"Wow!" Shindong exclaimed out loud, eyes wide open and mouth making a perfect 'o' shape that Hyukjae couldn't help but feel offended at his reaction. "There's no hiding it now. You really are pregnant."

Hyukjae rolled his eyes and subconsciously hugged the top of his belly with both arms, trying to hide his belly but couldn't quite wrap his arms around it that he ended up placing his arms on top of his belly. He left the door open for Shindong as he semi waddled back towards the couch to finish the "research" he was doing in his ipad. Shindong walked right behind him, carrying the two bags of groceries Hyukjae asked him to get while Donghae and Seowon were out getting fitted for her hanbok.  

"Just leave it there, hyung," Hyukjae pointed at a random direction which Shindong assumed was towards the general area of the kitchen. "Donghae and Seowon will be back soon. He'll put it away." 

Shindong smirked and laughed quietly to himself. Running the company solo and covering some of Hyukjae's part of the job consumed a lot of his own free time that he was unable to visit Hyukjae as often as he would have liked. Sungmin had been helping out too with the administrative and marketing side of things so he wasn't exactly flying solo. They were both happy to help Hyukjae out and give him his much needed time off. 

"I'll leave it here on the table, Hyukjae-ah!" Shindong yelled from the kitchen. "I'll just put the ice cream in the freezer so it doesn't melt!" 

Shindong was already about to open the freezer door when he heard a very loud, "No!" come from Hyukjae. He froze on the spot and slowly turned his head to where he heard Hyukjae's steps were rapidly coming from and looked like a deer caught in headlights when he showed up like a child on christmas. Hyukjae placed his laptop down on the kitchen island as his eyes lit up at the sight of his strawberry cheesecake flavored pint of ice cream in Shindong's hands. 

"I'll eat it," he said, arms already reaching forward for said treat. "Give it to me."

"Uhh...o-okay." Shindong handed the pint to Hyukjae and was amazed at how giddy he looked with it. "Sooo...I'm assuming the cravings haven't subsided yet?"

Hyukjae was too busy enjoying his ice cream to take offense by it. "Cravings? What cravings?"

"Nothing." Shindong answered quickly and purse his lips together to keep him from saying anything further that might endanger his life. "Enjoy your ice cream."

Hyukjae hummed happily before waddling back to the living room with his ice cream at hand. Shindong released a slow exhale of relief at the bullet he just dodged before deciding to join Hyukjae in the living room. Hyukjae's ipad remained forgotten next to his side as he focused his entire attention on the pint of ice cream that was just handed to him.

"So, how are things, Hyung?" Hyukjae asked Shindong after he sat down on the chair adjacent to him. "I hear the premier is in a few days. How are you and Sungmin hyung handling things?" 

"Eh, not too bad." Shindong shrugged and leaned his back against the back of the chair to relax a bit. "The new group seems promising. They're all really excited to perform in front of an audience."

Hyukjae chuckled and took another big scoop of his ice cream. "I bet. I wish I could go see it." 

Shindong saw the forlorn look on Hyukjae's face and immediately knew that he must be missing the stage as well. 

"Hey, Hyukjae-ah," he reached out to him seriously. "You know you were still a big part of the whole thing, right? If it weren't for your ideas and the pre-recorded videos you gave me, we might not have finished production on time." 

Hyukjae scoffed with disbelief and just shook his head lightly with a smile. "What are you talking about, Hyung? You did all the work." 

"No, I didn't!" Shindong insisted. "I'm telling you Hyukjae, I never would have thought half the things you choreographed for us. You are seriously a genius!"

A playful smile of appreciation showed on Hyukjae's face and Shindong instantly knew to keep going. He racked his brain for other compliments he could give to Hyukjae that they both missed the sound of the apartment's code being entered. 

"You are seriously the most amazing person I know in the entire world! If Donghae didn't get to you first, I think I might have wanted to marry you too!" 

"Excuse me?" Shindong and Hyukjae were both surprised to hear Donghae's voice suddenly in the room with them. "I go out for a couple of hours and I come back to you trying to steal my husband?"

Shindong got up from his seat and sheepishly rubbed his nape for getting caught red handed up to Hyukjae, while the latter just smiled innocently at his husband and casually taking another scoop of his ice cream. Seowon was peacefully sleeping on Donghae's shoulders, her arms loosely draped around his neck as he placed their bags down on the floor. 

"You hear that? If you had waited a little longer, I could've married Shindong hyung," Hyukjae teased causing Shindong's eyes to widen when Donghae suddenly glared at him. 

"N-No, no, no,no, no," he repeated adamantly while also shaking both hands in front of him. "Donghae-ah, this is just a misunderstanding. I wouldn't actually want to marry Hyukjae. Not in a million years!"

"What?" This time, it was Hyukjae's sharp tone that caused Shindong to sweatdrop as he shifted his nervous gaze at him. 

"Not- Not that there's anything wrong with you. I mean, obviously I love you-" catching his mistake, Shindong turned to Donghae and immediately corrected himself. "But-But not like in love with him. Just-...Just like a brother. You know, my dongsaeng. Hyukjae is my dongsaeng. Just my dongsaeng and nothing else. I swear!" 

Seeing Shindong get flustered over such a simple thing caused Hyukjae to snicker and laugh out loud. Donghae too found the whole thing hilarious but couldn't express himself as clearly as he was still carrying Seowon in his arms. 

As to not distub his daughter's sleep, Donghae walked towards her crib placed in the living room by her play pen and very slowly placed her down. She made a small cry at the sudden shift of sleeping position but a soft cooed whisper and a light tap of Donghae's hands and she went right back to sleep. Still enamored by their daughter, Donghae couldn't help but place a quick kiss on top of her head before leaving her to enjoy the rest of her much needed nap. 

Shindong was back to slumping down on his chair earlier, pouting to himself since he really couldn't be mad at Hyukjae's all knowing smirk that he proudly displayed on his face. No matter how much it annoyed him. Donghae joined his husband on the couch and was quick to put his arm over his shoulder, still feeling quite possessive after hearing Shindong's comment earlier. That little act did not go unnoticed by either man in the room. 

Hyukjae was the one who broke the growing tension in the room by asking, "How did the fitting go?" 

At the mention of their earlier outing, Donghae's face immediately lit up as he pulled his phone out of his pocket to show the pictures he'd taken of Seowon. 

"Hyuk-ah, I know all parents must say this but I really think our daughter is the prettiest kid in the world." Donghae bragged with a grin too wide for his face the Shindong and Hyukjae both couldn't help but exchange look with one another. "Even the Ahjumma that was helping us thought she was the prettiest kid she ever dressed in her shop."

It was both amusing and heartwarming to hear Dognhae brag about Seowon with such pride and assurance that he found himself getting more attracted with the other, if that was at all possible. 

"See, look," Donghae showed the screen to Hyukjae first then to Shindong. "Doesn't she look really pretty?" He giggled outloud causing Hyukjae and Shindong to the same. Seowon was wearing a dark blue jeogori (top) with a golden swirl around for design. The lower part was plain white and but what really caught their eyes was her experession on her face. She had mimicked Donghae's usual goofy pose for photos with her lips formed into a full pout but puckered up like she was going in for a kiss. "I mean, come on. Am I the luckiest Appa in the world or what."

Hyukjae secretly rolled his eyes at Donghae while Shindong just grinned and laughed at the both of them. 

"I can't wait for Seowon's birthday," Shindong said while rubbing both hands together. "I got her the cutest hello kitty designed drone. It's colored pink and the camera is designed to have her bow on it."

"Drone?" Hyukjae repeated curiously. "You got our daughter a drone?"

"A Hello kitty drone." Shindong clarified as though that makes it better. "That's what kids are playing with these days, you know. Gone are the days of barbie dolls and lego blocks. By the time she enters primary school, even her classroom might be virtual."

"Yeah but...Hyung," Donghae craned his neck a little to the side trying to make sense of Shindong's gift in his head. "She's one. I...I don't think she'd be able to enjoy a drone like other kids. I mean, her favorite toy right now is her plastic spoon and squishy toy." 

"Ah, don't overthink it. I mean, of course I know she won't be able to use it right now but you could never start them too early."

"Start them early for what?" Donghae asked, still not following Shindong's train of thought. 

"The trend, of course! Seowon's a niece to me now and I'm going to spoil her with everything I've got."

Hyukjae, who's been quietly finishing his ice cream on the side, saw the blank expression on Donghae's face. He quietly chuckled to himself knowing that Donghae was probably in his "Daddy mode" and can't wrap his head around the idea of letting his daughter play with a drone when she's currently at a phase where she throws everything that comes in contact with her hands. 

"Both of you don't have to worry," Shindong appeased when Donghae's mouth remained hanging open. "It's operated by an app and I made sure that you can parent lock it any time you need to." He pulled out his phone to show Hyukjae and Donghae how to work the app, still not quite connecting the fact that Seowon was only turning one and still unable to fully comprehend the function of a smartphone. 

Shindong moved from his chair to take a seat in between Hyukjae and Donghae and happily demonstrated the steps on how to access the drone from their devices. Hyukjae and Donghae both kept their mouths closed and displayed a tightlipped smile on their faces as Shindong did his thing. They weren't going to drop hints at Shindong anymore. Besides, worst case scenario, at least they have a drone to play with. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was 3:00 am, the sky was still dark and the streets quiet but inside Donghae and Hyukjae's room, Hyukjae was in the bathroom throwing up his dinner and Donghae was in the middle of their room dancing around trying to calm a crying Seowon in his arms. A more or less routine they've had for the past six months. 

"Hyuk-ah! Are you okay?" Donghae called out to him worriedly while still patting Seowon's back. Her cries have reduced to light sniffles but her hands were still tightly gripping onto Donghae's shirt. 

"Fine," a faint reply came from him followed by the sound of repressed hacking as Hyukjae continued to pour his guts out in the bathroom. 

Donghae took a peek at Seowon's face and wiped the dry tears off her face then placed a quick kiss on her cheek. She made a soft whining noise before turning her head away from Donghae. He just laughed and gently cradled her hair as he walked closer to the bathroom to check in on his husband. Hyukjae was kneeling on the floor, hands on both legs and was hanging his low trying to pace his breathing to slow down his hear rate. Donghae noticed the flushness on his face and got worried. 

"Hyuk-ah, are you okay?" He couldn't help but ask again. He placed his hand on the back of Seowon's head as he kneeled down on the floor to check on Hyukjae. Seowon couldn't help but be curious of her new surrounding and swiftly turned her head around to see what was happening. 

"I'm...fine." Hyukjae gasped but kept his eyes closed. "I just...I think I shouldn't eat peanut butter anymore." 

"Awpa." Seowon called out to him and reached her hands forward for Hyukjae to get her but Donghae was quick and stood up so she wouldn't fuss about it. Hyukjae cheered up a little hearing Seowon call for him and grabbed the corner of the sink counter to help pull himself up from the floor. It took a couple of tries but eventually, he managed to get back up on his seat. 

"Agh," he groaned then placed one hand on his back for support. "How much longer is this going to last?" Hyukjae sounded tired and defeated that Donghae could only look at him with sympathy and placed the same gentle kiss on the side of his head to comfort him the same way he did with Seowon. 

"Hang in there, baby," Donghae cooed making Hyukjae cringe at the nickname. 

"Yah, I told you to not call me that." He scolded and crossed his brows together in annoyance when all Donghae did was laugh. "So creepy. Ugh."

Donghae laughed even louder and even though Seowon has no idea why he was suddenly laughing, when she saw Hyukjae's face scrunch up at the mirror, she also ended up laughing herself. She even ended up clapping her hands together which Donghae thought was adorable while Hyukjae couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief as the feeling of betrayal washed over him. 

"Seowon-ah," he whined while washing his hands at the sink. "I thought I was your favorite Appa."

"Appa!" She repeated out loud then started shaking her head side to side. 

Donghae and Hyukjae watched her for a few seconds before bursting into small fits of giggles until she stopped and went back to clapping her hands together for no reason. 

"Aigoo, Our Seowonnie is being so silly this early in the morning?" Donghae playfully asked her then took a peek at the clock. "Well...it's almost 3:30. Do you think you can go back to sleep?" 

"Meongcheong-ah. She's not going back to sleep now." Hyukjae chided and waddled out the bathroom back to their bedroom, his right hand supporting his lower back to ease the weight he felt around it. 

Donghae pouted and sat down at the base of their bed with Seowon on his lap trying to figure out what he should do. "It's too early for her to be awake. What are we supposed to do?" 

Hyukjae didn't go back to the bed but approached the rocking chair that Donghae got him a few months ago when his back started to seriously bother him