Work Text:
Chaewon places a used bowl on the growing pile of dishes in the sink while bouncing her daughter on her hip. She wipes away the remains of dinner that have somehow gotten stuck to her cheeks and chin, then coos at the giant smile that blooms across her face.
“You really liked that, huh?” Chaewon says, smiling as Eunchae reaches out to pull her hair with a small cry.
She sighs, sniffing her daughter's head before heading straight to the couch. Her back has been absolutely killing her all day. When she finally sits down for a moment of relief, the feeling throbs uncomfortably and makes her want to get up, if only so she doesn't have to sit and endure the sensation of physical pain in her back.
It's almost like the pain after a workout, or maybe the day after a workout, even though all Chaewon has done is carry her daughter or follow her around when she needs attention (which happens almost constantly). It's been mostly walking and standing, and yet here she is, trying to ease her back pain because she's been on her feet for so long.
She watches Eunchae staggering around in her play area and it almost takes away the pain, watching her wonder and joy as she brings back as many toys as she can to show them to her mother. Eunchae has shown them to you countless times, but she can never say no to the pure joy that shines in your eyes whenever you share them with her. And then Chaewon makes a point of looking even more than a little intrigued every time. They stay like that for a while, Eunchae resting toy after toy on Chaewon's knees and encouraging her to play with each one.
It doesn't take long for the inevitable to happen and she starts crying. Chaewon is quick to get up and pick her up in her arms, rocking her and pacing her until her screams slowly turn into small sobs.
The sound of the front door opening makes her feel light in her chest, and the face that soon appears around the corner makes her smile immediately.
“Hey,” Kazuha whispers, probably assuming Eunchae is asleep. When Eunchae turns at the sound of her voice, Kazuha laughs at her deceptively awake state. "Hey mommy, how are you?" she reaches out to poke his cheek and Eunchae lets out a giggle, holding out her clutching hands and a smile that makes it look like she wasn't crying bloody murder minutes ago.
Kazuha takes her in his arms and makes one of her silly faces that always make Eunchae burst into the most uncontrollable and joyful laughter. "Mommy!" Eunchae cries, clapping her hands and laughing so infectiously that it makes Chaewon laugh.
The sound makes Kazuha look up at her, the wrinkled features of her face practically melting and softening into something undoubtedly affectionate and impossibly at ease. It tugs and gnaws at Chaewon's heartstrings.
“Hey, honey,” Kazuha says, leaning in to plant a kiss on Chaewon’s forehead.
Chaewon hums, moving closer and standing on tiptoe to plant a kiss on Kazuha's lips. “You’re early,” she murmurs into the space between them, then lets herself fall into Kazuha’s chest. Laying her head on her shoulder, she wraps her arms around his waist and presses a small kiss to the bulge of his collarbone. Eunchae is also laying her head on her other shoulder, and Chaewon feels something bubbling in her chest at the absolute certainty of it all. The safety and domesticity of it all. Having Kazuha here feels like something falling into place, like taking a deep breath at the end of an exhausting day.
“I left before the market closed to buy some groceries. Eunchae’s favorite jar of peaches was running out according to her schedule.”
Chaewon laughs softly against her, shaking her head slightly. “I said the schedule was efficient,” she points her finger at her collarbone and feels Kazuha laugh against her.
“I never doubted your schedule,” she murmurs into his hair, pressing a soft kiss to his hair as she slowly cradles Eunchae in her other arm. “Except they are literally in every corner of this house! Everywhere I look, there is a schedule!”
Chaewon fights the impending urge to laugh, though her lips can't help but move as she looks at her, narrowing her eyes. “And those jars of peaches wouldn’t be here without them!”
A giant, incredulous smile appears on Kazuha's face as she shakes her head, but it's a loving, terribly sentimental smile that makes Chaewon just want to laugh forever and ever. It makes her believe that maybe it's possible to laugh for so long.
“Come on,” Kazuha strokes her arm, coaxing her to look at her.
"Where?" Chaewon mumbles, as if she's forgotten that they're standing in the middle of the room, even though she honestly thinks she can fall asleep like this.
“To put my two favorite girls to sleep,” she laughs, planting kisses all over her head until Chaewon has to pull away from the attack with a barely hidden laugh.
“Okay, okay”, she allows herself to be led upstairs, where she walks with her head still resting on Kazuha's shoulder, her arm trapped in the one that isn't carrying Eunchae.
They place Eunchae in the middle of the bed while Kazuha changes out of her daily clothes and goes through her little bedtime routine. Chaewon sits on the edge of the bed and not-so-subtly digs her fingers into his hunched back. She tries to untangle herself from the knots that have given her nothing but sadness all day, but the pain is as inconsistent as it is persistent.
Deciding she needs to change into more comfortable clothes, she rolls her shoulders back and takes off her shirt to toss it to the side. She stands up to grab her nightgown from the closet, but Kazuha's hand reaches her before she can grab it, Chaewon's eyes trailing up her arm to land on the worried look cast on Kazuha's face.
“Leave me,” she says calmly, and holds the nightgown by the ends of the collar. Chaewon offers her a small, almost shy smile as she walks past him. Kazuha pulls it the rest of the way and fastens the straps over her shoulders, then places her hands on her waist so gently that Chaewon can barely feel her touch, and gives her a small squeeze as she turns her around. She ties the bands back on and Chaewon watches her through the mirror, the barely noticeable furrow of her eyebrows as she concentrates and ties the strings into a relaxed knot. Careful and diplomatic.
Her arms wrap around Chaewon when she finishes, and Chaewon leans back into her warmth without a second thought. She feels relaxed, a weight she didn't even know she was holding finally turning into something manageable. Soft lips press against his neck and slowly move up, kissing every inch of him and trailing down to his jaw, light as a feather and oh so tender. They don't stop even when they reach her cheeks, Kazuha kissing her nose, her eyebrows, the corner of her eyes, and eliciting small laughs from Chaewon.
Kazuha runs her hands down her sides and presses her thumbs into the dimples on her back, working them carefully.
"How is that?" she murmurs in his ear and gently kisses the bark.
Chaewon hums, feeling her cheeks heat up under the attention. “Good,” she makes a noise when Kazuha massages the right area, feeling even more of her built-up tension dissipate little by little. “I used to practice choreography without breaking a sweat,” she laughs lightly, absently. “Now, sitting at a desk and carrying a one-year-old is enough to make my back hurt. IM getting old."
Kazuha's grip tightens and Chaewon closes her eyes against the pressure. “Mmm,” she places her head on Chaewon’s shoulder and strokes her pulse point, warming Chaewon to her core. “Growing old with you… hm, it feels like a dream come true.”
“Zuha...” Chaewon holds her hands as they approach her, a small smile appearing on her lips.
“But seriously,” Kazuha leans back and lets Chaewon turn to face her. She keeps her arms around his waist and continues to stick her fingers in his sweet spots as they talk. “I can take an extended leave of absence and take over again if you need to–”
“No, no,” Chaewon interrupts quickly, ties her hands around Kazuha’s neck and shakes her head adamantly. “It’s my turn to stay home, we can’t just take time off work.”
Kazuha purses her lips. “That project on your desk would disagree, wouldn’t it?”
Chaewon purses her lips back at her, trying not to give in to any guilt that might be showing on her face, because she might have tried to sort out the logistics of a new building a few days ago, but she only succeeds when Eunchae is napping and when she's not is passed out right next to her – which usually happens 99.9% of the time.
“I barely look at it since I'm busy with Eunchae, she's my number one priority.”
“I know,” Kazuha pokes his forehead with hers, bumping noses. “I’m just worried about you. I don’t want you to take on too many responsibilities or become overwhelmed.”
Chaewon smiles shyly, feels her heart flutter at her wife's concern. “I'll be fine, it's just going to take a little getting used to. We signed up for this when we decided to become mothers, right?”
“Yes…” Kazuha sighs, holding Chaewon closer. “We’re in this together.”
“Always,” Chaewon says easily, naturally. She can't imagine doing this with anyone else, she can't imagine creating a family with anyone other than Kazuha, she doesn't want this with anyone else. She reaches out to cup Kazuha's cheek in her palm, keeping her close, sharing a breath. "As long as you're by my side I... I'm sure everything will be fine."
"Me too. I'm here for you, for both of you," Kazuha doesn't hesitate in her response, just squeezes Chaewon tighter and places a sweet kiss on her forehead. She takes her time, closes her eyes and sincerely proclaims: "I love you , I love you so much,” against her skin. Chaewon lets it wash over her, believes it to be true more than anything else, and feels an overwhelming feeling of warmth bloom inside her chest.
Chaewon steps forward and speaks the words in the space between them, then kisses her ardently, passionately, kisses her sincerely.
Afterwards, they lay down on the bed, where Eunchae blinks and starts blabbing about something to them. Chaewon lets her talk furiously while Kazuha tries to get her into her pajamas. They exchange amused glances at the joy their daughter seems to radiate, and it almost leaves Chaewon breathless, making her wish she could photograph this little moment to remember what it felt like. The entirety of it.
When she is ready to sleep, they place Eunchae between them and soothe her to sleep together. They cross their fingers over your sleeping form, their gazes filled with something precious, something untouchable and oh so content, no matter the tiredness that is also there.
“Goodnight,” Chaewon whispers, bringing Kazuha’s hand up to press a kiss on her knuckles.
“Good night, sweetheart,” Kazuha responds so softly, so at peace. And with one last shared kiss that they leave on Eunchae's head, they let the heat take over completely.