The evening air was crisp, and the ice beneath their skates gleamed like polished glass. Kim and Klister glided across the frozen surface of the outdoor rink, their fingers intertwined as string lights glowed overhead, casting a warm amber glow against the deepening dusk. The world around them seemed to blur into insignificance—only the warmth of their connection remained real, a bubble of intimacy in the cold winter air.
Kim's breath misted in front of him as he gazed at Klister, watching the way the lights caught in her hair, the flush in her cheeks from the cold and exertion. *This moment...* he thought, his chest tightening with an emotion he couldn't quite name. *I don't want it to end.*
His grip tightened around her hand, a gentle squeeze that conveyed everything he couldn't say aloud. He drew her closer, the distance between them shrinking with each heartbeat that thundered in his ears. Time seemed to slow, the sounds of other skaters fading to nothing as Kim leaned forward, his eyes beginning to close—
A gentle hand pressed against his chest, stopping him with playful firmness.
"Whoa there, Romeo," Klister said, her voice warm with amusement.
Kim's eyes snapped open to find her smiling at him—that mischievous expression he'd come to know so well, equal parts affection and teasing.
"It's getting late, you know," she continued, her smile softening. "We should head back before they lock the gates."
"Already?" Kim couldn't keep the disappointment from his voice. "But we just—"
Before he could finish, Klister tugged on his hand, skating backward while still facing him, her scarf flowing behind her like a banner. "Come on! Last one to the exit buys hot chocolate!"
Kim watched her pull away, then pushed off to catch up, their laughter mingling with the sound of blades cutting through ice. As they skated toward the exit together, hands still joined, Kim realized she was right.
Some moments didn't need a kiss to be perfect.
---
The night air had grown colder by the time they left the rink, but neither seemed to notice. Kim and Klister walked hand in hand beneath a canopy of trees along the quiet residential street, the full moon hanging luminous in the star-scattered sky above them. Streetlights cast pools of warm amber light along the sidewalk, their glow flickering gently like candle flames. Dappled moonlight filtered through the branches overhead, painting shifting patterns across the pavement.
The night was perfect—too perfect, perhaps.
Leaves rustled in the gentle breeze as they walked, Klister's hair dancing in the wind. Kim could still feel the afterglow of their date warming him from the inside, could see that same contentment reflected in Klister's expression. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she responded with a soft smile, her eyes half-closed in contentment, cheeks still flushed from the evening air.
*Nights like this...* Klister thought, savoring the feeling of Kim's hand in hers. *I wish they could last forever.*
But then something changed. Her smile faltered, her eyes widening as they focused on something ahead. The peaceful atmosphere shifted, tension creeping into her posture.
"Klister?" Kim asked, noting the change immediately. "What's wrong?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she released his hand and moved toward something beside the road, barely visible under a dim, flickering streetlight. The shadows made it difficult to identify, but something about it felt wrong—deeply, instinctively wrong.
"Wait—Klister!" Kim reached out, surprised by her sudden movement, but she was already kneeling beside the strange bundle.
It was wrapped in torn, dirty cloth, stained and weathered as if it had been exposed to the elements for hours. As Klister pulled back a corner of the fabric, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in horror and disbelief.
"A... a baby...!"
The infant was tiny—maybe a few months old at most—wrapped in tattered cloth and shivering despite the layers. His skin was pale, almost translucent in the weak streetlight, but his tiny chest rose and fell with breath. Alive. Barely, but alive. His eyes were closed, tiny fists clenched as a weak whimper escaped his lips.
Klister carefully lifted the bundle, and Kim moved closer, his expression conflicted. Concern warred with wariness in his features as he looked down at the child in Klister's arms.
She looked up at him, cradling the baby protectively against her chest, her eyes pleading with desperate hope. "Kim... can we take him? Please?"
Kim's expression hardened, shadows falling across his features as he crossed his arms. "Klister, we can't just take a child we found on the street."
"But—"
"Think about it," Kim continued, his voice firm but not unkind. The weight of responsibility was evident in his posture, in the way he looked at the baby and then back to Klister. "Why would a baby be abandoned here, at this hour? We don't know anything about him—his parents, his circumstances... nothing." His eyes narrowed slightly, his protective instinct toward Klister flaring. "What if this is a trap? What if someone deliberately left him here?"
Tears began to form in Klister's eyes, but her expression was fierce, protective. She held the baby closer to her chest, as if shielding him from Kim's words as much as from the cold. "How can you say that?! How can we just leave a helpless life to die out here?!"
She looked down at the baby, then back at Kim, her voice cracking with emotion. "I don't care whose child he is. I don't care if someone abandoned him, or if this is part of some sick plan..." Her eyes blazed with conviction, the baby stirring slightly in response to the passion in her voice. "But I know one thing for certain—we can't leave him here alone. Not like this."
Kim opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. He looked at Klister's desperate, pleading face, and felt his stern resolve begin to crack. His shoulders slumped as he ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of reluctant acceptance.
"...Damn it."
He stepped closer, looking down at the baby, then at Klister. When he spoke again, his voice was resigned but gentle. "Fine. For now... we'll take him home."
Relief washed over Klister's face, a small, tearful smile breaking through. "Thank you, Kim..."
The three of them stood under the flickering streetlight—Kim, Klister holding the baby—and the peaceful night suddenly felt heavier, more uncertain. Long shadows stretched behind them as they turned to leave, the abandoned spot where the baby had been found remaining visible behind them, empty and ominous.
*In that moment,* Kim thought as they walked away, their footsteps echoing in the quiet street, *we made a choice that would change everything.*
They didn't know it yet, but fate had already begun weaving its threads around them.
---
The exterior of their modest apartment building was dark except for one window, where warm light glowed against the night. Kim unlocked the door with a soft click, and they entered their small world—a world that was about to grow by one.
In the small, clean bathroom, Klister knelt beside a basin filled with warm water, carefully supporting the baby as steam rose gently around them. Kim stood in the doorway, holding towels and watching as she worked with gentle, practiced movements.
"There we go... nice and warm, little one," Klister murmured softly.
The infant's eyes were half-open now, no longer shivering. His tiny hand reached up toward Klister's face, and for the first time, he looked peaceful. A soft cooing sound escaped his lips.
*So small...* Klister thought, her heart swelling with an emotion she hadn't expected to feel so quickly. *So fragile...*
Kim leaned against the doorframe, observing Klister with the baby. His expression was complicated—concern, affection, and resignation all mixed together. *She's already attached to him,* he realized, and wasn't sure whether that worried or comforted him.
---
A clock on the wall showed it was past midnight when they finally settled in the living room. The apartment was quiet, intimate, lit only by the soft glow of a table lamp. Klister sat on the couch, cradling the baby as she breastfed him, and Kim sat beside her, his arm resting along the back of the couch behind her.
The scene felt sacred somehow, this moment of unexpected domesticity. Kim gazed at them both—Klister looking down at the baby with complete focus, the infant feeding peacefully—and felt something shift in his chest. A picture of unexpected family.
"Kim..." Klister spoke softly, not wanting to disturb the baby. Her voice carried a dreamy, contemplative quality. "What name should we give him?"
Kim's eyes widened slightly, caught off-guard by the question. "What?"
He sat up straighter, his tone becoming more serious, almost defensive. "Klister, we're only keeping him for tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'm taking him to the police."
Klister didn't look at him, keeping her eyes on the baby. Her voice was calm but firm—she'd already made up her mind about something. "And then what?"
Now she looked at Kim, her eyes sharp with conviction. "What do you think the police will do, Kim? Send him to an orphanage? Shuffle him through the system?" Her expression intensified, protective and almost fierce. "No one will truly care for him. He'll just be another file, another forgotten child."
She looked down at the baby again, her voice soft but absolute. This wasn't a request—it was a decision. "We're going to adopt him."
Kim opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. He knew that look, knew that tone. *How can I argue against that kind of love?* He reached out, gently touching the baby's tiny hand with one finger, a small, reluctant smile forming on his lips.
"...You've already decided, haven't you?"
Klister looked at him with gratitude and affection, knowing she'd won. "Mm. I have."
Her expression shifted slightly, as if remembering something important. "Oh... there's something else." She gently adjusted the baby, carefully lifting one of his tiny feet to show Kim. "When I was bathing him, I noticed something strange..."
Kim leaned in, his detective instincts activating. "What is it?"
"There was a marking on his foot," Klister explained, tracing the spot gently with her finger. The skin was clean now, but there was a faint impression, as if something had been there but washed away. "It looked like... a number."
"A number?" Kim's eyes narrowed, focusing on the spot. "What kind of number?"
Klister looked up at him, her expression both puzzled and intrigued. "A zero. Just... a zero."
Kim processed this information, his mind working through the implications. *A marking? Like a brand or tattoo? On a baby?* "It was drawn on—maybe with marker or ink," Klister continued, her finger still on the spot. "It washed away completely during the bath."
Both stared at the baby in heavy silence, the implications unsettling but unspoken. Then Klister's gentle smile returned, determination replacing concern.
"Then that's what we'll call him." She cradled the sleeping baby closer, her voice warm and protective. "Zero. His name will be Zero." She looked to Kim for approval, her expression soft and hopeful. "What do you think?"
Kim smiled—genuine this time, no longer reluctant. His hand moved to rest on Klister's shoulder. "Zero... Yeah. It's perfect."
In the warm lamplight, the three of them formed a tableau of unexpected family—Klister leaning into Kim's side, the baby asleep in her arms, a protective glow surrounding them. That night, they became something more than what they'd been before.
That night, they became a family.
---
The next morning, bright sunlight streamed through the windows as Kim and Klister made their way to the Child Welfare Services building. The exterior was official-looking and somewhat imposing, but they entered with determination, Klister holding Zero close. He was dressed now in clean, new baby clothes they'd purchased that morning.
Inside, they sat across from a social worker at a desk covered in paperwork. Kim's hand rested protectively on Klister's shoulder as the woman reviewed their statement.
"So you found him abandoned last night and wish to formally adopt him?" the social worker asked.
Klister nodded firmly, holding Zero close. "Yes. We want to give him a home. A family."
Kim nodded as well, his expression serious but resolved. "We understand there will be investigations and procedures. We'll cooperate fully."
The social worker smiled warmly, pulling out several documents. "Given the circumstances and your clear commitment... I'll fast-track the emergency foster placement. The full adoption process will take time, but for now..."
Pens moved across paper. Official stamps marked documents with finality. Kim signed first, then Klister, their signatures binding them to this choice, to this child, to this new future they hadn't planned but were choosing anyway.
The social worker handed them a folder of documents, standing to shake their hands. "Congratulations. You're now Zero's legal guardians."
Outside, bright sunlight greeted them as they exited the building. The mood was lighter, hopeful. Klister smiled down at the baby while Kim shielded his eyes from the sun, a small smile playing at his lips.
Zero was awake now, looking up at Klister with bright, curious eyes. Innocent. Unaware of the journey that had brought him here, or the journey that lay ahead.
But they would face it together—this strange, sudden family bound by choice rather than blood.
And in that moment, that was enough.