A

Appreciation

"I really really love you."

Mina laughs, if a bit tiredly, hand reaching out to Momo's hair. "That's the tenth time you say that in the span of an hour."

"But how could I not?" Momo says with a smile, her eyes glistening with tears. "You're amazing. So very amazing. I love you, Mina."

Mina giggles again when Momo kisses her forehead. She could feel how much love Momo is showering to her through her gaze alone and she feels warm inside out. Sighing slowly, Mina adjusts her position, trying to prop herself up on the pillows as Momo assists by setting her bed.

"Can I see her?"

"Of course. Hang on."

The older woman scrambles away before returning shortly, a small bundle of blanket tucked in her arms. Momo can't help her giddy grin as she hands over the bundle to Mina, reveling in the way the younger woman smiles lovingly to the flushed face of a baby. Her baby, theirs.

"She's so beautiful."

"Like her mother." Momo answers so fast it makes Mina laugh.

"You've been saying that since before we're married." She chuckles when her wife flushes a few shades redder. Turning her attention to her sleeping baby, Mina feels tears pricking at the corner of her eyes, though she manages not to let it drop and resorts to whispering instead.

"We have a family."

"We make a family," Momo adds softly, "Thanks to you, Minari. I love you."

.

.

.

B

Boo

Hirai Hitomi is one curious girl, and Mina knows that Boo hates Hitomi with his whole heart. Ever since Hitomi is able to move around on her own, she's been obsessed with their family dog to the point that Boo is tired of her antics. Boo is usually a cheerful and friendly dog, but even the friendliest and most patient dog ought to get angry one day when there's someone pulling your fur every day.

Mina's been trying hard to teach Hitomi not to mistreat Boo. Momo had given up since long. While the one-year-old might not be as harsh as she was before, Hitomi still likes to pull Boo's fur so she can cuddle the dog. They've bought Hitomi a dog plushie before, but the girl will only cry until she is given the permission to touch Boo.

"Tomi, no," Mina calls as Hitomi pulls Boo's tail. She picks up her wailing daughter just after Boo's annoyed bark resounds. Sighing, Mina puts her daughter on her lap and pats the sofa, signaling the dog to follow her. "Don't hurt Boo, okay? No pull. Pet."

"Pew?"

Mina nods, guiding Hitomi's small hand to the dog's head. At first, Boo whimpers in fear, but Mina keeps Hitomi's hand in a tight grip so the child won't suddenly pull the dog again. It takes a few long minutes until Hitomi finally finds a comfortable pace. She giggles when Boo seems to enjoy the gentle petting as well.

"See? Pet. No pull."

"Pew!" Hitomi laughs. "Pew! Boo!"

Needless to say, Momo arrives home from work that afternoon to find Hitomi cuddling Boo on the couch, a proud Mina watching from the side.

.

.

.

C

Cake

"Tou-chan!"

Sounds of small feet padding across the kitchen sends a smile to Momo's face, followed by a small body hugging her leg that makes her turn. Hitomi, now a healthy, cheerful two-years old, dangle to her leg while grinning widely at her. Momo reaches down to Hitomi's hair before she returns to her own activity.

"Tou-chan!" Hitomi calls again. "Tou-chan!"

"Sssh," Momo giggles, "Tou-chan is working."

"Oooo..."

Hearing her Tou-chan's words, Hitomi leaves into the living room, searching for her four-legged brother. The child waddles back to her Tou-chan when she can't find Boo anywhere. Boo has his grooming schedule today and Mina is delivering him to the vet for some other regular checkup. Exactly the reason why Momo called a day off to prepare a special gift to her wife.

"Today is Kaa-chan's birthday." Momo explains when Hitomi grapples to her leg again. "Tou-chan is making Kaa-chan a cake!"

"Oooo cake!" Hitomi giggles. "Cake! Sweet! Tomi want cake!"

"Later, okay? Tou-chan is not done yet."

"Tomi want help!" Stubbornly, the girl follows Momo around. "Tomi want help... Tou-chan! Make cake!"

Momo laughs at her daughter's request and picks her up, putting the little kid on the kitchen counter. "And what would Tomi do, hm?"

Hitomi claps her hands. "Tomi will sing for Tou-chan! Tou-chan, strong!"

"Thank you, baby girl." Reaching for some utensils on the shelf above Hitomi, Momo chances a kiss, chuckling when her child claps even joyously. "Alright, so Tou-chan will cook and Tomi sing for Tou-chan, ne? We'll make Kaa-chan happy with the cake!"

"Ay les gooooo!!"

.

.

.

D

Dress

Mina hasn't come out of their shared bedroom for exactly thirty minutes and fourteen seconds. Momo glances to her watch with worry, then to her closed bedroom door, then to the small figure of their neighbor Chaeyoung who is watching her with her head tilted. From the kitchen, could be heard the sounds of Hitomi playing with Chaeyoung's only daughter, Chaeyeon, both girls talking loudly to Dahyun who is trying to cook some dinner for them.

"I say you kick the door open, sweep your wife into your arms and get the hell outta here." Chaeyoung shrugs. "Or you're going to run out of time and as much as Junmyeon-oppa said this is only a celebratory party, he's going to be livid if you're late. That man's quite the perfectionist."

"I know, I know. He told me that multiple times."

At that, Chaeyoung snickers. "You're his most trusted subordinate, after all. Why not go alone, though?"

"Junmyeon-oppa said I should take Mina. He's bringing his husband too."

"I see." The younger woman shrugs for the second time that night, nudging Momo to her bedroom. "You know, I think you should check on her. Just in case she's passed out or something."

Nodding, Momo leaves Chaeyoung to tend for her own family plus one adoptive child for the night. She carefully opens her bedroom door, peeking, finding Mina standing almost statuesquely in front of the mirror. From the back, she looks beautiful. Long black hair tucked over one shoulder, exposing her smooth back in the wrap of a backless black satin dress. Mina looks simple, but that's exactly how they both like to dress up and for Momo, Mina is already beyond stunning.

"Is everything okay, Mitang?" Momo asks, subconsciously reaching for the cuff on her tux. Junmyeon will definitely make a snide remark about a woman wearing a tux, but Momo's used to his weird humour and knows well that he means her no harm.

Mina turns hearing Momo's voice. She nibbles on her lower lip, beautiful bright red contrasting her pale skin, as Momo regards her attention once more and is absolutely floored by her wife's visual.

"I just, I don't know." Mina admits with an almost inaudible mumble. "The dress looks a bit too tight, isn't it?"

"Hm? Well it is supposed to be tight," says Momo, wrapping her arms around Mina's waist. She knits her eyebrows together when Mina doesn't lean into her. "Something's wrong with it?"

Mina bites her lips again, and Momo kisses the back of her ear. "You know you can confide on me about anything, right, Mitang?"

Mina nods. "Yeah I'm... just... Momoring, do you... do you think I'm fat?"

A pause, before it all dawns on Momo.

Oh¸ ohhhhh. Momo had heard about this before. A lot of people in the neighborhood told stories about their wife getting insecure after giving birth. Joy had it the worst, from what Momo remembers; Yeri kicked Joy out of the house after Yena's birth. Mina didn't go through any of it after Hitomi's birth, so for Mina to develop this syndrome three years after is a bit confusing. Thankfully, Momo knows just the right strategy to resolve this.

Clearing , Momo hugs Mina tighter, kissing up the line of her neck. "No matter how you look like, I still love you to the moon and back, Mitang."

Mina narrows her eyes. "So you're saying I'm fat."

"No, no," Momo chuckles, "Your body is beautiful. Much so because this body had carried and brought our beautiful baby to us. That's why you're the most beautiful to me no matter what, Mitang."

"What? Hitomi has nothing to do with this."

And just that, Momo's confidence disintegrates into the abyss.

Mina doesn't seem to notice her wife's panicked look though, because she instead leans into Momo and gives herself another look in the mirror. "Hmmm I guess I've been eating too much carbo nowadays. You know that Jihyo had just returned from her maternity leave, right? Everyone in the office sends her food every day but she can't eat it all, so she dumped it to me. I mean I love her, but I'm her secretary not her scavenger or something. I need to tell her to stop giving me food."

Sighing again, Mina unwraps Momo's arms from around her and smooths her dress once, before turning to Momo who is still staring at her dumbly.

"Momoring, you okay?"

Momo blinks, gasping when she realizes that Mina is frowning at her.

"N-no, it's nothing. I'm sorry. Let's just... go? Junmyeon-oppa must be waiting for us."

Mina nods, then, linking her arm to Momo's own.

"Come on. I can always hit the gym later."

.

.

.

E

Elephant

"Waaahh Kaa-chan what is that?"

"It's a giraffe, Tomi."

The first day of Hitomi's elementary school is approaching rapidly, and so Momo decided to take her little family to a zoo trip to alleviate her daughter's nerves. It seems like a very good idea because Hitomi is buzzing with excitement, her smile rivaling the sun from her seat on top of Momo's shoulder. Even if Hitomi's almost seven, she inherits her mother's slight stature, and so it's quite easy for Momo to carry her around without feeling sore.

Meanwhile, Mina takes over the task of bringing their bags and explaining everything Hitomi asks to them. Hitomi is so excited to be able to see any kinds of animals around, pointing here and there to each animal she sees.

It's already noon when Momo finally feels the strain on her back, requesting the three of them to take a breather under a gazebo near the elephant exhibit. While Momo rests, Hitomi prances around the exhibit, looking in awe at the giant beasts roaming inside the grassy field. One of the elephants trumpets to the audience and Hitomi cheers.

"Kaa-chan, can we ride the elephant?" Hitomi asks excitedly to her Kaa-chan who is preparing their lunch.

Mina shares a look with Momo, who shakes her head and rises up from her supine position on the bench.

"Nope, we can not, Tomi," says Momo, pulling Hitomi into her lap.

"But why? Everyone rides them." Hitomi pouts.

"Because it hurts the elephants." Momo reasons as she cards her fingers through Hitomi's dark hair. Her daughter's slight eyes go wide at her words, and so she continues speaking not to make Hitomi even more confused. "The others probably don't know, but riding elephants can hurt them, especially if a lot of people do it. That's why we shouldn't hurt them further by riding them. Do you understand?"

The little girl pauses a bit before she nods. "Is it like how Tou-chan's back crack every time Tou-chan piggy-back me for a long time?"

Mina chokes a laugh and Momo shoots a glare to her wife before she scratches her head. "Kinda like so."

"Okay, then." Hitomi slumps a bit in disappointment, but the two grown women could see the exact time a light bulb appears in her head. "But we can give them food right, Kaa-chan? Tou-chan? It won't hurt them, right? Can we go now?"

Chuckling, Mina accepts her daughter's outstretched hand, silently signaling Momo to finish setting up their table. "Sure we can, baby."

.

.

.

F

Fight

Hitomi isn't usually one to be involved in trouble, so imagine Mina's surprise when her daughter comes home covered in bruises, stomping. She almost throws her whole cooking utensils away at the sight of her angry daughter. The clattering sounds must have alerted Momo because she sees her wife exiting her workspace in haste.

"Tomi? What happened with you?" Asks Mina as she kneels in front of Hitomi. Her hands carefully the girl's unruly hair and cleans some dirt on Hitomi's face.

"I fought." Hitomi pouts.

Momo arrives with their emergency med box. She lets Mina nurse the bruises and cuts on their daughter's skin, opting to caress Hitomi's hair instead. "With who?"

"Kkura."

"Kkura as in Shon Sakura? Why?"

Hitomi hisses when Mina applies antiseptic to her wound. "She almost does something stupid."

"Tomi," Momo almost couldn't stop her snicker, "you always complain about Sakura doing something stupid every day. What happened today that made you both fight?"

"She..." Hitomi pouts even harder, her little fists clenching. "I told her I want an apple, then she said she's gonna get some for me from the garden near the school. But we don't know who does that tree belong to. It's stealing. I don't want her to steal so I told her no, but she got angry and we fight."

Momo coughs in a poor attempt to hide her laughter. Ever since Hitomi befriended Sakura in preschool, Momo knows that their neighbor's daughter is such a sweet girl. Her intention is always fully innocent. But she's also known as the local problem child because her methods could be questionable sometimes. The latest news Momo heard about Sakura must be the one when she fell into the river trying to pick flowers for Eunbi; their other neighbor's kid.

"So you fought her because you don't want her to steal apples."

"Yes! Stealing is wrong!" Hitomi puffs her chest.

Momo hums, noticing that Mina is done patching Hitomi up. "Who won?"

The little girl smiles so wide it's almost blinding her parents. "Me! And Kkura promised she'll never steal anymore!"

Momo chuckles. "That's my girl."

.

.

.

G

Game

If there's one particular thing Hitomi inherits from her mother, Momo firmly believes that it's her fondness of games. Hitomi had been fascinated with Mina's game since the first time she saw her mother picking up her console. She used to be content with watching Mina playing, but she changed her mind at her fourth birthday, saying that she wants to play alongside Mina.

So they allocate two hours on Sundays for Mina and Hitomi to play their game together. Aside from limiting the kid's time of staring into the TV screen, preventing her from playing throughout schooldays, Mina also can only play on weekends due to her busy schedule. Momo isn't as fond of games as her wife and child are, so she usually just lounges around watching them play while either reading a book or finishing her own projects.

As usual, this Sunday Mina and Hitomi are engaged in a fierce race of Mario Kart. Despite still being a seven years old, Hitomi already mastered the console thanks to Mina's teaching. Behind them, Momo is reclined on the couch, typing things into her laptop as she often peeks at the game. She's done with her reports half an hour later and decides to make some hot chocolates for Mina and Hitomi.

"You girls having fun?" Momo asks after putting the two mugs on the table.

"Yes, Tou-chan!" Hitomi answers with a giggle. "Kaa-chan is so great at the game!"

"Tomi-chan is also great at playing this game." Mina compliments back, smiling when her daughter blushes pridefully at her words.

"That's nice to hear."

Casting her gaze to the digital clock on the wall, Momo hums then taps both Mina's and Hitomi's shoulder once. "Your time is up, loves, finish this round and turn off the game, ne?"

Hitomi, ever the obedient child, nods despite not taking her eyes off the screen. Momo goes back to her spot at the couch, stretching her body once and snugly rests against the plush surface. She's contemplating whether to get some shut-eye or not when a small body sprawls over her chest.

"Oh, you're finished." Momo smiles to her grinning daughter. Raising her hand to Hitomi's hair, Momo notices that Mina is looking at her expectantly from behind the steam of her hot chocolate.

Momo chuckles. "What is it, Mitang?"

The one answering Momo isn't Mina, but Hitomi. "Tou-chan, let's cuddle! Nap! It's raining outside!"

Now that Momo pays attention, there sure are sounds of water droplets hitting their windows. With a hearty laugh, Momo picks up Hitomi and carries her screaming-laughing daughter into their bedroom, Mina following close behind. Hitomi's laughter hasn't ceased when Momo tackles her to the bed, growing even louder when Mina drops upon Momo who can only let out a surprised groan.

"Kaa-chan," Hitomi calls as she wiggles her arms to Mina.

Mina rolls away from Momo, still giggling, and takes Hitomi into her embrace. Momo settles on Hitomi's other side, her longer arms drape over Hitomi to Mina's back, pulling the two of them closer.

"Oh, this feels better than playing games." Mina breathes out, tucking her head comfortably on the pillows. "Don't you think so, Tomi-chan?"

"Kaa-chan and Tou-chan are the best!" Hitomi cheers before she yawns. "Tomi sleepy..."

Exhaling fondly, Mina kisses the top of Hitomi's head. "Me too. Go to sleep, baby."

Hitomi yawns again once and closes her eyes. Soon enough, Mina and Momo could hear her light snore as she drifts off to sleep. Momo chuckles to Mina's ears after she's sure that Hitomi's knocked out cold.

"I haven't gotten my chance to play any game yet."

A pinch to her arm is enough to make Momo yelp, but the naughty twinkle in Mina's eyes gives way for a smile to bloom on her lips.

"Tonight, if Tomi's sleeping in her own room."

"Ooh... I couldn't wait, anata."

.

.

.

H

Hydrangea

Hitomi developed a hobby of gardening after one assignment of making a profile of a flower. Mina and Momo aren't exactly well-versed with flowers, so they let Hitomi worked on her assignment with Sakura; Jihyo's a big fan of flowers, after all. Some interesting conversations most have happened at that time because aside from bringing home a perfectly preserved white lily, Hitomi also brought back a pot of blue hydrangea.

"I want to nourish it," said the girl back then, surprising Momo at how she knows a "big" word at her young age. "And then I'm going to make a bouquet for someone."

"Is Tomi having a crush?"

And Momo is having anxiety.

But Hitomi only frowns at her Tou-chan and hugs her flowerpot tight. "What's a crush?"

"Oh thank God." Momo exhales in relief. "It's nothing, really. Anyway, beautiful flower, Tomi. Who do you want to give it to?"

Hitomi sticks her tongue out. "Secreet! Tou-chan can't know!"

Again, Momo is left speechless by her daughter's antic.

Hitomi doesn't talk about the flower she's taking care of for the next few weeks. Momo doesn't inquire about it either. Mina would ask sometimes but Hitomi is being secretive, so the woman only told her daughter to take care of it well and to tell her parents if something happens to her flowers. Thankfully the flowers seem to be growing good because Hitomi never protest or ask anything for her hydrangeas.

Until one day, Mina wakes up from her sleep to find a bouquet of blue hydrangeas, plus a single stem of rose standing beautifully on the nightstand. Slipped under the woven rattan vase is a pink envelope with a cute penguin sticker sealing it. Mina can't help the smile creeping up her lips as she picks the envelope and regards the beautiful bouquet. Her hand unconsciously touches her chest, where she feels a sudden surge of warmth and fluttering inside.

"Momoring, hey." Still with her loving smile, Mina climbs up Momo's body, shifting just enough to wake her wife with the burden of her weight above her. Mina chuckles when Momo groan in discomfort and pecks her lips, before slowly whispering to the older woman's ear.

"Happy anniversary, love. You should wake up and see what gift our wonderful daughter gives to us."

.

.

.

I

Intermezzo

"Kaa-chan! Tou-chan!"

The numerous knocks on the door make Momo groan, reluctantly moving away from Mina's body below her. Mina chuckles at her wife's grumble as she pulls the blanket to cover her bare torso. Momo throws a random shirt over her head and unlocks the door, immediately catching Hitomi who runs into her arms.

"Tou-chan, I have a nightmare," says the girl as she nuzzles her face to Momo's stomach.

Momo hums softly to calm Hitomi and pulls her to the bed, letting the kid settle into her lap. "What nightmare, Tomi?"

"I dreamt of Minju's yoda doll, the scary one," Hitomi shudders, "it became big and chased me and Minju."

"Really?" Mina suddenly snuggles behind Momo, resting her chin on her wife's shoulder. She could feel Momo stiffen at the feel of their bodies pressing together and she smirks as she circles Momo's waist using her arms. "Then what happened?"

Hitomi, who was pouting, beams and hugs Momo's neck. Her eyes are focused fully on Mina as she retells her nightmare. "But then Tou-chan and auntie Tzuyu came and fight it, Kaa-chan! With shiny swords! That was cool!"

Suddenly it's not a nightmare anymore.

Momo forces a strained laugh because there are nimble fingers slipping under her shirt. She slightly glares at Mina who raises her other hand to caress Hitomi's hair. Such a great actress, acting as if she isn't raking her nails across Momo's abs right now.

"Kaa-chan don't think that's a nightmare, Tomi," says Mina, giggling. "It sounds more like an epic adventure to Kaa-chan."

Hitomi slightly frowns hearing that but then she nods. "Kaa-chan is right! It's not a nightmare because auntie Tzuyu helped us! Oh, oh Tou-chan also looked so cool in my dream! It's not a nightmare at all!"

With that said, Hitomi jumps off Momo's lap, grinning widely at her parents and salutes. "Tomi will go back to sleep, Kaa-chan, Tou-chan! Goodnight!"

The child runs away after she slams the door closed. Momo sighs deeply, before she jolts again at the sensation of Mina peppering butterfly kisses over her neck. Soft hand her tense abs down to the waistband of her jogger pants. Mina giggles when Momo whimpers and kisses the junction of her jaw.

"So," Mina mewls, "do you wanna continue?"

There's a strangled growl clawing up Momo's chest. In a split second, she flips, pushing Mina to the bed and slides down the blanket until it shows Mina's flawless shoulders. Momo her lips at the sight of her wife's inviting collarbone.

"Naughty girl."

Smirks.

"Seducing me like that in front of Tomi? I'm really going to punish you—"

"KAA-CHAN! TOU-CHAN!"

Momo's words die in while Mina laughs uncontrollably.

"—yep. Not tonight."

"Go and see your daughter." Still laughing, Mina pushes Momo off her, who sadly sags and climbs down the bed with her shoulders slumped. Momo looks near identical to how Boo looks like if he doesn't get his food, making Mina laugh louder at the sight of her dejected wife. With a soft smile, Mina leans into Momo and pecks her lips once.

"I'll make it up to you later. Or tomorrow. Maybe next week. Just go and see Tomi before she starts crying. I'll come once I get dressed."

Momo sighs, knowing well that she won't be able to ignore her beloved kid.

"Yes, dear."

.

.

.

J

Jubilee

There's a tradition in their housing residence whenever it's the independence day. There will be games held on the wide field near the elementary school for parents and kids who live in the complex. Yesterday, the games for the kids had been held, so today is the day the parents show their will and wit to win games.

"Tou-chan fightiiinggg!!!"

Hitomi cheers with her friends on the side of the field, watching as their daddies get armed up for war. Momo stands at the very edge of the team, strapping her equipment to her body. Mina helps by tightening the straps she can't reach around her back.

"How ya feeling, Mo?" Joy kicks Momo's leg, soft enough not to hurt but hard enough to catch her attention in between the loud cheering.

"Pretty good!" Momo laughs. "You should ask Seulgi instead. She seems scared."

"I'm not!" Seulgi huffs as she puts on her helmet. "Just nervous. I'm a dancer, you know. My body is precious so it's always a bit scary to play games like this."

"Shut up, at least you work out." Wendy snaps while securing her shoelaces. "I literally go to cold surgery rooms every day and talk long hours with pregnant women. I'm as fragile as an egg."

Hearing that, Chaeyoung cheers. "Oh, come on, be a bit more excited, guys! I also sit in front of the computer every day, but we'll be fine! We can win!"

Tzuyu dryly laughs. "Well, considering how unfit we are... I have bad feelings."

"Just do you best, girls," Mina says from the side after she finished dressing Momo up. She picks any unused costumes, leaving behind some bottles of water for them. "I'll be watching with the other girls and the kids. Have fun."

"Have fun, huh." Momo muses out loud.

Wendy sighs as she assumes central position, already used to play captain in these situations due to her age. Seulgi might be a few days older than her, but the bear-dancer prefers to listen to Wendy's strategy than making her own. Wendy clears and starts speaking her idea.

"Okay, we're playing as usual. The goal today is to bring all their flags to our base, one flag at a time. Chae, you're small and fast; be our spearhead. Seulgi you back her up. Me, I got good aim and good vision but my legs are slow as , so I'd rather try to be invisible to make surprise attacks. Joy and Momo play wings, make our enemy scatter. Tzuyu, long arms, long legs; defend our base. I'll come to support if you need me. Any other suggestions or question?"

Once her team members shake her head, Wendy nods, then raises her water pistol high followed by the others.

"Let's go Revice Residence Block F! To freedom!"

"TO FREEDOOMM!!!"

"LET'S GOO!!"

And from then on, it's all chaos.

"Aah, unnie I got shot!"

"Where the hell is Seulgi-unnie!"

"JOY YOU SHOT THE WRONG TEAM IDIOT!"

"Defender need support! Support! I SAY SUPPORT SQUIRREL ING HELP ME HERE!"

"Guys, I'm going in!"

"In where?! Momo? Holy where is she!"

"I got the second flag!"

"Okay great job! One more flag and we're going to win! Fight on guys, FIGHT OOOONNNN!!!!"

The game lasts until nearly sunset. Their team won against lots of other blocks' team, but they got defeated at semifinal, although they come out at third place after being matched against Block B for the bronze medal. When the game ends, all the players are exhausted, soaked and covered with colorful paint blotches.

Mina has to stop Hitomi from jumping to Momo's arms because there's no way in hell she will bathe Hitomi this late if she gets paint to her body. She might get sick.

"Hehehe." Momo grins at her approaching family­. "We lost."

"No, you've done your best. Congratulations, Momoring." Mina laughs and she pats Momo's damp hair. "Now let's go home before you get yourself a flu. Alright, champion?"

.

.

.

K

Keys

Momo lost her keys. Again. For the fifth time this month.

Mina was furious when Momo lost her keys for the fourth time so she dreads what kind of hell her wife will make her walk through tonight once Mina finds out that she lost her key. That is why Momo is currently going through all stages of depression in her neighbor's house. Across the coffee table sits Tzuyu, staring pitifully at her neighbor who looks like she's ready to face death.

"I really don't think I can help you this time, unnie," Tzuyu says, arms open to welcome Minju who saunters close to the two adults. "It's not like... we can make a new key in," Tzuyu peeks at the clock, "two hours until Mina-unnie comes home."

"Auntie, don't you need to pick up Tomi?" Minju climbs to Tzuyu's back. Her round, innocent eyes questioning the Japanese adult.

"Not yet, Minmin, Tomi said she'll go to Yena's house to do some homeworks."

"I already finished the homeworks!" The girl grins at Momo, almost throwing Momo off at how she looks like an exact copy of the woman she's hugging right now. "Papa helped me!"

Momo chuckles and nods at Tzuyu. "That's so nice of her."

Minju beams at the praise given to her Papa. "I know! Papa is the best!"

After Minju said that, there's a sudden knock coming from the front door. Minju scrambles away from Tzuyu's back to welcome the newcomer.

"Ohh! Tomi!"

Tomi?

Momo raises her head from its hanging position while Tzuyu raises her eyebrow. A few seconds later, Minju runs back into the living room, Hitomi tailing her still in her school uniform. Hitomi grins when she sees Momo and immediately approaches her Tou-chan.

"Tou-chan! Tomi is looking for Tou-chan!" Hitomi says, before she promptly reaches for an item inside her skirt pocket. "Tou-chan dropped Tou-chan's keys this morning, so Tomi brought it to school."

The other three occupants in the room could see the exact moment Momo's soul returns to her body, along with her joyful scream and the tight hug she gives to her daughter.

Tzuyu just hopes Momo won't be back in her living room soon.

.

.

.

L

Loser

"I've done what I can do."

Wendy admits as soon as she exits Hitomi's bedroom. Mina and Momo are waiting outside the room with worry all over their feature, while Sakura slinks into her best friend's bedroom once her daddy is out. The blonde woman sighs as she runs a hand through her hair.

"From what I can see, she fractured her wrist. I suggest you go straight to an orthopedic tomorrow. I've stabilized the wound for now, but you need the rontgen to see where she got affected the most."

Momo inhales. "Can't you do it, unnie?"

"Mo, I'm an obstetrician."

"Oh, right."

"She'll be fine." Wendy smiles, obviously noticing the tense aura Mina has been emitting since they called her in the middle of the night, screaming about their daughter who fell from the top of the cupboard. How did Hitomi even get there is a question Wendy doesn't dare to ask. "It's not the worst, definitely not as bad as what Sakura had last year. And she's still young so rest assured she'll recover in a month or two at most."

"Thank you, unnie."

Mina exhales, trying her hardest not to freak out in front of her daughter. Hitomi needs her parents to be calm and reassuring in times like this and making her scared by being overly worried will not help the child. When Mina feels like she's okay enough, Sakura is already out of Hitomi's room, clinging to Wendy's waist.

"Hii-chan's a loser," she says with a mocking sneer. "She cried so much because her hand hurt. I didn't cry when I broke my arm last year."

Wendy rolls her eyes. "Of course you didn't. You fainted when you fell into that ravine. It was your mom who cried all night long."

Her daughter only sticks her tongue out. "Hii-chan's still a loser."

"AND YOU'RE AN IDIOT!"

Hitomi's scream from inside the bedroom surprises everyone, not including Sakura.

"I SWEAR ONCE MY HAND DON'T HURT ANYMORE I WILL PUNCH YOU!"

"BRING IT ON!"

"JUST WAIT I'M GONNA BRING EUNBI WITH ME TOO!"

"YOU CAN'T BRING EUNBI THAT'S UNFAI—MPHWHPH!"

"I think we gotta go." Wendy grins apologetically as she covers her eldest's mouth and drags her out of the Hirai's household. "Sorry about Kkura, she gets very loud at night."

Holding her laughter, Momo raises an eyebrow to the flustered doctor. "Kinda like her mommy, right?"

Wendy doesn't answer, only sending Momo a deathglare. She then bows to Mina before hurriedly escaping the house but not without scolding Sakura. After the two disappear into the night, Momo sighs, wrapping an arm over Mina's shoulder.

"Guess our little loser is quite healthy enough if she can scream like that already."

"Agree."

.

.

.

M

Monster

The little Kangs are here today to spend the night. Mina greets them as Eunbi yells her a hello while Hyewon waves at her. The two then run up the stairs to Hitomi's room, already familiar with the house they've visited hundreds of time. Hitomi told Mina that her class has a drawing homework and while everyone knows that the head of the Kang family is the best artist in the neighborhood, Eunbi and Hitomi said they want to try drawing on their own before asking for help.

Hyewon tags along as a moral support.

Mina had made some cookies for them to enjoy beforehand. She includes both freshwater and orange juice for the beverages; they need the extra nutrition to grow healthy. As Mina walks nearer to Hitomi's room, she could hear the three girls talking animatedly behind the wall.

"What's a little monster?" Comes Hitomi's question.

"I don't know. But we heard it a lot." Eunbi answers.

"Sometimes Mum said that to Mama when it's night," says Hyewon.

"Huh?"

Mina could picture Hyewon nodding with that determined face of hers. "Yeaa something like 'I'm your little monster tonight, Seulgi.' And then they go play until morning! So I guess we can play as little monsters at night!"

Mina staggers in her steps. Thankfully, she manages to keep her balance and holds her laughter as she enters the girls's room. They temporarily pause their conversation to thank Mina, Hitomi giving her Kaa-chan a kiss on her cheek. Always an affectionate kid.

But when Mina exits the room, Hitomi just has to continue.

"You know, little monster... Kaa-chan never said that to Tou-chan." Hitomi shakes her head. "But whatever! Kang-chan, we can't play for now! We have a homework to finish."

"Whaattt... but I want to play."

Eunbi shushes her little sister. "Tomi is right, Kwangbae. Let us finish our homework first before we play little monsters."

Hyewon is definitely sulking right now. "I should've gone to Chaeyeon-unnie's house instead. I bet she would love to be my little monster."

Mina literally almost falls down the stairs.

.

.

.

N

Neighbor

On one sunny Sunday, a new family moves in to the house next to the Hirai's. Momo and some other neighbors help them moving in, while their kids linger around their parents to greet the new family. They introduce themselves as Yoo Jeongyeon and Yoo Nayeon. They are really nice aunties, going as far as giving the children self-made cookies, but their only kid Yoo Chaewon is too scared to talk to others. She's running away from everyone by climbing up a freaking tree and doesn't want to go down. Not until everybody's gone.

And now their parents are dispatching the kids to retrieve Chaewon while they get to know each other. Terrific.

Hitomi and Chaeyeon had been trying to coax Chaewon out of her hiding spot only to spook the girl further. Worse because Yena started barking to the brown-haired girl from the ground. Sakura offered to climb the tree and drag Chaewon down but Eunbi hit her head, effectively stopping her.

"Please just go." Chaewon finally says something after Hyewon threw some packets of gummy bears to her curling figure. "I'm not good talking with strangers."

"But we'll only going to be strangers for a long time if you don't want to come down." Hitomi exasperatedly plea. It's been almost half an hour and this new girl is seriously going to tick her off.

Beside Hitomi, Minju waves her yoda doll. "Let's play, Chaewon-ah."

"Don't wanna."

"Let's play together, Chaewon-ah." Minju repeats, still hopeful.

"Chaewon-ah, if you don't wanna go down I'm sending Sakura up there!" Eunbi yells. "She's notorious for falling! You don't want to fall with her and break something!"

"HEY!"

While it's obvious that Eunbi's only bluffing, she makes Chaewon even more scared and curls to the tree bark.

"If you don't go down I'm shaking the tree!" Yena doesn't get the meaning behind Eunbi's words, shouting a serious threat and earns two simultaneous smacks from Eunbi and Chaeyeon.

As the three girls continue to bicker between themselves, Hitomi comes closer to the tree, shaking it lightly. Minju and Hyewon follow her.

"Chaewon-ah, please come down?" She tries to persuade the girl again, using a tone similar to her Kaa-chan's whenever she wants her Tou-chan to do something. "Yena and Eunbi-unnie might be scary but we don't bite."

"Chaewon-ah, let's play with Minju." Chou 'Angel of the Neighborhood' Minju waves her doll again. "We can play dolls. Or we can play house. Chaewon-ah can be the Papa?"

The youngest girl in the group today raises her bag. "Hyewon will share snacks."

Hitomi feels tired having to look up the tree all the time, so she resorts to sitting near Minju's feet. Minju hasn't given up and is now babbling any kind of comforting words. Hyewon soon joins Hitomi in sitting down as Minju starts to offer free hugs and free cakes for Chaewon to come down. But Chaewon still doesn't relent and instead hides her face into her arms.

It takes approximately five minutes until the two eldest snap.

"ALRIGHT THAT'S IT WE'RE GOING UP!"

Was what heard from Sakura and Eunbi before both sprints up the tree. It is then followed by Chaewon's terrified scream and a rustle of the three kids free-falling to the ground.

Hitomi tries not to report everything factual to their parents as they deliver Chaewon back home, her body bruised and adorned with bleeding cuts. Chaeyeon told them that Chaewon fell from the tree and Eunbi and Sakura caught her, thus the wounds. Chaewon, thankfully, says nothing about the lie because she keeps on crying, but she never once tries to let go of the tight hug Minju gives her all the way back to her new house.

.

.

.

O

Oneiric

Hitomi has a habit to keep track of her dreams. She adopted it from her Kaa-chan who also has a special book about the dreams she gets at night. Sometimes the two of them will talk about their dreams together with Momo listening. It's fascinating to hear about her little family's wild imaginations, even though she herself often forgets that imaginative side of her and always forgets her dreams every time she wakes up.

"And then, and then! The dragon showed up and roaaar! He destroyed the castle! But I was safe because I hid behind the tower!"

Hitomi laughs loudly at the story she tells Mina. While Mina herself claps, laughing along with Hitomi and easily catches her daughter who fall into her embrace. "That was an amazing dream, Tomi! Did you manage to defeat the dragon?"

Hitomi nods with her nose flared. Excited. "I did! Kkura slashed the dragon with her sword, but she almost got burned! Yena saved her by making an ice barrier! And then, Eunbi trapped the dragon with her vines and I cast a spell! Whooosh the dragon then disappeared into the light! Isn't that great, Kaa-chan?"

When Mina nods at her, Hitomi beams, before she turns to her Tou-chan who is watching the two with amusement.

"Tou-chan, what about Tou-chan?"

Momo blinks. "Me?"

"Yeah!" Hitomi jumps onto Momo's lap, bronze eyes boring into Momo's own pitch black. "Don't Tou-chan ever dream?"

"Hm? What makes you think so?"

"It's because Tou-chan never tell Tou-chan's dream." The girl pouts. "That means Tou-chan never dream."

"No, it's not that, Princess." Momo laughs. She raises a hand to caress Hitomi's cheek. "It's because my dream has always been simple. I dream for a beautiful future. I dream for eternal happiness for all of us. That's all I ever dream and I ever hope."

Hitomi makes a face. "That's cheesy!"

"I told you it's simple."

Her daughter continues to pout so Momo hugs her, connecting their forehead together.

"Tomi, my dreams might be simple. But all I ever dreamt, is also all I ever want and will work on achieving. For you, and your Kaa-chan, until my very last breath. Because I love the two of you, Hirai Hitomi, Hirai Mina."

.

.

.

P

Picture

It's Sunday, and it means it's house cleaning day before their scheduled game time. Mina volunteered to clean the kitchen and the back area while Momo sticks to the front area plus the yard. Hitomi decided to clean their bedrooms with her new broom Mina bought a few days ago.

The kid takes only about half an hour to sweep the floor of the master bedroom before she comes running to her Kaa-chan, bringing a thick picture book under her armpit.

"Kaa-chan, Kaa-chan!"

Mina, who was standing on a chair to reach the upper shelves, looks down to Hitomi. "What is it, baby?"

"I haven't seen this book!" Hitomi reports as she shows Mina the book she found. The cover is pink, with roses and doves adorning the hardcover. "Can we see it later, Kaa-chan?"

"Of course, baby."

After they all finished their tasks and each take turns to bathe, Hitomi already waits for her parents on their shared bed. Mina giggles and settles beside Hitomi who excitedly opens the book. Momo has no clue at all about this sudden activity so she decides to just bring some snacks for her little family.

"Wait a minute." Momo furrows her brows when she enters the bedroom. "Isn't that one our marriage picture books?"

"Oh? Kaa-chan and Tou-chan's marriage?"

"Yeah, we have a few. We've seen the other, right, Tomi, Mitang?" Momo admits as she takes the space on Hitomi's other side. "I thought this one is gone. Where did you find it, Tomi?"

Hitomi beams at her Tou-chan. "In the shelf! But it's behind some of Kaa-chan's work."

"Ah, so that's where it went."

Together, they go through the multiple photos displayed inside the book. While most of the pictures aren't that much different from their other marriage photo books, the two married ladies can't stop the nostalgia from rushing in. From the first photo of Momo standing nervously on the altar, Mina walking down the aisle looking so angelic, until the when they exchanged vows and the celebration after. There are also some trivial photos like Hana crying while showing her thumb up, Momo's old friend Jisoo trying to smuggle croissants plus her own fiancee glaring from behind her, and some other things they hold dear in their memories.

"Tou-chan and Kaa-chan's wedding was so pretty," Hitomi sighs dreamily, "I wish I was there."

Momo bursts out laughing at that. "Oh, no, baby, you should not want to be in our wedding."

"But why? It's so pretty." The little girl pouts. "Kaa-chan would dress me up, right? We'll be pretty together."

"You're going to get your own wedding one day, Tomi," says Mina, kissing the top of Hitomi's head. "And you're also going to wear the prettiest wedding dress ever made. So don't worry about missing ours, because we definitely won't miss yours."

Hitomi grins, hugging Mina and Momo tightly. "Okay, then! I couldn't wait!"

.

.

.

Q

Queen

It's that nickname again.

"Thank you for the meal, my Queen."

Hitomi watches as her Tou-chan kisses her Kaa-chan, the older woman's long arms winding around the younger's slender waist. They had just finished having dinner made by her Kaa-chan, as usual, and her Tou-chan repeats that same call as she praises Kaa-chan for her cooking.

Hitomi wonders why is that.

"Tou-chan?"

"Yes dear?" Her Tou-chan turns, kneeling down in front of her to be able to look into her eyes. "What is it, Tomi?"

"Why do you call Kaa-chan 'queen'?" Asks Hitomi as she snuggles into her Tou-chan's embrace.

Her Tou-chan chuckles. "It's because Tou-chan loves Kaa-chan. Tou-chan will do anything for Kaa-chan, and for Tomi, too!"

"But why don't Tou-chan call Tomi 'queen'? Don't Tou-chan love Tomi?"

"Of course I do!" Her Tou-chan laughs again, this time with an accompanying kiss to her cheek. "But there are different kinds of love, okay? And Tomi is already Tou-chan's princess, no?"

Hitomi tilts her head, utterly confused. "But why make it different?"

"Oh, you'll understand it later, love." Her Kaa-chan picks her up from her Tou-chan's embrace and walks her around. "Give it some time, okay?"

And that's exactly why Hitomi is here today, facing Nako, Sakura's little sister who is three years younger than her. Hitomi was planning to meet Sakura but Nako said that her sister went over to Minju's house to deliver cakes made by their Mommy.

"Kkurunnie will go to Tominnie's house too," says Nako cutely, "Tominnie should've wait."

Hitomi pouts. "I don't wanna wait. I'll just ask you then."

"Eung?"

"Nako-chan, would you rather call me 'queen' or 'princess'?"

Nako blinks. "Why?"

"Just choose."

"Oh, ok! Then Nako will call Tominnie 'queen'!" Nako happily exclaims. "Queens have big castles and are rich!"

Hitomi raises her eyebrows. "Big castles?"

"Yeah!" The younger girl beams as she makes exaggerated gestures with her arms. "Big, big castles! One day Tominnie will get even bigger castles!"

"But I'm nobody's queen." Hitomi sags. "I won't get any castle."

"Oh, then Tominnie can be Nako's queen and Nako will build big castles for us!"

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Shon Nako was 5 when she made the clueless promise. Hirai Hitomi was 8 when she engraved that innocent promise into her heart. Whether Nako regrets it later or not remains a mystery.

.

.

.

R

Ramen

"But whyyy???"

Mina walks into the kitchen with Hitomi hot on her tail, the child wailing—almost crying—as she keeps on pulling Mina's pants.

"Whyy? Kaa-chan? Ramen tastes so good! Why can't I eat more than once a month?"

Pulling Mina's legs again. After putting her dirty dishes in the sink, Mina kneels, leveling herself with Hitomi's line of sight. She grabs Hitomi's hands and looks straight into her daughter's annoyed eyes.

"Because it isn't good for your health, Tomi." Mina sighs. "Do you know that Kaa-chan and Tou-chan once got admitted to the hospital because of eating ramen?"

Hitomi's gaze turns from annoyed, surprised, then confused as Mina nods convincingly.

"Really? How so?!"

"Well, Kaa-chan remembers because it was a memorable day. It was Tou-chan's and Kaa-chan's first date and we—"

.

Tokyo, around eleven years ago

"Momoring, it's okay."

The snow lightly falls today, upon the earth, upon Japan, upon the two figures walking under the moonlight. Momo hides her face in her palms, sobbing as Mina rubs her back soothingly. Mina's heart aches when she sees her best friend for years, who just recently turned into her girlfriend, crying because of something she can't possibly prevent.

"Momoring, it's not your fault." Mina hugs Momo tighter, feeling the older girl's body shaking inside her embrace. "We can always go another time, okay? Let's go back to nurse your wounds and we can report to the police station tomorrow."

Tonight is supposed to be their first date. Unfortunately, when Mina arrived at their promised place that night, Momo is nowhere to be seen. She was annoyed—of course, Momo was the one who proposed this place to her. But Mina had known Momo for more than five years, and for her to be terribly late for something so important had never happened before. Momo has always been punctual, so Mina gave her the benefit of doubt and wait.

Only for Momo to arrive about half an hour later, looking bad—no, she looked terrible. The girl is obviously crying, with a big, fresh bruise on her left cheek and oh holy god Momo is bleeding. Momo is bleeding. There's a deep cut across her temple that is dripping thick red liquid into her furry jacket collar.

"M-Mina."

"Momoring! Oh my God, Momoring! What happened with you?!"

Turned out, Momo got robbed on her way to Mina. Not only that, when she tried to fight the robber she got a faceful of alcohol bottle that shattered when it hit her head. She admitted that she lost her vision for a while after that, forcing her to stay in her place, unable to find the one who robbed her.

Momo keeps on sobbing. Hurt, pride scarred and brokenhearted, feeling guilty that she made Mina wait so long under the falling snow. But Mina only shakes her head then drag her back to her apartment, determined to take care of her despondent girlfriend. Date be damned, Momo could have died and the last thing Mina wants is to lose the person she loves with her whole heart.

"Do you want something to eat, Momoring?" Mina asks softly to the shaking figure beside her. She had nursed Momo's cuts and bruises that's she's looking so much better now, but the older girl must be shaken so much that she's only able to whisper a broken, "Yes."

Nodding, Mina goes into the kitchen, leaving Momo alone. The apartment seems kinda barren. Must be because Rose, Momo's Australian roommate, hasn't returned from her holiday. Rose's usually the one providing ingredients for both her and Momo while Momo's the one who cook. Thankfully, Mina is able to find four packets of ramen. Momo's appetite is usually big when she's sad so Mina decides to just cook them all.

"Momoring," Mina calls, holding a big pot filled with ramen. She could see Momo perking up at the smell of ramen, despite slightly, but it's enough to send a wave of relief through Mina's heart. "Let's eat."

Momo shuffles closer to Mina, gingerly receiving her chopsticks.

"Thank you, Mitang," whispers the older girl to Mina's shoulder after Mina draped a blanket around them both. "I'm sorry I... I ruined our date."

"Nonsense. You ruin nothing. See? We're dating right now. What else is more romantic than sharing a pot of ramen together?" Mina's lips curl into a smile.

Momo stares at her. Seeing the vulnerable look in Momo's eyes, Mina takes the initiative to steal a kiss, stunning the older girl.

"Let's just eat, Momoring," she says softly. "Then we can cuddle. You must be sore."

Momo just nods at her words, then follow her to eat the ramen. Only the sounds of their chopsticks fill the otherwise silent apartment. Mina doesn't mention it, but she feels Momo's unused arm slowly creeping around her back, before she finally circles her waist fully and pulls her closer. She couldn't help but to smile when Momo rustles closer to her as they finish their ramen together.

"Tired?"

"Mhm." Momo cracks a smile. Damn, even that miniscule movement is enough to send painful jolts all over her face. "Can you stay? I can't just let you go back home alone, but I..."

Mina giggles and pecks the tip of Momo's nose. "Of course, Momoring. Let's stay up for a bit before we sleep."

"Okay."

They end up falling asleep not so long after that, Mina crushed within Momo's arms who hugs her like there's no tomorrow. The heater is definitely on but Mina feels warmth the most from the gentle rise and fall of Momo's chest, from the slight pressure of her lips on the top of her head and the tangle of their legs below the blanket.

Mina expected to wake up fresh, giddy, and most probably, falling deeper in love.

She definitely didn't expect to wake up because of a horrible nausea. Momo is still snoring when Mina scrambles down the bed, almost tripping on the blanket as she rushes into the only bathroom in the apartment. She should be proud of her achievement of managing not to puke on the way to the bathroom. Once she arrives there, she flips open the toilet lid and gags her entire stomach out.

Energy seeped out after about ten minutes, Mina groans as she struggles to rise to her feet. She opts to lean back on the wall to think about what could possibly caused her to be like this. Her brain hasn't even started working when somebody slams the bathroom door open.

Momo almost crashes to Mina in her hurry to get to the toilet. Mina could only watch in horror as Momo also starts to throw up, silently exiting the bathroom not to get herself feeling nauseous again at the sounds of Momo vomiting.

"Oh God," Mina groans, voice hoarse after her early morning suffering. Behind her, she could still hear Momo in the bathroom going through the exact same thing as she did just minutes ago. Face pale and body shaking like a leaf, Mina struggles to walk over to the couch, falling on it just as another nausea hits. "What the hell... we literally just slept together for a night."

Momo exits the bathroom not long after, her wounded face looking even more disturbing with her green-hued skin and sickly purple flush. She falls beside Mina, groaning, massaging her temple with her fingers.

"Argh, I'm feeling very sick. Whatever happened to us?"

"I don't kn—" Mina doesn't finish that, because she could feel her bile rising once more and she darts back into the bathroom to save themselves from having to clean the floor.

Being left behind, Momo struggles to reach her phone, pressing a number her parents had her memorized since childhood.

" this, I'm calling an ambulance."

.

Today, Daegu

"What did you tell her, Mitang?"

Mina shifts her attention away from her vegetables when Momo comes into the kitchen. She raises her eyebrow as her wife hugs her from behind, resting her chin on Mina's shoulder.

"I invited Tomi to eat ramen together tomorrow, but she refused. She even said that ramen is bad for her health."

"Oh, that." Mina chuckles. "Well, I told her the story of this—" touching a faded line on Momo's left temple "—and the day we both got bedridden after eating ramen. Maybe I went a bit overboard."

Momo frowns. "Huh? This? But then why did she go as far as saying that eating ramen is bad? It wasn't even the highlight of the event..."

Mina laughs again as she continues cutting her carrots.

"Well, it's probably because I not so deliberately left out the part where we found out that we ate expired ramen."

.

.

.

S

Sister

"Kaa-chan, isn't Wony cute?"

Mina lifts her gaze from the book she's reading. In a flash, Hitomi is already by her side, curling. The Japanese woman shifts an arm to hug Hitomi closer before putting her book aside, her daughter's silky hair.

"She sure does," says Mina, smiling. Wony—Chou Wonyoung—is the name of Tzuyu's and Sana's youngest daughter. Minju's little sister, who just arrived in this world about four months ago. Minju is very proud of her little sister because she kept on talking about her when Mina visited Sana in the hospital just after she went through labor. "What's the matter?"

"Wony is so cute, Minju brags about Wony every day." Hitomi explains as she plays with her tie. "And now Yena also couldn't stop talking about Yujin to compete with Minju. At least Kkura don't brag about Yuri as well or I'm gonna punch her."

Mina raises an eyebrow. She kinda gets the gist of what Hitomi wants to say.

"Hm? And??"

Hitomi blushes, deeply. "Kaa-chan... can I... can I also have a sister?"

Chuckling, Mina kisses the side of her daughter's head. "Let's see..."

"Please, Kaa-chan!" Hitomi hugs Mina tighter. Her eyes grow wide with hope as she nods quickly. "Yea? Yea? Can I have a sister? I promise I will become the best sister ever!"

Mina smiles and nods to her daughter. "Well, I have to talk to your Tou-chan first. Let's see if she agrees to it."

"Oh, I'm sure Tou-chan will! Thank you Kaa-chan, I love you so much! I'm going to study a lot harder from now on and I'm going to work on my homework! Thank you, Kaa-chan!"

With that, Hitomi kisses Mina's cheek and dashes away into her room. Mina can't help but to laugh slowly once her daughter is out of sight.

Momo is definitely going to have a blast to hear this request.

.

.

.

T

Toast

For the first few weeks, Mina wonders how did she survive carrying Hitomi back then. The morning sickness, the nausea, and the soreness she experience right now are beyond unbearable. She doesn't think it was this horrible when she was pregnant with Hitomi. At least, not to the point that she has to call in sick and have a bed rest until she gets better.

Thankfully, Jihyo understands her predicament and gives her a whole month of furlough.

"Oh, don't worry about that. You can rest as much as you want, just come back whenever. Yeah, yeah you're right, the second one is hell I suffered more when it was Nako than Sakura or Yuri. Anyway just rest until you're feeling okay and if you need help to beat up Momo, I'm always a call away Minari~"

Mina will forever be grateful for her best friend slash boss slash neighbor for her understanding. The thing is, her condition worries Momo and Hitomi a lot, especially Hitomi, that her eldest daughter is now refusing to go to school so she can watch over her mother. It takes more than just a few coaxing and convincing until Hitomi finally relents.

Their daughter is still pouting as Momo drags her to attend school. Hitomi hugs Mina for five minutes or so, promising her that she won't go anywhere else aside from straight home once the school day is over. Mina could only laugh and bid her wife and daughter goodbye from her bed, too tired to even able sending them off from the porch.

Momo returns about thirty minutes later after dropping Hitomi on her school. She chuckles when Mina sends her a questioning gaze as the older woman settles into the bed next to her, bringing a plate of mildly burnt-toast, saltines and a glass of warm water with her.

"I call a few days off," says Momo before Mina could ask. "I can't just leave my wife alone, okay? Here, try this. Tomi made this for you."

Mina—who can't even stomach some crackers the night before—miraculously finishes the toast without any complaint.

.

.

.

U

Umbrella

"Thank you."

Momo smiles at the clerk as she picks up her grocery, pocketing her wallet, and steps away from the queue when lightning suddenly flashes. She looks up into the sky to find that it's already raining hard. Knowing full well that she will be wet no matter if she brings an umbrella or not, Momo raises a hand to shield herself, running towards her parked car.

Mina watches her with worried eyes as Momo enters the car, soaked.

"The rain came out of nowhere." Momo chuckles and turns on her car engine. "Don't worry, Mitang, I got your requests."

Mina smiles and grasps Momo's hand. "Let's go straight home, Momoring. You can get sick if you stay in those clothes for a long time."

"Okay. But do wait for me to take some umbrellas when we arrive, okay? Wouldn't want to get our small bun wet."

The affectionate sentence makes Mina's smile softer, as the woman tightens her hold upon the small sleeping baby in her arms. Feeling her baby girl snuggles against her chest throws her back to years ago when Hitomi was still a baby as well. But time surely passes by quickly and now said girl is a young, energetic kid, who is patiently waiting at home for her new little sister.

Well, maybe not so patiently.

Hitomi dashes out of the house once Momo's car rounds a corner, a bright blue umbrella tucked under her arm. She's swinging her own pink umbrella with a wide grin. Hitomi runs towards Momo and gives her the blue umbrella, before she runs back to her Kaa-chan's side of the car and waits for her Tou-chan to open the door.

"Is that her? Kaa-chan, Tou-chan is that her?" Asks Hitomi as Mina steps out of the car, hugging her youngest child close with Momo shielding them both from the rain.

Momo nods. "Yes, Tomi. Can you take the bags from the backseat for us?"

"Okay!"

The two women sigh in relief once they step into the safety of their house. Momo immediately leaves to change her clothes while Mina goes into the nursery, followed by Hitomi who already picked up all the bags. Hitomi peeks into the crib after Mina puts her baby inside, squealing.

"She's so cutteee!" Giggles. "Kaa-chan can I show her to Kkura, Eunbi and the others?"

Mina smiles, rubbing her daughter's hair. "Of course you can. But call them later, okay? It's raining, and she's still sleeping."

"Tomi love rain!" Says the girl with a laugh. "Tomi love the umbrellas, too! Kaa-chan, can we buy a purple one for her? We can match!"

Giggling, Mina kneels down and kisses Hitomi's forehead. "We'll buy Minami any color of umbrella she wants."

.

.

.

V

Vet

Minami was the first to notify the family that there's something wrong with Boo. He is slumping so much and not as energetic as he usually is. Minami cried to Mina when Boo ignored her invitation to play together, and now Momo is running all around the house with the dog already in her pet carrier. Boo has been regarded as Momo's firstborn since before Hitomi was even made, so it's natural for her to panic and immediately book an appointment with the nearest vet to take a look at Boo.

Hitomi insisted to come with her Tou-chan, and if Hitomi can go, it means Minami will want to follow her sister, and so all four of them end up going to the vet to check their beloved dog.

Their usual vet dr. Lalisa is out of town, so the one checking on Boo is a young new vet called dr. Dita. She told Mina and Minami to stay outside because there might be some germs dangerous for the baby, so Mina strolls around the area where they put rescued pets ready to be adopted. Hitomi follows Momo to watch over Boo as dr. Dita examine him.

"From what I can see, he isn't sick. No fleas, no other underlying diseases, just lacking a bit of vitamin." The young woman explains with a tender smile. "Also he seems like a senior dog, how old is he?"

Momo sighs in relief before answering. "I've had him long before Tomi so, around fourteen or fifteen years."

"I'm glad he's living a long and good life." Doctor Dita smiles again and reaches for the prescription notes on top of the shelf. "I'll give him some vitamins and supplementary nutrition. You can continue to give it to him every day. He's probably just tired. I see you have a baby with you. Babies are lovely and playful, but for a senior dog they might be a bit too much."

The older woman nods. "You're right. Minami likes to play with him. I need to tell her to let him rest. Thank you, doctor."

"Anytime!"

Minami wails when she sees her Tou-chan coming out of the exam room with her favorite brother. Momo kisses her forehead once, telling her to stay calm and keeps Boo in her arms, away from Minami. The youngest Hirai wails again in confusion, but when Mina explains to her that Boo needs to rest, Minami huffs and slumps into her Kaa-chan.

Minami, somehow, understands that she can't disturb Boo for long, so she steers clear from the dog once they're back home. The only time she pets Boo is when the dog wakes up to eat or when Boo himself pads near her. They still cuddle together no matter where Minami falls asleep, though.

.

.

.

W

Worry

"Will she be okay?"

Momo turns her attention to her wife beside her, feeling a smile creeping up her lips. From her point of view, Mina looks so cute, with her eyebrows knitted together and a frown on her beautiful face. She can't help but to chuckle and wraps an arm around Mina's slender waist, lips pressing a kiss to the side of her head.

"It's just a day trip, Mitang." Momo laughs. "Tomi's old enough to take care of herself. Besides, Dubu is there with the kids."

"Dahyun is their teacher."

"Exactly makes her presence more important. She'll take care of them just fine. Don't worry about it."

Still, Mina bites her lips, trying not to succumb into the anxiety slowly eating her from inside. She sees Hitomi conversing with her friends, while Chaeyeon is carrying Minami in her arms. Minami keeps on playing with Hitomi's hand even though her older sister is busy talking with Yena and Minju.

Then Sakura and Chaewon come running to them, prompting Chaeyeon to give Minami back to Hitomi. The girl kisses her little sister once and approaches her parents.

"Kaa-chan, Tou-chan, we'll be going!" Says Hitomi with a grin.

Mina struggles to stop herself from saying, "Just stay home, don't go."

At least she manages to do so, accepting her youngest daughter from her sister's arms. Minami gurgles a bit before she snuggles to Mina's neck and cheers at her sister. Mina gives Hitomi a kiss on her forehead and Momo hugs her tight, telling her to be careful and to enjoy her trip with her friends.

"I will!" Hitomi laughs, hugging her parents once before running back to her classmates.

Sighing, Mina leans her head to Momo's shoulder. "I'm still worried, Momoring."

Strong arms wind itself around Mina and pulls her into an embrace. "She'll be fine, Mitang. Trust me. She has her friends with her and the teachers, too. Let her enjoy the trip, ne?"

"This is the first time she ever goes this far without us."

"And she will go further than this. And it's okay, Mitang. No matter how far she goes, we'll always be here for her to come home."

Mina pauses, glumly contemplating Momo's words. Her eyes drift to the bus carrying her beloved child and the other kids from her class. Hitomi is sitting with Eunbi, right behind Minju and Chaewon, the four of them sharing a bag of chips Chaewon bought. Seemingly noticing her Kaa-chan's attention, Hitomi raises her head, waving to Mina and Momo with the biggest grin she ever wears present on her face.

"You're right, Momoring." Mina forces herself to smile and wave back to Hitomi, though the enthusiastic laughter Hitomi gives at the sight of her waving back cracks her lips into a genuine smile. "We'll always be her home, no matter how far she goes."

When the bus drives away bringing the kids with it, Mina still feels worried, but she's far more relaxed than before. Her daughter will enjoy the trip for now and when she returns, Mina will be ready with a warm blanket and a warmer hug to welcome her back.

.

.

.

X

XOXO

At first, Mina was against giving Hitomi a phone. She was just eleven, for God sake. But after the girl's numerous begging and the increasing need to communicate with her teachers and friends outside of class, Mina finally relented and gave Hitomi a cellphone. It's an old type of phone, but for Hitomi it was enough. As long as she can text and call her friends. After all, most of her friends have the same kind of phone too.

Hitomi still plays with the other girls around the neighborhood. Even when most of them have their own phones now, they still love to play while babysitting their sisters together. Minami is learning to talk and Wonyoung and Yujin, who are each a year and two years older than Minami, are fascinated with the baby. Yuri might already be a four years old now, but Sakura and Nako still baby their youngest sister a lot so Yuri belongs to the toddler group.

The only difference is that when night comes, Hitomi will stay on her bed chatting with her friends, telling silly stories while laughing at their usual weirdness. Sometimes Hyewon will borrow Eunbi's phone and send food pictures to the group chat. Hyewon is still too young to be given a phone on her own, so she's satisfied enough to chat using her sister's phone. Other than that, the others are mostly normal, talking like how they are in real life.

However, Hitomi thinks Yena must be a different breed altogether. Because she sends lots of weird words that make Hitomi confused. Words like lol, lmao, fyi, idk, Ig2gttyl8rZ and sets of emoticons that once almost get her kicked out of the group chat by Eunbi.

Thankfully, Hitomi has her Tou-chan to ask whenever she's confused about what Yena sends.

"Tou-chan?"

"Yes, Tomi?"

Momo shifts on her work seat when Hitomi comes close, letting her eldest sit in between her legs. She's working on a late report but she's used to Hitomi watching her work so she continues typing on her laptop.

"Tou-chan, I wanna ask something," Hitomi says while showing her phone.

"Oh, is it Yena again?"

"Yeah... I wonder where did she get all those words from. Can you please explain?"

Momo nods and takes her time to read her daughter's shown screen.

***

Chae1: I don't think so...

Eunbi-unnie: Well, Sian seems kinda cute

Kkura: im cuter

Chae2: u wish

Kkura: im cuter than that long human @Eunbi-unnie

Duck: idc weirdo @Kkura

Kkura: shut up park yena

Eunbi-unnie: *attaches a picture of a cheesecake*

Hiichan: hi kangchan!

Hiichan: kangchan that looks good XOXO

Minjugato: wow <3

Kkura: kangchan the best as always

Duck: uwu

Minjugato: kwangbae that's good <3

Eunbi-unnie: *attaches a picture of chocolate chips*

Minjugato: seems delicious <3

Eunbi-unnie: i made these with mom :D

Minjugato: great job <3

Duck: istg khy ily

Chae1: Looks delicious Hyewon! Can I come over tomorrow?

Eunbi-unnie: yes :D

Chae2: can i come over too?

Eunbi-unnie: no :D

Chae2: WHY?

Duck: *sends a cat, a sticking tongue and water splashes emoticons*

Hiichan: yena what's that mean?

Duck: idk pa sent that to ma ystd

Duck: prolly luv or sumn

Eunbi-unnie: waaa :D

Eunbi-unnie: @Chae1 hyewon love unnie *copies Yena's emoticons*

Chae1: Awww I love you too Hyewon! <3

Chae2: why dont i get one kwangbae

Eunbi-unnie: You're not getting anything from my sis @Chae2 ask @Minjugato

Kkura: @Minjugato

Chae1: @Minjugato

Hii-chan: @Minjugato

Duck: @Minjugato

Minjugato: no <3

Minjugato: you give to me @Chae2 <3

Chae2: ok @Minjugato *copies Yena's emoticons*

Minjugato: thank you <3

Chae2: anytime

Chae2: wait

***

"So what do those emojis mean, Tou-chan?"

Momo accidentally inhales her coffee.

.

.

.

Y

Yield

When Mina steps into her house that afternoon, the only sound welcoming her is that of Momo's miserable sneeze from within their shared bedroom. She sighs, silently thanking Nayeon as she reruns the conversation she had before she went home.

"Chaewon told me that Momo-tan is basically dead when she delivered her food. I couldn't let her infect Minami and Hitomi, Minari. So I took them to my house for the time being. Let me know when you want them back."

So here Mina is, standing with her arms crossed beside her bed, where a human-blanket burrito is located. On the side of the burrito is a trash bag filled with used tissue and a box of unused tissue. Mina sighs as she peels the blanket off, uncovering Momo's bright red face and her wife's droopy eyes. Momo recognizes Mina and smiles dazedly at her before she shivers again.

"Oh, you're definitely not getting better."

Momo is always incoherent whenever she's sick, so Mina pays her no mind when she gargles.

"Have you eaten your lunch yet, Momoring?"

Apparently not because Mina could see the abandoned macaroni soup on the nightstand and she could hear the sound of Momo's stomach rumbling.

"Well, guess you need softer food. Do you want any porridge? With chicken?"

Momo nods, then shakes her head, then sneezes. So porridge with no chicken that is. Mina taps Momo's head once to tell her to stay put then waddles into their kitchen to make her wife's request. Once she's finished, she brings it back to Momo, smiling tenderly at the sight of her wife scowling with her eyes closed.

"Baby?" Mina calls. Momo cracks an eye open. "You need to eat first, then we get your meds and go to sleep, okay?"

The woman riddled with flu only groans as she shifts so she's leaning on the headboard. Mina patiently blows on each spoonful of porridge before feeding it to Momo. She could only go through half of the plate until she's too tired to continue and slumps back into her blanket.

"Don't go to sleep just yet, Momoring. Meds."

Momo grumbles at that, but still she holds on to whatever left of her consciousness. She stays motionless on the bed as Mina prepares her meds, then consumes them obediently but not without making some annoyed noises. The black-haired woman stares at her wife with her sleepy puppy-eyes and Mina chuckles.

"What?"

Momo whines, curling into her blanket.

Mina shakes her head. "You're cute, but I'm not getting myself sick cuddling you. I'll go take a bath first and you better be asleep once I'm done."

But the moment Mina steps out of their bathroom, she sees Momo staring at her under all the blankets, and she groans.

"Oh, who am I kidding. Fine, baby, fine. Wait up for a while and I'll join you."

Afterall, who can resist their own wife who pleads like that with such hopeful eyes? Mina definitely can't.

.

.

"Yes. Nayeonnie–cough–I'm sorry, can I.. can I entrust Tomi and Nami to you? Three days, yes, I'm so sorry I also caught myself the flu so—achoo!! Thank you very much–cough–yes, I'll tell you once I'm better thank you again Nayeonnie I'm so—ACHOO!—sorry for troubling you."

.

.

.

Z

Zero

The clock is showing half-past eleven when Mina takes a glance.

It's raining.

Pulling the blanket tighter around her body, Mina blows a warm breath to her hot chocolate, staring almost absentmindedly to the TV screen.

Momo hasn't arrived home, which is unusual. No matter how much she takes up the extra hours, Momo doesn't usually arrive home later than nine p.m. Mina is tempted to call her wife but Momo notified her at eight that her phone is dying and her work didn't seem that it will end soon. Momo's firm is going through an important phase right now, having just landed a big deal with some important corporates, so it's understandable that Momo and her other colleagues are being put through hell to make sure they're perfect to the bone. Even Junmyeon, Momo's usually strict supervisor also complained about having to work extra time.

"Kaa-chan?"

Mina turns her head towards the voice, finding Hitomi standing behind the couch. "Hi, dear."

"Are you waiting for Tou-chan?" Hitomi asks. She rounds the couch to sit beside Mina and snuggles to her Kaa-chan's open arms. "Nami threw something to my face earlier. I can't go back to sleep."

While Hitomi sounds annoyed, Mina can't help but to laugh at her eldest's predicament. She receives Hitomi's pout at that but her daughter seems to have her minds on other things.

"Kaa-chan, would you mind if you sing for me? It's been...a while."

Mina takes her time to regard her daughter. Hitomi is big, now. Much different from the small, fluffy Hitomi she used to bring in her arms and she sings to whenever she cries. She's a twelve years old, and oh how she had bloomed into such a beautiful teenager. Next year Hitomi will move out of the house to pursue Junior High. She said that she wants to join her childhood friends to go to Seoul, trying their shot at the best Junior High School in South Korea.

Mina doesn't doubt her daughter. Hitomi is smart, and if she's determined to achieve something, she will do everything she can to work for it. It would be difficult for Mina to have to send her beloved daughter away to study, but she and Momo had been working to overcome it together.

What Hitomi wants, she gets. Especially for something as good as this.

"Okay, what song do you want, dear?"

"One in a million?"

"Alright."

After that, Mina starts humming, vocalizing the lyrics she'd remembered like the back of her hand. This song was Hitomi's favorite. Was, is, and probably forever will. As Mina softly sings the first verse, Hitomi snuggles to the crook of her neck. Mina wraps an arm around her daughter and blankets her as well, listening to Hitomi's regular breath that somehow complements her song perfectly.

Mina continues to sing even if Hitomi grows heavier, when the teenager's breath sounds deeper indicating that she already slips into her dreamland.

And once Mina finishes her song, the clock strikes zero.

The front door opens.

"Hi."

Mina smiles. "Hi, love."

Momo chuckles at her wife's greeting. She stretches slightly as she loosens the tie around her neck. "I'm sorry I'm so very late."

"It's okay, baby. I understand. You must be tired."

"Well, not really. I just need to finish a few unimportant works so not as tired as yesterday, at least. Only Junmyeon and Chaeyoung held me back to accompany them."

Mina nods at that and Momo her chin to Hitomi.

"I stink," says Momo, "but if you need, you know."

"Please. I wouldn't want to wake her up."

Momo nods and smiles at Mina, before she slips her arms under Hitomi's body. Carefully, Momo picks her daughter up and brings her to her own bedroom, putting her on her bed and kisses her forehead. She notices Minami is dangling upside down on her own bed. The purple cat plushie Minami owns is somehow on Hitomi's bed, so Momo returns it to her youngest's possession as she corrects Minami's position.

Mina already waits for Momo in their bed when Momo finished refreshing up. She towels her wet face before setting her towel aside, settling right beside her wife and hugs her close.

"Something on your mind?"

Mina smiles. "Just thinking about Tomi. Also Minami."

"Hm?"

"It's just," Mina closes her eyes, "Hitomi's going to Junior High soon. Then she'll continue to Senior High and to college. Minami will probably follow her sister's steps and go to Seoul or anywhere else to pursue education. I'm just... thinking that it will be... lonely."

"You have me, Mitang." Momo smiles, peppering kisses all over her wife's face. "While it definitely won't be as noisy as when they're here. You'll always have me. We can date, we can have our me-time because we're in this house, only the two of us. We can do things just like how we did it before we have Hitomi."

The younger woman laughs at that. "So like... returning back to zero. Before it all starts."

"Not necessarily. Maybe going back to one and a half? Because we're already married so not zero anymore. Hehehe."

"Well, it still would be boring."

"If you're bored, we can always do that. Every day~"

"Ish!"

Momo laughs despite receiving a half-assed punch on her shoulder. She pulls Mina into a kiss, enjoying the way her wife melts into her and sighs when a hand caresses her jaw.

"We'll be fine, Mitang." Momo assures her softly. "You and I, we'll be fine. Just like how we always are."

"I trust you, Momoring."

"That's good."

Mina nods, inhaling the fresh apple scent of Momo's bathsoap. She feels her wife carding her long fingers through her hair and Mina snuggles deeper.

"Good night, dear."

Momo chuckles, pressing a tender kiss to Mina's temple.

"Good night to you too, my love. Don't worry, Mitang, for everything will be just fine."

Fin

Random Omakes:

Years later

"I just—"

Wendy sounds tired. Actually, she sounds tired everyday.

"—got home from six freaking planned surgeries and two emergencies why am I needed in this useless ?!"

Before her, stand Momo, Seulgi and Chaeyoung, the three women armed with water pistols each and a helmet covering their face.

"We're going to have fun, Wan!" Seulgi says with a grin. "When the kids are out, it's the parents' time to play!"

Momo nods enthusiastically. "Seulgi is right! We need to have fun! It's been a long time since we do this!"

"Come on, unnie!" Chaeyoung shouts. "The other team are ready! Besides it's just us vs Jeongyeon-unnie's team! Arm your weapon and let's ride at dawn!"

"Ladies, we're old!" Wendy flaps her arms. "Minami literally just enrolled into Senior High and Eunbi and Sakura are going to marry in three months! WHY ARE WE STILL DOING THIS?!"

"Oh, shut up, you." Jihyo hisses to her wife as she shoves a water gun to Wendy's arms. When Wendy is about to protest, Jihyo smiles cutely then kisses her cheek, strapping a helmet to Wendy's head. Behind her, Mina, Irene and Dahyun just giggle at the sight of their wives being ready to go into a war. "Just ing go and win."

Wendy stops, stunned, before she her gun and faces her team. "Fine. If any of you got back pain after this, I'm not going to give y'all free medications and therapy from my hospital. TO FREEDOM!"

"TO FREEDOOOOOMMMM!!!!"

.

.

.

More years later

"Saku hide me!"

Sakura was going to change her clothes when a small figure suddenly runs into her bedroom, immediately crouching at the side of her bed.

"Wha—Nako? What the hell are you doing?"

Nako looks up to her older sister. Sakura is surprised when she sees pure fear painting her sister's face. Nako just arrived home last night from Germany because she takes architecture on a college there. So why is the middle Shon look so fearful?

"T-there's a crazy woman," Nako gulps, "who keeps on yelling at me for something I don't even remember—"

As if on cue, their front door bangs loudly.

"SHON NAKO! HOW DARE YOU CHEATED ON YOUR QUEEN WHEN YOU'RE IN GERMANY?! YOU'RE STANDING ON THIN ING ICE, SHON!"

Sakura sighs. "Just go and face your wife."

"HOW DARE YOU PROMISED TO BUILD ME A CASTLE WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN BUILD AND KEEP MY TRUST INTACT?!!"

"But—but—she's not my—"

"NAKO!"

"Future wife. Just accept it. Your fate is sealed. You vowed her and then you play around kissing other women. You did this to yourself. Just go and face Hitomi before it's Eunbi's wrath you're going to experience because I could already hear the beginning of Haruki's cry. Bye, sister, you're on your own."

"TRAITOR! UNNIE! SAKU! DON'T LEAVE ME! UNNIEEEEE!!!"

.

.

.

Quite definitely in the same year

KHY: hi honey

Chaeyeon: hi darling

KHY: *sends a cat, tongue sticking out, pointing finger, ok fingers, water splashes and a baby emoji*

Chaeyeon: stop sending me your cringy emojis

Chaeyeon: but yes let's go make babies

hii_tomi: there's a feature called DM? Hello?

SsamWon: @Angelmin you wanna *copies Hyewon's emojis*

hii_tomi: yikes and I thought you guys are decent enough not to t here

Angelmin: I'll be waiting, my love @SsamWon <3

Big_Duck: please whatever have I called upon this world please I'm begging you stop sending those emojis in the groupchat I'm going to cry Yuri is going to stab me if she knows I indirectly caused you guys to be like this please I'm begging you stop

KHY: no :D

DaddyKku: yuri will stab you?

Euntokki: Kkura

Big_Duck: KKURA DON'T DO IT

Euntokki: Kkura, baby, don't

DaddyKku: *attaches a screenshot of her sending a screenshot of the group to 'Baby Sis'*

Euntokki: -_"

Big_Duck: NOOOOO SAKURA YOU USELESS EVIL SISTER IN LAW NOOOOOOOOOOOO