[M] Chapter 12 (1/1)

Gikwang woke up for the fifth time on the morning of the Thursday on week thirty-seven, needing to go to the toilet yet again. The last few days had been hell for the teenager in terms of moving around, because his baby had grown so big that it felt like it could drop from his stomach at any point. Luckily, his breathing and eating had become easier and he could feel his lungs relax as the baby moved further down inside him. Mentally, Gikwang was feeling a lot less strained, thinking of Doojoon fondly rather than sadly after his talk with Taecyeon. He allowed himself to get closer to Dongwoon because of it, the lack of guilt and depression making room for the older boy to come in. He found himself a lot less crabby and complained a lot less about the pains of his pregnancy.“Kiki?” Dongwoon murmured, hearing the boy pant and huff at the effort of getting out of bed.“Morning Woonie.. hah..” Gikwang forced out, scrunching his eyes shut and swinging his legs out from under the sheets. Dongwoon rubbed his eyes and hopped up, walking round to Gikwang’s side of the bed and holding out his hands to help him up- which had become a routine ever since the teenager’s bladder had started to work on overdrive. The teenager grabbed hold of his hands gratefully and smiled.“How many times have you needed to pee this morning?” Dongwoon asked, chuckling as he pulled the boy up. Gikwang shook his head, grinning.“This would be the fifth! This baby doesn’t want me to get any rest, clearly.” He said rather cheerfully.“Ah, who needs rest anyway.” Dongwoon joked, linking arms with Gikwang and walking him to the bathroom so that he was properly supported the whole way. “Plus, you’ll be able to rest when he or she is born.”“How did you figure that one out? I’m going to have to feed baby, dress baby, take baby out, clean baby up, play with baby-“ Gikwang ticked it all off in his head, mind spinning with all the things he would have to do.“Yeah, but not all the time. You just concentrate on loving baby most of all. When you’re too tired, I’ll do whatever you need. I’m here to look after you, Kiki, and although the baby isn’t mine, I just know I’ll love him or her. You’ve had a tough life so far and I know this has all been more difficult for you than for a lot of people. You’re already doing so well, Kiki.” Dongwoon interrupted, turning Gikwang around and resting his hands on the shorter boy’s shoulders. Gikwang smiled, showing off all of his teeth, his eyes turning up into crescents at the same time. Dongwoon thought he looked adorable.“You really are too sweet, Woonie.” The younger boy said quietly, leaning in to kiss the taller boy on the cheek quickly before blushing and walking into the bathroom. Dongwoon smiled at the closed bathroom door and brought his fingers to his cheek, stroking the spot where Gikwang’s lips had been. It was the boldest the boy had ever been towards him and he was very much taken by happy surprise.Gikwang opened the door again when he had finished, only to be met with Dongwoon’s lips pressing into his forehead, his hands cupping his small face. The teenager’s blush intensified and he looked at the young man with big glittery brown eyes. Dongwoon blushed too, but grinned and took his arm again so he could take him back to bed. Gikwang felt the kiss tingling on his forehead as he sat back in bed, not knowing how to look Dongwoon in the eyes properly.Taecyeon, who had heard the boys talking outside the bathroom next to he and Narsha’s room and peeped his head around the door to watch, beamed to himself. He had seen the two interacting lovingly ever since they had talked all those weeks ago and was now sure he needed to do something to get his two favourite hyungs together. Doojoon’s voice in his head spurred him on, the words reminding the little boy that Doojoon wanted Gikwang to be happy with someone else seeing as he couldn’t be there to take care of him. Later on that day, Taecyeon jumped onto the sofa beside Dongwoon while he read a rather thick looking Japanese book. The older boy put his book down immediately upon seeing Taecyeon and held his arms out, signalling he wanted a hug. Taecyeon gladly cuddled  up to his hyung, but he made sure not to forget the reason he was there in the first place.“Hyuuuuuung~?” he whined cutely.“Taecyeeeeooooon~?” Dongwoon imitated, making the little boy giggle.“You know Kiki hyung?”“Ummm, let me think. Do I know a Kiki?” Dongwoon pretended to look blank, chewing his nail in mock-concentration. Taecyeon laughed at his silly hyung. “Yes, I know Kiki. What about him?” The older boy finally asked.“You like him, don’t you?” the child demanded. Dongwoon blushed, the tips of his ears going bright scarlet.“Of course I like him, he’s kind and funny and good to talk to-“ he started bashfully. Taecyeon folded his little arms.“Noooo! I mean like like!” he complained. Dongwoon blushed even more, not understanding how a child so small could have him figured out so quickly. In any other situation, he would have laughed, because Taecyeon had really managed to make him squirm.“Ok, fine. Yes. Yes, I do. A lot. Happy now, big guy?” he said quickly, nudging the little boy. Taecyeon grinned.“Then tell him! I know Kiki hyung likes you too!” he exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the sofa excitedly. Sadness flashed across Dongwoon’s face and he bowed his head miserably.“Taec, I’m not Doojoon.” He said bitterly. “He’ll never want me when he’s had him. I can’t live up to Doojoon. I’d only disappoint him.” His voice when he said ‘Doojoon’ was laced with envy. He felt guilty about his jealousy towards the teenager he didn’t know, but he really couldn’t help it. The boy held so much of Gikwang’s heart up in heaven that Dongwoon was so desperate to attain, but didn’t have the confidence to try.“No! Doojoonie hyung wanted Kiki to love someone again so that he could be happy! Doojoonie would want you to be with Kiki and Kiki wants to be with you!”“Great, so now he’s a saint, too..” Dongwoon murmured. Taecyeon blinked at him. He sighed. “How can you be so sure he likes me?”“He kissed you!”“He kissed my cheek, Taec. It’s not quite the same.” Dongwoon sighed. Taecyeon looked confused.“But Narsha noona kisses me on the cheek and she loves me!”“I know that, big man, but for romantic purposes, it’s slightly different.”“But Kiki does like you! Please tell him, Woonie!” Taecyeon begged, doing his best puppy eyes. He was exasperated with trying to get his hyung to confess and resulted to pouting and being cute to get his own way. Dongwoon wavered and then gave in.“I’ll try. If he rejects me, I’m blaming you, little guy.”“Yaaaay!” the little boy cheered, throwing his arms around Dongwoon and hugging him.Dongwoon patted the little boy on the head and got up from the sofa, stretching himself out and nervously walking out of the room to find the pregnant boy. He found him a few minutes later huffing and panting on the bed, his face contorted in pain and discomfort. Gikwang beckoned him to come closer and held out his hand, showing that he wanted Dongwoon’s hand to hold onto. The young man gladly complied, taking the shorter boy’s hand into his own lovingly and weaving their fingers together. Gikwang squeezed hard and gasped, before relaxing and blowing air into his fringe, exhaling deeply.“Baby hurting you again?” Dongwoon asked gently, placing his free hand on the bump and feeling a particularly hard kick against his hand. He tutted at the baby, smiling.“No need to keep asking- baby always hurts me!” Gikwang replied. “I can tell this little one will be ready to come out soon, though. I can feel her or him getting lower down all the time. It’s mighty uncomfortable!” he exclaimed.“Exciting, though! Soon we’ll have a gorgeous mini Kiki to look after.” Dongwoon said, unable to contain his excitement. Gikwang blushed and smiled brightly, his beautiful eyes turning up into crescents as they always did when he was truly happy.“I really hope little one takes after Doojoon, though. That way a part of him is always in my life, no matter how far away he is in reality.” He said dreamily, imagining a child Taecyeon’s age with Doojoon’s prominent eye-whites and cute uneven teeth. Dongwoon’s heart sank a little but he kept smiling, though Gikwang could see the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “What’s wrong, Woonie?” he asked, worried about the older boy.“I..” Dogwoon started unsurely. “I- it doesn’t matter.” He gave up, sighing out the last words.“Woonie, of course it matters. I hate to see you upset. Please tell me?” Gikwang pushed, taking Dongwoon’s other hand and looking up at him with concern on his face. The young man really couldn’t deny that expression. He stroked Gikwang’s knuckles with his thumb.“Kiki, I know I’m not Doojoon and I know I never can be, b-but I care about you.. a lot more than I expected.” He confessed, his whole face tinted with pink. Gikwang’s lips parted in a small ‘o’ shape for a few seconds before he smiled, his eyes glittering. Dongwoon took a deep breath before continuing. “You being here, although strange at first,  has made me so much happier. Everyday you’re here, smiling or crying and being beautiful either way. You’re always here to talk to, to share things with and I don’t think I could live without you being so close to me. You make me happy, you make my parents happy, you make Narsha happy, you make Taecyeon happy and I know you made Doojoon happy too. He was the luckiest person in the world to have your heart, Lee Gikwang, and that must have made him feel amazing, because I already feel ridiculously lucky to be able to just be near you and hold your hands.”“Dongwoonie..” Gikwang whispered. Dongwoon shook his head.“Kiki, I need to say this now or I don’t think I ever will.I don’t know when I realised what my feelings for you are, but I know deep down they’ve been there ever since I first met you. You’re funny, gorgeous and utterly amazing. I want to take care of you and the baby, just as well as Doojoon would have done, but in my own way. I love you..” he finished, ducking his head from embarrassment. Gikwang’s heart pounded in his chest and he felt butterflies in his stomach- though that could have just been from the baby moving. He felt warm inside and out.