7.

months had passed and the baby bump was obvious by now. the girls rarely worried about the press, but they did not want anything to be revealed just yet. fans had started to wonder but no conclusion could be made since moonbyul was spending more and more days in the apartment, in a state of boredom she never thought could even exist. 

so the news that wheein and hyejin were planning a small party for the four of them in the maknae’s place was a blessing to her ears. yongsun was worried as usual. she did not want byulyi to get too tired. she particularly did not want any intrusive person with a camera or a phone patiently waiting for any sight of them to get their golden opportunity.

“it’ll be fine, yong. hyejin doesn’t live too far away. the drive to the clinic takes longer.” 

her wife was persuaded in the end but her anxiety was still discernible as the car departed. the pair was in the back, manager unnie being one of the few they trusted not only with their secret but with driving them to appointments or friendly gatherings. 

byul noticed. her wife’s shoulders were tense and her jaw was clenched. her eyes would glare at the tinted windows suspiciously every five seconds to check for cameras or people. nobody was out there, and even if they were, there was no traffic on a sunday morning. the car hadn’t stopped once, all the traffic lights favoring them with green. still, yongsun worried. 

the blonde put a gentle hand on yong’s left shoulder and massaged it softly. after some minutes, yongsun sighed in relaxation, allowing her body to fall back into her seat. 

“you worry too much.” 

“you don’t worry at all.” 

“i do.” byul’s hand abandoned a shoulder, an action that was met with a whine, and took yong’s hand into hers. she kissed the knuckles so tenderly that yongsun felt like melting. the fact that after so many years her wife still had that effect on her made her feel like the luckiest person in the universe. “we just have to know when to worry and when not to worry. it’s hyeji’s place, nothing bad will happen.” 

it was reassuring enough, byulyi’s soft voice managing to calm her nerves down a bit. by the time yong smiled and nodded, they were already in their destination. 

it wasn’t common for them to visit hyejin’s place. it’d been months without them doing so but they found that not much had changed. the apartment was small, much smaller than their own, but it was because of that same reason that it felt cozy and welcoming. 

the living room was decorated with balloons, streamers, and confetti on the floor. yong knew it’d be quite hard to clean it all up, but knowing hyejin she wouldn’t even try to do it until a few weeks later. 

a huge banner miserably clung to the wall behind the tv. it was starting to come off and judging by how low it was, they knew wheein had tried her best. a blue one was on top, reading as it’s a boy! 

then a piece of blank paper with a big OR scribbled on it with a black marker. 

and right underneath, another banner, this time pink, that said it’s a girl! 

there was another one, a post-it note right after it with what appeared to be hyejin’s writing. 

or whatever they choose. 

“you’re here early.” wheein exclaimed from the kitchen as she tried to balance four bowls and three glasses on her hands. byulyi ran to her aid and took the dishes away. 

“someone couldn’t wait to leave the apartment.” yong said in an accusing manner. the dishes were placed on hyejin’s living room table and the three of them took a seat on the couch. the tv was on, a rerun of running man on with almost no volume at all. 

“you’d be the same if you had to be in there for months.” 

wheein raised an eyebrow at the statement. she’d decided that byulyi’s argument was convincing enough to choose her as the winner of their current bickering. the leader knew her members well enough to understand the silent action and just rolled her eyes in defeat. 

“where’s hyejin?” she decided to ask in the end to change the topic of conversation at hand. 

“in her room with the presents.” 

“what presents?” 

hyejin appeared almost on cue, still in her pajamas, carrying three big yellow bags that almost covered her entire form. one was hanging from her back, the other one was being dragged behind her, and the last one was almost falling from her precarious grip as she tried to hug it tighter. 

wheein and moonbyul laughed while yongsun jumped from her place and went to assist the maknae. the bags were brought to the center, completely blocking the television from view. the three immediately opened as they were thrown to the floor by an exhausted hyejin.

“what’s all of this?” asked byulyi excitedly. she moved to the floor and started taking out stuff. toys, diapers, blank