Chapter Text
Mira groans deeply when she and Abby enter his bedroom once more. They shouldn’t have left Hyunjin all by himself on the bed, but with the commotion, they had to be certain it wouldn’t remain for long. But thankfully, the baby is still sound asleep in the center of the bed. With how small he was, he could almost be hard to see. Almost.
Her eyes and heart soften for a split second as her gaze falls on him. “Coming back to him after the chaos made it worth it,” She says, her tone softer than usual.
Abby makes a noise in agreement. “Is she always like that when drunk?”
The witch grumbles in reply, going over to the bed to sit on Hyunjin’s left. She props her head up in her hand.
“She is,” Mira confirms verbally. “I love her to death, but when she’s under the influence, she is unbearable. You guys think she’s a stick in the mud when she’s sober? Well, she is the complete opposite like that.”
Abby lies on the bed on Hyunjin’s right, resting his head on the pillow, and watching her.
“You’d think with how often she used to drink last year, she would have built up more of an immunity to it, but apparently not.”
He chuckles softly. She glances at him for only a second, but it’s enough to catch his gaze on her before quickly looking down at the baby boy resting between them. She doesn’t comment on or overthink it; she just lets it be. It may linger for a beat too long, but it’s just a moment.
It doesn’t need to mean anything. Not yet, at least.
They breathe together as they watch their…son dream. He doesn’t move very much, not besides the occasional flinch of his tiny hands or feet. Mira’s fingers feather along his soft cheek. The touch is barely there, purely so it doesn’t stir him in his dreams.
“He’s so small,” Abby whispers.
“He really is,” Mira agrees tenderly. “We’re not going to let anything happen to you, kiddo.”
She feels his gaze on her once again, but she doesn’t look at him this time. There’s no reason to. They feel the same way, and Mira finds comfort in knowing that.
Neither of them moves or says anything. Maybe Abby looks at her once in a while, but she doesn’t look back. Her heart beat in unison with Hyunjin’s and let herself focus on him without any kind of regret. This is new, and quite scary, but it feels right. This part is allowed to be quiet and soft between them, no matter what might happen.
Abby clears his throat, and it’s louder than it was probably meant to be. Not when it’s a space where it was so deathly silent that they could hear a pin drop. “Mira?” He whispers.
She looks at him then. “Hm?” Mira asks, arching her eyebrow patiently.
“I don’t want to interrupt this,” He starts. “But one of us should go shopping for a couple of supplies before he wakes up. Who knows when he was last fed, or when he’ll need a diaper changed, so I don’t know about you…But I’d like to get a jump start on that.”
Mira nods only once. “You’re probably right. The question is who’s going to leave and who’s staying behind?”
“I would’ve thought it was obvious: I go, you stay here.”
“Are you sure?” She is only going to ask this once. In truth, she doesn’t want to leave Hyunjin again if she can help it. So, Mira isn’t going to argue if he’s certain about this. But she is always one who needs certainty before anything else. It’s what she grew up believing.
He nods with finality. “Positive. I won’t be gone for long, I’ll just stop by 7-Eleven and get enough for the night.”
She spares him a smile, followed by a slow nod. “Okay, thanks. That’s probably for the best.”
“You’re welcome…” Abby hesitates on what else he planned on saying, but he never says it. And Mira doesn’t pester him for it. What he does end up doing, which shocks her, is he catches a lock of hair that escaped from one of her ponytails, and tucks it behind her ear.
It isn’t the most intense gesture he’s ever done with her; the pinning against the wall still has this beat, but somehow it feels far more intimate. And the way his hand lingers by the curve of her chin somehow makes it stranger.
He draws his hand back faster than Mira expected him to. Abby smiles at her in that cocky way that she’s used to from him, but it is jarring compared to how he’s been looking at her most of the night. She raises an eyebrow, slightly tilting her head against the pillow.
“I’ll be back in an hour, tops.” Abby stands up, slowly for Hyunjin’s sake, and teleports in a pop of pink smoke.
Mira stares at his side for a moment too long. Then she laughs uneasily and looks down at the sleeping baby. “What just happened, Hyunjie?”
Abby reappears in the alley behind the closest 7-Eleven, his cocky smile dropping as he leans against the wall. His heart is racing faster than he ever thought it could. He tilts his head back and looks up at the night sky. Even with the clouds blocking everything out, all Abby can see is the way Mira looked in his-their bed. Beautiful and at peace. Probably the most relaxed he’s ever seen her or the other witches be around them.
This all happened so quickly, and it’s so jarring. Not just the shift between them after that first deal, but also them adopting a child together. Their day literally started with her coming downstairs to yell at him; he followed suit, and their tension took over like usual. But as soon as he took her out for that deal, it was like something in them shifted.
Abby didn’t know what to make of any of this. And it was making him feel all kinds of ways. Yet…He doesn’t hate it. He doesn’t hate having her around like this, or seeing her in a way that no one else can. Vulnerable, open, and so compassionate.
Even when he closes his eyes, he sees her so clearly in his mind. He always knew, not thought, knew, that Mira was stunning to look at. Abby knew that as soon as he saw her, really. And then she started threatening him, which only made it better, in his opinion. (He was less crazy about the way she used that word, however.)
The plan was to betray the witches; he knew that. That was simple, uncomplicated. But it isn’t anymore. Not when they have this little human, future demon, that needs them to be there for him as a unit.
He can’t be part of that plan anymore. Not with Hyunjin involved, not with how his heart is doing somersaults in his chest now. What will Jinu say? Hell, what will Roman say?
Abby lowers his head and shakes it. He can’t dwell on any of that right now. Not when he’s expected to be looking for the baby supplies. Hyunjin needs him to put all these thoughts aside…Mira needs him to set these thoughts aside for now.
He pushes himself off the wall and turns the corner. And there’s the store he’s looking for.
Its lights are bright, illuminating part of the street more brightly than the nearby stores. The windows are barely see-through with all the signs and promotions blocking them out. He’s come to this one a couple of times himself when he accompanies Zoey or Mira here on one of their snack runs, so he’s well acquainted with the location.
The doorbell rings as they open automatically. The night cashier greets him a little too cheerfully for Abby’s taste, but he musters a polite wave for them anyway. His first instinct is to go to the food first, like he usually does. But he stops directly at the entrance to the main aisle. He’ll come back, but first, he needs to get the baby products.
Maybe he and his friends looked down on convenience stores a bit too much, because the selection for him to choose from was surprisingly generous. There must have been over five different brands of diapers to choose from, two shelves worth of diaper cream and formula, and a neat pile of burp cloths.
It was helpful, but also a bit overwhelming. It really felt like the first test of fatherhood awaits him, and he has no clue exactly how he’s going to pass it. And it’s not like he can just call Mira for help because it’s not like she’ll know any of this either. If anything, it’ll worry her and stress him out further.
So, with a quick Google search, he picks out only the essentials of what they’ll need for the night. There will be plenty more, he’s sure of that, but that’s a problem for the next morning. And before he knew it, he had a full basket of the smaller items, while a small box of newborn-sized diapers was tucked under his arm.
He faces the cashier behind the counter before setting it all down in front of them. The cashier looks at him boredly, but works quickly to get it all scanned. No doubt trying to get him out of there as fast as possible. Abby could’ve sworn he'd also heard them muttering under their breath in annoyance.
Not exactly the pinnacle of good customer service, but he couldn't care less at this point. According to the clock on the wall, he’s been out of the penthouse for half an hour. And he’s in a hurry to get back before it gets too late.
The total equated to ₩77283.51, which genuinely shocked Abby. He only got one of each necessity, and it was over seventy thousand won? Money isn’t a big deal to the Sajas, not in the least, but if babies cost this much…They’re in for it.
Regardless, he paid for the supplies, and once everything was bagged, the cashier ushered him out swiftly. Yeah, his opinions on convenience stores have not changed. They are helpless, but the witches’ obsession with the food is still weird.
But he couldn’t deny they’ve got some charm. Maybe he is softening to them, despite how it all started.
Mira isn’t surprised when she hears the teleporting pop sound from behind her. If he really wanted to, he could’ve tried to scare her, but he doesn’t. Besides, she’d kick his butt, and he probably knows that she could.
Abby heaves a long sigh, putting everything down, and takes the time to pop his back.
“How was it?” She asks him, looking at him from over her shoulder.
“I have super strength, and somehow that tired me out,” He admits, almost complaining. “But it was alright. Hopefully, everything we got is enough to last us the night.”
She (very carefully) sits up to see the small haul on the floor. Mira moves off the bed and, as a precaution, casts a silence spell on the door. It’ll only last until morning, but as long as it holds for the whole night when Hyunjin inevitably wakes up, that’s what really matters.
“You were thorough,” She comments.
“Maybe not as thorough as you think,” He laughs awkwardly.
She laughs too, albeit a softer, more amused one. “Well, your efforts are appreciated nonetheless.”
Abby smiles at her in return, then crouches to her level. They had some things they’ll need to sort through together. And there’s no avoiding their fingers accidentally touching when they both reach for the same bottle. They laugh awkwardly, but Mira is quick to grab the bottle before the moment can linger longer than it needs to.
“Still asleep, huh?” He gestures to the sleeping baby on the bed.
She nods, slowly standing up to gain the higher ground once more. “Yeah. He hasn’t stirred once. Maybe he feels safer here in comparison to him?”
“Maybe,” Abby agrees. “Hyunjin looks so small in the center, don’t you think?”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
It’s around three a.m. when it happens. Abby and Mira had both finally fallen asleep for a couple of hours after keeping watch over Hyunjin, but were woken up by the baby’s hungry cries. Abby fell off the bed in surprise, having been a little too close to the edge. While Mira sat up suddenly, already reaching for the baby. Those motherly instincts are already kicking in.
“There there,” She coos quietly. “We’re here for you, Hyunjie. We’re here.”
The demon lifts himself off the floor, ignoring the pain stinging his spine, and looks at them. He smiles halfway, despite his back aching. He can’t always look at them like this, so he needs to take advantage of the few times he has that chance.
Abby stands and goes around the bed to grab the formula container. The lettering was smaller than he had anticipated. He doesn’t exactly have bad eyesight, far from it, but it’s uncommon for the text of anything to be this tiny.
“Any clue how to prepare this?” He holds out the container to Mira.
She takes it from him, and her eyes narrow so close together that they almost close. She holds the baby up to him, and he doesn’t hesitate to take him, trying to calm the poor baby down. Mira groans dramatically, snapping her fingers. And with a magic glow, a pair of yellow glasses appears in her hands.
Abby watches her put them on to read the text. “You have glasses?”
“Yes, I do, mainly for reading…” Her voice goes out as she quickly reads over the instructions on how to prepare this.
“They look good,” He compliments.
She raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t look at him. “Thanks, I guess.”
The compliment catches her so off-guard that it takes her two times to read and process the information. Hearing compliments from the hottest demon that she’s been roped into co-parenting with is going to be a distraction, it seems, especially when he keeps watching and looking at her.
Mira then moves off the bed. “I’m going to make a bottle downstairs. Are you good to stay up here with him this time?”
Abby rubs Hyunjin’s back, bouncing him somewhat in his arms. “I’ve got it. Only fair that you get a turn to do something for him.” He gives her a thumbs-up behind the baby’s back.
She stares at him before she opens a portal behind her and steps backwards into it. Her eyes linger on their crying baby for three seconds before the portal closes.
Mira is now downstairs, and the portal has brought her to their (hers and the girls’) hallway. It’s dark, to be expected, with only a couple of light sources illuminating under the doors to the two rooms. Zoey wasn’t a fan of the dark, and since she was sleeping in the spell room, that’s where the brightest source was. But the one under their bedroom door was bright enough to be seen through the crack.
Mira smiles to herself for a moment, thinking about her girls. Before all of this, before the boys were even a thought in their minds, it was the three of them. Her friends were the closest thing she had to a real family. Rumi in particular has had her back for so many years and never once thought to put herself first where Mira or Zoey were concerned.
Her biological family didn’t love her. They never really knew her. It was only them, her older brother, Nick, and Mira. While she was growing up, everyone of the highest standing of the East Asian division of the magic world knew who she was. Ryeo Mira, the one person with the Ryeo family name who couldn’t conform to the rich standards.
It built up over the years. Mr. and Mrs. Ryeo’s excuses for her behavior, that is. When she was five, they said that she’d grow out of her rebellious behavior, that she was just a grumpy child. Then they repeated that when she was ten. When she was twelve. When she was thirteen. And they just kept saying that until they inevitably kicked her out.
Nick was the golden child. All of the family friends loved and praised him for his natural abilities in potion-making and fortune-telling. He was handsome, intelligent, and shaped up to be the perfect firstborn to carry on their name.
He didn’t do anything when their parents kicked her out. He just stood by and watched her cry before the door slammed in her face. Mira hasn’t seen him since then, nor has she wanted to.
Regardless of her traitor of an older brother, she always had Rumi and Zoey at her side. And now, she has a new addition to her family: Hyunjin. He was there, and he needed her. Maybe a part of her saw a little of herself in him for having a father who couldn’t care less about him. She probably did.
Making a bottle with the formula just reminds her of everything that was happening. She and her friends had a plan at the very beginning to find some way to send the boys back to Gwi-Ma to suffer for eternity, and never worry themselves about their appearances again. But how can she do that without risking Hyunjin’s life? It’s Abby’s blood that binds him to demonhood, that binds him to her.
Was this another deal between them now? Were she and Abby going to be bound to each other for the rest of their lives because of this agreement? And if she went through with the previous plan, what does that mean for her son?
Her son. Those words carry so much weight now. Before, it would never have been a thought in her mind, nor had she considered even having a child of her own. Not with her baggage and the history with her own parents. But she has a child. She and Abby have a child.
He’s theirs. Hyunjin is their baby. They’re bound to him, and they’re bound to each other.
What does that make her and Abby? They weren’t together at all. She’s attracted to him, painfully so, but she’s never given anything like that another thought. And she didn’t think she could.
“It’s too early for that,” She tells herself out loud.
And she was right. It’s too early to think about what they were or question anything deeper. Right now, she needs to focus on Hyunjin and feeding him. There isn’t a hint of crying from out here, thanks to her spell, but she’s already anticipating being hit by the pained crying after a few minutes of quiet. She portals back into the room for the sake of the secret, and yep, that is exactly what she comes back to.
Hyunjin’s cries have only gotten louder since she’s been gone. Abby had moved from the spot she had left him in, now sitting on the bed with his shirt taken off. He’s clearly been desperate to try to calm the baby down, but they’re definitely out of their league with all of this. She can’t even let herself dwell on him being shirtless either, not when Hyunjin sounds so upset.
Mira sits next to Abby with quiet movement. The bedsheets ruffle, while the mattress divots from her weight. “Do you need me to feed him?”
“No, it’s okay,” He assures quietly, so Mira hands over the bottle.
He readjusts his hold of the baby, cradling him against the crook of his elbow as he gives him the bottle. Hyunjin’s cries quieten the longer he has the bottle, calming significantly, and his eyes closing peacefully. She admires the baby, her soft, maternal smile returning without announcement.
When the bottle gets lower, Mira summons a rag and places it on her shoulder. Hyunjin drank it until the very last drop, yawning the softest, most adorable yawn either of them has ever heard. Abby hands him over to Mira to help him burp, then stands to wash the bottle in the bathroom sink.
She put his head on her shoulder, on top of the rag, slowly rubbing his back before patting. For some reason, this made her feel a bit emotional about having to pat/hit him harder to help him burp. Before this, she never even held a baby, let alone helped one burp like this. And she’s scared to death that she’ll hurt him if she does it too hard. He’s so small, the last thing she wants to do is hurt him!
“Hey, why are you tearing up?” Abby asks gently, kneeling on the floor by her knees.
“What?” She wipes the corner of her eye, and sure enough, her eyes are a little wet. “I didn’t realize I was…”
“Are you okay? Do you need me to take over?”
The level of softness coming from him is jarring. How is this the same guy that pinned her to a wall all those months ago? How is this the same person who would flirt with her so insistently to get a rise out of her? Here, he’s just being so considerate, and the way he’s looking at her is unnerving, to say the least. It’s like he’s saying that ‘I see you, and I’m here,’ without saying anything.
It’s weird, to say the least.
“No, no,” She’s quick to reassure him. “I’m fine. Just a lot of emotions coursing through, y’know.”
Abby pats her knee a bit too patiently. “Okay…I just want you to know that I’m here if you need help with any of this. We’re in this together.”
Together. That’s what her brain mainly focuses on. At least, until she feels Hyunjin coughing and spitting up onto the rag. It’s a little gross, but necessary. But it’s getting way too close to the sleeves of her sweater, so she quickly pulls him away from her shoulder, wiping his little mouth with a clean corner of the rag.
“There we go, that’s my boy,” says Mira soothingly. “You did so well for me, Hyunjie.” She kisses his head and carefully lays him down between the pillows once again. Mira levitates the rag over to the clothes hamper in the far corner of Abby’s room. The lid lifts, the rag falls inside, and it closes.
Abby lies back on the bed, being careful not to stir the baby in the middle. Mira does the same, holding her pinky out in front of Hyunjin’s tiny hands. When he grabs it, her breath hitches, and her eyes water immediately. He’s holding onto her finger so tight, as tight as his little grip can allow.
She isn’t ashamed when a tear falls and trickles down her cheek. “I’ve never seen anything as perfect as he is,” Mira whispers so softly that it’s nearly inaudible. But she knew he heard her.
“You’re going to be a great mother,” Abby says, his tone genuine and impossibly soft. He’s been so soft with her all night, and it’s making her question so much. What is she even supposed to say to such a genuine compliment? How can she respond to any of this?
So, she just smiles at him and offers her free hand over Hyunjin’s head. He takes it without a second thought, squeezing it gently, as if she were something worth holding. Something worth keeping. Just like Hyunjin.
They fall asleep like that, holding hands, and centered towards their son. And perhaps, a little bit towards each other as well. Neither of them is ready to admit to anything yet, but this new family might be something they both needed.
They’re both woken up by Hyunjin’s cries again. He sounds so uncomfortable, so upset, and it’s entirely different from his cry hours before. This time, it wasn’t a hungry cry. It was a sign that they needed to get him changed.
A tired Abby has to lay a towel on his bed while Mira opens the small box of diapers while holding a crying baby at the same time. She doesn’t even have time to process that the spell had vanished behind her, and everyone could hear the baby now. Both of them are just focused on figuring out how to change a diaper.
As they do so, however, there are a bunch of footsteps piling into the hallway outside the room. Muffled voices, all with some variation of confusion and annoyance. They’re halfway through cleaning things up when there’s a loud and aggressive pounding on the door. It only makes him cry more.
“Shit, shit, shit,” Mira murmurs under her breath.
“They know,” Abby hisses through his gritted teeth.
Following their reactions, there’s an angry Rumi practically screaming on the other side. “Mira! Get out here!”
He looks at her urgently, making a shooing motion towards the door. She’s quick to move; she didn’t need him to tell her what to do at the moment. No one tells her what to do, period. Not even in this situation with her new co-parent.
“Hey, what’s up, everyone?” She sneaks through the door, closing it behind her.
“Hey, Mira, what the hell is going on?” Her friend growls. Rumi looks exhausted and probably very hungover. No wonder she sounds angrier than usual. But that is her own fault; there is no need to take it out on her and make the baby cry.
Not that they knew that there was a baby.
“Oh, nothing,” Mira replies sarcastically, looking away. “We were just resting when you decided to pound on someone else’s door.”
It’s Baby’s turn to growl. “Why do you have a crying baby!”
“Oh, what crying baby? I don’t hear anything.” She tries, still acting casual.
No one was fooled by her attempts to gaslight them. They all looked at her expectantly, still waiting for an explanation. “I’m too hungover for this,” Rumi grumbles.
“And whose fault is that?” said Baby. At least there was some hope for him in particular.
“Shut up!” She bites, almost glowing from annoyance.
Jinu sighs, gently pulling Rumi out of the way. “Mira,” He says. “I’m letting you stay in my place. So, if there are any extra guests, I deserve the right to know.”
He’s got her there; she’ll admit that. Not aloud, but she can admit it in her head.
Mira sighs and nods. “I understand, Jinu. We were going to tell you this morning. Neither of us was planning on it happening this way, though.” She opens the door again, slipping back inside.
Hyunjin had a new, clean diaper on and was being held in Abby’s arms. “So? What’s going on?”
“We have to tell them,” She states, carefully taking the baby from him.
“Are you sure? Everything is going to change.”
She nods firmly. “It’s going to change no matter what. They were going to find out one way or another…This is your last chance to back out of this if you’re not up for this.”
They meet each other’s gaze. She isn’t going to ask him to give this up, not even close. But in a way, this is a test. A test to see just how committed he is to being here, being present in her son’s life. Can he be there for them…Can he be there for her?
His eyebrows raise, and he stands up straighter. “I’m not going to. We’re in this together, and there’s nothing any of them can do to stop it.”
Her face relaxes and nods finally. “That’s what I needed to hear.” It’s a quick blink, and you’ll miss it moment, one that she might not remember in the coming years. But she gives him a peck on his cheek, turning away from him before he can question her further. After all, they have an audience waiting.
Telling their friends about the baby, about Hyunjin, together was a whole other test that neither of them was prepared for. A real test for them as co-parents, as opposed to just one or the other. But they were a united front, firm in their decision, and that was all that mattered.
She didn’t know what could arise between them. He doesn’t either. All they know is Hyunjin needs them both, without question, without fail. And they’re going to stick together for him, plans forgotten permanently.