Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sunghoon feels like he’s going crazy. The months are winding down to weeks, weeks to days, and soon, they’re going to welcome their new baby girl into the world and he’s eager to hold her for the first time. 

But he feels like he’s losing his mind, trying to finish up everything they need to, trying to figure out what they’re missing, with the last few days creeping in. 

He’s currently in the nursery, sitting on the rug in the middle of the room. The last of the stuffed animals have been placed on the dresser and the crib has all its soft blankets. They had both agreed a more neutral theme to the nursery. With its emerald green wall and jungle accents, Sunghoon thinks the nursery couldn’t have come out any cuter. 

The last thing he needs to do is put away all their baby girl’s mound of clothes, courtesy of her uncles. He thinks they’ll have enough onesies and booties and dresses to last her through her first year. It's insane, and honestly, it makes him want to cry because she’s already so loved and hasn’t even arrived yet. 

Grabbing one of the daisy printed onesies, he lays it out in his lap, his fingers running over the soft fabric. His heart clenches. He can’t believe they’re about to have a little princess to take care of soon, to hold and smell, to kiss and just love. He thinks it’s also a bit funny that he and Sunoo seem to have switched personalities for the time being. Lately, he’s the one that feels like he’s the one carrying a baby; just looking at newborn booties makes him tear up and seeing Sunoo so round and big gets his heart beating faster.

Sunoo, on the other hand, has been taking it easy, staying off of his feet more often. Doctor’s orders, of course, so he rests mostly and takes steamy baths to ease his aches and pelvic pain. Sunoo says he’s carrying a small watermelon now and deserves all the rest.

Sunghoon doesn’t disagree.

So, getting up, he has to make his hourly check on his mate. Sunoo had convinced him to go from his 30 minute checks up to hourly, whining that he understands the Alpha tendency to become overprotective of a pregnant mate but still, every half hour was a bit much. 

Sunghoon was just worried but in the end, he agreed. Maybe he was a bit overbearing. 

When he reaches their bedroom, the door is half closed, and he shuffles his way over quietly. Inside, he sees Sunoo standing in front of the full-length mirror by the closet, sweatpants slung low on his hips and his t-shirt rolled up so that his round belly is on display. A soft smile appears on Sunghoon’s face. 

God, Sunoo looks so perfect like this, so beautiful.

His skin is soft and dewy and his hair is black and silky, even more than usual. Pregnancy looks damn good on Sunoo, he can’t keep his hands off of him. He’s watching as Sunoo turns in the mirror, his lips in a pout, and rubs his belly. Sunoo’s clothes no longer fit him so Sunoo spends his days in sweatpants and t-shirts and hoodies stolen from the other side of their closet. Sunghoon doesn’t have to wonder where his clothes go anymore, just one glance over to his mate and he knows the answer. 

They meet eyes in through the mirror and Sunoo yelps in surprise, pulling his shirt back down. “You scared me, standing there and just watching me,” he pouts. 

Sunghoon steps into their bedroom, smiling at the flush that sweeps over Sunoo’s chubby cheeks at having been caught. He stands behind him and presses a kiss on Sunoo’s shoulder. “What were you doing? Checking to see how pretty you look?”

“You think I still look pretty?” Sunoo mumbles, his eyes roaming over his body again.

Sunghoon’s eyes widen. “Of course I do.” He reaches up, cupping the side of Sunoo’s face, and kisses the corner of his mouth. “You look so beautiful like this, sweetheart. You’re always beautiful to me, pregnant or not.” He places both of his hands on Sunoo’s belly. It’s getting harder for him each day to put his arms around Sunoo in a hug because his belly gets in the way so the best he can do now is keep his hands on the bump and rub his palms all over until Sunoo sighs happily and places his own hands on top. 

“She’s ready to get out of there.”

“Hmm, I’m ready too. I can’t wait to meet her, have everyone else meet her. How are you feeling?”

Sunoo sighs then, biting his lip before he’s replying. Sunghoon picks up on the slight surge in Sunoo’s scent. Anxiety. “I guess I’m a bit… scared,” Sunoo confesses, his voice soft when he turns and hides his face in Sunghoon’s chest.

Sunghoon kisses the top of Sunoo’s head and takes his face between his hands again. “What are you scared of?”

“She’s coming any day now, Hoon, and I’m so, so happy but I’m so scared at the same time. What if, what if I can’t do this? You’re so good with kids, you’re going to be the best daddy, and I, I… I don’t know if I’ll be able–”

“Hey, hey, come here.” 

Sunoo sniffles and rests his head against Sunghoon’s chest, mumbling about how he can’t hug him like he used to and Sunghoon just has to coo and pet Sunoo’s hair. Sunoo is just so fucking cute. “I love her so much already but what if I do something wrong? What if she-she hates me?”

The months of Sunoo’s pregnancy have been a roller coaster but this is really the first time where he’s heard his mate sound so terrified. Sunoo is always so confident and strong and he isn’t really sure what’s brought on this sudden shift. Sunghoon feels himself ready to fight and protect his mate while he’s in distress but he wills his instinct down. Sunoo is in no danger right now and he needs to be there to support him instead. 

“Sunoo, baby, I’m scared to death too, I’m scared that I won’t know what the hell I’m doing. But you know what else I’m thinking about? I’m thinking about how lucky I am to be having this baby with you, how you’re going to be the best papa to her because you’re so sweet and caring, you just love so much, I don’t know how you do it.”

The first couple of tears slip down Sunoo’s cheeks and Sunghoon smiles, tearing up himself. His heart beats hard in his chest and he leans down, kissing Sunoo soft and sweet. He can’t even put into words how much he’s looking forward to spending the rest of his life with Sunoo and their daughter. “I love you. I love you so much.”

Sunoo’s cheeks are pink and his eyes grow dark and heavy. The scent that suddenly fills their bedroom hits Sunghoon like a brick wall. 

“Do we… have time to mess around a little?” Sunoo asks, batting his eyelashes up at him. 

There isn’t even a question about it , Sunghoon thinks, already bringing Sunoo over to their bed as the scent of Sunoo’s slick begins to invade every sense of his. 

His mind, his nose, his mouth,  is filled with it, something sweet thick and sweet like honey while floral at the same time. Sunoo’s pregnancy scent smells even better than his usual omega scent that reminded him of sunshine and lazy afternoons and he didn’t even think that was possible.

Another fact about Sunoo’s pregnancy that he absolutely loves: how sensitive it makes Sunoo.

He barely has his hands on Sunoo’s body and already, he can feel how Sunoo shudders at every touch, his slick leaking down his thighs and flooding their bedroom with his sticky sweet scent. He swipes his fingers through the mess on Sunoo’s thighs and gives himself a taste. It’s like nectar on his tongue, like a taste of fruit so forbidden, and he will never get enough.  

Most of their clothes are already a messy pile on the floor and all he needs to do is strip Sunoo of the snug briefs slung low on his hips. He doesn’t need to see how much Sunoo’s gotten them wet. Just the smell alone has him salivating and his mind hazy like he can’t think straight. 

When he pulls Sunoo’s underwear off, Sunoo’s absolutely soaked . 

It glistens on Sunoo’s thighs and brings Sunghoon back to their very first time together, how Sunoo was so shy with how much his body was producing when he was aroused and how he wasn’t in any better a state himself, nearly coming with just the scent of Sunoo calling to his alpha; he wanted to mount Sunoo all night and pump him full so Sunoo could have his babies. 

He’s pulled out of his wonderful daydream when Sunoo reaches up for a kiss, pulling his t-shirt over his head for him while his hand wraps around his cock. Arousal is pooling deep in the pit of his belly and between his legs, his cock hard and heavy in Sunoo’s hand. Sunoo’s definitely not taking things slow tonight.

Not that he minds, of course. Whatever Sunoo wants, he’ll give.

It’s nearly midnight and he can’t really sleep. 

He hasn’t been able to in the past few nights anyway because Sunoo’s due any moment; the second he sits or has any moment free, he’s afraid it’s just going to happen so he settles in the living room to work on his sketches for the next line he and Jay will release with Sunoo still sleeping in their bedroom. 

Sunoo is less nervous about it than he is. 

His alpha instincts aren’t really helping the situation either, if he’s hysterical. He can’t help it if he’s so worried about his mate but Sunoo keeps telling him there’s nothing to worry about. He’s been listening to the doctor’s orders to stay off his feet when he starts to feel tired and not to overwork himself.

It’s hard to silence the voice in the back of his mind asking what if and once they actually get through this, once they actually get to hold her and know that she’s healthy, then he’ll be able to sleep. Stifling a yawn, he picks up his stylus and starts looking through the sketches Jay has sent him. For now, work is a good distraction. He’s taken his leave recently as well. Jay insists that he’ll be fine running everything with the business himself while he and Sunoo will be quite busy. Still, Sunghoon feels sorry. Jay was the same way when he and Jungwon were expecting, feeling sorry that he would be on leave for a few months for Riki’s arrival. 

He’s working diligently, completely engrossed in his tablet, when he hears a door opening and Sunoo shuffling down the hallway into their living room. 

“Hoonie,” Sunoo calls softly. 

“Baby, what are you doing up? Do you need–” He sets his tablet aside and turns to face Sunoo, thinking that Sunoo just wants him back in bed with him, which he totally wouldn’t mind, of course. 

But he notices it immediately. The front of Sunoo’s pajama pants are wet and Sunoo is leaning against the wall, clutching his belly. 

“I think we need…”

Oh, shit.

Sunghoon’s never shot up from his spot so fast, the tablet even falls to the floor. He rushes over to Sunoo. “Okay, okay, we need–do you remember what we need to do? I can’t think of anything right now, fuck.”

“Park Sunghoon, we need to grab our stuff for the hospital.”

“Uh, right, yes. Can you walk?”

Sunoo nods, groaning softly. “I can walk. It just hurts.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have… fucked so much. Probably triggered you into labor.”

“Ugh,” Sunoo sputters a laugh and smacks Sunghoon’s shoulder. “Don’t be joking right now, it hurts to laugh.” 

Sunghoon guides Sunoo over to the door and the adrenaline finally kicks in. He’s no longer tired. Instead, he wants nothing more than to make his mate, his omega, okay, to take the pain away from him, but there’s absolutely nothing he can do for Sunoo and that’s what hurts the most. They need the hospital and they need the hospital fast. 

“Okay, baby, I’m going to grab your bag. Can you wait here for me?”

Sunoo nods and Sunghoon presses a quick kiss to Sunoo’s sweaty forehead. Once he’s in their bedroom, he calls Heeseung. Heeseung answers the phone, sleepy and confused, and he feels bad for waking his friend up in the middle of sleep. 

“Hee, it’s Sunoo, we need to get going. Yes, like right now . Uh, well, his water broke, I think that’s a big sign. Yes, I’m sure. Yeah, no, I’m freaking the fuck out right now. Okay. Okay. Yes. Okay. We’ll see you in a little bit.”

He’s so concerned with making sure he has all of Sunoo’s belongings and his hospital bag that he completely forgets to call Jay and Jungwon too until he sees a frantic message from Jungwon lighting up his phone’s screen just a few minutes later. 

Is the baby coming?!

“Shit,” Sunghoon mutters, grabbing his phone. Jungwon picks up after the first ring.

“Oh my god, are you guys at the hospital already?!”

“We’re about to leave soon. I just called Hee.”

“Okay, we’ll meet you there.” Sunghoon hears some crashing on Jungwon’s end and then confused mutters. “ Park Jongseong, you better wake up now! The baby is coming! Riki, go wake your dad up.”

When Jungwon uses Jay’s Korean name, he means it. 

“Baby? Baby’s coming!”

Sunghoon catches Riki’s excited squeal through the speaker when Jungwon suddenly hangs up on him. He lets out a breath and puts his phone back in his pocket before he ends up losing it in their rush to get to the hospital, if he doesn’t lose his mind first.

“Hoonie? Is everything okay?” Sunoo calls out softly.

“Yeah, I’m almost done!”

Sunoo’s hospital bag is mostly packed. Thankfully, they finished it a couple days before. They’ve got his extra sets of comfortable clothes, his skincare of course, his favorite warm, fuzzy socks, and one of Sunghoon’s hoodies. Sunoo’s doctor suggested that he bring something that had his alpha’s scent on it because it could help ease some of the anxiety he would feel beforehand, especially if the pregnancy is hard. 

Sunghoon’s belly tugs with nerves and his thoughts instantly spiral back down into the what ifs. He takes another deep breath. If he doesn’t calm down, his pheromones will go crazy and Sunoo will find out and he can’t have his mate worrying over him when he’s about to have their baby in just a few hours. Sunoo is his focus right now.  

He nearly gets a heart attack when Sunoo appears in their bedroom, his eyebrows pulled together and a hand resting on his lower back.

“Hoon? You weren’t answering your phone. Hee’s on his way up.”

“R-right, I think I’ve got everything.” He must have been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t even hear his phone ring. 

“Are you okay?” Sunghoon already has his arms open when Sunoo is stepping forward into him, pressing his nose into his neck. “I could smell you from the living room,” Sunoo mumbles.

Sunghoon groans, closing his eyes so tightly, colors dance in his vision. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m freaking out a bit,” he admits. He wraps his arms around Sunoo and holds him, pressing a kiss into his hair. 

“I knew it,” Sunoo teases. 

Sunghoon chuckles and pulls back to run his thumbs under Sunoo’s teary eyes. He kisses Sunoo and rests their foreheads together. He feels less shaken now, like his pheromones are mostly under control. Still, he can’t help the tremble in his hands and just hopes Sunoo won’t notice. “I just want her to be okay,” he whispers. “I want you to be okay.” 

“We will be, Hoonie. I promise. We’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” he mutters. “I believe you.” Sunoo smiles at him but he can tell how exhausted his mate is. Sunoo’s still breaking out in a sweat and he hisses in pain every now and then. He kisses Sunoo again, soft this time and pouring all of his love into it. 

“Can you help me change into new sweatpants? It’s really uncomfortable wearing these.” Sunoo grimaces at the huge wet spot on the front of his pajama pants.

“Here, hold onto me.” Grabbing a pair of sweatpants, he helps Sunoo get dressed. He gives Sunoo his own hoodie for him to wear first so that his scent will calm his mate. He’s pulling Sunoo’s pajama pants down his hips and Sunoo is stepping out of them when they hear the code to the apartment door unlock and Heeseung’s pants as he runs into their bedroom. 

“Hey,” he greets, out of breath. He looks like he just pulled on a t-shirt and jeans and was out the door; his hair is still messy from sleep. “I’m parked outside. Are you guys ready?”

Sunghoon is pulling up Sunoo’s sweatpants and throwing the wet ones into the hamper before he straightens back up and guides Sunoo over to Heeseung. “I’ll grab his stuff. Can you take him down to the car?”

“Sure,” Heeseung nods, holding Sunoo’s hand. “Are you doing okay?” 

Sunoo lets out a shaky breath but manages a small smile. “The cramps stop every few minutes,” he says. “It’s really my lower back that’s hurting a lot right now.”

“Jakey’s ready to see you at the hospital,” Heeseung says softly. 

“I’ll meet you guys in the car, okay? I’m gonna lock up here. I’ll be just a few minutes, okay, sweetheart?”

As Heeseung takes Sunoo down the car, their conversation a hush of voices fading down the hallway, Sunghoon looks around their bedroom for any last minute things he needs to grab. He checks the bathroom, the kitchen, and doubles back to check their bedroom one last time. He wants to kick himself when he sees Sunoo’s favorite plush on his side of the bed. He had given Sunoo the fox plush on their first date when he won it at an arcade game trying to impress Sunoo and Sunoo’s kept it ever since. That’s definitely coming with them to the hospital.

Finally, with another deep breath, he heads out the apartment, locking the door behind him.

It doesn’t hit him until he’s sitting in the spacious recovery room the nurse has put them in. 

Everything from meeting Heeseung to the drive to finally arriving at the hospital was a whirlwind and he only feels like he’s able to catch his breath now. He’s pacing around, gnawing at his lip, while they’re waiting for the team of nurses to wheel Sunoo into the operating room. 

It smells like disinfectant and it doesn’t calm his nerves much; it just reminds him of death, and disease, and antiseptic. 

The moment they got into the hospital, Sunoo was rushed into the maternity ward and given his pain medication. That made Sunghoon feel better for the moment because Sunoo wouldn’t be in so much pain anymore. He was grateful. This hospital catered to omegas and their pregnancies so he knew that Sunoo would be in good hands. It also made him feel better that Jake was ready to take Sunoo when they arrived. Omegas feel more at ease when they’re around each other. 

Heeseung is sitting on the small sofa along one of the walls, trying to keep himself calm as well by playing a game on his phone, the quiet sound of lasers shooting being the only noise in the room. Sunghoon takes a seat beside Heeseung, looking over his shoulder to watch him playing. Then he stands back up and paces around before he’s sitting down again, his leg shaking.

“Hoon, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing,” Heeseung says.

“Sorry,” Sunghoon mumbles. 

“It’ll be fine,” Heeseung reassures. “Do you want to get some sleep? I’ll wake you up when the others get here.”

“I don’t think I can,” Sunghoon sighs.

“Hoon?”

Sunghoon jumps up from the sofa and heads over to Sunoo’s bedside in just a few strides. He brushes Sunoo’s hair back from his forehead. “I’m here,” he says. “Do you need me to call Jakey?”

Sunoo lying on the hospital bed makes him look so small. 

Sunoo shakes his head, smiling. He opens his eyes to look over to Sunghoon, blinking slowly. “I’m okay.”

Sunoo’s drowsy from the pain medication and Sunghoon just wants to wrap his arms around Sunoo and squeeze him. Male omega hips don’t widen like female omegas so most of the pain Sunoo has been feeling is in his pelvis and lower back. Jake gave Sunoo a delicious cocktail of pain medication that Sunoo really couldn’t complain about.  

“She’s coming soon, Hoon.” Sunoo reaches down carefully to rub his belly.

Sunghoon chuckles, feeling so choked up, he knows tears will spill any second now. He puts his hand on top of Sunoo’s. “She’s going to be beautiful, sweetheart. She’ll look exactly like you.”

“If she looks like me, then she’ll be stubborn like you.”

Sunghoon is careful of the tubes and wires when he takes Sunoo’s hand to kiss the tips of his fingers. “I love you so much, Sunoo,” he says. 

“I know, I love you too.” Sunoo cups the side of Sunghoon’s pretty face, smiling tiredly. “Don’t cry just yet, okay?”

“I’ll try,” Sunghoon laughs, petting Sunoo’s hair. 

Even when Sunoo’s like this, he’s still the most beautiful.

It isn’t much longer than that when the door opens and Jungwon is walking in with Jay and holding Riki in his arms. Jungwon power walks over to Sunoo’s bedside, panicking.

“I’m fine, Won, I’m fine,” Sunoo says even before Jungwon can ask. With the pain medication fully kicking in, Sunoo is sitting up with Sunghoon sitting on the chair next to his bed. 

Jungwon lets out a relieved sigh and passes Riki over to Jay before he collapses beside Heeseung on the sofa, who reaches out to pet his hair. It was difficult on the drive over not to panic. He and Jay lived just a bit farther from Sunoo and Sunghoon than Jaeyun and Heeseung did. That’s why it was planned with them to have Heeseung take Sunoo to the hospital and Jungwon and Jay would meet them later with Riki. 

“I was really worried about you,” Jungwon says. 

“He was,” Jay adds, sighing. “He was going to strangle me if I didn’t drive any faster.”

“Hey, it’s like an omega thing,” Jungwon says. “We’re best friends and soulmates, I can practically feel everything he feels.”

Jay walks over to Sunoo, balancing Riki on his hip. “And he said I was overbearing when he was pregnant. Riki was worried about you too.”

Riki reaches his arms out and Sunoo takes him so that he can sit in his bed with him. “Daddy says Sunny belly will be small again because they have to take the baby out.”

“That’s right, because you’re going to have a little sister soon.”

Riki purses his lips and then puts his ear to Sunoo’s belly. “Little sister, can you hear me? When they take you out, you have to be big and healthy, okay? I’m your big brother, Riki!”

Sunoo smiles and moves Riki’s small hands over to where the baby usually kicks. Riki’s eyes grow big. “She’s going to have the best big brother.”

“She’s in there right now?”

Riki looks absolutely fascinated. He pokes at Sunoo’s belly carefully, afraid that if he presses any harder, Sunoo’s belly will pop like a balloon. 

“Yup, and she’s ready to come out tonight.”

Riki nods at Sunoo, thinking. He turns to Sunghoon. “Uncle Hoonie, you put her in there, didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did, Riki. Yes, I did.”

“... Park Sunghoon…” 

“Riki , oh my god…” 

“What, Daddy told me that,” Riki pouts. “Just like how he put me in your belly too, Papa.”

“... Park Jongseong…”

Sunghoon is about to fall asleep.

He doesn’t remember much from when his younger sister was born, just that it seemed like it took the entire day and night before she finally arrived. His poor mother must have been so exhausted. 

Right now, they’re all still waiting in the recovery room with Sunoo. Jungwon is napping right beside Jay, resting his head on Jay’s shoulder and Heeseung’s been napping on and off, Riki’s keeping himself occupied with playing games on Heeseung’s lap. The heat in the room is comfortable compared to the Korean winter outside. 

Sunghoon’s eyes burn and he hasn’t moved from his spot. He sends a few messages to his mom and sister, who both live too far away to be traveling to the hospital at this time of night, so they’ll arrive later to visit. He and Sunoo will be in the hospital for a few days afterwards anyway while Sunoo recovers so he promises a lot of pictures for them of their baby girl until then. He’s so tired but there’s a sense of excitement buzzing just under his skin. 

He can’t believe this is it. 

In just a couple more hours, they’ll be holding their baby girl, their daughter . It’s both the most frightening and the best thing to happen to him at the same time.  

Over on the bed, Sunoo’s sleeping peacefully, his chest rising with his steady breaths, and in his arms is his fox plush. Reaching over, Sunghoon takes one of Sunoo’s hands and starts caressing his fingers, his knuckles. Sunoo must be so exhausted too. 

His eyes are closing when he hears the door being opened. 

Jake steps through, dressed in teal scrubs. He pulls his face mask down and smiles. “Hey,” he greets quietly. “We’re ready for him.”

It’s like Jake says the magic words.

On the sofa, Heeseung stirs first, opening his eyes and blinking sleep from them, when he realizes it’s his Jake in the room with them. Heeseung picks Riki up from his lap and reaches over to wake Jungwon and Jay.

When Heeseung heads over to Jake, he pulls him into a soft one-armed hug with Riki on his hip. “Hey, long night?”

Jake sighs but stays smiling. “Long night,” he says. He presses his face into Heeseung’s neck so that they can scent. “But Sun’s the last one for tonight. What do you think, Riki? Ready to meet your little sister?”

Riki nods, his arms around Heeseung’s neck. Then he turns shy, fidgeting with the kitty plushie he’s been holding in his hands. When he first saw it, he giggled and said it reminded him of his papa since his papa was a kitty. “Do you… will she like me?”

“Hey, Riki?” Sunoo calls. 

Heeseung brings Riki over to Sunoo. It must hurt being hooked up to all those wires. Riki thinks that Uncle Sunny looks a bit like a robot that’s charging its battery back to full power. Pouting his lips, Riki reaches out to hold his uncle Sunny’s big hand. 

“You’re going to be the best big brother to her.” 

With those words, Riki starts sniffling, his nose turning pink and his eyes shiny with tears.

Jungwon comes up to Riki, smiling softly, as he rubs Riki’s back. “Riki, are you upset?”

Riki shakes his head, rubbing at his eyes. “I want to meet her,” he says. “I want to meet her and play with her and hold her hand.”

“You’ll meet her in a little bit, sweetie,” Jungwon says, looking over to Jay, and trying not to coo over how cute Riki is. He’s usually so hyperactive but tonight, he’s taking his big brother responsibilities so seriously and the baby hasn’t even arrived yet. 

Jay runs his hand down Riki’s back in an attempt to soothe him. Riki has been looking forward to this since he knew of Sunoo’s pregnancy, that there was going to be another little one to join their group and that he would be her big brother. He had been there to pick out cute clothes for them to buy. “If you want to meet her, you’ll have to let uncle Jakey take uncle Sunny for a little bit.”

“It will be just for a bit, Riki,” Jake says. 

“What’s going to happen, uncle Jakey?” Riki asks.

“Well, we have to put him to sleep.”

“So you can take the baby out?”

“That’s right. Then you’ll get to meet her.” 

“So you have to let them go, Riki,” Jay adds.

Riki pouts and rubs at his eyes again. “Okay…”

Heeseung kisses Riki’s forehead. “Here, why don’t you go back to your dads? Say bye to uncle Sunny.”

“Bye, uncle Sunny,” Riki waves as he is passed over to Jay. “I will be here waiting for her.”

Sunoo chuckles and blows Riki a kiss. “She’ll be waiting for you too.”

Jake turns to Sunoo. “You ready to head back?”

Sunoo nods, feeling a sudden spike in his anxiety. “Hoon, y-you’re going to be there, right?”

Sunghoon immediately leans over to kiss Sunoo, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“We’ll get you ready first, Sun, and then Hoon will get dressed to join you in the operating room. I think you’re going to need your alpha nearby,” he teases lightly.

Sunghoon snorts, playing with Sunoo’s fingers. “I would be there even if he didn’t want me to.”

The bright teal scrubs are itchy and remind him of those thin napkins restaurants provide. Still, he pulls his face mask on and finishes with gloves. He can hear the monitor’s continuous beeps from just across the room as the team of nurses pulls the screen up and over to cover Sunoo’s belly.

His heartbeat is roaring in his ears and there’s a knot lodged in the pit of his belly.

Following Jake, he heads into the sterile, stark white operating room and settles into the stool that’s beside Sunoo. Sunoo is lying on the hospital bed and turns to face him when he sits down, his smile is cute and sleepy.

“Hey, you. Ready to be a dad?”

Sunghoon nods and carefully brushes a strand of Sunoo’s hair back from his eyes. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

Sunoo closes his eyes, humming. “She has the best daddy in the world. But this is the last time, Park Sunghoon. I’m never letting you touch me again. I went through 9 months of hell for this.”

Sunghoon stutters, hoping that the nurses didn’t hear what Sunoo said. “You weren’t complaining then,” he mutters. He exchanges glances with one of the nurses and she grins at him. He turns back, the back of his neck hot. Actually, he definitely wasn’t complaining about it then either but he’s not going to say more about it. It was his fault for putting Sunoo in this situation, after all…

“Okay, Sunoo, we’re going to get started,” the obstetrician announces. She’s so covered up, only her eyes and glasses are showing. “You’re going to feel some pressure, okay? Slight tugging as well.”

Sunghoon looks over as the nurses hover over Sunoo, including Jake, and the doctor starts her first incision. Sunghoon can’t see much but he definitely knows that the incision is a deep one and before he realizes it, they’ve got Sunoo open. Grimacing, he turns back, focusing on Sunoo so he doesn’t have to see. Blood has always been his weak spot.

He doesn’t realize how tightly he’s clutching onto Sunoo’s hand until Sunoo is wiggling his fingers. 

“Hoon, I think you’re about to squeeze my fingers off,” Sunoo teases. 

Sunghoon lets out a deep breath as he eases his hold around Sunoo’s hand. He brings it to his mouth, kissing his knuckles. “Guess I’m still a bit scared,” he admits. 

Sunoo hums again, agreeing. “I could smell it on you.” 

Hearing that, Sunghoon tries to ease his discomfort so that his pheromones don’t flood and overwhelm the operating room along with the nurses. He tries to think happy thoughts like how he’ll feel the moment he holds their baby girl for the first time, seeing her first smile and hearing her first laugh, her first word. 

It’s hard though.

There’s a part of his Alpha that still is threatened and sick with worry at his omega’s pain. He wants to press his nose against Sunoo’s neck and cover him in his scent so that Sunoo feels no pain. 

“Sir, we’re gonna need you to calm down over there or else you won’t be able to help with delivering this baby.”

“S-sorry,” Sunghoon flushes. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts. He’s settling into this chair, holding Sunoo’s hand as a distraction, while the nurses and doctor are focusing on Sunoo, their concentration only broken by murmurs and hums every few seconds. 

The entire world around him screeches to a halt when he hears the first fussy cry. 

“Oh, she’s definitely got some lungs on her!” The obstetrician says. “Congratulations, she’s got all 10 fingers and toes and is pink and healthy. We’re going to need the alpha father over here to cut the umbilical cord.”

Sunghoon gets up from his chair in a daze. With his tunnel vision, all he knows as he makes his way over is that he’s seconds away from holding their baby. His chest is hot and his stomach is in knots and suddenly, he’s all too aware of what it means: he’s nervous to meet her. 

When he approaches, he doesn’t even hear what the nurse is telling him to do until the umbilical cord is clamped and he’s holding a pair of scissors Jake is handing to him. “Is, is it going to hurt?” He asks. 

“No, they won’t feel anything, don’t worry,” Jake says. “You just have to cut it right there. Nope, a little higher. There you go.”

“We’ve got to start some skin to skin contact with the alpha while we snitch up Sunoo. Let’s get her warmed up. Jaeyun-ah?”

Sunghoon watches as Jake takes the scissors from him and another nurse takes her over to the corner to get weighed and tested. She cries and fusses and to the nurses, that's the best sound possible. Sunghoon is impatient. It seems like it takes forever until Jake is back. When they’re finally done and she gets the confirmation, Jake walks over to them with a squirming baby in his arms. She’s wrapped up in a soft blanket and a tiny cap. “Here she is,” Jake says. He sounds tired but his eyes are sparkling. 

Sunghoon’s heart stops in his chest. There’s a round bundle crying and squirming in Jake’s arms and she’s beautiful, absolutely beautiful. 

“What’s her name?” The obstetrician asks. 

Sunghoon swallows, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth and his chest tight. “Sujin,” he says. “Her name is Sujin.”

Jake holds her out gently and Sunghoon takes her, letting her rest against him and supporting her neck with his arm. There’s no words to describe it. She fusses in his arms and gazes up at him, eyes big and dark. 

“Hi there, Sujin-ah, welcome to the world,” he murmurs, running his finger along her cheek. “I’m… your dad.”

Sunghoon is in love. 

“Is, is that her?”

“She’s so perfect, baby. She’s beautiful. Want to meet your papa, princess?”

Sunghoon looks over to Sunoo and Sunoo looks like he’s seconds away from crying. Holding her, Sunghoon lets her get close enough to Sunoo to where Sunoo can nuzzle her with his nose. 

“Sujin,” Sunoo whispers. Sujin gurgles quietly at him and awkwardly reaches out to touch his nose. “I love you, Sujin.” 

Neither one can stop the tears from streaming down their faces. 

Sujin, it seems, has everyone in a chokehold. 

After all the pictures and videos, a glance at the clock tells Sunghoon it’s 4 in the morning yet he doesn’t feel tired at all. After getting Sunoo stitched up, Sunoo is back in the recovery room. He’s starting the skin to skin contact with her so that they can both imprint on her as her parents. The second Sunoo is wheeled back to his recovery room, Riki hops up from Jay’s lap and bounds over to Sunghoon and Sunoo, bouncing on his toes. Jungwon and Heeseung follow behind. “Is she okay? Did she make it?”

“Riki, you have to use your indoor voice, okay?” Jungwon says, reminding him gently.

Riki nods and clings onto his uncle Hoonie’s leg. “Is she here?” He whispers instead.

Sunghoon lifts Riki into his arms and carries him over to Sunoo on the bed. “You want to meet your baby sister? Her name is Sujin and you have to be careful though because she’s sleeping.”

“Already?” Riki pouts. “She must be tired, huh?” 

Laughing, Sunoo pats the bed gently for Riki to scoot closer to him. “Coming from here,” Sunoo points at his belly, “To being out here, takes a lot, I’m sure. She has to get used to everything.”

“New babies sleep a lot,” Jay says, stepping in behind Riki. 

On the bed is his uncle Sunny, holding what looks like a little lump in his lap covered in a blanket with a warm wool cap. Riki moves in closer. Sujin is sleeping soundly, tucked against Sunoo’s arm and cooing quietly.

“This is Sujin, your little sister,” Sunoo tells him. 

Riki looks absolutely fascinated. He leans in close, tilting his head. “She looks like a peach. She’s so round and pink. Can I touch her?”

“Sure,” Sunoo says.

First, Riki runs just his finger along one of her closed fists. She squirms, her eyes scrunching up before relaxing. Riki pulls back, worried that he’s suddenly woken her up, until she just yawns and snuggles back into Sunoo’s warmth. When he’s sure she’s asleep again, he strokes his small hand against her cheek. 

“Sujinnie, I know you’re asleep now but you can call me Riki oppa when you can, okay? I’m your big brother now so I will protect you! Papa, was I this small too?” 

It’s Jungwon’s turn as he stands beside Jay. “Hmm, you were a bit bigger.” 

It’s too early to tell but Sunghoon remembers Sunoo telling him that even though it really didn’t matter to Jungwon what Riki’s secondary gender was, Jungwon had a feeling he could be an alpha; alphas tended to be much larger babies than betas and omegas and in comparison to Riki then and Sujin now, Riki was bigger. 

The first time Sunghoon held Riki after he was born, it didn’t surprise him how calm Riki was. Even now, Riki is so independent and stubborn; he even skipped his crawling stage entirely and went straight into walking. 

The earliest possible stage to find out about Sujin’s secondary gender is around elementary age and he and Sunoo both agreed that it really wasn’t important to them either; alpha, omega, beta – they just want to raise her well and be loved. 

There’s a lot to look forward to with Sujin and this is only the beginning.

Soon, the sky turns from an inky black into a cold, pale blue as the sun starts to rise. 

After some hours letting all their friends and Riki hang out with them and Sujin, it was unfortunately time to say goodbye. Jungwon and Jay had to take Riki home so that he could get some rest before school and promised that they would be back again to visit. Riki insisted. 

Sunoo has fallen asleep, which Sunghoon thinks Sunoo deserves anyway after his long labor. 

Heeseung wanted to stay behind. He has to take Jake home after his shift anyway so it gives him a chance to be Sujin. 

After Sujin was resting in her warmer, Sunghoon finally had time to sleep a little bit. Even though he was still giddy with excitement, it came crashing down. He was absolutely exhausted , being awake close to 24 hours. With a stretch, Sunghoon flutters his eyes open. The harsh fluorescent lights pierce his eyelids, making him ache. He groans and gets up from his seat, stretching his legs. 

Heeseung’s standing in the corner of the room by Sujin’s warmer, swaying back and forth on his feet lightly as he’s holding her.

“Have you been holding her this entire time?” Sunghoon asks.

“You guys needed sleep. Someone had to watch her,” Heeseung says. He strokes down Sujin’s back and she coos at him, her big eyes looking at his face with curiosity. “She’s just been sleeping this whole time so I don’t mind at all. You’re just wondering about everyone, aren’t you, princess? You’ve got your papa’s chubby cheeks.”

Sunghoon fixes Sujin’s cap and she turns her head to look at him. 

“I think she recognizes your scent,” Heeseung adds.

“Really? Already?” Sunghoon mumbles. He holds his finger out to caress her cheek and she blinks before she reaches out and holds onto his finger. Sunghoon chuckles in a breath, his chest getting that tight feeling again. 

He never thought he’d fall in love so easily with her. 

“You should go home, Hee, get some rest too.”

At the mention of rest, Heeseung stifles a yawn. “Jake’s going to be finished soon too. I have to take him home. He said he helped deliver three babies tonight, he’s going to be wiped out. Are you guys going to be okay?”

Everyone’s had a long day and he’s super grateful that their closest friends were here with them.

“We’ll be fine,” Sunghoon playfully waves Heeseung off. “My mom and sister are coming up too. We’re going to be here for a few days until Sun feels well enough to go home.”

Nodding, Heeseung hands Sujin over to Sunghoon. She fusses a bit, cooing to herself, and eventually snuggles into Sunghoon’s chest, calming down. She must definitely recognize him then. His chest swells at the thought. 

Heeseung takes one last opportunity to say bye to Sujin, pecking her on the forehead and stroking her tiny fist before he silently makes his way through the door of the recovery room, waving bye to Sunghoon and telling him they’ll be back. 

Sunghoon lets out a breath in the silence of the room. When he turns, he’s surprised to see Sunoo awake and getting out of his bed. The hospital gown Sunoo is wearing practically swallows him, making him look small and cute. It reminds him so much of when Sunoo wears his oversized hoodies. He rushes over to Sunoo, resting Sujin against his shoulder.

“Hey, baby, are you sure you can get up right now? The doctor said to be careful when you’re moving,” He asks, concerned. If Sunoo isn’t careful then there’s a chance of his stitches tearing. Not to mention, he’s sure Sunoo is still in a lot of pain after essentially having his belly cut open. He holds his free arm out so that Sunoo can grab onto it and stand. 

“I wasn’t about to pass up this chance to be with you,” Sunoo replies with a cheeky little smile. 

He gets what Sunoo means. Of course, they love their friends and appreciate everything they’ve done for Sujin. With the silence of the room settling in around them, it’s time to bond with Sujin as her parents and to have quality time with her. Sunghoon brings Sujin to Sunoo and Sunoo takes her into his arms, resting her against his chest. She coos and yawns, blinking slowly. 

Sujin has to recognize their pheromones, their scents. It’s helpful as she gets older so that they can teach her to regulate her emotions and not worry about sending out unwanted pheromones whether she presents as an alpha or omega; if she’s a beta then there’s not much for her to worry about. 

Sunghoon doesn’t want to be overprotective, of course, but as an alpha, it can be difficult to control it. That’s why he’s grateful for being raised with a wonderful and patient omega mother and that he’s close with his omega sister as well. He thinks they’ve made him into an understanding person overall, not just for an alpha. 

He wraps his arms around Sunoo. He’s careful with being too tight around Sunoo’s belly and his stitches and so somehow, manages to keep Sunoo pressed against him as Sunoo holds Sujin. Now, he doesn’t catch onto the smell of Sunoo’s worry or anxiety; instead, it’s pure happiness, pure affection. He kisses the top of Sunoo’s head. 

“Crazy day, huh?” He jokes, his hand rubbing Sunoo’s back. 

Sunoo hums and closes his eyes. “The craziest but the best day. She’s really ours, huh? This beautiful baby we have?”

“I know couples say this all the time but we really made a beautiful baby together. Good job on doing half the work, sweetheart.”

Sunoo snorts, playfully nudging his elbow into Sunghoon’s side. Sujin fusses in Sunoo’s arms and yawns, cuddling into Sunoo with a soft gurgle. He takes her fist and gives it a kiss. “So, Park Sunghoon, are you ready to make another one?”

Sunghoon sputters. “Are you serious? Uh, yeah! Yeah, sure, if you want. I mean, if you want another baby already, that’s fine with me or we can wait too, it doesn’t matter either way, but if you do want another one, we can start any time you want.”

“You hear that, Sujin-ah? You might get a baby sibling sometime.”

“You mean like, right now? Like as soon as you’re out of the hospital?”

“Park Sunghoon, you sound too excited about this.”

Sunghoon scratches the back of his neck, smiling. “Well, making one is the best part, yes?”

Sunoo gasps dramatically and pulls Sujin’s cap down further so that it covers her ears. “You can’t say these things around her now that she’s here.”

“I can’t help it, I’m an alpha after all.”

Sunoo just gives him a look and he has to laugh, wrapping his arm around Sunoo’s waist and holding him close. He hasn’t been able to since their day had been so incredibly busy so he takes this opportunity now to press his nose against Sunoo’s neck, near his scent gland, and Sunoo visibly deflates, leaning against him, and letting out a sigh. He feels bad now for forgetting how badly Sunoo’s probably needed it. Nuzzling into Sunoo’s neck, he lets everything out that he’s felt the entire day, everything that’s led to this exact moment. 

Sunoo clutches onto Sunghoon just as Sujin blinks her eyes open, probably overwhelmed with all of the pheromones and feelings flooding between them. “I love you,” Sunoo mutters Sunghoon’s chest.

Sunghoon’s heart beats twice as fast. He holds Sunoo against him. “I love you too.”