Work Text:
“Confession”
The evening had taken a turn from their usual cozy wind down situation to a slightly heavy atmosphere.
Pluem had fallen asleep in New's arms before he woke up hungry like a beast. Thankfully Tay had some meals for Pluem prepared in the fridge which he popped into the microwave and quickly fed Pluem while coaxing New to go shower.
Pluem had fought his sleep through the whole eating time, something which Tay decided to record to show New later since he loved watching him and Pluem eat to their hearts content.
And by the time Tay had gotten to change Pluem's clothes to his nightwear he was already in dreamland.
Closing the nursery not so loud, Tay circled out to the living area first, finding it to be empty but the plates he left behind from which Pluem had eaten sat in the stand, washed.
Tay didn't know but a pang of guilt hit him as he went to his bedroom. Opening the door, New immediately caught his eyes who was standing by the open window. The wind blew in, drying up his half wet hair as Tay came up to him.
Seeing how lost in thought he was. He looked a lot more troubled; which made Tay feel relief, that New trusted him enough to finally reveal what he was truly feeling on the inside for a long time, and heartbreak, because what could have been a beautiful memory for them ended up traumatizing both of them...
From his peripheral vision, he observed that this night had similar cold undertones of that night. He gazed back at New, finally placing a hand on his shoulder as he snapped to him as if he hadn't sensed him standing there already.
"I know one shouldn't talk about things if they're uncomfortable but at the same time if that is taking away from your mental health for a considerably long time then, maybe you should get it out of your system once and for all."
The forming knit on New's eyebrows loosened as his eyes became glossy before he turned away, taking in a shaky breath. "I... I waited for maybe two hours..."
Fidgeting with the little finger of his right hand, New looked down at it, "I don't remember how it was but it felt like an eternity..." He swallowed before continuing, "By then I'd only seen Pluem once as he was being fed by the nurse...
"Around sometime after I came back to the waiting area, the nurse rushed to me, saying you need a few bottles of bags of blood and that you're suffering from a hemorrhage..."
He took a pause, swallowing again as he now dug his thumb's nail onto the skin of his little finger, feeling his husband's hand rub gently on his back,
"Then I... Quickly bought the bags and started waiting again but it never seemed to end..." He gazed back out of the window again, "I wanted to see you, I asked the nurses to see you, even a glance from afar, I just wanted to see you but it wasn't allowed...
"At the same time, a nurse from the nursery section had come finding me telling me how Pluem would not stop crying no matter what and that they'd shifted him to a separate room which was a NICU...
"My mind was boggled as I'd suddenly become numb in that moment and... And..." Tay could see the tears forming in his husband's eyes as he heaved in, "Suddenly doctors were rushing to the ICU... Where you were...
"I... I didn't understand," His eyebrows knitted together in a frustrating manner as he gazed down as his teardrops fell, "I didn't understand what was happening... But... But then there was this... This sound... This... This static sound, still rings in my ears,"
His voice shook with a last sentence, his eyes pressing shut and tears rolling down his cheeks, as the crease became softer in a painful way as if he was unwillingly experiencing it all again,
"It's not a nice sound in real life," He spoke with a wavering tone, "Knowing the one you love is possibly dying..." New broke down, crying miserably as Tay wrapped himself around him, rubbing his back and releasing calming pheromones as well as scenting his alpha. Through gut wrenching sobs, New croaked out,
"I never want to hear it ever again..."
*
“Consolation”
After that Tay had gently guided New to bed, knowing well they both hadn't eaten anything but still opting to go to sleep as New had buried his head in the nape of Tay's neck, holding him for dear life. New had softly cried and cried, occasionally voicing the things which had loomed over his head like a dark cloud while Tay had combed through his hair,
He let him know about the even longer wait that seemed to just stretch and the doctors seemed to rush to his ward, the skin-to-skin scenario and how it saved him and their baby and lastly how New lived in fear while caring for their newborn not catching a wink of slumber and just waiting for him.
And now as Tay had started to feel a little hungry with his shoulder and the pillowcase beneath his right shoulder feeling drenched, he thought New might have fallen asleep as he still kept caressing his back and combing through his hair,
"You know," A quiet rasp lingered over his collarbone, "This feels so stupid, as if I'm being a baby, crying over spilt milk but every time, I feel present with you and Pluem, it's always something in the subconscious which triggers some kind of a nightmare that something happened to you both or that memory always comes haunting my dreams..."
New let out a tired sigh, one which almost frightened Tay, feeling like New might do something to himself had he not been in his arms...
He just pressed his lips gently over New's exposed forehead, peppering it with tender pecks, feeling another few warm droplets on his shoulder. "I don't know how other people view trauma," He gently started in the same quiet tone, "But for me, it has variations. And you aren't being a baby, Hin, if I had been in your position I might have been traumatized the same way...
"Finding your lost partner and being on the verge of losing them again, this time with a little one at stake as well... It was bound to leave scars on you... Even the nurse didn't tell me things in such detail because had I known about this, I would have done something a long time ago already."
"You're doing enough for me already," New nuzzled in Tay's neck more, scenting him before Tay felt his breathing falling slow finally. Just as New was about to drift to sleep, Tay's stomach growled dramatically loud.
The latter's comforting movements halted as he pressed his eyes and lips tight. It took New a few moments to realize why his husband's stomach had growled so loudly as he pulled away, sniffling on a clogged up nose,
"I'm sorry I— I totally forgot you're pregnant," He wiped at his face, promptly sitting up, "I'll bring something for you to eat—" Tay put his hand over New's shoulder just in time who turned back to see a big wet patch on his husband's shoulder making his eyes go wide,
"Let me get you—" Tay placed his index finger over New's lips, "Sh!" New met his eyes to see the slight crease on his brows, "Let yourself loose for once, if I need your help, I'll act dramatically weak in front of you, okay?"
New's lips curled into a helpless grin as Tay retracted his hand, "Well at least let me get you a change of shirt before we head to eat." Tay smiled it off, taking his shirt off as New got up and went to the cupboard, taking a clean and loose shirt out for him.
He pulled the cloth up to it's sleeves, helping Tay put it on despite him not needing to as he then pressed a kiss on Tay's cheek who blushed and chuckled,
"Are you craving something?" New took Tay's hand while the latter got up, "Noodles with a lot of beef and some vegetables?"
"I think we have a meal prep of it," Tay nodded, unconsciously rubbing his belly as he looked at New then, while they walked out of the room, halting. Sensing the stop, New turned around, slightly perplexed as he caught a glimpse of a longing wish in his eyes just as he lowered his gaze,
He came a step closer as New could see the redness creeping over his dark features realizing what was happening when his fingers grazed the lower abdomen of his husband. He could feel the shyness radiating off his omega as he ran his thumb over there.
As they stood in the tiny hallway, New positioned himself just behind Tay's right arm, sneaking his hand under his shirt as Tay's breath hitched. He could see him biting his lip, making him smile as he held his husband gently close, caressing his belly before he got a little emotional.
Pluem was there, in his husband's belly, just a little over a year ago but he wasn't there to caress the skin under which he kicked and moved.
He knew that dwelling over the past brought nothing but bitterness and sadness but at that same time he felt robbed of the experience with his first child.
But as Tay melted a little more under his touch, the feeling of bitterness became a little easier to deal with. He would make this, and every experience where Tay got pregnant, worth it for both of them.
"I planned to let you know I was pregnant for the first time like this." There wasn't a hint of sadness in Tay's tone, making it a little more easier for New to cope as he sniff kissed his neck before he rasped out, "I always used to imagine you telling me you were pregnant and each time my reaction I could imagine was this,"
New stepped forward to face Tay as he hugged him, a little longer before he dropped to his knees and hugged his belly then lifting up the hem of his shirt, white stretch marks still there, a beautiful remainder that his body was and is the home of his children.
He gently pressed his soft lips over there as Tay couldn't help from his eyes tearing up. This was what it truly would have been if he'd gotten to tell New for the first time around but at the same time he wasn't complaining, he was grateful, so much at that.
He prayed with every child they get to have New reacted like this to the announcement.
It might be cringe in other people's eyes but it wasn't something he intended on sharing either...
New met his glossy eyes then, this time his smile genuinely shining through his gaze as Tay still gently massaged his fingers into his hair,
"Come, the baby and the papa must be hungry."
*
“Ultrasound”
The sensation of the cold gel on his lower abdomen and the ultrasound stick pressing down there made Tay want to throw hands at inanimate objects but even this uncomfortable feeling couldn't beat the fact that he was happy.
Pluem babbled in New's arm as he held Tay's hand from his free one. Their one year old kept pulling at New's collar while pressing kisses on New's cheeks before he turned back to the screen.
On the grey screen they could see the tech locate a black ring inside of which there was a grey dot, "That's the embryo," The tech pointed out from her finger. Tay could feel his eyes fill up. He felt blessed to be able to grow and nurture their family both inside and outside of his body.
He felt like he was being cringe once again but then he utterly felt connected to the tiny little dot that was growing every nanosecond inside of him more than ever.
"Pluem, look," Tay shifted his gaze as New gave a big kiss to Pluem's cheek before he pointed at the screen, "Look, your sibling." His heart was overwhelmed with joy, the pang of pain he was expecting to hit because of the experiences he lost with Pluem was nowhere in his chest.
The tech was maybe pointing out some other things but Pluem's scrunched up face had him wrapped as he glared at his fist while pouting before he finally looked up at where New was pointing, "Aby!"
His facial expressions changed comically as the one year old said gently, pointing at the screen as well, but loud enough to reach the tech's ears as well who smiled while taking pictures of the scan.
Pluem squealed and laughed as the tech handed a still grinning Tay some tissues. New bounced their laughing chubby baby in his arms as he spoke in almost baby language, while tickling his neck with his nose,
"You're going to be a big brother, Pluem."
*
“Midnight Cravings”
Tay tossed and turned on the bed although slowly considering New had become a light sleeper these days, make even the slightest movement without a second thought and New would be up questioning if he was okay.
Tay felt almost bad every time New woke up like this since he had to wake up the next morning for work and his sleep cycle was already disturbed because of his mental health that was only starting to recover.
He knew that New either wasn't able to concentrate on work or would focus so much that either way he would come back groggy from the day.
Still Tay would say it was better than the autopilot New was running on before because at least now New was working on expressing himself more to Tay and Tay felt it was his duty as his husband to find ways to help him heal quicker.
The past few weeks, Tay had been surprising New by buying sweets and ice cream for him as well as doing all the little things like buying him flowers, taking lunch to his office, giving him more alone time at home and also he called up a few friends of New who Tay knew they could trust and got them to come to Chiang Mai and surprise New with a party.
The look on New's face was to die for, Tay would never forget the happiness on New's face when he saw his old friends walk in the door. Thankfully it was a Sunday and they had already come prepared with a few activities booked for the day while Tay prepared a feast in the meanwhile.
And only then Tay understood why people emphasized that take your time before having kids because cooking while being thirteen weeks pregnant and having to deal with a seventeen month old was tough work.
Tay's back was aching like crazy, because he had cooked and cleaned the kitchen at the same time without a break, by the time the men had walked in and settled down to eat,
For a moment the pain had truly disappeared when New had taken Pluem from Tay's arms and kissed Tay on both of his cheeks in front of his friends, taking him aback as the friends hooted and Pluem squealed before he kissed Pluem's bread cheeks as well.
Tay actually wasn't going to sit down and eat with them since Pluem had to be fed until the men stepped up with New, everyone served Tay the first plate who said New was the birthday boy he should get the first plate but New said,
"But you went through all the trouble alone, while being pregnant and caring for a baby, just for me."
And just smiled like he always did at him. Tay almost cried in that moment, instantly blaming it on hormones as New got up and hugged him, thanking him all over again.
That night the alphas helped feed Pluem while Tay got to eat in a gathering like this after God knew how long.
He was about to burst into tears all over again when New had taken Pluem from his hands saying that he would bathe and prepare him for bed while the friends went to wash the dishes, he felt so guilty for letting the guests do it but they only replied with that hadn't it been for Tay, they wouldn't get to meet for another twenty years.
Safe to say that night Tay showered and went to bed early after telling them that he had already bought beers for them.
And the next morning before going to work New massaged his back and legs too.
That morning the surreality was about to wash over him but just then New had placed Pluem beside Tay, who instantly snuggled up to him before the couple shared a kiss.
He tossed gently again, his eyes falling onto the joysticks sitting on the desk in their room, Tay had also bought him a few games based on the console New had brought with them to Chiang Mai, initially to sell but Tay almost fought New and it was hence saved from selling.
Then Tay didn't understand why New was selling the precious stuff like this though he had a decent amount of money in his bank account even after the legal battle and shifting but now he slowly seemed to understand,
He was trying to bury everything away by either throwing or selling it away.
Tay silently sighed, he also had other plans to buy the latest model of the gaming console, the joystick and new games with it but right now it was out of their budget yet the goal wasn't far from reaching since New's job was high paying fortunately.
It also made Tay think that he would be gifting things New from the money that he earned but for now he pushed that thought away since he didn't want to become bitter and gently tossed beside New again.
God just why couldn't he go to sleep tonight? Even the bed didn't seem that uncomfortable, he looked at New's face, peacefully deep asleep for the first time in a long while.
A curl came over Tay's lips as he leaned in close and just gazed at him, his white cheeks looking so soft and squishy like whipped cream and his pink lips looking so sweet like strawberries.
Grrh .
Tay's eyes widened as his heart jumped in his chest before realizing that the deadly loud growl came from his stomach.
He slowly turned to look at New, who was thankfully still fast asleep as Tay covered his mouth and gently pulled away, first he lay flat on his back, taking a few seconds before he pulled the sheet off of him. Then he got up the same way, tiptoeing out of the room and checking up on Pluem on the way, who was also deep asleep like his father, going to the kitchen.
They had rice and chicken curry at dinner but he didn't remember packing up the leftovers because Pluem had gotten all cranky and started crying, refusing to come into New's arms for the first time since that night when he first put him back to sleep.
At first Tay thought his stomach hurt or something but he was just being exceptionally clingy so New ended up handling other chores.
Tay wasn't sure if there would be a leftover too because Tay from time to time got a huge wave of nausea while New could stomach a storm.
He flicked open the light as he glided over to the fridge with his soundless steps and opened it.
And to his heartbreak there were only a few things like tomatoes, cucumbers and ginger with some condiments, water bottles and soda in the door,
He looked at the top of the door in hopes for some eggs only to find the tray empty as it struck him that they had run out of eggs yesterday and Tay forgot to remind New about it.
And suddenly there was a heaviness circulating in his chest, he closed the door gently as he sniffled, realizing the heaviness was from the tears and sadness that was seeping out from his eyes.
Tay just covered his mouth and softly sobbed, wiping away his tears just as they fell. He remembered the time in Phuket, six months pregnant and stomach growling from hunger, let alone midnight cravings.
If he could survive those then he could surely—
"Tay?" He froze at the mention of his name as he swallowed, wiping away the remnants and turning around, finding a sleepy New standing just with the starting edge of the kitchen counter, wearing only an undershirt over pajamas, "You okay?"
Tay nodded, smiling a little to nip in the bud of worries, "Yeah, I was just here to drink water." He quickly looked away, stepping out from the kitchen as New took a quick look in,
The turned over glasses on the stand had no stain of water on them, "You're hungry, right?"
And he stopped right there, before he even got a chance to take his hand off of the counter. New patiently waited as Tay, with an almost guilty look in his eyes, met New's gaze, slowly nodding before his face scrunched and tears began pouring out.
Alarmed, New jumped into action as Tay spun away from him, "Sorry," But New had already brought Tay's hands down that were covering his face as he said, tenderly cupping his cheeks,
"Why are you apologizing for being hungry?"
That only made Tay cry harder as New just took him into his embrace, caressing his back, he remembered Tay telling him about how he had to starve half the time during his first pregnancy of course he was bound to come back to a space like this in his second pregnancy regardless of how much New had been his unpaid therapist and treated him like he deserved to be.
Tay's sobs were reduced to hiccups as they parted and New wiped away the messy wetness from his cheeks, "Sor— sorry." But New just let out a gentle grin, "Please don't be sorry that you're hungry in the middle of the night while being pregnant with our child."
Tay's lips trembled again as he squeaked out in the tiniest and guiltiest voice while playing with New's vest, "But you have office tomorrow." He softly gasped in as New just chuckled making Tay look up finally,
"So my dear husband is crying because I don't get eight hours of sleep just one night?" Tay shook his head again, once again gazing down, this time only pouting while fidgeting with his vest again as New wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer, feeling his little bump press onto his abdomen,
Redness came over Tay's cheeks who choked out, "But you've been having problems with your sleep schedule for more or less a year now and—"
Gentle lips pressed against Tay's who instantly melted under, curving them over New's in sync. The soft and gentle kiss lasted for a minute as they parted but Tay didn't dare to look into New's eyes this time because he feared he might start acting like a teenager with a big crush.
New, satisfied after bringing the undeniable smile on Tay's lips, whispered into his ear, "I can sacrifice everything for you and Pluem, what are eight hours in front of that?"
Tay just buried his face on his New's shoulder who laughed and hugged him gently, whispering once again, "Besides it's all the more reason for me to spoil you since you're carrying our child." New could feel the Tay turned hot in his arms and possibly buried his face to the point he couldn't.
GRRH.
Both of them froze as Tay abruptly parted but New held his embrace firm making Tay meet eyes with him as he asked away quickly, "So what will my king like to feast upon tonight?"
*
“Feeling the baby”
Tay tried to nap but apparently his growing baby bump had created other obstacles of discomfort for him.
One such being the inability to find the perfect, comfortable spot instantly doze off. Tay shifted, tossed and turned in his bed but nothing seemed to just hit the spot.
New had taken a leave today since Tay was under the weather having the nausea returned for the past couple of days.
He hated vomiting everything out or staying nauseous all the time. He's been cranky for the past forty hours as well.
Tay held himself back from snapping at either New or Pluem, who obviously wanted Tay's attention, until today that both New noticed and Tay spoke out about him wanting a break so here they were, with New and Pluem having gone out to run some errands while Tay slept.
Correction; tried to sleep.
Tay just sighed and went back to the recent most beautiful core memory he made with New, thinking it might help him to ease off,
It was the night he was hungry and craving anything that could come into his hands. Despite calming down after crying, Tay was still a little anxious on the inside while New calmly yet quickly brought together a baby bag and took a sleeping Pluem in his arms.
New had just kept smiling at him whenever Tay gazed over as if he knew what he was feeling on the inside.
Maybe he was expecting everything to blow out of proportion all of a sudden? He didn't know but his heart was uneasy all while they took the elevator to the parking lot of the apartment complex, then strapped Pluem in his car seat and set his neck right while Tay took his seat beside him and New placed the baby bag in the passenger seat beside the driver's.
At some point Tay thought that Pluem might wake up at the echoing sound of the car doors opening and closing but he slept through it all like a log.
Then New drove from the quiet parking lot to the hustling bustling night life of Chiang Mai. He had parked the car just before the street filled with food stalls started while Tay had unstrapped Pluem and almost brought him out of the seat when New took the extra mile for him and grabbed Pluem saying,
"You feed yourself and our baby while I take care of the other."
All of the underlying unease was flushed as he fell all over again for his handsome, deeply caring alpha.
They had strolled out to a noodle stall and Tay had ordered spicy stir fried noodles which had instantly made New sneeze,
He chuckled under his breath lazily as slowly he was dozing off,
Tay had absolutely devoured the bowl while New made small videos of him eating and himself holding a fast asleep Pluem. He even struck some weird poses while eating, making New laugh almost hard as he controlled his body from shaking too much.
"Nong baby," Tay's closed eyelids unsealed just enough to see what was happening over his belly, unable to give it away to someone that he was awake as he saw Pluem's bright face, an exact replica of New's, excitedly stretching out to touch his slightly exposed belly while New caught his hand gently but just in time,
He crouched beside him, the same excitement on his face as he whispered to his son, "Yes, nong baby, your baby brother."
Pluem absolutely lit up at that, placing his tiny hand on his tiny but proud chest, "My?" New nodded eagerly, "Yes, yours." Pluem jumped as New quickly held his arms first then placed a finger on his lips,
"Sh! Papa is sleeping." And Pluem quickly followed suit by putting his tiny fingers on his tiny lips, the father and son turned to his belly again as keeping his consciousness steady was becoming harder for Tay,
Pluem's mouth became an O as Tay felt inside his baby moving, New came close to Pluem, pointing maybe at the lower section of his belly and saying, "That's nong baby's head." Pluem, having the curiosity of his age, stepped forwards, this time gently stretching his outwards,
A slightly cold small hand pressed against Tay's belly as he fought a smile almost asleep. It was followed by a bigger hand next to it as Tay couldn't keep his eyes open now, slowly losing himself in slumber,
Tay thought he would lose this precious interaction forever but just in time, nong baby kicked and the omega heard the alpha and the pup gasp under their breaths cutely,
"Nong baby?!" Pluem asked under his breath all excited and New replied with the same hushed enthusiasm, "Yes, our nong baby."
As Tay finally lost himself in sweet slumber, he knew the memories of this pregnancy would stick around for a long time.
*
“Baby Shower”
With his back against the tree, a pillow stuffed between the gap of his lower back and the tree's trunk, Tay rested back, slowly caressing his now very round belly.
There was a content pursed grin on his face, watching Pluem and New run around the park as Pluem squealed on top of his lungs whenever New went to chase him or picked him up to spin him.
The internal storage of Tay's new phone was filled more than half by now because of how much he couldn't resist taking a picture each time they hung out like this for the past almost three years now.
Right now, his husband and son were playing with the ball they brought to the park.
This idea of a baby shower was quite unconventional but to Tay it was the best. Unconventional because they couldn't trust a babysitter to watch Pluem for a few hours but the best because through this baby shower they got to make new memories with Pluem which he might not remember when he grows up but they surely will.
Tay recorded yet another video with a sprouting smile as the baby kicked and he turned the camera, catching another yet small kick though his shirt was on.
He giggled, putting his hand there and rubbing his thumb over before finishing the video.
There was a picnic basket set beside Tay filled with all of the snacks all three of them loved to eat. New had already made reservations at a nice family friendly restaurant as well but he knew all three of them would be hungry once they got to the park so he also prepped this.
Honestly, Tay felt so lucky in this moment, feeling like he truly won the lottery. New was loving, caring, kind and thoughtful. He had enough empathy to know how much one was sacrificing for him and had enough gratitude to find a creative way to repay it.
Whenever Tay was left alone with his thoughts, he often trailed back to counting his husband's virtues, always reminding himself how marriage wasn't a fifty-fifty partnership and they couldn't take each other for granted.
No matter how much they loved and respected each other, it was simply a never for them both.
Because the moment you thought someone's presence or relationship would never go anywhere, everything came crashing down.
To be connected but not to be attached was another life lesson that Tay learned the hard way.
There were times and people that you couldn't just help but build an attachment with instead of a connection. Tay, and even New, was one of those who built an attachment rather a connection.
Because it was somehow easier to lose a connection, as if giving away your clothes to someone, but to lose an attachment was everything Tay went through almost three years ago.
The unfathomable agony—
"Papa! Papa! Papa!" Pluem came running and crashed on to the striped sheet as he burst into giggles, "Are you having fun, my baby?" Tay had cupped Pluem's cheek and gently squished them as Pluem loudly giggled and nodded,
"Juice! Juice!" He pointed at the picnic basket as Tay went to open it, "What is the magic word?" And very cutely New's carbon copy smiled while clasping his tiny hands together, "Please~!"
New let out an airy chuckle as he caught up and settled down beside the basket while Tay was taking out the juice pouch. As Tay punched a hole in the pouch to give to Pluem, New faked his huffing as he said to his son, "Nong is faster than daddy."
Pluem laughed so hard with rushing joy that his head literally went left and right, making Tay chuckle abruptly while he handed him the pouch, "Thank you!"
"Dee mak." Tay pat Pluem's head as New pouted, "And what about this baby?" Tay gazed over to New who had puckered his lips out as the melodious sound of Pluem's giggles could be heard from the side,
Tay just shook his head and grabbed another juice pouch for him, repeating the process for him.
The little family, under the tree, ate their favorite snacks as the sun lowered into the start of evening phase,
Pluem had gone to nap beside Tay as New, who was cleaning up, leaned beside him after putting the lid of the picnic basket down. Pressing his left arm onto Tay's right as the latter settled his head onto the former's shoulder instead,
"Thank you," He whispered, letting his eyes close and recall how throughout the day Tay was brought breakfast in bed by him and Pluem before they dropped him off to a spa for some alone time and cleaned the home in the meanwhile.
Then when he returned, he found nice clothes and even jewelry that fit him perfectly all set out for him to dress up into. Tay almost cried tears of joy, which he blamed on pregnancy hormones, before he calmed down and got ready to come here.
"What for?" New asked, his breath grazing Tay's hair who gazed up, setting his chin on his shoulder and looking at him with those beautiful eyes that popped out with the evening sunlight glow,
"For everything," He then pecked his cheek before he snuggled up to him more, intertwining their arms as New melted over him, finding his way with his other hand over Tay's round belly, caressing it before kissing atop his head.
New found himself very grateful towards himself that he trusted his intuition when he met Tay for the first time and warmly greeted him when the other looked unsure because right now, his whole world was with him.
*
“When The Light Dims”
Tay was winding down from the day, being seven months pregnant was hard work. New was taking care of Pluem who this time had fallen asleep in the car right after dinner while Tay was applying a moisturizer.
He wouldn't lie to himself but he looked firecracker sexy in this satin paternity maxi which New bought as a gift for him. He smiled and winked at himself in the mirror one last time after applying Vaseline on his lips as he got up and turned around at the sound of steps,
New strutted inside, his eyes landing right on his pregnant husband; his round belly looking so perfect under the dark blue satin maxi, his hair looking even more silky and the most were his lips, that looked just so so inviting that New couldn't resist anymore.
He stalked up to Tay, who by now, had taken the hint where this was going to lead as he just went with the flow and teasingly ran his hands from bottom to top, tilting his head and leaning in, meeting lips with him,
New gently grabbed his back, pulling him close and feeling his round belly touch his abdomen,
It somehow just turned him on more,
The kiss deepened as New gently guided Tay to bed, breaking the smooch for a moment and effortlessly taking Tay's hand who settled down quickly, inching back while New climbed over.
Clothes had flown here and there in the matter of seconds after that as New for a moment stopped, pulled away and just admired the naked beauty his husband was,
Legs spread wide just for him, stretch marks covering his abdomen and various parts of body, he kissed as many as he could before Tay tossed to his side and New helped balance his leg while he lubed himself up, whispering in his ear,
"I'll be gentle but do let me know what you want and when to stop, okay?" And all that New got in response was a very hungry moan as he laid behind him and slowly put himself in, hearing Tay's breathing become quicker and even more hungrier with the moans he tried to stifle,
Slowly New started thrusting, careful not to go too hard or too slow, just the perfect pace to satisfy them both, back and forth, in and out, he kept going as Tay's moans, that remained under his breath, were too strong to stifle and reached New's ears blessing them,
"Ah, ah, ah,"
It made New go just a slightly but harder, after all Tay's sultry, sexy and lusty moans only turned on New more. He kissed and sucked on Tay's neck however much he could in this position, quickening his pace a little more as Tay's moans grew more sluttier,
He kept going on and on, gently pounding inside his very well pregnant omega, who bit his lips and clenched the sheets,
"New..." Letting him know through that croaked note that he was near but so was him. And as New kissed and sucked on Tay's neck more and more, Tay gasped suddenly followed by New's exhale of relief.
For a few moments, the couple just laid there, in their own sweat and each other's arms, eyes barely open and just feeling each other.
Savoring each other's touch and warmth as New caressed Tay's belly, who put his hand above New's, and just whispered sweet nothings in his ear before finally New pulled out.
A sticky yet sleepy Tay groaned as New got the que and pressed a kiss on his forehead, quickly bringing a towel after wetting it and gently cleaning a Tay who gave a wide pursed smile before completely dozing off,
Thankfully the bedsheet was not ruined as New let the towel drop beside the bed after he cleaned major parts of him and positioned himself to be the big spoon again and pulled the comforter over them, burying his nose in Tay's hair, losing himself in the sweet scent of his.
*
“Arrival Of New Found Happiness”
Evening warmth filled the house as well as the sound of TV which played Thai nursery rhymes, the twenty-three month old Pluem yapped along with it as he played well by himself surrounded with the clutter of toys,
Tay was right there behind the kitchen counter, packing and storing the last of the meals they would warm to eat after the new baby arrived as he breathed in and out while lightly bouncing sideways.
The discomfort was already there with him entering the third trimester but it only amplified this week.
At first Tay wasn't sure what it was, compared to the intensity he felt last time, he for some reason was sure that he wasn't in labor despite him being thirty-seven weeks then,
He waddled about the kitchen, opened the freezer door and slipped inside the last Tupperware filled with food as he exhaled a long one, letting the door shut.
Keeping his hands on his back, he slowly turned around, still doing the breathing exercises. Pluem's happy dancing and singing filling up the living room,
Was this how natural labor felt like?
His back was surely killing him and he was getting the uncomfortable squeezing sensations at odd moments for the last two days until last night the timing came close to hours.
Tay walked up the sofa and somehow gently settled down there, a new contraction hit, fairly stronger as he held his belly and breathed through it, slowly opening his eyes and finding that Pluem was still engaged in his singing and didn't take notice of his father's agony.
Tay was relieved because if Pluem saw Tay in pain, he might start crying himself. That sweet little boy was very attached to his papa, the pup couldn't bear to see a frown on his face.
He then turned to the front door which was closed and then looked up at the clock, it was half past the time New's office hours ended, initially New didn't want to go to work today at least. Knowing his husband was in pain and was about to give birth any time now, he sure as hell wanted to be there by his side twenty-four-seven.
To not make Tay feel abandoned at any moment but it was Tay who convinced him to go today since New's office had introduced a new thing called A & B paternity leave which allowed male alphas and betas to take paid leaves to care for their partners who had recently birthed their children.
New had done all the paperwork required and was about to call it in yesterday to start it but Tay somehow convinced him to go and help out finish every task he could,
Tay's phone dinged as Pluem became alert and immediately padded over to the sofa holding a toy car and toy train before the omega could reach out, "Mm, waiting for your dada's call, aren't you?"
Pluem flashed his milk teeth grin, bouncing a little as he opened the phone to find a message from New stating,
I am five minutes away from home, how far apart are your contractions? Do I need to call the ambulance? Are you okay?
Tay chuckled reading the message, realizing that convincing him to go to work today proved to be in vain because his caring husband had been messaging him throughout the whole day, every fifteen minutes with 'are you okay' or 'should I come home?' or 'should I call the ambulance?'
Tay absolutely fell in love all over again today and hopefully next time he wouldn't convince him to go to work when he was so near giving birth considering New felt more anxious being away from his family.
"Dada?" Pluem asked innocently with his boba eyes looking big and bright like New's as Tay pouted at Pluem and shook his head, "No call, but he is coming home soon,"
Pluem pouted as Tay grabbed the remote, "Let me put on Bluey for you?" Pluem lit up as he ran to sit down near his toys, Tay put on a random episode of the kid's tv show as he breathed through the contractions he felt that were slowly coming close,
Just as Tay was going to reach his phone and call New to ask him where he was, the sound of the key turning in the lock grabbed Pluem's attention who was instantly up and dashing by the time the door swung open,
"Dada!" And New fell to his knees hugging his little bundle of joy gently tight and kissing his cheeks as he got up with him in his arms and came in after taking his shoes off,
Worry shining in his eyes but he smiled as he leaned in close and kissed Tay's cheeks, "Are you okay?" And the omega couldn't help but shake his head as he, without fighting a grin, said, "For the hundred and fifteenth time, yes I am okay my love, but we may need to go soon so,"
"I'll bathe and feed Pluem," Tay nodded gratefully, fatigue evident on his face as New rubbed his thumb gently on his waist that he had his hand around, "Do you want to eat something?"
Tay shook his head, "I just feel hot," He walked back to the sofa as New let Pluem down and disappeared into the other room before he came out with a stand fan, he quickly plugged it in, faced it at Tay and turned it on at full speed,
An evident wave of relief washed over Tay whose eyes literally rolled back before meeting New's and giving him a flying kiss who returned it.
A few hours went by as New took a shower then played with Pluem while waiting for dinner time, then he fed and bathed Pluem and also put him to bed while Tay forced himself to clean the living room in hopes of speeding up the process of labor and warmed up a plate of food for New.
New was grateful and worried when he came out to see the house looked clean as he found Tay setting the plate down for him at the table and smiling up at him tiredly,
"Tay, I was coming to do this, you didn't have to," He placed a gentle hand on his waist, rubbing his thumb tenderly as the omega shook his head, and spoke through heaves, "I just wanted to speed up the process and it feels like it worked."
Before New could react, Tay asked, "Is Pluem asleep?" He nodded, "Thank God he sleeps like a log," New chuckled at that. "How about you eat first then we can head out?"
"But—"
"Please? I want at least one of us to have enough energy to deal with Pluem if he wakes up during the night." Reluctantly New nodded and sat down to eat as Tay took a seat beside him, still heaving and contracting but having a smile on his face nonetheless,
They didn't have a babysitter and New was still skeptical of the neighbors though they seemed to be nice people, he would need a little more time into trusting new people because of the trauma his own trusted people caused,
He didn't know if nurses would be nice enough to keep their eldest with them for a few hours... Or if they could be trusted as well,
Because one thing was sure that he didn't want Pluem to be in the birthing room and wake up accidentally to be traumatized for life.
Tay grunted under his breath as New immediately took his hand and he squeezed hard, but all New cared about was Tay who slowly recovered, "That was a strong one," New nodded, finishing the plate in big bites, quickly taking his empty plate and setting it in the sink, running the tap over it to let it soak as he meticulously worked,
He brought out the baby bags and a small bag which contained stuff for both New and Tay to the front door and then took Tay to the bathroom, helped him to the loo and then got him changed into a fresh pair of clothes that was a birthing gown and a pair of cotton trousers,
He helped clean Tay's face and brushed his hair all while the omega just smiled at him and kissed him afterwards. Then he brought Tay out to sit on the sofa before he made a quick run to his car, taking the bags with him and shoving his wallet in his pocket amidst that. He'd put it in the trunk before he rushed back and got Pluem out of his crib, which he was out growing already,
And grabbed the baby carrier in time as he came out to help Tay up, the choice of footwear was kept matching as New and Tay both chose crocs, instead of joggers, Pluem's crocs being in the trunk of the car,
It was Tay who initially said that as a joke but New agreed so they went with the flow. On the front door, New, who was holding Pluem in his left arm, the baby carrier hanging from his last two fingers of the same hand, held Tay's hand from his other who quickly slid his feet inside the crocs and followed him out of the house,
Tay shut the door behind them as they walked hand in hand towards the elevator, with Tay pressing the button before he glanced at New who held his hand gently tight,
The alpha met his eyes and flashed a calming grin as the elevator doors opened and New headed in first, helping Tay inside as the omega pressed the button to the parking level where New usually parked his car at,
The elevator doors closed as it went down, "Isn't it weird," Tay chimed up gently as New gazed over questioning why with his eyes, "I thought this would be something... Something straight out of a movie?"
The couple met each other's eyes before they each bust a chuckle together, "Something chaotic, something memorable to tell our kids, right?" Tay nodded in agreement, "I am fully ready to deadpan in their faces that you were born in the most boring way possible,"
The elevator doors opened and New carefully walked out, before helping Tay out as well while he said, "And we wouldn't prefer it any other way." At that Tay didn't look up but an evident curl came up on his lips as they reached the car and New unlocked it with the fob,
New settled in Pluem in his car seat and put the baby carrier beside him as he closed the door and opened the passenger one. Tay waddled in the narrow gap, laced his fingers firmly around the handle situated above inside the door, and lowered himself in before New bent and came in to put the seatbelt on him, giving a chance to Tay to sneak another kiss from his cheek,
New only loved this, unable to fight that smile, snagging a peck for himself as well before he was in the driver's seat and they were going out into the night that never slept in Thailand,
Coming to a stop at a red light and surrounded by a few cars, New just hoped they didn't find unnecessary traffic, though it was Chiang Mai and not Bangkok, and quickly brought Tay to the hospital, who still held the handle firmly and breathed through his contractions.
How was it that this was his second rodeo but he was still nervous out of his wits, tapping his finger against the steering wheel and biting the inner of his lip, his eyes literally checked every corner he could look at at every five seconds.
Maybe his nervousness was quite evident as a hand settled upon his thigh, caressing it and squeezing it gently, New turned to catch Tay's tired smile,
New inhaled and exhaled, taking Tay's hand, giving it a warm squeeze and kissing the back of it when a sharp inhale caught New's attention,
The omega's face contorted with great agony as he squeezed the alpha's hand with all of his might again, giving a taste of his pain to him, while he caressed the back of his hand.
He didn't realize that the light had become green because the moment he opened his mouth to give encouragement to Tay, there was honking coming from behind him as he put his foot down on the accelerator while pressing a long kiss there on the back of his hand,
"I love you," The hoarse whisper was all New needed as in the next ten minutes they were pulling in the parking lot of the hospital. New immediately got down, keeping check of his belongings as he first rushed towards Tay's side and helped him out,
Once the omega was standing in the wider area, New stepped back, opened the car door and gently got out their son,
"You know," New was adjusting Pluem on his shoulder when Tay kept his hand on his back and said with a sarcastic mix mischievous grin, "If you would ask someone who is healthy, yes, and our age but doesn't go to gym or doesn't have children, to scoop out a sleeping baby from a car seat without detaching it from the car, they'll probably reply with 'do you want me to throw my back out?'"
New chuckled, letting the door shut as he locked the car from the fob and then put his arm around Tay's waist as they headed in. The process of admitting thankfully wasn't that long but surely quite boring as soon a nurse named Apisara led the couple to the ward.
Tay's requests were heard that he wanted to be in the gown he came in wearing and not the hospital clothes though those were decent as well while New ran back to the car, leaving Pluem with Tay, and grabbed the three bags and the foldable bed which he had bought months and cleaned it every week since it stayed in the car from the moment New had bought it.
New was back soon in the ward, set out the bed the first thing and shifted Pluem there before he shoved the bags into a corner beside the bed all while Tay updated him,
"The nurse checked me while you were gone and the dilation is already at eight centimeters also my water's broken," New paused, looking up at Tay while Pluem was still in his arms, a clear 'are you okay' written on his face, to which Tay grinned as said further,
"When I went to pee just now and pulled my pants down, I found a huge patch of water. I was so mortified at first because the water surely would have seeped out onto the gown but it was somehow safe,"
Apisara walked back inside the room while Tay continued, "No offence to you nurse Apisara but when she helped me walk back to the bed, I felt so embarrassed because I am just giving birth, I shouldn't need this much assistance."
The nurse had a perplexed expression on her face as she spoke up quietly, "It's my third day only..." New stood up after tucking Pluem in and walked towards Tay saying, "And while I agree that you're not the only person giving birth to ever exist, you're still breaking your body— for the second time at that— just to grow our family. For me, this is the bare minimum I can give you."
The nurse was so touched because she put her hand on her heart, tears filling her eyes which she quickly wiped away and silently let out a breath, stepping up to help with the machines as New pulled a stool to take a seat beside Tay, glaring at him not so hard for thinking he didn't deserve this treatment,
"Do I really need to be attached to all these machines?" The nurse finishing her work looked up and said, "Well, I would say yes, because it helps to check on your and your baby's health better and take safety measures beforehand if, God forbid, something went awry."
New and Tay nodded along. Honestly New had this concern as well, machines from the last time only gave him so much trauma that he felt he was going to have at least vertigo seeing his husband getting hooked up to machines again,
The nurse then pointed at Pluem, who was peacefully sleeping on the bed behind, "I assume you weren't able to find a babysitter?"
Tay and New both smiled on cue as a seemingly senior nurse popped in the room while New spoke up, "Well, it's a bit complicated. We have no family other than each other and we're still quite unsure about leaving our baby with even my coworkers' families let alone a sitter,"
"I am sorry to interrupt you, I'm nurse Davikah," The woman in scrubs warmly greeted them, "You can call me nurse Mai as well, I am in charge tonight and you're probably introduced to her but she is nurse Apisara," She gestured to Apisara as she turned to the couple again,
"And uhm I wanted to ask if you're comfortable with letting your son be monitored by our team when your husband gets to delivering the baby?"
Tay and New exchanged glances, "Wouldn't it be a hassle for you?" Apisara lit up as she said, "I am genuinely good with babies and at taking care so that's why I specifically came into nursing at labor and delivery, I can assure you that your baby will be safe with our staff since we're quite skilled with babies."
Apisara was practically bouncing with joy as Tay held the frame of the side of the bed and breathed in and out with his contractions that grew closer. New, looking at his labouring husband finally decided to take a leap of faith as he nodded, "Okay, you can take him, right now if required, but please keep him near the room."
Apisara nodded vigorously as she ran over to Pluem and scooped him up as delicately as possible, turning around and asking, "When will he wake up to eat?"
"Oh he sleeps through the night but uhm the black bag beside the blue one is his baby bag if you wanna take it." Apisara nodded as New came over and helped with the bag, walking out and looking back once, seeing that the nurse was checking Tay's dilation again, who instead of smiling this time winked instead.
Barely an hour would have passed after New left Pluem with the nurses and helped Tay in dilating before he got the green signal to push by the head nurse when the doctor came running as he slid inside the door before stopping like he was shooting a movie scene and hunched over heaving,
He raised a hand and choked out while still breathing heavily, "I am sorry, I am sorry." The doctor looked up, "I'm late," He finally straightened as another nurse who had filled in for Apisara helped the doctor wear gloves, hat and mask,
"Thank God you made it in time, otherwise I was in full mood to take the credit for this delivery," She sarcastically put as she got up from the stool and the doctor, brushing her comments away, took the seat,
"Hello, I am sorry for coming and introducing myself so late but I am doctor Jumpol, you must be wondering why your routine doctor isn't here, is because she went on a vacation if she didn't tell you."
"She did inform us," New nodded out as Tay squeezed his hand and grunted, "Yes push, don't hold your breath but push while breathing in and out,"
The nurses held Tay's legs, who shuddered once again, this time New was prepared as he rubbed his shoulder,
Tay fell back after giving what felt like a big push as New wiped away the already forming sweat on his forehead, "You're doing great, Tay," New gently said as the doctor chimed in, "He's right, the baby's crowned. Take your time and give another big push and the head will be out in no time,"
New let Tay squeeze his hand again and again and again to the point his hand might hurt for days on end but he didn't care, his husband was going through something he couldn't even imagine putting himself through.
Tay pushed thrice afterwards, all going ineffective as New ran his fingers through his hair while he caught his breath, "Yes, take deep breaths my love,"
"Khun krub, look at me will you?" Tay somehow managed to do that as the doctor brought his mask down to speak clearly, "Give me a big cough, like a really really big one but only one."
Tay, and even New, were perplexed, yet Tay inhaled and gave a big cough as something came out of him, making him take in a sharp inhale, "And the head is out, now push whenever the next contraction comes in okay,"
Tay swallowed as New bent kissed his sweaty forehead, "You're doing so great, Tay," Giving a squeeze to New's hand, Tay took those words of encouragement and pushed again as the next contraction,
With a lot of grunting, heaving, sweating, squirming and squeezing, the process of birth went on until only one shoulder was left to push,
Tay was visibly tired, breathing shallow as he looked like he just wanted to sleep, but he swallowed emptily and went on, holding onto New's numb hand, breathing in and out,
"We're almost there, Tay, just one more big push and the baby is out," Tay exhaled in an O as he nodded and prepared himself, feeling New's free hand just below his neck, he took all his might and gave a real nice push,
And it was as if a whole new world began with the cries of their newborn that brought tears of joy to their eyes. Davikah helped loosen Tay's gown as their newborn baby was placed there by the doctor,
Frankly their miracle baby as he cried, filling their hearts with their joy as Tay, finally absorbing it all, croaked out, "Welcome to our world."
Already sobbing, New planted a big kiss on Tay's head who rubbed the back of their baby before he tilted his head back and kissed him on the lips,
New closed in, observing his baby that was slowly starting to calm down as the nurses helped clean him with the cloth while still on Tay's chest,
"Hi nong baby," New's voice was such a small squeak, making New burst into tears all over again as he hugged Tay however much he could, whispering,
"You made it through." Tay nudged him as New pulled back and looked into his wet eyes, trails of tears evident on his check while he smiled and said almost proudly,
"We made it through."