I rolled over and sighed, carding my hands through Kris' hair and smiling when he sleepily rested his head on my chest and nuzzled my bare skin. His lips tickled when he mumbled quietly and I squirmed, trying to escape the sensation. 
    "Ooh, look at you two cuties." Aoi broke in, leaning against the doorway with a cheshire cat smile and lidded eyes. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of boxers and a baby björn strapped across his chest, Minji bouncing happily inside.  
    "Aoi, shhh." I scolded, motioning to Kris. Kris let out a sleepy groan and curled tighter around me, draping one forearm across my stomach and squeezing me closer. 
    "You want any breakfast? My friend is over here making some." Aoi offered. I started to nod then paused and fixed him with a wary look. 
    "Your friend?" I frowned, beginning to slowly untangle myself from Kris and get up. Aoi raised one meaningful eyebrow and stared at me until I realized what he was trying to tell me and hurriedly pulled the covers back up over my bare waist, cheeks flaming. 
    "Yeah, I asked him to come keep an eye on you two and Minji while Yoichi and I are out looking at properties together." Aoi said, digging through my drawers and tossing me a robe. 
    "We're adults, you know." I frowned, slipping a pillow under Kris' head to substitute my chest and pulling the robe on. 
    "Yes, I know. But we would both feel much more comfortable if we knew you had someone with you to help out. An extra pair of hands never hurt anybody." Aoi smiled reassuringly and I found myself grudgingly agreeing with him. 
    "Fine. I'll grab a shower and then I'll be down for breakfast. Let Kris sleep." I said, walking towards the bathroom. Aoi nodded, walking back down the hall and leaving me to start up my shower. 
    The hot water felt wonderful on my skin and I took my time, relaxing slowly. I would be glad for Yoichi and Aoi to find a place of their own but I must admit...I might miss them a bit. I shook my head to clear it and got a big glob of shampoo in my eye, making me gargle out a pained grunt and stick my head under the shower nozzle. 
    Once I was done getting washed up I changed back into a clean pair of sweatpants and a tank top, running a hand through my hair and making it stick up haphazardly. I closed the bedroom door behind me quietly and found Minji's crib empty, padding down the stairs and smiling unconsciously when I smelled the delicious aroma of breakfast. 
    I walked into the kitchen to find Yoichi and Aoi sitting at the countertop, paging through real estate magazines and feeding Minji. An unfamiliar man was standing at the stove, his hands moving too fast to track as he flipped eggs, tossed hash browns, and sliced fruit. 
    "You put on a shirt." I remarked, looking at Aoi pointedly and noticing his distinct lack of the baby björn. 
    "Yeah, that damn thing chafes bare skin a ton." Aoi grumbled, rubbing a soothing hand across his stomach. 
    "Morning, Tao. Orange juice?" Yoichi cut in, sliding a pitcher of juice towards me with a smile. I nodded and poured myself a glass, taking in Aoi's friend. 
    His back was to me, but god was it an impressive back. He must have been two meters tall, with broad shoulders and heavy muscles that strained at his shirt. His hair was chestnut brown and cut similarly to mine, softly curling at the nape of his neck. His skin was just the slightest bit tan, his navy shirt setting off the color of his skin.  
    "Alek, this is Tao. You'll be spending time with him today." Aoi said, prompting the man to turn. 
    His eyes were narrow, almost Asian-looking with their extreme points, but the rest of his face was soft, handsome curves. He flashed a brief white smile and nodded to me, offering the frying pan he was holding with one strong hand. 
    "Tao, this is Aleksanteri." Aoi said. Aleksanteri shook his head with a rough chuckle, shockingly light grey eyes glittering. 
    "Call me Alek. Are you hungry?" Alek asked, a charming accent curling the edges of his words. It sounded similar to Russian but was too soft sounding, lacking the hard edges of Russia.  
    "Yes, thank you." I smiled in return, watching him heap a massive amount of food onto a plate and slide it towards me. Despite his impressive muscle mass, he was more lean than bulky, and surprisingly agile for his height.  
    "I hope you do not mind me being in your home." Alek said politely, already beginning to carefully wash up the dishes in the sink. I was stopped from answering by the bite of hash browns I had just put it in my mouth, distracted by the exquisite flavor bombarding my tongue. 
    "Oh, god. That's amazing." I finally slurred through another mouthful. "Please stay forever." 
    "I am happy you like it." Alek smiled again, tugging his sleeves up to finish scrubbing out the pans. 
    I ate as much of the food on my plate as I was physically able to, regretting it immediately and being amazed by Alek leaning in and polishing off the rest in two bites. 
    "Well, we're going to get going. We'll be back later tonight, don't wait up." Yoichi smiled, handing Minji to Alek and leaning in to rest his forehead briefly on the taller man's. Alek brushed his cheek across Yoichi's and then repeated the action with Aoi, waving them out pleasantly. 
    "Do you need any more help around the house?" Alek asked, cradling Minji with one hand and using the other to deftly stack plates and then put them away in the cupboards. 
    "More help?" I asked, slightly awed by his incredible ability to multitask. 
    "Yes, I already did some dusting and I cleaned the floors. I hope you do not mind." Alek said, looking slightly sheepish all of a sudden. 
    "M-mind? Are you sure you can't stay forever?!" I asked. Alek smiled, looking pleased, and cast one last hand over the countertop. 
    "I was going to go finish folding the laundry. Do you mind holding her?" Alek asked, handing a cooing Minji to me. 
    "You don't have to do all that." I smiled, letting Minji wrap her hand around one of my fingers and on it. 
    "Nonsense. I am here to help you." Alek smiled, his eyes shimmering once again.
    "You are my favorite out of all of Aoi's friends!" I called to his retreating back, sitting down happily on the couch and bouncing Minji on my lap. 
    We spent several hours just playing and dozing on the couch, Minji distracted by the children's programs I had put on the tv. I wondered briefly when Kris was going to wake up but decided to just let him sleep, enjoying my time with Minji. Kris had set up an infant swing next to the couch and Minji loved to sit in that. 
    A few hours later, she was asleep on my chest when she started crying suddenly, startling me. I jumped and then looked down at her, frowning confusedly. I checked my watch, wondering if it was time for more food, but found that wasn't the case. I lifted her up and took a hesitant sniff, confirming my worst suspicions. She needed a diaper change. 
    Alek was out cleaning the pool, bless his heart, and Kris was useless—still asleep in our room. I took Minji to the guest room and dug through the diaper bag, pleased to find several pairs of disposable gloves by the clean diapers. 
    I put on a pair and spread out the changing mat on the, lying Minji down carefully. I unsnapped her onesie and lifted it up, pulling out extra bottles of diaper rash cream and baby powder and the like. I undid her diaper and slowly unfolded it, reaching down to try to pull it away. 
    "!" I exclaimed before I could stop myself, feeling an unpleasantly warm squish around my thumb. I quickly pulled the diaper down the rest of the way, sighing as I opened a fresh pack of diaper wipes. 
    "Okay, that's poop." I muttered, trying to touch the diaper the least amount possible. Minji looked up at me and fidgeted, trying to reach out and grab the bottle of diaper rash cream next to her. I carefully moved it away and continued cleaning, using about fifty diaper wipes and nearly dropping the diaper on the floor when I slid it into the plastic garbage bag next to me. It was a relief to remove my gloves and not worry properly touching the clean diaper, buckling it in place and smoothing down the adhesive clasps. 
    "What are you doing?!" Kris exclaimed from the doorway, startling me so badly I jumped and slammed my toe into the bed frame.
    ", ow, what do you mean?" I hissed, hopping on one foot and gingerly holding my toe. 
    Kris pointed and I turned to find Minji holding the bottle of baby powder in one tiny fist, grinning at me as she upended the entire thing all over her head and chest. 
    "No, no, no—" I grunted, gently prying it out of her hands and helping her sit up. She coughed and then giggled, reaching out one powdered hand to smear white ac