Kibum doesn't expect his parents to visit him after he calls, but they do. Of course, they're neither supportive nor compassionate when they visit, but Kibum knows he can't expect so much of them. They do bring flowers, which is nice, but Kibum knows they picked them up last minute down at the gift shop in the lobby. They're not his favorite flower (and he's pretty sure he's allergic to them), but he tells himself it's the thought that counts.

"Where's Jonghyun? He ran off on you already?" His mother lifts her nose. "That's not surprising."

"He went back home to shower, Mom. Actually I sent him home. He needed a break."

His mother rolls her eyes, looking around the room momentarily. "When did you sign the adoption papers? When is she getting picked up?"

"She's not getting picked up, Mom... Jonghyun and I decided we are keeping her. Now that I've seen her, and I've got to hold her, I'm not going to be able to give her up now."

"You're going to ruin her life."

"It's going to ruin mine if I give her up," he sighs, reaching over to the side sleeper to hold Hara. "Mom, look... We're not going to do this now, okay? Actually, I don't want to do it ever, but certainly not now. I'm not giving you a choice in this. I don't care whether you approve or disapprove of it. If you don't, turn around and walk out. You don't have to look at me ever again if it upsets you so much."

"You don't mean that, Kibum."

"You think I don't mean it, Mom? Try me."

Kibum's parents exchange a look before they both turn their attention back to Kibum. Kibum keeps a stern look on his face, determined to show his parents that he wasn't about to back down.

A few seconds later, his parents turn and walk out the door. Kibum isn't sad to see them go. They've never exactly done much for Kibum. He's almost entirely sure that he's disowned in their eyes from now on, but not even that bothers Kibum.

---

Jonghyun returns three hours later. He's looking a bit frazzled when he closes the door, and Kibum lets out a small laugh. He holds his stomach when it hurts.

"I'm so sorry, Kibum. I got home and sat down, and I think I feel asleep because it was two hours later when I looked at the clock. I barely had time to take a shower and I-- Hey, where did you get the flowers?"

"Mom and Dad stopped by."

"They did?" Jonghyun asks dumbly. "How did it go?"

"It could have gone better, but it didn't go badly. I told them to either accept me having Hara or get out of my life. They chose to get out of my life. Frankly, I was hoping they would because having them breathing down my neck doesn't make my life any easier."

Jonghyun takes a seat on the bed next to Kibum. "You sure?"

"Right now, I'm not sure of a lot of things, Jonghyun. I'm sure that I want Hara, and I want to be with you. I'm sure I love you too, and I'm sure I'm happy. I'm also sure that I don't want my parents causing trouble for me, but do I want them out of my life completely? That I'm not too sure about. They're all I know, you know? They've been horrible to me, but I still can't help but want to keep them around."

"Don't think too hard about it. Keep to what you're sure of right now. We can fill in the rest later. For now, we've got a beautiful little newborn to keep us on our toes, yeah?"

Kibum looks down at Hara in his arms before he nods. "You're absolutely right. Oh, speaking of which, the doctor is coming by to check my stitches after dinner. If I'm healing well, they think I can probably go home in the morning tomorrow. If the think I need a little while longer, they'll release me the day after. I'm eager to go home."

"I'm sure you are. I'm eager for you to come home. Mom and Dad did an awesome job on the nursery for what little time they had. There's not much in there, but they made sure we have the essentials for when she comes home. Mom scrambled to get her all the things she needs. By the way, did you forget what today is?"

Kibum furrows his brow. "It's Thursday."

"It's Christmas. So merry Christmas, sweetheart," Jonghyun pecks Kibum's lips gently before standing to plug in the tiny Christmas tree on the table that Kibum all but forgot about. "I know we said not to worry about presents, but I picked you up something anyway."

The baby is asleep, so Kibum sets her back in the crib next to his bed before taking the small red gift package from Jonghyun. It's sloppily wrapped, but he opens it quickly so it doesn't matter. A jewelry box sits in his hand, and the name on the box tells him it's expensive before he even looks inside.

Kibum expects a engagement ring in all honesty, but instead, he's met with a silver oval locket. It's heavy when he picks it up, so he knows it's well made. He wouldn't expect anything less from Jonghyun anyway.

"A locket?"

"You were probably expecting a ring, huh?" Jonghyun takes the locket from Kibum to clip it around his neck. "I thought about it, trust me. It's coming... but not yet. We couldn't get married until you're eighteen anyway, so I'm going to wait. You're getting it though. This locket is what you'll wear in the mean time. Hara's birth date is engrave in the back. Ours are on each side inside the locket. I know it's cheesy, but with me having the job and possibly going away, I thought it'd be good to have us right near your heart."

"It's beautiful, Jonghyun. I love it," Kibum holds it in his hand tightly, smiling at the coolness. "Hand me my bag, would you?"

Jonghyun does so, and Kibum sets it next to him as he digs through it for something hidden at the bottom. 

"What are you looking for?"

"Something," Kibum pulls out a small, unwrapped box. "I didn't get a chance to wrap it. I'm sorry."

Jonghyun opens the box to see a set of black cuff links with small diamonds set on top. The set must have cost Kibum a small fortune. Jonghyun lifts them out of the fluff they're set in, and a small keychain falls into his lap. It's a cheap little trinket that says '#1 Dad,' and it makes Jonghyun smile like a goof.

"I know it's not much," Kibum continues, wringing his hands in his lap. "You wear a lot of white shirts and I thought--"

Jonghyun cuts him off with a kiss. "I love them. I'll wear them every day. Thank you."

"Merry Christmas, Jonghyun."

---

"Are you sure it's in right, Jonghyun?" Kibum demands, trying to peek over Jonghyun's shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Kibum, I'm sure. The car seat is in right. Dad checked it and so did the nurse. Don't worry. She's strapped in safely," Jonghyun turns to Kibum, brushing his hair out of his face before moving out of the way so he could see her. "See? She's all nice and snug in her car seat."

Kibum puckers his lips quickly as he looks over Hara before nodding. Jonghyun helps him into car, thinking that the downward motion to sit in his seat would hurt his stomach. Kibum smiles softly up at Jonghyun before he shuts the door and comes around to the driver's side.

"I'm so excited to lay down on our bed, Jjong."

"Take a nap then. You need the rest. Mom picked up a side sleeper for us. It's kind of like a crib, but it attaches to the bed so she'll be right there. All you need to do is reach over to pick her up."

Kibum smiles and nods. "I have to thank her for setting up the nursery on such short notice."

"She was happy to do it, I think. Mom isn't that old, you know. She probably misses having a baby around."

"She could definitely give us some pointers... But do you think we're ever going to get our own place, Jonghyun?"

Jonghyun nods, making sure to keep his eyes on the road and driving slower than usual for Kibum's sake. "We will. I want to wait a little while, until you graduate high school or at least turn eighteen. Don't think about that that right now, though. Let's just focus on getting through today first, okay?"

---

Jonghyun is the one to carry Hara upstairs into the apartment. Jonghyun's parents are waiting for them by the door and take the baby quickly, both cooing over her over. Kibum smiles at the sight, arms wrapping around Jonghyun's waist as he leans into his side. 

"She's so gorgeous," his mother murmurs, touching her nose lightly. "Young or not, no one can argue that she's absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you..." Kibum blushes slightly, resting his head against Jonghyun's shoulder for a few moments. "The nurses were complimenting how well she sleeps. She didn't cry much in the hospital. She's not fussy."

His mother chuckles. "An easy going baby is always a blessing, sweetheart."

"That's what it sounds like," Kibum touches Jonghyun's arm to get his attention. "I'm going to take a really quick nap upstairs. Wake me up of you need something."

---

Hara screams loudly from her nursery. Kibum wanted to try out her crib after a week of her being home. He thinks she can tell that she's not close to him because her crying is getting louder than when she slept next to them. 

"Jjong, get the baby. I'm too sore to get up," Kibum waits a moment before kicking Jonghyun as roughly as he could without jolting his stomach. "Jonghyun! Get the up and get the baby!"

"Kibum, alright, I'm going! ing..." Jonghyun kicks off the blankets and trudges out of the room.

Kibum throws a pillow at Jonghyun for good measure. He doesn't know why he's angry at Jonghyun, but he is. Everything is so aggravating to him. He thinks it's the lack of sleep that's making him miserable, but there isn't much he can do about it when Hara can only sleep a few hours at a time without needing something.

This is exactly why Kibum was wary of keeping her.

Jonghyun is only gone ten minutes before the door is opening again. Kibum closes his eyes, expecting the bed to dip with Jonghyun's weight again. Instead, Jonghyun picks up his pillow and peels one of the two blankets off the bed.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep on the couch," Jonghyun says, turning away before he can really focus on Kibum. "See you in the morning. Don't worry about getting your prissy up if the baby starts crying again."

Jonghyun is aware that Kibum is crying by the time he walks out, but he can't find it in him at the moment to turn around and comfort him.

What Kibum doesn't understand is that Jonghyun is just as tired and frustrated as he is. Given, Jonghyun doesn't have to worry about recovering from a c-section, but he still has other things to worry about. He still needs to find time for his college work, even if it's while feeding Hara, and make time for his new responsibilities at his father's business. 

Jonghyun can't do everything at once, and Kibum needs to realize that.

---

Jonghyun is long gone for class or work (Kibum doesn't really know which) when he wakes up in the morning. It's barely six o'clock, and Kibum knows that Jonghyun ran out extra early to avoid him. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out, but Kibum can't really blame him either.

Hara is already ready for another bottle by the time Kibum gets out of bed and brushes his teeth. He swings by her room to pick her up and heats a bottle of formal in the kitchen. There's a note from Jonghyun stuck to the handle of the refrigerator saying that he had some loose ends to tie up at the office for his father, which Kibum believes. The company was in the middle of a big merger before Christmas. There's the beginnings of an apology at the bottom of the note, but it's scribbled out.

Kibum sits down to feed Hara when she begins mewling and fussing in his arms to garner his attention. Jonghyun's mother passes through the kitchen on her way out the door, telling him that she heard their argument as she puts in her earrings. She tells Kibum not to worry himself about it too much, for Jonghyun is already roasting in his own guilt. It doesn't really make Kibum feel better, but he doesn't say that.

Kibum burps Hara when she's finished and goes to find his cellphone. He types in and erases at least six different text messages of various lengths to Jonghyun. He isn't entirely what he wants to say to the other. Finally, he settles on three little words and sends the text before he can change his mind.

'I love you.'