Sunny sighs as she stands over her desk. She can't believe that she's already getting ready to hand out final exams to her classes and bid her students farewell for yet another year. The thought is enough to make her tear up (even though she's never cried before). Mr. Kim's classroom is still run by a substitute since Mr. Kim handed in his resignation six months ago. It's the end of May now, and Sunny isn't sure if she's returning for the next school year. The students never really did accept Mr. Kim's absence (but they understood), and they hated the prospect of Miss Lee not returning next year on top of it. But they understood because now their beloved Kibunny was a reality. 

Sunny takes a deep breath and stares up at the ceiling. She could fall asleep right now. The early summer heat has been doing odd things to her body this year. It's never been much to her before. Sunny still has a good ten minutes before her classes file in, so she cranks up the fan in her room one more notch and sits at her desk, taking her cellphone out of her desk and dialing Kibum. She isn't positive he'll answer, but if she can at least leave a message, that'll be enough. He'll check them on his lunch.

"Kibum, it's me. I know you probably won't get this 'til one of your breaks, and that's fine. I was just wondering if you'd be able to swing by after school to pick me up from work? The heat is hitting me hard, and the prospect of taking public transport home makes me even worse. You can stay the night, and we can go out for breakfast in the morning, yeah?"

It's not until almost two o'clock that she gets an affirmative text from Kibum. It makes her smile. The response isn't immediate, but she got what she wanted. She wasn't sure that she'd make it home her usual way. And when Kibum picks her up after school, that's exactly what she tells him as she cranks up the air-conditioning on her side and point both vents at her face.

"Do you think you have hay fever? Allergies are bad right now, that's what people have been saying. I know my eyes have been so watery that I have to wear my glasses. You should take your temperature when we get to your apartment, hmm? I could run to the convenience store and see what I could find."

"I'm not sure if it's that. I might just be getting my period. Let's just go home and take a nap together. I like the idea of that."

Kibum reaches over to rub Sunny's thigh, "You could take a nap if you want. Mom sent bone soup again. I could heat some of that up for us tonight. If you're not feeling like yourself, I could stay the weekend."

"I'd like that. Finals have been driving me up the wall. I have to grade them all now."

"That's the worst part."

"You're telling me."

Kibum grins at her, "We can have some stress relief tonight."

Sunny whines softly, "I'm not in the mood, Kibum. My s are so sore, and you're too touchy-feely. I don't know if I want to rip my bra off or put another one on."

"I vote for the first option."

"Kibum, you're seriously too much," she laughs softly and catches his hand.

Kibum clicks his tongue, "Ah, you're no fun today."

"Oh, shut up. I just don't feel too good. Maybe tomorrow. Not if I'm on my period though."

"Why? I don't care."

Sunny rolls her eyes, "No, thanks."

{{{:::}}}

Sunny groans when she opens her box of pads and sees that it's empty, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Kibum? Hey," she wanders into the living room where Kibum is sprawled out on the couch, "Can you do me a huge favor?"

"Uh. Yeah, sure. What's up?"

She holds up the box for him to see, "I'm out of pads. Can you be the best boyfriend ever and run to the convenience store to get me another box?"

Kibum sits up and holds his hand out for the box, "Yeah, I can do that. This brand and all? I'm gonna take the box so I get the right ones. Need anything else?"

"I don't think so. I'm just going to get back in bed and see if I feel any better in a little bit. I'm exhausted."

Kibum comes to kiss Sunny's forehead, "Alright. Just call me if you need anything else."

She nods, "Okay. Thank you."

{{{:::}}}

Kibum scrolls through his cellphone as he waits at the check-out in the convenience store. He drops the pads down on the conveyor belt and then a bar of chocolate. His eyes catch something hanging on a peg, and it's enough to make him stop in his tracks. It's silly for him to pick up the pregnancy test, but he does, and he can't help but wonder if it's something he should pick up. They didn't use a on the night of Sunny's birthday because the box was empty, but she's good about raking her birth control, so neither of them thought much of it. Now Kibum is wondering if the fatigue and hay fever symptoms are more than what meets the eye. 

Kibum steps out of line with his items and calls Sunny. She answers on the last ring.

"Sunny, I have a question."

"It's the pink box. Not the tampons, the--"

"Should I pick up a pregnancy test?"

The line goes quiet, and Kibum thinks that they got disconnected. He's about to ask if she's still there when she speaks, albeit in a shaky voice.

"Kibum, that's not funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny."

"Just get the stupid pads, Kibum."

"Sunny--"

"Kibum, stop!" 

Sunny hangs up the phone before Kibum can get anything else out, and he sighs. He hadn't meant to push any buttons. Kibum sighs and slides his phone back into his pocket, heading back to the line. The cashier gives Kibum an odd look as she scans the pads and then a double take when he slides a pregnancy test toward her too. It's probably going to get him killed later, but he doesn't feel like running back to the convenience store in a few hours once he talks to Sunny. 

Sunny takes the bag once he pays and leaves for his car. He's partially dreading greeting Sunny at home again, practically wanting to take off in the opposite direction as he slips his shoes off. He would have too, if he didn't have the pads that Sunny needed. 

Kibum doesn't need to look far for Sunny. She's in the kitchen with a glass of water and a handful of crackers. She still looks pale and weak. He holds out the plastic bag to her, hoping to ignore the call he made to her as long as possible.

"I got you a bar of chocolate. If you're getting your period, I know how you look for it. I think those are the right pads," Kibum meets her eyes when she takes the bag, "Are you feeling any better?"

"Better but not myself if that makes sense," Sunny looks like she wants to say something else but doesn't.

"That's good."

"Yeah..." 

Kibum turns to go take a seat on the couch and catch the end of his show while he could, but Sunny stops him before he can go by grabbing his hand. He stops immediately and faces her again.

"What is it, Sunny?"

"Would you leave me?"

"Why would I ever leave you?"

"If-- If this is actually a baby, would you leave me? I'm scared now that you said that."

Kibum steps closer and takes Sunny into his arms, rubbing her back, "I would never leave you, especially not because you're pregnant. Since, if that does turn out to be true, it's kind of my fault. Partially, at least," he rubs her arms to comfort her, "I did pick up a test just in case you changed your mind. What's there to lose? You pee on the stick and if it's negative, we toss it out and forget about it."

"And if it's positive?"

"I think that's something we'd find out eventually, don't you think?"

She sighs, defeated, "I guess you're right. Give me the test."

{{{:::}}}

Sunny sits between Kibum's legs, stretched out with her head on his chest. He's rubbing her back slowly, and the rhythm is enough to draw her back to sleep for a few minutes. She's groggy when she wakes up, and her neck is a little stiff from the position, but she pushes herself up anyway. Kibum keeps his hand nestled on her waist.

"Has it been fifteen minutes?"

"Probably a little over," Kibum mumbles in response, "I stopped keeping track when you fell asleep. Just go check it so we can sleep. It's almost two. We're going to end up sleeping all day tomorrow."

Sunny doesn't provide much of a response as she disappears to the bathroom and returns a second later with the white stick. She holds it in Kibum's line of sight and, sure enough, there's two red lines and a little plus sign. Kibum thinks that this is the outcome they've both silently come to expect, and there's not much reaction from either of them. Neither of them even bat at eye at the bundle of joy that they've created, that's growing inside of Sunny. 

"Ready for bed?" Sunny asks, and Kibum nods, "Me too."

They go through their routine as usual. Kibum complains about Sunny taking too long to wash her face like always, and Sunny can't find two matching socks before crawling in to bed. They're mostly silent as they settle down between the sheets. 

Kibum still kisses Sunny good night like always. 

{{{:::}}}

Sunny doesn't start crying until her first doctor's appointment. School ended for the year on Thursday, although she needs to continue to go for a few more days, as does Kibum, to finish up grades and the like. The end of the school year has been hard on her, and she told Kibum more than once that she caught spotting on her underwear, so he talked her into moving her appointment up a week. The doctors were eager to take her the moment she told them that.

The visit proves to be too much for her. She's fine in the waiting room and alright on the walk to the room, but the moment she stepped inside the room, the floodgates came down. She broke down sobbing in Kibum's arm the moment she caught sight of the pictures of the progression of pregnancy, and a flustered Kibum can't tell if she's crying in distress or something else. She's hiccuping by the time the doctor welcomes herself in, and her nose is as red as the shirt she's wearing. Kibum did his best to wipe up her running eyeliner. Kibum is afraid the doctor is going to make a comment that sets Sunny off again, but she only pats her thigh and asks her to lean back.

"First baby?" The doctor asks.

Kibum nods, "First baby and a complete surprise."

"Are you the father?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's good. Now, Sunkyu, are you anemic?"

"No."

"Did any of the women in your family suffer from anemia while pregnant?"

"Not that I know of. I think my sister might have toward the end," Sunny feels for Kibum's hand when the doctor begins her examination, "I know she was dizzy at her baby shower, but I'm not sure if it was from a lack of iron or just the pregnancy in general. I know my mom was fine.

The doctor nods a few moments later, pausing to scribble notes of what Sunny said on a sheet of paper, "I feel definite swelling of the uterus. It's barely there, but it's a disturbance. Have you taken a test and gotten positive? Ah, yes. Here. And you believe that the date of conception was the fifteenth of May... my, I'm surprised the test caught it. They usually aren't accurate this early in the game, but it's good. The earlier you start care, the better off you'll be."

Kibum combs stands of hair behind Sunny's ear as she nods, "I heard that. So what, uh, happens now?"

"We're going to schedule you for bi-weekly check-ups until you're thirty-six or thirty-seven weeks. You're a smaller girl, so we might even push it back to thirty-four weeks in case you need to be put on bed rest. The chances of that are slim because you're healthy and active. As for the next few weeks, I'll set you up with a list of vitamins that would be good to take. Try taking smaller meals more often, rest, stay hydrated. You might feel some slight discomfort if ligaments loosen, even some lower back pain. Around... twelve weeks, we'll do an ultrasound to make sure everything is okay in there, and then, between eighteen and twenty-two weeks we can do another ultrasound to find out the gender if you choose. For the most part, it's all up to you. Any questions or concerns, call us. It's better safe than sorry."

Sunny nods, head reeling from all the information, "When can I let our families know?"

"I generally advise patients to wait at least for their first ultrasound or up to sixteen weeks. Most complications happen in that time frame, and we don't want you to have to go back and say something happened. To be safe, I'd wait. Take the time to think of a good way to tell them maybe. We have a few pamphlets out in the waiting room if you want to pick those up on your way out."

"Is that it then?"

"Almost. I'm going to measure and weigh you so I can chart your progress. We're going to get some blood work to keep on file also. It should only take about ten minutes. I'll let you go then."

{{{:::}}}

Sunny wraps her arms around Kibum before he can get in the car. There's tears in her eyes, and tears in his too. She locks her arms around his waist, and he rubs her back gently. Kibum rests his cheek on her head, murmuring to her that he loves her because he doesn't know what else to do.

"What are we going to do, Kibum?"

"What do you mean? We're going to keep it, aren't--?"

"Of course," she cuts in quickly, shaking her head, "But I mean... I don't want to be alone, Kibum. I'm scared. I don't want to be alone."

"Sunny, sweetie," he says gently, "Sunny, you don't need to be alone. Neither of us really have room for two in our apartments, but we can look for apartments. We've been saying we were going to, and neither of us really got around to actually... initiating moving in together. This is the catalyst. Until it happens, we'll just have extended sleepovers, if that's what it takes. It's summer vacation for the students now. We don't have to worry about it much for a couple weeks, so we'll be alright. We need happy tears right now. Happy tears, sweetheart. We're having a baby."

"But this wasn't in our plan."

"Some of the best things aren't."

Sunny leans back slightly, rubbing her cheeks and nodding hesitantly, "I'm not not happy about this. But it's terrifying. We're not married. Oh my God, my dad is going to kill you."

"I didn't think about that!"

She can't help but crack a smile at that, "Now he might actually not like you."

Kibum groans, "Perfect."

"I'm sorry, Kibum," she nuzzles his chest with her cheek, "But at least I think you're cutest piece of work out there."

"I do have one question though."

"What's that?"

"Does this mean no ?"

Sunny rolls her eyes and hits his chest before getting in the car, "Impossible, Kim Kibum. You are impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Kibum knocks on the window when she shuts the door on him, "Wait, does that mean no?"

"Get in the car, Kibum."

Sunny watches Kibum grumble to himself and childishly drag his feet to the other side of the car. She grins. It won't hurt much if she lets him stew for a little while. 

After all, she's planning on spending the rest of her life with him. There'll be lots of time for things like that.

{{{:::}}}

{{{And the rest is up to you.}}}