Jaemin was right when he said that Jisung never let his own friends into his room. Jaemin is probably the only consideration in being able to sleep in his room when he would stay for the night. But even so, Jisung would always complain and act like he doesn't like it.

The people sleeping on his bed were basically strangers. Aside from the baby, Jisung knew nothing more than Chenle's name. Maybe also knowing for a fact that this guy lives with storks. Other than that, he could literally be anyone in disguise.

But for some reason, Jisung felt safe with them.

Letting out a laugh, Jisung carefully lifted the baby's stubby hands off of Chenle's face as it was staying there while he's sleeping. That was also how he was woken up. The little boy kept on tossing and turning his body on the bed and it settled to a point where he placed his foot on Jisung's forehead unknowingly.

Thus, with that, Jisung is now awake, laying on the bed facing them with his elbow propped up.

From looking at the sleeping baby, Jisung's eyes went over to the other sleeping baby— to Chenle who was snoring soundly. Usually, he'd be extra cautious for stranger danger. However, Jisung believed that this person couldn't even hurt a fly. He was blindly judging the guy's intentions by how he looked.

Well, how does Chenle look? Sweet and innocent.

Subconsciously, Jisung uttered what he wanted to continue in his thoughts. "Cute."

In the middle of staring (admiring)  at Chenle, Jisung suddenly felt a soft hand on the tip of his nose.

"Ahh!" It was the baby's hand and it caught Jisung off guard when the boy curled his stubby hand to a tight fist. "Hey! Jiro!"

His loud reaction caused the other person on the bed to flinch, slowly fluttering his eyes open. Squinting, Chenle let out a yawn as he adjusted his sight to the brightness of the room.

Chenle first noticed the little boy beside him before catching their other company in bed looking at him. With a small smile, he greeted him. "Good morning, Jisung."

Jisung sighed as he patiently removed the baby's hand that's grasping his nose. "Good morning."

Still dozing off, Chenle tried to keep his eyes open as he stared at the guy. "How's your sleep?"

The best sleep he had in a while. Jisung wanted to say that. "Good. Yours?"

"Hmm... Okay." Chenle had his voice muffled when he was gradually drifting off to sleep.

"Are you still sleepy?" Jisung didn't know what had gotten to him that made him bring his hand up and brush the male's hair that's sticking to his forehead. "Chenle?"

"Sleepy..." The latter tried to agree in a way.

"Ah!" Jisung's moment with him didn't last that long when the baby, that's supposed to be asleep, began to bite his hand. "Again?! Jiro!"

With his voice being raised, it woke Chenle back up. He let out a soft chuckle when he saw the male's hand reaching for him and had the little boy biting it. Lazily holding his hand, Chenle gently pulled it away from the baby's mouth. And while still holding Jisung's hand, he shut his eyes tight as he faced them.

Not minding how their fingers were interlaced, Jisung showed a pout and started to sulk at how the kid is treating him. "Is he having an identity crisis? Does he not know that I'm his father?"

That caused Chenle to chuckle. "He knows, Ji. He's just asleep and he's a kid. It's just teething."

"Still!" Jisung began to whine at the unfair treatment. "Why can't he be affectionate towards his Dad?"

The male's sulky tone was enough to keep Chenle awake and entertained. "You gave the grumpy trait to him."

"Correction, Jaemin did." But that didn't matter now. What Jisung wanted to prioritize is getting the boy to know who his father is. "Hey, Jiro."

Hearing his name being called and also hearing a muffled conversation, the baby that's sleeping in between the two began to wake up. With a smile on his face, Chenle pulled his hand away from holding onto Jisung and went to play the kid's hand instead. Jisung didn't know that he'd feel empty after that.

"Jiro, morning." Unlike how the boy treated his father, Chenle earned an innocent look from him as the baby grasped his index finger. "Good morning to Daddy."

Being encouraged to interact, Jisung leaned his head closer to them as he tried to get the baby's attention. "Here, Jiro. I'm Daddy. Good morning."

Chenle began to space out when he realized that Jisung was embracing that title as a parent. He wanted to point it out, but he didn't want it to seem like he's teasing him. Chenle genuinely wanted to show how thankful and grateful he is for making a hard decision.

This moment made him too emotional, being on the verge of crying first thing in the morning. However, his tears were put to a halt when he heard a light smack coming from the two. Chenle widened his eyes when he saw the little boy aggressively putting his hand on Jisung's cheek, making it look and sound like he slapped him.

"This kid." At this point, Jisung looked unbothered by how he was being treated.

Chenle had his lips curve up to a smile, finding it wholesome to see the latter tolerating and being patient with the boy's antics. "That's his way of greeting you a good morning."

"He probably sees me as a friend rather than his father." Jisung coped his unfair treatment with a joke. "What's up, Little dude?"

That made Chenle laugh. He also thought of something to say. "Hey, Jiro, looks like Daddy is mad."

Going with the flow, Jisung went along. "So mad! I'm going hulk!"

They didn't expect for their harmless joke to make the kid start sobbing. The little boy may have not understood any of what they said, but he felt the tension around him, thinking that he got himself in trouble.

It then alarmed the two that were looking after him, making Chenle frantically rub comforting circles on his stomach and Jisung wiping the tears on the boy's face. 

"Shh, Jiro... Hey, it's alright." Chenle tried to reassure him, also panicking on what to do.

"Jiro." Calm and composed, Jisung placed a soft peck on top of the kid's head.

It somehow surprised Chenle to see that sight, not expecting Jisung to know how to comfort a child that's crying.

"Jiro?" Jisung called him out again with a quiet and soft tone.

Chenle stared at him in awe. His heart was beating fast at the sight of the guy knowing how to take responsibility.

"That's right, it's okay." Jisung gave the kid a smile when his cries began to tone down. "Daddy is not mad. I can never get mad at you."

Chenle was confused as to why this was making him feel things when he's not the one talking to him. He's not the one that Jisung is trying to comfort. His heart couldn't stop beating to the point that it was making him have a hard time breathing.

"Chenle?"

His voice became addictive all of a sudden.

Chenle's name somehow rolled off his tongue perfectly.

The smile on his face suddenly brightened up the room.

And the stare that Jisung was giving him began to feel like electricity was trying to zap him.

Chenle is going crazy.

"Hey, Chenle?" Jisung repeated in calling him, wondering why it's taking him too long to respond when they were just looking at each other.

"Huh?" Partly still in trance, Chenle managed to answer. "What is it?"

"I said, let's have breakfast outside."

🥜

The first thing they bought once they arrived at the mall were clothes for the child. From time to time, they would call Jaemin and ask his opinion about it. They also took out the list that Jaemin made for them, going through each one of the essentials needed for the baby.

While they were still at the clothing section, Jisung noticed that Chenle would check on the shirts that fitted him. However, he never took it. Jisung waited patiently for the latter to walk away and shop for other things before he sneaked the clothes that Chenle was interested in inside the cart. He didn't want to admit that it was more than just a necessity that Jaemin added in his budget— that Jisung wanted to buy something for him just because.

"Look! The baby is so adorable!"

"He looks exactly like one of his fathers."

"That's some strong genes right there."

"The parents look good together too."

And from time to time, they would also get whispers coming from the staff and from people that would pass by them. Mainly because the little boy that Chenle is carrying was being a brat and would sob loudly whenever Jisung didn't want to buy the things he wanted.

However, aside from their baby getting compliments, Jisung and Chenle couldn't help but get embarrassed whenever they would also get gossiped about how they were a perfect match.

Even though Jisung had a strong personality of getting the record straight, he didn't bother correcting people about his relationship with Chenle.

"You want that?" Chenle asked as he followed to where the little boy in his arms was pointing his index finger at. "But Jiro, we bought a lot of toy cars for you already."

Currently, they were at the toy's section and it's safe to say that it was heaven for Jiro.

Not for Jisung though. He was already beyond their budget, but it didn't matter. His cousin could always add it up knowing that this was supposed to be his situation to deal with.

Chenle, on the other hand, was anxious that the little boy having a spoiled trait might change Jisung's mind in taking care of him. "Jiro, let's just come back here if your cars break, or if you lose them."

As expected, he got a cry as a response.

It also made Chenle whine. He was doing his best to help the child give a good impression towards his family. "Don't do that. Jisung will hear you and—"

A hand that reached out for the box on the highest row of the shelf then caught the two's attention. They stared at the person who approached them, seeing Jisung with that small smile on his face as he also stared at the toy car, seemingly also interested in it.

"Does Little dude like this?" Jisung asked, earning a nod from the boy. "That's a shame. You need to kiss Dad first."

There it was again, Chenle's fast heart beat.

Since when was the bare minimum of taking responsibility a big deal for him? Maybe it's because of the fact that Chenle's family wasn't able to take responsibility in the first place. That perhaps might be the reason why it's somehow attractive to see someone acting up.

Not to mention, the situation isn't even Jisung's doing, nor was it his fault. Yet, he's actually willing to learn how this works.

"That's cute." Jisung's face warmed up in affection when his little boy happily obliged, giving him a kiss on the cheek when he leaned down to match the kid's height. "Chenle?"

It's funny how he wanted to focus on the kid giving a good impression to his only parent— but Chenle ended up finding the father himself quite charming with the traits that he's slowly starting to show.

With his brow raised, Jisung found it concerning to see the latter spacing out like what happened this morning. "Chenle? Everything okay?"

That's when Chenle got back to his senses. "Huh? Yeah, why?"

"Stay here with Jiro while I pay." Jisung didn't bother asking and went ahead to the counter, leaving the two behind to wait for him.

While Chenle was staring at the spot where Jisung last stood, little Jiro squirmed in the male's arms in order to face him. It was then that he placed both his stubby hands on the person's cheeks to squish on it, seeing that it was as red as a tomato.

"Jiro," Chenle started. "Is it crazy enough that I thought he was going to ask for a kiss from me too?"

Their shopping spree went on. With the little boy buying toys left and right, Jisung would also get distracted and would buy game cards for his own entertainment. Chenle just followed wherever the two would want to go, in awe at how accurate the baby factory back at the Stork's is.

Both Jisung's and Jiro's resemblance were immaculate. You could immediately tell that they were a father and son duo with how they threw tantrums when Jisung wasn't able to make it for the last batch of a game's latest release and when Jiro didn't get a pearl neo champagne color of a certain toy truck.

"Which do you prefer?" Jisung took two different plates and put them side by side for comparison. "This or this one?"

By now, they stopped by the department store to buy basic essentials for the apartment. One of which they first went to check out were the plates. Jaemin has always been bugging him about having one pair of everything.

"The black one, personally." Chenle told him, not knowing if his opinion would be of help. "But which do you want more?"

"I'm not interested in interiors, I couldn't care less what to pick." With the latter's choice, Jisung placed the other plate back on the shelf. "I'll buy three of these then."

"Three?" Pushing the cart when they began to walk to another aisle, Chenle asked.

"You, Jiro, Me." Jisung answered casually, grabbing a bundle of utensils to place inside the cart. "The one at the apartment is for Jaemin if he comes to pay a visit."

Chenle may have not shared a word, but his mind was already screaming at how he was included. He was doing his very best to keep his cool. Giving his all in trying to look unbothered.

But the little boy in his arms just had to point out how bright red his cheeks are by squishing it. Seems like Jiro is starting to get fond of tomatoes.

Thankfully, Jisung was too busy looking for essentials to even notice.

"I'll get this one." Jisung took a mug that had a chicken printed on it. Taking another pair, he handed it in front of the little boy to see. "Do you want this, Little dude?"

As if he understood what the male said, the boy began shaking his head as an answer before pointing at the cup that had a baby chick design on it.

Chenle cooed on the spot at how the two had matching mugs. Then he realized. "Jiro still uses baby bottles though?"

"He's going to use this if he grows up." Jisung explained to him, getting the mug that his kid wanted. "What about you?"

"Me?" It took Chenle a while to understand what he meant.

"Choose a mug. What do you like?" Jisung patiently waited for him to pick one.

However, it confused Chenle as to why he needed to choose. "But why?"

"You'll be living with me. Might as well buy your things too." Jisung told him before showing a lot of options to choose other than that one shelf they were standing by.

Jisung followed where he was pointing, holding back the urge to comment on how adorable his choice of design was. It had a similar design to his and Jiro's mug, but only had dolphin prints on it. Upon getting what they needed for the moment, they finally made their way to the counter to pay for it.

While waiting in line, Chenle noticed the little boy in his arms dozing off to sleep. Looks like someone is tired from shopping. He continued to cradle him in his arms as they stayed in line. Jisung glanced beside him and a smile curved on his lips when he saw them.

Chenle initiated the conversation with a question he had in his head. "How does it feel like getting a mini-me?"

Jisung chuckled at the term being used. "It's funny because he does look like a literal carbon copy of me. He even acts like me."

That made Chenle let out an exaggerated gasp. "You were also a handful when you were a kid?"

"A big headache, Chenle." Jisung said, emphasizing how much of a nuisance he was when he was a child. "Mom would always scold me and Dad would just watch us since he didn't want to meddle with Mom's wrath."

Their conversation took a turn in the same direction but for different reasons. Chenle's mood quickly changed when the parents were mentioned. Even though he wasn't able to form a bond with his own family from the start, it doesn't mean he never wanted to have one.

Jisung, too, started to reminisce about the memories he had with his own parents. It's been years, yet, everyday he keeps on missing them. This is probably why it seems like he was desperate for a company in his own home, taking these two in without caring for their background.

Shaking his head, Chenle decided to lift up the tension between them. "I hope you'll be able to rate the order 5 stars. From the delivery down to the experience."

That witty statement made Jisung giggle, almost forgetting the fact that this guy worked there. "I'll make sure to tell Jaemin then."

It was then that realization hit him.

Since it's where Chenle grew up, doesn't he need to go home?

Before Jisung could raise the concern, the lady behind the counter began to quietly shriek at the sight of the baby sleeping. "Ahh! Your little boy is so cute!"

Chenle wanted to explain to her that it's not his child, but he was stopped by Jisung who immediately paid for their things. "I'll use my card."

Chenle wanted to slap himself for thinking that Jisung just wanted people to think as is. Maybe that's not the case, maybe he just had a lot of thoughts in mind that he didn't bother caring about what the cashier said about them.

Well, he wasn't wrong. Jisung did start getting preoccupied in his head because of just remembering that Chenle might want to go home.

For a moment there, Jisung somehow liked the idea of keeping the baby and Chenle with him.

— to be continued