Chapter Text
"Babe," Johnny hears Taeyong call from somewhere downstairs. "Babe, come look at this."
"What is it?" Johnny shouts through the open door of the home office. Technically it was theirs but Johnny rarely used it since only Taeyong worked from home. He glances at the time on his laptop, realizing that he'd been working for almost two hours and that Taeyong would probably be done preparing lunch soon. His stomach grumbles on cue.
"Mina sent us a new picture of Blip."
Blip.
The way Johnny rushes downstairs is ridiculous, almost comedic, but he can't contain his excitement. He joins Taeyong in the kitchen, hooking his chin over Taeyong's right shoulder to peek at the picture on his phone.
"Isn't he adorable?"
Johnny agrees wholeheartedly. He knows rationally that it makes no sense, all ultrasound pictures looked essentially the same, but this one was special. This was a picture of their son. Their Blip.
The nickname had stuck ever since Johnny and Taeyong had accompanied their surrogate Mina to her first ultrasound appointment. Hearing their child's heartbeat was an experience Johnny wouldn't soon forget. He had struggled to cry while Taeyong openly sobbed, squeezing both his and Mina's hands, but seeing the very first image of their son was well, sort of underwhelming.
"There's your baby," the doctor had said, turning to the soon to be dads with an expectant look on her face. The sound of the baby's heartbeat was the only thing keeping Johnny from believing he wasn't being punked because where in the grainy black and white image was their kid? "Right here," the doctor clarifies, pointing to a spot on the screen.
"That, uhm, blip is our kid?" Taeyong asked, voice laced with concern.
"That's right," the doctor confirmed, a kind smile on her face. "If everything happens as it should that blip will grow into a baby."
"Baby blip," Johnny says, rather stupidly and Mina laughs.
"Sorry, Doc. These two seem a little overwhelmed at the miracle of life and all that," Mina adds, rolling her eyes.
Everything had gone just as it should and now Johnny is standing in the kitchen with his husband looking at a picture of the much bigger Blip.
"I'm gonna have this printed so I can out it on the fridge," Taeyong says, zooming into what he assumes is Blip's head. He hadn't gotten much better at interpreting ultrasound images.
Johnny glances at their refrigerator, one door covered with magnets of all the places they'd visited and the other littered with Blip's previous ultrasound photos, old reminders for doctors appointments, and other baby related memos. "Of course, babe" Johnny replies. "That one is definitely a keeper."
"I kinda wish Mina wasn't so adamant about going to this appointment alone," Taeyong says, pouting.
"Me too," Johnny agrees. "But you know why she did it and I can't fault her for that either."
They'd found Mina through a surrogacy agency and she became their friend so easily. She is smart, funny, and on top of all her other good qualities she had given birth to two healthy full term babies of her own. Even so it was her answer to the question, "Why did you choose surrogacy?" that made Johnny and Taeyong choose to make her a part of their lives.
"Some people never figure out what they're good at, what their purpose is, and I've been lucky enough to find mine. I think besides being a mom, I was meant to help other people become parents."
At this point in her pregnancy it was just a waiting game. The soon to be dads had their bags packed for over a week now, ready to rush to the hospital at a moment's notice. Mina had insisted that they didn't need to go to her last appointment, everything was fine, but in case it wasn't she'd call them immediately. She reminded them of the chaos to come, that they weren't gonna get a full night's sleep for months, and to take the day for themselves. They both begrudgingly agreed, with the condition that she send them Blip's picture.
"Mina is always right, isn't she?" Taeyong asks, looking at his phone screen a moment longer before locking it and placing it on the kitchen counter.
"She is," Johnny replies while Taeyong turns to face him. His hair is getting long, flopping onto his forehead and covering his eyes when un styled. Taeyong attempts to move it to the side.
"You need a haircut."
Johnny's stomach chooses that moment to make the state of it's emptiness known, grumbling louder than before. "Maybe after lunch?"
Taeyong talks Johnny into getting a haircut, arguing that he wouldn't want to meet their son looking less than his best. Johnny doubts that infants care about that sort of thing, but what was a trim if it kept his husband happy? He only regrets that his barber moved to a chain shop in the mall when Taeyong drags him to a baby clothing store right after. After Taeyong is satisfied with the dent he's made in their joint account he decides they deserve a snack break.
"When was the last time we went on a mall date?" Taeyong wonders out loud, sipping his strawberry banana smoothie.
"Is this what dates are now? Shopping for baby clothes and drinking smoothies in the mall food court?" Johnny's tone is teasing, but Taeyong doesn't pick up on it.
"I can't wait to take Blip shopping."
"What if he's not into shopping?" Johnny asks.
"Then you'll finally have someone to keep you company while you wait for me." Taeyong doesn't miss a beat. "Do you think Blip has enough shoes?"
"Babe, he won't be able to walk for almost a year," Johnny groans in disbelief. "Why would he even need one pair of shoes?"
Taeyong shrugs. "If you say so."
Blip has a real name, the couple had chosen one months ago with the help of Taeyong's elaborate hand made chart that was still hanging in the home office. They'd struggled between choosing a Korean name or an American one, before settling on the former. Their friends and family had been badgering them endlessly, wanting to know Blip's name, but neither Johnny nor Taeyong had budged. Not even Mina knew. They were insistent that the first person to hear the name would be Blip himself.
Blip doesn't have long to wait because two days later Taeyong gets the call. Mina is in labor. Johnny tries not to speed as he drives to the hospital, Mina told them there was no need to rush since it was likely she'd be in labor for hours, but there was nothing that was going to keep him or Taeyong away. He glances at the rear view mirror and sees the car seat and his heart does a flip because the next time they were in this car their son would be sitting right there.
"Hey, warrior," Johnny greets when he walks into the hospital room, satisfied with how steady his voice sounds. "How are you feeling?"
"Feeling like I'm about to give birth to your kid," Mina grits out just as a contraction hits. Taeyong is at her side in an instant, trying to guide her through the breathing exercises they'd learned. It passes almost as quickly as it came and Mina sighs at the momentary relief. "There's still a long way to go. I told you to take your time." The time on the wall clock reads 7:43 PM.
"We're right where we need to be," Taeyong assures. "Thanks for letting us be here for this."
"Of course." Mina shifts in bed and Johnny notices how many contraptions she's hooked up to, including a heart monitor around her belly for Blip. This was really happening. "Is he okay?" Mina directs her question at Taeyong who follows her gaze to see a very shell shocked looking Johnny still standing in the doorway.
"He'll be fine," Taeyong says. "Just give him a minute.
Two hours pass and Johnny finds himself at the nurses station drinking hospital cafeteria coffee. As soon as he walked into the room with it Mina had practically gagged, saying the smell made her nauseous and Taeyong promptly kicked him out. Another hour passes and Johnny is back at the nurses station to ask for more ice chips.
"You can use the call button next time," the nurse says with a soft smile. Her scrubs are a light yellow with tiny ducks on them. Very appropriate for the labor and delivery wing of the hospital.
"Oh," Johnny replies, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I know it's just, uhm, kind of crowded in there." The upward inflection of his voice makes it sound more like a question and he cringes internally. The nurse looks at him with understanding and Johnny thinks that most people in her profession must be angels in disguise.
"Well, let's make ourselves useful and get some ice chips," she says rounding the desk. "Come on, follow me."
Johnny follows her into the pantry just down the hall, plastic pitcher in hand. He watches as she opens a few drawers before she finds what she's looks for.
"Aha!" she exclaims, holding up the item. "The way to any woman in labor's heart is a bendy straw. Makes it so much easier to drink water."
Johnny laughs, taking the straws from her while she fills up the pitcher with as much ice chips as it can hold. "Do you have any kids?"
"I have three," she replies. "Two girls and the big kid I sometimes refer to as my husband."
Johnny feels like his suspicions are confirmed. This woman is an angel and a funny one at that. "Any tips for me?"
"Be patient with yourself. Becoming a parent is a process, but you'll get it. As long as you love your son the rest will follow." Johnny thinks he could cry, but before he has the chance the nurse adds, "Now go on. Before your ice chips melt."
It's 11:37 PM and Johnny is on the phone with his parents. He's assuring them that everything is fine, that's they don't need to hop on a flight, that Taeyong says hi and he loves them and will see them next week. He hangs up the phone, turns around to walk back into their hospital, room and almost crashes into Taeyong.
"It's time," Taeyong says, almost out of breath, before he's dragging Johnny to the room by his wrist.
It must happen much slower than he thinks but to Johnny it only feels like seconds. There's a flurry of activity in the delivery room, Taeyong standing on Mina's left while he stands on her right, the doctor telling her to push and for a moment he swears time stands still when he hears his son cry.
"He's here," Taeyong says, his voice cutting through the static in Johnny's brain. Their eyes meet and there aren't words in any human language that can describe how beautiful Taeyong looks in that moment. It's a mixture of tired, amazed, reverent, and ecstatic. "He's really here."
"He's here," Johnny confirms even though he can't quite believe it himself.
Mina squeezes both their hands and Taeyong all but smothers her, thanking her over and over again while they both cry. Johnny's eyes are drawn to the corner of the room where they're checking the baby, his cries are loud and they should hurt his ears, but Johnny feels a sense of pride. His boy is so strong. Everything is fine, of course it is because his son is perfect, and Johnny is being presented his future swaddled in a pale blue blanket.
"Ready, dad?" the doctor asks and Johnny opens his arms because of course he is. For his son he could be anything.
Taeyong had known Johnny for a long time, for most of his adult life, and had loved him for almost that entire time. It wasn't hard to fall in love with him, Johnny was kind and funny, but most of all he understood and accepted Taeyong in a way that no one ever had before. He had seen Johnny through the highs and lows of life, had loved him through the best and worst of times, but nothing could've prepared Taeyong for the way he felt looking at Johnny holding their son for the first time. He's not sure it's possible to fall more in love with Johnny, maybe it was more like adding another layer to their love, like finding another part of his heart for Johnny to fill. Taeyong can't stand to be apart from them any longer, giving Mina's hand one last squeeze before walking over to them.
"I love you so much," Johnny says with tear stained cheeks.
"I love you too."
They both turn their attention to the tiny human in Johnny's arms. He'd calmed down considerably and Johnny feels another surge of pride, this time for himself, because he was able to be a source of comfort for his child.
"Hey, big guy," Johnny says in the softest voice Taeyong has ever heard. "Welcome to the world, Donghyuck."