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2 days later,
Bronxville, NY
Ryojin's apartment
kitchen
_________________________

Landon sighed, wiping the applesauce Daehyun had thrown at him off of his shirt, "You're killing me Daehyun." he said in a low voice.

Daehyun continued babbling, sticking his applesauce-covered fingers into his mouth.

"Stay here, I need to figure out where Ryojin puts his mop." Landon left Daehyun sitting in a small pile of mashed apples in the kitchen and went into Ryojin's bedroom.

Landon took off his shirt and replaced it with a tanktop he'd brought from home, looking in the storage closet beside the bathroom for something to clean up the mess.

When he opened the closet door though, something else got his attention. It was a small shoebox-like container and inside was a very familiar hat.

This is the beanie I threw at him when we broke up...has he kept it this whole time? Landon picked up the hat and looked it over, it was the exact same as the day he left it. And it looked to be recently washed too.

Under the beanie, tucked inside the box was another momento; a purple choker with a red heartlock.
Landon ran his thumb over the soft leather, his heart thumped when he involuntarily remembered the day he'd given it back to Ryojin.

A loud bang followed by Daehyun's loud cry quickly tore Landon's attention from the pieces of old accessories and he took off running into the living room.

Daehyun wasn't injured in any way, which Landon made sure of by picking up the child and looking him over.
The bang was caused by the TV falling over, most likely because Daehyun pulled it down.

"Hyun-ah, are you okay?" Landon asked worriedly, his heart was racing from how scared he'd gotten; as was Daehyun's.

Daehyun was still crying but he gave a soft shake of his head, "M...mommy."
Landon sighed and bounced Daehyun on his hip, trying to soothe the small child.

an hour later,
Bronxville, NY
West Hospital
Exam Room
__________________


"Are you sure he's fine?" Landon asked nervously, watching as the doctor finished her checkup on Daehyun.

"Your son is okay." Dr. Paige nodded with a small smile towards Daehyun, showing off the giraffe painted on her stethoscope, which interested the baby.

Landon shook his head, nervously biting his nails, "He's not my son."
Dr. Paige quickly looked up at Landon, placing a hand on Daehyun's shoulder as if to shield him from Landon.

"I mean- I'm babysitting him. I know his dad." Landon quickly corrected after he realized how it could seem he kidnapped the young Asian baby.

"Ah," Dr. Paige said, "would you like to call his father?" she asked calmly, looking down and checking her wrist-watch.

Landon frowned, walking over and picking up Daehyun from the exam table, "I thought you said he was fine. Is there something wrong?" he questioned.

"No, Dae-Hyun is uninjured. But when I was listening to his breathing I heard some things I don't like very much. Now, I'm not saying there's something wrong but I think further testing would be wise." Dr. Paige responded, taking off her gloves and throwing them in the trash.

Landon felt his anxiety rise, He's not even my kid...so why do I feel so protective over him?..."I don't have medical custody but I'll tell his dad and um-..." he paused and looked down at Daehyun in his arms.

"Hyun-ah," he sighed before looking back up at Dr. Paige, "thank you doctor." Landon nodded his head in thanks since his hands were both occupied with holding the brunet child.

the next day,
Bronxville, NY
Ryojin's apartment
living room
________________________

"Holy shit, hospital bills are expensive." Landon grumbled to himself, setting up the new television he bought from the store 20 minutes ago.

Daehyun didn't babble back a response since he was napping in his bedroom, which finally gave Landon some time alone.

Landon groaned quietly, going into the kitchen and mopping up the new mess involving sticky orange juice.

What is that- Landon paused his actions, listening closely he realized someone was fiddling with the lock on the front door.

He quietly grabbed a kitchen knife and walked into the living room, Landon held the knife up just as Ryojin opened the front door.

"Oh my gosh," Landon sighed, lowering his hand, "you scared me. I thought someone was breaking in, what are you doing back?" he asked, laughing breathlessly.

Ryojin didn't answer automatically, instead he looked at Landon and smiled softly, "My visa arrived faster than I thought it was going to so I was able to come back earlier."

Landon nodded as he set down the knife, reaching over to help Ryojin bring his bags in. "So um, yesterday I took Daehyun-ah to the hospital 'cause he almost dropped the TV on himself." he started.

Ryojin quickly looked over at Landon as if to ask "Well is he okay?"
"He's fine, he wasn't hurt. But the doctor said when she was listening to his breathing she heard something, and she thought you should take him in for more testing." Landon said calmly.

"Alright. Thank you, I hope he didn't give you too much trouble." Ryojin replied, sitting down on the couch.

Landon walked over and sat down beside him, closer than he would anyone else but no too close to where he was making physical contact with Ryojin.

"Why do you talk to me like that?" Landon asked softly, "Like you're talking to a stranger or a business partner- always so formally."

Ryojin frowned slightly before sighing, "I don't know how I should speak to you. Before, every conversation we had was either sexual or I was ordering you to do something. But now..."

He didn't need to finish his sentence, Landon understood exactly what Ryojin meant, "I wish we could go back, I wouldn't have left you that day." Landon said quietly but they were close enough that Ryojin could perfectly hear him.

Ryojin leaned over and softly kissed Landon's lips, taking the 20-year-old by suprise but Landon quickly kissed him back.

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this chapter was released early as a thank you for LHOK reaching 8k reads!🤍

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