-Sharks in The Shallow End-
💕: Bang Chan [Dad!Bangchan ] x Reader[ Mom!Reader]
✍️Synopsis: Parenting is Teamwork. Especially when Y/N and Chan juggle family life and upcoming birthday party preparations for their energetic toddler, as they balance work, parenting, and their relationship, they find joy in the simple, everyday moments that make their little family special.
🔢Wordcount: 3,8k
📖Genre: Marriage AU, Family AU, Domestic Fluff, mildly suggestive ❗Warnings: The romantic/sexual innuendos are mild and non-explicit. food mentions, parenthood/parenting themes/ mentions of family planning and pregnancy, Chan calls the reader "sweetheart", reader is called "eomma" by the kid, mentions of sharks
☕A/n: This started with imagining Bang Chan holding a toddler while also holding a grocery bag, biceps, and forearms…. Can you blame me?
Reader is an Event Manager (who recently started working part-time again) and a former idol! Chan (now music producer for the new Generation of Idols), their son, Dae-min is a toddler and likes sharks.
-[Masterlist]-
The distant squeak of the semi-broken shopping cartwheel told you that Chan and Dae-min weren’t far off, that and the race car noises, your toddler omitted from their lips, while your husband pushed the cart through the aisles of the grocery store.
You glanced up from the instructions of the vanilla butter crème mix, checking the ingredients you needed to add, and decided to add it to your shopping. Just in case, a backup if your homemade recipe didn’t work in the early August heat.
It was Sunday, barely past noon and since your husband was home and not stuck in the studio producing the newest hit for the recently debuted girl group, you decided to use his muscle strength to get the monthly groceries done early before you got busy during the week to prep for your little boy’s big day next weekend.
The bouncy castle would arrive the day before, and the grandparents were flying in the same day to help with preparations. You need to check on the guest rooms and possibly call the pool guy to confirm the water quality by Wednesday, and also deep clean the second freezer.
Party planning had been your livelihood before you had Dae-min, and what use would that be if not for your son’s birthday party?
“Sweetheart,” your husband’s voice got you out of your planning reverie, overthinking, he calls it. He had momentarily stopped turning the grocery store into the Formula 1 Grand Prix and looked at the Items in your hands, “Are we almost done? It’s his nap time soon, and we have yet to have lunch…”
“Right,” you said dropping the Items in the carts and ran a hand over Dae-min messy curls he got from his father, “we don’t have any freezer items that could go bad…so I was thinking we could get some of that rotisserie chicken from the shop outside …and Dae can start his nap in the car on our way back…”
Chan's eyebrow rose for a moment. “Rotisserie chicken?”
“Yeah, hadn’t had that for a long time…”
His lips tugged into a sheepish smile, amused, “Sounds good, babe.”
A few moments after paying, your little family settled into a cozy booth nestled in the corner of the food court. Now that he had won the Grocery Aisle Grand Prix, the almost three-year-old suddenly discovered another urgent sensation: hunger. And once that realization struck, there was no stopping him.
Dae-min, once he spotted the chicken rotating, kept yelling, “Uncle Bboki, Uncle Bboki” flailing his limbs around with wild enthusiasm, conducting a chaos orchestra….
” Uncle Bboki, Uncle Bboki!”
Uncle Seungmin probably had taught him that…
As you reached for Dae-min’s toddler legs, which were bicycle-pedaling now, as he still kicked to join his father, to fit into the horrendously impractical kids' seat.
Whoever designed them didn’t think that kids thought sitting down to eat was the worst thing on earth.
Chan got your guy’s order, of chicken, drinks, fries, and…coleslaw, you didn’t remember telling him that you wanted some…but he somehow knew you’d like.
Dae-min’s excited eyes glowed when he saw the spread, ignoring the chicken for the fries his appa was cutting into smaller pieces for him, holding out his arms, pudgy hands opening and closing in rapid motions that matched his kicking feet, “Gimme Gimme Gimme”
“Bahng Dae-min, how do we ask appa nicely?”
“Appaaaaa” Dae said, lengthening the last syllable sweetly and using a combination of his boba eyes and dimples, “may I please have Flies!”
Chan chuckled at his mispronunciation.
“Yes, Baby, you may have Flies.” he mirrored his inflection and added, “I’ll give them to you once they are cool enough so you can eat them.”
You use the time to get on your phone to put some things from your mental checklist into your notes app. There was still so much to do and organize before Dae-min’s first day, and in addition, you had to coordinate something for an upcoming wedding of a client until Thursday, too.
Getting back to work as an event manager after having an active child that kept up most of your brain’s capacity captive…that and the heat of summer was making the cogs in your brain turn even slower.
A cool touch to your cheek made you come back into reality, and you saw Chan holding a cold drink to your face
“She’s back again…” he smiled, and put the drink in front of you, with a small command, “hydrate…” Before pulling off part of his chicken for Dae-min, “Y/n I don’t want you stressing so much, darling…. Remember, it’s going to be fine…we outsourced a lot of the side dishes to our friends…my parents are going to help with the prep… Dad’s even said he’s gonna prep the barbecue…you know that he doesn’t let anyone else go near his meat prep.”
“Yes…I know“ you said starting to eat from your chicken, dang this tasted good, “But it’s Dae-mins’s first birthday, he’ll actually remember.”
“Yes…” Chan added and pushed the coleslaw towards you, “but I also want you to enjoy the day…and not crash, after our guests left on the sofa like last year….”
He sighed, “I’m helping you this year…remember that…we all are….. Hyunjin and Jisung even volunteered to do the Balloon Arch.
“They are gonna fight like they are their pre-debut selves again.”
“They are adults…they can handle arguments now.”
“Well… They’re gonna cry…..just warning you…”
“I’m used to dealing with crying…. Aren’t I buddy?” he glanced at his son, who looked up, clearly not having a clue about the conversation they had just had, but nodded, beaming because it was his dad he was looking at.
“Yes, appa…. May I have Uncle Bboki?” he gestured to the chicken.
Chan laughed, “We really have to stop letting Seungmin teach him those things when he babysits.”
As predicted, his belly full, Dae-min fell asleep just as he was buckled into his car seat, despite his protest that he wasn't tired at all, another thing he got from his dad. Chan showed you the demo of the newest song he was working on the way back, wanting your opinion on the matter. You left the AC in the car running while bringing in the grocery bags with Chan, the heat outside making you start to sweat.
“Sweetheart, why don’t you go inside and start putting things away while I get the last bags and Dae…..get inside you look like you’re melting…”, he said and tapped your behind for good measure, “I got this…”
While putting away the groceries, your mind drifted back to lunch, the taste of the chicken still lingering in your mouth, making you want more; maybe you should go back there tomorrow.
“Say babe…” You said when you heard the shuffle of Chan getting back into the house, “We used to have this chicken a lot a while ago….why did we stop having it again?”
You lifted your head and watched as your husband came into the room, Dae-min nestled against his neck on one arm, while he patted your son’s back. In his other hand, he carried grocery bags, carefully balancing as he moved.
His Muscles? ….bursting
Him?…..subtle flexing
The veins in his forearms?….popping.
Your brain?..... rotting
He caught your gaze, and the corners of his lips twitched into a smile. “Care to help me out so I don’t drop our son?”
“Y-you’d never do that anyway,” you murmured, but took the bags from his hand so he had it easier to carry Dae.
“Never,” he said sincerely but softly, shifting so Dae drooled on his shirt and not into his neck, “I’ll be right back…” He said, and then went to put his son down in his room.
Halfway through the groceries, you decided to fix a refreshment and put pineapple and watermelon into the mixer to get some juice.
The buzz of your phone, a confirmation about the delivery and setup of the bouncy castle, and the people around you made you go into planning mode again. You still had to get the party favors for the few kids that would be there from Dae-min's playgroup, and had to make sure that the members of Stray Kids also got some shark-shaped water guns Dae-min carefully selected to be part of the favors.
A gentle hand on your lower back called you back to reality, “Daydreaming again, my sweet?”
Chan was back and set the baby monitor on the kitchen counter.
“Yeah, sorry, I think this weather is doing something to my head…” You said and offered him a glass of freshly made juice.
“Yeah, you looked kind of thirsty…” he smirked and sipped. “This is nice…especially after the food…” He glanced over the shopping, half of it already put away, “Let’s get this done…”
It was a comfortable quiet with the two of you putting away the chaos, tag teaming in silence, only occasionally disrupted by the sipping of juice. You caught his glances, watching you with a careful interest, probably trying to catch you in the moment of daydreaming again.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, pushing back the hair that fell into his face.
“Lunch,” you said honestly, “The chicken was so delicious.”
Chan laughed, “Dae said the same thing when I tucked him into bed….glad we don’t need a DNA test to prove he is yours.”
“Good since he is a mini-you…” You murmured, “Ditto-copy dimples and all...”
His eyes softened when he looked at your son in the image displayed on the baby monitor. Dae turned in his sleep to hug his Sharkplushie, which he recently got.
“He was pumped to go swimming in the pool with you,” you murmured, wrapping an arm around Chan’s waist, digging your nose into his back, “So better be ready to hop in after his nap….
He turned around, arms embracing you, “Aren’t you gonna join us?”
“You and I know that we bought this house with a pool for you and you only…. I might dip my feet in, but you and your son are part aquatic animals after all….”
“Sharks…” Chan smiled, dimples showing, “Daeminnie insists.”
“Right… Sharks”
A while later…
You sat on the little piece of carpet right by the coffee table in the living room, laptop between your legs, hair up in a bun, and some files scattered around you like petals in spring. Your work phone, regularly buzzing with updates, and next to your private one, receiving messages now and then from people who ask if they could help you out in any way.
Naa you were good, AC in the house plus sitting to proximity to the cooling tiles….a drink…you were fine, this was fine. The tapping of little (and big) feet let you know that your son and husband were making their way over to you, and you glanced up to look at Dae, in his post nap glory, dressed and ready for his pool afternoon with his appa. Behind him, in hot pursuit, Chan, swimming trunks on, as per usual, was allergic to any type of shirt in the vicinity of the house.
Not that you minded.
You ogled.
God forbid, a girl had hobbies.
“Dae-min-ah,” Chan said, struggling to get the clasp on Dae-mins swim vest to open, “Come here so I can put this on you buddy…”
“Nooo…I can swims…harabeoji taught me,” the toddler insisted. Fair, having your swimming coach grandfather teach you since he was small was a bonus.
“It's not about ability, Daeminnie …but about safety.”
“But its…its…” Dae stopped his little mind trying to find the words to formulate the issues he was having with the garment, lips pouty, and you saw that he was struggling to find the words in both Korean and English.
“Deep breaths, Sarang,” you gently encouraged him…” What's wrong with the vest?”
“It does this…” Dae-min said, his thumb and pointer finger moving towards each other like a crab’s claws would. “Here!” he added, pointing below his armpit and neck.
“Oh, it pinches you,” you said and took the jacket from Chan’s hands, overseeing the straps, then held it out in front of Dae. “Yeah…this might be a little tight….I think you grew again….”
“With the amount he eats,” Chan kneeled to observe the size issue with you, “You are growing so quickly you might stop being fun sized buddy…”
“Snack time is important,” Dae-min defended himself, kicking his feet, “Can I go into the pool now?”
“Not yet, Buddy…” Chan looked at you,“ I think it's time….. I know the surprise was for his birthday but… I’d rather buy him something else next week than have a toddler that's too hyper to go to bed tonight because he didn't get his energy out during his swimming time….we have plans tonight…”
You sighed, ignoring the blush caused by Chan uttering the last sentence in a very Christopher way, “Yeah, we might as well…. I just have to remember where I hid it….”
You tried to remember where you had hidden Dae-min's birthday presents from the curious toddlers' hands…there were several places in the house, but your mind wouldn't let you access the memory storage.
“It’s either in the sock drawer in our closet….or behind the pasta….” Chan helped. “That’s where you last stored the Christmas presents….”
“Right….it's in the sock drawer… Keep him occupied and happy.” You snapped your finger and moved to retrieve the item.
Chan saluted.
When you returned a few minutes later, your husband and son were breaking it down to the sound of Baby Shark, the cursed song that has been on a loop in this house ever since Dae-min was small. No wonder he loved Sharks so much.
“Look Dae-min-ah,” you said, holding out the vivid blue swim fin swimming aid, “This can help you stay afloat in the pool and looks…
“Awesome!” Dae-min yelled out, beaming, “I can be a real shark now! Hunt appa!”
“Right…but remember no biting…” you chuckled and moved to put it on him, “This will be a little different from the vest Sarang….so you need to get a feel for it in the water….its usually for big kids but appa and I know that you can swim well and would tell us if you get tired or feel weird right.” “Safety first,” Dae-min parroted the phrase he had heard lots of times, but the wiggling of his toenails told you how excited he was.
“Remember, appa will keep you safe,” you said, adjusting the strap of the swimming aid.
“Always,” Chan added, ruffling Dae-min's hair…” Now sun protection….I’ll get you while eomma gets appa’s back…what about it?”
“You could just wear a UV shirt, you know…” You sighed but reached for the sunscreen nonetheless.
The joyful screams and splashing distracted you from your work, so you eventually succumbed and closed the laptop, put away the work phone, and came out to sit in one of the lounge chairs after fixing a snack for your boys.
When you got out, you were balancing a tray with an assortment of snacks.
Dae-min was in hot, sharky pursuit of his father, paddling through the pool with fierce determination. As soon as he reached him, Chan scooped the boy up and, with a grin, tossed him gently a few feet away, back into the water. Dae-min landed with a splash, erupting in gleeful giggles.
“Oh no, you almost got me…” Chan cried in mock horror. “These shark-infested waters are terrible!”
“Would the sharks mind a little refreshment?” you asked, hands on your hips and dipping your foot into the water. “I got blueberries, watermelon, and goldfish crackers.”
“Shark-min likes goldfish,” your son exclaimed, and paddled himself to the shallow end of the pool to the edge and lifted his arms, “eomma….uppies?”
You grabbed a big towel before kneeling and lifting him out of the water, embracing him in Turkish cotton.
“Did you have fun?”
He giggled, pressing a kiss onto your cheek, curly hair dripping with pool water as he shook his head like a dog, trying to get dry, “Lots …appa didn’t have a chance, I am too fast…”
He made race car noises again, gesturing wildly.
“Your appa is getting old,” you nodded, carrying Dae-min over to the lounge chairs, and sat down to pat him dry.
“Betrayal by my own wife and son,” Chan said, getting out of the water, the UV tank he somehow bothered to put on, clinging to his body. When he caught your gaze, he smirked, and did it even more slowly, and you realized that it had been for this exact moment he put it on in the first place.
“How did he do?” you said after Dae was busy devouring his snacks, and you made sure Chan got the wrap you plated for him. “With the new aid and all”
“At first, it was a little strange for him to move…. This gives him a lot more freedom to move than the vest, but he’s a tough guy and tried it out, and it worked. Usually, kids older than him have trouble swimming with that…. He’s a great kiddo…but I am biased.”
He sighed, running his hand through his hair. It was getting long again.
Yeah, you are biased too…
Later, after some snacking, rest, and reapplying sunscreen, the boys returned to their aquatic habitat while you watched from the safety of your lounge chair. Eventually, you went inside to start preparing dinner while Chan and Dae rinsed off by the pool. After dinner, you tucked Dae into bed for the night.
His eyes were fighting to stay awake, arms tight around the shark plushie.
“Eomma….may we have Uncle Bbokki again when I wake up…and play sharks with appa?” he murmured, squishing the plushie to his chest, “and cuddles with eomma…. Sharks are cool…”
He kept babbling until his breaths slowed into that familiar rhythm that told you he was fast asleep for the night.
Baby monitor in tow, you made your way back to the kitchen, where Chan was cleaning up the dishes from dinner. He looked up from the plate he was putting away.
“That was quick…he usually takes longer.”
“Baby Shark was exhausted,” you said with a yawn, and stretched, “He kept babbling on how much fun today was…”
“Yeah, he does that,” Chan chuckled, “His tired babbles are the best…only second to yours.”
“I don’t babble when I’m tired…”
“Sure Y/n…”
You rolled your eyes, glancing around the kitchen, “Damn…you’re all done…”
“What can I say… I am efficient…” he reached out to pull you close by your belt loops, “I see someone else being very tired…”
“It’s the weather….” You yawned against your will. It was hot, and the fatigue made you want to just crawl into bed…. Maybe you should do afternoon naps too…Dae seems to like it. That sounded like a good plan for tomorrow. Work from home, getting some rotisserie chicken again, then napping…
Chan’s eyes observed you carefully, “Are you thinking about chicken again?”
Your eyes widened, caught “Yeah…Dae wants a do-over of today…chicken and pool.”
“Sounds good…” your husband chuckled and nuzzled your neck, “But now I want attention and cuddles from my wife…you keep being distracted and not paying attention to me.”
“Gosh, you are so much like Dae-min…same pout…”
“Meanie….” he murmured against your neck, “And no, he might look like me, but he is like you…. Proof one...you both are obsessed with rotisserie chicken. Proof two, I’m obsessed with both of you…Proof three….you both snort the same way when you laugh.””
“Now you’re the one being mean,” you said, wiggling out of his grasp, giggling, and snorting when his tight hold proved true.
“See…and now I need your attention,” Chan moved swiftly to pick you up to carry you to your bedroom. “I was thinking since we have a visual mini me…how about a mini you next…”
“I just started to get back working again,” you laughed, squeezing his arm.
“Boo, work is bad for your health…quit…” he complained, finally setting you down on your bed and stepped a bit away.
“Says the workaholic,” you reached for him, your hands opening and closing in rapid motions, …then paused because Chan was looking at you. Again, curious and calculating.
“Say…sweetheart….you asked me earlier today…why we didn’t have rotisserie chicken for the longest time…”
“Yes….it really was a long time ago we had it…and at the time pretty frequently….when was it…”
The energy shifting into something uncertain made you nervous, causing you to fold your hands in your lap.
“You’re a smart girl…try to remember…”
You tried to fight through the discombobulated swirl of thoughts. It had been a while… and that particular rotisserie chicken? You’d only had it when Dae was tiny… wait, no…. Dae hadn’t been born, actually…not yet.
Oh.
“This was a craving I had when I was… pregnant with Dae…” you murmured, more to yourself than to him, rubbing the soft fabric of the duvet, “I craved it quite often actually and suddenly didn’t anymore when he was born….”
Your hand paused mid-motion, eyes widening as the realization hit.
You slowly lifted your head to face him.
Chan had dropped to a casual kneel in front of you, arms resting loosely on his knees, eyes studying your face. A knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he gave a single, slow nod, “Yeah…”
“You think?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper, uncertain and breathless.
He pushed off the ground and sat beside you, his expression softening as he put an arm around you, grounding you against his warmth, “I’m assuming... the fatigue, the distractedness,” he said gently, rubbing your shoulder. “Could be a coincidence...but we should make sure.”
Your pulse quickened. You stepped back with a nervous laugh, your hand going instinctively to your belly, “I’m gonna check in the morning… I think I still have a test!”
Excitement tangled with a thread of fear, and a swirl of nervous energy bubbled up in your stomach.
“We just got out of the diaper changing age….Dae finally sleeps through the night…. Are we ready to do it all over again?
“With you and me...we’ve got this,” he said softly. “Us against the tantrums and the chaos and...whatever else comes with it. We’ve had plenty of practice in that department.”
He smiled, eyes crinkling with quiet hope, and added, “I’m secretly hoping for a girl next…”
A sudden doubt clouded your mind, “What if it's just a coincidence? What if I am not…”
Chan’s lips curved into a sly smile as he leaned in closer to kiss you behind your ear. “Then we’ll just try… we’ve had plenty of practice in that department too...”
You snorted, he laughed, and pulled your head into his lap.
“One way or another, “Chan mumbled, stroking your hair. “We got this….”
The quiet stretching around you, air filled with future possibilities. More little feet running, grocery aisle Grand Prix, plushies, giggles, lullabies, and dance moves to nursery rhymes.
Chan let out a happy sigh. “Sounds like our shark tank might have a new little fish soon.”
And you were excited about it.
-[ Reblogs, comments and/or keyboard smashes are appreciated]-
