“A baby isn’t like buying a cat, Soo. And even it if it was, you wouldn’t buy a cat with a stranger.” Jongin leaned against the cafe countertop, his arms folded against his chest as he gave his friend a challenging look.

“Just because you don’t know him doesn’t mean that Sehun is a stranger,” Chanyeol argued. He reached for a straw, effectively pushing Jongin away from the counter in the process.

“Soo doesn’t know him either!” Jongin protested, grabbing for his iced coffee as soon as the barista set it on the counter.

“I know him.” Kyungsoo picked up his espresso and made a beeline for his favorite table, his friends trailing behind.

“You only met him twice!” Jongin was not going to let this drop.

“Look, can we talk about something else?” Kyungsoo took a seat across from Chanyeol, Jongin slumping down next to him. They were at the small cafe near their workplace, a hole in the wall establishment that didn’t serve the best or most famous drinks in Seoul, but was more than adequate. Especially for the group of accountants, who were buried in work most of the time and just needed somewhere close by they could escape to for half an hour.

“You know I am just concerned for you.” Jongin shot his friend an apologetic look.

“Well then start being concerned about how terrible it is going to be when he comes into the office after only three hours of sleep.” Chanyeol slurped up the iced coffee, smacking his lips as he swallowed. “I remember that you weren’t exactly a peach when your son was a baby,” he reminded Jongin.

Jongin rolled his eyes at Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo sighed. He knew that he was going to get strong responses from his friends the moment he had suggested it. He had prepared himself, really he had. Yet the incessant discussion about how he was not only declaring himself ready to be a father but also willing to co-parent with someone he wasn’t dating, wasn’t married to, and most certainly wasn’t even romantically interested in was the icing on the cake. Jongin had nearly had a heart attack, Chanyeol had been happy because in part it was his suggestion, and well… the rest of their circle of friends had been somewhere in between the two.

“I am not buying a baby, it is just a simulation, guys. And seriously, let’s talk about something else. We need to get back soon and I don’t want to spend our entire break hearing about my poor life choices.” Kyungsoo shot his friends / co-workers a serious look.

Jongin took the hint, launching into a story about his sister’s latest job hunting misadventure. When they got back to the office half an hour later, the topic seemed to be suitably buried.







Kyungsoo sat in his boxer shorts and his favorite Captain America t-shirt, the one that was faded but so soft he couldn’t bear to part with it. HIs laptop was perched on his lap, opened to his personal email account.

The clock was pushing midnight but he was not even close to falling asleep, not after having worked until almost nine o’clock – a new project keeping him in the office late. He had picked up some takeout food on his way home, something cheap and fast because he was too tired to cook.

He had half a dozen new emails, including one from his mother asking when he would be by to visit. He ignored it, knowing that when he told her ‘not anytime soon’ he would be getting a call in the morning that he didn’t want to deal with.

When he saw the newest email, one sent only a half an hour ago, he eagerly opened it.

I think this is our best bet www.babydepot.com/rentals. Call me tomorrow and we can talk about it.

It was from Oh Sehun, otherwise known as the other half of the pair of 33-year-old men currently being lambasted by their friends

It was ridiculous, Kyungsoo thought, that all their friends had kids and that was perfectly fine – but the moment he mentions that maybe he wants to adopt, everyone has a fit.

“But you aren’t even with anyone right now!” Junmyeon, otherwise known as his old college roommate, had pointed out.

“I am also gay, if you hadn’t noticed. I think that adding a single adoption on top of that will only add to my pariah status,” Kyungsoo had deadpanned.

Or at least, a single adoption had been his original train of thought. That was before Chanyeol had mentioned that someone else in their extended group of friends was saying pretty much the same thing. Oh Sehun, a person Kyungsoo was aware of but had never actually met, was apparently telling people he was ready to solo adopt as well.

It wasn’t a huge surprise that they had never crossed paths, their group of friends was diverse - a mixture of college buddies, work friends, and anyone who happened to be friends of the two preceding groups. It was great having so many people around during social gatherings (according to Chanyeol). Kyungsoo was a bit on the introverted side so he couldn’t claim to love the large gatherings all the time but he did appreciate knowing he always had a friend to hang out with. Somehow in this shuffle Chanyeol knew Baekhyun, who knew Minseok, who also happened to be close friends with Sehun - who was bent on adopting a child. Alone.

“You guys could always do it together,” Chanyeol had suggested.

Kyungsoo had found it to be a strange suggestion, that is until he woke up one morning to a text from Sehun (who had gotten his number from Chanyeol) asking Kyungsoo if he wanted to meet. After a three hour long chat they had decided they would give it a shot - social norms be damned. Maybe, they thought, having a baby together would be better than having a baby alone. Shared responsibility and all, another parent to help out. And who cared if they weren’t together. There was nothing in the rulebook that said parents had to be romantically involved - it was the 21st century after all. Friends could raise a kid together no problem.

It helped, Kyungsoo supposed, that he got along well with Sehun from the get-go. They found out they had a lot in common, like their love of spaghetti, their hatred of Celine Dion, and their penchant to zone out at random times. Kyungsoo also thought it helped a bit that Sehun was rather good-looking, tall and thin with a sharp jawline, carefully styled blonde hair and a strong brow line (not to mention a respectable position as a tax lawyer). After their first meeting he had to remind himself – the entire arrangement would be platonic by design. They had, after all, already talked about living together as roommates if they ended up raising a child.

“I have one condition, however,” Kyungsoo had told Sehun during their second meeting - dinner at a small diner. “We need to do one of those infant simulator things first. I mean, we should make sure we are both cut out for it before we try to raise a kid, right?”

“You mean the dolls with a chip in them?” Sehun quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah. I saw them on television. It will at least give us an idea if we should really do this.”

“Okay,” Sehun had readily agreed.

It was their next step, to spend a weekend taking care of as close to a real baby as they could get. And the link that Sehun had emailed him lead straight to a place that rented out such simulators. It seemed, Kyungsoo realized, he would get a taste of parenting very soon.

He smiled widely and glanced at his recently purchased stack of parenting books, certain he was ready for it.







Sehun picked him up at 9 AM on Saturday morning, his black Nissan idling outside Kyungsoo’s apartment building as he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He smiled when he saw Kyungsoo approaching.

Kyungsoo had trouble sleeping the night before, his stomach full of butterflies as he thought about the weekend ahead. He had called the place on Thursday morning and confirmed a rental of the simulator. On Friday he had badgered Sehun into buying a car seat. And now...now their trial run as parents would begin.

“Morning,” Sehun greeted as Kyungsoo got into the car.

“Good morning.” Kyungsoo smiled at Sehun, who promptly looked away. It was the first time Kyungsoo had seen Sehun dressed so casually, his neatly pressed suit exchanged for a white t-shirt and jeans.

“Ready?” Sehun asked, shifting into drive.

Kyungsoo looked at the backseat, noticing a blue printed car seat. Sehun had picked it up, heeding Kyungsoo’s nagging. “Yep.”

The store was about twenty minutes away, a relatively short drive in the city but still plenty of time to talk over the important details.

“I hope the guest bedroom is okay for you, I mean, with a baby monitor in there of course so you can hear the baby cry.” Kyungsoo wrung his hands as he rattled off the logistics of their temporary living situation. “I figured the baby can sleep in my room since I am a very light sleeper to begin with, so I am sure that I will wake up if it cries.”

Sehun grunted in agreement.

“For feeding I read in a book that babies are apt to eat every two hours,” Kyungsoo rambled.

“I read the same thing!” Sehun’s face lit up at the fact they had both done their research - and it matched.

“So we can split that. And what else am I forgetting…”Kyungsoo trailed off.

“It will be fine– I mean if there are a few things we have to look up so be it. It is our first time, remember?” Sehun glanced over and offered Kyungsoo a reassuring smile.

Kyungsoo returned the gesture, feeling a measure of comfort that he wasn’t doing this alone.









The store was huge, packed full of every imaginable baby product a person could conceive of. Kyungsoo looked around, feeling slightly overwhelmed at the tall shelves and plethora of goods. Sehun snapped him out of it, gesturing towards a counter towards the back of the store. “I think this is where we go.”

A friendly looking woman was standing behind the counter, smiling at the pair as they approached. “May I help you?”

“We um, are here to pick up the infant simulator. It should be under Do Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo suddenly felt awkward about the whole thing. He tried to hide it, however, not wanting Sehun to think he was having regrets.

“Ah, of course! I have you at the top of the list,” the woman said cheerfully, disappearing into a back room to fetch the simulator. When she returned she was carrying a swaddled object which, if Kyungsoo hadn’t already known it was fake, he would have assumed was a live infant.

“Here is your baby!” the clerk cooed, rocking the simulator to and fro.

Kyungsoo felt a fluttering in his stomach as he tried to get a peek at the infant simulator. Sehun seemed to be having a similar reaction, leaning over the counter as he strained to get a look.

“Now before I hand him over I will need you to sign some paperwork and go over the handbook.” The woman set the simulator down on the counter, which broke the spell.

She pulled out a binder from below the counter. “Of course if the simulator is damaged, other than normal wear and tear, your credit card will be charged the replacement value. As you were notified over the phone the simulator requires a $300 charge for incidentals, which will be returned to you when you return the simulator on Sunday evening. There are some other clauses here,” she swiped a pen over the bottom of the sheet of paper she was reading off of, “If you care to read them. Otherwise please sign here and here.” She pushed the binder towards them, the corner catching the simulator slightly. The fake baby was jostled.

Kyungsoo turned the binder and began scanning the page, Sehun reading over his shoulder. It seemed like a pretty standard rental agreement, nothing out of the ordinary. Without hesitation he signed his name and dated the contract, then handed the pen to Sehun.

Once the signed document was handed over the woman began her spiel on how to care for the imitation infant. Kyungsoo listened intently - this was the important part. “The model 9412 infant simulator is the most lifelike simulator on the market. The device comes equipped with special sensors that allow it to record if it is fed, held correctly, given attention, has its diaper changed, is put to sleep correctly, and a plethora of other important elements of childcare. You will hear the simulator cry when it is hungry, needs its diaper changed, or is tired. And most importantly the device keeps track of how many seconds it takes you to respond to the audio queues.”

Kyungsoo swallowed. I can do this, he repeated in his head, I can do this. He had read a half dozen childcare books plus he had even watched Jongin’s three-year-old son a few times. He was certain he could handle it. Hopefully Sehun could as well.

“After you return the simulator we will analyze the data collected and run a report letting you know how you did.”

“What if we do poorly?” Sehun asked.

“Then I suppose it is a good indication that you have room for improvement when it comes to childcare.” The woman smiled. “Now onto how you take care of your baby, or at least how you feed him and show that you are giving him care.” She un-swaddled the simulator, taking out a set of what looked like toy keys from the blanket. “When you feed, change, or comfort your baby you will swipe these keys on the sensor on the back of the simulator to indicate that you are present and caring for the child. So very important, do not lose these.” She handed a key to each man. “Now, any questions?”

Kyungsoo moved the small plastic key in his palm. “I don’t think so.”

“Great. Good luck parenting!” She pushed the simulator across the counter towards them. They both reached for the plastic infant at the same time, knocking their elbows together. After an awkward set of apologies Kyungsoo scooped the baby into his arms.

It felt weird holding the simulator, the lifeless eyes staring back at him and making him want to look away. “Let’s go,” he muttered, wanting to get back to his apartment before their new baby decided to cry.

Kyungsoo let Sehun retrieve the car seat from the back of the car when they arrived. His mind was racing with all sorts of random thoughts since they had left the store. I never asked Sehun why he wanted a baby, what if he has no idea what he is doing. What if I drop it? What if - what if - what if….” It is just a simulation, Kyungsoo,” he whispered to himself, hoping that Sehun didn’t hear.







Sehun was cautious as he carried the car seat into the building, walking slowly so he wouldn’t jostle the simulator. They rode the elevator in silence, both staring at the car seat like it would disappear if they looked away. When Kyungsoo opened the door to his apartment, Sehun slowly carried the simulator inside before stopping and glancing around.

“You have a nice place.” Sehun stood in the entryway, looking about.

“Um, thanks.” He hasn’t even been in my house and now he is here and we have a baby and…. Kyungsoo could feel the sweat begin to form on his brow.

“Where should I put the um - “Sehun looked at the car seat. “We should give him a name.”

“Ah, yeah that is a good idea.” Kyungsoo tried to think of something.

“How about ….Sehun Jr?” Sehun suggested.

Kyungsoo scrunched up his face.

“How about we just call him baby,” Sehun offered.

“Deal.” Kyungsoo toed off his shoes and put his feet into his slippers. “There are slippers there if you want to take your shoes off. I can take the - uh - baby if you want.”

Sehun handed the car seat over. Kyungsoo carried the baby into the living room, setting the car seat gingerly on the sofa.

“I will show you around,” he announced, taking one last look at the baby before walking to the far side of the room, Sehun following after him. His apartment was sparsely furnished and rather on the dark side - black being his favorite color. He hoped Sehun wasn’t one of the people who felt it was gloomy. His mother loved to remind him that dark interiors made for depressed residents.

“In here is the half bath and down there, at the end of the hall is the master bath. My room is next to it and the guest bedroom is,” Kyungsoo opened the door closest to the living room, “here. Kitchen and dining room is through there and um laundry room is after that.”

“Wow, you must be making bank.” Sehun whistled.

“Ah, probably not as much as you.” Kyungsoo’s salary was decent, maybe even more than decent, but Sehun was a lawyer. There was no way he made as much.

“I don’t know, my apartment is nowhere near as nice.” Sehun stepped into the guest bedroom. “I suppose I need to bring my luggage up. I guess I should have done that before we picked up the baby.”

The sharp cries of an infant stilted any further conversation. Both men ran towards the car seat like their lives depended on it. Kyungsoo managed to get the key out of his pocket first, picking up the baby he began to search for the sensor.

“On the back,” Sehun directed, his eyes wide as the simulator continued to cry. Whatever they had used for the crying noise it was very realistic, shrill and high pitched.

Kyungsoo began to panic as he tried to gingerly push the baby’s onesie off his shoulder. His hands began to shake, resulting in Sehun holding his arms out to take the baby. Kyungsoo handed the child over, feeling deflated.

Sehun found the sensor almost instantly, waving the plastic key over it and stopping the crying. Kyungsoo looked on with a frown on his face, feeling a touch of inadequacy.







“Do you think we can just watch anything?” Kyungsoo flicked on the television, flipping through channels. The baby had been on Sehun’s lap for the last thirty minutes, silent and (as expected) unmoving. The lawyer was reclining on the sofa, his long legs spread out as he leaned against the armrest. Kyungsoo was sitting on the overstuffed armchair that sat next to the sofa, made of the same ivory faux leather.

“Like what if they have a sensor to find out if we let it watch bad shows?” Kyungsoo worried.

“Do you always bite your nails when you’re worried?” Sehun asked.

Kyungsoo pulled his hand away from his mouth. He hadn’t even noticed he had been doing it. He blushed in embarrassment and tried to hide his broken nails.

“Maybe put on cartoons?” Sehun turned his attention back to the television.

Kyungsoo flipped on what he thought was the Disney channel, instead the channel he punched in was a pay per view trailer featuring less than PG scenes. He yelped, turning the channel down to an even more station. Finally he flicked the television off and tossed the remote on the floor.

He looked over to see that Sehun was covering the baby’s eyes, frowning.







Kyungsoo was in the kitchen, making a late lunch when he heard the baby begin to cry. He rushed towards the living room to find that Sehun was nowhere in sight. His hands were covered in flour from the dumplings he had been making, in a panic he shouted for Sehun.

“I um, can you get it?!” Sehun shouted back, his voice coming from the bathroom.

Kyungsoo frantically wiped his hands on his pants before pushing the key near the sensor. He held the baby to him, rocking it back and forth. And then he heard a splash.

“Sehun, is everything okay?” He yelled.

“Um, yeah I think so.” It didn’t sound very reassuring. Kyungsoo walked to the bathroom door, the simulator falling silent now that it was being cared for.

“Are you sure?”

“So um, what if I told you I lost the key to the baby in the toilet?” Sehun asked, through the closed door. “It was an accident, I swear!”

Kyungsoo shut his eyes and groaned. “How?”

“It just fell out of my pocket when I was zipping up.”

“I guess you can’t do anything about it,” he sighed.

“Sorry, I’m really sorry.”

“If you are sorry come out and take care of the baby so I can make lunch.” Kyungsoo stepped back as Sehun opened the door. His face was bright red and he looked utterly embarrassed as he reached for the baby. “Are you mad?”

“No, stuff happens,” Kyungsoo smiled at the man, handing the baby over. Once he was headed back to the kitchen, his back to Sehun, he rolled his eyes. So maybe he had picked the wrong person to co-parent with. The first day and he already loses the one way they have to feed the baby.









The wails were growing in intensity. Each time that Sehun swiped Kyungsoo’s card across the sensor on the baby, a moment of silence would ensue, followed by even more crying.

“Is it broken?!” Sehun asked, staring at Kyungsoo. They had sat down to lunch but barely touched it, the baby’s crying interrupting them again and again.

“I don’t know,” Kyungsoo pursed his lips. “Should I call the place?”

Sehun vigorously nodded.

Kyungsoo pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the store, asking to be transferred back to the simulator rental counter. When he explained the situation to the woman he was met with jovial laughter.

“Your baby has colic,” the woman explained.

“Colic what?” Kyungsoo tried to remember the term, certain he must have read it in a baby book. He drew a blank, feeling his anxiety increase more at his ignorance.

“It is a condition where an infant may be distressed for a lengthy period of time. The causes are unknown, but the usual symptoms are excessive crying that cannot be stopped by normal means - as in feeding or changing the diaper.”

“So it is just going to cry?!” Kyungsoo made eye contact with Sehun, who stared at him in alarm.

“Yes, sir. Our simulators are the most realistic on the market, so they include colic episodes randomly,” The woman answered sweetly.

Kyungsoo felt utterly defeated. “Okay, well thanks.”

“No problem. Have a wonderful day!” click.

Kyungsoo cradled the phone in his hand. “She said it is colic.”

“What?” Sehun stared at the simulator like it had turned into a two headed cobra.

“It is going to cry and there is nothing we can do about it.” Kyungsoo sighed.

“Oh,” Sehun frowned as he rocked the baby, the loud cries filling the living room.








“Coffee?” Sehun pushed a mug across the dining room table, Kyungsoo eyeing it as he rocked the screaming baby. It was already evening and neither of them had much to eat - a few bites here and there as they traded off watching the hysterical infant simulator.

“No,” Kyungsoo shook his head. “But thanks.”

Sehun took a sip of his own steaming mug. “Hey, at least we don’t have to give it a bath.” He was speaking in a raised voice, the cries of the baby so loud a normal inside voice wouldn’t do.

“Yeah, I guess there is that!” Kyungsoo agreed. He had been scanning the sensor every few minutes, hoping the baby would stop crying.

“Should we just put it in a room?” Sehun offered. “I mean, it isn’t like it is going to hurt itself”

Kyungsoo was seriously considering it. Of course if it was a real infant they never would have done that. But it was a simulator, not a human baby. They could simply put the baby away and forget about it until it stopped crying. “No, we shouldn’t.” Kyungsoo decided against it. “This is supposed to be so we learn what it is like to have a baby. We can’t put a real baby in a room like that so we probably shouldn’t with this one either.”

Sehun looked embarrassed that he had even suggested it.

An hour of crying later Kyungsoo was the first to open the bedroom door and place the baby on the bed.

“Just for a little while,” he said to Sehun, the cries finally muffled as he closed the bedroom door.









“You like video games?” Sehun eyed up the Xbox that sat on the bottom shelf of Kyungsoo’s entertainment center.

“Yeah, do you?” Kyungsoo was slumped into his sofa, the baby still crying but much less noisy now it was in a different room.

“Yeah. Want to play? Do you have two controllers?” Sehun was on the floor, scooting towards the gaming console before Kyungsoo could answer.

“Yeah, hold on.” Kyungsoo sat up and pulled out the middle drawer of his coffee table, rummaging around for his second controller.

“What do you usually play?” Sehun asked as he began going through the small stack of games that Kyungsoo had sitting on the floor.

“First person shooters. Some RPGs.” Kyungsoo listed off some of his favorite games.

“I guess we are the video game generation, aren’t we?” Sehun smirked as Kyungsoo admitted that his absolute favorite game of all time was Maniac Mansion for the NES.

”Thankfully,” Kyungsoo replied. They booted up the system and began to play a first person shooter. Before long they were swearing and laughing and having, Kyungsoo realized, a really nice time. It was only after Kyungsoo beat Sehun for the second time, tying them, that Sehun noticed something. “He isn’t crying anymore!”

Kyungsoo paused, controller in hand. He listened. The muffled shrieks were no more. “He isn’t crying!” Kyungsoo yelled. They leapt up, controllers in hand, and hugged each other in joy. When Kyungsoo realized what they were doing he blushed, coughing and awkwardly stepping away from Sehun - who shared a similar look of embarrassment.

“I um, - need to check on the baby,” Sehun cleared his throat, heading for the bedroom.

Kyungsoo nodded, raising his hand to his cheek he could feel his face was warm.









Kyungsoo counted, it was the fifth time Sehun had yawned in as many minutes. They had been watching the news, the infant seemingly asleep as they both zoned out to the drone of the latest investment news. Sehun was once again sprawled out on the sofa, his long legs almost reaching the opposite edge of where he was sitting.

“You can go to bed if you want,” Kyungsoo offered, peeking at Sehun. He had ran his hands through his hair a lot during the day, Kyungsoo had picked up on the habit. The end result was that his blonde locks were a mess– a very attractive mess. Kyungsoo turned back to the television, deciding it wasn’t a good idea to look over at his temporary roommate.

“I could but then you have to take care of the baby alone.” Sehun stifled another yawn with the back of his hand.

“I said he would sleep in my room,” Kyungsoo reminded him.

“Why, so he loves you more?” Sehun teased.

“Yep.” Kyungsoo looked over again and this time it was hard to look away. The mischievous glint in Sehun’s eyes coupled with his tousled hair was a dangerous combination. Kyungsoo was so lost it took him a few seconds to realize the way Sehun was looking at him wasn’t exactly tame either.

Kyungsoo swallowed.

“You know, you are very good looking for an accountant.” Sehun smiled.

Kyungsoo’s heart rate increased as he watched Sehun’s gaze lower, like he was drinking him in with his eyes.

“I um–“ Kyungsoo’s mouth was dry. “I need to go to bed.” He stood up and without another word stalked off to his bedroom, closing the door and falling against it. What had just happened and why did he feel happy about it? The fact he had left the baby with Sehun didn’t occur to him until he was lying in bed, about to drift off.









The incessant wailing began a couple of hours after Kyungsoo had managed to fall asleep, buried under his cocoon of blankets. He groaned at the high pitched wails, expecting them to stop as soon as Sehun swiped the key over the sensor. When a full minute passed and the shrieks continued, Kyungsoo tossed off his blankets and stalked out of his bedroom. When he stepped into the hall he realized the cries were coming from the living room, not the guest bedroom.

He found Sehun holding the baby, frantically swiping the key over the sensor as he stood half on the floor, half on the sofa. The lawyer looked half asleep, the throw that was usually folded and placed on the end of the couch was on the floor. He must have fallen asleep in the living room.

“It won’t stop!” Sehun said through gritted teeth, clearly annoyed.

“Colic again?” Kyungsoo ventured.

Sehun sighed, flopping onto the couch with the crying baby in his arms. When his back hit the sofa the wails stopped. Kyungsoo held his breath, hoping it was over. Suddenly the sounds coming from the simulator were strangled, as if the crying audio track was broken and on a jarring loop.

“Did you break it?!” Kyungsoo rushed forward as Sehun all but tossed the baby on the other side of the sofa.

“I think it is possessed!”

“What?” Kyungsoo shot Sehun an annoyed look as he picked up the simulator, the annoying high pitched noises coming out in unintelligible bursts. “Give me the key!” he held out his hand.

Sehun handed over the key and watched as Kyungsoo tried again and again to get the baby to stop crying.

Kyungsoo started to feel panicked at his inability to get the baby to stop crying. The simulator must be broken to be making such a strange noise, there was no way this was something preprogrammed. “I think it is broken.”

“,” Sehun groaned. “What do we do now?”

Kyungsoo stared at the simulator, at the plastic device that had state of the art sensors encased within. At the artificial infant that was supposed to be their first step in determining if they should adopt. So much hope rested on this manmade device, so many dreams and what-ifs. So much – “I don’t know but if it keeps making this noise I am going to cut the voice simulator out of it.”

“Kyungsoo!” Sehun looked at him, aghast.

Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows at the lawyer. The sound wasn’t annoying, it was beyond annoying. The crying he could take but this, this horrible broken loop was already driving him insane. Hopes and dreams and trial periods be damned.

“Just, can we put him in another room?” Sehun suggested.

Kyungsoo nodded, carrying the crying infant towards the hall.







“When did you first know that you wanted a child?” Sehun asked, taking a sip of his beer as he looked at Kyungsoo.

After putting the simulator in the guest bedroom they had both returned to the living room, too awake to go back to bed. Kyungsoo had rummaged in his fridge for a few beers. Since they were awake and no longer in baby-watching mode, Kyungsoo figured it was alright to have a few minutes of relaxation.

Kyungsoo fiddled with the mustard colored throw that he had retrieved from the floor and tossed over his lap. “I have been thinking about it for a while, I just wasn’t brave enough to really consider it until a couple months ago.”

“Same.” Sehun let out a low chuckled, like he found it amusing they shared so much in common. After a few seconds of silence the lawyer asked, “Why? I mean, why do you want a baby?”

Kyungsoo tensed. They had talked about it before – the first time they met it was a question that came up fairly early on in the conversation. Why was Sehun asking again? “I like the idea of nurturing a child, of having someone there,” Kyungsoo answered quietly. He looked over at Sehun, watching the man as he stared up at the ceiling, seemingly deep in thought.

“You know, I think a lot of why I want a child is because I am lonely.” Sehun exhaled sharply. “But I didn’t want to admit it so I decided it was because I actually wanted a child, tried to convince myself otherwise.”

“And you just had this epiphany? At three AM, sitting on my couch, with a crying plastic baby in the other room?” Kyungsoo smirked. For some reason Sehun’s confession didn’t upset him, when in all honesty it should. The person that he was going to co-parent with basically had admitted their reasons for wanting a baby were not exactly what they should be. But maybe, Kyungsoo realized, he was feeling a bit of the same thing. Perhaps Sehun was on to something.

“Hmm.” Sehun nodded. “I think this simulation was an excellent idea.”

“How so?” Kyungsoo felt a sudden wave of anxiety. When Sehun turned to look at him he felt his cheeks grow warm. It really wasn’t fair how attractive the man was.

“I don’t think I have the patience or the aptitude for a baby right now, Kyungsoo. But after a day with you I think I figured out what I really want, assuming you think the same.” Sehun was doing that thing with his eyes, the flickering gaze that went lower and lower.

Kyungsoo may have been a bit of a mess when it came to relationships. He had a few boyfriends and it never ended well. He had been single for the last three years by design, not wanting to go through with another round of so-in-love-nothing-else-matters turning into a bitter breakup. He avoided them.

And everything about Sehun at this very moment screamed relationship. Kyungsoo had a desire to flee, to run away – to get away from what Sehun would say nex–

“Another round of gaming.” Sehun sat forward. “If you feel the same way, of course?” Sehun winked.

Kyungsoo stared dumbly at the lawyer. “Wh–what?”

“I said we should play another round? Unless you are too afraid to lose, that is?” Sehun was already rummaging for the controllers.

Kyungsoo was trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Hadn’t Sehun been about to ask him out? He blinked in confusion.

“If you are tired you can go to bed,” Sehun called over his shoulder as he scooted across the floor to change the game in the console.

Kyungsoo smiled. “No, I um – we should play.”

“Cool. Loser has to chug their beer.”

Kyungsoo considered, somewhere between the loading screen and picking his character, why he was feeling mildly disappointed that Sehun hadn’t asked him out. Perhaps his will to flee wasn’t as strong as he thought.

Could it be that he had finally met someone who was different from the others, and maybe just maybe that was a thousand times better than adopting a baby? Supposing Sehun felt the same way, of course. At the moment he seemed to be focused at throwing grenades at Kyungsoo as the accountant ran from foxhole to foxhole. What a strange turn of events.







It was ten in the morning when Kyungsoo woke up. He had a faint headache from the few beers he had drank, not to mention the sound of the crying infant simulator was (though muffled) still audible. He threw on jeans and a t-shirt, brushed his hair quickly and made his way to the living room. They had played video games until six in the morning, Sehun finally falling asleep with the controller in his hand.

Kyungsoo had helped him onto the couch before shutting off the console, a smile plastered on his face as his heart jumped once or twice at whatever had happened that night. Because, in all honesty he wasn’t quite sure himself. Sehun was flirting with him, right? Or was Kyungsoo imagining that? He liked Sehun, but how much?

He found Sehun sprawled out on the sofa, his long limbs barely covered by the mustard yellow throw. Kyungsoo took a moment to appreciate how attractive he was, how his proportions were truly enviable. When Sehun groaned and shifted, Kyungsoo tore his eyes away and made his way for the kitchen.

He set about making some strong coffee, he would need it if he wanted to have a productive day. He was filling the coffee pot with cold water when Sehun plodded in.

“Morning, dear,” the lawyer muttered, opening the refrigerator like he owned the place. “Did you sleep well after I throttled you so badly?”

Throttled. Badly. Dear. Kyungsoo was growing warm again. “Yes, you?” he squeaked.

“I did.” Sehun retrieved a bottle of water from the fridge. He began to chug it, a sight that had Kyungsoo averting his eyes. Adams apple. Bobbing. .

Kyungsoo focused on pouring the water into the coffee maker and filling the filter with the ground coffee.

“I take it we are going to return the baby?” Sehun drawled, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.

“We should since it is broken,” Kyungsoo agreed.

“What if they offer us a replacement for the day?”

Kyungsoo hadn’t thought of that. Wasn’t this what he wanted– a simulation to tell him if he should adopt? Or was that all figured out when they had talked last night and he had realized perhaps his motivations weren’t what he thought they were, and that perhaps he could identify with Sehun’s confession of loneliness.

“I guess we will figure it out if they offer,” Kyungsoo shrugged.

Sehun didn’t bring it up again.







The store clerk frowned at the paper she held in her hands. She scanned the page, clearly less than enthused with the printout.

“It broke so–“ Sehun shrugged, not finishing his sentence but meaning to convey that there was nothing much they could do when it came to caring for the simulator once it no longer worked.

They had arrived at the store a little after eleven, the infant still making a strange noise like the crying track was on a broken loop. When Kyungsoo handed the simulator to the woman behind the counter she had given them an accusing look, like they had manhandled the device.

“According to the scans you not only failed to react to the infant’s cries in a timely manner, you also left it to cry for an extended period of time in the evening.” The woman tapped the paper with her finger.

Kyungsoo paled. Ah, that was when they had been playing video games.

“I would also like to inform you that the device is not broken, but is in fact programmed to simulate a situation in which the infant is experiencing an extreme medical condition. You failed to take the incident seriously, which if this was a real child could have resulted in serious injury or even death.”

“That was planned?!” Kyungsoo widened his eyes. “That is the–“

“Stupidest thing I have ever heard!” Sehun finished his sentence. “Anyone would think the thing was broken!”

“Sirs, the model 9412 does not break. It is the most state of the art device on the market. What is broken, according to this–“ the woman slid the paper across the counter, “is your ability to care for an infant.”

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes at the woman as he snatched the piece of paper off the counter.

“Your credit card will be refunded for the deposit, less the funds to replace the lost keys. Thank you for shopping at Baby Depot, have a wonderful day!” The woman turned cheery as she began to type into the computer.

Kyungsoo crumpled the paper in his hand, turned around, and stalked off. Sehun trailed after him, both men leaving the store as quickly as possible. Once they were outside Kyungsoo let out a string of curse words followed by a ramble. “What kind of simulation does that? How that is even something reasonable?! Why would having the thing sound broken make me do anything but think it is broken?! Like this really indicates if I could care for a child, what horse ! What a waste of money, I am so mad!”

Kyungsoo ignored the stares from a few people walking into the store. Sehun seemed to notice but didn’t care.

“Down with Baby Depot!” he yelled, raising his fist in the air. The gesture made Kyungsoo’s anger dissipate almost immediately– the image of Sehun protesting against the store slightly hilarious. He stifled a laugh.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Sehun smiled back, looping his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder and walking towards the car.

Once they were both seated in Sehun’s black Nissan, the lawyer turned to the accountant. “Are you busy today?”

“No, why?” Kyungsoo had planned on spending the day with the simulator but that was clearly not happening.

“Do you want to go do something?” Sehun asked, starting the car up and fiddling with the air conditioning.

“Like what?” Kyungsoo had to admit he was disappointed thinking about the fact his time with Sehun was over sooner than he had planned.

“I don’t know, go on a date?” Sehun started backing out of the parking space. He had asked so casually that Kyungsoo had to pause and digest the question before answering.

“A date?”

“Yeah,” Sehun confirmed.

“Sure.” Kyungsoo looked out the window and smiled. Perhaps deciding to adopt a baby, even if it didn’t happen, was a good thing – because it led him to Sehun.





Five years later

Kyungsoo fiddled with his seatbelt, his palms sweaty as he recited his plan for that day. “If you can heat up dinner, I will take care of the feeding. If we need to do the bath thing I read it is best to get it done right after dinner. They said that in the parenting class too if you remember. I know your mom and my mom are going to be pounding at our door the moment we get home so–“

“Kyungsoo?” Sehun turned right, taking the exit the GPS instructed him to take.

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo looked at his boyfriend, his mind racing a mile a minute as he tried not to forget anything.

“It will be okay. We are doing this together.” Sehun gave him a reassuring smile.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath. Sehun always seemed to have a calming effect on him – or more specifically Sehun’s smile.

When they pulled into the parking lot of the adoption agency, Kyungsoo’s anxiety morphed into an eagerness. They had spent the last two years going to parenting classes and figuring out what agency to use. It had been a long process, but it was time. After dating for three years they had started to discuss parenthood again, and this time their reasons had less to do with loneliness and more to do with wanting to nurture and cherish a child. When the agency notified them they found a child that they believed would be a great fit, both men couldn’t wait to complete the adoption.

“Ready to go meet our baby?” Sehun asked, leaning over to plant a kiss on Kyungsoo’s brow.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo beamed. “More than ready.”