybe even Uncle NingNing, too.”
“But Sunday’s five days away!” Hyeon whines.
“Don’t you want to see me?” His grandma playfully frowns.
“Yeah,” Hyeon mutters before he breaks out into a huge smile. “Okay, Grannie, I’ll see you and Grandpa on Sunday with Daddy!”
Beomgyu’s mom chuckles. “Okay, sweetie. I can’t wait. Can you hand your daddy the phone, please?”
“Okay!” Hyeon says, handing the phone to Beomgyu. Just as the male grabs it, Hyeon slides off his chair to go brush his teeth, since he’s done with his breakfast.
“Hi, Mom,” Beomgyu greets, placing his and Hyeon’s bowls in the sink.
“Hi, Beom,” his mom returns. “How have you been doing?”
“Good,” Beomgyu replies. “Kai has been such a big help. I swear, I might buy him a country as a thank you for all he’s done for me.”
His mom chuckles. “Kai’s a really good friend, Beom. I’m sure you’re both lucky to have each other. Speaking of, are you sure you two are just friends?”
“Yes, Mom. It’d be weird if Kai and I dated. I'm not into alphas anyway, remember?”
“Oh. Right,” his mom mumbles, seeming to have forgotten that Kai is an alpha, just like Beomgyu. “Then have you found someone?”
“Mom,” he whines.
“What? I’m just asking.”
“No, I haven’t found anyone.” Beomgyu sighs at her and pointedly averts eye contact with her, even though it’s through the phone. "I don’t want to date right now, especially since I’m still not over…her.”
“Why, Beomgyu?” His mom frowns for real this time, a disapproving look growing in her eyes. Beomgyu tries to pretend as if he doesn’t see it as he starts washing the dishes that he and Hyeon used. “She left you and Hyeon. She isn’t worth it. She claimed she ‘loved’ you but fled the second she got the chance. She couldn’t care less about you or Hyeon. She gives a bad name to us omegas.”
A frown grows on Beomgyu’s face, too. “You don’t know that…”
“Has she returned?”
Beomgyu hesitates before he says, “No…”
“How many years has it been since she left?”
“Almost five…”
“Exactly,” his mom says a bit sternly. “She’s trash, Beomgyu. Just forget about her already, and find an omega or beta that loves you more than anything. Especially if they love Hyeon more than anything, too.”
“That’s going to be hard,” Beomgyu mutters. “But I guess I’ll try, Mom.”
“You better,” she warns. “Anyway, I gotta leave. Your father’s having trouble with the TV again.”
“Yeah, okay, mom.” Beomgyu runs his fingers through his brown hair. “Tell Dad I said hi.”
“Will do. Bye, sweetie.”
“Bye, mom.”
She ends their call, so Beomgyu puts his phone away. Maybe his mom is right—maybe he should forget about her and find someone—preferably an omega—who actually loves him, especially someone who doesn’t mind that he has a son.
That’s going to be impossible.
“Daddy, can we leave now?” Hyeon’s voice breaks Beomgyu out of his thoughts.
“Let me brush my teeth, and we can leave, honeybun,” he says, turning to him with a small smile.
“Do you want help?” Hyeon offers with a slight tilt of his head.
Beomgyu chuckles, cooing internally at how cute Hyeon looks. “No, honeybun. Just grab your shoes, and I’ll be back soon.”
—
Twenty minutes later, Beomgyu and Hyeon arrive at the little boy’s elementary school. It took ten minutes to get themselves in Beomgyu’s car and another ten minutes to drive to Hyeon’s school. Fortunately, they aren’t late—only fifteen minutes to spare.
“Ready to go, honeybun?” Beomgyu asks as he turns off his car.
Hyeon nods excitedly. “Let’s go, daddy!”
Beomgyu chuckles and gets out of the car to help Hyeon unbuckle himself. He holds his son’s hand as he jumps out of the car, Hyeon’s bag in his other hand. They start walking toward Hyeon’s classroom hand in hand, Beomgyu locking his car on the way.
When they arrive, Hyeon’s eyes light up when he notices his best friend. He doesn’t even need to ask Beomgyu if he can go with her since he’s already letting go of his hand. Beomgyu chuckles, and he stands by the gates with Hyeon’s bag as he watches his son and his best friend greet each other excitedly.
“Hi, Beomgyu.”
At the voice, the brunette looks up, his eyes landing on a familiar brown-haired omega standing in front of him. He smiles at her, her rosey scent filling his nose.
“Hi, Jihyo-noona,” he greets.
“Hi,” Jihyo repeats. “I see Hyeon and Ari have already started playing.”
Beomgyu nods, looking back at Hyeon with a small smile.
“So, do you have any plans tonight, Beomgyu?” Jihyo asks, bringing the younger’s attention back to her.
“No, but I have work all day,” he replies. It isn’t the first time Jihyo has asked him this. She’s always wondering if he’s free, so she can ask him out. She makes it obvious about her crush on him, and whilst Beomgyu is also into female omegas and betas, he only sees Jihyo as a friend or the mother of his son’s best friend. Nothing else. He’s made it clear to her before, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.
“Oh, I understand,” she mutters. “What about the rest of the week?”
“Noona, I’m flattered, but I’m not interested, remember?” Beomgyu says softly, to not hurt her feelings. “Besides, if we dated and broke up, it’d be weird to let our children hang out with each other.”
“Why?” she frowns. “We could get married, Beomgyu.”
“I’m not looking for marriage right now, noona.” His last marriage didn’t go so well, especially since his wife left him and their son. “Please, just stop.”
“You’ll say yes one day, Beomgyu,” Jihyo says before she walks away.
Beomgyu just shakes his head at her. For the next ten minutes, he continues watching Hyeon. When the bell rings, Hyeon and his best friend separate to say bye to their parents.
“Bye, Daddy!” Hyeon squeals, jumping up to the ravenette.
Beomgyu smiles and crouches down to hug Hyeon. “Good luck at school, honeybun. Behave well, okay?”
“I promise I will, Daddy,” he says as they pull away.
Beomgyu smiles, and he waves at Hyeon as the little boy walks toward his classroom. Beomgyu makes sure Hyeon arrives safely in his classroom before turning around to walk back to his car when his foot suddenly hits something. He looks down, seeing that it’s a stuffed tiger. He picks it up from the ground, looking up to see who it might belong to. His eyes soon land on a little girl around Hyeon’s age, who's standing a few feet away, crying, whilst a strawberry blond tries to comfort her. Beomgyu can’t really see them from where he’s standing, so he decides to go up to them to see if the stuffed tiger belongs to her.
“Um…hi,” he slowly greets, coming up to them. “I found this on the ground, and I saw that you were crying, so I was wondering if this is yours?” He gives the little girl a small smile as he hands the stuffed tiger to her.
The little girl looks up, fat, wet tears rolling down her chubby cheeks as she sniffles. She looks at Beomgyu’s hand, her eyes lighting up when she notices her stuffed tiger.
“Tigger!” she squeals, grabbing her stuffed animal from Beomgyu’s hand.
“I see it is yours then,” he says softly. “I found it on the ground over there.” He points toward where he found it.
“See, Chaeyeong, I told you you lost it here,” the strawberry blond says, wiping the little girl’s tears away. “Now go before you’re late to class.”
“Bye, Taehyun-ah!” she says, hugging him quickly before scurrying away to her classroom, which is the same one as Hyeon’s.
Beomgyu and the strawberry blond watch the little girl run away, and when she’s out of sight, Beomgyu slowly turns to the blond, smiling at him. The strawberry blond finally looks up at Beomgyu, and the older’s eyes widen when he notices just how beautiful the male is. He has strawberry blond hair that falls into soft curls, doe dark brown, wide eyes, a tall nose, and pink lips that look as soft as clouds. His looks are out of this world, and Beomgyu swears that if he still weren’t in love with Hyeon’s mother, he would've fallen for him.
(especially when he finally realizes the blond is an omega, and his scent is so sweet and lovely, beomgyu feels like he can bathe in it forever.)
“H-hi.” The omega seems to be entranced by Beomgyu’s beauty as well.
“H-hi,” he returns. “Is she yours?”
“Oh, no.” The strawberry blond shakes his head. “She’s my friends’ daughter. I dropped her off since she spent the night with me last night. It was her parents’ anniversary last night, so they dropped her off at mine.”
Beomgyu nods. “Do you have any kids?”
“No. I don’t have a boyfriend, either.”
Beomgyu chuckles and extends his hand to him. “I’m Choi Beomgyu.”
The omega smiles and shakes the alpha’s hand. “Hi, Beomgyu-ssi. I’m Kang Taehyun.”