Krystal lay awake in Amber's bed after a fairly restless night of sleep. The argument that she had with her mother yesterday evening still weighed heavily in her mind, keeping the young girl from drifting off to sleep for most of the night.

It was now early morning and the faintest hints of sunlight trickled through the blinds and onto the bedspread. Krystal rolled over with a tired yawn and found Amber still fast asleep beside her. The sight of a peaceful llama put her troubled mind at ease for just a moment. Krystal had lost the familiar life that she had lived under her parents' roof since the day she was born, but the first day of her new life was in Amber's presence. She carefully brought her fingertips to Amber's cheek, the gentle touch eliciting a slight frown from the slumbering girl.

Krystal was grateful for Amber's existence in her life. Amber was a constant source of encouragement and inspiration to her. And last night, when Krystal was unable to process her sadness on her own, Amber had been her source of strength as well. The young girl smiled with great affection at the sleepy frown on Amber's face. A dark shadow still hung over Krystal's head, but this moment of peace with Amber was more than enough to motivate Krystal to begin her day.

She carefully climbed out of bed without disturbing Amber's sleep and slipped into the kitchen. Without a single wasted movement, Krystal started a fresh pot of coffee and began to make breakfast. She knew exactly where Amber kept the coffee beans and filters, and she knew exactly where to find the ingredients and utensils she needed for breakfast. As Krystal began mixing a bowl of pancake batter, she experienced a sense comfort from standing in Amber's kitchen. Even though she had only spent a random night here and there sleeping at Amber's apartment ever since they got back together in March, it felt like she had lived with Amber for months now.

But that feeling was just an illusion, just like the feeling that her mother had supported her unconditionally for these past 21 years.

"And if you don't agree with me, you can go find a different family."

Krystal slowly lowered the spoon of her half mixed pancake batter and sighed heavily as her mother's hurtful quote replayed in her head over and over. 

"What the hell, mom," Krystal murmured to herself. Her heart was full of anger and sadness as she thought about the ugly fight at the house last night. Even though Krystal had prepared herself for such a reaction from her mother, she couldn't tune out the pain that she now felt. "How could she say that to me..."

A message lit up Krystal's phone and she glanced at it to find a text from Jessica, who was concerned about Krystal and wanted to come over even though it was early. Jessica had been her protector last night, for all of her life really, and Krystal was eager to meet up with Jessica as soon as possible. The younger girl quickly extended an invitation to Amber's apartment and then picked up the spoon and began mixing the batter again, motivated to continue making breakfast now that she was cooking for three instead of two.

Twenty minutes later, with the pancakes finished and a bowl or eggs ready to be scrambled, the intercom of Amber's apartment buzzed and announced Jessica's arrival. Krystal let her sister into the building and then invited her into Amber's apartment with a powerful hug.

"Thanks for helping me last night, Jess," Krystal greeted Jessica sincerely, still locked in their tight embrace.

The older girl ignored the unnecessary gratitude and showered the younger girl with concern. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Soojung-ah. I wish I could have protected you from all the stuff that mom said. How are you doing? Did you sleep OK?"

"I didn't sleep well, but I'm OK. I'm sorry I was so short on the phone when you called me," Krystal apologized. Jessica called her as promised late last night, but Krystal had been too exhausted to talk. She had cried her heart out to Amber throughout the drive back to Amber's apartment, and the tears and talking continued even after they were inside. Amber managed to console Krystal until she stopped crying, at which point Jessica had called, but Krystal was too tired to talk anymore by then.

"It's OK Soojung-ah, I understand. I wasn't mad or anything, I was just worried about you." Jessica put her hand under Krystal's chin and gently examined her sister's face, which was puffy and splotchy from a full night of crying. "You look awful," she told Krystal playfully, eliciting a laugh from the younger girl.

There was a gentle thump from the bedroom and the Jung sisters turned to find Amber shuffling sleepily into the living room. Amber yawned tiredly as she cast her eyes on the sisters' affectionate reunion.

"What the heck is this?" the short haired girl asked, stifling a yawn. "I thought you Jung sisters slept until noon on your days off."

"Someone sounds grumpy," Krystal observed with an affectionate smile as Amber rubbed her eyes like a sleepy child. The younger girl went to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee, offering it to her girlfriend. She then poured another cup and offered it to Jessica.

"Stay with us for breakfast, unnie-nim," Amber invited the elder Jung sister, using the overly formal honorific semi-jokingly. Amber sat down with her cup of coffee and gestured towards Krystal. "My personal chef will make whatever you want."

"How dare you call Soojung your personal chef!" Jessica reprimanded Amber indignantly. The sharp response snapped Amber out of her sleepiness and she began to apologize for being disrespectful towards Krystal, but Jessica surprised her with a playful response. "Don't you know she cooked for me long before she cooked for you?"

"Ha ha," Krystal laughed dryly and she resumed cooking a batch of scrambled eggs. 

Amber went to help Krystal while Jessica sat down and drank her coffee. "How's your mom doing this morning?" Amber asked Jessica, cracking a few more eggs for Krystal to cook.

"Mmm... calmer than yesterday but just as unwilling to accept the news," Jessica answered slowly. She turned to Krystal. "I accidentally told mom last night that you were dating Amber. I thought you had already told her before you left, so I'm sorry for telling her first."

Krystal sighed and shook her head at her sister. "Don't worry about it. I meant to tell mom yesterday but she just kind of surprised me with her reaction and I couldn't say anything I wanted to say."

"On the bright side though," Jessica continued, "Dad supports you."

Krystal's eyes widened in surprise. "No way, really?"

"Yeah, really. Dad came home towards the end of the fighting last night and I explained the situation to him. He understands and yet he doesn't understand... but he says that nothing is worth losing his youngest daughter," Jessica gently relayed the message, much to Krystal's delight. 

Krystal clutched the spatula tightly with watery eyes as Amber gave her a quick hug. This was exactly the kind of response she had wanted from her parents. She didn't need them to celebrate her coming out or to understand exactly what was happening in her life; she just wanted them to continue to love her and accept her. If only both of her parents could have responded in the same way...

Amber quietly relieved Krystal of her cooking duties let the young girl absorb the emotional news.

"Give him a call later, I'm sure he's worried about you," Jessica kindly suggested to Krystal. She turned to Amber. "Our dad has a message for you too. He said, 'Take care of my daughter. If you make her cry, there will be no mercy for you.' I think he was joking with that last part, but I wouldn't bet on it," the older girl told Amber with a smile.

The short haired girl laughed as she scooped scrambled eggs out of the pan and onto Jessica's plate. "Funny, that sounds a lot like what you said to me after you found out I was dating Soojung." The two girls glared each other pla