It had been a few weeks since Oliver and Elise were made aware of their pregnancy and in that time they had been quite busy sorting out all the things that needed to be sorted out.
First, they went to the follow-up appointment Soo Mi had set up for them. While the first appointment that Elise went to served to confirm the pregnancy, the second one was more "in depth" to say the least. It made her glad that Oliver had come with her to support her, even if he looked a little paler than herself throughout the ordeal. The doctor once again confirmed that the pregnancy was healthy and ended the appointment by giving them their first look at the baby, which was much less baby-shaped than anticipated, at least to Elise, but still made the whole situation much more real.
After they went home, they sat down and talked for hours about what would come next. They both agreed that the pregnancy was a development neither had expected and that it certainly threw a spanner into the works, but they also both agreed that it was something they wanted to do together. Elise hadn't thought much about being a mom, let alone so soon, but she thought it would be alright as long as she got a little Oliver out of it. They'd ended that night in their messy nest of blankets on the couch talking about what they thought the baby would be like as they grew up and with the both of them resting fawning hands on Elise's belly.
And now came the next big step: telling Elise's brothers the news.
Elise would have preferred to tell her whole family all at once, however, Harlow and Victoria had their own lives in the US still and it made coordinating things a bit difficult. She figured she'd just tell her brothers and their wives the news first since they were all together in Korea and then she'd make time to fly home soon to tell her parents in person. She hoped that Oliver could make time in his schedule to go with her, but she certainly would not hold it against him if she went back by herself.
Elise had asked Soo Mi for help getting dinner plans sorted. Tanner and his family lived outside of Seoul to be closer to Mi Na's family as well as the Fitz's more distant aunties, but they still often came to the city to visit, if only to let their children play with Soo Mi and Coda's son. Elise hoped that soon her and Oliver's baby would get to play with all of them too. Tanner and Mi Na agreed to come visit Seoul for the weekend as Tanner had a few days off, so the family planned to put together a big dinner at Coda and Soo Mi's house since it was bigger than the apartment Tanner and Mi Na kept in the neighborhood for these visits. Soo Mi had kept true to her word and kept her lips sealed when it came to the baby news and the Oliver news, so no one was the wiser that there would be an additional (technically two) visitor to their dinner party.
The day of the dinner party, Elise had helped Soo Mi get all the meal preparations together and tidied up around the house before leaving to go get ready at Oliver's apartment so that they could arrive together. She'd asked Soo Mi to text her when Tanner and Mi Na arrived so they could make their way over then.
Despite only being a handful of weeks pregnant, Elise couldn't help but fuss at the outfit she'd chosen to wear, observing herself this way and that in the mirror to see if she looked as bloated as she felt. The dinner party was, of course, casual considering it was only amongst family, but Elise had still gone out of her way to get a new outfit, but the confidence she'd had at the store while trying it on was gone now as she contemplated throwing on the casual wear she kept at Oliver's for after her studio classes. Before she could change, however, Soo Mi had sent her the message to come on over.
She fussed at her dress the entire drive over from Oliver's to Coda and Soo Mi's neighborhood and even did so as she and Oliver walked up the street hand in hand.
"Does this even look okay?" She asked, pulling the fabric from her midsection for the upteenth time.
"Eli... you look great." Oliver reassured gently. He had been unbelievably nervous about this dinner all week but he was doing his absolute best to stay confident and steady for Elise, for her and their babies sake.
He was terrified, high key terrified, of her brothers and for good reason. Especially Tanner but he was determined to do EVERYTHING he could to make this work.
"Hm, well if you think so, it must be true." Elise joked, but still reached down to smooth the front of her outfit one more time before leaning into Oliver's side. "I'm sure it'll be just fine." She said, about her outfit, about dinner, and about their impending parenthood even.
"That one just up there." Elise said, gesturing towards a house just up ahead with a tilt of her head.
When her brother, Coda, married Soo Mi, he bought a house on a spacious plot of land in the middle of a quiet neighborhood in Seoul. At the time, Soo Mi's father was coming to the end of his life and, as the eldest child, she took on guardianship of all of her younger siblings. Coda had wanted a house big enough for all the siblings to have their own space as well as having room to spare for any children he and Soo Mi would eventually have. The original house wasn't old by any means, but was built to resemble a traditional hanok with it's gabled roof and u-shaped layout, which, even as it was renovated and built upon, was an aesthetic that Coda wanted to keep. He thought it was charming and reminded him of his and Tanner's time living with their aunt's family in the countryside as young teens. The interior was a stark contrast to the outside as it was definitely more modern for comfortability's sake. Coda had wanted the big updated kitchen so he and Soo Mi had all the means they'd need to cook for their family and wanted at least three bathrooms in the home to reduce infighting in the morning when everyone was getting ready for work and school. The entirety of the house was separated from the street by a large fence and gate much like the other properties nearby, but it stood out with garden lights strung all across the top of the perimeter that Coda had put up for a birthday party over a year ago and did not take down at Seung Wook's insistence.
Even from where they stood a few houses down, Elise could hear her brother's boisterous laughter and Seung Wook's squealing. The evening had been warm enough that she was sure that the sliding doors that separated the main living and dining area from the the yard were open.
Elise took a deep breath before looking up at Oliver with a little smile.
Elise couldn't quite stifle her laughter at Oliver's overdramatic smile. She reached up to give his cheek a little pinch before nodding and leading them on.
"Alright, let's go." She said.
They made their way up to the front gate of the home and Elise went ahead and put in her keycode to unlock the gate. Once it clicked, she opened the gate and stepped inside with Oliver.
The house was fully lit up and alive, much like it always was. While two of Soo Mi's siblings had moved out of the home in the last few years to attend university, most of the siblings still lived with her and Coda. Even the youngest siblings were either in high school or were preparing for entrance exams, that being said, one would expect the house to be mostly relaxed. However, Seung Wook was still young and quite energetic, and being as beloved by his family, the house was hardly quiet with his contagious playful charm. Currently, the little boy had roused a game of chase from his dad and an uncle and aunt or two, the lot of them playfully growling and chasing after the squealing boy. As suspected, the sliding doors were open and Elise could see passed the living room and into the kitchen just beyond it where several large platters of various side dishes and meats all sat covered in plastic wrap. Steam was rising from a rice cooker and a pot of some sort of jjigae was bubbling on the stovetop. The yard was lit up by yards and yards of lights strung up between the parallel rooves of the u-shaped house and Coda chased his son around a little raised platform at the center of the yard they sometimes used to lounge on when the weather was nice enough.
Elise stood watching, no one noticing her or Oliver until little Seung Wook as his head swivelled and he lit up upon seeing them.
"Gomo! You brought that ahjussi with you!" Seung Wook hollered as he turned on his heel and ran towards her with his arms already up to be lifted into an embrace which Elise released her hold on Oliver to give.
Elise swept the boy up with an exaggerated grunt and laugh.
"I did. You remember him?" SHe asked the little boy as he wrapped his arms around her neck, smooshing a chubby cheek against hers as he looked over to Oliver.
"I do, he thought he was as handsome as Appa." Seung Wook nodded.
Coda had all but frozen in his spot when his pursuit was suspended, but not because the chase was over, but rather because he was in shock at seeing who her sister had brought home with her.
"Ya, Ye Rim...why is he here?" He called, trying to keep a level head and level voice if only to not cause a scene in front of his son.
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