“Do you have everything packed?” Kyungsoo demanded, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

Jongin gave him a smile, half-adoring and half-exasperated. “Yes, yes. For the billionth time, yes. Everything is packed. I even made sure to cushion the breakable things between clothes so they wouldn’t break.”

Kyungsoo stopped pacing and gave his boyfriend an apologetic and somewhat sheepish smile. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be such a worrier. It’s just…”

“Stop freaking out,” Jongin told him sternly, taking both of the elder’s hands in his own and giving them a reassuring squeeze. “It’s not like this is the first Christmas I’ve spent with your family. Besides, your parents love me.”

Kyungsoo had to laugh at that; it was definitely true. “Sometimes I think they love you more than me,” he teased.

Jongin pulled him in for a hug, planting a kiss on his forehead. “Now you’re just being ridiculous. Now get your coat on. We’ve got a bus to catch.”

It wasn’t all that far to the Do’s house, but it was an awkward trip to make when they were loaded down with presents for the holiday. They had to squeeze into two seats in the back, holding all of their bags in their laps. It would have been easier to take a taxi but, after spending so much on gifts for Kyungsoo’s family, there hadn’t been much left and they didn’t want to risk not making rent. Besides, Kyungsoo told himself firmly as the bus hummed along pleasantly, spending time with his family was definitely worth a little discomfort.

As if sensing his boyfriend’s thoughts, Jongin squeezed a hand between them to lay it on Kyungsoo’s thigh comfortingly. Somehow he managed to wriggle around so he could place one of his ear buds in Kyungsoo’s ear, and they were able to bob their heads along to the same song.

It wasn’t long before the bus reached the stop near Kyungsoo’s parents’ house. It was just outside of the city limits, and there was a fresh dusting of snow covering everything. Smoke coiled out of the chimney to stain the bright blue of the sky, bringing with it the comforting smell of home. Kyungsoo’s mouth was watering just thinking about his mother’s fabulous cooking.

“Hello!” Kyungsoo called, letting himself in the front door and stomping snow off his boots before crossing the threshold. “Mom! Dad! We’re here!”

Mrs. Do appeared from the general direction of the kitchen, dressed as always in her trusty apron, an icing-coated spatula in her hand. She was, of course, wearing her brightest smile. “I’m so glad you boys made it safely! I was beginning to worry!” She enveloped first Kyungsoo and then Jongin in one of her infamous bear hugs.

“We got a bit of a late start,” Jongin explained, voice muffled by Mrs. Do’s apron. “We were worried we might have forgotten something.”

“He means I was worried,” Kyungsoo amended dryly. “But it’s okay. I think we got everything.”

“Dinner’s nowhere close to ready yet,” Mrs. Do fretted. “Why don’t you put your stuff down and go into the living room. Your father isn’t home from work yet, but Sunho and Dahae and the baby are here.”

Kyungsoo, who hadn’t gotten much time to visit with his pretty little niece since he and Jongin had both been so busy with work and school, was eager to play with the baby. His baby fever hadn’t really faded much since her birth, and he needed to get his fix soon or he was going to explode.

So, after dropping their bags off in Kyungsoo’s old bedroom, they made their way into the living room. A fire was roaring in the hearth, making the room warm and cozy. Dahae was curled up in an armchair, reading a thick book. Sunho was stretched out on his back on the couch, fast asleep. Nari was curled up on his chest, her little rear end stuck up in the air. She wasn’t asleep, but rather looking around at everything with a wide-eyed expression, her little hand around the material of Sunho’s shirt.

“Hi,” Kyungsoo greeted Dahae quietly, not wanting to wake up his brother – he knew that both Dahae and Sunho must have been exhausted; newborns weren’t easy, after all.

Dahae glanced up from her book, surprised. Then her face melted into a warm smile. “Hey,” she replied. “I’m glad you guys made it safely.” She saw the way Kyungsoo was eyeing the baby, who was eyeing him almost as excitedly. Dahae laughed. “Do you want to hold her?”

Kyungsoo nodded eagerly. “Always!”

So Dahae bent down and gently pried Sunho’s arms away from where they were protectively cradling his daughter. She lifted Nari up carefully and placed her in Kyungsoo’s arm. “Say hello to Uncle Kyunggie,” Dahae cooed.

Kyungsoo looked down at the little girl in his arms. She was much bigger than the last time he’d seen her, though of course he’d been keeping up with her progress on social media – both Dahae and Sunho posted a ridiculous amount of pictures of her. She looked back up at him with big black eyes, waving one little hand around. Her fingers were so tiny! Everything about her was so tiny. Kyungsoo was absolutely in love.

“He’s got baby fever,” Jongin explained to Dahae with a quiet little chuckle. “Since Nari came along, he practically talks about babies nonstop.”

“They’re a lot of work,” Dahae says, smiling even though she sounds utterly exhausted. “Like, a lot. More than I realized at first.”

“I don’t want to have a baby now,” Kyungsoo pointed out. “I want to wait until after we’re done with school and more stable financially. We certainly wouldn’t be able to afford a baby right now.”

“You’ve got the right idea,” Dahae said, resuming her seat in the armchair but not picking up her book again. “It’s been really difficult. I’m taking online courses to try and finish my degree, but it’s still a lot of work. And it’s hard to concentrate when I’ve got a baby to play with.” She laughs. “So you guys want kids?”

“Definitely,” Kyungsoo replied immediately. He and Jongin had talked about it a lot after coming home from the hospital after Nari’s birth, about whether they really wanted kids or not, and they had both agreed that they did. They hadn’t agreed on a number yet, but they had agreed that they most definitely wanted kids at some point in the future, once they were settled down and their lives were more stable and they could afford it.

Dahae seemed genuinely interested. “How do you think you want to go about it? Are you going to get a surrogate or what?”

“We want to adopt,” Jongin said without hesitation. “There are so many kids in the world who don’t have families, and we want them to be a part of our family.”

Dahae stifled a yawn even as she smiled.

“You’re tired,” Kyungsoo said immediately. “Why don’t you take a nap? Jongin and I can watch Nari for a little bit.”

Dahae looked torn. “Are you sure it’s okay? I mean, have you ever watched a baby this little before?”

“We’ll be fine,” Kyungsoo reassured her. “And my mom is just in the kitchen. Nari is in good hands. I promise.”

In the end, it seemed that exhaustion won out and Dahae gave Kyungsoo a quick peck on the cheek before heading back to Sunho’s bedroom.

Kyungsoo was ecstatic. He let Jongin hold the baby for brief intervals, but he always reclaimed her after only a minute. He was obsessed. He counted her fingers and toes. He blew raspberries on her pudgy little belly. He changed her diaper when she began to cry. And he held her close and rocked her until she fell asleep.

“You’re really loving this, aren’t you?” Jongin joked. They had flipped on the television, the volume turned low so as not to bother the sleeping baby or Sunho, who was still passed out on the couch, but neither of them were really watching it.

Kyungsoo, eyes trained on his niece’s face, nodded. “You bet I am.”

Jongin hesitated. “Are you sure it doesn’t bother you?” he finally asked. “You know, the fact that we can’t actually have biological children with each other…”

Now Kyungsoo looked up. “Of course not! Honestly, genes aren’t what makes a family anyway. Just look at your family.” He realized as soon as the words were out of his mouth that they had been inappropriate. “I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly. “I-I didn’t mean it like that…”

But Jongin just waved away his apology with a little smile. “Don’t apologize. It’s true. I already feel like your family is more of a family than mine ever was.”

“Well, you’re welcome to share my family for the rest of our lives,” Kyungsoo offered with a cheeky grin.

Jongin laughed. “Thanks for that, yeobo. I’m definitely going to take you up on that offer.”

Mr. Do arrived home then, loudly enough that both Nari and Sunho woke up. It wasn’t long after that when Dahae, feeling refreshed from her nap, reappeared in the living room, and then Mrs. Do was calling them all to dinner.

It was towards the end of dinner, while they were lingering over third helpings of Mrs. Do’s delicious pie, that Jongin’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and, knowing full well that Mr. Do didn’t like when people answered the phone at the dinner table, gave an apologetic little bow.

“It’s my sister,” he announced, bowing again. “It might be an emergency…”

“Go right ahead, dear,” Mrs. Do insisted. Kyungsoo had to resist the urge to roll his eyes; Jongin really had Mrs. Do wrapped around his finger.

Kyungsoo resisted the urge to follow Jongin back into his bedroom, where Jongin could talk to his sister in peace. He wondered which sister it was who had called, but he supposed it had to have been Jaehwa, as his other sister still didn’t talk to him much.

Eventually Kyungsoo couldn’t take it and he excused himself to join Jongin in the bedroom.

“Well what did she expect?” Jongin was saying in disgust. “After the way they treated you and I, did she really think that she was special?”

There was a pause while Jaehwa said something on the other end of the line.

Jongin sighed. “I know, I know. I’ll try to be nice.” Another pause. “Okay, I love you, too. Talk to you later.”

“What’s up?” Kyungsoo asked curiously as Jongin hung up his phone and shoved it back into the pocket of his sinfully tight jeans. “Did something happen with Jinae?”

“She’s fighting with Mom and Dad again,” Jongin groaned, falling onto the bed and beckoning for Kyungsoo to join him. “They sort of made peace after she got her divorce, but now they’ve had another falling out. Honestly, you’d think they’d learn not to be such s to their kids.”

Kyungsoo crawled across the tiny, cramped bed and settled himself comfortably in Jongin’s open arms. “Well, at least Jaehwa and Jinae are there for you, even if your parents aren’t.”

Jongin is silent for a long time, but then he tilts Kyungsoo’s chin up so he can claim the succulent lips he loved so much. “You’re right, of course. Where would I be without you to keep me grounded?”

Kyungsoo felt his stomach twist into knots. “You’d be at your parents’ house right now,” he mumbled. “You only got disowned because of me.”

Jongin’s arms tightened around him. “And it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he insisted. “Don’t regret it for a second, yeobo, because I sure as hell don’t.”

Kyungsoo smiled and cuddled closer. 

Long time no see, guys!!

I went on vacation. 

I became a mermaid. 

Also, since I showed you guys my bridesmaids, I'll show you my fiance's groomsmen too :)

I'm getting married in 9 months and 3 days! I can't believe it's getting so close!