Working Title: The Non-Newtonian Newborn (Or How Kim Theerapanyakul Became a Virgin Father and Got the Guy of his Dreams)
Summary:
Kim’s fans can be a little…intense. Ever since Why Don't You Stay was released, Kim's fame has continued to rise, but so have the inappropriate comments and flirtations, number of stalkers, and the number of strange gifts. And none of those things matter when Chay has yet to say more than a few words to him. He doesn't want any of the excess attention, propositions for sex, or gifts unless it comes from Chay.
He's so pathetic. He doesn't know why people leave him gifts in front of his apartment building. But none of those compare to the confusion he feels when he finds a newborn baby outside his front door. It's the strangest “gift” he has ever received and it's one he has to contact the police over.
Again.
And again.
And again.
When the baby appears at the foot of his bed out of thin air, Kim figures he may need help that no cop can offer. But until he can find the kind of help he needs to get this baby out of his life, he is moving back to the compound for the first time since he was seventeen. He hates the thought of it, but he's not staying in his apartment with a cursed baby. At least Khun and Kinn are at the compound, as well as guards who can tend to this thing so Kim doesn't have to.
As for Chay’s presence? It's a big building. If Chay truly doesn't want to see him, Kim will stay out of his way, deal with this problem, and Chay will be none the wiser.
Pairings: KimChay, side Armkhun, side KinnPorsche, side VegasPete+Macau
Rating: M
Warnings: forced parenthood, stalking
Key Tags: Magical/Cursed babies, crack treated seriously, KimChay reconciliation, KimChay as co-parents, friends to crushes to enemies to co-parents to lovers.
Fic Preview Below Cut:
Kim can fully admit he once loved the attention he received from his music career, at least for the most part. The obvious lust some fans had for him could be a source of discomfort. Regardless of the charisma and occasional flirtatious disposition he would exude on stage, that wasn't really Kim. That was WIK.
After his fall out with Chay, it's harder to be WIK, which is a shame. His catapulting fame expects him to be WIK more than ever. However, “Kim” and “WIK” are no longer two sides of the same coin, not like Kim thought they once were. Kim and WIK are two very different people. Every day, it's gets harder and harder to be WIK, especially when both Kim and WIK remember what Kim had done.
He had been so fucking stupid. Why couldn't have he just asked Chay to talk privately when Chay confronted him outside the compound? Expressed why he did what he did? Done anything but admit his wrongs in the worst possible way, leave Chay a crying mess in front of the compound, and fuck up his own heart in the scheme of things? Despite Chay meeting him as WIK, Kim had felt like he could be himself around Chay - or at least the version of himself that Kim strived to be. Chay brought out a side that Kim could actually tolerate, one that wasn't forced. It was a side that felt affection, kindness, and hope, and it had been so easy to be and feel that way when he wasn’t reminded of why he was tutoring Chay in the first place.
He ruined everything. He may be more successful than ever, but he ruined everything.
“Khun K…Wik,” Clyde says, his voice coming out in a grunt as he holds a woman in a hold from behind, “You have another unwanted vis-”
“P’WIK!!!!!!!!"
Kim lets out a sigh and walks over to the woman, bending down slightly to make eye contact with her.
He hates eye contact.
“Thank you for your continued support,” Kim tells her as she struggles in Clyde’s arms, “But this is my home and I need to maintain boundaries for my continued safety-”
“I LOVE YOU, P’WIK!” the woman screeches in his face, trying to drop herself down to the floor. When she succeeds to an extent, she begins kicking at his ankles. Does she expect sudden love and devotion from him if she kicks his ankles?
“I am giving you a chance to go home without further action taken,” Kim tells her calmly, taking one step back, “Leave. Now.”
The woman’s breath is heaving as her kicking legs gradually come to a halt. She looks up at him with tear filled, adoring eyes and lets out a cry.
“I will show you we are soulmates, P’Wik. I swear I will.”
“Again, thank you for your continued support. Go home.”
The woman slowly gets to her feet and promptly launches herself at him. Kim really does not want to fight her. That isn't what he wants as he stands stiffly in her hold. But when she yanks at his hair and gets several stray fingers caught in between her fingers, Kim gives Clyde a nod and she is promptly tased.
“It's the third time she had come by this week,” Clyde says as she lies there in a daze, “She came in telling me you were meant to be together and that you were thinking of proposing soon.”
“What is her name again?” Kim asks, glancing down at her.
“Hom Thepnakorn. I suggest if you don't want to contact your father and have her taken care of the way he would insist on, then you should get a restraining order.”
One is brutal, but swift and can be swept under the rug. The other is a process that will likely attract some level of media attention.
But when Kim looks down at her, it's clear this woman is sick. Not evil, not a murderer. Sick and in need of help.
“Call the police, mention my father’s name if needed,” Kim says to Clyde, “Tell them that a woman who is in need of psychiatric support is at our address. Any other incidents today?”
Clyde lets out a sigh, puts on some gloves, and starts bringing up things from behind the desk, “You have been left three bouquets of flowers, two bras, four pairs of underwear, a jockstrap, a pizza in the shape of a heart, and a very large egg.”
Kim jerks his head back at the sight as Clyde opens the box, “A very large egg?”
Clyde nods Hom, who is still on the floor, “She wanted to give it to you. It doesn't seem to be a bomb.”
Kim looks down at the egg, then picks it up out of the case.
“Khun Wik, we don't know what substances could be on it.”
“Why would you give me an egg?” Kim says, looking down at it. It's green. It's also glowing.
“Will this blow me up?”
Hom blinks, then shakes her head, “Never, P’Wik. You are my soulmate. I would never hurt you or anyone you care about.”
“Hm,” Kim acknowledges, then promptly lets the egg fall to the ground. Clyde lets out shout and takes cover, all while Kim looks down in fascination at the swirling orange, green, purple, and white substance. It swirls around Kim’s feet, never mixing in color, yet is rapidly swirling around him.
“What is this?” Kim asks more directly, entranced and confused by the sight.
He had dropped it in hopes of breaking the woman’s heart. When he broke Chay’s heart, Chay pretty much blocked Kim out of his life. It's Kim's biggest regret and the rare dinners Kim has to go to that Chay also attends are a source of intense pain, but also the one thing Kim looks forwards to. It's pathetic. Kim had thought this woman might banish him out of her life for doing the same. At least it would be wanted.
But that doesn't seem to be the case. Instead of screaming or crying with heartbreak and disappointment, the woman squeals with delight, kicking her feet against the floor as if she is the happiest woman on earth. She crawls over just far enough to release the stray hairs from her fingertips, letting them fall into the swirling circle. Kim can't help but be disturbed by the happy and satisfied glint in her eye, all while Clyde takes on the task of calling the police for the assistance of removing a mentally ill woman. As they wait, the woman just stays on the ground while she watches the swirling liquid with fascination. When Kim tries to step out of the circle that has formed around him, it follows and forms a circle around him once more.
“It's pink!” She shouts, pointing at the circle, “That's exactly what I wanted!”
Kim glances down at the liquid in absolute confusion. If anything, those colors should have mixed into a murky brown or gray. But sure enough, the circle around him is light yet vibrant pastel pink. It only stops and disappears through the floor seconds before the cops arrive.
“You’ll love me soon, P’Wik,” the woman says, smiling brightly as two cops pick her up off the floor, handcuff her, and escort her through the door, “I promise. We will be tied together forever. We’re soulmates, I know it-”
“Come on, ma’am,” one of the cops say, “To the car. You are lucky this man isn't taking further action against you-”
“I LOVE YOU, P’WIK!!!”
Kim makes sure he says nothing in return, focusing on giving his statement on what happened before addressing Clyde directly.
“I'm sorry for the added stress that my…admirers have caused you recently-”
“Khun Kim, with all do respect, she and several others who have stopped by the building are stalkers.”
Kim clears his throat, “I feel like that's a bit harsh-”
“If I may speak out of turn again, it really isn't.”
That's probably fair. On top of that, Clyde is mostly dealing with these visitors independently. Prior to the release of his new album, Kim saw no need to have excess security for the building. Logically, he knows he should have it, considering his job, as well as when he is reminded of whose son he is. But having guards on every corner reminds him of a childhood he didn't want. He sometimes fantasizes of a childhood where his mother lived past Kim's ninth birthday, one where Kinn could pursue music like Kim has, and one where Khun could have stayed popular, charismatic, academically gifted, and safe.
Pa never makes the cut for these fantasies, and they never take place at the compound. The family home Kim often dreams up strangely looks like the one Chay grew up in.
“I will hire a few more guards,” Kim says quietly. He hates the idea of it, but Clyde has been his doorman for a long time, and an employee of his family’s even longer. He was Ma’s guard, so when Kim was required to have at least one guard as a staff in this building, he chose him. He doesn't want him to leave, nor does he want him to get hurt.
“I apologize for the chaos and stress people have brought you,” Kim continues, “I know you didn't sign up for this when you first started here-”
“I signed up to protect you, Khun Kim, which is why I am concerned about the influx of these behaviors coming from various people,” Clyde says, then points at the floor, “We don't even know what that liquid was! I could be a health hazard! It swirled around you, changed colors, then got absorbed by the floorboards! If I thought I was seeing things!”
“It was probably just some…non-newtonian fluid.”
“Lava is a non-newtonian fluid, so is blood. Both can be harmful.”
“And some aren't,” Kim says, “Like ketchup.”
“That was NOT ketchup-”
“I’ve had a long day,” Kim says, walking towards the elevator, “I’ll look into more guards. Make sure the doors are locked tonight before your shift is over. Unless the are a tenant, make sure Red knows not to let anyone in.”
Clyde breathes out, “...Yes, Khun Kim. But if I may make one suggestion.”
Since the elevator hasn't arrived yet, Kim nods his head.
“Go on.”
“Stay at the compound for a while. It's safer there, and you will have more people who can come to your aid if something like this would happen again. Your address has clearly been leaked, and it has been attracting people you frankly don't want to attract. Even if they figure out you are staying with your family, it will be so much safer and you will likely avoid running into any of these stalkers at all-”
“No.”
“Khun Kim-”
“I said no,” Kim says, his voice more stern, “This will pass, Clyde. No one has come here with weapons. The most this woman did was lightly kick at my ankles and pull a few strands of my hair. That's it. I will get you more support staff, and I will even let you take some time off if that's what you need. But I am not moving back there. Ever.”
He could swear that Clyde is grumbling under his breath and rolling his eyes, but Kim isn’t going to call him out on it. He has a right to be frustrated. Kim understands the current situation is annoying.
But it still won't make Kim budge. He doesn't want to be around Pa, and Chay doesn't want to be around him. So he sticks to his decision, gets inside the elevator when it dings, goes to the top floor, and plans for a relaxing night.
It's easier said than done. It's hard to relax during any downtime he has. Silence brings on thinking, and thinking brings on obsessing over Chay. It has been about nine months since everything happened with Tawan. Nine months since Chay figured out who Kim really was.
It fucking hurts. Nine months later, and it still fucking hurts.
When the memories and regrets get to him this much, he has a habit of skipping dinner. He knows it isn't good for him, and he will sometimes find ways to climb his way out of this habit by cooking for himself. But last time he did that, he he squirted a smiley face on his plate with Sriracha sauce and it was a downward emotional spiral from there.
He chooses not to eat tonight, although maybe he should have. By the time he is ready for bed and brushing his teeth, a bout of sudden nausea hits him so intensely that it has him diving in front of the toilet to heave up the little he ate for lunch. It's painful, confusing, and frustrating. He never throws up.
He wonders if he is getting sick. Maybe it's stress from the stalker. Maybe the swirling, non-newtonian fluid omitted some sort of poisonous gas and now he's suffering the consequences.
He's probably overthinking it. Soon enough, he feels better. Slightly sore, but better. He's fine.
And even if he's not, so be it.
However, he can't help but worry slightly when he wakes up just as the sun is rising, feeling queasy again. He tries to push off the nausea for as long as he can until it becomes unbearable and he find himself throwing up in the toilet once more, spitting up a mixture of water and yellow bile.
He ends up not going into the studio. He usually would, but he doesn't have any pressing matters to attend to or any rehearsals scheduled. In fact, his people have been hinting to take advantage of the downtime. They think he has been stressed, and they say that his stress in particular is contagious.
So Kim will stay home today. He wouldn't want his employees and colleagues to catch this bug, or whatever stressful aura he has been giving off.
But when he hears something on the other side of the door, he wonders if he should have gone after all. It sounds like a cat. Maybe it belongs to one of his neighbors. That's the last thing Kim needs to do right now, call around and ask his neighbors who is missing a cat.
Regardless, he gets up and checks anyway. He likes cats, and one feeling stressed out by accidentally finding itself on the top floor isn't something Kim wants until he opens the door, takes in what it actually is, and wishes it were a cat instead.
“Why?” is all Kim asks, staring down at the baby, who is loosely swaddled in a pastel pink blanket, “Seriously. Who are you and why are you here?”
The baby gurgles happily and brings their arms out of the blanket, lifting them upwards. If Kim didn't know any better, he would assume the baby wants to be picked up. But this baby doesn't know him and Kim doesn't know this baby.
“No,” Kim says, then immediately shuts the door, leaving the baby in the hall. He can only keep up with that for about ten seconds before opening the door again, stepping out into the hallway, and begrudgingly lowering himself to the ground. As he looks at the baby, he feels extreme reluctance before reaching over to feel around their blanket.
“Who left you here?” Kim mutters to himself, looking for some kind of clue, “Do you have a tag or anything?
The baby just gurgles happily and lifts their arms again. Kim practically jumps out of his skin when the baby grabs a hold of his pointer finger and just…keeps holding it.
“I need that back,” Kim says stiffly, but lets them hold his finger until they let go on their own accord. Once they do, he calls down to the front desk.
“Have we had any visitors yet today?” Kim asks as soon as Clyde answers the phone.
“No, Khun Kim. It has been quiet so far.”
“I need you to go through the security footage and check,” Kim says, giving the baby a wary glance, “Someone left something outside my door.”
“What?”
“Look at the live feed and see for yourself.”
Kim waits silently as Clyde clicks whatever he needs to click to view Kim’s hallway camera feed. As soon as he does, Clyde clears his throat.
“Is that a baby, Khun Kim?”
“Yes.”
“A living and breathing baby.”
Kim shifts over to peer at the baby’s face, “Seems to be.”
“...I see. I will rewind the footage, see when they were left by your door, and then call the authorities. If you would like to bring them down, they can just pick the baby up out front.”
Kim really doesn't want to pick this baby up. But he would rather not invite people he doesn't know up to his floor, so he supposes he will suck it up and do it.
“You didn't take any breaks that would have left the front desk unoccupied?” Kim asks, holding the cellphone in the crook of his neck as he hesitantly and carefully lifts the baby into his arms.
“Of course not. Not with what happened yesterday.”
“What about our tenants? Are there any new parents?”
“No, Khun Kim. I am just as confused by this as you are. But I will make sure the child is handed over to the proper channels swiftly.”
“Good,” Kim mutters, staring down at the baby as he hangs up the phone. When he steps into the elevator, he sees the hint of a white piece of paper, nestled between the pink fabric and the baby’s stomach. Kim reaches in to grab it, then unfolds it with one hand.
Meet our beautiful love child.
You are my soulmate, P’Wik.
This proves it.
May our baby girl tie us together forever.
Love, Hom.
Only a part of Kim takes in the fact the letter is written in blood.
…This morning is stupid. All he wanted was a sick day.
