High Maintenance: Unexpected
Pairing: Minho and Gwiboon~
Rating: PG-15
Genre: BIT-A ANGST, LOT-A FLUFF
Summary: At first it's everything they had wanted, but the unexpected almost tears them apart.
A/N: HI! So this is something I've been working on in a while with the permission and guidance of one of my closest friends, fonulyn!!! She's the wonderful individual who created and mastered the High Maintenance AU. I adore it SO FREAKING MUCH I wanted to add a little contribution.... UwU. This is my first time writing a fanfic of a fanfic, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm glad I was able to get this one finished~~~! Please enjoy and also please do read Jo's fics, especially High Maintenance because you won't regret it if you do!
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“Do you think a belly is supposed to get so big so fast?” Gwiboon muttered, touching the slight swell of her abdomen. “I mean, I know that skinny people tend to show faster but… this seems too fast?”
Minho chuckled in amusement as he tightened his one armed hug around Gwiboon’s shoulders. His wife liked to believe she was level headed, and completely calm under pressure. And considering her upbringing and the social pressure she seemed to have been under, he wouldn’t doubt she was good under any kind of pressure. This situation though, it was something neither of them had any experience with and while it had always been a plan to have children eventually - specifically a maximum of two - and it had definitely been a surprise at first, it was hard for them not to be overjoyed at the idea of welcoming their first child into the world.
Of course that joy didn’t come without the additional uncertainty that all new parents shared. Jonghyun had assured Minho that it was completely natural to feel that way, but in the end it didn’t soothe the little itch that made his leg tremble under his free hand as they sat in the waiting room of the hospital.
“I’m sure everything is perfectly normal, Boon.” He muttered.
But even as Gwiboon’s name was called and they both greeted the doctor who they had been seeing since the beginning to Gwiboon’s pregnancy, Minho couldn’t shake the feeling that something could be wrong. What if there was some complication with the child’s development? What if for whatever reason there was a disability the child would have to face? He hoped beyond anything that his baby, that their baby, would be well and free to life a prosperous life. It was all he wanted.
Then, as the doctor began the ultrasound, the screen coming up in blue and black colours as an image began to appear, Minho found himself at a loss. He couldn’t decipher any shapes.
“Hmm.” The doctor muttered as she moved the ultrasound wand a little lower on Gwiboon’s belly. “Well, that’s unexpected.”
“What is it?” Gwiboon asked, the beginnings of panic settling into her voice.
“Don’t worry. It’s not anything bad, necessarily. Just unexpected.” She explained. “I’m picking up three distinct heartbeats.”
“Three?” Minho asked. “What do you mean?”
Glancing at him, the doctor smiled. “Mr and Mrs Choi, congratulations, you’re having triplets.”
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The drive back home had been silent, neither of them having anything to say to each other or even to themselves. Gwiboon had kept a complete poker face since the hospital, even though she had smiled - even if each one was tight lipped - to the doctor as she went over information and complications the parents of triplets would need to know about, and arranged another appointment for a few weeks later. In her hands, she held a tight grip to the fliers and papers their doctor had given them, all of which had more information about triplet pregnancies.
“Are you upset?” She whispered when they had arrived home, shutting the door behind her as Minho went to boil water.
He turned just slightly, catching a glimpse of her face. Her façade of calm had torn just enough and he could see that she was concerned. What exactly she was concerned about, he wasn’t sure, but the last thing he wanted was to make her more upset. “Not upset. I certainly wasn’t expecting that, though.” He replied, hoping his voice sounded uplifted enough.
Gwiboon hummed in agreement, stepping towards the kitchen counter. “So, you’re okay with this?” She asked.
“Yeah.” Minho muttered. “I mean, it’ll be hard and we’ve already gone over our two only limit, but I guess if Jonghyun and Taeyeon can do it so can we?” He offered.
Her smile was far more reassuring than he had expected it to be and he accepted her hug, one arm around her shoulders as she clung to his waist. “I better call your mother. She’ll want to hear about this.” Gwiboon said, kissing his cheek before grabbing his phone from the counter to make the call.
As he heard the joyful conversation begin, Minho felt his heart sinking. He was utterly terrified. How Gwiboon hadn’t noticed in the slightest was a miracle. He could never tell her now. Not now that she was speaking so excitedly with his mother about the idea of triplets.
While he’d spent time with Jonghyun and Taeyeon’s children before, he knew that whenever he was overwhelmed he could hand them back to their parents. He wasn’t cut out for that many children at once. And they were just twins. At least there was an even playing field with one child per parent. In this case they would always be outnumbered by one and that scared him more than he thought was normal.
And that night he had more than three horrific dreams that had him jolting upwards from the bed, panting deeply.
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“Are you getting any sleep, Minho? You look like you’re about to collapse.”
Minho shook his head, trying to focus on the car he was repairing. “I get enough.”
It wasn’t until Jonghyun was actually standing beside him that he realised that answer wasn’t going to cut it. “Okay. Seriously, tell me what’s going on.” Jonghyun demanded. “You’ve been off for the last few weeks and I know Gwiboon knows because she left early today and asked me talk to you.”
“S-she knows?” Minho asked, his eyes widening. He shouldn’t have been so surprised. He’d been avoiding long conversations with her for a long while.
Jonghyun only nodded.
Running a hand through his hair, Minho sighed, leaning back against the side of the car. “I’m terrified, Jjong.” He admitted. He saw the way Jonghyun frowned and felt his fingers tingle, heart clenching before he elaborated. “Gwiboon is having triplets. She’s only just showing enough for people to notice and I already feel out of my depth. I can’t sleep, I can barely eat, and I can’t tell her because she’s already started rearranging the nursery to fit in two more cots and… Jjong, I just… I don’t want to upset her. She’s so content about the whole thing and I can’t just ruin it for her.” He felt tears in his eyes, which he blinked away before they could go anywhere. “What kind of husband would I be to tell her I’m scared of my own unborn children?”
“Uhm, you would be like any other person who’s been told they’re having more than one.” Jonghyun stated when Minho finally took a breath. “Trust me, man, you’re not the first person who’s freaked out from this kind of information.”
“I know I’m not, but… I know I should have said something weeks ago, but I couldn’t and how can I possibly go up to her now?” Minho demanded, hands in his hair. “And tell her I’m not ready for something I told her months ago I was ready for?”
“Minho, the last thing you want to do is to drive a rift between you and Gwiboon. Believe me, she’s probably just as scared as you are.”
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He found Gwiboon in the nursery, sitting in the rocking chair given to them by his parents. She looked forlorn, a music box playing simple, but beautiful music. In her hands she held one of the neutral grey jumpsuits sized perfectly for a newborn baby. “Boon?” He whispered, not wanting to startle her or ruin whatever moment she was having. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Gwiboon raised her head a little, offering a smile that was filled with too much sadness for him to ignore. “I’m okay.”
“Liar.” Minho muttered, stepping into the nursery which walls were painted a light shade of green.
She settled Minho with a hard stare. “You’re no better.”
“Gwiboon… I…” He sighed, walking over to stand in front of her. “I have to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah. So do I. How about I go first?”
Minho knew what this meant. He was in for the grilling of his life and at this point he would willingly take it for all it was worth because there was no doubt in his mind that he deserved every single thing she would throw at him.
“Did you know that other than painting the walls, you’ve had literally nothing else to do with this room?” Gwiboon quizzed him. “I mean, sure I like to take care of decorating but you didn’t even ask. Didn’t even offer to help me move things around. Instead, here I am, carrying three times the babies and I’m shifting furniture the doctor told me I wasn’t supposed to move.” She hissed. “And why? Because I can’t even feel like I can ask you to help me. You vanish off to work every day before I wake up, you completely immerse yourself in some game on TV or you sleep to avoid me.”
“Gwiboon - ”
She stepped right up to him, pointing a finger just under his nose as she glared up at him. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m wrong because I know when I’m being avoided and it’s been happening an awful lot the last few weeks.” She was practically snarling by that point, her voice low and full of pure anger. “As if that’s not bad enough, I can’t even turn to anyone to help me. I could call your mother, but I can’t call her up and bitch about her son! I would look like the worst daughter-in-law in history! Can I call my own mother? Of course not! She wants nothing to do with me!” Gwiboon cried, tears falling down her cheeks as she shouted. “I always thought that maybe I could call on my mother for help. Ask for her advice on things she had gone through before, but I can’t because my parents are too damn stubborn to give a flying fuck about me or the love of my life and the family we’re starting. And then to top it all off, there’s my husband!” She cried, motioning to Minho as if he wasn’t aware that he was her husband. “Who suddenly turned into this typical, shy-away-from-anything-difficult man!”
Unable to take the sight of her crying any longer, Minho reached out, gripping her arms even though she struggled, to pull her into his chest, holding her firmly, his fingers gently stroking her hair. Slowly her struggling stopped and she gripped at his shirt for dear life, sobbing loudly against him.
“I’m so scared, Minho.” She whimpered, sniffling and hiccupping through her words. “I don’t know if I can do this. Not on my own.”
Minho felt tears form in his eyes, the guilt overpowering. “You’re not alone. I’m here. I’m always here.”
“Yes I am. You obviously don’t want to have a baby anymore, let alone three.” Gwiboon mumbled, snuggling into his shirt as if trying to hide from him.
“No. There is nothing I was more than to have a baby with you. Or two, or three. Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I’ve… I didn’t want to ruin it for you.” Minho admitted.
Gwiboon sniffled as she leaned back, a frown on her face as a stray tear fell down her cheek. “Ruin what?”
“You just seemed so happy.” Minho whispered, wiping the tear away. “How could I ruin that?”
“You wouldn’t have ruined anything.” She said as she snuggled back into his embrace. “There’s nothing wrong with being terrified of fucking up at being a parent. Every parent goes through it.”
“But three.” Minho reminded her. “Two was our overall limit, remember?”
“Yeah, but what’s one more? All this time living with you I’ve learned to be a little more flexible.” Gwiboon teased.
And in that moment the tension seemed to melt away and Minho sighed out a quiet laugh. “Do you want some tea? I think we need to sit and just… talk for a while.”
Gwiboon nodded as she stood back just a little. “Yeah, that sound’s great.” She replied, rising on her toes to lightly touch her lips to his.
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“The colour was perfect last month. I don’t see why it’s the wrong shade now?” Minho demanded in disbelief, even as he continued to paint the walls of the nursery. “Isn’t this the same green as the last one?”
“No.” Gwiboon stated firmly, fingers of her free hand brushing idly over her very pregnant belly, covered perfectly by the lovely sundress Minho had - with his mother’s help - chosen for her. “It’s not the same. Trust me, Minho; this shade is much better than the last one.”
Even though he rolled his eyes, Minho reapplied paint to the roller brush he held and went back to the wall he had almost finished. It had been a few months now and Gwiboon was reaching her estimated due date, meaning she was becoming more irritable more often, she was constantly uncomfortable and had to stop driving and working. More than anything his wife felt like her independence had been severed, no matter how much she loved the doting and pampering Minho gave her.
She hissed slightly, hand coming to the base of her spine to rub the sore spot away.
“Gwiboon, you should go sit down, or lie down. You heard what Doctor Lee said; you need to rest. Your back and ankles aren’t made of steel.” Minho insisted. “I can finish up here without your supervision.”
“But you won’t put the furniture where it’s supposed to be…” Gwiboon muttered, her sentence ending with a yawn.
“Honey, the furniture can wait until you’ve gotten some rest - and when the paint is completely dry.” Minho said, settling her with a stare that told her he wasn’t going to sway on the matter. “As in; tomorrow. We’ll sort out the furniture tomorrow.”
Although she grumbled in annoyance, Gwiboon did as he said, waddling out to the lounge to settle herself down on the cushions, her ankles and back practically singing praises as the pressure was elevated. The television was playing some daytime drama and she blindly watched it for a long while before Minho appeared at her side, kissing her temple and handing her a mug of tea.
“My hero.” Gwiboon whispered, kissing his lips as she cradled the mug in her hands and resting on top of her belly - which suddenly shifted, making her wince. “Yaaah, can you three take a break already?” She pleaded, her unborn infants caring not.
Minho’s hand immediately went to her belly, feeling for the kicks his children were dishing out. As always, since the very first kick they’d felt, Minho’s eyes went wide and his lips formed a smile of absolute awe. It had become Gwiboon’s favourite expression and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Never in a million years did she think that she would ever date a man like Minho. With his class, his income and his job combined he was so far from her previous social circle it was pure coincidence that they even met in the first place, but regardless she wouldn’t change her mind even if it would kill her. He was perfect and soon their family would be filled with little Minho’s, she was sure of it - if the intensity of their kicks were anything to go by.
They dozed on and off on the lounge for over an hour, idly chatting over the names they were still choosing between - especially now that they knew the genders of their babies - and exactly when they would move the furniture back into the nursery.
“Well it definitely can’t sit around the living area for longer than a day.” Gwiboon commented, wincing a little as pain shot through her - not anything too bad, but enough for Minho to look at her with concern. She shook her hand to assure him she was fine and then continued. “It ruins the whole aesthetic of the house.”
Minho laughed, one firm “ha!” as his head fell back against the backrest. “Honey, soon enough we’re gonna have toys strewn all across the floor and there will be no aesthetic for this house anymore.”
“Then I plan to keep it for as long as I can.” She insisted, sticking her tongue out at him.
He responded by touching his lips to hers, once she’d brought her tongue back into her mouth, accepting the sigh Gwiboon gave as she leaned further into him, twisting her body as well as it could so she could get a better angle. Minho hummed, cupping her head with one hand and the other still on her stomach, gently stroking circles. With his head tilted just so, he urged the kiss into deeper territory. While Gwiboon hadn’t been in the mood for sex for several months, she never refused an intimate make out session.
Gwiboon was about to deepen the kiss even further when she gasped, jolting back a little in surprise. Hissing lightly, she rubbed her stomach softly, down low where she felt the pain.
And then, all of a sudden, she was wet.
“Uhm… Minho, I think we need to get to the hospital.” She announced, looking at Minho’s concerned and then stunned face. “Like, right now.”
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It hadn’t been the easiest delivery in the world. The first two triplets had been born easily enough and without complication, but the last one, the smallest, was the reason why Gwiboon had to recover from a caesarean section. While the recovery had been slow and it was painful for several days, getting home made everything just that little bit better.
The worst part of it all though, was that the doctor had discovered that she simply couldn’t feed all of her children in the one feeding, not on her own. Using a formula supplement was the last thing she’d wanted and it was humiliating for her now that she couldn’t even exclusively breast feed all three of her children. She’d wanted to be the perfect mother, the kind of mother her own had never been, and she was failing.
Minho though, was a constant pillar of confidence, seeping his good will and encouragement into her without even trying as he took his paternal leave from work to stay by her side all day and night. He was also more than an excited father, he was a natural. Before Gwiboon was even able to sit upright he was changing nappies like a pro - one handed even as he still held one child like a basketball in his free hand.
With his encouragement and guidance, she slowly accepted the inevitable, his words of concern for her health and that of their children speaking true, getting through in a way the nurse was unable to. He helped feed the other two formula as she fed one, somehow able to balance them both on the extra feeding pillow they’d borrowed from Taeyeon and Jonghyun. It had become like a bonding time for them both as well, feeding their children side by side.
Minho’s mother had been incredible as well and travelled to stay with them for a short time, just to be sure the couple could get into a routine that suited them and their new triplets. “I’m sure you’d do perfectly fine on your own, but it’s the only excuse I had to blatantly get to spend time with my gorgeous grandbabies as well as lending my family a hand.” She’d admitted. Gwiboon could only smile broadly at that. She could definitely understand what she meant too. She’d heard before that parents always thought their own children were the most beautiful in the world, but when she looked at hers, there was a level of beauty to them - like the rounded cheeks and large eyes that were definitely inherited from Minho - that went beyond her own opinion, and even strangers couldn’t stop staring in awe at the triplets.
“It’s sad mum had to leave.” Gwiboon commented, holding a bent pinkie finger in Hyoyoung’s mouth, the youngest and smallest of the three squirming with hunger but sucking eagerly at the substitute soother. She’d feed the infant soon, but she was waiting for Minho to finish heating two bottles of formula.
“Yeah.” Minho agreed. “But it would be good to get used to taking care of them on our own. As much as I loved having mum’s help.”
With a nod, Gwiboon leaned against the counter, eyes staring into Hyoyoung’s. “That’s true.”
“Come on, formula’s heated.”
Hyoyoung practically screamed when Gwiboon put her down in the cot by the side of the lounge so she could help Minho. While it was easy for him to feed two at the time, he needed assistance to situate himself with Soojin - she was the eldest of the three and was already expressing her own colourful personality - and Seungwon - the only boy and the basic replica of Minho.
It wasn’t until she was feeding that Hyoyoung stopped crying, but she was making sweet little sounds from the back of her throat as she greedily drank for all she was worth. Gwiboon sighed and lay her head back on the lounge, letting herself relax completely though her arm stayed up to keep Hyoyoung in place. “It’s nice that we can take a break right now though. And we can just let them squirm on the floor afterwards.”
“It’s when they start crawling we’ll be run off our feet.” Minho teased, though they both knew it wasn’t something they would be able to avoid in the future.
“I look forward to that though.” Gwiboon admitted as she grinned giddily at Minho. “Seeing these little guys wandering around and beginning to show their personalities. It’s the best time of a parent’s life.”
Minho chuckled. “For those with one baby.”
“Nah. It’ll still be amazing for us.” Gwiboon said, reaching up with one hand to cup the other side of his face. “It’ll be hard, definitely, but we’ll be together and I know we can get through it.”
The way Minho’s eyes softened even more only made her heart melt, the way he looked at her so gentle and trusting of her word. Just like a puppy. “I’m still sad I hurt you.”
“Don’t you dare.” Gwiboon warned, gripping his cheeks with her fingers and thumb, making his lips squish and purse. He couldn’t fight her off, not with the way he was feeding the two children. “We agreed that it’s in the past.”
Minho tried to speak, his voice distorted by the way she was holding his face. “I know but - ”
She just leaned awkwardly towards him and let her fingers loosen so she could kiss him properly. “Just feed the babies, Minho.” Gwiboon told him, lightly patting his cheek. “We can discuss this again later.”
Rating: PG-15
Genre: BIT-A ANGST, LOT-A FLUFF
Summary: At first it's everything they had wanted, but the unexpected almost tears them apart.
A/N: HI! So this is something I've been working on in a while with the permission and guidance of one of my closest friends, fonulyn!!! She's the wonderful individual who created and mastered the High Maintenance AU. I adore it SO FREAKING MUCH I wanted to add a little contribution.... UwU. This is my first time writing a fanfic of a fanfic, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm glad I was able to get this one finished~~~! Please enjoy and also please do read Jo's fics, especially High Maintenance because you won't regret it if you do!
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“Do you think a belly is supposed to get so big so fast?” Gwiboon muttered, touching the slight swell of her abdomen. “I mean, I know that skinny people tend to show faster but… this seems too fast?”
Minho chuckled in amusement as he tightened his one armed hug around Gwiboon’s shoulders. His wife liked to believe she was level headed, and completely calm under pressure. And considering her upbringing and the social pressure she seemed to have been under, he wouldn’t doubt she was good under any kind of pressure. This situation though, it was something neither of them had any experience with and while it had always been a plan to have children eventually - specifically a maximum of two - and it had definitely been a surprise at first, it was hard for them not to be overjoyed at the idea of welcoming their first child into the world.
Of course that joy didn’t come without the additional uncertainty that all new parents shared. Jonghyun had assured Minho that it was completely natural to feel that way, but in the end it didn’t soothe the little itch that made his leg tremble under his free hand as they sat in the waiting room of the hospital.
“I’m sure everything is perfectly normal, Boon.” He muttered.
But even as Gwiboon’s name was called and they both greeted the doctor who they had been seeing since the beginning to Gwiboon’s pregnancy, Minho couldn’t shake the feeling that something could be wrong. What if there was some complication with the child’s development? What if for whatever reason there was a disability the child would have to face? He hoped beyond anything that his baby, that their baby, would be well and free to life a prosperous life. It was all he wanted.
Then, as the doctor began the ultrasound, the screen coming up in blue and black colours as an image began to appear, Minho found himself at a loss. He couldn’t decipher any shapes.
“Hmm.” The doctor muttered as she moved the ultrasound wand a little lower on Gwiboon’s belly. “Well, that’s unexpected.”
“What is it?” Gwiboon asked, the beginnings of panic settling into her voice.
“Don’t worry. It’s not anything bad, necessarily. Just unexpected.” She explained. “I’m picking up three distinct heartbeats.”
“Three?” Minho asked. “What do you mean?”
Glancing at him, the doctor smiled. “Mr and Mrs Choi, congratulations, you’re having triplets.”
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The drive back home had been silent, neither of them having anything to say to each other or even to themselves. Gwiboon had kept a complete poker face since the hospital, even though she had smiled - even if each one was tight lipped - to the doctor as she went over information and complications the parents of triplets would need to know about, and arranged another appointment for a few weeks later. In her hands, she held a tight grip to the fliers and papers their doctor had given them, all of which had more information about triplet pregnancies.
“Are you upset?” She whispered when they had arrived home, shutting the door behind her as Minho went to boil water.
He turned just slightly, catching a glimpse of her face. Her façade of calm had torn just enough and he could see that she was concerned. What exactly she was concerned about, he wasn’t sure, but the last thing he wanted was to make her more upset. “Not upset. I certainly wasn’t expecting that, though.” He replied, hoping his voice sounded uplifted enough.
Gwiboon hummed in agreement, stepping towards the kitchen counter. “So, you’re okay with this?” She asked.
“Yeah.” Minho muttered. “I mean, it’ll be hard and we’ve already gone over our two only limit, but I guess if Jonghyun and Taeyeon can do it so can we?” He offered.
Her smile was far more reassuring than he had expected it to be and he accepted her hug, one arm around her shoulders as she clung to his waist. “I better call your mother. She’ll want to hear about this.” Gwiboon said, kissing his cheek before grabbing his phone from the counter to make the call.
As he heard the joyful conversation begin, Minho felt his heart sinking. He was utterly terrified. How Gwiboon hadn’t noticed in the slightest was a miracle. He could never tell her now. Not now that she was speaking so excitedly with his mother about the idea of triplets.
While he’d spent time with Jonghyun and Taeyeon’s children before, he knew that whenever he was overwhelmed he could hand them back to their parents. He wasn’t cut out for that many children at once. And they were just twins. At least there was an even playing field with one child per parent. In this case they would always be outnumbered by one and that scared him more than he thought was normal.
And that night he had more than three horrific dreams that had him jolting upwards from the bed, panting deeply.
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“Are you getting any sleep, Minho? You look like you’re about to collapse.”
Minho shook his head, trying to focus on the car he was repairing. “I get enough.”
It wasn’t until Jonghyun was actually standing beside him that he realised that answer wasn’t going to cut it. “Okay. Seriously, tell me what’s going on.” Jonghyun demanded. “You’ve been off for the last few weeks and I know Gwiboon knows because she left early today and asked me talk to you.”
“S-she knows?” Minho asked, his eyes widening. He shouldn’t have been so surprised. He’d been avoiding long conversations with her for a long while.
Jonghyun only nodded.
Running a hand through his hair, Minho sighed, leaning back against the side of the car. “I’m terrified, Jjong.” He admitted. He saw the way Jonghyun frowned and felt his fingers tingle, heart clenching before he elaborated. “Gwiboon is having triplets. She’s only just showing enough for people to notice and I already feel out of my depth. I can’t sleep, I can barely eat, and I can’t tell her because she’s already started rearranging the nursery to fit in two more cots and… Jjong, I just… I don’t want to upset her. She’s so content about the whole thing and I can’t just ruin it for her.” He felt tears in his eyes, which he blinked away before they could go anywhere. “What kind of husband would I be to tell her I’m scared of my own unborn children?”
“Uhm, you would be like any other person who’s been told they’re having more than one.” Jonghyun stated when Minho finally took a breath. “Trust me, man, you’re not the first person who’s freaked out from this kind of information.”
“I know I’m not, but… I know I should have said something weeks ago, but I couldn’t and how can I possibly go up to her now?” Minho demanded, hands in his hair. “And tell her I’m not ready for something I told her months ago I was ready for?”
“Minho, the last thing you want to do is to drive a rift between you and Gwiboon. Believe me, she’s probably just as scared as you are.”
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He found Gwiboon in the nursery, sitting in the rocking chair given to them by his parents. She looked forlorn, a music box playing simple, but beautiful music. In her hands she held one of the neutral grey jumpsuits sized perfectly for a newborn baby. “Boon?” He whispered, not wanting to startle her or ruin whatever moment she was having. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
Gwiboon raised her head a little, offering a smile that was filled with too much sadness for him to ignore. “I’m okay.”
“Liar.” Minho muttered, stepping into the nursery which walls were painted a light shade of green.
She settled Minho with a hard stare. “You’re no better.”
“Gwiboon… I…” He sighed, walking over to stand in front of her. “I have to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah. So do I. How about I go first?”
Minho knew what this meant. He was in for the grilling of his life and at this point he would willingly take it for all it was worth because there was no doubt in his mind that he deserved every single thing she would throw at him.
“Did you know that other than painting the walls, you’ve had literally nothing else to do with this room?” Gwiboon quizzed him. “I mean, sure I like to take care of decorating but you didn’t even ask. Didn’t even offer to help me move things around. Instead, here I am, carrying three times the babies and I’m shifting furniture the doctor told me I wasn’t supposed to move.” She hissed. “And why? Because I can’t even feel like I can ask you to help me. You vanish off to work every day before I wake up, you completely immerse yourself in some game on TV or you sleep to avoid me.”
“Gwiboon - ”
She stepped right up to him, pointing a finger just under his nose as she glared up at him. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m wrong because I know when I’m being avoided and it’s been happening an awful lot the last few weeks.” She was practically snarling by that point, her voice low and full of pure anger. “As if that’s not bad enough, I can’t even turn to anyone to help me. I could call your mother, but I can’t call her up and bitch about her son! I would look like the worst daughter-in-law in history! Can I call my own mother? Of course not! She wants nothing to do with me!” Gwiboon cried, tears falling down her cheeks as she shouted. “I always thought that maybe I could call on my mother for help. Ask for her advice on things she had gone through before, but I can’t because my parents are too damn stubborn to give a flying fuck about me or the love of my life and the family we’re starting. And then to top it all off, there’s my husband!” She cried, motioning to Minho as if he wasn’t aware that he was her husband. “Who suddenly turned into this typical, shy-away-from-anything-difficult man!”
Unable to take the sight of her crying any longer, Minho reached out, gripping her arms even though she struggled, to pull her into his chest, holding her firmly, his fingers gently stroking her hair. Slowly her struggling stopped and she gripped at his shirt for dear life, sobbing loudly against him.
“I’m so scared, Minho.” She whimpered, sniffling and hiccupping through her words. “I don’t know if I can do this. Not on my own.”
Minho felt tears form in his eyes, the guilt overpowering. “You’re not alone. I’m here. I’m always here.”
“Yes I am. You obviously don’t want to have a baby anymore, let alone three.” Gwiboon mumbled, snuggling into his shirt as if trying to hide from him.
“No. There is nothing I was more than to have a baby with you. Or two, or three. Sweetheart, I’m so sorry. I’ve… I didn’t want to ruin it for you.” Minho admitted.
Gwiboon sniffled as she leaned back, a frown on her face as a stray tear fell down her cheek. “Ruin what?”
“You just seemed so happy.” Minho whispered, wiping the tear away. “How could I ruin that?”
“You wouldn’t have ruined anything.” She said as she snuggled back into his embrace. “There’s nothing wrong with being terrified of fucking up at being a parent. Every parent goes through it.”
“But three.” Minho reminded her. “Two was our overall limit, remember?”
“Yeah, but what’s one more? All this time living with you I’ve learned to be a little more flexible.” Gwiboon teased.
And in that moment the tension seemed to melt away and Minho sighed out a quiet laugh. “Do you want some tea? I think we need to sit and just… talk for a while.”
Gwiboon nodded as she stood back just a little. “Yeah, that sound’s great.” She replied, rising on her toes to lightly touch her lips to his.
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“The colour was perfect last month. I don’t see why it’s the wrong shade now?” Minho demanded in disbelief, even as he continued to paint the walls of the nursery. “Isn’t this the same green as the last one?”
“No.” Gwiboon stated firmly, fingers of her free hand brushing idly over her very pregnant belly, covered perfectly by the lovely sundress Minho had - with his mother’s help - chosen for her. “It’s not the same. Trust me, Minho; this shade is much better than the last one.”
Even though he rolled his eyes, Minho reapplied paint to the roller brush he held and went back to the wall he had almost finished. It had been a few months now and Gwiboon was reaching her estimated due date, meaning she was becoming more irritable more often, she was constantly uncomfortable and had to stop driving and working. More than anything his wife felt like her independence had been severed, no matter how much she loved the doting and pampering Minho gave her.
She hissed slightly, hand coming to the base of her spine to rub the sore spot away.
“Gwiboon, you should go sit down, or lie down. You heard what Doctor Lee said; you need to rest. Your back and ankles aren’t made of steel.” Minho insisted. “I can finish up here without your supervision.”
“But you won’t put the furniture where it’s supposed to be…” Gwiboon muttered, her sentence ending with a yawn.
“Honey, the furniture can wait until you’ve gotten some rest - and when the paint is completely dry.” Minho said, settling her with a stare that told her he wasn’t going to sway on the matter. “As in; tomorrow. We’ll sort out the furniture tomorrow.”
Although she grumbled in annoyance, Gwiboon did as he said, waddling out to the lounge to settle herself down on the cushions, her ankles and back practically singing praises as the pressure was elevated. The television was playing some daytime drama and she blindly watched it for a long while before Minho appeared at her side, kissing her temple and handing her a mug of tea.
“My hero.” Gwiboon whispered, kissing his lips as she cradled the mug in her hands and resting on top of her belly - which suddenly shifted, making her wince. “Yaaah, can you three take a break already?” She pleaded, her unborn infants caring not.
Minho’s hand immediately went to her belly, feeling for the kicks his children were dishing out. As always, since the very first kick they’d felt, Minho’s eyes went wide and his lips formed a smile of absolute awe. It had become Gwiboon’s favourite expression and she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Never in a million years did she think that she would ever date a man like Minho. With his class, his income and his job combined he was so far from her previous social circle it was pure coincidence that they even met in the first place, but regardless she wouldn’t change her mind even if it would kill her. He was perfect and soon their family would be filled with little Minho’s, she was sure of it - if the intensity of their kicks were anything to go by.
They dozed on and off on the lounge for over an hour, idly chatting over the names they were still choosing between - especially now that they knew the genders of their babies - and exactly when they would move the furniture back into the nursery.
“Well it definitely can’t sit around the living area for longer than a day.” Gwiboon commented, wincing a little as pain shot through her - not anything too bad, but enough for Minho to look at her with concern. She shook her hand to assure him she was fine and then continued. “It ruins the whole aesthetic of the house.”
Minho laughed, one firm “ha!” as his head fell back against the backrest. “Honey, soon enough we’re gonna have toys strewn all across the floor and there will be no aesthetic for this house anymore.”
“Then I plan to keep it for as long as I can.” She insisted, sticking her tongue out at him.
He responded by touching his lips to hers, once she’d brought her tongue back into her mouth, accepting the sigh Gwiboon gave as she leaned further into him, twisting her body as well as it could so she could get a better angle. Minho hummed, cupping her head with one hand and the other still on her stomach, gently stroking circles. With his head tilted just so, he urged the kiss into deeper territory. While Gwiboon hadn’t been in the mood for sex for several months, she never refused an intimate make out session.
Gwiboon was about to deepen the kiss even further when she gasped, jolting back a little in surprise. Hissing lightly, she rubbed her stomach softly, down low where she felt the pain.
And then, all of a sudden, she was wet.
“Uhm… Minho, I think we need to get to the hospital.” She announced, looking at Minho’s concerned and then stunned face. “Like, right now.”
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It hadn’t been the easiest delivery in the world. The first two triplets had been born easily enough and without complication, but the last one, the smallest, was the reason why Gwiboon had to recover from a caesarean section. While the recovery had been slow and it was painful for several days, getting home made everything just that little bit better.
The worst part of it all though, was that the doctor had discovered that she simply couldn’t feed all of her children in the one feeding, not on her own. Using a formula supplement was the last thing she’d wanted and it was humiliating for her now that she couldn’t even exclusively breast feed all three of her children. She’d wanted to be the perfect mother, the kind of mother her own had never been, and she was failing.
Minho though, was a constant pillar of confidence, seeping his good will and encouragement into her without even trying as he took his paternal leave from work to stay by her side all day and night. He was also more than an excited father, he was a natural. Before Gwiboon was even able to sit upright he was changing nappies like a pro - one handed even as he still held one child like a basketball in his free hand.
With his encouragement and guidance, she slowly accepted the inevitable, his words of concern for her health and that of their children speaking true, getting through in a way the nurse was unable to. He helped feed the other two formula as she fed one, somehow able to balance them both on the extra feeding pillow they’d borrowed from Taeyeon and Jonghyun. It had become like a bonding time for them both as well, feeding their children side by side.
Minho’s mother had been incredible as well and travelled to stay with them for a short time, just to be sure the couple could get into a routine that suited them and their new triplets. “I’m sure you’d do perfectly fine on your own, but it’s the only excuse I had to blatantly get to spend time with my gorgeous grandbabies as well as lending my family a hand.” She’d admitted. Gwiboon could only smile broadly at that. She could definitely understand what she meant too. She’d heard before that parents always thought their own children were the most beautiful in the world, but when she looked at hers, there was a level of beauty to them - like the rounded cheeks and large eyes that were definitely inherited from Minho - that went beyond her own opinion, and even strangers couldn’t stop staring in awe at the triplets.
“It’s sad mum had to leave.” Gwiboon commented, holding a bent pinkie finger in Hyoyoung’s mouth, the youngest and smallest of the three squirming with hunger but sucking eagerly at the substitute soother. She’d feed the infant soon, but she was waiting for Minho to finish heating two bottles of formula.
“Yeah.” Minho agreed. “But it would be good to get used to taking care of them on our own. As much as I loved having mum’s help.”
With a nod, Gwiboon leaned against the counter, eyes staring into Hyoyoung’s. “That’s true.”
“Come on, formula’s heated.”
Hyoyoung practically screamed when Gwiboon put her down in the cot by the side of the lounge so she could help Minho. While it was easy for him to feed two at the time, he needed assistance to situate himself with Soojin - she was the eldest of the three and was already expressing her own colourful personality - and Seungwon - the only boy and the basic replica of Minho.
It wasn’t until she was feeding that Hyoyoung stopped crying, but she was making sweet little sounds from the back of her throat as she greedily drank for all she was worth. Gwiboon sighed and lay her head back on the lounge, letting herself relax completely though her arm stayed up to keep Hyoyoung in place. “It’s nice that we can take a break right now though. And we can just let them squirm on the floor afterwards.”
“It’s when they start crawling we’ll be run off our feet.” Minho teased, though they both knew it wasn’t something they would be able to avoid in the future.
“I look forward to that though.” Gwiboon admitted as she grinned giddily at Minho. “Seeing these little guys wandering around and beginning to show their personalities. It’s the best time of a parent’s life.”
Minho chuckled. “For those with one baby.”
“Nah. It’ll still be amazing for us.” Gwiboon said, reaching up with one hand to cup the other side of his face. “It’ll be hard, definitely, but we’ll be together and I know we can get through it.”
The way Minho’s eyes softened even more only made her heart melt, the way he looked at her so gentle and trusting of her word. Just like a puppy. “I’m still sad I hurt you.”
“Don’t you dare.” Gwiboon warned, gripping his cheeks with her fingers and thumb, making his lips squish and purse. He couldn’t fight her off, not with the way he was feeding the two children. “We agreed that it’s in the past.”
Minho tried to speak, his voice distorted by the way she was holding his face. “I know but - ”
She just leaned awkwardly towards him and let her fingers loosen so she could kiss him properly. “Just feed the babies, Minho.” Gwiboon told him, lightly patting his cheek. “We can discuss this again later.”