Harsh (Hyunin)

♡ trente-quarte ♡

Despite being home and away from the babies, things became better in great amounts. The first week home was hard for Jeongin, and at times he would simply sit in bed and pump bottles because he couldn't fall asleep. Hyunjin always would wake if Jeongin was up, and he'd sit up and click on the bedside lamp so Jeongin could see what he was doing, and then he himself would either talk softly to his boy to keep Jeongin's mind off of things, or he'd read.

They visited their babies each day, and during the times when the nurses would ask them to leave the NICU for a bit, Hyunjin would take Jeongin out to meet his father for lunch, or they'd go shopping for baby clothes. Upon seeing Dua at the only place Jeongin liked shopping for baby clothes, the woman both hugged the life out of Jeongin and scolded him and Hyunjin for letting her find out about the babies via the newspaper. They apologized, and in return she sent them away dozens of the smallest baby outfits she owned, demanding that they put them on their babies and send her pictures the second they got the chance.

The paparazzi seemed to be completely avoiding them, and Hyunjin figured it had something to do with the warning he'd had his lawyer send to some of the major companies informing that if Hyunjin or Jeongin's name appeared negatively in a magazine or newspaper one more time, that Hyunjin would take each and every participant in the article wrote and try them in court for libel. During NICU visits, Jeongin's spirits both lifted and fell depending on the day.

Seongmin was doing so well, he'd switched from formula to Jeongin's milk through his feeding tube. Sonmi's progress was a bit slower. For one day about two days after Jeongin left the hospital she came off the ventilator only to be put right back on it after a few hours when her breathing had become so weak that her lips turned a scary blue. It was an instant that neither Hyunjin nor Jeongin liked to think about. But about five days after she officially came off of the ventilator, screeching at the top of her lungs in a way that assured both men that she was indeed okay when it came to air supply.

It was also the first time that they were allowed to hold her. Hyunjin picked her up first, just as he had with Seongmin, and cradled her close as he lowered her down to Jeongin, crooning to her in the baby tone he had developed the entire way. Even Hyunjin had cried that time, because it had nearly taken a month, but they were finally getting to hold both of their babies. Both babies no longer squinted around blankly either, but instead would stare deeply at whoever held them. Seongmin would even turn his head to hear voices, especially when it was Jeongin speaking.

Jeongin held Sonmi and Hyunjin sat beside him with Seongmin, and it made them even more eager to finally take their babies home. And luckily enough, the very next day they returned to the hospital only for Hari to already be holding Seongmin, completely without a feeding tube, and handing him over to Jeongin. "It took a month, but he wants to try a new form of eating I believe," Barb declared happily. "He took very graciously to a bottle, so hopefully he does the same to you. Usually they prefer one more strongly over the other. Let's hope he chooses you, hmm?" Jeongin gaped at her, turning to look for Hyunjin who was attempting to find a place to set down his laptop case. He had started back up working after the first two weeks, but it was only from his laptop, so he simply took it to the hospital with him and would use it when the babies were sleeping.

It was already September, and Jeongin still hadn't started back up school, but he and Hyunjin had discussed it and he was to start mid-October. The Dom was behind Jeongin in a moment however, his hand settling gently on Jeongin's lower back and nodding encouragingly, "It'll be alright, sweets, you've been wanting this for quite some time. You always tell me how special it is, how it forms a bond and what not, hmm?" Jeongin swallowed hard, but he graciously took Seongmin into his arms and nuzzled him up close momentarily. Both babies were still so tiny, but they were so soft. Jeongin loved rubbing his nose against the curly fuzz on their heads or against their soft pink cheeks. They no longer looked like tiny aliens, they had light pink skin that was always warm to the touch, their veins weren't as prominent, and they were slowly but surely putting fat on their fragile little bones.