Chapter Text
“Alright, you’re all free to go. Please remember to submit your paper by tomorrow. No excuses!”
Euihyun lets out a sigh as he starts to gather his things. Though this was his last class of the day he unfortunately will be sticking around to beg the professor for an extension on their upcoming paper. Normal professors answer their emails–you would think even more so from a student who had perfect attendance and then suddenly stopped showing up-but no, this guy refuses to reply. So here Euihyun is, trying to get an extension for the paper that will decide whether he graduates or just drops out.
The dark haired boy takes a deep breath before approaching the professor once the remaining students have filed out of the classroom.
“Hello Professor-”
“Save it.” The professor sing-songs with a dismissive hand wave.
“Professor, if I could just explain-”
“Mr. Kim. I’m going to stop you a second time. I have no interest in a sob story from a boy who hasn’t bothered to show up for the past few weeks. I know you are asking for an extension and I will not be giving one. End of discussion.” The professor’s icy glare making his stance clear.
Euihyun guessed this is how it would go. I mean, clearly he doesn’t have the best luck. He may as well leave on good terms in case he has to retake the course down the line. If he ever gets back to school that is.
“I understand, Professor. I apologize for asking, I just thought it wouldn’t hurt to try-”
This time Euihyun is cut off by his phone ringtone. The professor scoffs and gestures for him to take the call.
“EUIHYUN! THE BABY-”
Euihyun panics and cuts the speakerphone he had turned on by mistake. On the other line is the auntie next door who Euihyun begged to watch Euiyoung while he went to speak with the professor.
“Auntie, what's wrong? Is Euiyoung okay?”
“Euihyun! The baby is too fussy! I can’t get him to stop crying. I am going crazy! When will you be back to pick him up? I’m too old to be dealing with this anymore,” The lady whines on the phone.
So much for asking her to watch the baby again.
“Auntie, I’m finishing up class. I will be there to get him as soon as possible.” Euiyhyun sighs and hangs up the phone. He turns back to the professor to apologize for the interruption and takes his leave only to see the man glaring at him again, now with open disgust.
“It’s always the omegas that don’t take their education seriously. I don’t know how you managed to hide a pregnancy, but that explains your absence for the last bit of the semester.” The professor scoffs in disbelief, “No matter, you definitely are not getting an extension just because you couldn’t keep your legs closed. Please see yourself out immediately.”
Shame floods Euihyun’s body, followed quickly by rage. Despite every bone in his body telling him to roundhouse kick this piece of shit, Euihyun takes a breath, turns on his heel and makes for the door.
Fuck this guy! Even if he drops out, Euihyun plans to file a complaint for discrimination. How dare a professor say that to a student?! Euihyun is so absorbed in his anger and frustration that he barely registers it when he slams into a broad chest as soon as he steps out the door.
“Euihyun! What the hell happened to you?!”
Euihyun takes a step back from the voice only to find himself plastered against the wall directly outside the classroom. He looks up into golden eyes, the last thing he wants to see right now.
Yeo Taeju was one of the most infuriating people Euihyun has ever had the displeasure of meeting. The narcissistic son of a bitch knew exactly how to push Euihyun’s buttons, what with his constant flirting and all. Even more infuriating is the fact that Euihyun is still attracted to him somehow. Stupid, annoying, pretty bastard.
“You look like you're about to kick the bucket. What the hell have you been doing?”
Euihyun tries to push at the big chest in front of him to no avail. “Why do you care? Let me out, I have to be somewhere.”
Taeju leans in, his face even closer to Euihyuns. His arm is up against the wall, effectively trapping Euihyun there. The blond is clearly not letting him go until he answers.
“No, no, no. You don’t get to disappear on me for weeks and expect me to let it go when you come back. You look like you were hit by a train.”
Seeing as he’s not getting out of this without giving Taeju an answer, Euihyun hisses, ”I’m fine. I don’t have time for this Taeju, just let it go.”
Taeju doesn’t budge.
“Taeju, seriously, I’m going to hit you in about five seconds if you don't move. I need to go. It doesn’t matter. I'm not coming back anyway, just move.”
Taeju cocks his head, “What do you mean ‘not coming back’? What, you’re dropping out?” The blond’s voice rises as he goes on, making Euiyun instinctively shrink back against the wall. “They’re gonna let a smart kid like you drop out? Why the hell do you want to do that in the first place?”
As he interrogates Euihyun, Taeju moves closer, nearly pressing the dark haired man flat against the wall. Euihyun pushes back, but the alpha doesn’t budge. As always, Taeju just does as he pleases. The proximity of the alpha and stress of the day getting to him, Euihyun finally snaps back,
“Yeo Taeju! Just let it go!” He huffs, “I can’t stay in class and care for Euiyoung at the same time, okay?! The professor just basically called me a slut and refused to extend my paper so I won’t be able to submit it. So it's either fail or drop out. And it doesn’t matter anyway! I- I need to leave to get the baby before the auntie next door leaves him alone or gives him to his bastard of a father!”
Euihyun has never raised his voice this much in public. He’s nearly breathless after rambling, but the anxiety ramping up inside him makes the omega unable to stop the angry word vomit.
He knows he just fucked up. He said far more than he ever meant to tell Taeju.
“Baby? Y-you had a baby?”
Taeju sounds distraught.
Before Euihyun can even wonder why Taeju focused on that part of his little breakdown, suddenly his face is buried in Euihyun’s neck, breathing his scent in.
“You couldn't have had a baby,” Taeju whips his head up to look at Euihyun, eyes thinned in a possessive stare that sends shivers down Euihyun's spine, “I would have known.”
Euihyun feeling his body begin to react to the jealousy soaking Taeju’s words, so it takes a beat for Euihyun to realize what the alpha had just assumed.
“No, you idiot!” The omega shrieks at Taeju, punching him right in the gut.
“God damn,” the blond groans, hitting his knees. Finally free, Euihyun makes a break for it, only to have Taeju grab the back of his shirt.
“Euihyun. Please. Just explain what is going on?”
God, why does he sound so pitiful all of a sudden? Who is this man on his knees, begging- of all things. This is Yeo Taeju, rage baiter extraordinaire. Needy narcissistic asshole who does whatever he pleases. He never begs. Euihyun is taken aback by Taeju’s behavior. He feels like he can never understand what the alpha is thinking.
“Euihyun. Please.”
Watching the alpha, still on his knees, pleading up at him Euihyun is unable to resist. As much as Taeju is always a nuisance, his scent is always]y so comforting to Euihyun. The light floral musk that seems to envelope him around Taeju makes him feel cared for, protected. It may be a false sense of safety, but it's all Euihyun has at the moment.
“The omega my dad knocked up gave birth a little while ago,” Euihyun finally spills. “My piece of shit father was beating him, so I can’t say I was shocked when he left before the baby even opened his eyes. He just left Euiyoung laying on the ground and I…” Euihyun drifts off for a second, seemingly somewhere else, “I couldn’t leave him. Our dad isn’t going to ever give a shit about him. This poor kid never asked to be born. I can't abandon him,” Euihyun says in a quiet voice.
Engrossed in his explanation, he barely registered when Taeju got up to put his arms around Euihyun. His body relaxing into the hold as his lungs fill with the alpha’s soft, comforting scent.
Taeju peers down on the omega in his arms. Any passerby would call it snuggling, although Euihyun would probably faint from hearing it. It seems he’s been working himself far too hard because there’s no world Taeju can imagine that Euihyun ever allows himself to be held like this without a fight.
The blonde tightens his hug when he hears Euihyun sigh another time before continuing, “I should have known dropping out would be inevitable. Kim Sahyeok somehow convinced our banker he still has access to my account so everything I had saved up before Euiyoung was born is gone. There's no way he hasn’t pissed it all away on gambling by now.”
Euihyun looks utterly defeated. It’s as if saying it all out loud made the whole situation far more real. He turns up his crestfallen face to look Taeju in the eyes as he continues,“ I have no other way to feed him. Working after class isn’t going to cut it. I gotta start making money somehow, even if that means dropping out of school for the time being.”
Taeju takes a deep breath, watching the expression on the omega’s face. He can’t take it, Euihyun should never have to look so dejected. He has to help somehow. He lets his arms fall away from Euihyun's shoulders before grabbing his wrist and turning to leave.
“Okay, let's go.”
Euihyun starts to walk with him before realizing Taeju is doing whatever he wants once again. He needs to get to Euiyoung and not dick around with this asshole for longer.
“NO. I need to go get Euiyoung right now! I’ve wasted enough time talking already!” Euihyun practically shouts at Taeju.
“Okay. Okay. Let me drive you. You’ll get to him faster if I drive you, right?”
He may have phrased it as a question, but Taeju’s tone leaves no room for rebuttal. Soon enough, Euihyun finds himself in the passenger seat of Taeju’s fancy car, anxious to get to his baby brother.
—
Leaning up against the car, Taeju watches as Euihyun practically runs up the stairs of his run down apartment building. As soon as Euihyun is out of earshot, he makes a phone call.
He watches as the man he’s been utterly obsessed with for years gets a bundle practically shoved in his arms by an older lady. He watches Euihyun’s face light up into a smile he’s never seen after the two little hands reach from the blankets to grab at the omega. Euhyuin is angelic, ethereal, delicate. Taeju wants to protect him in the worst way. He’d do anything to keep the omega safe and happy. Hell, he’s been desperately trying to get Euihyun to take his interest seriously for years. Maybe stepping up to be a part of his baby brother’s life will be the best way to show he’s serious.
“Taeju! Yeo Taeju! Don't ignore your father!” Jooin shouts into the receiver, startling Taeju back to the conversation.
“Dad, I need a favor. Your future son in law needs help.”
“Excuse me?! S-Son in law?!”
—
Euihyun looks back to see Taeju waiting, still against the car, and figures he is waiting for a thank you for the ride. The alpha is absolutely the type of brat that would stick around just to hear Euihyun say thank you. Before he can even start his sentence, Taeju cuts him off, telling him to get in the car again.
“Excuse me?!”
The omega’s shout startles the poor little one in his arms, making Euiyoung tear.
“Euihyun,” Taeju starts, coming closer to peer down at the little boy wrapped in his arms, “You have been doing this for weeks alone. Just let me help you for today at least? You can get some of the paper done while I watch this little crybaby.”
Euihyun shoots Taeju an incredulous look.
“You. You’re gonna take care of Euiyoung?” Euihyun asks in disbelief. “Do you even know how to change a diaper?”
“Hey! I’ll have you know I’m a great babysitter! I’ve taken care of my niece plenty of times before. There's even some supplies left from her if Euiyoung needs anything,” Taeju defends.
He begins subtly walking the dark haired man to the passenger seat as he continues,“let’s just go there at least for the rest of the day, right?”
The look Taeju gives Euihyun is nothing short of pleading. When Euihyuhn takes a bit too long to answer, the pout Taeju conjures up is utterly adorable. Although Euihyun would rather be caught dead than admit that to the alpha.
Euihyun wants to argue. He doesn't want to have to owe Taeju anything. He knows this will probably be a stupid choice, but he's so tired. He’s not in a position to really turn down free childcare, so he gives Taeju a little nod of agreement before being ushered back into the car.