“Babe…” Chaerin said, attempting to see over her stomach and look at Jiyong who was resting comfortably on the sofa.

“Yes kitten.” Jiyong answered, hand coming down and squeezing her foot as it lay in his lap.  He shifted slightly so that he could meet Chaerin’s eyes.  He had gotten used to this tone, the coy “Babe…” that slipped from her lips was usually a precedent to some request for strange concoctions or late night runs to the twenty –four hour convenience store down the road.

“I’m hungry.”  She said with a pout, wiggling her toes at him.  She reached forward and rubbed her hands over her stomach.  “And I think the little gremlin has decided that today they’re an acrobat.” She whined a little.  It had been a few weeks, and surprisingly Jiyong hadn’t told her what they were having yet.  Admittedly she was a little proud of him.

“Alright baby, what can I get you this time?” Jiyong asked, carefully moving her feet and standing with a stretch.  “Kimchi? Ice cream? Chips? Sweets?”  Jiyong looked down at her running his fingers over her stomach, “What does the gremlin want?”

Chaerin snorted, “The gremlin wants to kick through my skin, and the queen wants ice cream, and pretzels.”  She smiled taking his hand and playing with his fingers, “the kind with peanut butter in them that taste like normally, but I just really want them right now.”  She added with wide hopeful eyes.

Jiyong smirked and shook his head. “Anything for my queen.” He said and took his hand back reaching in his back pocket and making sure he had his wallet before heading out to the store.   He had been there so often in the last few weeks that the clerks didn’t even ask him what he was in for anymore.  He made his selection picking up a few more things just in case Chaerin had changed her mind by the time he got home. It had happened before, and though she insisted that he didn’t need to go back to the store he had, and he had learned now to try and cut her off at the pass and bring her options.  

He paid, making small talk with the clerk and looping the bags over his arms as he left.  The ride home was minimal and familiar, and though he should be annoyed by its familiarity, he wasn’t.  He didn’t mind doing these things for Chaerin, and aside from the increased appetite she was still the feisty but sweet woman that he had fallen in love with, and now she was carrying his son, even though he couldn’t tell her that.  “Chae! I’m home!” He called as he walked through the door, bags once again looped on his arms.
Chaerin was slowly walking around the living room, hands pressed to her back trying to relieve the ache there.  “Did you get everything?” She asked, walking over to him slowly with her hands out.  She took the bags as Jiyong offered them to her.  “Thank you baby.” She added softly, kissing his cheek and then walking to the kitchen to grab her snacks. 

“You feeling alright kitten?” Jiyong asked following her and watching her dig through the bags, pulling out the ice cream and pretzels. He grabbed a bowl for her and sat on the other side of the island table, chin resting on his palm as he waited for her to answer.

“Yeah, I guess.  I’m just really sore and can’t get comfortable.”  Chaerin answered, putting ice cream in the bowl and crushing the pretzels on top. She looked at Jiyong as she took a bite.  “Also, I want to know.”

“You want to know?” Jiyong asked, thoroughly confused.  “You want to know what?”

“What we’re having.”  Chaerin answered flipping the spoon over in and on it.  “I have a feeling, and I want to know if I’m right or not.”

“Oh. Oh no…” Jiyong laughed and shook his head holding his hands up.

“What do you mean oh no?” Chaerin asked, taking another bite of ice cream and pointing the spoon at him.

“I mean, I’m not falling for this, you have to prove to me that you really want to know. I’m not getting in trouble.” He continued to shake his head, though the smile remained on his lips. 

“What? Oh come on! I wanna know!”  Chaerin whined, leaning toward him.

“You wanted to know last time too and then you clamped your hands over your ears and yelled at me for giving in easily.” Jiyong reminded her.

“I do not recall this.” Chaerin said with a shrug and a playful smile. “Anyway, this time is different, I really do want to know.”

“Sure it is kitten. Here, I’ll cut you a deal, I’ll write it down and put it in an envelope, then if you really really REALLY want to know, you can open it.”  Jiyong offered, turning to find a piece of paper and a pen.  His insides were clenching, he really did want to tell her, but this had happened before, and he wasn’t about to get yelled at again. Finding a piece of paper and a pen he turned at eyed Chaerin as he wrote the word “boy” on the note. “Now I’m going to go get an envelope,  and this will be in the crib in the nursery, if you want to know you can find it, if not, it can stay there. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Jiyong nodded and left Chaerin to enjoy her snack, laughing as she smacked him on the when he walked by.  He went to his office and grabbed an envelope, stuffing the piece of paper into it.  He could hear Chaerin moving about as he made his way to the nursery and placed the envelope, like he had promised, on top of the crib.  He looked around the green room and smiled, enjoying the calmness of it before heading back to the living room.  “The ball is in your court.” He grinned at the blonde who was standing rubbing her stomach at the bottom of the stairs. “What you gonna do kitten?”