Joohyun's hands were shaking. Even though Joy was holding the predictor in her hands, she could feel her head spinning at the thought. How could this have happened? One Friday night they were just having fun and being silly in one of those plans Joy made, but ever since got home that Wednesday after the rehearsal, she knew something was not the same way it used to do. She was used to getting some motion sickness, but what she had now had nothing to do with all the dizziness she felt.

When Joy called her, she told her that she wasn't feeling good and Joy had insisted that she would come over. Joy would never admit it out loud, but she cared about Joohyun's well-being and what she told her about nausea had her worried. When Joy took the car, she remembered what happened last Friday night. That's when she decided to make a small stop by the drugstore to buy a predictor.

Joohyun denied it at first, saying that she remembered having the pill that morning but then all the details of that night came to her mind. That's how they ended in this situation.

As soon as she heard her friend sigh, she knew it was the moment that would change it all. Joy looked at Joohyun in the eyes before she handed the predictor back so she could see the result by herself.

"I'm sorry, honey."

Joohyun was looking at the predictor with wide eyes open, trying to understand what those lines meant. She almost couldn't feel how her friend wrapped her arms around her frame, trying to show her support.

"How could this happen? I thought... I thought we were being careful" Joohyun brought a hand to her hair, combing it with her fingers. "What am I going to do?"

Joy didn't know what to say. She felt like she was the one to blame because it was always her who brought her to this kind of situation. She just wanted her friend to have fun, but she never expected this kind of result. Her plans only involved hangover, or maybe stiffness, but it never came with this kind of side effects.

"What do you want to do?" Joy asked because that's what mattered most to her. Joohyun looked her friend in the eyes. Somehow she had forgotten that Joy was still there. The world was shattering before her eyes. 

"I..." Joohyun needed to sit down. She pulled on Joy's wrist, needing her support as she walked to the couch. She sat down and she felt she was losing all sense of balance when her back hit the back of the sofa. Her voice came out in a throaty mutter: "I don't- um, Joy, could you please get me some water?"

"I got you" Joy almost ran to the kitchen. She got the pitcher from the fridge and two glasses since she also needed some water for her dry throat. She came back to the living room to find Joohyun holding her head with both her hands. She placed the items on the coffee table in front of her and took the seat next to Joohyun, rubbing her back trying to reassure her. "Here, here."

Joy served her a glass of water and the way Joohyun drank it was a total parallel image of how she drank a shot last Friday night. She left the glass back on the table but she kept staring at it as if the glass could contain any answers to her problem.

"I always thought..." She started, but she didn't know how to continue. Joy bit her lip, paying attention to what Joohyun had to say. "I always imagined myself being a mother when I was ready for it. I don't know, maybe I imagined myself with some guy I married. I would imagine myself getting home with a baby, to a nice, big house we would have got ready for having a baby. But now..."

Joohyun looked around her house. Sure, it was better than her previous apartment, but it only had one bedroom and the kitchen was really small. She was happy that she didn't have to share her apartment with anyone else, but when she thought about having a baby in that apartment, she started to get even dizzier. The living room started to look even smaller compared to seconds ago.

"What are we going to do?"

Joohyun placed a hand on her tummy, knowing that the being inside her couldn't hear her yet. However, the one who could hear her was Joy and the redhead felt called to action by that question and she reached out to place her hand on top of Joohyun's.

"I'm here for you, you know that. Whatever you want to do next, I'll be there for you" Joy reassured her, trying to make sure her friend understood that she was being serious. Joohyun looked at her and she felt that the two of them had suddenly grown older. They didn't seem like the same girls who had hung out just yesterday before work. 

Joohyun knew that Joy meant what she said. She felt that she wasn't alone. Knowing that Joy would be there, she felt that maybe she wasn't going to do so bad. If Joy could help her with this new stage of her life, she would be able to face it.

"Are you...? I mean, do you want to...?" Joy didn't know if it was okay to end the question. Maybe it was too soon to ask her, but she needed to know. She needed to understand the change their lives were going to have. 

Joohyun said it with the smallest voice, but Joy still managed to listen.

"I want to have the baby."

Those were the words Joy needed to know what Joohyun would need next, so she opened her arms and welcomed her best friend in a big hug. 

Joy grunted as she moved the last box into her new apartment. Since neither her place nor Joohyun's place didn't fit with the change they were facing, Joy had spent the last two weeks looking for an apartment for them to share. She wasn't happy with her previous flat either, so whatever reason she could find to switch her place was perfect for her. It was the hard part of being an architect: none of the apartments she would find would satisfy her.

However, that wasn't what happened with the apartment they had found. When they made the first visit, Joohyun couldn't recognize Joy at first. She was all 'oh!'s and 'ah!'s at any description the real state agent made about the house. As soon as the agent was done with the visit, Joy was asking about the conditions not to rent it, but to buy it instead. Joohyun's eyes widened at that.

That's how they ended up in this apartment, the one where Joohyun was going to start her new life as a single mother. She knew that it was going to be hard, but she knew there was no going back now. Even if it meant getting no sleep or quitting acting for a few months, she was ready to face this new stage of life.

"If you only let me help you with that" Joohyun complained, her lips forming a perfect, well-trained pout. Joy wiped the sweat out of her forehead with the back of her hand and went to the bathroom to wash her hands.

"You heard the doctor, didn't you? You can't carry any weight!" Joy recalled from the bathroom as she washed her hands. 

"I'm already carrying someone" Joohyun joked as she placed her hand on her tummy. It wasn't noticeable yet, but she had felt that her jeans were now a little bit tighter. 

"Someone who's size right now must be like a pea or maybe a seed." Joy argued as she poked her head out of the bathroom. "What's with you? Maybe you haven't moved any boxes around, but you were the one who contacted the moving van in the first place. We couldn't have made it without the way you planned it." 

Joohyun watched as her friend neared her. Maybe it was the hormones talking, but she now understood why her best friend was such a heartbreaker. She always thought that Joy was attractive, but maybe it was because of the sweat that she looked so breathtaking. She looked down at her tummy as she questioned herself.

'What are you making me think, you little thing?' She asked the pea, thinking that their connection also included some kind of telepathy.

"Are you okay, Joohyun?" Joy's eyebrows were curved with worry and that was the moment she snapped out of her thoughts. 

"Oh, sure! Just a little bit dizzy, you know" She excused herself in what she thought would sound most natural, but Joy still seemed worried about her.

"You should get some rest. Do you want me to get the bed ready for you?" Before Joohyun could even answer, Joy was walking to her bedroom already. Joohyun rolled her eyes and stood up to follow her friend.

"I'm pregnant, Joy. It's not like I have lost all ability to take care of myself. Besides, you know I'm kind of obsessed with laundry and that includes how you put the bedsheets on." Those words made Joy laugh as she placed the sheets on the bed. 

"Then show me how you do it. That way I'll be able to do it when you're not feeling well." 

Joohyun sighed in surrender. Joy looked amused as Joohyun made a full detailed explanation of how she liked to make the bed. Joy knew that her friend could be a control freak sometimes, but she liked that she would put that aside whenever Joy had a crazy plan in mind. Maybe it was because they were different kinds of planners and even when Joy's plans sounded like chaos, she knew her friend had her back. 

"So, this color or this one?" 

"I don't know, Joohyun. Does it matter? They look the same to me."

"What are you saying? This one is lavender and the other one is lilac." 

"So? It's still purple" Joy shrugged, though she knew that what she was saying was only making her friend mad. "And besides, you shouldn't be holding that. Doesn't the smell of fresh paint make you dizzy?"

"No, it doesn't, but I have protective masks just in case I get dizzy" Joohyun showed her a pair of protective masks. Joy took a step closer to her and took the protective mask to put it on Joohyun just as if she were a baby. Joohyun rolled her eyes at her but then muttered a 'thank you, because even though she sometimes found Joy's care a little bit excessive, a moment later she would always find that Joy was right. 

"Now give me this. I'll paint one square of each color. That way it'll be easier to choose which one you prefer."

Joy took the roller from Joohyun's side and did just what she told. Joohyun tilted her head to the side as she looked at each color. She brought her hand to her chin and even though Joy couldn't see her expression because of the mask, she knew the actress was making a thinker pose. 

"Maybe we should get another color between these tones?" Joohyun suggested. Joy sighed as she tried to regain control over her thoughts.

"But we already bought these paint cans" Joy reasoned, pointing at the big cans they had bought just that morning. Joohyun's eyes started to get watery and Joy left the roller back on the can. "Okay there. Time-out. Come with me."

She walked the older woman out of the room and back to the living room where she helped her sit down on the couch. Joy took Joohyun's mask off and that's when Joohyun started to cry. Joy wanted to hug her, but her t-shirt was stained with paint and Joohyun had decided to wear her most beautiful prenatal dress. In one swift move, Joy took her t-shirt off and wrapped her arms around Joohyun, who made sounds that were both a sob and a giggle.

"You're trying to distract me with your abs, aren't you?" 

Joy smirked at her as she pulled away so she could wipe her tears away from her cheeks. 

"Is it working?" Joy asked with a smug smile. 

"Nope" Joohyun answered, but she couldn't help but grin at her friend. Then her train of thought got back to the place it was before Joy . She started to cry again and she covered her face with her hands. 

"Hey, what's wrong? I'm sorry about what I said, you know I didn't mean it. We can buy more paint if you want to" Joy tried to calm her down, patting her hand on her shoulder. 

"It's not about the color. It's just..." Joohyun pointed at herself with her hands. "I can't do this! I'm not going to be a good mother."

"Hey, who says that? I think you're not just going to be a good mother. Hell, you're going to be the best mother out there." Joy reached out and held both Joohyun's hands, squeezing them as a kind of support.

"You just say that because you're my friend, but there's no way you can know if I'm going to be a good mother" Joohyun tried to reason, letting go of Joy's hands. The redhead sighed and pulled her friend closer.

"I say it because it's the truth. I know you care about the baby. You're just scared." 

The way Joy said it hit Joohyun like a glass of cold water. She breathed deeply, realizing that maybe Joy was right. She was just getting anxious because of all the stress she was going through because of the baby. "Do you think I can make it?" 

Joy placed her hand on Joohyun's knee, patting it softly. 

"I'm sure." 

Joohyun was the one who pulled her friend for a hug this time, muttering a small "thank you" as she covered her face on her friend's neck. Joy giggled when she noticed that Joohyun had some paint stains on the back of her dress. 

"And here I am, taking my t-shirt off to not stain your dress." Joohyun was a little bit confused as she tried to have a look at what Joy was pointing out.

"Did I get my dress stained?" She asked. Joy nodded in answer. "Well, you get to show your abs off. You've been going to the gym a lot lately."

"Yeah, it helps me get some stress off." Joy reached out to take the T-shirt and put it back on. "Show's over, lady." 

"How's work going?" Joohyun asked so they could stay like this a little bit longer. She still didn't feel ready to decide which color they would paint her kid's wall.

"Well, working from home is nearly the same as working in the office, except that you have to pay for the light bills" Joy chuckled and that made Joohyun give her a small smile. "Besides, I get to be with you two and that makes me forget about the stress with the deadlines and such."

"You two" Joohyun whispered, trying to get used to it. She patted her belly and then she began to caress it with both of her hands. Joy placed her hand on top of hers.

"I'm not leaving your side, you know that, right?"

Joohyun nodded, suddenly feeling a little bit sleepy. She rested her head back on the couch. "I know."

"Hey, you want to take a nap?" Joohyun nodded in answer. "Then take the dress off before you get the couch dirty."

Joohyun yawned. "Help me please?"

Joy undid the knot the dress had on the back and Joohyun stood up to take it off. She raised her arms and Joy took the dress off, leaving the woman in just her underwear. Joy noticed that the bump was a little bit bigger than last week. She smiled at the sight, thinking that it was beautiful to get to see how her friend's body was going to change.

"Stay here, I'll go take your pajamas." 

Joohyun sat on the couch as Joy took the dress back to her bedroom. She was glad that her friend was taking care of her in those moments. 

Joy knew that the incident with the paint color wasn't going to be the last time she would see her best friend cry during the pregnancy, but she never expected it to be the very same night. They had told each other good night ten minutes ago and Joy was entering her bed in the guest room when she heard a sob.

She got up as if the bed was suddenly on fire. She power-walked her way to Joohyun's room and opened the door slightly. She found Joohyun laying on her side, cuddling her knees as she cried. She fully opened the door and entered the room, laying down next to her as she covered Joohyun's frame with reassuring words and comforting pats and caresses. 

Once Joohyun calmed down, she sighed out of frustration. "Damn these hormones."

Joy chuckled, but she couldn't help but keep worried about her best friend. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be. Thanks for this." In times like these, she was glad Joy had moved in with her. She knew her friend cared about her, but ever since she got pregnant, Joy had taken so much care of her. She looked up at her friend, admiring how cute the redhead looked in those cute pajamas. However, the worried frown never left her face. "But if you keep worrying so much, you're going to get a heart attack." 

Joy's eyes widened a little, not sure of having heard right.

"What?" Joy sat up slightly, leaning her weight on her elbow. "You can't ask me not to care about you, Joohyun." 

"It's not that." She got closer to Joy, trying to find the right words. "It's just... you don't go out as much as you used to. You don't hang out with your bros or you aren't going to the parties. It's just... I think you're getting stuck in this mess with me because you feel like it's your thing to do."

Joohyun looked at Joy in the eyes, who was still dumbfounded. Joohyun's words hit her like a shoot. She didn't like the way Joohyun was saying this.

It was like she was giving her a way out.

"Hell no." She muttered under her breath. 'As if I would leave your side!'

"What?" Joohyun asked.

"I'm your friend, Joohyun. I got you into this, so we are getting out of this together."

Joohyun sighed as she placed her hand on Joy's cheek.

"You know it's not your fault."

Joy knew Joohyun was right, but it wasn't Joohyun's fault either. However, ever since they got the news, Joy felt the need to change. She couldn't keep partying around while her friend Joohyun, who had to quit acting to raise her kid, was dealing with a situation that was caused by her crazy ideas.

"I know, but it happened under my watch."

Joohyun chuckled. It was so unlike Joy to be that serious. "Are you kidding me? You can't protect me all the time. Seriously, Joy, I'm older than you."

Joy had to snort at that. "As if that ever mattered. You and I have matching souls, no matter what age we are." 

Joohyun rolled her eyes and started to play with a lock of Joy's hair. "That's what you told me that night." 

"Hm?" Joy asked, slightly taken back by the way her voice sounded. It was a tender mutter. 

"The night we first met, you told me we were soulmates."

Joy remembered that night when they met and they talked the night away on the rooftop of the hotel where Joohyun was staying with the rest of her classmates. She remembered the way she started to shamelessly flirt with her because that's the way she interacted with anyone that called her attention and Joohyun was the most beautiful girl in the restaurant. However, what she found instead wasn't a date. She found one of the strongest friendships she ever had.

She had a lot of friends, sure, but the difference was that she was the only friend Joohyun had. That made her feel special and that's why she treasured her friendship with Joohyun so much.

That's why she felt like she had failed her and she finally understood it now.

"I just can't live like that anymore." She confessed before she could stop herself. Joohyun took that lock of hair and placed it behind Joy's ear.

"Why? Because you want to be with me and the baby, isn't it?" Joohyun sighed, placing both her hands on Joy's cheeks as she sat up on the bed. "Listen, you don't have to stop living the way you live because of me."

"I have to grow up, Joohyun. I can't keep living like a teenager all my life. I have a good job now. You're having a baby and I can't keep being my self, taking shots and playing around with boys and girls. I don't want your baby to see me like that."

Joohyun pinched Joy's cheek, earning a groan from her. "That doesn't make sense to me."

"It's how I feel. Feelings don't have to make sense." Joy pulled away, gazing away from Joohyun as she covered her face with the pillow. Joohyun sighed as she ruffled her hair, laying down next to Joy.

"I know, dear. But I don't want you to change. You don't have to grow up, you know. I can already see my baby loving the way you are. They would be all 'Aunt Joy! Aunt Joy!' trying to get your attention. Because you'd be the coolest aunt someone could have. I can see you two playing video games together or even planning pranks on me. And I don't want you to stop bringing me crazy plans and pulling me out of my comfort zone. I need you, Joy, but I need the Joy I know, the Joy I love. Please just don't ever change."

Joy felt a knot in as she looked up at Joohyun. The way she was gazing at her meant that she was saying the truth.

"You mean it?"

Joohyun nodded her head, opening her arms in a welcoming hug for her friend. Joy jumped at her arms, careful not to hurt her friend, but the way Joy looked like a lost puppy had Joohyun giggling.

Ever since that night, Joy started taking the spot next to Joohyun every night. That way Joohyun never cried at night again, because she would talk about her worries with her best friend before drifting away to sleep land. 

That day had been really exciting because they finally knew the kid's gender: Joohyun was going to give birth to a baby girl. Since they got out of the doctor's office, they were telling each other all the names they could think of for the kid. Joy was telling her English names, while Joohyun kept thinking out loud about Korean names. Joy even suggested a Japanese name, in honor of the creature's father, but Joohyun chuckled and said:

"What's the point of that? It's not like he's going to show up. He's back in Japan now." 

Joy shrugged before suggesting another name that got Joohyun laughing. "We're not calling her Meryl! No matter how much you love Mamma Mia!" 

Joy was smiling as she remembered the most memorable moments of the day. The face Joohyun had when they found the name that clicked for both of them.

Bae Yerim.

She started to imagine the little girl with Joohyun's features, maybe her signature eye smile or her gaze in a tiny version of her friend. When she turned in bed she found Joohyun asleep facing her. She smiled, loving how relaxed Joohyun looked when she was sleeping. During the day she would stress over little decisions, such as the baby's bed or which was the best educational method she should read about. When she fell asleep, all those worries vanished and what was left was that beautiful face that got her into the theatre world.

The memory of the first premiere of Joohyun's play popped into her mind. She remembered how she raised Joohyun in the air and spin her around. It was a dream come true. Joohyun had her first role in a bigger production. A grin appeared on her face when she remembered the way they accidentally kissed because they decided to kiss each other's cheek at the very same moment. They had a laughter attack, both because it had been unexpected and because of the euphoria they felt because of the success of the play. They spent the rest of the premiere party dancing and teasing each other.

"Don't make me kiss you again." 

"Not if I kiss you first, Sooyoung."

"Joy! I always tell you that I prefer Joy!"

Spending these days so close to Joohyun was changing her feelings for her friend. She didn't know where those feelings were leading her, but the idea of being a family with Joohyun didn't sound so bad.

'Just don't screw it up like you always do, Joy'.

She turned around and decided that it was better to see how things would go. Maybe Joohyun's hormones were contagious.

Whatever Joy had felt that night months ago, now she was doubting it as Joohyun was almost going to break her hand by how tightly she was holding her. 

They had reached the hospital in no time because they had practiced all the routes together. When they got out of the car Joy already had the bag and everything ready for the hospitalization. Joohyun had broken waters earlier than expected, but they were ready for that possibility as well. The good part of being a conscious planner the way Joohyun was that any crazy situation or unexpected event was already thought about and there was already a plan for it.

When the contraction ended, she let go of Joy's hand. Her eyes widened when she saw that Joy's hand was purple already. She instinctively brought Joy's fingers to her lips and kissed them.

"I'm sorry, Joy."

The redhead shook her head, taking her hand away from her friend just in case. "It's okay. Just hold my other hand while this one takes a rest."

Joohyun's eyes got teary. "I don't know if I could have made it without you."

Joy chuckled as she poked her friend's cheek playfully. "Of course, you would. It wouldn't have been this fun, though."

The nurse that was taking care of them got to the room where they were waiting. She checked Joohyun's status and nodded her head before going back to get the doctor. 

"Just a typical day. People stare at your and nod." Joohyun joked in a whisper once the nurse had left. Both of them laughed at that.

"Should I get a peek? Maybe I'm losing the chance of my life." Joy and Joohyun playfully hit her arm. 

"You're going to get tired of seeing it today. You're going to see how a baby gets out of me, darling."

Joy fanned herself with her injured hand at the thought. "Oh my god. Our friendship is going to the next level, isn't it?"

"Yeah, the kind of friendship that goes to the delivery room together" Joohyun reached out to hold Joy's hand again.

"I like how it sounds" Joy smiled, bringing Joohyun's hand to her lips to leave a kiss on it. 

"Ms. Bae? We're going to the delivery room now. Are you ready?" The nurse asked as she brought the OR clothes for Joy. "I brought these for your girlfriend."

Before Joy could tell her that she wasn't her girlfriend, she felt Joohyun gripping her hand again as another contraction started. "Give her the clothes and let's go!" 

Joy shared a knowing look with the nurse as the young girl chuckled as she gave her the clothes. Joy put the whole set of OR clothes on while Joohyun had to hold back the urge to damage the palm of her hands with her nails. Once Joy was done, the nurse pulled the stretcher out of the room. The doctor came in seconds later along with another nurse. 

"Ready, Ms. Bae?" Even though they couldn't see the doctor's face, it was noticeable that he was smiling. Joohyun faintly nodded and sighed with relief when Joy held her hand again. She just needed to know that she wasn't alone at this moment.

"You're going to be the most beautiful mother ever" Joy reassuringly whispered, leaving a kiss on her temple. She didn't know why she felt this way. She felt like her heart could explode at any moment.

"And you're going to be the coolest aunt ever." 

Joy was touched by her words, but she couldn't stop herself from getting a little bit of heartache.

The days at the hospital were okay. Some actresses and other cast members from the productions Joohyun was at would visit them. Gyuri, one of Joohyun's closest friends from the theatre couldn't make it, but she sent a delivery of flowers to the hospital. Joohyun was going to melt at any moment because of looking at Yerim so much. Joy was fanning herself with whatever item she found, still recovering from the delivery room.

"If I ever tell you that I want to have a baby, tell me to simply not." 

Joohyun chuckled as she caressed her newborn baby's head, as Yerim rested against her chest. 

"Was it too much?"

"No, but it looked so painful" Joy kept fanning herself with the book she had brought. 

"Maybe you'll marry someone who will get pregnant for you."

That made Joy snort. "Marry? Me?"

"Oh well, you're right." 

They both began to laugh at the mere thought of Joy wearing a wedding dress and couldn't stop laughing. That's when something magical happened that both of them remember.

Yerim laughed as well.

Maybe she was just imitating the sound, but it was something that got both adults feeling tender.

A few hours later, Joy was calling a cab to get them home. She smiled as she carried the hospital bag and the flowers, waiting for Joohyun to reach her. When the hospital doors opened, revealing Joohyun with Yerim in her arms, she reached out to caress the baby's head. She was growing fond of the baby in only a few hours.

"Let's get home," Joohyun said with a smile on her face. Joy marveled at the sound of that. 

'Home.'

"So!" Seulgi clapped her hands, trying to get her girlfriend's attention back to the present moment. "Ocean blue or pale cornflower blue?"

Joy snapped from the memories the decision of colors for their baby's bedroom had brought her. "Sorry, what?"

Seulgi chuckled as she got the roller from Joy's hand. She painted a square of each color so they could compare them. 

"So, earth to Joy! Which color do you prefer?"

All the memories she had experienced in the past few seconds have made her remember the feelings she had developed for Joohyun during her best friend's pregnancy. Now she was in the very same situation but with someone, and she loved her in a way she had never felt before. She understood now that what she felt for Joohyun back then had nothing to do with what she felt for Seulgi. It was some kind of infatuation, probably because Joohyun looked her best during the pregnancy.

She took a step forward and pulled Seulgi for a kiss, which caught the other girl off-guard but she kissed her back. 

"Whatever color you choose would be perfect, honey."

Because my favorite color is you.

"Then pale cornflower blue it is."

Joy watched Seulgi with a tender smile on her face as the woman closed the paint can. Seulgi wasn't pregnant yet, because the first and the second try hadn't worked out, but she could watch her all day long.

Author's Note: 

So here's the headcanon I wrote in the notebook:

Joy gets confusing feelings for Joohyun during her pregnancy. She thinks she's falling for Joohyun but when she meets Seulgi, she realizes that it has nothing to do with what she feels for her.

I'm sorry for the JoyRene shippers because JoyRene is not going to be canon in the Love Lessons / Learn to Love universe. 

(But there are more JoyRene headcanons anyway.)

I hope you enjoyed it! I'll be reading your comments below. Thank you for waiting!