CHAELISA One-shots

Heartbeat III (The Baby)

***

"It's crazy, right?"

Lisa shifted and made a non-committal noise, nuzzling into Chaeyoung's shoulder and tightening her arm where it draped over her middle, her fingers trailing along Chaeyoung's hip. How she could sleep, or even think about sleeping, after the conversational bomb Aden had dropped on them in the middle of movie night, Chaeyoung had no idea.

Her first thought - her very first thought - when Aden had asked when she and Lisa - Dad - were going to have a baby, had been, "But I already told you how babies are made!"

Back when he was in kindergarten and one of his friend's had a new sibling, he'd asked where babies came from. So she'd gotten a book and read it to him and answered all his questions, eschewing cutesy nicknames and euphemisms for proper anatomical labels... and realizing that might have been a mistake when he'd nearly gotten himself kicked out of aftercare when he insisted on telling any kid who would listen what he'd learned. Which had led to one of the first serious parenting conversations she'd had with Lisa, trying to figure out how to teach a 5-year-old the balance between being open and honest and not being ashamed of one's body or natural body functions - including things related to sex - and knowing that there's a time and place for everything, and sometimes it's better not to talk about certain things in certain situations. Lisa had even given her some good advice, or at least food for thought... after she finished laughing so hard she almost toppled off the couch.

And Aden also knew - because privacy was not a thing when you were potty-training a toddler, and Chaeyoung had nearly died of embarrassment when Lisa learned that the hard way only a few weeks into their living together - that neither of them had a penis like him. So she'd been more than a little confused when he'd seemed to think the two of them could just have a baby like any other couple.

But she'd quickly realized he wasn't asking about the logistics. He just wanted to know when - not if, when - they were going to expand their family. Because that's what people did when they got married, right?

A little part of her had hoped Lisa would swoop in with an answer - or a distraction - but she'd been just as dumbfounded as Chaeyoung, and had given her a helpless look when Chaeyoung dared to glance in her direction. Chaeyoung had finally just said, "That's something Dad and I will have to talk about." And then been caught for a moment on how easily she had slipped into referring to Lisa as Dad when talking to Aden, when she'd always been careful before not to say it because she didn't want Lisa to feel any pressure to fill that role.

"Okay," he said, and then sat back, his eyes flicking back and forth between them, like he expected them to have the conversation right now while he waited.

"Later," she said, and then added in case there was any question, "Privately."

"Ugh," he groaned. "No fair!"

Lisa had finally managed to shake off her shock and told him he could pick the next movie, and he'd allowed himself to be distracted, but Chaeyoung knew it was only a temporary reprieve. He might not be able to keep track of his sneakers, but he sure as heck wasn't going to forget this one, or let it go. After the movie they'd tucked him into bed, and then did the same with themselves, deciding clean-up could wait for the next morning.

Now here they were, Lisa practically drooling on Chaeyoung's shoulder while Chaeyoung laid wide awake, even the oxytocin saturating her system not enough to quiet her racing thoughts.

"It's crazy," she repeated, her final answer, and closed her eyes.

"What's crazy?" Lisa asked, her voice a sleepy mumble.

Chaeyoung's eyes shot open, and she looked over and saw the light that crept in around the blinds glinting off a sliver of Lisa's cracked eyes. Chaeyoung rolled onto her side, rearranging her pillow so it was under Lisa's head, too, and scrunched down until they were eye-to-eye. "The two of us having a baby," she said.