Chapter Text
"How are you feeling?" Wonwoo asked the younger as he sat himself in the nest next to his mate. His nose found its way to the juncture between Mingyu's neck and shoulder as he scented him, making sure to calm down the slight distress his mate was expressing, "Rough day?" he asked, lips pressing themselves to the skin now. Wonwoo had gone on a hunt today and was just now returning, leaving Mingyu alone most of the day to deal with the baby.
Mingyu sighed and shifted their pup, Seokmin, onto his lap. Seokmin had just finished breastfeeding and Mingyu needed to clean his chest of any leftover spills that may have happened in the process, "Pretty nauseous today. Breastfeeding doesn't really help at all," he stated, hand rubbing right above his breasts where he could feel the mammillary glands were swollen with the effort and shock of feeding a whole human being, "And I notice how I get headaches after I feed him," he added, the same hand he used to rub at his chest now holding his forehead in his palm as a headache came on, ready to ache in all its glory.
Post pregnancy was just as bad as the beginning of the pregnancy. It was like he was in his first trimester all over again. His body was adjusting to the lack of hormones and feeding a baby really took a toll on the body. They had asked Jeonghan if all of this was normal and he had assured them that yes, this was expected. That didn't make it anymore better though. Mingyu was also exhausted as he got up in the night to feed and comfort their son. Seokmin had an impressive pair of lungs and Mingyu had stated many times that they would need to utilize that and sign him up for singing lessons when he was of age. Wonwoo would get up with him as well but it was mostly Mingyu that Seokmin wanted.
They kept Seokmin in the nest, close and together with them. He was constantly surrounded by his mother and father's scent and was only ever outside of the massive pile of blankets and pillows when Mingyu walked to the kitchen to get food and to the bathroom. He would bring the pup along in fear of leaving him alone too long. Separation anxiety was a huge issue for Mingyu and it proved to be near traumatic for Seokmin as well. He would bath with Seokmin in his arms and sit on the toilet with Seokmin in his little bouncer sitting on the bathroom floor. He was always close and never far.
Wonwoo reached out for Seokmin to which Mingyu obliged, carefully transferring their pup into the alpha's strong arms, "Why don't you rest? He just ate, he won't ‘need’ you for at least two hours. I know you're exhausted," especially after the past few days. Seokmin had a small fever and refused to stop crying unless he was in a warm bath or nursing. He needed the calming and sweet scent of his omega mother to settle him down. Wonwoo, again, couldn't do much without Seokmin screaming his lungs raw. It was mostly up to Mingyu to take over since Seokmin was so used to the omega, having lived inside of him for 9 months.
"But he'll start crying if he can't sense me," Mingyu reminded, lifting himself up from his lying portion to deeply scent his pup. The distance, even though slight, was already leaving him anxious. His pup was his everything and the two week old was the reason he was alive, “He needs his Mommy or he’ll get upset.”
Wonwoo wanted to argue, but it was the truth. Seokmin favored Mingyu wholeheartedly, but he had to learn to love his alpha father, too. Wonwoo wasn’t going anywhere, might as well get used to him, “I can take him and scent him, grow a proper bond. You’re going to have a few hours to yourself, you really need it,” through their bond, he could sense the growing headache his mate was starting to experience. Headaches tasted like chalk in their mouths and Wonwoo became parched.
Mingyu looked ready to fall asleep right there and Wonwoo couldn’t blame him. Mingyu was trying to fight the fatigue and headache but it was a battle shortly lost because Mingyu wasn’t strong enough to fight it off, “Just be patient with him. Don’t get frustrated, he can’t help it.”
“Of course not,” Wonwoo promised, placing a kiss in the furrow of Mingyu’s brows, smoothing the area with his gentle touch. Mingyu was so tired, he wasn’t even sure if he slept last night, awake and making sure Seokmin was still breathing and alive, “Please rest, Omega. You need it terribly.”
He did, and Mingyu settled, already letting the clutch of sleep latch and force its presence on him. He nearly passed out entirely before Wonwoo even left the room, taking their pup with him and leaving behind the silence for Mingyu to sleep in.
“Okay buddy, what should we do while Mommy is sleeping?” Wonwoo asked his pup as he sat on the couch, setting Seokmin in his lap with his thighs touching, elevated so he could face his son, “We could play? Kick a football around, maybe play some baseball. We can make dinner for Mommy too, he would really like that.”
Having a child wasn’t as fun when they’re newborns. Wonwoo was looking forward to the days when he had to chase after his son rather than carry him around everywhere. Wonwoo liked to move around and right now, all Seokmin could do was lay there. And if they were to play football, Seokmin would be the actual football.
Seokmin cooed and to his luck, spit up. A lot. The white baby vomit spilled onto his chin and onto Wonwoo’s pants, already seeping into the material at a speed Wonwoo wasn’t aware of, “Damn it,” he cursed, clamping a hand over his mouth when he realized he had sworn in front of his son. But Seokmin cooed again, unaware that his father had even spoken let alone cursed. Wonwoo sighed, “You can’t even understand me.”
Wonwoo reached for a wet wipe and wiped away the spit up, nose crinkling at the sour smell of half digested breastmilk. The scent was so sweet before it was eaten, but now it smelled disgusting, “Why did you have to go and do that, kiddo? You’re supposed to be nice to Daddy.”
A grunt, a fart, and the worst smell ever later and Wonwoo was groaning, “That’s my boy,” he stated almost proudly as he moved to the floor to change his son’s diaper. Seokmin had very impressive poops and it was something to be proud of, meaning his son was healthy and doing well. Seokmin was all changed and dressed again in his onesie and now Wonwoo had no clue what to do. It was half an hour later before he decided he was sick of the house.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Wonwoo offered excitedly. It was early-spring and the weather was warming up, preparing for hot summers and heated playtimes. Wonwoo believed that Seokmin was born at the perfect time. He would go through developmental milestones throughout the summer, growing and learning as he spent time getting used to the grass and the wind and the bright sun, all factors in him growing up with parents like Mingyu and Wonwoo who love being outside.
Wonwoo wasn’t going to be long. He held Seokmin in his arms, making sure he had his socks on and a hat to keep his head warm. It wasn’t cold, but it wasn’t hot either. Seokmin couldn’t regulate his own body heat so Wonwoo wanted to make sure he kept warm and bundled up, safe from unfavorable weather.
Wonwoo stepped outside, letting Seokmin adjust to the light little by little rather than stepping outside completely and immersing him entirely in the evening sun. Seokmin gasped a little, a cute noise slipping past his little lips as the sudden change in scenery caught him off guard. The pup hadn’t spent much time out of the nest let alone the den. This was an entirely new environment for him but despite the drastic change in air, he was still handling it very well, as long as Wonwoo shaded his eyes from the still bright sunlight of the evening.
Wonwoo bounced the pup in his arms, holding him close to his chest so he could feel his warmth and beating heart. Seokmin curled into Wonwoo, taking in his comforting scent and warmth. Despite Mingyu being Seokmin’s favorite, Wonwoo’s scent was just as calming. His alpha father’s scent was strong enough to calm him down and keep his sated when needed. Being outside with his mother nowhere in sight, Seokmin was perfectly happy settling for his father.
Wonwoo ducked his head and rubbed his nose against the tiny, developing scent gland on his neck. It was still small, size increasing as he grew, but the scent was still so strong to Wonwoo. His cinnamon and gingerbread smell was growing stronger, once smelling like a blend of Mingyu and Wonwoo. He was establishing his very own scent profile now and it was amazing to watch it happen. He would smell like his parents for the first few years of his life, but after ten years old, he would smell like nothing but himself, a scent to call his own.
Seokmin cooed, his chubby cheeks bumping into his father’s as he tried to turn his head. His small tongue stuck out and licked Wonwoo on accident but the father wasn’t disgusted. He rather enjoyed the small contact. It was adorable.
“You can’t be hungry already? Are you giving Daddy puppy kisses?” He asked, and as if receiving an answer, Seokmin stuck his tongue out again. Wonwoo chuckled, “That’s so cute, baby boy.”
Seokmin gurgled, a small smile crossing his lips. Seokmin wasn’t voluntarily smiling, Wonwoo knew that, but he liked to think that maybe his son was starting to really warm up to him. Seokmin rarely smiled, sometimes when he was sleeping, but it was rare to catch him actually smiling.
A bird fluttered by, flying a bit too low for comfort and catching Wonwoo off guard, covering his pup to protect him. Seokmin turned his heavy head towards the noise and tried to figure out what it was. He was just starting to move his head around, but there was very limited mobility. Wonwoo chuckled at the sight, his pup so aware and attentive already. He would guess he was raising an alpha, but the status didn’t matter in the end. He would still be happy if he ended up an omega or even a beta.
“Do you see him buddy?” Wonwoo asked, angling the pup’s body so he could see the bird now chirping in the low having branches of the tree nearby. Realistically, Wonwoo knew he couldn’t see much of anything, mostly just light and movement, but seeing a dark bird among the bare branches of early spring was not going to be possible, “He’s saying hi to you. Can you say hi back?”
Seokmin cooed again and Wonwoo’s heart sang. His son was amazing, his everything and every little thing he did was purely amazing. His son could do all of this because he helped Mingyu make him.
Wonwoo placed a soft kiss on top of Seokmin’s head, nose tickled by the soft hairs of his son’s head. He smelled so milky, just like Mingyu. That new pup smell so sweet and entirely his son.
The bird flew away and there was no longer anything to look at, so Wonwoo moved on. He walked towards the flower bed Mingyu had planted last spring, bulbs planted a year ago to prepare for the future years when the bulbs would regenerate and keep producing beautiful flowers for them to take care of. They were already sprinting, green heads peeking from tall stalks of a lighter green. Wonwoo was surprised to see one flower already blooming. A bright yellow daffodil, petals new and promising. It couldn’t have bloomed before yesterday, no sign of decay on any cell of the delicate body.
Wonwoo kneeled on the ground, propping Seokmin up and facing him towards the flower, taking his chubby hand in his own and stretching it to touch and feel the petals, chubby fingers stretching as though he was trying to feel them himself. Seokmin gurgled, a high pitched squeal leaving his lips as though reacting. His feeble voice was already so strong, so loud.
“You’re going to help Mommy plant new flowers in the spring when you grow older. When you’re old enough, he’ll let you plant your flower of choice. He let me do it, he glanced over at the patch of dirt where he knew he had planted crocus last spring. They were short flowers, spreading a large expanse and covering the ground, perfect for landscaping and covering up less than favorable empty space in a flower bed, “You were born in the month of the daisy, just like your mommy,” Wonwoo’s own birth month flower was the larkspur, a flower that grew in the parks near where he lived as a child. He had always picked them and showed them to his mother, “We’ll plant lots on your first birthday.”
“We will, huh?”
Wonwoo jumped a little, jostling their son some. Wonwoo hadn’t noticed Mingyu there before, nor had he picked up on his scent, too occupied with their son to even pick up on it.
Mingyu smiled softly, exhaustion still evident but still looking so much better than he had before. He was wearing a jacket, clinging the material close to his chest. He had always run a bit cold, “I don’t think daisies will fit very well against the bulbs,” he noted, thinking of the overpowering daffodils and tulips that grew, “Daisies wouldn’t get the proper sunlight if they sit among the others,” he stepped closer to Wonwoo and rested his head on the older’s shoulder, looking over the early blooming daffodil and the rest of their growing bed.
“We can plant them by our door. Use them as a nice little border,” Wonwoo offered, throwing a glance to their front door that sat plain and boring. Mingyu had never found the right flower to plant there, claiming that the color of their door would clash and mute the bright colors of flowers.
“Seokmin will pick them if we do that,” Mingyu pictured. His son, still a toddler, grabbing and picking the flowers that would grow there and offering to him with a proud smile on his face, ruining their hard work.
“Let him. They’ll be for him anyway,” Wonwoo chuckled, settling Seokmin back against his chest, supporting his head on his shoulder, “We can always put them in vases and set them on the dining room table.”
Mingyu chuckled, that image setting in his head as well. Wonwoo would encourage him but in a good way, then taking the flowers from his chubby hands and placing them in a vase full of water, then setting it in the middle of the table so they could eat with Seokmin’s handy work in front of everyone. The kid was going to love flowers, he was sure of it, “I’d like that.”
Now aware of the proximity of his mother's scent, Seokmin cooed happily and stretched as though reaching for Mingyu, but he was still content on Wonwoo’s chest. His alpha father’s scent calming him still.
“Looks like he likes you now,” Mingyu giggled, reaching over and rubbing along his son’s back. Seokmin reacted but still laid contently on his father, “A little bonding time with Daddy did him some good.”
“Of course, he’s always liked me, you just haven’t seen it,” Wonwoo joked almost wryly, a little hurt still in his voice, “Why did you wake up?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Mingyu offered, cuddling into the shorter’s chest, kissing along Wonwoo’s ear and looking down at their son, “I missed my boys too much.”
“Don’t worry, we missed you, too,” Wonwoo affirmed, shifting Seokmin so he could see both his parents at the same time. Seokmin cuddled into Wonwoo’s chest and his little hand grabbed onto his shirt with small fingers, still too weak to really hold on.
“I wasn’t worried,” Mingyu assured, “I know you both love me.”
“Of course we do, you’re the best thing we have,” Wonwoo smiled, laughing when Seokmin cooed as well, “Little man thinks so, too.”
“Good,” Mingyu mused, cooing at his pup as well, feeling along the curve of his chubby cheek. He shivered as a gust of wind blew by, pulling his jacket tighter to his body.
Wonwoo noticed his shivers and smirked, “Let’s go inside and warm up. We have the rest of spring to be out here,” he started to lead his family back in the house with one hand on the small of Mingyu’s back.
He wasn’t worried anymore. He had his family by his side and all the love in the world. He realized that there was nothing to worry about at all. Everything was perfect and just for him. He was happy.