Part 1 - Part 2 

“Take it.”

“Oh my god, Kibum.” Taemin exhaled, feeling irritated already with how much Kibum had insisted for the past week. He thought that today, today of all days, he would leave it. It seems though, that Kibum had other plans – and bugging him during Mina’s third birthday party was on the top of the list.

“Oh my god—nothing! Take it, dammit.” Kibum swore, taking a stand in front of Taemin, who was about to walk away, and putting a small, white box in front of him.

Taemin gasped. “What the f—Kibum!” Taemin took the small box that Kibum just so nonchalantly took out and tried to hide it, pushing the older man into the alley where none of the guests would see them, would see this. “I’m not taking a pregnancy test in my daughter’s birthday party, for ’s sake!”

Kibum childishly stomped his feet, taking the box containing the tests from Taemin’s hand and literally flaunting it on his face. “You are so pregnant Taemin, you just don’t want to see it and with this—” He shook the box one more time, the contents of it rattling inside the paperboard material. “—I’m going to prove it. Now hush!” Kibum barked, pushing Taemin into the bathroom that they, somehow, got close to. Kibum shut the door close and held the doorknob, effectively locking Taemin in.

No matter how much Taemin tried to negotiate with Kibum, no matter how much begging he did, he ended up locked in the bathroom of his own house. Kibum was firmly standing outside the door, and Taemin was sure that if he dared lie and say he took it when he really didn’t, he’d make a fuss. Taemin was already tired from the preparations of Mina’s Disney inspired birthday, and the headache he slowly developed from listening to Baby Shark on a loop, plus Kibum’s high pitched whining – he was just so done with this ordeal.

He remembers when he told Kibum what had happened in their trip to Disney two weeks ago. He and Minho had planned to take Mina to Disney World because she loves every Disney movie she has seen, they figured she’d go crazy in the Happiest Place on Earth.

She did. They lost count of how many hours they stood in the long lines to meet the princesses and other Disney characters, and how many autographs they collected and how many pictures and videos they took. It was a whole experience for little Mina; the constant excitement and the bright colors of the whole place had Mina’s brain in overdrive, and while during the day she did not sleep a wink, once her head touched her daddy’s shoulder as they made their way back to their hotel, she would fall asleep and not wake up. Not even when she got a bath, not even when they got her in her Lilo & Stich’s pajamas. She would be knocked out until the next day and she would be back with 200% of energy to continue her Disney adventure.

One of the days though, they all got a tiny scare as Taemin fell ill during the day. He threw up three times and almost passed out, the workers there were willing to take him to a hospital, Minho was actually urging him to, but he refused. He blamed it on the gruesome heat of Animal Kingdom. He ate a hydrating snack when he felt settled enough, and he was able to continue. The uneasiness went away as quick as it appeared, there was no need to halt their trip when Mina was most enjoying it. It was sweet though, to see Mina all worried for him. “Ma needa nap, yea?” She had said.

But Kibum. Once they told Kibum, the man had, apparently, an epiphany and just wouldn’t stop saying that he was pregnant. He wouldn’t leave it alone.

Taemin sighed, facing the sink and taking the box. He stared at it, reading the instructions and ripping it open messily. “Whatever.”

Outside, in their backyard –where the party was actually taking place – the laughs and hysterical giggles of little kids as they ran and played could be heard. All of them were Mina’s little friends she liked very much and invited. She didn’t directly take part in making the invitations, but she did say who she wanted to invite. Even though her speech was still messy and mispronounced, Minho and Taemin could understand very well who she wanted in her party.

While most of them played amongst themselves – and with Jonghyun who just so happened to have freed his inner child, Mina wasn’t playing. She was bonding with Jinki and a particularly colorful and sparkly cupcake that looked too… peculiarly creative to be crafted by the bakery they ordered the cupcakes from.

“Aaahh” Mina said, shoving the cupcake to Jinki’s face.

He looked very unsure about it, if not terrified. “Aaah?” Jinki repeated, brows furrowed in worry but quickly masked it with an expression of surprise once he saw Mina’s face full of confidence and security and an aura that said eat this cupcake now.

Children really love sharing food sometimes.

To his luck, the flavor wasn’t very bad – if you ignored the overdose of bitter sugar the sprinkles gave him. It was tasty, and that had his brain synapsing and wondering how—

“She only decorated it.” Minho chimed in, smiling at Mina and sweetly shaking his head no when she directed a messy looking cupcake (the same she made Jinki taste) to his mouth. She didn’t take offense and continued to stare and play with it.

With a sticky-with-frosting hand, Mina gently caressed Jinki’s face. She ignored Jinki’s mid-gasp and her daddy’s laughs as she stared right into her uncle’s eyes and said: “Ake!”

“You want cake, Mina?” Minho asked, trying to hold back his laughs but failing as Jinki just accepted his fate as Mina’s rag doll. Seeing her nod away, hand still on Jinki’s face, Minho called in everyone to sing happy birthday –it was time. But,

“Where’s Taemin?” It didn’t even take 5 seconds for Taemin to appear walking through the door. He had a strange look on his face and a suspiciously-happy looking Kibum tailing behind him. “What’s with that face?” Minho asked, taking Mina from Jinki’s arms and standing in front of Taemin.

“Nothing,” Taemin muttered, noticing Mina’s dirty hands making their way to her daddy’s shirt. He took a wet wipe and stopped her little hands, cleaning them as she curiously stared at him. Kibum, though, he looked like he wanted to talk. And Minho, who was still interested in why Taemin was suddenly being so standoffish, was looking at him to find an answer, but Taemin shushed him. “I said nothing, I’ll tell you later.”

That was enough. “Oh-kay then.”

The birthday party continued after that. Minho put whatever was going in Taemin’s brain and refused to say at the back of his mind for the time remaining, while Taemin just tried to ignore Kibum’s ever so present and knowing stare. Today is Mina’s day and it shall remain as so.

Mina finally got the birthday song she so adorably demanded for. She wore her Minnie Mouse ears that she got in her trip to Disney and threw a small tantrum until her parents wore theirs too. Somehow in the picture she took with her uncles and aunties, Mina’s mouse ears ended up in Jonghyun’s head and the look of satisfaction in her face was enough indication of whose fault was it.

Finally, finally, everyone’s favorite part of the day came, especially the birthday girl’s: opening the presents.

She had mountains of boxes and paper bags of different colors and different sizes. She was well spoiled, particularly by her uncles and aunties, and the squeal of shrill excitement she let out once she was standing in front of them was a scream of victory: she can finally open them. No more waiting.

From clothes – cute little puffy dresses and kiddy jeans that screamed fancy and sandals so sparkly they looked like she would have stars on her feet, and a two piece swimsuit that had Minho glaring daggers at Sooyoung because why – to more toys and an actual ball pit that was so obviously bought by Jinki. It was a lot. Taemin almost forgot they can actually fit all of these things in their house since they moved from their apartment when Mina was born.

“Ah! Ah! Look! Look!” Mina screamed, taking her parents attention once more as she sped up around their patio with her new blue Jeep for kids. She looked –and felt—pretty badass; being only three and driving her own car (although fake) with her Moana sunglasses. Her little friends wow-ed at her new big girl toy, feeling a little bit tinier since they didn’t have a vehicle like she did. But Mina was kind, she offered them a ride so they could experience her driving skills –which were great, honestly.

Minho thought it was the perfect time to give Mina her last present of the day, also because it’s been hiding all day in their room and it’s probably bored to death. “Mina, come here!”

Taemin had been holding Mina, as she almost ran to Minho when he said he would go find her last present. She was very impatient but stood still when Taemin told her that her daddy just needed it to be perfect.

In fact, Minho was taking a little bit too long. Taemin hoped their present didn’t destroy their room or anything of the like.

“Ma!” She squealed upon seeing her dad come out of the room with a regular sized box. The holes in it ignited Mina’s curiosity, to which Taemin put her down so she could run off and discover what it was.

Her gift was on the floor, and her parents both let her to it. Not helping her like they did with her previous presents; they wanted her to do this herself. She shyly got closer to the box and almost ran off when it moved, but Taemin encouraged her to open the lid quickly.

She did, and when the lid came off, so did a white, fluffy Siberian Husky.

Mina had been playing for a long time. Her Jeep tours around the patio were closed to the common folk. Instead of giving tours to people, her new guest was Max the Siberian Husky. He was high class, for he was her new dog and the peculiarity in his eyes made him like a King of some sorts, or so she said. It’s her birthday, anyways. Whatever she comes up with, will be.

The guests of the party already left, it was only them three –four, it was only them four… or was it…

“Minho,” Taemin said, remembering something. They were sitting in the steps of their terrace, watching Mina continue to play and talk with a very happy Max. The Jeep still had battery, and they assumed she would only stop when it turns off by itself. She really was having fun.

“Hmm?”

“Remember how annoying Kibum has been?”

Minho takes a sip from one of Mina’s Capri-sun juices. He looked really attractive while doing so, in Taemin’s head. “About you getting sick in Disney?” Taemin nodded. “What about it?”

Taemin’s silence made him nervous. “What about it?” He repeated, putting the juice down.

“Well, he wasn’t wrong.” Taemin claimed, leaning closer to Minho until their shoulders touched.

Minho really hated when Taemin did this –stalling, he hated it. “What is it?” Minho asked, now worried. He turned his body slightly so he would be facing the man in question. Taemin just stared at him, not saying anything, as if with those brown eyes Minho’s supposed to just know.

Then the memory of a Kibum saying a simple phrase as a joke played itself in his mind. Then it clicked. “No,” Minho gasped, eyes doubling in size.

Taemin was smiling now, even though apprehensively, as he asked ‘what?’ not being sure if it really clicked in Minho’s head.

He gasped again. “You’re pregnant—no way!” It did not worry Taemin that Minho just wouldn’t believe him, his incredulity made him laugh. He feels silly for deciding to keep it a secret throughout the day – he just worried for some reason and tried to hide it behind the excuse of not wanting to make Mina’s birthday about this.

It was silly.

“Huh?” Mina called, stopping her Jeep, thinking that her parents were talking to her. Max next to her sat with his tongue out but once she stopped, his ears perked up.

“No baby, keep playing.” Minho assured her, and it worked like a control remote because both her and Max went back to going around their backyard in the Jeep.

Minho looked back to Taemin, putting his arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer. “How the heck did he know?”

Taemin shrugged. “That’s beyond me.”

“Well,” Minho said after a few minutes of silence. He looked at his daughter, who was now running around with Max following behind her, playing animatedly. She had asked for a puppy, and at first, they weren’t sure about it but since she was alone, they thought it would be a good idea. “I guess getting Mina a puppy for her third birthday wasn’t a good idea.”

Taemin could only laugh at that.

It’s been a few weeks and, not to say that getting Max was a bad idea, but it was definitely a new change to their home dynamics. It was a new mouth to feed, a new personality to discover, a new being that needed to be cleaned after. It was what it was expected from a dog, Taemin isn’t surprised. Minho isn’t either.

But boy, it was something to get used to when the puppy just wants to play and riles up Mina with him, and the only thing Taemin can think about is how not to throw up.

Not long after Mina’s birthday, Taemin went to the doctor to get checked and confirm their suspicion