“What about green? Green could work for either a boy or a girl, right?” Taeil clutches the handful of paint swatches as his eyes flit back and forth between the wall and his hand. The floor is draped with tarps and canvas to keep it from getting splattered with paint. You place your hands on your hips and stand behind Taeil, letting your chin rest gently on his shoulder as you follow his gaze to the rainbow of colors clutched between his fingers.

“But what if the baby doesn’t like green? I think yellow would be more soothing,” you protest, plucking the sheet with three different hues of yellow on it. You point to the one at the top, a pale, warm shade of sunshine.

He frowns and shakes his head, lips quirking as he focuses on the colors still in his hand. “Yellow would be too bright. And you have to admit, it is a pretty feminine color. We don’t want to blind him or make him feel too girly!” You roll your eyes but smile playfully.

“Yah, who said it was even a boy? We haven’t got a clue yet.” Taeil grins, patting your small baby bump as he circles his arms around your waist. He lowers his head and gazes at your stomach, giving you a slight grin.

“Hey there, baby. How about you let us know your gender so we can finally get your nursery painted? Kick once for boy, twice for girl.” You slap his arm softly and shake your head, grinning.

“Don’t make it kick! The kicking is uncomfortable enough in the first place without you making it answer questions.” He shrugs and stands up again.

“It was worth a shot,” he teases, pecking your cheek before looking back at the wall. “What about blue? I know it’s usually associated with boys but it would still be nice for a girl. Don’t you think?” You tilt your head slightly to the right and absentmindedly place your palm over the small bulge of your stomach.

“Well, I guess it just depends on the shade of the color. Maybe we could try a really soft blue? Like some sort of a sky hue?” He nods and sifts through the paint swatches until he finds a warm, pale shade of blue that seems to fit the room just right. Taeil holds the color up to the wall and turns back to face you.

“Hm, what do you think little baby? Do you like the color? Too feminine, too masculine? It’s your room so you get to make the decision.” You let your hand rest against your stomach gently until you feel a slight bump against your palm. A smile breaks out across your face and your eyes meet Taeil’s.

“It just kicked! I think that’s a yes.” Taeil raises his eyebrows and crosses the room, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“Blue it is!” He answers, pecking your lips softly as a smile breaks out across his lips. “I guess we should get started then.” He lets go of you reluctantly and lugs in the cans filled with the soft shade of blue. “Let’s test out how it looks on the wall, and you can see if you like it or not.” He retrieves a paintbrush and dips it into the can before spreading a bit onto the wall.

“The color is perfect,” you say, clasping your hands together in satisfaction. “Not too girly or too manly. I think our baby will like it either way.” Taeil nods.

“Now come help me, I can’t do this all by myself you know!” You stick your tongue out at him and grab a paintbrush of your own before joining him at the wall. You begin to evenly paint the blue hue without leaving a single spot.

“You know, I’m the one with the baby, I should be kicking back and relaxing while I watch you do the work,” you tease with a slight smirk. Taeil narrows his eyes playfully and dots your nose with the paint. You gasp in surprise and narrow your own eyes in return.

“Oh, it’s on, jagiya.” He backs up, holding up his hands in defeat as you step towards him with a dripping paintbrush in hand. “Don’t you try to run!” You exclaim as he scrambles away from you with a breathy laugh. “Get back here Taeil!” You swipe your brush against his cheek and he lets out a very…unmanly shriek. You begin to giggle uncontrollably as he smears the paint with a pout.

“Hey, that’s not fair!” He cries, furrowing his eyebrows. You smack your palm over your lips and try to hide your giggles, only to fail miserably. His paint covered fingers snake out before you can realize it and he decorates your face instantly. You gasp and tackle him to the plush carpet.

“I’m going to kill you,” you say, but the threat is empty and he knows it. He grins and you wrap your arms tightly around his neck, admiring the paint job you’ve given him on his cheeks. You kiss one softly and sigh through your faint giggles.

“No you won’t, you love me,” he says and you roll your eyes, nestling your head into his neck.

“That’s true,” you answer, and pinch his cheek teasingly. “Now let’s finish painting this nursery.”