Wendy entered the room as silently as possible. She waved at an exhausted Irene who beamed at her and after placing the paper bags of food she brought with her on the counter, sat next to her on the bed.

"She's just going to latch onto you like a koala, huh?" said Wendy, smiling at their newborn daughter who was curled up on Irene's chest, sleeping soundly.

"She fell asleep as soon as you left," said Irene. "Meeting everyone probably tired her out too— Oh! She’s waking up." She smiled as Hyemi stirred. Hyemi turned her head slowly, her hand twitching against her. They both waited patiently for her to open her eyes.

When it seemed like Hyemi was finally fully awake, Wendy leaned forward and tilted her head to smile at her.

"Hey, princess. Had a nice nap?" Wendy grinned. She took Hyemi opening and closing soundlessly as a 'yes'.  "Want me to hold her for a bit? Let you get some rest?"

"Thank you." Irene chuckled, allowing Wendy to pick Hyemi up from her chest.

Wendy was amazed by how easily Hyemi had relaxed in her arms and snuggled closer to her. She wondered if new parents felt as happy as she did in that moment when bonding with their own child.

It was far too soon to tell if she had more of Wendy's features or Irene’s twin, (although Joy claimed she looked exactly like Irene did when she was a baby, from the pictures she saw.) but it made no matter to her. She was perfect in every way and Wendy could spend a lifetime just watching her every movement. To watch her take in everything that surrounded her. Because everything was unfamiliar and new and exciting.

Wendy traced her small face from her forehead, down to her nose and pink cheeks. Hyemi made a murmuring sound and her tiny hand hovered over Wendy’s finger with only her wrist touching her, still unable to grasp it with her limited movements. Wendy's heart swelled.

She smiled as Hyemi tried to keep her eyes open longer to look up at her. Wendy cooed at her and rocked her in her arms gently.

"May these words be the first to find your ears..." she started singing. "The world is brighter than the sun, now that you're here." Irene smiled as she listened to her, her eyes fluttering close. "Though your eyes need some time to adjust, to the overwhelming light surrounding us..."

She continued to sing until Irene fell asleep. Though with some difficulty, Hyemi watched her the entire time, as fascinated with her mother's voice as Wendy was, watching her.

 

⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼

 

Irene woke up a couple of hours later, when Seulgi and Joy got back from work and they entered the room with her parents. While they were busy with Hyemi, Wendy reheated the food she brought so Irene could eat.

She was glad she brought enough because giving birth somehow affected Irene's appetite more than her entire pregnancy. She should have expected it since it was no easy feat, and Wendy still wasn't over it. Mothers are incredible. Irene was incredible. For reasons she couldn't even articulate.

"Hmm?" She heard Irene’s voice, making her realize she had been staring. She simply shook her head in response to the girl’s curious look.

"You think you’ll be ready to go home tomorrow?" Wendy asked, handing Irene another container.

"Probably. And I think I’ll be more comfortable at home than in here," Irene replied.

"It would be nice to finally bring Hyemi home with us too," she said, taking a sip from the bottle of water.

Irene giggled, twirling the fork in her hand. "That’s…going to be interesting."

"Hah." She exclaimed. "I'd say the past 48 hours has been quite interesting." 

Irene fell silent, and Wendy regarded her curiously. She noticed her biting her lip mischievously.

"So...I don't know if I was just confused because of the pain, but I seem to remember you calling me something earlier." Wendy saw the corner of her lips form into a smirk.

"What?”

Irene grinned. "You called me baby."

Wendy blushed furiously, and as much as she wanted to deny it, convince her brain that it was a mistake, she clearly remembered it happening.

"Hey, I don't mind if you don't want to acknowledge it yet." Irene shrugged, still smiling.

"How very understanding of you" said Wendy, obviously unamused.

"Baby steps, right?"

"I hate you."

"Don’t want to interrupt your little lovers' spat, but I still have work in the morning and I want to give this to you guys now." Seulgi took out a thick baby blue and pink book from her bag. "For the adorable potato."

"Call my daughter a potato one more time and I'll make you choke on one," said Wendy through gritted teeth, accepting the gift from Seulgi.

"I mean that endearingly and Hyemi really shouldn’t be exposed to such violent language this early." Seulgi said with a ‘tsk’, ignoring Wendy’s death glares.

"Seulgi, this is—" Irene began. They realized it was a photo album.

"I know modern folks just keep everything in computers nowadays, but I'm not having any of that nonsense and I'm giving you an actual album that I'm expecting you to fill up.

Wendy resisted the urge to say that it certainly won't be a problem for Hyemi's technologically challenged mother. She also didn’t mention that they already received a total of four albums, but filling those up won’t be a problem for Wendy either.

She howled with laughter when she saw the first page.

"I suppose it’s like a scrapbook now too." Seulgi added with a snort.

Seulgi had printed out the article that convinced her to become a donor more than a year ago. She smiled at it fondly, and for a moment, imagined what life would be like if she never read it, or if she didn't listen. She shuddered at the thought.

She somehow managed to get copies of Hyemi’s ultrasound photos as well. The rest were photos she remembered her taking, like from the baby shower, their first Christmas and New Year’s Eve. She also had some that she didn’t know she took like when the five of them went out or one of Wendy’s panicked expressions while waiting outside the hospital. There was also one where they were just staring at each other with so much warmth and affection that Wendy wondered how she could have ever been so blind.

"This is the best gift ever and you're the best friend anyone could have." Wendy gazed up at Seulgi, hoping her eyes would show her appreciation for the other girl if her words couldn’t.

"So can I call Hyemi a potato? With all of my love and adoration of course."

"No." They said in unison.

 

⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼

 

Going home was just as bizarre as she had imagined.

Although she had already considered them as three in the past, it was a different feeling leaving the house and coming back with another human being. One who would actually start living there. She didn’t know if she was more excited or terrified.

Suddenly, everything in the house looked far too dangerous for her taste. It didn't matter that Hyemi would be staying in her crib for quite a while, her newfound motherly instincts told her to babyproof every corner and wall and protect Hyemi at all costs.

Irene's own instincts seemed to have alerted her about Wendy's inner turmoil, and gave her arm a light squeeze. Wendy instantly relaxed and stopped hugging Hyemi so closely to her chest.

"She'll be fine. We'll be fine."

"I know, I was just…a bit overwhelmed for a second there." Wendy breathed out.

"I'm guessing you’ll stay like this her whole life, so I should just get used to it." Irene smirked. "But you do have to get used to it too, mommy."

"Ahh, it is official now, isn't it? Mom." Wendy chuckled.

"Come on, let’s get her settled. I need you focusing on things happening in the present before your train of thought runs on full speed again and we end up discussing colleges for Hyemi."

"I don't do that." Wendy scoffed. "…do I do that?"

"Don't worry, I still find it adorable."  Irene smiled, leaning in towards her.

"Please spare me, this is still new for me and I still want an explanation." Joy walked in and breezed past them with all of their bags from the hospital. Wendy was impressed.

"Sorry." Wendy bit her lip.

"It's fine," Irene shook her head. "We still have plenty of time for that after."

“Don’t count on it!” They heard Joy's voice from the hallway.

They eventually realized just how right Joy was later that night and until the early hours of the next morning. At around 3 AM Wendy already had a chair set up next to the crib but Irene dragged her back to bed. They only had to get up 4 more times after that.

 

⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼

 

Wendy's eyes squinted as soon as she opened them, her arm rising to shield herself from the early morning sun seeping through the thin curtains Wendy never got around to changing. She noticed a figure near the window and allowed her eyes to refocus. She smiled at the sight.

Irene was sitting on a chair, holding Hyemi to her chest. Wendy wanted to turn her head away out of habit, even though she was aware it was nothing to be embarrassed about and Irene had reminded her so as well. But the scene was far too beautiful and heartwarming for her to even try to look at anything else anyway. In her mind, they were almost glowing.

The older girl seemed to have noticed that she was awake and turned her head to greet her with a radiant smile of her own.

"She woke up hungry. I’m glad she didn’t wake you."

"I should be, though. Awake, I mean. I don’t want her crying for more than 3 seconds," said Wendy as she sat up to face them.

"You’re going to spoil her."

"Oh I intend to." Wendy grinned.

Hyemi released Irene’s with a soft pop and Irene gently wiped with a white cloth. This time, Wendy lifted her head out of reflex. She heard Irene laugh as she adjusted her top before standing up to put Hyemi back in her crib.

"Honestly, Wendy. It's not like you haven’t seen everything before. Up close too." Wendy was mortified at the reminder of the events of Hyemi’s birth and started spluttering.

"I said I was sorry!"

"We both agreed stuff like this don’t count and that I don’t mind." She snorted, her back turned to her.

It was true it shouldn’t count. It was weird to even think of it as anything else anyway. But as much as Wendy wanted to continue witnessing such a wonderful moment of bonding between her daughter and her girlfriend, innate politeness and past experiences with other mothers in public were hard to forget. It was silly of course, since this was her own family and not a stranger she saw in the park.

"I know, I'll try to keep that in mind." Wendy chuckled. "I'll go wash up and prepare breakfast."

 Irene merely hummed in response.

"Before I forget," Irene let out a small gasp when Wendy pulled her by the waist and lightly pecked her on the lips. "Good morning," she grinned.

 

⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼

 

A few days passed, and their circle of friends decided to have a small gathering the night before Irene's parents arrived from South Korea.

Seulgi arrived first, miraculously.

"How's my favourite baby in the world?" She grinned, speaking in a low voice which had become a habit for most of them whenever they were near Hyemi.

"Sleeping, actually."

"And Irene?" The other girl asked after hanging her coat.

"Getting some well-deserved rest."

"Really? Irene?" Seulgi raised a brow.

Wendy bit her lip. "Okay, she told me to wake her up after an hour but I wanted her to sleep longer. She can just get mad at me for it later."

"You are so easy to read." Seulgi laughed softly as they walked to the living room.

They both sighed in contentment after settling on the comfortable couch. They managed to look at each other at the same time, which wasn't really unusual for the two friends who became used to moving in-sync after growing up together.

"So" They said in unison, grinning widely.

"I assume you want to guilt trip me for not telling you about Irene?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Seulgi replied and Wendy nodded her head.

"Not really doing a good job at the whole best friend thing, am I? First Hyemi, now Irene,"

"Good you know."

Wendy nudged her with an elbow. "You’re supposed to say something nice like 'No it’s okay, I understand.'" When Seulgi’s only response was a glare, Wendy apologized immediately. "I know. I’m a jerk."

"Good you know." Seulgi repeated.

Even though she felt guilty about the whole thing, she was far too happy to do anything about it at the moment. She may say otherwise, but Seulgi wasn't really upset. In fact, the other girl’s eyes told her she was also happy. It would be hard to match how Wendy felt, but she knew she was.

"This is kind of insane, isn't it?" Seulgi grinned. "Like...I mean it makes you really feel like an adult."

"I don't know about your mental age Seulgi, but I've been an adult for quite a while." That earned her a slap on the arm.

"I'm serious! Maybe it's weirder for us because we've known each other our entire lives, and now here you are with a girlfriend and a daughter."

"I get what you mean." Wendy smiled wistfully. "But technically the daughter came first."

"That's because of that stupid thing you did." The landscaper smirked. "But it's because of that stupid thing you did that I don't have to worry about you dying alone."

"Much appreciated." She deadpanned.

"But kidding aside, I'm proud of you buddy. You may still be confused as to how you accomplished it, honestly I am too, but you managed to get everything you didn’t even know you wanted."

"Like you said, by doing stupid things." She shook her head with a laugh.

"Don't mess it up though," said Seulgi in all seriousness.

"Now that's one stupid thing I don’t plan on doing. Don't worry." She beamed at her. "It's time to find someone for you too." The front door opened and they heard Joy and Yeri’s voice from the hallway, announcing their arrival. "We don't really have to look too far, if you know what I mean," she said, raising her brows suggestively.

"What are you talking about?" The girl said, genuinely confused.

"Oh my God, you're so dense."

Joy locked eyes with Seulgi as soon as she entered the room. The younger girl just gave a bored “What?” upon realizing that she was still staring.

Wendy facepalmed at the exchange.

 

⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼

 

"I told you you didn’t have to come up with me." Wendy grumbled.

"And I'm telling you now that if my father finds a single object out of place in his old study, he’ll flip, baby or not."

"Are you sure I can't hide in the bathroom till they leave? I can just call Seulgi or Yeri and ask them to slip some food through the window while you’re busy with the—Oww!" Wendy rubbed the part of her arm Irene pinched.

"Why is it always the dads people are scared of meeting when they're dating a girl?" Irene shook her head.

"Well I don’t know about them, but all I know is your mom actually wanted to meet me and wasn't the parent your suitors ran away from. And get off your high horse, miss. I still remember your face when you met my father."

"I don't know what you’re talking about." Irene shrugged.

"Sure," said Wendy sarcastically. She held out a hand for Irene to take when they reached the stairs but blinked in confusion when Irene simply stared at it.

"I'm not pregnant anymore, you know." She laughed.

"What?" She exclaimed, laughing as well. "I'm not gonna stop taking care of you just because you're no longer carrying my child."

There was that smile again that never failed to make Wendy's heart skip a beat. The older girl wordlessly took her hand and they went down the steps together.

They found Joy at the bottom of the stairs.

"You're done? Good. I love your offspring to death but I think she's been sniffing my hair for a minute now for some reason, and it's kind of reminding me of that one film with the creepy French dude."

Wendy laughed as she took Hyemi from Joy's arms but Irene obviously didn’t see what was hilarious about their daughter being compared to a psycho.

"You should be flattered. I heard most newborns like their mom's scent the most."

"She's kind of sensitive though. I just noticed." Irene tucked a hand under her chin. "The other day Seulgi came to visit straight from work and she cried."

"I told you I showered!" Seulgi shouted from the living room.

"That makes it worse." Joy retorted.

"Can you two pairs of lovebirds hurry up, I’m starving!" They heard Yeri’s voice from the hallway, and Wendy assumed she was already in the dining area.

Not wanting to deal with a grumpy Yeri, they were all seated around the dinner table in no time.

"Attention everyone," Joy tapped her glass lightly with a spoon. "Today, we celebrate not only Irene and Wendy's newfound relationship— which I saw coming ages ago by the way,"

"So did a hundred others."

Joy narrowed her eyes at Yeri before continuing. "—but also the birth of their daughter, Hyemi. May she grow up kind, caring, and become as beautiful as her aunt Joy— her moms," she corrected after someone kicked her. "And hopefully won't become as stubborn as they are."

"That was lovely, Joy," said Irene with a straight face.

"I know, you're welcome. Cheers!" 

Wendy just watched the two friends in amusement and raised her own glass.

Irene somehow went down a spot on Joy's list of favourite people after spending 10 seconds with Hyemi, who was now 3rd. Irene didn't show it, but Wendy knew she was a little bitter.

"Hey Wendy, I was thinking we should install a swing. Kinda like the one you had on Stave Crescent when we were younger," said Seulgi.

"She’s literally barely two weeks old, dummy." Joy smiled sweetly. It was obvious Joy wanted to call her a '' instead but Hyemi was in the room.

"She doesn't have to use it now."

"So why get it now?"

"What's next for you guys?" Yeri asked her and Irene, wanting to divert the attention from the other two.

"What's next? Well for starters, work on your relationship." Joy pointed at the two of them with a fork. "Two people don't simply jump from friends to having a baby. Worse, you went from complete strangers to raising a baby together. That's not even possible in Sims."

"Please tell her to stop making such references." Irene sighed.

"I get that you're kind of in a relationship now, and you know I was low key rooting for it, but really, how much dating have you done in the months you've known each other?"

Irene and Wendy froze.

"Aha." Joy smirked. "See, you two have only known each other as co-parents. You have to spend more time with each other with just the two of you as well."

Wendy was about to say that it was already impossible, since it was a fact that they're already parents and that Hyemi's already a part of their lives permanently, but Irene's hand covering hers stopped her.

"I hate to say it, but she kind of has a point."

"Music to my ears," said Joy. "One of us would be watching Hyemi of course, but I know a couple of places you two can— "

"Oh no, I said 'you have a point' not 'please plan our first real date, oh wise one'."

"First date!?" They all said in shock, startling Hyemi. Wendy felt some humiliation at their outburst, despite herself.

Irene rolled her eyes and tried to soothe her squirming daughter by rubbing her on the back gently. "Honestly, do you think we had time to take each other out when I could barely walk to my own bathroom?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, of course that makes sense. It’s just uhh…we never really thought about it, I suppose." Yeri scratched at her face sheepishly.

Wendy took a quick peek at Irene to gauge her reaction before giving a response. All of her thoughts about such things just seemed to have faded away after Hyemi’s birth, and it was only at that moment that she allowed herself to think of such things again.

"We'll do all of that, of course." Wendy chuckled, but the lack of confidence in her tone was noticeable. "We just need time to adjust first."

"Hey anything you need, just give me a call, alright?" Seulgi said with a wink. "But I may need someone who can hold her for me when I babysit."

"What’s the point of babysitting if you’re not gonna do anything with the baby?" Joy asked.

"I can still help!"

"How?"

Wendy may have to rethink this ridiculous matchmaking idea Irene put in her head.

 

⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼⇼

 

“Who’s ready for bed?” Wendy said in a sing-song voice. "Are you? You don’t seem like it." She giggled.

Hyemi could only make gurgling noises for her mother, but Wendy took it as a no seeing as her eyes were still looking around and her tiny hands and feet jerking occasionally. She leaned her head closer for Hyemi to see her better from her crib and for a second she saw a hint of a smile that was probably just reflex but made her happy nonetheless.

"Alright sweetheart, you need to sleep." She laughed. Carefully, she took Hyemi from her crib and gently wrapped her in her blanket.  Wendy started to hum softly as she sat down on the bed next to Irene who was already lying down. "You really can’t sleep without someone holding you, huh? Just like your mom."

"All babies are like that and yes I can," Irene defended with a pout.

It didn't take more than 5 minutes for Hyemi to fall asleep, to their relief. Wendy gently laid her down on the bare mattress of her crib and Wendy sat back down on the bed and closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

"Come here." Irene motioned her to lie down by patting the empty space on her side of the bed. She then stretched out her arm.

Wendy was caught off guard but did as she asked. She settled next to her comfortably, leaning her head on Irene’s chest with her arm around her while the other girl wrapped her own arms around her waist.

"I’ve always wanted to do this but I couldn't really do it when I had a beach ball in front of me." Irene giggled.

"And how are you liking it so far?" Wendy asked with a husky voice, Irene's warmth slowly lulling her to sleep.

"It's actually nice,” she said with a yawn. “How are you liking it so far?"

"I think I get why you like being held so much" Wendy replied, making Irene laugh.

Irene started rubbing soothing circles on her back which made her relax even more. She let out another sigh.

"What are you thinking about?" Irene asked in almost a whisper.

"Nothing," she lied.

She felt Irene’s smile against her head. "You’re thinking about what Joy said."

"A little bit," she admitted, knowing it was useless denying anything when it came to Irene.

"We’ll get to that, like you said." Irene assured her. "But for now, let's just enjoy this."

This probably meant their time together as a new family and Wendy couldn't agree more. But she would also appreciate the moments in between, like new experiences with her girlfriend.

The peaceful moment didn’t last long however, and the half-asleep Wendy was alerted by a soft wail.

"I got it," said Wendy and kissed Irene lightly on the cheek before climbing off the bed.

"Thanks, babe" she heard Irene say from behind her, and Wendy knew she was smirking. She rolled her eyes and picked Hyemi up from her crib.