S77: 素敵だね (Isn't it Wonderful)
Title: 素敵だね (Isn't it Wonderful)
For: S77
Pairing(s): minor! Jongdae/girl!Jongin and girl!Kyungsoo/girl!Chanyeol
Rating: NC-17
Length: 9.1k
Summary: Minseok and Sehee are having their first child and they manage to get through all the trials of the journey together.
Author's note: All my thanks to the wonderful J for putting up with my troublesome self.
When Minseok was in college, he'd once spared a thought about what it would be like to live in a small apartment with his girlfriend, how he'd propose, what his wedding day would be like, buying a house, having kids. Back then, it had been a stressful time in his third year to be thinking about things that had felt so far away. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do after he graduated and time was ticking; there wasn't any time to think about the distant future of his adult life while he still had student loans to pay and a GPA to maintain and finals to pass.
But he'd wondered about it in the middle of the night in bed, lying awake in a sudden pre-mid-life crisis. But he'd entirely forgotten it the next morning with an impending final in Advanced Computer Design and a phone call from a stressed out Jongdae calling him in place of his phone alarm, freaking out about his Advanced Musical Performance final and how he'd suddenly forgotten how to play the piano.
But now that this day has come, Minseok knows that it isn't like anything he had dreamed of that night almost eleven years ago.
He'd met Sehee five years ago when she'd transferred into their consulting firm. Though she was the youngest of their group, she was incredibly smart and a better programmer on their team than the previous guy who had quit. Though she seemed quite stoic and a bit cold at first, she proved to be exactly the opposite. She was funny in her sarcastic remarks, she never spoke badly of anyone, she helped anyone with anything she could, and she was compassionate to stay with the group to finish a project even if she'd already finished her part. Minseok worked with her often, pointing out parts of his designs that he wanted coded in a specific way, spending late nights debugging her programs, and sitting side by side so that they could plan out designs and programs that needed to be constructed for a client.
Minseok fell in love hard and fast because she was beautiful, inside and out, and it took a lot of useless pep talks from a drunk Baekhyun and an even more drunk Chanmi to give him the courage to formally ask her out on a date.
And today, on the anniversary of their first date, Minseok dances the last dance of the night with Sehee in arms and the weight of their wedding band on his fourth finger. All the guests have left except for Jongdae and Jungah- their best man and bridesmaid who are chatting in the farthest corner of the room. The tables have been cleared and the chairs pushed to the wall, leaving the room barren. The DJ had already left too, packing up all his sound equipment in his van as soon as his time slot was up, but the song Sehee and Minseok dance to blares loudly enough from Minseok's phone set on the floor.
"So, was this wedding what you imagined?" Sehee asks, her hand sliding down Minseok's side until it rests at his waist more comfortably. It has been a long day making sure everything was nearly perfect, and Sehee had put in so much work for the wedding yet she doesn't look any less beautiful now than when she stood at the altar and promised to be his. Her blonde hair is still tied up in a bun, hair pins decorated with white flowers holding the bun in place, though now Minseok can see the loose strands around her face. Her makeup is still perfect even though lipstick had faded a bit too, but Minseok suspects that his own lips are a brighter red than they were this morning. Even Sehee's wedding dress still looks perfect, subtle lace highlighting the bodice and a slim fit to show every curve.
Minseok's hands move over her waist, fingers reaching up to tug on the light blue ribbon that ties in a bow on her back. "I didn't expect that my bride was going to match the dinner plates."
Sehee lightly flicks his side and pouts. The blue ribbon on her dress wasn't supposed to be the same as the blue on the white dinner plates, but no one had cared and neither had they. Well... too much anyway. "I can't believe you just compared me to dinner plates."
Minseok chuckles, leaning up to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind Sehee's ear, which is heavily decorated in small blue flowers and a silver chain that drops down from the cartilage to the lobe. He kisses her chastely and feels suddenly overcome with so much love for Sehee, but it's a kind of love that he can't put into words. This kind of emotion is something far more powerful than just love.
He startles with another flick to his side. "I just asked a question, even though I know the answer already. If you think that hard your brain is going to melt," Sehee says, biting down on her lip to stop from smiling.
"Sorry," he murmurs, capturing Sehee's lips in a much more heated kiss. His hands move slowly on her back, teasing at the blue ribbon on her dress. Her breath hitches, shoulders stiffening as Minseok tugs on the ribbon enough to undo the bow and let Sehee's dress loosen enough for her to feel it.
"We should go upstairs," she says, her eyes suddenly darkening. Her kisses are insistent as she mouths at Minseok's neck and it's all the incentive he needs to leave.
He quickly grabs his phone and room keys and hastily waves goodbye to Jongdae and Jungah who hardly take notice of Sehee's hands wandering under his suit jacket as they walk out. There's no one around in the lobby but as soon as they step inside the elevator, Sehee lets her hands roam over Minseok's broad chest. Minseok lets her indulge, tease him by slowly untucking his shirt from his pants and taking off his belt one loop at a time and making sure that her slim fingers graze his dick over the cloth of his pants.
Minseok wishes this elevator would just go faster.
His knees feel weak when the elevator doors open and he’s sure there’s already a dark bruise sucked into the dip of his collarbones. His fingers tremble as he tries to get the room keys out of his pocket and ends up dropping his phone as Sehee’s hands snake around his front and tug at his tie. He snatches his phone off the ground, not checking to see if the screen broke, and all but shoves the key card desperately into the door three times until it clicks and the door swings open.
He takes Sehee by the hand and tugs her in, barely managing to close the door behind them with his foot. Sehee stops kissing him long enough for them to slide off their shoes and make it into the bedroom.
“Let me help you with your dress,” Minseok murmurs, feeling satisfied by the shudder Sehee responds with when he leans up to kiss her neck. Sehee nods, spinning around so that Minseok faces the laces and zippers that tie up her back. He starts from the bottom and pulls the lace that holds the bodice together one row at a time, peppering her back with kisses as he goes. He can hear the way Sehee’s breath hitches as he finally pulls the lace free and the dress eases around her figure. He pulls the zipper down and watches as the dress pulls away from Sehee’s pale skin, looking just as beautiful in just her strapless bra and underwear.
Sehee moves over to the bed while Minseok takes care in setting her dress over the chair next to the balcony. As soon as he sits on the bed, Sehee flips herself on top and kisses him, slow and passionate, while she works his clothes off. Minseok runs his hands down her stomach, noting the way his wedding ring presses against her skin. Sehee moans into his mouth at the cool press of silver against her skin, finally working his tie off and tossing it off the bed. Minseok focuses on their kiss, mapping out Sehee’s mouth with his tongue, memorizing the feel of her plush, kiss swollen lips against his own, and imagining what the dark red shade of her lips looks. His hands settle gently at her waist, holding her still when she tries to grind down on his crotch.
Sehee unbuttons his suit vest, his collared shirt, and slides them off with his jacket all at once. She finally slides the belt out of his pants and works off his pants, struggling as Minseok kisses over her neck and shoulder and teases her earrings with his mouth. He’s almost fully hard when Sehee taps his stomach to get him to lift his ass up so she can slide his pants and briefs down enough to let him kick them off his legs the rest of the way.
Minseok pulls back from her skin, looking up at Sehee, now his wife, and feeling that same well of emotion- of too much love- burst in his chest.
“Minseok-” she stops for a moment, caging her words by biting down on her lip. She used to do that so many times when they started working together, started living together, but now she’s always so open. It feels strange to see her habits come back again.
Minseok cups her cheek with his hand, gently running his thumb over her cheek and catching some of the sparkly makeup on his fingertip in reassurance. He doesn’t say anything, knowing he should give her the space she needs.
“I love you,” she exhales, breathing against his lips, and Minseok feels so overcome by everything. She takes control, pressing her hands flat on his chest before she smoothes them down to his stomach. Minseok lets out a strangled moan as her slim fingers wrap around his cock, giving an experimental tug. She smiles against his mouth, knowing Minseok’s already hard but she tries to push him over the edge.
His kisses become sloppy as he’s overcome with pleasure building up hot in the pit of his belly. He trails his fingers over her shoulder, feeling her shudder under his touch as his fingers dance over the clasp of her lacy bra. “Minseok,” she moans, arching back as the first, second, and third clasps come undone. Her bra falls off and Minseok tosses it aside, then mouths down her neck and sucks dark purple marks on her chest. He feels the slide of her wet panties on his skin and moans her name, working to tug her panties off and throwing them aside.
“I love you,” he whispers hot against her skin, moves up to her kiss swollen lips and whispers it again. “I love you so much, more than anything, forever and always and no matter what happens.” He swallows thickly, choked up even though he’s told Sehee so many times that he loves her. Saying he loves her any chance he gets feels like nothing compared to how much he feels with all his heart.
Sehee looks down at him sincerely, eyes shining in the darkness. “I love you too, more than I could tell you.”
Minseok understands, leans up and kisses her slowly, cupping her face in her hands and telling her that he understands that feeling, of loving so much. It’s kind of scary, knowing that he could feel so deeply, but it’s a double edged sword and the love in return is an incredible warmth and the feeling of safety.
His hands are strong on Sehee’s waist, grip tightening and nails pressing into her skin as she sinks down on his cock. He drinks in the image of her back arched, head thrown back, the sparkle of her earrings and the glint of the silver band on her finger. Sehee gasps as he thrusts up suddenly but she presses her hands on his chest, grounding him and simultaneously giving herself leverage to ease herself up and down on his cock, starting up a steady rhythm.
It builds up, an unbearable heat from frantic kisses, desperately holding on to each other- holding each other together as Sehee takes more of Minseok until an unbearable pressure builds in their chest and they climax together, fingers intertwined.
Sehee glows even now with her hair strewn about her face, panting heavy, skin glistening. They stay still for a while, taking everything in silence. Then she slides off after a moment of catching her breath, wincing at the sound, before she collapses beside Minseok, taking his left hand and feeling his wedding band just as her eyes briefly slip shut.
Still dazed, Minseok frees his hand from Sehee’s grip and pushes her bangs out of her eyes. “You’re not going to be comfortable if you sleep like that,” he murmurs, his voice hoarse as he speaks.
Sehee shakes her head. “I want to cuddle,” she whispers, dropping her head on Minseok’s shoulder. “Fix it tomorrow.”
Minseok chuckles, brushing her bangs from her face once more before wiggling down into bed and tugging her closer. “Okay. Tomorrow.”
Tomorrow marks the first day of the rest of their lives.
Four months later, Sehee comes home from a movie with Jungah and a few of their friends. She plops down at the kitchen counter where Minseok is still cooking dinner for himself and presses her face to the cool granite counter. “It’s too hot,” she moans, eyes fluttering shut as she tries to cool off.
Minseok chuckles, scooping rice and curry onto a plate and sitting across from her. He pushes some of her long hair out of her face before he takes a bite of his food. “Well you’re not exactly wearing summer-friendly clothes, even if you do look really nice.”
Which is true. Sehee is wearing tight jeans and a sweater, perfect for the movie theater but not for walking around in the shopping district for hours and eating spicy food for dinner.
She pouts, brows furrowing and lips downturned in her extreme frown. She turns the other way so that her other cheek presses against the cool counter surface. The blush on her face isn’t helping her cool down any.
Minseok pokes the corner of her mouth, trying to get a smile out of her. “Do you want me to get the fan out?” The fan is, of course, in storage in the basement of their apartment building and only comes out in desperate measures because it is lodged somewhere in the back of their dark (and haunted, as Sehee claims) storage room.
“No, it’s okay,” Sehee sighs. She stands up and wiggles herself out of her jeans, standing in her favorite floral panties, before she plops back down at her seat. “That should be fine enough.”
Minseok laughs, unable to help himself leaning over the counter and pecking her lips. His heart flutters warmly in his chest. “If you’re sure. Just ask if you want it.”
Minseok continues eating dinner, but tonight it’s in silence. He tries to keep himself from focusing on the way Sehee is nervously pulling her sweater sleeves by asking her how her day was and how her friends are. But Sehee is distracted as she answers, keeping her eyes anywhere but on Minseok. Then silence falls between them when Minseok figures Sehee probably has something on her mind. It’s comfortable silence still as he eats his dinner and waits for Sehee to bring it up.
Finally, once Minseok has almost finished his dinner, Sehee sighs and finally meets Minseok’s gaze. She rests her chin on her palm, teeth digging into her bottom lip, before she finally speaks. “I haven’t had my period in a month,” she murmurs, pressing her lips together in a thin line.
Minseok’s gaze softens with relief and a touch of excitement running through him. It’s still probably too early to be excited, and regardless, Sehee still comes first. “Do you want me to stop by the convenience store? It’s probably not closed yet.”
Sehee shakes her head. “I made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow. I’ll just head out after lunch and it’ll probably be late enough that you’d get home by the bus faster.”
Minseok hums, pulling Sehee’s hand away from her chin and holding it between his. “Don’t worry, okay? Things will work out as they should.”
Sehee still doesn’t look very reassured, or maybe she’s just confused, so Minseok takes the tub of vanilla caramel crunch ice cream from the freezer and sticks in two spoons. He tugs her over to the couch, hands her the ice cream, and puts on The Con Artists in hopes to ease her anxious heart.
“Kim Woobin is so hot,” Sehee sighs, shoveling a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. “Waaaaaaay hotter than anyone else that’s on these days.”
Minseok smiles, running his fingers through her hair and is glad that she’s not as worried anymore.
(Minseok ends up seeing the text message Sehee sends to Jungah once the movie’s over and they decide to climb into the shower together, and he can’t help but feel relieved that Sehee’s feeling more like herself once more.
☆ sehee ☆: i totally snagged the next best thing to kim woobin)
Minseok tries to show that he isn’t worried throughout the day in the office, especially not while Sehee is still with him in the morning. He tries, but he fails. They’re currently not working on the same project, but their desks have been next to each other for years now and Minseok keeps taking not-so subtle glances out of the corner of his eye when he thinks Sehee isn’t looking. She flicks his forehead every time she catches him looking at her like she’ll pass out any second up until she leaves the office early for the afternoon.
Baekhyun, the current electrical engineer in his group, sits on his desk during lunch, atop all his work papers, and sips his afternoon coffee. “You know, if I didn’t know you two were married, I would’ve thought you had the biggest creeper-crush on her.”
(Minseok promptly smacks him upside the head afterward and shoos him off his desk, desperately straightening out his papers as an excuse to duck his head and ignore the heated blush of embarrassment on his cheeks).
The end of the day doesn’t come fast enough. He doesn’t finish his work and decides to take it home so that he can leave sooner. He misses his bus transfer so it takes twice as long just to get home. He crosses the street without looking and nearly gets run over. He has to stop in the park nearby their apartment for a breather.
He’s a fucking mess.
But he swings the door open hard enough that it slams against the wall and finds Sehee, startled, and with a spoonful of ice cream hanging in front of her mouth.
“I didn’t mean to-” Minseok starts, looking back at the wall behind the door and praying he didn’t put a hole in it, “I was just-” he waves his hands around frantically, as if they’d convey that he wasn’t a psycho. “I came home as fast as I could-”
Sehee laughs, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Minseok breathes out and lets his shoulders sag.
“I’m a fucking mess. Just tell me what happened.”
Sehee grabs a small box she’d left on the kitchen counter and tugs Minseok down onto the couch beside her. “Here,” she says, handing Minseok the small box wrapped up in the fancy silver wrapping paper they had leftover from Christmas, “It’s for you.”
Minseok swallows thickly, taking the box from Sehee and looking at it curiously. “What is it?”
Sehee simply smiles. “Open it.”
Minseok’s fingers are shaking as he tugs on the strings holding the bow atop the present and as he rips away the wrapping paper. Sehee is still smiling calmly as he lifts open the lid of the box, not showing any emotion. Minseok feels like his stomach is doing somersaults like the pro gymnasts in the Olympics. This has to be good news... right?
He tosses away a piece of tissue paper to find a black and white, smudgy-looking photo atop a mint green blanket.
“Sehee,” he breathes, feeling like his lungs have collapsed in his chest. He gently pulls her into his arms and tightens the hug around her waist. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”
He feels Sehee nod in the crook of his shoulder, her arms winding around his waist and squeezing him tighter.
Minseok doesn’t know what to say. He’s so incredibly happy and he wants to hug his wife forever and kiss her a lot but he’s still swimming in shock because he can’t believe this is actually happening.
“I’m so happy,” he murmurs, pulling back enough to kiss her lips. “I’m really happy for you and for the both of us.”
Sehee smiles widely, her eyes watery as she leans forward to kiss Minseok once more. “We can do it, right? We’re ready for this?”
Minseok knows it’s just nerves talking, but it is a big step for them. It’ll be a big change in their lives, but they’re in this together. “We’re ready,” he says, taking her hands in his and brushing his thumb over her wedding band.
They kiss, sweet and slow, taking in this moment before their lives begin to change forever.
“Did you know our baby is now the size of a lemon?”
“Minseok, you’re not helping.”
Minseok pouts, sliding his phone into his pocket. He hears the flush of the toilet through the bathroom door, followed by the sound of running water. Sehee looks exhausted and nonplussed as she steps out of the bathroom a moment later with a toothbrush in her mouth.
Minseok sighs and leans up to peck Sehee’s cheek. “I know, I’m sorry.”
Sehee steps back into the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste in her mouth and rinse it out. “It’s okay. I know you’re just excited.”
Excited would be an understatement. Minseok already has a head start on all the pregnancy sites and child-raising books.
“We should probably start telling people,” he says as Sehee leaves the bathroom once more.
She frowns for a moment, tugs down on the hem of her tanktop that shows the slight curve of her belly. “Wait for me on the couch,” she says, disappearing into the bedroom closet behind her and shutting the door.
Minseok chuckles and goes into the kitchen to grab crackers and 7-Up to calm down Sehee’s nausea. Not soon after he’s turned the television on and flipped through the weekend Sunday variety shows, Sehee comes into the living room wearing his favorite Marvel t-shirt that hangs loose around her waist and is wearing her loose floral shorts.
“You’re calling your mom and my mom last and telling them both I’m out with people,” she murmurs, taking tiny bites from the crackers and curling up against Minseok’s side. “They’ll both smother me with every ancient Korean folklore about what I should and shouldn’t be doing.”
Minseok presses a kiss to the crown of her head, smiling. “Definitely. But they’ll call you immediately after I hang up.”
Sehee pouts for a minute, snuggling closer into Minseok’s side. “Okay… let’s not call them just yet…” It’s a solid idea. Both their moms would shove every tip down their throats until they choke.
They decide on calling Jungah first, who sounds like she’s bawling as soon as they tell her. She immediately makes a date to meet up with Sehee for lunch on Monday and refuses to accept a later date so they can talk about things (squealing particularly at the mention of throwing a surprise baby shower). Jongdae is next, and he’s the calmest person by far. He congratulates them and promises to stop by soon. They tell their siblings, and make them promise not to tell their parents because they still need some time before they get bombarded with crazy rituals.
They tell a few other close friends from college before Sehee sinks into the couch, still nibbling on crackers, and refuses to make another phone call. “We can tell everyone at the office tomorrow or something- that way I can get out in Jungah’s getaway car if Baekhyun and Chanmi get to be too much. Running Man is on now and that means no more disturbances.”
So Minseok ensures there are no more disturbances, silencing all text notifications, emails, and phone calls. He grabs a few crackers for himself, more than he wants to eat so he has a few in his hand for Sehee to sneak out, and snuggles down into the couch. Sehee eventually doses off in the middle of the episode, so Minseok leads her to lay in his lap and covers the couch blanket over her legs as best as he can to help her sleep a little better.
(When they call their mothers later, they get more than an earful over Korean traditions they’re supposed to follow. Sehee nearly slams the phone off on her mom as soon as she brings up how much seaweed soup she should be eating- “the most vile food on the planet. I’m not taking one single bite!”)
Sehee startles in the middle of the night, shaken awake as the last of her nightmare fades. She can feel the sting of tears settling behind her eyes as she sits up, leaning back against the headboard, and tries to calm herself down.
It was just a dream. None of it is real.
But it had felt so real- the fear and sadness of being alone, losing Minseok (even if it was to the crazy IT clown of her childhood nightmares), of not being good enough or ready enough to have a baby. All her doubts and irregular sleep patterns had culminated into this.
She bites down on her lip and wipes harshly at her eyes to stop the first tears that drip down her cheeks. More tears drop down her face knowing that this isn’t something she would normally cry over but fuck, she hates feeling alone.
Then the baby flutters in her stomach and she just ends up crying a little harder.
It’s enough that Minseok stirs beside her, arm swinging out to the bedside table by habit to check the time on his phone. He takes a few moments to adjust to the brightness of his phone, and he takes a few more moments to realize that it’s 4 AM and he doesn’t have to go to work just yet. Then he rolls over completely before he sleepily grabs Sehee’s leg and tugs it close to cuddle.
“Sehee,” he mumbles, eyes fluttering shut briefly. Sehee manages a chuckle, but it sounds watery and mixes with a sob out of her throat. Minseok somehow catches that and pushes himself to sit up and switch on his bedside light.
“Are you okay?” is the first thing he asks, tugging Sehee into his arms even if his eyes aren’t quite open yet. Even if Sehee feels incredibly self conscious in this moment and feels like putting as much distance between herself and everyone as she can, she naturally falls into MInseok’s embrace and lets a few sobs out on his shoulder.
He shushes her gently, rubbing slow circles over her back. He can only imagine just how hard this whole thing is.
He lets her cry as she wants in silence for a minute, long enough until her sobs subside and she pulls away, reaching out to her bedside table for a tissue to wipe her nose. Minseok takes her hands between his and squeezes them tight in reassurance.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he whispers, swiping his thumb over her cheek to catch the last few tears that drip down her cheek.
Sehee nods, moving closer so that she can lean against Minseok’s shoulder. She bites down on her lip before she speaks. “It was just a nightmare,” she says, fingers nervously fidgeting in their grip on Minseok’s pajama pants.
Minseok hums quietly, threading his fingers through Sehee’s hair to calm her down. He stays silent for a while, enough that he almost drifts back to sleep, but he startles awake just before he does with Sehee’s curious, red eyes watching him. “It must have freaked you out a lot.”
Once again Sehee nods, her fidgety hands letting go of Minseok’s pants and settling over the gentle curve of her belly, now obvious through all of her shirts. “It was about you, and me, and us,” she murmurs, swallowing thickly. She sniffles, wiping at her eyes again. “It’s silly, and I know it’s not going to happen and it’ll sound kind of crazy but I dreamed that you were going to leave me, and then you were gone forever. And then I saw myself alone, without you or Jungah or my parents or even the baby.” She takes in a shaky breath, the hand over her belly clenching tighter in her shirt. “I couldn’t stand the feeling of calling out and not having anyone hear me or help me.”
Minseok kisses her temple, trying to calm her back down. It takes a few minutes until Sehee is breathing normally again before he has the courage to speak up. “I still get some of those nightmares- the ones where I never meet you or I lose you.”
Sehee glances up at him, holding his hand between her own and rubbing her finger over his wedding band in comfort.
Minseok exhales. “Sometimes, even though it rarely happens nowadays, I still dream of those high school and middle school bullies who told me I was never going to find anyone because of the way I looked. I never let it bother me too much, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have nightmares about growing up alone.”
Sehee sinks down in the bed, the anxiety in her chest finally easing. “So how did you stop thinking about it so often?”
Smiling subtly, Minseok whispers, “I had my wedding ring, and now I think of our wedding and the six years we spent together and now our first child and it finally feels like standing up to all those kids who made fun of me. If I think of you and if I remember the wedding ring on my finger, I can put aside those insecurities that still lurk around in the darkest corners.”
Sehee angles turns around as best as she can, pecking Minseok’s lips before she settles back into his side. “You have me,” she whispers, taking his hand and placing it on the curve of her belly, “And you have us.”
Minseok chuckles, smiling just a little wider when he feels the baby kick under his palm. “It’s the same for you, okay? You’ll always have me and our baby, and you have our wedding ring in case you ever forget.”
Sehee leans back against Minseok’s shoulder, pressing her hand atop Minseok’s. “You’re right. I’ll always have you.”
Minseok does his best to stay awake, his fingers brushing through Sehee’s hair moving, slower and slower until his hand drops on her shoulder and his eyes slip closed for a few minutes. They’ll have to get up for work in an hour and a half, and Sehee won’t be able to sleep regardless because of the sudden occasional sharp pains in her hips and back. Instead, she lets Minseok rest against her shoulder as he drifts back into sleep, holding his hand tight as he finally closes his eyes.
He snuggles close, whispering her name in his sleep before he finally falls silent. Sehee, even though she can’t sleep, stays up on her phone and flips through her photo album from their many dates to their wedding and their honeymoon, and she finally gets rid of the feeling of being alone.
Minseok has seen a lot of strange things in the past six months or so. He's seen Sehee's strange concoctions of cravings, the weird ways she sits and sleeps just to get comfortable, the strange things their parents make them do or try because it's healthy for one of their sex drives.
But this is a new one.
Minseok had stepped out of the bathroom, dressed well enough for work in the cold winter weather, to find Sehee standing in only her panties in front of the mirror, holding her boobs in both hands. Minseok doesn't quite know what to make of this.
Sehee pays no attention to him and continues looking at her boobs from all angles, squishing them with her hands occasionally.
"I think my boobs are bigger.”
Minseok chokes as he tries to swallow. He ducks into their closet to search for a belt and an excuse to hide his red face. What is he supposed to say to that? “They are bigger- I mean, we just went out to get you a larger cup size a couple weeks ago.”
Sehee presses her lips together in a thin line. She squeezes her boobs again and hums. “No but I think they’re even bigger now.”
“That’s…” Minseok coughs, hiding his head in his hands even while he’s still shoved into the closet. “That’s great… I guess?”
He feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to Sehee standing behind him, a pout on her lips and her hands still gripping her boobs. “But don’t you think they’re bigger already?”
Minseok just stares up at Sehee, blank, before he glances down at her chest. “They’re nice, no matter the size,” he finally settles on saying, leaning up and pecking Sehee’s cheek. “But I don’t doubt that they are bigger.”
Sehee seems satisfied by that and finally finishes getting dressed in the bra that matches her underwear, sweatpants, and a thin sweater with a heavy blush staining her cheeks. She’s still flushed when Minseok helps braid her hair nicely (since he’d taken it upon himself to watch all the Youtube videos so that he’s prepared for the possible future) and walks with her out to their car.
Things are even stranger in the office when they arrive.
Kyungsoon is throwing crumpled up pieces of paper at Baekhyun, who is running around the office hiding behind the printer and Chanmi. “I can’t believe you still haven’t finished the circuit design!” she yells, throwing another paper snowball. “Baekhyun, I need the design today! The prototype is due in two days! How am I supposed to work like that!”
Baekhyun peeks out from behind Chanmi, looking sheepishly at Kyungsoon. “I’m sorry? But hear me out, okay? There was this party-”
And Kyungsoon tosses another crumpled up paper that hits Baekhyun square in the face. “I don’t care! You have four hours to get it done.”
Baekhyun immediately scrambles to his chair, starts up his desktop, and immediately begins drawing out the design. Kyungsoon flops back into her chair beside Minseok and smiles brightly at him. Minseok isn’t sure if it’s fake or not.
“Hi, Minseok. Did you finish the graphic design of the new hospital water heater?” she asks sweetly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
“Y-Yes,” he murmurs, fiddling nervously through his bag until he pulls out a flash drive. “I’ll just give this to Chanmi to finish up.”
Kyungsoon smiles. “That’s great to hear. Thank you so much.”
Minseok manages a grimace instead of a smile in return, but Kyungsoon doesn’t seem to notice. She turns back to her computer and continues putting together the financial reports and the presentation for their water heater design. Minseok sags back in his chair, exhaling quietly in case Kyungsoon’s crazy senses catch him.
Beside him, Sehee laughs under her breath. She moves closer to him and takes his hand in comfort. “Don’t feel too weird- the baby enjoyed it at least,” she murmurs, pressing Minseok’s hand against her sweater where it pulls tight over her round belly. “I think the baby laughed so hard that they started hiccuping.”
Minseok smiles so hard that it feels a little stupid and silly on his face. But then he feels it, the tiny little shift of Sehee’s belly with the baby’s hiccup, and he can’t help but smile even wider. This moment is almost too sweet and too perfect to happen in the morning.
And it’s too good to last.
They don’t even notice Chanmi who had snuck up behind them and leaned down close to their ears. “Did you guys find out the gender yet? Oh! Is the baby kicking?!”
Minseok turns around startled, eyes wide and completely frozen. Chanmi looks down at him with an almost manic smile, her hair is somehow already a mess, and she looks just a touch creepy. Sehee practically jumps out of her seat, one hand clamped over her mouth to stop herself from shouting and another on her belly as it shifts. “Chanmi, I think you scared the baby!” she whines, her thumb subtly running over her lower belly. “I need to go to the bathroom. The baby keeps kicking at my bladder because of someone.” Sehee glares pointedly at Chanmi, who shrinks back to her desk, as she waddles to the bathroom.
Chanmi huffs, frowning at her computer. “How come I scare everything away?” she mutters.
“Well you don’t scare Kyungsoon away,” Baekhyun chirps. “I saw you two sucking each other’s faces off-”
Kyungsoon seethes. “Byun Baekhyun, if you continue that sentence--”
“Look! I even have it on video!”
“Baekhyun, I’m going to shove your phone down your throat if you play that video!”
By the time lunch rolls around, the office had calmed down significantly. Sehee finally lets Chanmi feel the baby move and explains that they were keeping the baby’s gender a secret from everyone (plus it allowed them to refuse the ancient baby clothes that have been stored in their parents’ attics for thirty years). Chanmi is much quieter this time as she sits beside Sehee and asks her a thousand and one questions about her current heartburn and indigestion pains and what it’s like having a little alien inside of her (“And how in the world is your vagina going to stretch that much! The baby is so big already!”).
Minseok listens from the side and just sighs, sinking down in his chair. He’s not really so hungry anymore.
The day finishes as soon as Sehee finishes writing up a program with Kyungsoon for Baekhyun’s circuit design. As soon as the preliminary code is submitted to their boss, Sehee sighs, sagging in her chair. She looks over at Minseok with a tired smile, but Minseok’s heart flutters all the same.
“Should we head home?” she whispers, eyes sparkling when she looks at him. “Oh, and can we pick up fried chicken for dinner too?”
Minseok smiles and takes her hand. “Of course,” he murmurs. He packs up his stuff and helps Sehee pack up some stuff in her lower desk drawers that she can’t reach anymore. Kyungsoon and Chanmi wave them goodbye as they leave, and Minseok can’t help but hope that his desk is still going to be the way he left it when he gets into the office tomorrow.
He calls in their order before they leave because it’s a bit of a drive home and it takes a lot of time to find parking close enough. He’s stuck in traffic and is about to turn on the radio when he glances over at Sehee to find her fast asleep, head cushioned on her palm and against the window and her other hand pressed against the top of her belly. Just when they stop outside the food shop, Minseok sneaks a photo of Sehee sleeping peacefully. He kisses her temple, and it’s enough to arouse her from sleep long enough to tell her he’s going to pick up food. In return, Sehee purses her lips and blows Minseok a lazy kiss before she tries to snuggle in the passenger seat.
Minseok leaves her in the car while he pays at the register, staring at his phone and changing the most recent photo to his wallpaper while he waits in line. There’s definitely a glow about Sehee, something that he can’t put into words but she looks so beautiful, even when she’s asleep.
By the time they reach their apartment, they’re both incredibly tired and decide they’ll just take a nap for thirty minutes but end up sleeping until the middle of the night. They both wake up starving so they warm up the chicken in the microwave and eat it on the living room couch, watching reruns of You Who Came From the Stars and Bridal Mask until two in the morning when they sluggishly crawl back into bed and fall asleep curled around each other.
Sehee panics. They are in no way ready to be parents.
The spare room in their apartment isn’t even cleaned out and set up- it’s not even painted, they have next to nothing for the baby, the baby shower is less than an hour away and nothing feels like it’s ready, and to top it off Sehee’s hips hurt and she still has heartburn from this morning and the baby won’t stop moving and her boobs have leaked through two of her shirts because she forgot to put pads in her bra.
They haven’t even taken care of a baby before. How the fuck were they supposed to be good parents if they have never changed a diaper or burped a baby or learned how to give newborns a bath?
She plops down on the couch, laying on her side to ease the back pain. At least that’s one problem solved.
Minseok comes into the living room just then, dragging out a trash bag full of junk from the spare room. He notices Sehee laying on the couch and drops the bag to sit in front of her. She’s still frowning, even when Minseok begins combing through her hair.
“The spare room is almost cleaned out,” he murmurs. He leans over and pecks Sehee’s forehead. “Are you doing okay?”
Sehee’s pout deepens. “No. We know nothing about having kids and taking care of newborns and the new room isn’t set up and neither is the baby shower and everything hurts and-”
“You’re scared, Sehee,” he murmurs, brushing her bangs back. “I’m scared too- how could I not be? In two months we’re going to have a tiny human to take care of for the rest of our lives.”
Sehee sniffles, teeth digging into her bottom lip. Minseok begins slowly rubbing up and down her side. “We’ll probably make mistakes too, but everyone does. How do you know we won’t be good parents if we haven’t even had a chance?”
Minseok smiles gently, holding Sehee’s hand between his. “Jungah is going to be here soon to help finish setting up for the baby shower and will bring the food, and Jongdae and I are going to finish working on the baby room in the meanwhile.”
Sehee untangles her hand from his and flicks his forehead. “Why are you always right,” she murmurs.
Minseok just chuckles. “It took me eleven years.”
“Stupid,” Sehee replies, sticking her tongue out at him.
“Only for you.”
Sehee fakes a gag but smiles afterwards.
The doorbell rings. Sehee refuses to get off the couch so Minseok goes to answer the door. Jongdae and Jungah are standing outside with armfuls of food and sweets piled high.
“Oh, Minseok,” Jungah says, peeking around him. “Sehee’s here, right?”
Sehee groans loudly from her place on the couch.
“Right.” Jungah steps in first and sets all the food on the counter before she goes outside and fetches the last few things. “Thank you for helping me, Jongdae.”
Jongdae flushes, and Minseok is absolutely going to hold this over him later. “It’s no problem,” he stutters, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “If there’s anything else I can help you with, let me know.”
Jungah smiles softly, her hands fidgeting subtly behind her back. “I will. Thank you.” She shuffles over to the couch and plops in front of Sehee, whispering low under her breath.
Minseok immediately takes Jongdae into the spare room and shuts the door behind him. “When were you planning on telling your best friend that you were in love with Jungah?”
Jongdae flushes heavily. “I am not!” He stomps his foot childishly. “I was just helping her out and it just so happens that we keep running into each other.”
Minseok folds his arms over his chest.
“Okay so what if I like her!” Jongdae, exhales heavily before sinking bonelessly against the bare wall. “I like her but she’s so-”
“-Dense-”
“-Exactly!” Jongdae waves his arms around in exasperation. “How am I supposed to get with her if she can’t even see I’ve been hitting on her since you guys got engaged.”
Minseok ruffles Jongdae’s hair. Like this, Jongdae looks like the same pouty boy he’d picked up off the concrete basketball court and dragged him to the playground to be his best friend. “She’ll come around. Sehee was the same, though not nearly as bad as Jungah.”
Jongdae just sighs. “We’ll see.”
“Don’t worry, okay? You’re a wonderful guy and you’d be wonderful to date.” Minseok pats his head and then pulls him away from the wall. “Come on, we have a big job ahead of us in here.”
Minseok isn’t really sure what goes on in the baby shower since Jungah had required that all the guys stay out until the end. He can only hear lots of laughter and shouting through the door, particularly the sound of Chanmi's over everyone else's. During that time, he and Jongdae clean out the room entirely and paint the walls a light mint green and paint the small bookshelf, the set of drawers, and the closet in white. It looks good when it’s done, and it finally all sinks in that they’ll have a baby in their arms soon enough.
“You okay?” Jongdae asks, wrapping an arm around Minseok’s shoulder as they look at the work of the room.
Minseok shakes his head. “I’m fine,” he murmurs. Time has passed by so quickly.
Jungah eventually comes by to get them when the baby shower is over. Jongdae looks so lovestruck when she talks to them, even though her spring dress is now wrinkled and her hair is a bit messy. Jongdae offers to take her home and she happily accepts, whether she thinks it’s just a favor or something more. They leave together and the door clicks behind them, finally leaving Sehee and Minseok alone.
Minseok looks around the living room, at the mess of presents from their moms and their friends. But Sehee is sitting in front of some of the baby toys and clothes, a hand pressed to her belly.
Minseok comes and sits beside her, taking a look at all the tiny baby clothes. His chest feels so warm, his heart beating fast and heavy in his chest. He can't believe their baby is going to be this small. Sehee rests her head on his shoulder, holding up a pair of the tiniest baby socks that fits in her palm.
“Almost there,” she murmurs, exhaling softly.
They’re almost there.
“Minseok, I don’t think that piece goes there.”
Tongue caught between his lips, Minseok stares at the piece of wood and the starting frameworks of a crib- a bunch of pieces of wood and nails and screws all strewn out over the floor.
“Are you sure?” He eyes the screw carefully and the pieces of wood for the crib sides that he’s supposed to fit together.
Sehee scoffs. “You’re not the one holding the instruction manual for this thing.”
Minseok glances back at Sehee, who is swaying gently in the rocking chair they’d added to the baby room. “I guess you’re right,” he mutters, reaching back for the instructions. Sehee tosses the paper in his direction and it floats down onto his face instead of into his waiting hand.
“You may have an engineering degree but you are horrible at constructing furniture pieces,” Sehee sighs, but Minseok catches the glint of mirth in her eyes.
“It’s a good thing I married you,” he replies sincerely, watching as Sehee’s cheeks slowly take on a pink blush. “I need a smart engineer to keep me in line.”
“Stop it!” Sehee hides her face in her hands. “You’re so cheesy these days I can’t take it!”
Minseok chuckles, sitting up on his knees and leaning against the rocking chair to kiss Sehee. It’s slow and sweet, and it feels like it ends all too soon. Sehee blushes even harder as Minseok ends up gazing at her.
“Stop it,” she whines, flicking Minseok’s forehead. “We need to finish this crib.”
Minseok stands up and holds out his hand to help Sehee stand. “Come on, let’s finish this.”
Sehee holds together the sides to the crib while Minseok nails the pieces together and to the bottom frame. Once the sides are all stable, he lets Sehee hammer in the nails at the top (after a lot of whining and persuasion and many, many kisses). When the frame is finished, they set in the tiny mattress, the blankets, and the stuffed puppy Kyungsoon had bought.
Minseok takes a step back, feeling choked up as he looks at the now completed room. The drawers are filled with clothes, the bassinet they’d built is pushed against the wall beside the crib, the bookshelf now slowly filling with books, and boxes of baby supplies pushed under the changing table. Beside the door is Sehee’s hospital bag, packed and ready. They have a name picked out and-
“Oh, the last touch,” he murmurs, glancing around the room. Sehee watches him curiously as he steps outside the room for a minute before he returns with the green baby blanket Sehee had bought eight months ago.
He places the blanket on the side of the bassinet before he stands back by Sehee’s side and wraps an arm around her waist. It finally feels like everything has come together.
He glances over at Sehee for a moment to find her smile caught in a grimace. She exhales heavily after a long moment, and Minseok holds her a little closer. “Sorry,” she whispers, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to these fake contractions.”
Minseok simply shakes his head and threads his fingers with hers that rest on her belly. His pulse beats heavy through his whole body. He exhales shakily, squeezing her hand gently before he manages to get out any words. “Time has passed by so quickly.”
Sehee sighs. “Soon enough we’ll have to change this baby room into a toddler room and then into one for a teenager.”
Minseok blanches at the thought, jaw hanging slack. Sehee giggles, leaning affectionately into his side.
“After this baby is born we’ll have so many sleepless nights, pee-stained things, spit-up on our clothes, we’ll have to deal with teething pains- and that’s only just the start so don’t worry about our baby growing up too fast just yet.” Sehee smiles and pecks Minseok’s cheek. “Hey,” she whispers, “I think you’re going to be a great dad.”
Minseok smiles and return Sehee’s kiss. “You’re going to be great too.”
Because even if this isn’t the life Minseok dreamed of twelve years ago, he still has the most amazing woman by his side. He knows they can do anything together.
It feels like Minseok had just put his head on his pillow as screeching cries erupt from the bassinet nearby. Sehee groans beside him, rolling over and swinging out her leg to kick him.
“You sleep,” he murmurs, patting what feels like Sehee’s back, “I got it this time.”
He wasn’t really that sleepy anyway.
He slides out of bed and trudges over to the bassinet, picking up their son and rocking him carefully in his arms. He leaves their bedroom so that Sehee doesn’t wake up and instead shuffles into the nursery they’d finished just two months ago. Joonmyun is still wailing, tiny little hands and feet wiggling as he cries. Again.
But Minseok doesn’t care. Joonmyun is the sweetest little boy they could’ve asked for.
He walks around the room, humming softly and rocking Joonmyun gently in his arms. Then he runs down the mental checklist that he knows now like the back of his hand- Joonmyun had just been fed and his diaper wasn’t dirty so those weren’t why Joonmyun was crying.
“You probably just wanted some more attention, huh?” he murmurs. Joonmyun hiccups in reply, fat tears rolling down his chubby cheeks while his wailing subsides to sobbing.
The door creaks open and Sehee shuffles in, immediately wrapping her arms around Minseok’s neck from behind and hugging him sleepily. She hums softly, pressing a kiss to his neck before she reaches down and swipes Joonmyun’s tears off his cheek with her thumb.
“I thought you were going back to sleep,” he whispers, readjusting his son in his arms as Joonmyun’s cries finally begin to quieten.
“I couldn’t help but check up on you.” She untangles herself from Minseok to press a kiss to Joonmyun’s forehead. “And my favorite boy.”
Minseok immediately pouts but Sehee cups his face and kisses him long and sweet and wipes that pout off his face.
They stay like that until Joonmyun drifts off to sleepy- and actually falls asleep this time- before they trudge back into bed and flop on the mattress. Minseok naturally tugs Sehee closer, tangles their legs together and presses as close he can to her before he drifts off to sleep.
“Hey, Minseok” Sehee murmurs just as Minseok is about to sleep. He startles awake enough to hum a reply that he’s listening.
And even though they’re sleep deprived and exhausted, Minseok knows he’ll remember this moment for the rest of his life.
Sehee pecks his lips just before her eyes flutter shut. “I love you.”
Minseok knows she means so much more than just love, that if love could be quantified she’d meant more than infinity, but he feels that same love for her too.
Even though she’d drifted to sleep, Minseok pecks her forehead and squeezes their intertwined hands where her wedding band rests.
“I love you too, Sehee.”
For: S77
Pairing(s): minor! Jongdae/girl!Jongin and girl!Kyungsoo/girl!Chanyeol
Rating: NC-17
Length: 9.1k
Summary: Minseok and Sehee are having their first child and they manage to get through all the trials of the journey together.
Author's note: All my thanks to the wonderful J for putting up with my troublesome self.
When Minseok was in college, he'd once spared a thought about what it would be like to live in a small apartment with his girlfriend, how he'd propose, what his wedding day would be like, buying a house, having kids. Back then, it had been a stressful time in his third year to be thinking about things that had felt so far away. He wasn't even sure what he was going to do after he graduated and time was ticking; there wasn't any time to think about the distant future of his adult life while he still had student loans to pay and a GPA to maintain and finals to pass.
But he'd wondered about it in the middle of the night in bed, lying awake in a sudden pre-mid-life crisis. But he'd entirely forgotten it the next morning with an impending final in Advanced Computer Design and a phone call from a stressed out Jongdae calling him in place of his phone alarm, freaking out about his Advanced Musical Performance final and how he'd suddenly forgotten how to play the piano.
But now that this day has come, Minseok knows that it isn't like anything he had dreamed of that night almost eleven years ago.
He'd met Sehee five years ago when she'd transferred into their consulting firm. Though she was the youngest of their group, she was incredibly smart and a better programmer on their team than the previous guy who had quit. Though she seemed quite stoic and a bit cold at first, she proved to be exactly the opposite. She was funny in her sarcastic remarks, she never spoke badly of anyone, she helped anyone with anything she could, and she was compassionate to stay with the group to finish a project even if she'd already finished her part. Minseok worked with her often, pointing out parts of his designs that he wanted coded in a specific way, spending late nights debugging her programs, and sitting side by side so that they could plan out designs and programs that needed to be constructed for a client.
Minseok fell in love hard and fast because she was beautiful, inside and out, and it took a lot of useless pep talks from a drunk Baekhyun and an even more drunk Chanmi to give him the courage to formally ask her out on a date.
And today, on the anniversary of their first date, Minseok dances the last dance of the night with Sehee in arms and the weight of their wedding band on his fourth finger. All the guests have left except for Jongdae and Jungah- their best man and bridesmaid who are chatting in the farthest corner of the room. The tables have been cleared and the chairs pushed to the wall, leaving the room barren. The DJ had already left too, packing up all his sound equipment in his van as soon as his time slot was up, but the song Sehee and Minseok dance to blares loudly enough from Minseok's phone set on the floor.
"So, was this wedding what you imagined?" Sehee asks, her hand sliding down Minseok's side until it rests at his waist more comfortably. It has been a long day making sure everything was nearly perfect, and Sehee had put in so much work for the wedding yet she doesn't look any less beautiful now than when she stood at the altar and promised to be his. Her blonde hair is still tied up in a bun, hair pins decorated with white flowers holding the bun in place, though now Minseok can see the loose strands around her face. Her makeup is still perfect even though lipstick had faded a bit too, but Minseok suspects that his own lips are a brighter red than they were this morning. Even Sehee's wedding dress still looks perfect, subtle lace highlighting the bodice and a slim fit to show every curve.
Minseok's hands move over her waist, fingers reaching up to tug on the light blue ribbon that ties in a bow on her back. "I didn't expect that my bride was going to match the dinner plates."
Sehee lightly flicks his side and pouts. The blue ribbon on her dress wasn't supposed to be the same as the blue on the white dinner plates, but no one had cared and neither had they. Well... too much anyway. "I can't believe you just compared me to dinner plates."
Minseok chuckles, leaning up to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind Sehee's ear, which is heavily decorated in small blue flowers and a silver chain that drops down from the cartilage to the lobe. He kisses her chastely and feels suddenly overcome with so much love for Sehee, but it's a kind of love that he can't put into words. This kind of emotion is something far more powerful than just love.
He startles with another flick to his side. "I just asked a question, even though I know the answer already. If you think that hard your brain is going to melt," Sehee says, biting down on her lip to stop from smiling.
"Sorry," he murmurs, capturing Sehee's lips in a much more heated kiss. His hands move slowly on her back, teasing at the blue ribbon on her dress. Her breath hitches, shoulders stiffening as Minseok tugs on the ribbon enough to undo the bow and let Sehee's dress loosen enough for her to feel it.
"We should go upstairs," she says, her eyes suddenly darkening. Her kisses are insistent as she mouths at Minseok's neck and it's all the incentive he needs to leave.
He quickly grabs his phone and room keys and hastily waves goodbye to Jongdae and Jungah who hardly take notice of Sehee's hands wandering under his suit jacket as they walk out. There's no one around in the lobby but as soon as they step inside the elevator, Sehee lets her hands roam over Minseok's broad chest. Minseok lets her indulge, tease him by slowly untucking his shirt from his pants and taking off his belt one loop at a time and making sure that her slim fingers graze his dick over the cloth of his pants.
Minseok wishes this elevator would just go faster.
His knees feel weak when the elevator doors open and he’s sure there’s already a dark bruise sucked into the dip of his collarbones. His fingers tremble as he tries to get the room keys out of his pocket and ends up dropping his phone as Sehee’s hands snake around his front and tug at his tie. He snatches his phone off the ground, not checking to see if the screen broke, and all but shoves the key card desperately into the door three times until it clicks and the door swings open.
He takes Sehee by the hand and tugs her in, barely managing to close the door behind them with his foot. Sehee stops kissing him long enough for them to slide off their shoes and make it into the bedroom.
“Let me help you with your dress,” Minseok murmurs, feeling satisfied by the shudder Sehee responds with when he leans up to kiss her neck. Sehee nods, spinning around so that Minseok faces the laces and zippers that tie up her back. He starts from the bottom and pulls the lace that holds the bodice together one row at a time, peppering her back with kisses as he goes. He can hear the way Sehee’s breath hitches as he finally pulls the lace free and the dress eases around her figure. He pulls the zipper down and watches as the dress pulls away from Sehee’s pale skin, looking just as beautiful in just her strapless bra and underwear.
Sehee moves over to the bed while Minseok takes care in setting her dress over the chair next to the balcony. As soon as he sits on the bed, Sehee flips herself on top and kisses him, slow and passionate, while she works his clothes off. Minseok runs his hands down her stomach, noting the way his wedding ring presses against her skin. Sehee moans into his mouth at the cool press of silver against her skin, finally working his tie off and tossing it off the bed. Minseok focuses on their kiss, mapping out Sehee’s mouth with his tongue, memorizing the feel of her plush, kiss swollen lips against his own, and imagining what the dark red shade of her lips looks. His hands settle gently at her waist, holding her still when she tries to grind down on his crotch.
Sehee unbuttons his suit vest, his collared shirt, and slides them off with his jacket all at once. She finally slides the belt out of his pants and works off his pants, struggling as Minseok kisses over her neck and shoulder and teases her earrings with his mouth. He’s almost fully hard when Sehee taps his stomach to get him to lift his ass up so she can slide his pants and briefs down enough to let him kick them off his legs the rest of the way.
Minseok pulls back from her skin, looking up at Sehee, now his wife, and feeling that same well of emotion- of too much love- burst in his chest.
“Minseok-” she stops for a moment, caging her words by biting down on her lip. She used to do that so many times when they started working together, started living together, but now she’s always so open. It feels strange to see her habits come back again.
Minseok cups her cheek with his hand, gently running his thumb over her cheek and catching some of the sparkly makeup on his fingertip in reassurance. He doesn’t say anything, knowing he should give her the space she needs.
“I love you,” she exhales, breathing against his lips, and Minseok feels so overcome by everything. She takes control, pressing her hands flat on his chest before she smoothes them down to his stomach. Minseok lets out a strangled moan as her slim fingers wrap around his cock, giving an experimental tug. She smiles against his mouth, knowing Minseok’s already hard but she tries to push him over the edge.
His kisses become sloppy as he’s overcome with pleasure building up hot in the pit of his belly. He trails his fingers over her shoulder, feeling her shudder under his touch as his fingers dance over the clasp of her lacy bra. “Minseok,” she moans, arching back as the first, second, and third clasps come undone. Her bra falls off and Minseok tosses it aside, then mouths down her neck and sucks dark purple marks on her chest. He feels the slide of her wet panties on his skin and moans her name, working to tug her panties off and throwing them aside.
“I love you,” he whispers hot against her skin, moves up to her kiss swollen lips and whispers it again. “I love you so much, more than anything, forever and always and no matter what happens.” He swallows thickly, choked up even though he’s told Sehee so many times that he loves her. Saying he loves her any chance he gets feels like nothing compared to how much he feels with all his heart.
Sehee looks down at him sincerely, eyes shining in the darkness. “I love you too, more than I could tell you.”
Minseok understands, leans up and kisses her slowly, cupping her face in her hands and telling her that he understands that feeling, of loving so much. It’s kind of scary, knowing that he could feel so deeply, but it’s a double edged sword and the love in return is an incredible warmth and the feeling of safety.
His hands are strong on Sehee’s waist, grip tightening and nails pressing into her skin as she sinks down on his cock. He drinks in the image of her back arched, head thrown back, the sparkle of her earrings and the glint of the silver band on her finger. Sehee gasps as he thrusts up suddenly but she presses her hands on his chest, grounding him and simultaneously giving herself leverage to ease herself up and down on his cock, starting up a steady rhythm.
It builds up, an unbearable heat from frantic kisses, desperately holding on to each other- holding each other together as Sehee takes more of Minseok until an unbearable pressure builds in their chest and they climax together, fingers intertwined.
Sehee glows even now with her hair strewn about her face, panting heavy, skin glistening. They stay still for a while, taking everything in silence. Then she slides off after a moment of catching her breath, wincing at the sound, before she collapses beside Minseok, taking his left hand and feeling his wedding band just as her eyes briefly slip shut.
Still dazed, Minseok frees his hand from Sehee’s grip and pushes her bangs out of her eyes. “You’re not going to be comfortable if you sleep like that,” he murmurs, his voice hoarse as he speaks.
Sehee shakes her head. “I want to cuddle,” she whispers, dropping her head on Minseok’s shoulder. “Fix it tomorrow.”
Minseok chuckles, brushing her bangs from her face once more before wiggling down into bed and tugging her closer. “Okay. Tomorrow.”
Tomorrow marks the first day of the rest of their lives.
Four months later, Sehee comes home from a movie with Jungah and a few of their friends. She plops down at the kitchen counter where Minseok is still cooking dinner for himself and presses her face to the cool granite counter. “It’s too hot,” she moans, eyes fluttering shut as she tries to cool off.
Minseok chuckles, scooping rice and curry onto a plate and sitting across from her. He pushes some of her long hair out of her face before he takes a bite of his food. “Well you’re not exactly wearing summer-friendly clothes, even if you do look really nice.”
Which is true. Sehee is wearing tight jeans and a sweater, perfect for the movie theater but not for walking around in the shopping district for hours and eating spicy food for dinner.
She pouts, brows furrowing and lips downturned in her extreme frown. She turns the other way so that her other cheek presses against the cool counter surface. The blush on her face isn’t helping her cool down any.
Minseok pokes the corner of her mouth, trying to get a smile out of her. “Do you want me to get the fan out?” The fan is, of course, in storage in the basement of their apartment building and only comes out in desperate measures because it is lodged somewhere in the back of their dark (and haunted, as Sehee claims) storage room.
“No, it’s okay,” Sehee sighs. She stands up and wiggles herself out of her jeans, standing in her favorite floral panties, before she plops back down at her seat. “That should be fine enough.”
Minseok laughs, unable to help himself leaning over the counter and pecking her lips. His heart flutters warmly in his chest. “If you’re sure. Just ask if you want it.”
Minseok continues eating dinner, but tonight it’s in silence. He tries to keep himself from focusing on the way Sehee is nervously pulling her sweater sleeves by asking her how her day was and how her friends are. But Sehee is distracted as she answers, keeping her eyes anywhere but on Minseok. Then silence falls between them when Minseok figures Sehee probably has something on her mind. It’s comfortable silence still as he eats his dinner and waits for Sehee to bring it up.
Finally, once Minseok has almost finished his dinner, Sehee sighs and finally meets Minseok’s gaze. She rests her chin on her palm, teeth digging into her bottom lip, before she finally speaks. “I haven’t had my period in a month,” she murmurs, pressing her lips together in a thin line.
Minseok’s gaze softens with relief and a touch of excitement running through him. It’s still probably too early to be excited, and regardless, Sehee still comes first. “Do you want me to stop by the convenience store? It’s probably not closed yet.”
Sehee shakes her head. “I made an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow. I’ll just head out after lunch and it’ll probably be late enough that you’d get home by the bus faster.”
Minseok hums, pulling Sehee’s hand away from her chin and holding it between his. “Don’t worry, okay? Things will work out as they should.”
Sehee still doesn’t look very reassured, or maybe she’s just confused, so Minseok takes the tub of vanilla caramel crunch ice cream from the freezer and sticks in two spoons. He tugs her over to the couch, hands her the ice cream, and puts on The Con Artists in hopes to ease her anxious heart.
“Kim Woobin is so hot,” Sehee sighs, shoveling a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. “Waaaaaaay hotter than anyone else that’s on these days.”
Minseok smiles, running his fingers through her hair and is glad that she’s not as worried anymore.
(Minseok ends up seeing the text message Sehee sends to Jungah once the movie’s over and they decide to climb into the shower together, and he can’t help but feel relieved that Sehee’s feeling more like herself once more.
☆ sehee ☆: i totally snagged the next best thing to kim woobin)
Minseok tries to show that he isn’t worried throughout the day in the office, especially not while Sehee is still with him in the morning. He tries, but he fails. They’re currently not working on the same project, but their desks have been next to each other for years now and Minseok keeps taking not-so subtle glances out of the corner of his eye when he thinks Sehee isn’t looking. She flicks his forehead every time she catches him looking at her like she’ll pass out any second up until she leaves the office early for the afternoon.
Baekhyun, the current electrical engineer in his group, sits on his desk during lunch, atop all his work papers, and sips his afternoon coffee. “You know, if I didn’t know you two were married, I would’ve thought you had the biggest creeper-crush on her.”
(Minseok promptly smacks him upside the head afterward and shoos him off his desk, desperately straightening out his papers as an excuse to duck his head and ignore the heated blush of embarrassment on his cheeks).
The end of the day doesn’t come fast enough. He doesn’t finish his work and decides to take it home so that he can leave sooner. He misses his bus transfer so it takes twice as long just to get home. He crosses the street without looking and nearly gets run over. He has to stop in the park nearby their apartment for a breather.
He’s a fucking mess.
But he swings the door open hard enough that it slams against the wall and finds Sehee, startled, and with a spoonful of ice cream hanging in front of her mouth.
“I didn’t mean to-” Minseok starts, looking back at the wall behind the door and praying he didn’t put a hole in it, “I was just-” he waves his hands around frantically, as if they’d convey that he wasn’t a psycho. “I came home as fast as I could-”
Sehee laughs, hiding her mouth behind her hand. Minseok breathes out and lets his shoulders sag.
“I’m a fucking mess. Just tell me what happened.”
Sehee grabs a small box she’d left on the kitchen counter and tugs Minseok down onto the couch beside her. “Here,” she says, handing Minseok the small box wrapped up in the fancy silver wrapping paper they had leftover from Christmas, “It’s for you.”
Minseok swallows thickly, taking the box from Sehee and looking at it curiously. “What is it?”
Sehee simply smiles. “Open it.”
Minseok’s fingers are shaking as he tugs on the strings holding the bow atop the present and as he rips away the wrapping paper. Sehee is still smiling calmly as he lifts open the lid of the box, not showing any emotion. Minseok feels like his stomach is doing somersaults like the pro gymnasts in the Olympics. This has to be good news... right?
He tosses away a piece of tissue paper to find a black and white, smudgy-looking photo atop a mint green blanket.
“Sehee,” he breathes, feeling like his lungs have collapsed in his chest. He gently pulls her into his arms and tightens the hug around her waist. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”
He feels Sehee nod in the crook of his shoulder, her arms winding around his waist and squeezing him tighter.
Minseok doesn’t know what to say. He’s so incredibly happy and he wants to hug his wife forever and kiss her a lot but he’s still swimming in shock because he can’t believe this is actually happening.
“I’m so happy,” he murmurs, pulling back enough to kiss her lips. “I’m really happy for you and for the both of us.”
Sehee smiles widely, her eyes watery as she leans forward to kiss Minseok once more. “We can do it, right? We’re ready for this?”
Minseok knows it’s just nerves talking, but it is a big step for them. It’ll be a big change in their lives, but they’re in this together. “We’re ready,” he says, taking her hands in his and brushing his thumb over her wedding band.
They kiss, sweet and slow, taking in this moment before their lives begin to change forever.
“Did you know our baby is now the size of a lemon?”
“Minseok, you’re not helping.”
Minseok pouts, sliding his phone into his pocket. He hears the flush of the toilet through the bathroom door, followed by the sound of running water. Sehee looks exhausted and nonplussed as she steps out of the bathroom a moment later with a toothbrush in her mouth.
Minseok sighs and leans up to peck Sehee’s cheek. “I know, I’m sorry.”
Sehee steps back into the bathroom to spit out the toothpaste in her mouth and rinse it out. “It’s okay. I know you’re just excited.”
Excited would be an understatement. Minseok already has a head start on all the pregnancy sites and child-raising books.
“We should probably start telling people,” he says as Sehee leaves the bathroom once more.
She frowns for a moment, tugs down on the hem of her tanktop that shows the slight curve of her belly. “Wait for me on the couch,” she says, disappearing into the bedroom closet behind her and shutting the door.
Minseok chuckles and goes into the kitchen to grab crackers and 7-Up to calm down Sehee’s nausea. Not soon after he’s turned the television on and flipped through the weekend Sunday variety shows, Sehee comes into the living room wearing his favorite Marvel t-shirt that hangs loose around her waist and is wearing her loose floral shorts.
“You’re calling your mom and my mom last and telling them both I’m out with people,” she murmurs, taking tiny bites from the crackers and curling up against Minseok’s side. “They’ll both smother me with every ancient Korean folklore about what I should and shouldn’t be doing.”
Minseok presses a kiss to the crown of her head, smiling. “Definitely. But they’ll call you immediately after I hang up.”
Sehee pouts for a minute, snuggling closer into Minseok’s side. “Okay… let’s not call them just yet…” It’s a solid idea. Both their moms would shove every tip down their throats until they choke.
They decide on calling Jungah first, who sounds like she’s bawling as soon as they tell her. She immediately makes a date to meet up with Sehee for lunch on Monday and refuses to accept a later date so they can talk about things (squealing particularly at the mention of throwing a surprise baby shower). Jongdae is next, and he’s the calmest person by far. He congratulates them and promises to stop by soon. They tell their siblings, and make them promise not to tell their parents because they still need some time before they get bombarded with crazy rituals.
They tell a few other close friends from college before Sehee sinks into the couch, still nibbling on crackers, and refuses to make another phone call. “We can tell everyone at the office tomorrow or something- that way I can get out in Jungah’s getaway car if Baekhyun and Chanmi get to be too much. Running Man is on now and that means no more disturbances.”
So Minseok ensures there are no more disturbances, silencing all text notifications, emails, and phone calls. He grabs a few crackers for himself, more than he wants to eat so he has a few in his hand for Sehee to sneak out, and snuggles down into the couch. Sehee eventually doses off in the middle of the episode, so Minseok leads her to lay in his lap and covers the couch blanket over her legs as best as he can to help her sleep a little better.
(When they call their mothers later, they get more than an earful over Korean traditions they’re supposed to follow. Sehee nearly slams the phone off on her mom as soon as she brings up how much seaweed soup she should be eating- “the most vile food on the planet. I’m not taking one single bite!”)
Sehee startles in the middle of the night, shaken awake as the last of her nightmare fades. She can feel the sting of tears settling behind her eyes as she sits up, leaning back against the headboard, and tries to calm herself down.
It was just a dream. None of it is real.
But it had felt so real- the fear and sadness of being alone, losing Minseok (even if it was to the crazy IT clown of her childhood nightmares), of not being good enough or ready enough to have a baby. All her doubts and irregular sleep patterns had culminated into this.
She bites down on her lip and wipes harshly at her eyes to stop the first tears that drip down her cheeks. More tears drop down her face knowing that this isn’t something she would normally cry over but fuck, she hates feeling alone.
Then the baby flutters in her stomach and she just ends up crying a little harder.
It’s enough that Minseok stirs beside her, arm swinging out to the bedside table by habit to check the time on his phone. He takes a few moments to adjust to the brightness of his phone, and he takes a few more moments to realize that it’s 4 AM and he doesn’t have to go to work just yet. Then he rolls over completely before he sleepily grabs Sehee’s leg and tugs it close to cuddle.
“Sehee,” he mumbles, eyes fluttering shut briefly. Sehee manages a chuckle, but it sounds watery and mixes with a sob out of her throat. Minseok somehow catches that and pushes himself to sit up and switch on his bedside light.
“Are you okay?” is the first thing he asks, tugging Sehee into his arms even if his eyes aren’t quite open yet. Even if Sehee feels incredibly self conscious in this moment and feels like putting as much distance between herself and everyone as she can, she naturally falls into MInseok’s embrace and lets a few sobs out on his shoulder.
He shushes her gently, rubbing slow circles over her back. He can only imagine just how hard this whole thing is.
He lets her cry as she wants in silence for a minute, long enough until her sobs subside and she pulls away, reaching out to her bedside table for a tissue to wipe her nose. Minseok takes her hands between his and squeezes them tight in reassurance.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he whispers, swiping his thumb over her cheek to catch the last few tears that drip down her cheek.
Sehee nods, moving closer so that she can lean against Minseok’s shoulder. She bites down on her lip before she speaks. “It was just a nightmare,” she says, fingers nervously fidgeting in their grip on Minseok’s pajama pants.
Minseok hums quietly, threading his fingers through Sehee’s hair to calm her down. He stays silent for a while, enough that he almost drifts back to sleep, but he startles awake just before he does with Sehee’s curious, red eyes watching him. “It must have freaked you out a lot.”
Once again Sehee nods, her fidgety hands letting go of Minseok’s pants and settling over the gentle curve of her belly, now obvious through all of her shirts. “It was about you, and me, and us,” she murmurs, swallowing thickly. She sniffles, wiping at her eyes again. “It’s silly, and I know it’s not going to happen and it’ll sound kind of crazy but I dreamed that you were going to leave me, and then you were gone forever. And then I saw myself alone, without you or Jungah or my parents or even the baby.” She takes in a shaky breath, the hand over her belly clenching tighter in her shirt. “I couldn’t stand the feeling of calling out and not having anyone hear me or help me.”
Minseok kisses her temple, trying to calm her back down. It takes a few minutes until Sehee is breathing normally again before he has the courage to speak up. “I still get some of those nightmares- the ones where I never meet you or I lose you.”
Sehee glances up at him, holding his hand between her own and rubbing her finger over his wedding band in comfort.
Minseok exhales. “Sometimes, even though it rarely happens nowadays, I still dream of those high school and middle school bullies who told me I was never going to find anyone because of the way I looked. I never let it bother me too much, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have nightmares about growing up alone.”
Sehee sinks down in the bed, the anxiety in her chest finally easing. “So how did you stop thinking about it so often?”
Smiling subtly, Minseok whispers, “I had my wedding ring, and now I think of our wedding and the six years we spent together and now our first child and it finally feels like standing up to all those kids who made fun of me. If I think of you and if I remember the wedding ring on my finger, I can put aside those insecurities that still lurk around in the darkest corners.”
Sehee angles turns around as best as she can, pecking Minseok’s lips before she settles back into his side. “You have me,” she whispers, taking his hand and placing it on the curve of her belly, “And you have us.”
Minseok chuckles, smiling just a little wider when he feels the baby kick under his palm. “It’s the same for you, okay? You’ll always have me and our baby, and you have our wedding ring in case you ever forget.”
Sehee leans back against Minseok’s shoulder, pressing her hand atop Minseok’s. “You’re right. I’ll always have you.”
Minseok does his best to stay awake, his fingers brushing through Sehee’s hair moving, slower and slower until his hand drops on her shoulder and his eyes slip closed for a few minutes. They’ll have to get up for work in an hour and a half, and Sehee won’t be able to sleep regardless because of the sudden occasional sharp pains in her hips and back. Instead, she lets Minseok rest against her shoulder as he drifts back into sleep, holding his hand tight as he finally closes his eyes.
He snuggles close, whispering her name in his sleep before he finally falls silent. Sehee, even though she can’t sleep, stays up on her phone and flips through her photo album from their many dates to their wedding and their honeymoon, and she finally gets rid of the feeling of being alone.
Minseok has seen a lot of strange things in the past six months or so. He's seen Sehee's strange concoctions of cravings, the weird ways she sits and sleeps just to get comfortable, the strange things their parents make them do or try because it's healthy for one of their sex drives.
But this is a new one.
Minseok had stepped out of the bathroom, dressed well enough for work in the cold winter weather, to find Sehee standing in only her panties in front of the mirror, holding her boobs in both hands. Minseok doesn't quite know what to make of this.
Sehee pays no attention to him and continues looking at her boobs from all angles, squishing them with her hands occasionally.
"I think my boobs are bigger.”
Minseok chokes as he tries to swallow. He ducks into their closet to search for a belt and an excuse to hide his red face. What is he supposed to say to that? “They are bigger- I mean, we just went out to get you a larger cup size a couple weeks ago.”
Sehee presses her lips together in a thin line. She squeezes her boobs again and hums. “No but I think they’re even bigger now.”
“That’s…” Minseok coughs, hiding his head in his hands even while he’s still shoved into the closet. “That’s great… I guess?”
He feels a tap on his shoulder and turns around to Sehee standing behind him, a pout on her lips and her hands still gripping her boobs. “But don’t you think they’re bigger already?”
Minseok just stares up at Sehee, blank, before he glances down at her chest. “They’re nice, no matter the size,” he finally settles on saying, leaning up and pecking Sehee’s cheek. “But I don’t doubt that they are bigger.”
Sehee seems satisfied by that and finally finishes getting dressed in the bra that matches her underwear, sweatpants, and a thin sweater with a heavy blush staining her cheeks. She’s still flushed when Minseok helps braid her hair nicely (since he’d taken it upon himself to watch all the Youtube videos so that he’s prepared for the possible future) and walks with her out to their car.
Things are even stranger in the office when they arrive.
Kyungsoon is throwing crumpled up pieces of paper at Baekhyun, who is running around the office hiding behind the printer and Chanmi. “I can’t believe you still haven’t finished the circuit design!” she yells, throwing another paper snowball. “Baekhyun, I need the design today! The prototype is due in two days! How am I supposed to work like that!”
Baekhyun peeks out from behind Chanmi, looking sheepishly at Kyungsoon. “I’m sorry? But hear me out, okay? There was this party-”
And Kyungsoon tosses another crumpled up paper that hits Baekhyun square in the face. “I don’t care! You have four hours to get it done.”
Baekhyun immediately scrambles to his chair, starts up his desktop, and immediately begins drawing out the design. Kyungsoon flops back into her chair beside Minseok and smiles brightly at him. Minseok isn’t sure if it’s fake or not.
“Hi, Minseok. Did you finish the graphic design of the new hospital water heater?” she asks sweetly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
“Y-Yes,” he murmurs, fiddling nervously through his bag until he pulls out a flash drive. “I’ll just give this to Chanmi to finish up.”
Kyungsoon smiles. “That’s great to hear. Thank you so much.”
Minseok manages a grimace instead of a smile in return, but Kyungsoon doesn’t seem to notice. She turns back to her computer and continues putting together the financial reports and the presentation for their water heater design. Minseok sags back in his chair, exhaling quietly in case Kyungsoon’s crazy senses catch him.
Beside him, Sehee laughs under her breath. She moves closer to him and takes his hand in comfort. “Don’t feel too weird- the baby enjoyed it at least,” she murmurs, pressing Minseok’s hand against her sweater where it pulls tight over her round belly. “I think the baby laughed so hard that they started hiccuping.”
Minseok smiles so hard that it feels a little stupid and silly on his face. But then he feels it, the tiny little shift of Sehee’s belly with the baby’s hiccup, and he can’t help but smile even wider. This moment is almost too sweet and too perfect to happen in the morning.
And it’s too good to last.
They don’t even notice Chanmi who had snuck up behind them and leaned down close to their ears. “Did you guys find out the gender yet? Oh! Is the baby kicking?!”
Minseok turns around startled, eyes wide and completely frozen. Chanmi looks down at him with an almost manic smile, her hair is somehow already a mess, and she looks just a touch creepy. Sehee practically jumps out of her seat, one hand clamped over her mouth to stop herself from shouting and another on her belly as it shifts. “Chanmi, I think you scared the baby!” she whines, her thumb subtly running over her lower belly. “I need to go to the bathroom. The baby keeps kicking at my bladder because of someone.” Sehee glares pointedly at Chanmi, who shrinks back to her desk, as she waddles to the bathroom.
Chanmi huffs, frowning at her computer. “How come I scare everything away?” she mutters.
“Well you don’t scare Kyungsoon away,” Baekhyun chirps. “I saw you two sucking each other’s faces off-”
Kyungsoon seethes. “Byun Baekhyun, if you continue that sentence--”
“Look! I even have it on video!”
“Baekhyun, I’m going to shove your phone down your throat if you play that video!”
By the time lunch rolls around, the office had calmed down significantly. Sehee finally lets Chanmi feel the baby move and explains that they were keeping the baby’s gender a secret from everyone (plus it allowed them to refuse the ancient baby clothes that have been stored in their parents’ attics for thirty years). Chanmi is much quieter this time as she sits beside Sehee and asks her a thousand and one questions about her current heartburn and indigestion pains and what it’s like having a little alien inside of her (“And how in the world is your vagina going to stretch that much! The baby is so big already!”).
Minseok listens from the side and just sighs, sinking down in his chair. He’s not really so hungry anymore.
The day finishes as soon as Sehee finishes writing up a program with Kyungsoon for Baekhyun’s circuit design. As soon as the preliminary code is submitted to their boss, Sehee sighs, sagging in her chair. She looks over at Minseok with a tired smile, but Minseok’s heart flutters all the same.
“Should we head home?” she whispers, eyes sparkling when she looks at him. “Oh, and can we pick up fried chicken for dinner too?”
Minseok smiles and takes her hand. “Of course,” he murmurs. He packs up his stuff and helps Sehee pack up some stuff in her lower desk drawers that she can’t reach anymore. Kyungsoon and Chanmi wave them goodbye as they leave, and Minseok can’t help but hope that his desk is still going to be the way he left it when he gets into the office tomorrow.
He calls in their order before they leave because it’s a bit of a drive home and it takes a lot of time to find parking close enough. He’s stuck in traffic and is about to turn on the radio when he glances over at Sehee to find her fast asleep, head cushioned on her palm and against the window and her other hand pressed against the top of her belly. Just when they stop outside the food shop, Minseok sneaks a photo of Sehee sleeping peacefully. He kisses her temple, and it’s enough to arouse her from sleep long enough to tell her he’s going to pick up food. In return, Sehee purses her lips and blows Minseok a lazy kiss before she tries to snuggle in the passenger seat.
Minseok leaves her in the car while he pays at the register, staring at his phone and changing the most recent photo to his wallpaper while he waits in line. There’s definitely a glow about Sehee, something that he can’t put into words but she looks so beautiful, even when she’s asleep.
By the time they reach their apartment, they’re both incredibly tired and decide they’ll just take a nap for thirty minutes but end up sleeping until the middle of the night. They both wake up starving so they warm up the chicken in the microwave and eat it on the living room couch, watching reruns of You Who Came From the Stars and Bridal Mask until two in the morning when they sluggishly crawl back into bed and fall asleep curled around each other.
Sehee panics. They are in no way ready to be parents.
The spare room in their apartment isn’t even cleaned out and set up- it’s not even painted, they have next to nothing for the baby, the baby shower is less than an hour away and nothing feels like it’s ready, and to top it off Sehee’s hips hurt and she still has heartburn from this morning and the baby won’t stop moving and her boobs have leaked through two of her shirts because she forgot to put pads in her bra.
They haven’t even taken care of a baby before. How the fuck were they supposed to be good parents if they have never changed a diaper or burped a baby or learned how to give newborns a bath?
She plops down on the couch, laying on her side to ease the back pain. At least that’s one problem solved.
Minseok comes into the living room just then, dragging out a trash bag full of junk from the spare room. He notices Sehee laying on the couch and drops the bag to sit in front of her. She’s still frowning, even when Minseok begins combing through her hair.
“The spare room is almost cleaned out,” he murmurs. He leans over and pecks Sehee’s forehead. “Are you doing okay?”
Sehee’s pout deepens. “No. We know nothing about having kids and taking care of newborns and the new room isn’t set up and neither is the baby shower and everything hurts and-”
“You’re scared, Sehee,” he murmurs, brushing her bangs back. “I’m scared too- how could I not be? In two months we’re going to have a tiny human to take care of for the rest of our lives.”
Sehee sniffles, teeth digging into her bottom lip. Minseok begins slowly rubbing up and down her side. “We’ll probably make mistakes too, but everyone does. How do you know we won’t be good parents if we haven’t even had a chance?”
Minseok smiles gently, holding Sehee’s hand between his. “Jungah is going to be here soon to help finish setting up for the baby shower and will bring the food, and Jongdae and I are going to finish working on the baby room in the meanwhile.”
Sehee untangles her hand from his and flicks his forehead. “Why are you always right,” she murmurs.
Minseok just chuckles. “It took me eleven years.”
“Stupid,” Sehee replies, sticking her tongue out at him.
“Only for you.”
Sehee fakes a gag but smiles afterwards.
The doorbell rings. Sehee refuses to get off the couch so Minseok goes to answer the door. Jongdae and Jungah are standing outside with armfuls of food and sweets piled high.
“Oh, Minseok,” Jungah says, peeking around him. “Sehee’s here, right?”
Sehee groans loudly from her place on the couch.
“Right.” Jungah steps in first and sets all the food on the counter before she goes outside and fetches the last few things. “Thank you for helping me, Jongdae.”
Jongdae flushes, and Minseok is absolutely going to hold this over him later. “It’s no problem,” he stutters, rubbing the back of his neck shyly. “If there’s anything else I can help you with, let me know.”
Jungah smiles softly, her hands fidgeting subtly behind her back. “I will. Thank you.” She shuffles over to the couch and plops in front of Sehee, whispering low under her breath.
Minseok immediately takes Jongdae into the spare room and shuts the door behind him. “When were you planning on telling your best friend that you were in love with Jungah?”
Jongdae flushes heavily. “I am not!” He stomps his foot childishly. “I was just helping her out and it just so happens that we keep running into each other.”
Minseok folds his arms over his chest.
“Okay so what if I like her!” Jongdae, exhales heavily before sinking bonelessly against the bare wall. “I like her but she’s so-”
“-Dense-”
“-Exactly!” Jongdae waves his arms around in exasperation. “How am I supposed to get with her if she can’t even see I’ve been hitting on her since you guys got engaged.”
Minseok ruffles Jongdae’s hair. Like this, Jongdae looks like the same pouty boy he’d picked up off the concrete basketball court and dragged him to the playground to be his best friend. “She’ll come around. Sehee was the same, though not nearly as bad as Jungah.”
Jongdae just sighs. “We’ll see.”
“Don’t worry, okay? You’re a wonderful guy and you’d be wonderful to date.” Minseok pats his head and then pulls him away from the wall. “Come on, we have a big job ahead of us in here.”
Minseok isn’t really sure what goes on in the baby shower since Jungah had required that all the guys stay out until the end. He can only hear lots of laughter and shouting through the door, particularly the sound of Chanmi's over everyone else's. During that time, he and Jongdae clean out the room entirely and paint the walls a light mint green and paint the small bookshelf, the set of drawers, and the closet in white. It looks good when it’s done, and it finally all sinks in that they’ll have a baby in their arms soon enough.
“You okay?” Jongdae asks, wrapping an arm around Minseok’s shoulder as they look at the work of the room.
Minseok shakes his head. “I’m fine,” he murmurs. Time has passed by so quickly.
Jungah eventually comes by to get them when the baby shower is over. Jongdae looks so lovestruck when she talks to them, even though her spring dress is now wrinkled and her hair is a bit messy. Jongdae offers to take her home and she happily accepts, whether she thinks it’s just a favor or something more. They leave together and the door clicks behind them, finally leaving Sehee and Minseok alone.
Minseok looks around the living room, at the mess of presents from their moms and their friends. But Sehee is sitting in front of some of the baby toys and clothes, a hand pressed to her belly.
Minseok comes and sits beside her, taking a look at all the tiny baby clothes. His chest feels so warm, his heart beating fast and heavy in his chest. He can't believe their baby is going to be this small. Sehee rests her head on his shoulder, holding up a pair of the tiniest baby socks that fits in her palm.
“Almost there,” she murmurs, exhaling softly.
They’re almost there.
“Minseok, I don’t think that piece goes there.”
Tongue caught between his lips, Minseok stares at the piece of wood and the starting frameworks of a crib- a bunch of pieces of wood and nails and screws all strewn out over the floor.
“Are you sure?” He eyes the screw carefully and the pieces of wood for the crib sides that he’s supposed to fit together.
Sehee scoffs. “You’re not the one holding the instruction manual for this thing.”
Minseok glances back at Sehee, who is swaying gently in the rocking chair they’d added to the baby room. “I guess you’re right,” he mutters, reaching back for the instructions. Sehee tosses the paper in his direction and it floats down onto his face instead of into his waiting hand.
“You may have an engineering degree but you are horrible at constructing furniture pieces,” Sehee sighs, but Minseok catches the glint of mirth in her eyes.
“It’s a good thing I married you,” he replies sincerely, watching as Sehee’s cheeks slowly take on a pink blush. “I need a smart engineer to keep me in line.”
“Stop it!” Sehee hides her face in her hands. “You’re so cheesy these days I can’t take it!”
Minseok chuckles, sitting up on his knees and leaning against the rocking chair to kiss Sehee. It’s slow and sweet, and it feels like it ends all too soon. Sehee blushes even harder as Minseok ends up gazing at her.
“Stop it,” she whines, flicking Minseok’s forehead. “We need to finish this crib.”
Minseok stands up and holds out his hand to help Sehee stand. “Come on, let’s finish this.”
Sehee holds together the sides to the crib while Minseok nails the pieces together and to the bottom frame. Once the sides are all stable, he lets Sehee hammer in the nails at the top (after a lot of whining and persuasion and many, many kisses). When the frame is finished, they set in the tiny mattress, the blankets, and the stuffed puppy Kyungsoon had bought.
Minseok takes a step back, feeling choked up as he looks at the now completed room. The drawers are filled with clothes, the bassinet they’d built is pushed against the wall beside the crib, the bookshelf now slowly filling with books, and boxes of baby supplies pushed under the changing table. Beside the door is Sehee’s hospital bag, packed and ready. They have a name picked out and-
“Oh, the last touch,” he murmurs, glancing around the room. Sehee watches him curiously as he steps outside the room for a minute before he returns with the green baby blanket Sehee had bought eight months ago.
He places the blanket on the side of the bassinet before he stands back by Sehee’s side and wraps an arm around her waist. It finally feels like everything has come together.
He glances over at Sehee for a moment to find her smile caught in a grimace. She exhales heavily after a long moment, and Minseok holds her a little closer. “Sorry,” she whispers, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to these fake contractions.”
Minseok simply shakes his head and threads his fingers with hers that rest on her belly. His pulse beats heavy through his whole body. He exhales shakily, squeezing her hand gently before he manages to get out any words. “Time has passed by so quickly.”
Sehee sighs. “Soon enough we’ll have to change this baby room into a toddler room and then into one for a teenager.”
Minseok blanches at the thought, jaw hanging slack. Sehee giggles, leaning affectionately into his side.
“After this baby is born we’ll have so many sleepless nights, pee-stained things, spit-up on our clothes, we’ll have to deal with teething pains- and that’s only just the start so don’t worry about our baby growing up too fast just yet.” Sehee smiles and pecks Minseok’s cheek. “Hey,” she whispers, “I think you’re going to be a great dad.”
Minseok smiles and return Sehee’s kiss. “You’re going to be great too.”
Because even if this isn’t the life Minseok dreamed of twelve years ago, he still has the most amazing woman by his side. He knows they can do anything together.
It feels like Minseok had just put his head on his pillow as screeching cries erupt from the bassinet nearby. Sehee groans beside him, rolling over and swinging out her leg to kick him.
“You sleep,” he murmurs, patting what feels like Sehee’s back, “I got it this time.”
He wasn’t really that sleepy anyway.
He slides out of bed and trudges over to the bassinet, picking up their son and rocking him carefully in his arms. He leaves their bedroom so that Sehee doesn’t wake up and instead shuffles into the nursery they’d finished just two months ago. Joonmyun is still wailing, tiny little hands and feet wiggling as he cries. Again.
But Minseok doesn’t care. Joonmyun is the sweetest little boy they could’ve asked for.
He walks around the room, humming softly and rocking Joonmyun gently in his arms. Then he runs down the mental checklist that he knows now like the back of his hand- Joonmyun had just been fed and his diaper wasn’t dirty so those weren’t why Joonmyun was crying.
“You probably just wanted some more attention, huh?” he murmurs. Joonmyun hiccups in reply, fat tears rolling down his chubby cheeks while his wailing subsides to sobbing.
The door creaks open and Sehee shuffles in, immediately wrapping her arms around Minseok’s neck from behind and hugging him sleepily. She hums softly, pressing a kiss to his neck before she reaches down and swipes Joonmyun’s tears off his cheek with her thumb.
“I thought you were going back to sleep,” he whispers, readjusting his son in his arms as Joonmyun’s cries finally begin to quieten.
“I couldn’t help but check up on you.” She untangles herself from Minseok to press a kiss to Joonmyun’s forehead. “And my favorite boy.”
Minseok immediately pouts but Sehee cups his face and kisses him long and sweet and wipes that pout off his face.
They stay like that until Joonmyun drifts off to sleepy- and actually falls asleep this time- before they trudge back into bed and flop on the mattress. Minseok naturally tugs Sehee closer, tangles their legs together and presses as close he can to her before he drifts off to sleep.
“Hey, Minseok” Sehee murmurs just as Minseok is about to sleep. He startles awake enough to hum a reply that he’s listening.
And even though they’re sleep deprived and exhausted, Minseok knows he’ll remember this moment for the rest of his life.
Sehee pecks his lips just before her eyes flutter shut. “I love you.”
Minseok knows she means so much more than just love, that if love could be quantified she’d meant more than infinity, but he feels that same love for her too.
Even though she’d drifted to sleep, Minseok pecks her forehead and squeezes their intertwined hands where her wedding band rests.
“I love you too, Sehee.”