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For the first time ever, Yoo Mia will be an auntie.
It’s strange, she thinks, because that term is rarely ever applied to someone of her age – barely a teen. Then again, the age difference between herself and her brother had always been pretty large by most people’s standards. That used to be something her classmates teased her about: not having a father, but having a brother old enough to be one. And maybe it’s true that he’d always been more of a parent than a sibling to her, but now he’s… actually a father.
Finding out Seolhwa-unnie was pregnant had been a surprise. They were in the middle of the apocalypse, after all. With the scenarios still ongoing, having a pregnant party member was risky, no matter how capable she was. The first trimester put strain on everyone, as unnie insisted she could still be helpful on the sidelines of the battlefield, but the following two, even after she relented to staying safe in their base, were even more tense. But in the end, they knew that Yoo Joonghyuk, Terror of the Stars, would keep them safe. And he did.
Mia’s baby niece is born on an unknown date with an undecided name. It had been a long night.
The term “auntie” being more appropriate is irrelevant to her, Mia decides. She’ll be the best big sister she could be for the new baby, just as her brother had cared for her.
9:00 AM
About a month later, it’s become a daily practice for Mia to play with the baby in her brother and Seolhwa-unnie’s room. Unnie was still recovering; even with her Star Stream-granted physical durability, everyone had insisted that she rest for as long as she needed postpartum. Still, she’d become restless staying at camp all day, so naturally, Mia readily volunteered to play with and watch over the baby while unnie went to check on new patients.
Baby Sowon settled nicely into their world, despite everything. The Dokkaebi Bag truly supplied everything, from her clothing and toys to even the crib she sleeps in comfortably now. She does not want for anything. The blankets in her crib are all plush and soft, as are her onesies and the stuffed toys that lay by her feet.
Looking at the stuffed bunny lying next to baby Sowon, Mia thinks first about Jihye-unnie’s well-worn and well-loved sword charm, then of a similar plushie that her brother had gifted her when she was only a toddler. The pale pink of its synthetic fur had quickly gotten dirty because Mia dragged it around with her everywhere, trailing after her the way she did with her brother. It never received a name and was probably long gone now.
Mia wishes she still had it now, if only so she could pass it on to her baby sister and know that Sowon would have a reliable friend, a piece of Mia with her, forever.
Mia watches Sowon quietly from the side, head cradled within her elbows as they rest on the railing. The baby’s small chest and round belly rise up and down with her tiny puffs of air. Her thick eyebrows have already started coming in, as have the faint brushes of hair across her scalp. A furrow is settled so deep between her brows, and her eyes are shut so tight, that Mia is already starting to imagine her with frown lines in the future; she giggles at the thought.
Everything about her is so immediately endearing and adorable that Mia can’t help but wonder how her brother felt when she was an infant as well.
Little bits of drool start dribbling out of the corner of Sowon’s thin lips, over her rounded, red cheeks; Mia quickly picks up a handkerchief to gently wipe it off, resisting the urge to poke the baby’s cheeks. She reaches a hand over the railing to gently rub the point between Sowon’s brows with a soft smile on her face, watching as the baby’s expression settles back into peace. It wouldn’t last long before she woke up crying for milk again, but Mia could be patient with her, forever, for however long she needed.
That’s what older siblings do, right?
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12:00 PM
Mia sits silently beside Seolhwa-unnie as the latter pulls on one side of her shirt’s deep V-neck and settles Sowon into the crook of her elbow to begin breastfeeding. Her movements are always graceful, and lithely elegant. Mia had always thought that the sight of her pale long hair, fluttering over the stark white of her coat, looked well-matched next to the jutting darkness of her brother’s silhouette. Strange, now that she thinks about it, how the pair in her imagination always seemed so far off in the distance.
Nonetheless, Seolhwa-unnie has proven to be a dedicated, capable mother. The tiredness in and around her eyes is always evident, but still, she hasn’t once complained out loud and takes everything in stride. Mia thinks that it must be tough, with her brother out fighting so often, but Seolhwa-unnie still remains so strong.
Mia considers talking to her brother about his absence soon, but maybe this is just how parenting is. Lord knows that he had always been alone with her before, so it might be okay. She’s pulled out of her wandering thoughts when Seolhwa-unnie starts speaking.
“Mia-yah,” she starts quietly, voice somewhat strained. She clears her throat once, succinctly, and begins again. “It’s getting more dangerous out there again. There are going to be more patients here very soon.”
“...I understand,” Mia replies. She really does. With more patients, Seolhwa-unnie will be getting busier again, so she will have to leave the caretaking of baby Sowon to Mia more often as well. She doesn’t mind at all. She’s happier for it, even, knowing that she can be of help to her brother and unnie.
Seolhwa-unnie just smiles a strange smile at her, head tilted and one corner of her lips crooked. “I’m sorry,” she says. Mia doesn’t get what she’s apologizing for exactly, but she nods back regardless. “Our Mia-yah is so good, so mature…”
Mia preens at that internally and tries her best to tone down her smile. Seolhwa-unnie isn’t looking, though; her head is leaning toward baby Sowon, bangs hanging down to touch her daughter’s forehead, weightless, and her wistful gaze is so unbelievably full of love that Mia feels she’s intruding on something sacred. She gulps around something in her throat that wasn’t there a second ago.
Mia stays next to them as Seolhwa-unnie dresses again and settles Sowon back into the crib. The baby babbles sleepy nonsense and soon falls into a dream as her mother and sister stand by her side.
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4:00 PM
Seolhwa-unnie was in the clinic when baby Sowon woke up. After Mia quickly changes Sowon’s diaper, she fetches a bottle of stored breast milk and props Sowon against some blankets over her crossed knees. She cradles Sowon’s soft head with one hand, holding the teat of the bottle against her mouth, watching patiently as the baby suckles. Enwrapped in the warm smell of milk and the heating of the room, Mia lets out a soft and content sigh, safe. She smiles fondly down at Sowon when she finishes feeding and flails her chubby arms upward for her sister’s attention. After the baby is all fed and burped, Mia sits by the side of the crib, partially lowering the railing to play with her little sister.
Baby Sowon’s hand is even smaller than her palm, Mia observes. Everything about the infant is small, fragile, vulnerable. Her new, fresh life doesn’t at all fit into their reality of death, and yet there she is. She has the long lashes of their best medical expert and the thick brows of their strongest fighter. She will be fine. They will all make sure of it.
When Sowon reaches a hand up toward Mia’s face, she holds onto those chubby little fingers with nails smaller than a rice grain, gentle and reverent. They slap clumsily against the side of her cheek, but it doesn’t hurt at all. There must be something funny about her expression at that moment because baby Sowon starts smiling at her, arms waving wildly. Mia smiles back.
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9:00 PM
Mia is woken by hushed whispers. She’d fallen asleep listening to baby Sowon’s shallow breathing, safe and content under a warm blanket. Mind still hazy with sleep, she doesn’t sit up or move her head, instead cracking open an eye to peer at the crib again, just in time to see a pair of long arms reach in to pick up Sowon.
Black sleeves. It’s her brother.
He probably realizes that she’s awake already, but he doesn’t say anything. Mia continues to feign ignorance and listens as Seolhwa-unnie begins to speak.
“Mia-yah has been doing such a good job with Sowon-ah. She stays here almost 24/7 now, just watching over Sowon-ah. I think she’s been very eager to take on the role of a big sister…”
The floorboards creak as Seolhwa-unnie steps closer to Mia’s brother, an arm around his waist as she peers down at their baby daughter fondly. Sowon babbles up at the two of them, wrapped in the middle of the embrace.
“...Hm,” is the only response Mia hears from her brother. It is followed by the rustle of clothing and a soft smacking of lips; Mia assumes he just leaned down to peck his daughter’s forehead. More rustling follows as they gently put baby Sowon back down in the crib, and she offers no complaints. Mia keeps her eyes closed, waiting for them to leave.
A rough and calloused but oh-so-warm hand rests briefly on her head, a thumb stroking over her hairline and brushing back her bangs before dropping away from the caress. Her breath hitches.
When the door to their room finally closes, Mia opens her eyes again in the darkness and watches as their shadows disappear from under the crack. She turns her head back toward the crib, only to see baby Sowon peering back at her with a curious gaze. Her eyes are already drooping with sleepiness again.
Mia holds that gaze as she reaches a hand back over the railing, clasping onto Sowon’s nearest little fingers. Her grip doesn’t slacken, even as her mind slowly falls into sleep again.
They will be okay.