Sana pulled Tzuyu’s favorite purple striped pajama shirt on over her head, adjusting the sleeves, though they were a little short. The toddler was outgrowing herself lately, and much taller than she thought anyone was supposed be at three. She brushed her hair back out of her face and gave her a little smile, which Tzuyu returned by wrapping her arms around Sana’s neck in a hug.
“Thank you, thank you, little Tzu.” She rubbed her back. A fit of giggles pulled her attention to the other side of the room, where Momo was struggling to get Dahyun and Chaeyoung into their own pajamas. She pulled Chaeyoung’s shirt on, and turned to Dahyun only to have Chaeyoung pull it off again.
Momo let out a dramatic gasp, turning to pull the shirt back down on Chaeyoung. Dahyun began to remove her pajamas. Tzuyu giggled.
“Are they being silly, Tzuyu?” Sana made her way towards them, pulling Dahyun’s pajamas back on and lifting her on to her hip, so she knew the game was up. Momo wrangled Chaeyoung. “But it’s calm time now. No more being silly tonight. We’re going to get ready for bed and relax, sweet girls. Okay?”
“Okayyy.”
She helped Dahyun brush her teeth as Momo sat Tzuyu and Chaeyoung on the side of the tub and wiped their feet clean with a washcloth. They swapped, Momo taking extra care to dry Dahyun off completely before putting her socks on, or it’d be a sensory nightmare.
Sana mentally thanked her past self again for getting an excessively large king-sized bed even though she’d had no need for it when they’d moved in. Now it almost-comfortably fit two grown-ups and three tiny humans, as long as no one minded cuddling or the occasional pint-sized football kick to the thigh. Sana surely didn’t.
After turning on the fairy lights so the room only had a dim, warm glow, she lifted Tzuyu and Chaeyoung onto the bed. Momo joined them a minute later with Dahyun.
“Unnie,” Tzuyu whispered. “Can braid- Can you, um, braid?”
“Of course I can, sweetheart.” Sana pushed herself back against the headboard and patted the space in front of her, making quick work of braiding Tzuyu’s hair.
“Me too Unnie.” Dahyun mumbled around her thumb in her mouth.
“Yeah, you want a braid too, Dahyun-ah?”
“I want one under both my ears.”
Momo chuckled. “Okay. Two braids. You got it. How about you, Chaeyoung-ah, would you like a braid?”
Chaeyoung jumped to her feet, bouncing a little on the bed and letting out a big “No!”
“Baby, remember it’s calm down time now.” Sana whispered soothingly, putting the last touches to Tzuyu’s braid. Tzuyu thanked her sleepily. “No bouncing. We can just sit nicely and relax before bedtime.”
“Not tired.”
“How about a story, then?”
“Yeah!” Dahyun and Chaeyoung both cheered. Tzuyu perked up.
“Alright. Lets go pick out a storybook while your Momo-Unnie finishes up Dahyunnie’s braids.”
After much more deliberation than should be necessary, they chose one of the Japanese fairytales Sana’s mother had recently sent them as a gift. She snapped a quick picture and texted it to her family groupchat before getting everyone settled.
Sana sat with the book on her lap and brushed her fingers through Chaeyoung’s hair to help her calm down. Momo sat with her arms around Dahyun and Tzuyu. Sana read softly, tilting the book towards Momo to read any lines of dialogue in the proper voice – they got a kick out of her snow monster growl, and looked on wide-eyed for her evil queen impression. Sana’s heart fluttered as the kids laughed at Momo’s squeaky impression of scared villagers.
By the time she’d read the words happily ever after, all three of the babies were well on their way to sleep. Even Chaeyoung leaned heavier against Sana, energy finally depleted. They tucked all three of the girls in with a kiss from each before gently settling down in the bed with them. Momo flashed her a big smile that Sana couldn’t help returning.
It was certainly uncommon for two college students to be in bed by eight, but Sana wouldn’t trade it; the days they got to have all three of the babies warmed her heart, even if they were a little hectic. Momo whispered a quick “I love you” before Dahyun mumbled a question and her attention was diverted.
She woke the next morning to Chaeyoung sleeping on top of her, Momo’s arm around them both, and Dahyun and Tzu curled up on either side of the couple.
