"Down you go~" Eugene put his daughter down in front of the kitchen island and turned to the fridge. "Want something, my Lady? Warm milk?"
Eugene opened the fridge to take some water, but his eyes landed on a can of beer he placed deep inside the fridge, away from Hannah's reach and gaze. It was the only can there, which he stashed for an emergency emotional support. For a second, Eugene felt like he saw it shake seducingly to tempt him.
Wow...he had gone crazy.
But it was truly tempting. He really, really needed a drink after the sudden encounter today. He had stopped smoking, so...drinking a little bit should be alright...shouldn't it?
Eugene felt his fingers twitch, and his eyes hardened as he hardened his resolve. Snap out of it, Eugene Kim! You've promised yourself you won't ever drink in front of your daughter!
With a deep breath, his hand moved instead to fetch a package of yogurt drink, shaking it at Hannah. "What about this?"
Instead of answering, Hannah was tilting her head, staring at him with concern. "Papa? Is Papa sick?"
"Huh?"
Eugene felt his heart drop to his stomach. Was he so obvious that his daughter even noticed? Had he become such a dad-failure?!
"Papa don't look good," Hannah grabbed the hem of his shirt and frowned. "Does Papa have indestion?"
"...indigestion?" Eugene blinked after a few seconds.
Hannah nodded strongly. "Unn! Indisestion!" she repeated. "Mrs. Mary look white the other day, and she said she have indisestion because she eat too quick. Papa eat quickly too. And a lot!"
"In-di-ges-tion," Eugene said slowly, syllable by syllable so Hannah could fix her pronunciation next time. Anyway, it was a really good excuse, so he nodded. "Hmm...maybe a little bit."
At any rate, his stomach didn't feel good despite the nice dinner, so might as well treat it as indigestion.
Hannah gasped at the confirmation and immediately pulled her father out of the kitchen. "That's not good! Hurry and lie down, Papa!"
Eugene let the little girl pull him without resistance; a smile softening his tensed face. "Hmm...I think lying down is bad for indigestion."
Hannah let out another gasp and stopped. "T-then...sit down!" She changed direction from the bedroom to the living room and pushed Eugene to sit down on the couch. She even took her blanket from the corner and covered Eugene's lap with it. "Papa stay here! Hannah will get medicine!"
"I don't think we have medicine for indigestion in this house," Eugene said, covering his mouth to hide his effort to stiffle a laugh. "But maybe I'll feel better if I don't have to brush someone's teeth or help put on pajamas, so I can rest for a bit?"
Finding something she could actually do, her green eyes sparkled. "Hannah can do that myself! Papa just rest here!"
Eugene held his chest, as if touched. "What wonderful news, Nurse Hana."
The little nurse giggled and gave the patient a kiss on the cheek before running to the bathroom. Eugene could hear her loud updates from time to time from the couch, including how she bragged--again--that she could squeeze the toothpaste by herself now.
"Ahh...it felt long at first, but..." Eugene sighed, a bittersweet smile adorned his lips. "Time sure flies by, huh?"
A season passed by, and his daughter could brush her teeth without his help anymore. She could dress herself and had been actively choosing what she wanted to wear. She could even tell her father what she wanted to be in the future--although it changed just about every month depending on what show she had just watched, or what book she had just read.
Soon, she would be in grade school. Soon, she would be old enough to start asking him why she only had one parent. She had asked about it before, but she was young enough for Eugene to distract her without answering it. How long could he do that, though? Her school friends would be wondering about it too, and she wouldn't have an answer since Eugene couldn't give her one.
Because he just couldn't...
He just couldn't tell her that she was a product of an accident. A product of temporary lust, not out of love. Eugene thought he could just lie and create a fictional man someday, pretend to love that man, and have him...die or whatever before they could get married.
Anything so Hannah could have an answer.
At least, that was his thought before seeing Arthur Crowley walking through that office door this afternoon.
Fuck--he almost cursed out loud. His head was a mess; it had been a while since he felt a whirlwind of emotions such as this. He was suddenly anxious, as if a storm was coming his way after driving smoothly for a while.
Why? Why was he so anxious? Couldn't he just tell Arthur the truth and have him see Hannah? Was Eugene's ego that big to rob his daughter of the privilege of having a complete set of parents?
Eugene bet that what people would say to him if they knew. Even Sophie would at least asked him why.
Haa...he exhaled heavily, leaning his head against the backrest, staring at the ceiling. He recalled the can of beer inside the fridge earlier. This time though, the desire to drink it had vanished.
Actually, his desire to drink or go to a bar had dwindled so much that it was practically nonexistent, except for the rare times he got so much stress. All because of that one time, which led to his unwanted pregnancy.
It started in a bar.
* * *
Six years ago, Eugene was someone who frequented places like bars and clubs to have fun with the friends he got from his community college and new publishing company. He'd unwind with a few drinks and, if he was in the mood, he'd go somewhere with someone attractive.
Nothing too dangerous, nothing too problematic, and above all else, nothing with attachment.
That particular evening, however, was a bit different. He was invited by a friend to a bar he never been to before, only to get ditched after twenty minutes because that friend found a nice-looking middle-aged beta who looked like he was lost and clueless. Totally that friend's type.
And so, he was sitting there, abandoned, with his glass only half empty. Leaving seemed to be a waste of the rather high table charge fee, so...he decided to just stick around and do people watching or something.
Quickly, his attention was drawn to someone a few tables away from him. No, not Arthur.
There was a person who wore the same shirt as him, although perhaps a size or two smaller. An omega, even at a glance. That was what drew Eugene's attention. Ah...they were both omegas, but...how different.
It wasn't a bad feeling or anything, but it was rather complicated. He was at that stage where he wasn't sure whether he liked that people didn't know he was an omega, or whether he was envious that those omegas didn't have to explain themselves while receiving weird stares when people found out their second gender.
Having someone wearing the same clothes as him put him in that complicated mood, and the dark hair of that omega--nearly the same as his--didn't help.
He observed that omega, who was too busy talking to their partner to realize someone was watching their table. It was fascinating for Eugene how fast that person talked nonstop, almost as if they were a salesperson throwing a pitch. If it wasn't for the dolled-up appearance and the fact that it was too late already for a client meeting, Eugene would have thought it was a cult recruiting.
What was even more fascinating, however, was the fact that the one listening to him looked so...off. A frequent deep frown and clenched jaw, and a response ranging from 'hmm' to 'I see' uttered with the driest tone. The man looked as if he wanted to bolt right away. Or constipated. Eugene wasn't sure which one.
Eugene wondered how the omega could still yap endlessly in the face of such pitiful responses. If it were him, he would have glared at the man and left immediately. Maybe poured over a glass of water for dramatic effect. They were dressed for a date, but why did it feel like a one-sided talk show?
Maybe because the man was too attractive? Beauty was subjective, but sometimes, there was something that people would objectively agree to be beautiful. Like a clear blue sky. Or a fresh, thick, free wad of cash.
Hmm...yeah, the man was like that. Someone who looked dazzling and expensive.
An objectively attractive man with sharp and defined features, but softened up by a set of deep chocolate eyes and slightly curly, light brown hair. He didn't look like he groomed himself much, which made his appearance a bit raw--but that was also a charm on its own.
Even within the dim light of the bar, and while looking like he was constipated, Eugene was tempted to call that face an artpiece.
As if the god of creation was bragging, the artpiece came in a set with a physique that seemed like it was worthy to be put in a museum. A physique that screamed alpha and a VIP membership to a high-end gym equipped with dedicated PT trainers. Plurals. The kind that celebrities used.
For a second, Eugene even thought the man was a celebrity before reminding himself that a celebrity wouldn't go to an ordinary bar like this without hiding his face--especially if it was for a date.
Hmm...perhaps you need to have that kind of face to avoid getting poured by water even while clearly looking annoyed.
But at one point, the man finally said something more than two syllables and stood up. Watching the alpha walk to the corridor leading to the restroom, Eugene wondered if the man was actually constipated and finally found the urge to dish it out. Chuckling to himself, he looked back at the omega and found the smile had vanished from their face. A few seconds later, the omega stood up and left, just like that.
Wow. What a spectacle. It wasn't so boring after all.
Eugene nodded in satisfaction, wondering how the alpha would react when he returned to an empty table and an unpaid bill.
He just didn't expect that...
"Please continue."
...the man would sit down at his table, acting like he was the partner instead.