DAY SIX 💫 #66 Let's Call It Fate (1/2)

[exohousewarming]

Prompt : #66
Title : Let's Call It Fate
Paring : ChanKai
Raiting : NC-17
Warning : mention of prostitution, abuse, mpreg
Word count : 15.527
Summary : Driving down the road of the countryside of Seoul, Chanyeol finds an young pregnant man. He takes the boy named Jongin home and it doesn't take long until Chanyeol falls for him and the baby under his heart.
Author’s note : ❤




Let's Call It Fate

It was already getting dark as Chanyeol drove along the highway to his home. He yawned loudly and rubbed his left eye with his finger. It was a long, exhausting day at work and he wanted nothing more but falling into his bed. But home was still good fifteen minutes away.

"You should rent an apartment in the city, you live too far away.", the voice of his colleague said in his head and Chanyeol shook his head at the words. He might had to deal with forty-five minutes long drive to work every morning, but there was no way he'd give up his house with the big garden in the outskirts of Seoul. No matter how long he would have to work or how tired he'd be every night, he'd never give up his house.

He reached out for the radio and turned up the volume. He slightly moved his head to the rhythm of the music and moved his lips to the lyrics, singing along the artist. He changed the gear and slowed down the speed for the upcoming, rather sharp turn. During this time of the year a lot of deers lived in this area and Chanyeol really didn't want to challenge colliding with one.

Once the bent lay behind him, Chanyeol reached out for the gear shift. He was about the change the gear and speed up again, when all of the sudden a strange looking animal came to view in the headlights. In shock over how suddenly the creature showed up Yeol stepped onto the break, causing the tires of his car to screech on the asphalt as he came to halt.

With wide open eyes and a fast beating heart the young banker leaned over the steering wheel, to take a look at the animal that lay on the roadside. "What the hell is that...?", he mumbled to himself and leaned closer to the windscreen. Chanyeol narrowed his eyes and stared at the thing until it lifted up it's head. "Holy shit!", he squeaked in shock as he looked into the face of a young man.

By itself his right hand reached out to turn on the hazard lights while his left hand fumbled at seatbelt to unbuckle it. "Hey!", he called out as he rushed over to the stranger. "Hey, are you okay?", Yeol stopped in his tracks when the boy backed away in fear. "Hey...", he said again, much quieter this time. Slowly he knelt down. "Don't be afraid. A..are you okay?"

The boy had his head lowered and peeked up to Chanyeol with glassy eyes, but didn't answer. "I..I'm Chanyeol...", Yeol said and smiled softly. "Uhm...you know it's cold and dark and...how about you come with me, huh?"

Again the boy only looked at him. Chanyeol sighed softly. "You know, you can't stay here.", he said. "How about I call the police and they bring you home?", this time the young stranger's eyes dramatically widened. He cried out and rapidly shook his head.

"But..", Yeol almost whined. "Then come with me, okay? You can't stay here.", Chanyeol held out his hand to the boy. "Just for tonight, okay? You can leave tomorrow but please come with me. You really can't stay here."

For a while the young man only stared at the him offered hand until he reached out for it, ever so slowly. A relieved sigh left Chanyeol when the boy eventually took his hand. He stood up and helped him up. He wore nothing more than an oversized long sleeved shirt, ripped pants and a pair of sneakers. Chanyeol let his eyes wander up from the dirty shoes to the scratched open knees, to the shirt, that weirdly stretched over the young male's belly.

Without noticing it Chanyeol stared at the baby bump with his mouth slightly ajar. Only when the boy covered the small round with his hands, Yeol looked away. "Ahh..sorry.", he apologized with a weird grin and scratched himself on the cheek. "I didn't mean to stare...sorry uhm..come."

Gently he dragged the obviously pregnant along and helped him into the car. He made sure that boy had fasten his seatbelt before he started the engine. The ride home was silent. Chanyeol figured that the boy must've been very exhausted because from time to time his eyes fell shut against his will. Both of his hands lay on his belly, rubbing it now and then.

"Uh..do you want to take a bath when we're home?", Chanyeol carefully asked and glanced at the stranger. "I'm sure you're cold and you should clean the wounds on your legs."

The boy nodded and mouthed a faint "Thank you."

Finally at home, Chanyeol led his unexpected guest to the bathroom. The young pregnant watched as Chanyeol ran around the room to get him shampoo, shower gel, a couple of towels and some clothes.
"This is all I could find, I'm sorry if they don't fit.", Yeol said as he held up some clothes. "Uh..you can have these, they don't fit me anymore. Alright, I'll leave you now, uhm..call me if you need something, okay? I'll go and prepare something to eat.", with that he left the boy alone and skipped to his bedroom to change into some more comfortable clothes.

Dressed in a pair of sweats and a simple shirt, Yeol started to prepare a some food; fried rice, some soup and kimchi. In no time the pleasant smell of warm food lingered in the air.

Freshly showered and dressed in the clothes that were left for him the young pregnant peeked into the kitchen just as Chanyeol placed some cutlrey on the table. "Ah, there you are. ", the tall man smiled. "Have a seat."

Slowly the boy crept over to the kitchen table and sat down at it. His eyes widened at the amount of food that Chanyeol had set up. "Ahaha, yeah it's quite a lot. But I didn't know what you like or if there's anything you can't eat because of the baby, because you know, my mother for example couldn't eat tomatos, she..ah sorry, I talk too much."

The boy had to smile at the faint blush that crept over the man's cheeks. "Eat as much as you want. Do you want something to drink?"

Slowly the young male nodded. "Uhm..tea, please?"

Chanyeol didn't expect the boy to actually answer and slightly fliched in surprise. "Uh..tea, yeah sure.", he broke into a smile. "Is fruit tea okay?", this time there was no answer, only a nod. Chanyeol got up and reached out for the kettle. While he waited until the water boiled, he sat down again. "Is it good?", he brightly smiled when the boy hummed.

They enjoyed their dinner and tea in a comfortable silence. By the great amount that he had eaten, Chanyeol assumed that the boy hadn't eaten in awhile. It worried him, he was pregnant after all. And what worried him even more was that the boy seemed to be a homeless. The clothes he was wearing were anything else than acceptable for the cold, wet weather and as far as Chanyeol could tell, he didn't have a phone or wallet. With sorrowful eyes he looked at the happily munching male. Only when the boy glanced at him, he looked away.

"Ah, sorry..", Yeol apologized for staring; the second time this day. "I..sorry for being curious but..uh..are you homeless?", he could see the boy swallowing hard. "Is that a yes?"

After a while the boy eventually nodded.

"What's your name?"

"...Jongin..."

"Okay, listen Jongin.", Chanyeol said and rested his elbows on the table. "People, probably, will call me crazy for this but I want you to stay here.", he said. "I won't accept a no. You're homeless, you're pregnant and I wouldn't able to sleep ever again if I'd let you go tomorrow.", he looked deep into Jongin's wide open, soft brown eyes. "I want nothing for it. All I want is you to stay here until we find a place where you can stay. Okay?"

"...But.."

"No buts!", Chanyeol said in a stern voice. "Answer me. Do you have a place to go?"

"..No.."

"Did you freeze while you were out there on the streets?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to bring your child in danger?"

"No."

"See! Then the thing is clear. You'll stay here for so long."

Jongin looked at Chanyeol; looked at his soft smile and his sparkling big eyes. "I..", he looked away and gazed down at his small bump.

"Come on, just say yes.", Chanyeol said. "If not for you, do it for the baby, huh?"

"The baby...", he mumbled. "Okay.", he then said and looked back up. "I'll stay."

"Great!", Chanyeol beamed. "Then, welcome home Jongin."


~~~


"Uhm, Jongin?"

The boy peeked up to him as soon as Chanyeol had called out his name. It had been almost three weeks since Yeol had found the young homeless on the streets and for quite a while a certain question wandered through his mind. Jongin still hadn't talked much to him, still shyly answered all his questions with single words or gestures but he really needed an answer.

"It's about the baby."

Jongin's eyes grew wide and Chanyeol could see him gulping.

"I was wondering if you'd like to see a doctor. You know, checking up on the baby, if it's healthy and growing well."

Chanyeol knew Jongin expected him to asked something differently because he could see the boy's tensed shoulders relaxing again. "I..", the young man began. "I...don't have money to pay a doctor."

"Ah..", Chanyeol voiced out. He had forgotten that Jongin didn't have a health insurance. "Don't worry about that.", the then said and flashed the pregnant a toothy smile. "So do you want to go and check up on the little one?"

A faint blush crept over Jongin's cheeks and eventually he nodded. He brought both hands to his belly and caressed it lovingly. Chanyeol watched the boy with a smile, then reached out for his phone to call the next hospital.

The next day, Chanyeol left work early to pick Jongin up from home and drive him to the hospital. The young man seemed to be nervous and chewed on his lower lip as they waited in the big waiting room for a nurse to pick Jongin up. "Are you okay?", Chanyeol carefully asked.

Jongin quickly nodded and put on a smile.

Chanyeol had to snicker at the forced, strange looking grin. "You don't have to be nervous.", he smiled. "The doctor is only going to check up on the baby."

The boy nodded again, flinching as a nurse suddenly called out his name. He tensed and shrieked a "Yes?!" as the nurse waved at him, mentioning him to follow her. Jongin stood up and made a few steps before he stopped in his tracks and turned to Chanyeol.

The tall man smiled at. "Go ahead. I'll wait here."

Quickly, Jongin shook his head. He gazed to the floor and began to play with the hem of the jacket, Chanyeol had given to him.

"Jongin?", Chanyeol asked and rose up from his seat. "Are you alright? You should go, now."

Again, Jongin shook his head. "...Afraid...", he mumbled out and glanced up to Chanyeol.

"Afraid?", Yeol asked. "You don't have to be afraid.", he could see the fear in the smaller one's eyes and it seemed as if Jongin really was afraid. "Uhm, shall I come with you?"

Chanyeol almost had to laugh at how quickly Jongin nodded his head. With hopeful eyes he looked at the tall man and sighed loudly as Chanyeol smiled and nodded towards the examination room.

"Ah, there you are.", an elderly man smiled at them as they finally stepped into the big, brightly lit room. "Please have a seat.", the doctor said and pointed at an examination couch.

Jongin waddled towards the couch and sat down on it. The medic adjusted a pair of silly glasses on his nose and stood up from his chair. "How are you feeling?",he asked.

"Hmm...good."

"Ah, that's good to hear.",the man smiled. "Do we want to take a look at the baby then?"

Slowly, Jongin removed his jacket and laid down. Chanyeol could see his body tensing as the doctor reached for the hem of his hoodie to push it up. He frowned slightly but broke into a smile as soon as Jongin's small round baby bump as revealed.

The doctor began to move his hands over the belly, gently digging his fingers into the flesh, humming every now and then. With every minute that passed, Jongin relaxed more and more and his previously flat breathing changed to a normal breathing with steady, calm breaths. "Alright then.", said the doctor after a while. "Let's take a closer look at the little one."

Jongin's eyes were wide open as the doctor moved the head of the ultrasound machine over his belly. Fascinated he stared at the screen of the monitor and watched the baby inside him. "This is the head.", the medic said and tapped onto the screen. "These are the hands and here we have his feet."

"His feet?", Chanyeol asked. "He? So, it's a boy?"

"Oh, didn't you know the gender yet?"

Jongin shook his head, eyes sparkling at the news.

"Did you want it to know? Because if not, I'm really sorry.", the man apologized.

"No..", Jongin voiced out with a smile on his lips. "It's okay."

A sigh left the doctor. "Phew, then I'm glad.", he continued the sonography for another few minutes until he put the scanning head to the side and handed Jongin a few tissues, so he could wipe his belly clean. "I'd like to run a few tests."

"Uh, why that?", Chanyeol asked and Jongin nodded at the words.

The doctor pushed the glasses on his nose up the bridge and leaned back a bit. "I have the suspicion that you have a vitamin deficiency.", he said and turned to Jongin. "The baby should be much more active than it is right now."

"Wasn't it asleep?", Chanyeol asked.

"No.", the man said and shook his head. "As I pressed my fingers into the belly, the baby responded to the pressure but it was just a slight movement."

"And a vitamin deficiency can be reasonable for that?", Yeol curiously asked.

"Yes. The baby receives all its energy from mother or father. Vitamins gives us energy and if the vitamin level of a pregnant is too low, the baby doesn't get as much vitamins as it needs to grow and gain energy."

Jongin's face fell at the doctor's words and Chanyeol felt bad for him. "But, vitamin deficiency goes away again, right? I mean, Jongin just has to take a few vitamin pills and eat more fruit, right?"

The medic nodded his head. "Yes. It's nothing to worry about."

Chanyeol laughed out, flashing Jongin a cheeky smile. "No wonder you sleep so much.", he snickered, causing the young male to blush.

"You sleep a lot?", the doctor asked and Jongin nodded at the question, cheeks still flushed.

"Actually, that's normal. Because you don't have that much energy you're tired and have the urge to sleep a lot. But you'll see, in a few days you'll feel much better."

Jongin smiled softly and watched as the man stood up and walked to his desk. "Well, in that case we don't have to run a blood test. I'll just write you a prescription and you can pick up some vitamin supplement from the pharmacy."

Chanyeol took the prescription from the doctor and before Jongin and he were able to finally leave the hospital again, the medic printed out an ultrasound image for Jongin. With a wide, loving smile the young male stared down at the black and white picture of his unborn baby and proudly showed it Chanyeol as soon as they've reached the car.

Chanyeol took the picture and smiled at it. "Looks like a peanut, don't you think? Or a kidney bean."

Jongin had to snicker at the comparison but nodded his head. He traced his fingers over the print after Chanyeol had given it back to him.

"You were surprised as he asked if you'd like to have an ultrasound image.", Chanyeol randomly stated as he drove out of the hospital's parking lot. "Is it your first one?", he glanced at the boy next to him and frowned as Jongin nodded. "Don't tell me that was your first check-up?!", again Jongin nodded and Yeol had to gasp at the nod.

There was a short term of silence. Chanyeol just couldn't believe that Jongin never before had went to check up on the baby under his heart. It truly shocked him. "Uh, well.", he spoke up after a while. "From now on we make sure to let someone check up on the little guy, regularly."

A smile formed on Jongin's lips and he nodded his head. Chanyeol glanced at the smaller and shook his head, slightly. Again, Jongin was staring down at the image; it was just too cute.

After a quick stop at the pharmacy, Chanyeol headed for the next supermarket. "You want to wait here?", he asked the pregnant as he parked the car near the entrance of the market.

Jongin shook his head no and unbuckled his seatbelt. He got out of the car and followed the taller to the building. Chanyeol got them a shopping cart and immediately headed for the fruits department.

Constantly Jongin was asked what kind of fruits he would like and he had to smile at the great amount of various fruits that Chanyeol dropped into the cart. "You like tangerines?", he nodded his head at taller's ask and watched as Chanyeol reached out for a net of the small orange fruit.

"Say, do we want to eat some pasta for dinner?", Chanyeol asked as he reached out for tomatoes.

Jongin shrugged and nodded at the same time.

Yeol raised a brow. "Is that a yes?"

"...Yes."

"Alright.", the tall man flashed a smile and looked out for some fresh herbs. "Pasta for dinner."

Jongin quietly waddled after Chanyeol as the man made his way through the supermarket. The tall man hummed a soft melody as he pushed the cart through the aisle, throwing random things into it. "Which one do you like more?"

Raising both brows, Jongin looked at crackers Chanyeol held up. "Uhm...I-" "Chanyeol!", as the tall man's name was loudly called out, Jongin shrieked. He jumped at Chanyeol, literally hiding behind him. He peeked over the man's shoulder and watched as a chubby woman sprinted towards them.

"Chanyeol.", she called out again, with a smile on her face. "What a surprise.", she chirped. "I thought you've left work early today?"

"I did.", Yeol answered her with a smile. "I had an important appointment."

"Ah, I see.", the woman, Jongin had figured out as Chanyeol's colleague, said. He tensed as their eyes met. "Oh, who's that?", she asked and made step forwards. A grin formed on her lips. "Chanyeol! You've never mentioned that you have a boyfriend."

Both, Jongin and Chanyeol blushed at her words. "Ah, no..", Yeol stuttered.

The small woman pushed Chanyeol away to get a full view of Jongin. "Don't even try it, Yeol.", she laughed as she looked at Jongin. "There's no need to hide such a beauty from me. I'm tru- oh my god!", she squealed out loudly as she spotted the bulge under Jongin's jacket. "Chanyeol!", her screech was loud and high pitched and Jongin scrunched up his face at the shrill sound.

The quirky woman jumped up and down in joy and grabbed Chanyeol by the arm to pull him into a hug. "Why didn't you say anything?!", she beamed. "Congratulations! Oh my god, this is so amazing. I didn't know. I mean I didn't even know that you have a boyfriend but now this! Ahhh, so great! Wait? Is this why you said 'No', because he isn't your boyfriend? Oh my, are you married already?"

Jongin had to chuckle at how desperately Chanyeol tried to calm his overly excited colleague down but the woman just didn't want to listen. She cut Yeol off every time he tried to explain the situation. "Ahhh, the other's eyes will fall out when I tell them the news!"

"Ah, no.", Chanyeol whined. "Please, it's n-" "Ah, Yeollie, you're too cute.", she cut in again and pinched the tall man's cheeks. "Nothing to be shy about. You'll see, the other's will be just as happy as I am.", she grinned. "Ah, now I have to go. I have to get some milk and cook dinner then. See you at work my love.", she waved at Jongin and chirped a small "Bye!", before she hopped away.
With a flushed face Chanyeol turned to Jongin. "I'm really, really sorry.", he apologized. "I didn't think we could meet any of my colleagues here."

Jongin showed Yeol a small smile. "It's okay."

"I promise, I'll clear that up, tomorrow. I'm really sorry."

Jongin opened his mouth to say something but his growling stomach interrupted him. He blushed at the loud sound and slapped both hands over his belly as if it would keep it from grumbling. Chanyeol laughed at the boy's cute expression. "I guess it's time to go home.", he said and grabbed the shopping cart. "Come, let's go."

Back at home, Jongin excused himself and went to his room. He sat down on the bed and brought out the ultrasound image. A warm smile formed onto his lips as he looked at it. He leaned back onto the mattress and held it above his face. "Kidney bean.", he chuckled as he remembered Chanyeol's words from earlier. "But he's right.", he then mumbled and placed a hand on swell of his belly. "You really look like a bean. My little bean.", he brought the image to his lips and pressed a kiss to it.

"Jongin?"

As his name was called out Jongin sat back up. He put the print onto the bedside table and got up from the bed. "Hm?", he hummed out as he opened the door to his room and peeked into the corridor.
Chanyeol stood in the doorway of the laundry room with a blue basket tucked under his arms. "I want to wash, you have some dark clothes?"

Chanyeol followed Jongin's gaze as the young male looked down his body to his legs. He slightly tugged at the fabric of his pants before he looked back up to Chanyeol. He quickly turned away and disappeared into his room. A few moments later the door to the room opened again and Jongin had changed into a pair of sweats. He handed Chanyeol his black jeans and smiled shyly.

"Thanks.", Yeol smiled back and took the cloth. "I'll just throw it in and then I'll start with dinner."

Jongin nodded. "I...uh..help?"

"Ah, yeah sure.", Chanyeol smiled at the boy. "If you want you can go and start washing the tomatoes."

Jongin nodded and showed Chanyeol a small smile before he skipped down the stairs. Chanyeol shook his head as he turned into the room and stepped towards the washing machine. Jongin's shyness was too cute and most of the times Chanyeol wanted nothing more as to pull the boy into a hug and squeeze his cuteness out of him.

Chanyeol still wondered what had happened to Jongin but he didn't dare to ask. He didn't want to unsettle him. He already guessed that something bad must've happened to the pregnant. Jongin wasn't only shy, he was also fearful. Loud, sudden, unexpected sounds made him shriek and not even a week ago, he burst into tears as Chanyeol banged his hand onto the table in anger over his laptop. It took Chanyeol almost an hour to calm him down and he still felt sorry for scaring the pregnant with his outburst over this slow, old laptop.

As Chanyeol came down to the kitchen, Jongin sat at the kitchen table and fumbled open the package of the Parmesan, Chanyeol had bought. "Want to taste it?", Yeol asked and brought out a knife.

Jongin nodded and held out the piece of Italian cheese with a cute expression. Chanyeol cut him a piece from it and watched as Jongin bit into the cheese, humming softly. "Good?"

The pregnant nodded with a smile. "I..I washed the tomatoes."

"Great, thank you.", Yeol said. "Would you cut them? I would chop the herbs, meanwhile."

Again the smaller only nodded. Chanyeol placed a cutting board in front of Jongin and handed him a small knife before he also sat down at the table and began to chop the fresh herbs. Chanyeol noticed Jongin's careful handling with the knife. He watched as Jongin slowly cut the tomato and wondered if Jongin ever got injured by a knife. The soft sigh that left him, drew the other's attention. Questioningly, Jongin glanced up to the taller. "Ah.", Yeol voiced out. "Sorry, I just were in thoughts.", he smiled.

"Am...am I..too..slow?", Jongin asked as if he would know that Chanyeol noticed his slow working pace. Unsure, he put the knife down and bit his lower lip.

"What?!", Yeol shrieked. "No, no! Just make sure you don't cut yourself. Go ahead.", he encouraged Jongin with a smile.

It took its time until Jongin had cut all the tomatoes they needed but Chanyeol was glad that Jongin spent some time with him, even though they spent it in silence. Chanyeol felt the young male's eyes on him as he stood at the stove, stirring in the pot. "Come here.", he smiled at Jongin. "Taste it.", he blew some air onto the sauce to cool it down a bit before he offered Jongin the spoon.

Slowly the smaller opened his mouth and let Chanyeol feed him the warm tomato sauce. "Yummy.", he chirped and licked and smacked his plump lips after he had swallowed the bite.

"Great.", Yeol smiled. "Then let's set the table and eat."

Jongin seemed to enjoy the dinner and it made Chanyeol happy. But after a while the pregnant began to shift in his seat as if he'd be uncomfortable. "Is something wrong?"

Jongin tensed and looked up from his plate. "...No.."

"Jongin, I can tell that something is wrong, so what is it?"

The young male blushed slightly. "I..feel hot..",the then mumbled. "It's warm."

"Why don't you take off your hoodie, then?", Chanyeol suggested but Jongin quickly shook his head. "Jongin, if you're feeling hot, take off your hoodie. You don't have to sweat."

Jongin began to chew on his lip and Chanyeol could see that the boy was fighting with himself. A soft sigh left Chanyeol. "Come.", he said and rose up from his chair.

"Huh?"

"Come.", Yeol repeated and nodded towards the door.

With a frown Jongin watched as the tall man grabbed his plate and left the kitchen. Slightly confused he stayed in the kitchen until he decided to follow Chanyeol. Chanyeol had went to the living room where he waited at the patio door with two blankets draped over his arm. Jongin's heart sped up as he got what the taller wanted to do. He stepped towards the room and gladly accepted the wool blanket, Chanyeol offered him.

Together the two young men stepped onto the taller's terrace where they, wrapped into the blankets sat down at the small table and continued their dinner.

"...Thank you...", Jongin after a while mumbled.

"Nah.",Yeol waved him off. "It's okay. I just don't want you to sweat. But tell me if you're getting cold. I don't want you to freeze either."

A blush crept over Jongin's cheeks. Chanyeol was such a generous and kind man, it made Jongin's heart sped up. He nodded at his words and took the last bite of his food.

"You know what I've thought of?"

He shook his head at Chanyeol's question. He put his fork down onto his empty plate and looked at the taller, questioningly.

"There's a small practice a few streets away from here. Maybe you could go there for the next check up.", Chanyeol uttered. "Then you could go there on your own and we don't always have to drive the long way to the hospital."

Jongin approved this idea and nodded his head.

"Great.", Yeol smiled. "I'll call them tomorrow."

Jongin watched as the taller finished his meal and leaned back into the chair after he had swallowed the last bite. He watched as Yeol snuggled into the blanket and closed his eyes for a while. Chanyeol was a handsome man and Jongin couldn't help but admire the tall man's features. The lids of Chanyeol's eyes fluttered slightly and only when the man opened his eyes, Jongin looked away again.

"Are you still feeling hot?"

Jongin felt his cheeks warming up. He shifted in his seat and nodded. "I..I'm sorry.."

"Sorry? For what?", Chanyeol said, showing a warm smile. "You and your body are dealing with many changes and hormones, you don't have to be sorry."

Jongin nodded.

"And you don't have to be shy or embarrassed.", Chanyeol then said and sat up in his chair."No matter what it is. If you're feeling uncomfortable or if you're craving for something, talk to me, okay? Let me know."

Yeol gasped in shock as Jongin all of the sudden broke into tears. He jumped towards the pregnant and knelt down in front of him. "Did I say something wrong?", he asked, worried. "Did I offend you or something?"

Sobbing, Jongin shook his head. He looked at Chanyeol and opened his mouth but nothing but hiccup's left him.

Chanyeol was overwhelmed. He didn't offend Jongin, yet he couldn't tell why the young man was crying. Not knowing, what else he could've done, he grabbed Jongin by his arms and pulled him into an embrace. He could feel the pregnant's body tensing at his sudden action, but only a few moments later, Jongin relaxed. His hands clutched at Chanyeol's hoodie as he sobbed into his shoulder. Yeol ran his large hand up and down Jongin's back, trying to calm him down with the strokes.

"...Thank...you.."

"Huh?", Yeol voiced out and loosened the hug to pull back. "What?", he asked.

"Thank you.", Jongin repeated, eyes red, puffy and still slightly glassy.

Chanyeol frowned in confusion. "Thank you?"

The young man nodded, hands still holding onto the hoodie. "You are so nice to me.", he said. "Never someone else has been nice to me before."

The frown on Chanyeol's forehead didn't disappear. "What are you saying?"

"You're the first one who has ever been nice to me."

"I am the..", Yeol shook his head and flashed Jongin a smile. "I might be the first but you'll see, you'll meet many other people who are just as nice as I am."

Chanyeol watched as Jongin slowly began to smile. Of course he was curious; more than curious. Of course he wanted to know what had happened to Jongin, just now that the boy mentioned that never before someone had been nice to him but he bit back the urge to ask.

Just as Yeol wanted to ask if they would want to go back inside, Jongin began to shiver. Wordlessly, he pulled Jongin to his feet and gently pushed him inside the living room. "You should take a bath.", he smiled as the pregnant rubbed his hands together.

"Hmm..don't you need help with the dishes?"

"Haha, no.", Yeol laughed out, glancing down at the two plates and two forks he held in his hands. "Go and take a bath, no need to help me with this."

Jongin nodded and left the room towards the bathroom. Chanyeol stayed in the room until he heard the door of the bath closing. And while Jongin took a bath to warm up, Chanyeol washed the dishes, put the leftovers in the fridge and prepared a bowl full of fruit salad for the pregnant.

"Jongin?", Yeol called out as Jongin, an hour later still wasn't back from the bathroom. Gently he knocked on the door and pressed an ear against it. "Jongin?", slowly Chanyeol reached for the door knob. To his surprise the door wasn't locked and sprung open as soon as he twisted the the door knob. "Uhm, Jongin? Is it okay if I come in?", Yeol asked and opened the door a little wider. He peeked into the steamy room and looked over to the bathtub. "Isn't the wat-Jongin!"

As fas as a lightning Chanyeol jumped towards the tub and grabbed the sleeping Jongin by his neck and shoulder just as he was about to completely sink into the water. In shock over the sudden rough touch, Jongin shrieked, causing some water to splash over the edge of the tub. With wide open eyes and a fast beating heart he stared at Chanyeol's pale face. "What?!"

Chanyeol let go of the pregnant, sinking onto the wet floor with a loud sigh. "You fell asleep.", he informed Jongin. "You almost...are you okay?"

Jongin nodded, glancing down into the water. "I..I'm sorry.."

"Ah, it's okay.", Yeol said, trying to smile. "I'm glad you didn't lock the door. Why didn't you tell me that you're tired?"

"I wasn't.", the young pregnant mumbled. "I really wasn't. I don't know....the water was so nice and suddenly..."

"You don't have to apologize.", Chanyeol smiled and got up from the floor. Parts of his sweatpants were soaked and clung to his skin. He reached out to grab Jongin's towel. "But, I'd like you to come out now.", he turned away as Jongin got out of the tub and only turned back as the smaller had wrapped himself into the big towel.

"I'm sorry.", Jongin mumbled again, chewing on his lower lip.

Chanyeol only smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his damp hair. As he pulled his hand away his gaze fell onto the pregnants bare arms. His eyes widened at the sight of the couple of scars that decorated the skin. Before Jongin could notice that he had seen the healed wounds on his arms, Yeol flashed the smaller a smile. "I've prepared some fruit salad. Get dressed and come to the living room, huh?"

Jongin nodded, blushing slightly. He clutched at the towel and slowly waddled towards the laundry hamper where some fresh clothes lay. Chanyeol left the bathroom with the pictures of Jongin's scars in his head. He wondered if he should ask the pregnant about them as he took off his wet sweatpants and changed into a fresh, dry pair.

Shyly, Jongin peeked into the living room and watched as Chanyeol shuffled around the big room, folding a blanket and switching on the TV. He took a step further into the room, playing with the hem of his hoodie. His eyes lit up at the sight of the huge bowl of colorful fruit salad that stood in the middle of the wooden coffee table.

"Ah, there you are.", Chanyeol smiled at him and nodded towards the couch. "Make yourself comfy and grab some.", he said. "I'll be right back."

Slowly Jongin climbed onto the couch, waiting until Chanyeol came back with a bottle of juice tucked under his arm and two glasses in his hands. Jongin eyed the strange looking juice as Chanyeol poured it into the glasses. "It looks strange..", he voiced out as the man handed him a glass.

"Strange?", Yeol asked.

Jongin nodded. "The color.", he mumbled and peeked into his glass, scrunching his nose at the dark orange fluid.

"It's multivitamin juice.", Chanyeol explained and took a sip of it. "It tastes good."

Sceptical Jongin brought the glass to his lips and nipped onto the juice. It indeed tasted much better as it looked and he hummed as he took another sip of it.

"Good, right?"

He nodded. The juice was good but Chanyeol's fruit salad was heaven. It was sweeten with honey and flavored with a little vanilla extract and Jongin just couldn't get enough of it; he almost ate the whole bowl by himself.

"I guess we should make fruit salad more often then, huh?", Yeol snickered as he peeked into the almost empty bowl. "I'm glad you like it."

"It's yummy.", Jongin smiled with his spoon in his mouth. "Thank you."

"Why you always thank me?", Chanyeol laughed at Jongin's cuteness and the faint blush that crept over his cheeks. "You don't have to."

"You're nice to me and that's why I thank you.", Jongin said with an adorable pout.

"Well, if it's so.", Yeol hummed. "Thank you, too."

"T..thank you, too?"

Chanyeol nodded. "Thank you for eating my fruit salad."

"Thank you for making it.", Jongin said back.

"Thank you for eating my pasta.", Yeol grinned, challenging the smaller.

"Thank you for making me the pasta."

"Thank you for helping me preparing it."

"Thank you for taking me to the hospital."

"Thank you for staying at my house."

This time Jongin remained silent. He glanced down to his belly before he looked back up to Chanyeol. "Thank you for picking us up."

With a soft smile on his face, Chanyeol watched as Jongin gazed back to his baby bump. As the young male brought his hands to it, he reached out and stroke Jongin over the head. "I'm glad you came with me.", he smiled as Jongin looked at him, slightly leaning into the gentle touch.

~~~

It was in the middle of the night as Chanyeol woke up to a soft knocking on his door. He rolled over to switch on the lights. "Jongin?", he called out and only a second later the door opened and the young pregnant stepped into the room. "Is something wrong?"

"There..there are noises...", Jongin whispered with a lowered head.

"Noises?", Yeol asked and sat up. "What kind of noises?"

"I don't know...There are noises at the door."

"At the front door?", Chanyeol asked and raised a brow. He pulled the blanket back and got out of the bed. He gently pushed past Jongin and went downstairs. There indeed was a noise and Yeol knitted his brows together at the strange rustling sound. He unlocked the door and opened it, yelping in shock as something wet and small jumped at him. "Holy!"

Jongin who had followed Chanyeol downstairs, also flinched at the man's sudden shriek. He gasped in shock and took a few steps back. "Wh..what is it?", he carefully asked. At first he frowned as Chanyeol bend down to pick something up but as soon as the man turned to him, the frown faded away. With wide open and sparkling eyes he looked at the small, soaking wet dog Chanyeol held in his arms.

"May I introduce? This is Buddy.", Chanyeol smiled and the fuzzy, cream colored dog in his arms barked as his name was mentioned. "Seems as if Buddy needs a shelter for the night."

"Is..is he yours?", Jongin asked as he followed Chanyeol upstairs to the laundry room where the man fetched an old towel and began to dry off the pup.

"No, he's not. He's a stray dog.", Yeol began to explain as he gently rubbed the cloth over the small dog's back. "He doesn't have an owner. He lives here in the neighborhood. I started to feed him a while ago. Over the warm months he barely shows up but now, when the days are cold and rainy he often drops by."

"Did you give him the name?"

"I did. Since I don't know his name or if he even has a name, I started to call him Buddy."
Once the dog was completely dry, Chanyeol set Buddy back to his paws. Immediately, the little dog hopped over to Jongin, rubbing it's head against his shin. "He's so cute.", Jongin squealed as he knelt down to pet the stray dog. "Maybe he's hungry?"

"He's always hungry.", Chanyeol laughed. "But you're right, we should feed him.", he whistled as he left the laundry room and went to the kitchen and Buddy was fast on his little paws to follow the tall man.

Jongin toddled after them, sitting down at the kitchen table as Chanyeol brought out a can of dog food. With a smile on his face he watched as the dog munched the food in the small bowl.

"You like dogs?"

"I love them!", Jongin beamed and Chanyeol snickered at his sparkling eyes.

"Did you have a dog?"

"When I was younger.", the boy said, still looking at the pup. "I miss having a dog."

"Well, Buddy is not mine but now that it's getting colder he often stays here. He can keep you company when I'm at work.", Jongin nodded at his words and the longer Chanyeol looked at him the more he wondered something. "Jongin?",he asked.

"Hm?",the pregnant hummed.

"Were you upstairs in your room?"

Eventually, Jongin looked at him. "W..what?"

"Were you in your room? Were you asleep?"

"...Yes..", Jongin quickly nodded.

"I don't believe you."

A small gasp left the smaller. "Why not?"

"The sounds Buddy made were not loud enough to wake you from your sleep. So, tell me. Did you sleep?"

After a short term of silence Jongin sighed and shook his head. "...I was awake..."

"Why? Did you have a bad dream?"

"No..."

"What is it?"

"I can't sleep..."

Chanyeol frowned. "You can sleep? What does that mean."

"I can't sleep at night...sleeping at night is dangerous..."

"Sleeping at night is dangerous?", Chanyeol repeated, visibly confused. "Wait does that mean, all the afternoons you slept on the couch were because you haven't slept at night?!", he gasped as Jongin slowly nodded his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"...I didn't want to bother you..."

"Oh, Jongin.", Chanyeol smiled. "You don't bother me. You can talk to me if you have a problem. What do you do when you can't sleep?"

"..I wander around.."

"You walk around the house the whole night?"

"Yes."

"But, aren't you tired?"

"I am."

"But, why don't you sl-", Chanyeol stopped in the middle of his sentence as he noticed Jongin's glassy eyes. He knew the pregnant was about to cry. "If..uh..if it's dangerous to sleep at night, why don't you sleep at my room then?!"

"At yours...?"

"Yes.", Chanyeol smiled. "Sleep in my room and I'll protect you from whatever you're afraid of."
Jongin brought his hands up to his face as he felt his cheeks begin to burn. He hid his red face behind his hands, peeking at the still smiling Chanyeol through his fingers.

"So, you want to?", Yeol asked. "I mean, you'd have to share a bed with me but I don't need that much space and I don't bite. But beware of Buddy. He might be small, but he takes a lot of space."
Jongin snickered at the comment and began to nod. "I..I'd like to."

"Alright.", Chanyeol said and stood up. "Then let's go to bed. It's already late."

Together with little Buddy, Jongin followed Chanyeol to his bedroom. Shyly, he looked at the huge bed. "Where do you want to sleep, right or left?", he was asked and after a while he pointed to the left side of the bed. "Well then, hop in.", Chanyeol smiled at him and ever so slowly, Jongin climbed into the bed. The left side of the bed was pleasantly warm and it seemed as if Chanyeol had slept on this side before. He snuggled into the pillow and snickered as Buddy jumped into the bed, immediately making himself comfortable on Chanyeol's pillow.

Chanyeol shooed the dog away as he also got into the bed. Buddy made room and moved to the edge of the bed instead, curling up into a ball at Chanyeol's feet. "Sleep tight.", Yeol said as he pulled the covers over their bodies. "And don't hesitate to tell me if you're not feeling comfortable or you can't sleep, okay?"

"Okay.", Jongin chirped and pulled the covers a little higher to hide his face.

Chanyeol chuckled at the cute action and turned to switch off the lights. "Good night.", he whispered into the dark.

"Good night.",Jongin whispered back. Chanyeol's presence and Buddy's soft snoring calmed Jongin down and he wasn't afraid at all. He sighed softly as he closed his eyes and even before he knew it he fell into a deep, tight sleep.

The next day, Jongin woke up to an almost empty bed. Chanyeol was gone, Buddy still there, sound asleep on the man's pillow. Slowly Jongin reached out for the dog and stroke him over the head. "Good morning.",he smiled as Buddy looked at him with his big brown eyes, tail wiggling cutely.
He climbed out of the bed and went downstairs. It was already past nine and Chanyeol gone for work. He found a prepared breakfast on the kitchen table along with his vitamins, a note, some money and a key.

Slightly confused over the money and the key, he reached for the note. "Good morning.", he read out. "I hope you had a good sleep. I'll be back around the afternoon and thought we could eat some grilled veggies tonight. There is a market down the street, you can't miss it. If you want you can go and buy some vegetables and maybe some food for Buddy, too. See you tonight."
Tilting his head to side, Jongin looked at the money and back to the note. He thought for a moment. "Say Buddy, do we want to go for a walk?"


~~~


Packed like a donkey, Chanyeol stumbled into his house, almost falling over the dozen of bags he had dropped to the floor. "Jongin?", he called out but got no response. "Buddy?", he then whistled but the dog also didn't respond.

As he kicked off his shoes he noticed Jongin's sneakers missing. He grabbed the bags and brought them to the living room. His lips curled into a smile as he found a small bowl with a few pieces of fruit in it left on the coffee table. Just as he was about to leave for a shower, the front door opened and Jongin and Buddy entered the hall. "Hey.", he greeted him with a welcoming smile.
"Hello.", Jongin smiled back, dropping the shopping basket to the floor.

"Oh, you bought a lot.", Chanyeol said as he bend down to pick the basket up. "Why didn't you go earlier?"

"It was raining.", the pregnant said as he followed Chanyeol to the kitchen.

Chanyeol hummed. "Hmm, the weather forecast said that it'll rain a lot in the next days."

Jongin nodded. "It's cold."

Chanyeol glanced at the smaller. "Did you freeze? Do you need another jacket?"

"No.", Jongin said, shaking his head. "I didn't freeze.", he fumbled the key out of his pocket and placed it onto the table.

"Is there money left?", at the question Jongin's face heated up and he blushed. Chanyeol quirked a brow at his red face. "Huh?"

"I..there's no money left...I.."

"Did you buy something?"

"Yes.", Jongin squeaked and nodded his head. "Ice cream and hot chocolate."

Chanyeol laughed out at the other's embarrassed expression. "Hahaha, ice cream and hot chocolate?"

"I wanted to eat ice cream but then I was cold and bought hot chocolate.", Jongin mumbled, pursing his lips into an adorable pout. "I'm sorry."

"What?", Yeol snickered. "It's okay. If you crave for something don't hesitate to tell me or buy it.", he smiled at the pregnant, unpacking the basket. Buddy hopped around his feet, making strange squeaky noises. "Oh, did I forget to greet you?"

Buddy jumped at the tall man, as soon as Chanyeol knelt down. His tail rapidly wiggled and he desperately tried to give Chanyeol a lick across his chin but the man leaned back, avoiding his kisses. "Okay, enough now.", the dog was told. Chanyeol gently pushed him away and stood back up. "Do you want to start preparing dinner?", he then asked Jongin.

"Uhm..what should I do?"

"Wash the veggies, pick out which ones you'd like to eat and cut them. I'd go and take a shower in that time."

"Okay!", Jongin chirped.

Chanyeol watched as the young male hopped towards the kitchen counter, grabbing cut board and knife. He left him alone and went upstairs to the bathroom. The day wasn't that long but the hours at work were exhausting. Chanyeol sighed as the warm water hit his body, relaxing his tensed muscles. Not wanting to let Jongin wait too long for him, he washed his hair and body and quickly finished his shower. Just as he had wrapped a towel around his hips and reached for another to dry his hair, there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Come in.", he called out and waited for Jongin to come in. Slowly the door opened and the pregnant peeked inside. He bit his lower lip and Yeol furrowed his brows at the his pained expression. "Something wrong?"

"I...uhm..band-aid?", Jongin asked, eventually showing Chanyeol his, in a dish cloth wrapped, finger.

The light blue cloth was already soaking red and Chanyeol's eyes dramatically widened at the sight. Quickly he rushed to the smaller and grabbed his hand. "What happened?", he asked as he unwrapped the blood soaked cloth.

"I cut the veggies and...didn't pay attention..", Jongin mumbled.

"You looked at the dog, right?", Chanyeol snickered when Jongin nodded. He dropped the cloth to the floor and took a closer look at the wound. "Hm, I guess a band-aid won't help much.", he mumbled. "Come."

Jongin was pulled along, out of the bathroom over to the laundry room. He blushed at the sight of Chanyeol's bare back and barely covered naked legs. In the laundry room, Yeol let go of his hand and opened one of the cabinets and brought out a small, red first-aid kit. Carefully, Jongin watched as Chanyeol wrapped a bandage around his finger. He only looked away as a drop of water, that fell down from Chanyeol's hair drew his attention. His eyes followed the small drop as it fell onto the man's neck and ever so slowly began to roll down his collarbone and chest. As it rolled past Chanyeol's nipple Jongin gasped loudly, madly blushing.

Chanyeol looked up to him. "Does it hurt?"

"No! Just a bit..", Jongin sighed inwardly as Chanyeol looked away, back to his finger. Without his want, his glance fell back on the man's chest. The drop had already wandered further down and Jongin's eyes followed the wet trail until it disappeared behind the towel that was wrapped around Chanyeol's hips. He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head and biting his lip.

"Are you sure it doesn't hurt?", he cracked an eye open and glanced at Chanyeol and his in worry furrowed brows. "Maybe we should go and see a doctor?"

"No! No! It really is okay!"

"Okay.", Yeol said, fixing the bandage with a transparent sticking plaster. "But if it gets worse, tell me.", he sighed as Jongin nodded. "Is there much left?", he then asked him.

"No."

"Alright. I'll get dressed and finish it.", Chanyeol said as they left the laundry room again. "Do you want to watch a movie? You can pick one out."

"Okay.", Jongin smiled shyly. "I'm sorry.", he mumbled, holding up his finger.

He turned away and left for even before Chanyeol could've said something. Yeol only shook his head, smiling to himself as he went back to the bathroom to get dressed.

Meanwhile, Jongin made himself comfortable on the floor in front of Chanyeol's TV sideboard. He rummaged the great amount of movies, trying to choose one. Just as he had picked out a movie he wanted to watch, little Buddy toddled into the room with a small red ball in his muzzle. He dropped the ball to the ground, looking up to Jongin with hopeful eyes.

"Ah, you want to play?", he asked, picking up the ball. Buddy barked, jumping up and down, wanting Jongin to finally throw the ball. Jongin threw the ball away, laughing loudly as Buddy chased the bouncing ball like a madman. They continued their little game until Jongin accidentally threw the toy against one of the bag that leaned against the wall. The small ball bounced off the plastic bag, causing it to fall over. A bunch of colorful clothes and a yellow toy rolled out of the bag.
With a confused frown Jongin crawled over to the bag, picking up the small star plushy. He looked at it, recognizing it as a toy for babies. He reached for the fallen out clothes, picking up a cream colored romper. His heart began to race and a strange warm feeling rose up inside his chest. He got up from the floor and walked to the kitchen, where Chanyeol stood at the stove, watching over the veggies in a pan.

Jongin stopped in the door frame, squeezing the plushy in his hands. It made a small squeaky sound that made him flinch and Chanyeol turn around. Chanyeol's eyes immediately fell onto the baby's toy. "Oh.", he voiced out, blushing. He turned off the stove and made a step towards the pregnant. "I see, you found the bags."

"What is it?"

Chanyeol let out an uneasy laugh and scratched the back of his head. "My colleagues brought me this.", he said. "I tried to explain the whole thing but, you know, the woman we met at the supermarket, she already called every of my other colleagues. I didn't know what to do. I really tried to explain but...I'm sorry."

Jongin had to smile at the blush on the tall man's cheeks. It made him look extremely cute. He glanced back at the toy in his hands and gave it another squeeze. "It's cute."

"It..yeah it is.", Chanyeol said, breaking into a smile. "Uhm..do you want to take a look?", he asked, pointing at the living room.

Jongin looked at him, nodding. "Yes."

As the young pregnant sat on the floor, looking through the bags of baby clothes, toys and other stuff, Chanyeol felt something that he couldn't describe. The way Jongin sat there, humming a soft melody with his beautiful lips curled up into a smile, looking all happy and carefree send chills down his spine and sparks to his heart. He literally started at the smaller, admiring his face, his soft looking, shiny hair and his beautiful tanned skin until Jongin suddenly turned to him, showing him a small romper. Chanyeol smiled at the light pink piece of cloth. "Yeah..they don't know it's a boy."

"I don't care.", Jongin said with a cute pout. He leaned back and draped the little romper over his baby bump. "Boys can wear pink, too. It's cute, I like it.", he put the cloth back down and reached for another one. "Am I allowed to keep these?", he asked as he held up a small pair of pants.

"Yes.", Chanyeol said with a nod. "Whatever you like, you can keep it. There are also some bottles and other stuff in there. I'm still sorry I couldn't explain it to them."

"It's okay.", Jongin said, folding the pants. "I know you tried to explain but she didn't want to listen."

"You know, they don't know much about me. They know nothing, actually. I try to keep my privacy.", Chanyeol said, smiling. "And now they think I'm a married man and a soon-to-be-Daddy.", he chuckled.

"But..is it okay to keep the clothes, then?"

"Sure.", Yeol nodded at Jongin's question. "Do you think they'll believe me if I tell them that you're not my boyfriend?"

"Probably not.", the young pregnant snickered.

"See.", Chanyeol grinned. He moved from the couch to the floor, sitting down next to Jongin. "It really is okay, to keep it.",he said and reached for one of the dozen bags. "Let's look what else is in here."

Together the two looked through the clothes, laughing at one or the other rather ugly piece of clothing. Most of the tiny rompers, pants and shirts were cute, though and Jongin squealed at almost every cloth he picked up. Chanyeol enjoyed seeing Jongin smiling and silently watched as the smaller beamed at a pair of tiny, striped socks.

"Is something wrong?", he after a while asked as he noticed Jongin shifting on his knees. "Are you hot again?"

"I am.", Jongin nodded.

"Take off the hoodie."

This time Jongin shook his head. "It's okay. It'll go away soon."

"I've seen the scars.", Chanyeol said and frowned as Jongin's whole body tensed. "You don't want to take it off because of the scars, right?"

"I..."

Slowly Yeol reached out to ruffle the pregnant's hair. As Jongin glanced at him, he flashed him a smile. "You don't have to hide them. Take it off.", the young male hesitated but eventually reached for the hem of the hoodie and took it of. "Better?"

Jongin nodded, blushing slightly. He tugged at the sleeve of his t-shirt, trying to cover up his upper arms. Chanyeol flashed him another adorable smile, looking back to the clothes and slowly but steady Jongin relaxed and got more comfortable with his arms being exposed, showing off his scars.

When all clothes and toys were inspected, Jongin and Chanyeol moved to the couch, watching the movie Jongin had picked out while eating the grilled veggies. At the end of the movie Jongin began to yawn and Chanyeol encouraged him to go to bed. "I'll be right there.", he smiled as he reached for his jacket. "I'll just take Buddy for a walk. I'll be back in a few."

Jongin nodded and went upstairs, snuggling into the pillows of Chanyeol's comfortable bed. He brought a hand to his belly, stroking it a few times. "Chanyeol got you some clothes.",he whispered to the baby. "Isn't that nice?", at a light pressure against his hand, Jongin flinched and jumped up into a sitting position. He pressed both palms to his belly, staring down at it. "D..did you just kick me? Do it again! Do it again!"

As frozen Jongin sat in the bed, with his hands on his bump. He moved his palms over the round of his belly, gently digging his fingers into the flesh. A wide smile spread over his face as the baby kicked out again. "Hello there!", he beamed. "How are you?", tears of joy began to roll down his cheeks as the baby got more and more active. He was so fascinated by the baby's movements that he didn't notice as Chanyeol came into the room.

"Is everything alright?", Chanyeol asked, rushing to the bed as he noticed the wet on Jongin's cheeks. He stared back and forth Jongin's face and the hands on his belly.

"It..he..he kicked me.", Jongin smiled, reaching for Chanyeol's hand. He brought it to his belly, so the man could feel it himself.

Chanyeol pressed his large hand against the small baby bump, breaking into wide, cheeky smile when he felt a pressure against his palm. "Oh wow." he uttered, moving his hand a little. "This is so great."

Jongin flashed him a wide, happy smile with his eyes curved into cute crescent moons and Chanyeol felt as if it heart was about to burst as he sat there with his hand on the baby bump, the baby kicking and Jongin smiling at him. As he felt his ears getting hot, he peeled his hand off the other's belly. "W..when..did he start kicking?", he stuttered.

"A few minutes ago.", Jongin said, still brightly smiling. He shifted back into a lying position, gently patting his baby's temporary home. He watched as Chanyeol lifted Buddy into the bed and then climbed in himself, facing him. "It's nice to feel it."

"Just wait, he'll kick you a lot in the next months."

"He can kick me as much as he wants.", Jongin laughed.

"Hohoho, I'll remind you of this in a few months.", Chanyeol chuckled. He looked at Jongin, slightly frowning as Jongin looked away.

"I..I was the most expensive...", the boy eventually mumbled, looking back up. "They had to pay a lot to get me..."

"To get you?", Yeol asked. "Wait...do you..does it mean you..?"

The pregnant nodded his head. "I didn't want to but I couldn't do anything against it.", he brought a hand to his belly and smiled softly. "He rescued me. Because of him I had the chance to run away."

Slowly, Chanyeol reached out and let his fingers wander over Jongin's hand. He traced him along his wrist all the way up to his upper arm. "Did they do this to you?", he asked as he touched one of the scars.

"As punishment.", Jongin whispered, shivering at the light, gentle touch. "Whenever a customer wasn't pleased I got punished. They always came when I was asleep."

Chanyeol lost it at the small, sad smile Jongin showed him. He grabbed the smaller by his shoulder and pulled him into a hug. He slung his arms around him and pulled him as close as possible. "I'm so sorry."

Jongin buried his face into Chanyeol's chest, crying out at the loving gesture. He fisted his hand into the man's shirt, sobbing into the fabric as Chanyeol whispered another "I'm so sorry" into his ear.

Chanyeol held Jongin close the whole night, stroking him over the head whenever he whimpered in his sleep. He just couldn't believe what Jongin was forced to do. He just couldn't believe it. If he had to go through all this against his will it was no wonder that the boy was that fearful, wary and cautious. With a thousand questions in his mind Chanyeol fell asleep as well, only waking up again when his alarm clock told him that it was time to get up and go to work.

(next)