“Oh my God, this is so cute!” Youngjae exclaimed in an overly shrill voice “Hyung, look, look, Hyung!” Youngjae called him insistently and Jinyoung glanced briefly, looking through the corner of his eye to one clothes stand full of baby things in shades of blue and pastel pink.

“Yes,” Jinyoung said flatty, continuing his way. 

“But you barely saw it,” Youngjae whined and Jinyoung could almost swear the younger was pouting. 

“Yes, I did see it.” Jinyoung sighed, “it's baby clothes, baby clothes that we don't need in the first place...”

“But...”

“And secondly we don't even know the ,” Jinyoung continued, ignoring Youngjae's gaze, so he let out a heavy sigh. “Youngjae, we have talked about this, quite a few times actually.” 

“But Hyung...”

“No buts, besides, I'm only four months, we have at least three more months left to buy things, even if it's last minute,” a ray of hope crossed Youngjae's face, so Jinyoung rushed to say: “If I decide to keep the baby.” 

No matter how much he told Youngjae he was not thinking about keeping the baby, Youngjae would always have and keep a slight hope of that, but Jinyoung was very firm in his decision, at least for the time being.

He knew that keeping it was not the best option, because he did not even have a job and it would be very difficult to get a job in the state he was in and a child ultimately cost a lot of money. 

    His parents had been very excited to learn that they were going to be grandparents for the first time, obviously after the drama and the initial disgust that ensued after Jinyoung would not tell them who the father was, and he made it very clear to them that they would never just get together for the sake of the baby as they did not have feelings for each other. 

However, once they had overcome the initial shock, his mother insisted that he could return to live with them, they could take care of the baby so that Jinyoung could continue to study and get a part-time job so that he could provide everything the baby needed, while his parents would take care of the other basic needs, such as a house and food. 

    That seemed a rather sensible idea, not all people who had an unplanned pregnancy had that kind of support from their parents. Jinyoung knew that with that option he would suffer a little at first, but over time, it would get better, especially being so close to graduation; however, he was not going to take advantage of his parents, they had already done their job raising him and his two sisters, he was not going to make them battle with a grandson. 

    So, again, Jinyoung explained in detail his desire to give up the baby for adoption to a family that could give them everything he could not, he just had to find someone who met all his expectations on what a family should be like and who he completely trusted to give them that precious gift of life, again his parents had not been very happy about it, but in the end, they ended up satisfied and claimed that Jinyoung was making the most mature decision.

Now Jinyoung just had to wait, wait, and think. 

Fortunately, his nausea and discomforts were decreasing considerably, leaving him only with some mild discomfort and a belly that grew at an amazing speed, reason number one as to why they were currently at the mall, because none of his pants closed and his T-shirts were starting to show a little of his belly below the hem.  He could only dress in his sportswear and Jinyoung, who was used to always dress quite fashionably, did not like that at all, besides that, they were in the middle of July and it was getting too hot to continue wearing sweatshirts.

Jinyoung turned to see the clothes one more time, seeing the tiny pastel-colored clothes and let out a big sigh, feeling a well-known flutter in his belly. He could already feel the baby's movements and feeling that it was moving inside him always generated a very strange feeling inside, the first time he felt it he even burst into tears, blaming the hormones more than his own emotions.

“Oh, it's so rare for me to see teachers out of school, especially on vacation,” Youngjae whispered to him as Jinyoung looked away from baby clothes and concentrated on maternity clothing, paying special interest to a pair of denim pants with a large elastic band at the waist. “While I must admit that Professor Tuan looks much better in his formal clothes than in civilian clothes, like that he seems like just one more bum,” as soon as Jinyoung heard Youngjae's words he turned so fast that by sheer miracle he did not twist his neck. “Like normal clothes don't... what’s wrong?” Youngjae asked him, alarmed, “you went super pale.” 

“Oh, nothing,” Jinyoung took a deep breath, trying not to look so surprised, but he couldn't help it when it was literally the first time he'd seen Mark out of school, and especially looking so pregnant, as his stomach had increased in size at least three times. He had lost all traces of the perfect six pack he had before getting pregnant, the six pack which Mark always spent hours marveling at and kissing each line and curve of, mentioning a thousand times that it was his third favorite part of his body, besides his and his , obviously. 

“You know, I think I know what's wrong with me,” Jinyoung said hastily when, still above the crowd and shelves, Mark identified him, making eye contact. “I am hungry, very hungry,” Jinyoung took advantage of the fact that lately he was beginning to have many cravings, cravings to which Youngjae was very willing to comply, “and I really want one of those giant pretzels with melted cheese and, I don't know, something spicy.” Despite having used it as an excuse, that made his mouth water. “Please? You know I get a lot of nausea when I'm hungry and I don't want to do one of those scenes here, please? I see something, I can buy it and I catch up with you in the food square when I am ready, you know I'm going to get more nauseous if I wait and smell all that food.” Jinyoung put on his best face of conviction and it seemed to work with Youngjae, because he shrugged, putting a stern look on his face, as if he were fulfilling the most important mission in the world.

When Youngjae walked far enough away, Jinyoung rushed to take the jeans he was looking at, without even looking at the size and rushed to the cash register, trying as far as possible to minimize his contact with Mark, however, Mark was faster and cut him off when he was very close to his destination.

“Hey, Jinyoung,” Mark's soft voice was heard behind his back and the aforementioned one had no choice but to dwell in his footsteps “I didn't think I'd find you here, out of all places.” Mark tried to smile at him, sticking his hands in his pants pockets.

“Well, I have to buy, even if it’s just one, a garment that actually fits me.” Jinyoung rolled his eyes, squeezing the pants between his hands, trying to hide his belly.

“And...” Mark hesitated, turning around him, biting his lips like every time he was nervous. “How have you been? How is your vacation?”

“Well, I can’t complain,” Jinyoung shrugged. “I'm already in the second trimester and the nausea has subsided considerably, the only thing is that...” Jinyoung let out a big sigh “I'm getting fat and I'm hungry all the time.” Jinyoung tried to stop himself, however, a notorious pout formed on his lower lip. “Perks of pregnancy, I suppose. I still need to experience that excessive heat, the desire to pee at all times, constipation and incessant lust, because the crying, cravings and mood swings have been taking a toll on me for the moment.” Mark blinked a few times, trying to assimilate everything he had told him. “But no, I'm not complaining.” 

“Ah...Good thing you're okay,” Mark said after a while “Have you eaten yet? I can invite you to something if you are hungry...” 

“Oh no!” Jinyoung hastened to say, frantically moving his hands, waving the pants along. “Youngjae has already gone to get something,” Mark frowned noticeably. “Youngjae is my roommate, you might remember me mentioning it to you.”

“Of course! The one who is dating your ex,” Mark said, immediately improving his expression. “Well, is there anything I can do for you? Is that all you're taking?” Mark asked, pointing at the garment at Jinyoung's arms. 

“Well, at the moment it's all I need and all I can afford.” Jinyoung said, and Mark thwarted the brow again. “We're on vacation, I don't have my job in the school library, plus I don't think they’ll  want to have me back when I carry a watermelon underneath my shirt.” 

“And why didn't you tell me you were out of a job?” Mark asked him, evidently worried about him. 

“Because you never asked me in the first place if I even had a job,” Jinyoung said, trying not to sound bitter, “You never asked me anything personal, actually.” Jinyoung added in a low voice, so he was not sure Mark could hear it. “Don't worry, Youngjae offered to pay the rent of the apartment until I can get something, and my parents give me some kind of allowance, which helps me survive, they couldn't convince me to go back to live with them, because going to live with them meant moving to Jinhae and leaving school, and if there's one thing I'm sure of, it’s that I don't want to leave school, not at the moment.”

“Jinyoung, but I told you to contact me if you needed something, anything,” Mark told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Let me help with something, let me buy you clothes, I'm sure you're going to need that and if I support you with that, you can have money for something else you need, or however you want to use it.” Mark told him, immediately taking out his wallet and giving him a considerable amount of cash. “And please don't hesitate to ask me for money if you need it, I told you I was going to support you on anything.”

Jinyoung bit his lower lip, hesitating quite a bit in taking the money Mark was offering him, he wasn't going to die if he accepted the money, in fact, it was going to do him a lot of good in the situation he was in. He didn't feel so comfortable living with someone else, but, at the end of the day, if he used that money on baby stuff, technically he wasn't spending the money on him, and even if he was going to wear those clothes, he wouldn't be needing clothes in the first place if it wasn't for Mark. 

Jinyoung bit his lower lip, debating that scenario very seriously in his mind, however, a little voice ended up telling him repeatedly not to turn the matter around, so, once again feeling his ears extremely hot, he stretched out his hand and take the money Mark was giving him. 

“Thank you,” Jinyoung murmured. “But it's only this time, I promise. I'll try to buy everything I'm going to need for the rest of the pregnancy with this money and I won't need any more.” Jinyoung hastened to say. 

“Don't worry, Jinyoung, seriously,” Mark patted him friendly on the shoulder, he also looked a little embarrassed. “See it as on those weekends where you didn't leave my house, I had to feed you several times a day, and you wouldn’t take just anything.” Mark told him, making Jinyoung laugh. 

“That I wasn't leaving? You wouldn't let me go!” Jinyoung defended himself, he felt his ears get even hotter, so he quickly veered his eyes to some plaid shirts with obvious folds at the height of his abdomen. “Plus, you still had to buy food for yourself. I don’t know how you keep being so skinny when you just feed on take out and ramen,” he told him, still having no courage to see him in the face. “So, don’t complain.”

“If we go there, I'm not complaining that you were there with me.” Mark said, suddenly approaching him. 

Jinyoung could feel his body heat radiating towards his body, and, even knowing that his presence was too far from his person, the presence of him by his side was too intense, all the blood rushed to his face, his hairs stood on end and for a few moments he thought he felt butterflies in his stomach, but after paying more attention he realized it was the baby who had started moving everywhere. 

“Now that I think about it, I miss those days,” Mark sighed and his breath collided with his neck, causing Jinyoung to shudder, “you become someone else when you're intoxicated with pleasure, and intoxicated in every sense of the word.” Mark laughed again, once more making his breath collide with his body, making him visibly shudder again. “You looked so perfect, and sprawled in my bed.” God, he hated how Mark was just so shameless. 

“Well, there's a reason I ended up pregnant,” Jinyoung refuted, stuttering, feeling his face burn even more, surely he seemed like a stop sign among all those clothes. 

“But you can’t get more pregnant, can you?” Mark asked him, his voice suddenly becoming low and dangerous, he took a step further towards Jinyoung, his body heat continued to radiate towards him, luring him like a magnet.

All Jinyoung had to do was turn around and take possession of those lips that so often took him to delirium, and it all started with situations like that, in which his kisses became so necessary that his body reacted automatically, asking for more. 

Jinyoung bit his lip, his body acting before his brain could react, turning his face to meet Mark's, his lips just a few centimetres apart. 

A sudden voice call reminded him where they were, Jinyoung took a breath and walked as far away as he could, suddenly pretending to be very interested in a shirt with the drawing of a baby "peeking out" between the edges of the shirt. Jinyoung could still feel his heart racing, pounding against his chest and mentally began to recriminate himself for having been about to commit that stupidity. 

“That's honestly not your style,” Mark snaped his tongue and Jinyoung was very grateful that he changed the subject. “In addition, the shirt is blue, which implies that the baby is a boy.” 

“And what about that?” Jinyoung asked, his mind finally managing to forget the memory of how Mark's thick lips felt on his own. 

“We don't know the of the baby yet,” Mark said, shrugging his shoulders, “or have they told you?” 

“No, they'll tell me on the next appointment,” Jinyoung replied, “I think it's this week, if I remember correctly, I turned 20 weeks recently.” 

Mark advanced a few steps to the next rack of clothes, looking closely at the pants with those horrible bands at his waist, he had a slight wrinkle on his forehead, as if he were seriously thinking something. 

“Jinyoung,” Mark called him and Jinyoung could not help but feel his stomach shrinking when he heard the tone of voice with which he addressed him, quite warm. “I want to go.”

“Go where?” Jinyoung asked, Mark sounded too sure, yet the younger had no idea what he meant. 

“I want to accompany you the day of the appointment in which they tell you the .” Mark told him, and, curiously, his cheeks were stained with a soft blush. Mark never blushed, ever. 

“But why?” Jinyoung asked, confused. “I thought...”

“That I didn't care?” Mark finished the sentence for him, letting out a giggle and Jinyoung nodded. “Well, I do care, but I totally respect all your decisions.” 

“So, you're telling me that you do want this baby?” Jinyoung asked, completely confused, his left hand automatically perched on the place where the baby kept fluttering inside. 

“It's not that I just want you to have the baby or keep it.” Mark was quick to explain. “But, our situations are different, I'm already 30 years old, it's not something I wanted eagerly, but since it happened...” Mark shrugged. 

“Then why would you let me have an abortion?” Jinyoung asked, suddenly feeling a lump in his throat. 

“Because, as I had already told you,” Mark sighed, scratching distractedly behind one ear “I am not the only one involved in this, besides, you looked so determined and so mature at the time.” Jinyoung assumed that there was some contradiction in his face, for Mark hastened to add “not that you aren’t now, just that day there was a totally different aura in you, and you said it yourself, it's not right to bring someone into the world just because that's what you have to do, so if you want to give it up for adoption, I'm not going to stop you, I can even help you find someone right and we both like. I've always been very willing to help you.” Jinyoung wrinkled his brows a bit more. “I've always been willing to support you, from the moment you told me you were pregnant, you're the one who decided to walk away and shut yourself out.” Mark put his hands in his pockets. “I don't know what you thought was going to be my reaction, but your idea doesn't seem very bad either,” he shruged again, “I just want to be able to get a chance to see an ultrasound, that's all.” 

“Why didn't you tell me about this before?” Jinyoung asked him, blinking several times to ward off a few treacherous tears that had decided to camp in his eyes.

“Because you could misinterpret it,” Mark replied.

“Because you do it just for the baby?” Jinyoung asked, his voice somewhat trembling and Mark lasted a few seconds before nodding. “Oh, okay, I understand.” Jinyoung hastened to dry his face with the back of his hand and shook his head like an old dog. “This must also be misinterpreting because I'm crying. I don't even know why I'm crying, it's the hormones, believe me.” Jinyoung let out a giggle mixed with a sob and his nose was running. “You should have told me from the beginning, Mark.” 

“You were so confident when you said it and, seriously, I didn't want to break your feelings,” Mark told him. “We never really talked about feelings, and I come to think that you...”

“I don't feel anything for you either, Mark,” Jinyoung rushed to interrupt him, seeing where his idea was going. “From the beginning we agreed and so it stayed, I just decided that I didn't want anyone else because I didn't think I'd find a better lover than you, you satisfied me enough not to look for anyone else.” Jinyoung shrugged and they both let out silly giggles. 

“So...” Mark said, lengthening the syllable. “No feelings but for the baby?” 

“But I still have the idea of giving it up for adoption, seriously, I don't know what I would do with a baby, I don't feel ready to raise a human being,” Jinyoung clarified. “Do you have a problem with it?”

“I repeat, it's not just my decision, and if that's what you want to do, that's fine. I just ask you to ask me who the couple will be, I can even help you search.” Mark said in a serious way, “and, I want to go to at least one ultrasound and, that whatever you need, or if you have any urgency, talk directly to me, even if it's money problems or you need more clothes.” He reached out again. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Jinyoung told him, holding his hand, and shaking it firmly, ignoring that when his fingers were released they remained united more than necessary. “We should have had this talk that day.” Jinyoung added, looking back between clothes, and taking a few more shirts and two pants. 

“Well, that day you couldn’t stop crying a river, there wasn't much I could do about it, besides, you treated me like I was the worst person in the universe,” Mark said, letting out a giggle. 

“Well, thanks to someone I've lost the perfect six pack that I had achieved after many years of effort, now I'm getting fat on muscle, so I'll look twice as fat,” Jinyoung said, squinting with disdain. 

"I don't think you look bad,” Mark whispered.

“What?” Jinyoung was not sure he heard it right. 

However, he could no longer verify that what his ears had heard was exactly what Mark had meant, for in that moment his cell phone sounded with an incoming call and, seeing the caller ID he felt his stomach drop: he had completely forgotten Youngjae. 

“Where...? Oh, I saw you,” Youngjae's voice was heard from across the line and, in a matter of seconds, he was already by his side. “What is it...? Oh! Professor Tuan!” Youngjae faked a smile and gave Jinyoung a confused look. “I didn't know you were here...”

“Well, I ran into Jinyoung and decided to say hello,” Mark said, again adopting his teacher mode, which, in front of Jinyoung, was very obvious when he dropped his façade “I didn't know about his condition, and... well...” , Mark was not a very good liar, because he started blinking more than usual. “But I am already going, I know how much, to students, even if they are college students, it is conflicting to see the teachers out of class, it is almost as if they saw us .” Mark turned very slightly to Jinyoung and he could swear that he winked at him, however, it was so fast that he did not know if his eyes deceived him or if he did it, besides, he could not be so cheeky in front of Youngjae, could he? Thank heavens his roommate was too clueless. 

“See you, Professor Tuan,” Jinyoung said goodbye, with too much emphasis on one word, trying to hide the seductive smile that escaped from his lips, which was again totally ignored by Youngjae.

a/n

First of all, happy new year! May the next year be filled with love and all your wishes come true (please let there be concerts again because I miss going to one!) 

thanks again to my amazing beta, Nina, she's like the fastest beta in the world. 

AND...I said there wasn't going to be ...but there may be . 

are you ready to know if it's going to be a boy or girl? 

see you next time! Don't forget to subscribe, comment and upvote 

Love

Marie