Work Text:
"Sehun, please hand it over."
"No."
"Sehun..."
"What?" The male responded huffily. In his arms was a vase of faux flowers, an assortment of baby pinks and creams.
The couple were standing in a large hall owned by Junmyeon (and usually used for charity events), which was mostly empty and with only a few people helping to set up the hall, including its owner and his husband, who had given birth to a premature, but thankfully healthy baby boy named Yifan just two months ago. Even Minseok and Luhan were helping out with the decorations, when they weren't playing with each other or the baby strapped in his baby carrier.
Because of Yifan's early birth, Junmyeon and Yixing were unprepared for the rush of a new baby in their household and hadn't planned the birth celebration, so the engaged couple decided that it would be nice to have a January wedding, followed by a joint reception and two-month-old celebration for the newborn. It seemed like a nice idea, and it was something that Junmyeon and Yixing were initially hesitant about - because wedding days deserved their own special day - but the couple insisted, and now that day was only two nights away, with things barely finished.
"Just hand the vase over to me," Jongin replied calmly, stretching his arms over to the other male.
Sehun shook his head, narrowing his eyes a little. "Jongin, I'm pregnant, not disabled. I can carry a light vase with a few flowers in it."
Jongin only approached him closer, gently pulling the vase out of Sehun's grasp and setting it on a table before the younger could protest. "That's not what I'm saying, Hunnie. I know it's not heavy at all, but you've been standing for most of the day and constantly lifting things, even if they were really light. You need to rest, baby." He pressed a tender kiss on the apple of Sehun's cheek, earning a soft grin from the latter. "I know being close to seven months is a hassle because I'm being overprotective," Jongin started, getting a snort in response from Sehun, who clearly thought it was an understatement. "But you know I'm just being cautious and making sure our little peach is nice and healthy. I worry about your health too."
Sehun lightly rubbed his pronounced tummy as Jongin spoke and leaned into the other's embrace. 'Little peach' was something Jongin had taken a liking to once he had found out that their baby was the size of a large peach at around four months.
"I know, Nini, and I appreciate it, but I need you to let me help too," Sehun interrupted before Jongin could ramble on. "It is our wedding we're setting up, not just yours. I want to help."
Sehun turned around slightly, taking in Jongin's haggard appearance. The man had rushed from his office just hours earlier the moment he was free of work for the next month, trying to help set up as much as he could for the up-coming wedding in a couple of days. It made Sehun feel a bit worried that his lover was working himself too hard. Between working at the office, finalising the divorce with Kyungsoo, helping to organise the wedding, spending time with Minseok at home, and waiting pretty much hand on foot for Sehun, the man had barely any relaxation time in the last three months. Sehun could see that it was starting to take a toll on Jongin, and he wanted the man to take a break. A very long one.
"Jongin..." Sehun bit his lip, wondering if he should mention something he had been thinking about for a while. He noticed immediately that the man had barely heard him, eyes glazed as though he wasn't completely focused, and decided that yes, he was definitely going to suggest it. "Jongin... What do you think about pushing our wedding back for at least a week?"
That seemed to gain Jongin's attention, making the older whip his gaze towards Sehun's face. "What?" He grabbed Sehun's hands tightly, staring into the pregnant man's eyes in slight panic. "Oh Sehun, do you not want to marry me?"
Had Jongin not looked so genuinely distressed, Sehun would have laughed at the man's comical expression. Instead, he settled for a firm squeeze with his hands. "Of course I want to marry you, silly. And here I thought I was the emotional and pregnant one," he joked, lightly shoving Jongin's shoulder, earning a sigh of relief and a smile back. "But, I also noticed that you're losing weight and you never have enough sleep. Honestly, I don't want you fainting or worse, to hear your stomach growl at the altar, you know."
"Sehun..." Jongin whined.
"Okay, okay. All jokes aside, I think you need a break. A long one." Sehun paused, brushing a strand of stray hair out of Jongin's face. He could never get enough of the man's handsome looks, despite the exhausted look he was sporting. "You've been running around for the last three months non-stop since you first found out about our baby; trying finalise the divorce with Kyungsoo, on top of doing all the work due for the following month in advance so you won't be behind in paperwork when you come back. Not to mention, you've been looking after me and Minseok whenever you get home, even when you were sick all last week." He placed a finger on Jongin's lips when he saw that the man was going to speak. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, Nini, because honestly, I love the extra attention you've been showering me with, but I think you're working yourself too much. You've made it up to me in spades, which is something I never asked for, but I appreciate all the same. Now, I just want you to relax, even just a bit, you workaholic."
"But I like showering you in affection," Jongin mumbled like a child, nuzzling Sehun's neck playfully.
Sehun giggled as Jongin's nose tickled the base of his neck. "So do I, Nini, and I definitely don't want you to stop. I just want my future husband to be well rested and healthy too. It can't just be me, the baby, and Minseok."
"I know, I know," Jongin said, smiling against Sehun's skin. "I'll try to rest more, okay? I can't promise anything, though. This wedding can't run on just you alone, Hunnie."
"Okay, Nini," Sehun agreed, before pulling Jongin near the exit of the hall. "Why don't we take a break now, then?"
Jongin startled at Sehun's pull, trying to get away from his fiancé's surprisingly strong grip. "But the decorations- I haven't finished putting the centrepiece candles in the right place-"
Sehun ignored Jongin's half-hearted protests, instead calling out to his best friend who was sorting out the stage equipment. "Joon! I'm taking Jongin and Minseok home for a break!"
Junmyeon smiled, waving off his friend in understanding. "Don't worry, we'll do what we can today and leave the rest for tomorrow." He paused before adding, "And can you take Luhan and Yifan with you, while you're at it? That way they won't get bored, or whiny in Yifan's case. The baby bag is on the larger table near the door. We'll pick them up later."
Sehun nodded and dragged Jongin away before he could go back to helping Junmyeon, letting the two children follow as Luhan carried the baby carrier as carefully as he could. After Sehun had grabbed the baby bag and dumped it into Jongin's arms, they made their way towards the car and Sehun gently took Yifan out of the carrier to strap him into the baby seat. Jongin eventually stopped pouting when Minseok jumped his appa gleefully just before the man climbed into the driver's seat, shaking the man's arm and rambling about playing a game at home with him and Luhan.
As they drove home, Sehun could only sigh contently, a small smile gracing his lips as he watched Minseok playfully argue with Luhan about something to do with football, trying to get the barely-awake baby to side with him and only getting mumbled babbles in response, while Jongin jokingly sided with Luhan and teased the oldest child in the car until Minseok was making his cute scrunched-up face.
When Minseok eventually decided to shut Luhan up by licking the boy's cheek, both Sehun and Jongin let out an amused snort as Luhan cried out in disgust while Minseok smirked in triumph and Yifan gurgled happily.
'This is how life should be,' Sehun thought fondly. 'Happy.'
xXx
Sehun was nervous. The next two days had passed like a blur, and suddenly it was only an hour until the wedding ceremony was due to start.
Junmyeon had already been round to check up on him several times, telling him he looked amazing and that Jongin was a 'very lucky man to be marrying my best friend' and that everything would go absolutely smoothly. Sehun wasn't worried about Jongin getting cold feet - if anything, Jongin had been worried that Sehun would get cold feet because the older was such an inherent worrier sometimes, and it took a lot of reassuring and kisses to get Jongin to calm down. Truthfully, Sehun was only nervous because he had made it. He had finally reached his one of his biggest dreams - to marry his one and only love.
This was day he would officially make Jongin his, and he couldn't wait.
A soft knock on the door had Sehun turning towards the sound before he called out for the person to come in. A flustered Kyungsoo slipped in, and Sehun gave the older man a gentle smile. "Hi, Kyungsoo," he greeted. "Did you need anything?"
"Not anything in particular," the man replied, sending Sehun a heart smile and eyeing the younger man's white tailored suit, which curved around his belly, but made him look no less stunning. "You look amazing, Sehun. And I just wanted to wish you a happy marriage again."
"Thank you, Kyungsoo," Sehun said, taking the man's hand and squeezing it in gratitude.
In the last three months, he and Kyungsoo very slowly got closer to each other. Neither of them was really sure for the actual reason, since they were both quite different in terms of personalities, but if there was one reason they both could agree on, it was because of Minseok. The child had made a special effort to include his papa in everything when he accidentally found out that Sehun had been hurt that his son had drifted from him during that tough month (blame Jongin's loud mouth), which led to the child feeling rather upset with himself for hurting his beloved papa. After a lot of coaxing and reassurances that no, Sehun was definitely not angry with Minseok, the child had made it his special mission to look after his papa and unborn brother. That meant a lot of time around Kyungsoo, because while Minseok was perfectly content with only living with his appa and papa, he still wanted to spend time with his daddy.
After Sehun's jealousy had been cleared from the air, the two adults managed to slowly bond over their love for cooking (as Kyungsoo was an amateur chef in his spare time) and cheesy Korean dramas, always finding the time to share their theories on the plot progression and fawning over the leading males (much to Jongin's dismay), or swapping tips on certain dishes and desserts.
Sehun never imagined it would turn out like this, but he was sincerely glad it did. He never wanted to take someone's child from them, and if Minseok was happy to spend time with all three of his parents, then Sehun was happy too.
"You looked a little nervous when you walked in, Kyungsoo," Sehun mentioned before Kyungsoo could politely leave. "Really, if there's anything you wanted to ask or say, you can," he said with ease.
Kyungsoo bit his lip before he spoke. "...There's this guy," he started hesitantly. Sehun arched an eyebrow in interest. "I think you mentioned him once before - a cousin or something."
Sehun pursed his lips in thought. "...Chanyeol?" His second cousin was someone he had been closer to as a child, being that they were around the same age, but then Chanyeol and his family had moved to Singapore, making it harder for the two to talk frequently. Luckily, after they both grew into adults and started earning money, the man visited more often, more so after he had moved back into the country a month ago. "What about him?"
"Why didn't you tell me he was tall and handsome?" Kyungsoo blurted out, looking rather mortified with himself afterwards.
Sehun let out a short chuckle. Even though he had only known Kyungsoo for a short amount of time, he knew it was odd for the man to lose his composure. "Oh yeah, I sat him next to you for the ceremony."
"Sehun, he asked me out on a small date after the reception party!" Kyungsoo hissed, a red tinge to his cheeks.
"Go for it," Sehun replied easily. It was clear to him that the older man was already crushing on his cousin. "I'll even give you permission to leave the party early with him," he added with a cheeky grin.
"Sehun!" Kyungsoo cried out, glancing around as if to check that no one had heard their conversation.
Sehun let out an amused huff before leading Kyungsoo out the door. "Sorry, Kyungsoo. Looks like the wedding is going to start very soon. Try and have a nice conversation with Chanyeol before the ceremony starts, yeah?" Before Kyungsoo could say another word, Sehun pushed the older forward and shut the door behind him.
Shaking his head, Sehun just gave a little smile to himself before preparing his jittery nerves.
This was it.
xXx
"Congratulations!" The crowd around the beaming couple cheered as they entered the large hall, crystalline lights hanging from the ceiling and framing the hall with an illuminated haze. Sehun could barely calm his fluttering heart as he clung to Jongin's arm and laughed as each guest greeted the newlyweds with equal enthusiasm.
The wedding had been as magical as Sehun imagined it would be, with the soft chandelier glow giving the church a warm and welcoming feeling, and the wide centre aisle decorated with soft, white rose petals. The guests all had their matching white roses in their breast pockets or around their wrists as corsages, and even Minseok (who had decided he would be a flower boy because Luhan wanted to be the ring-bearer) had a rose tucked into his hair, matching his cream-coloured suit and white shirt.
It was like a dream come to life.
However, no one else could dispute that the most beautiful thing that Sehun had seen during that ceremony was his husband-to-be. His glowing smile with crinkles at the corners of his loving eyes made Sehun swoon all over again, and it was nearly a struggle not to run towards the man and kiss the living daylights out of him.
The excited couple could barely hide their eagerness to complete the vows during the ceremony, and the priest could only chuckle as he finally let the couple close the ceremony with a kiss, where Jongin decided it would be a good idea to swoop Sehun up like a blushing bride and tenderly press his lips against the other's own, letting the loud clapping of the guests fade into the background as all the couple could feel was them.
Even moments later, Sehun could still feel the words that Jongin had whispered against his lips before they kissed.
'Forever, my love.'
Breaking him out of his thoughts, Sehun felt Jongin's arms wrap around his shoulders, as he was pulled closer and swept away to the main front tables near the wedding cake and the birthday cake. The man looked at the other questioningly.
"All the camera flashes were making my head hurt," Jongin said sheepishly as they sat down in their seats.
Sehun hummed understandingly before leaning in to whisper. "All we have to do is get through the next four hours and I'm all yours."
Jongin quirked an eyebrow. "And you'll do anything I ask?"
"Anything."
Jongin grinned, and Sehun could see the underlying mischief in his eyes. "I'll be looking forward to it." Sehun simply patted Jongin's butt in answer as the guests finally sat down at their tables while Junmyeon stood at the podium.
After many birthday greetings to Yifan and wedding speeches, with a slightly drunken one from Jongin's best friend and best man, Taemin, the newlyweds were guided towards the two cakes, with Junmyeon and Yixing standing next to them, and baby Yifan in his carrier father's arms. Jongin swayed slightly as they stood by, earning a concerned look from Sehun, who was the only one to notice.
"Jongin? Are you okay?" Sehun whispered, glancing at the man. He tried not to show his worry, seeing how prominent his husband's eye bags were now that he was up close, even under the makeup, which hid it well.
Jongin nodded a bit as they faced the crowd and smiled. "Yeah. Just felt a little lightheaded, that's all," he replied quietly. He gripped Sehun's hand in reassurance, which settled the other man's nerves a bit, and turned back to the attention of their guests.
The couple quickly forgot what they were talking about as they focused back on what was happening, grinning as they were eventually made to stand in front of the two cakes and cut it open alongside Junmyeon and Yixing. Jongin and Sehun went first, followed by the older couple,the latter duo holding the knife with Yifan's tiny hand under theirs as if to guide the baby into cutting the cake. However, Yifan only yawned and began to snooze as they pressed the sharp edge into the soft patisserie, earning a scatter of laughter and 'awws' from his parents and those that saw the baby's eyes shut.
Sehun was too distracted by Yifan's adorable display to notice Jongin making weird motions behind his back, and was only snapped out of it when his cheeks met a creamy smush of sweet cake and he saw Jongin's wide, cheeky grin.
It took Sehun a few seconds to register what had happened before he playfully narrowed his gaze at his husband (oh, how he loved that word). "You are so in for it!" He growled as he carelessly grabbed a handful of cake and smothered Jongin's face, pulling away with a triumphant smile.
Jongin snorted at Sehun's smug look and simply pulled the younger closer, not bothering to wipe the mess off as he pointed towards the guests before Sehun could react. "Smile for the camera!"
It was several camera flashes later when he saw the finished product, and Sehun silently hoped it wouldn't end up in their wedding photo album because it was a terrible photo - a comical shot of Sehun's wide-eyed expression, icing and cake still stuck to his cheeks as Jongin puckered his lips exaggeratedly at the latter, uncaring of the icing smeared across his forehead and the dollop on his nose.
But then, he also knew that Jongin would beg to differ and slide it into the first page of the album as soon as they got them developed.
Sighing with a smile, Sehun wiped some of icing off Jongin's face with his hand and smeared it under Jongin's nose to form a moustache, earning a noise of confusion from the latter.
Might as well accept it and take some more silly photos, then.
xXx
Sehun moaned in relief as he finally managed to rest his sore feet, half-sprawling himself on one of the chairs and rubbing his belly. He watched as Minseok and Luhan ran around the mostly empty hall, all of the guests having left since the party had ended an hour ago, apart from some who had helped to set up the entire place and were now removing the decorations (except for drunk Taemin, who had to be escorted home by another one of Jongin's friends, much to the latter's amusement). The pregnant man noticed Yixing walking towards him with Yifan wide awake in his arms and he made to get up, but the man shook his head and dragged a chair over to sit next to him instead.
"Sit. You've been standing pretty much all day," Yixing said, patting Sehun's knee with a free hand as the younger stroked Yifan's head fondly. "How are you feeling?" He asked, smiling as Sehun's face melted into an almost dopey smile, although he would deny it if asked.
"Unreal. I mean, I'm married. To Jongin. It's... I feel incredible. I can finally call him my husband out loud, introduce him as my hubby, and Minseok is my son legally, as a parent rather than guardian- I mean- Is this how you felt when you married Junmyeon? I swear, I'll never make fun of him again for acting like a desperate man in love," Sehun said, chuckling as he remembered his best friend's wedding day, a couple of years before he met Jongin.
Yixing nodded in answer to Sehun's words and smiled. "No need. I still make fun of him for almost faceplanting into one of the stands when he approached the altar. He's never going to live it down," he said as Sehun snorted in amusement, clearly remembering that little memory.
Sehun then smirked as he spot something happening across the room. "Ooh, look at what's going on over there," he said, pointing out a very tall male with shockingly red hair with his arm wrapped around a male with round eyes, the latter staring up at the taller in confusion as they conversed. "Looks like we might have a new couple emerging."
"Chanyeol and Kyungsoo?" Yixing said in surprise as he watched the two in the corner, before chuckling. "I almost feel sorry for Kyungsoo, you know."
"Almost," Sehun agreed. Chanyeol could be quite forward, especially to someone who was not very talkative like Kyungsoo, but he was genuine and rather sweet. "How long do you think it'll take before they start officially dating?"
Yixing hummed in thought. "I'll give them two weeks."
"Two weeks? Isn't that a bit quick?" Sehun asked, eyebrows raised doubtfully. "Chanyeol likes to take it slow when it comes to dating, and I feel like Kyungsoo might be the same."
"Well..." Yixing just shrugged like he knew something. "What do you think?"
"Two months," Sehun replied confidently. "Chanyeol's never been faster than that. He likes getting to know the person very well."
"We'll see," Yixing grinned, his dimple showing through. "Let's make it one of our bets and whoever is closer wins. If I win, I get to name my godchild."
Sehun gaped at the man. "Somehow, I knew it would come down to this," he said, shaking his head in amusement. It was a game they first started to play when they began to get to know each other, and the stakes had steadily increased as the years had passed. The biggest pay out so far was last year, when Yixing had to lend Sehun his holiday house on Jeju Island at least twice that year whenever the younger asked. Sehun took great advantage of that during Minseok's school holidays. "Okay. But if I win, I get to name my next future godchild."
Yixing giggled at Sehun's words. "What makes you think there will be another?"
Sehun scoffed. "I know my best friend. He definitely wants at least three kids, even if he has to butter you up to agree. Oh, but no ridiculous names, like Iron Man or Star-Lord. I don't want my kid to be bullied," he added.
"Same. No ridiculous names," Yixing agreed easily, gently pulling Yifan into a sitting position in his lap when the baby began to fuss.
"Aw, but that's half the fun," another voice chimed in. Yixing smiled softly as Junmyeon sat down next to him, taking Yifan into his lap and waving the baby's curled fists around playfully.
"Would you like your child to be named Darth Vader or Obi Wan Kenobi?" Sehun asked sarcastically.
Junmyeon shook his head with a little laugh. "Don't worry, Sehun. I'm sure Yixing will pick a perfect name for our godchild."
Sehun pouted, looking for his husband to defend his honour, but it seemed that he had disappeared somewhere. "Why are you ganging up on me? I'm pretty sure I'll win because Chanyeol's my cousin. I know him better than you both."
"It's because we can see infatuation when it happens. And Chanyeol is definitely infatuated with Kyungsoo, and so is he with Chanyeol," Junmyeon said, glancing back at the couple with a smile on his face. "Trust me, Sehun. I mean, it took you forever to see Jongin's own affections for you before you two started to date. You're blind to the signs of growing love, Hun."
Yifan bashed his fist against Junmyeon's chest in reply to his father's words. "See! Even your son is defending me! Maybe I'll make him my best friend instead of you, Joon," Sehun huffed jokingly, cooing at Yifan when the baby waved his fist at him. "At least he won't insult me."
"But who will you come to for advice?" Junmyeon asked, before correcting himself. "I mean, verbal advice," he said, already predicting what Sehun would say.
Sehun grinned and pretended to listen to Yifan's messy babbles whilst nodding his head. "Oh, you think that your appa is silly and that you give much better advice than an old man? Oh, I agree. Your appa is a very silly man." He then looked at Junmyeon with a playful smirk in place. "See? Much better than an old man's advice."
Junmyeon poked Sehun with his finger in retaliation, initiating a laugh from the other two adults, as Yifan seemed entranced by it when Junmyeon moved his hand back. Sensing what Yifan seemed to want, Yixing pulled out a clean dummy from his pocket and gently placed it into Yifan's open mouth before the baby could get restless, letting him suck on the silicone teat as he settled in Junmyeon's lap.
Sehun was about to ask if he could hold Yifan for a moment, but was interrupted by a panicked shout from two boys. Luhan and Minseok ran over to their parents, the latter looking like he was going to cry. Sehun placed his hand Minseok's shoulder and wiped his son's tears as they began to slip over. "Minnie, what's wrong?" He asked gently.
Minseok opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out, instead replaced with choked sobs and gasping. Luhan reached for Minseok's small hand and gripped it tightly as he began to speak. "I- I- Uncle Hun, something happened- I don't know- he's really sick and he won't wake up- Uncle, I don't know what to do-" Luhan gasped as he shook, making Yixing pull his son into a tight hug as the boy also began to cry in his baba's arms. Even Yifan began to snuffle at his brother's obvious distress.
Helpless, Sehun desperately tried to calm Minseok down when he saw Kyungsoo and Chanyeol approaching with similar looks of curiosity.
"What's going on?" Kyungsoo asked first, crouching down to rub Minseok's back. Chanyeol stood next to him, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.
"I don't know," Sehun answered, feeling worry in his gut. "Luhan tried to explain but he cut himself off and Minseok hasn't stopped crying since they came over."
At Sehun's words, Minseok sniffled and rubbed his eyes with his hands. With clenching fists buried in his papa's shirt, Minseok finally managed to speak without stuttering. "Papa, Appa's not waking up!"
All five adults froze at Minseok's words, and it took an insane amount of power for Sehun not to start hyperventilating. "M-Minnie, what do you mean, Appa's not waking up? Minnie, where's Appa?" Sehun asked calmly - maybe a bit too calm.
"Appa's in the toilet - he wouldn't stop being sick so me and Luhannie went to get Appa some water but then when we came back, Appa was on the floor- He wouldn't get up even when I shook him really hard- Papa, Appa won't wake up and I don't know what to do!" Minseok sobbed loudly as he shoved his face into Sehun's chest.
Sehun barely felt his son's head landing on his body, unmoving as he tried to process what he had just heard. He couldn't breathe, couldn't even think, and it took several hands shaking him to bring him back to reality. "Jongin," he breathed suddenly, as if something inside had just snapped, and he automatically pushed Minseok into Kyungsoo's arms and stood up. He ignored the shouts following behind him as he ran to the men's toilets and slammed the door open, a choked gasped escaping his mouth as he spotted Jongin slumped on the floor, looking pale and sweaty.
With careful steps, Sehun kneeled next to his husband and gently nudged Jongin's shoulder. He got no response. "Nini...? Nini, this isn't funny... Wake up..." Sehun's shaky voice steadily rose in volume as Jongin stayed still and unresponsive. "Yah, Kim Jongin! This really isn't funny, so wake up! Wake up already, you-" He was cut off by someone pulling him backwards and away from his husband, causing him to struggle against the force holding him back.
"Sehun, please, calm down. We called the ambulance already, and they should be here any minute. He's still breathing normally, Sehun, so he'll be okay, yeah?" Chanyeol's deep and soothing tone did little to settle Sehun's frazzled nerves, but he tried his best to keep quiet and his breathing normal.
Apparently Sehun wasn't doing a very good job because the next thing he knew, he was being spun around and a tight grip held onto his shoulders instead, making Sehun's stare into his friend's eyes. "Sehun? Look at me and breathe with me, okay? We don't want you going into an early labour, so I need you to focus for a minute, please?" Sehun's breath stuttered when he heard Yixing's words, but the latter shushed him softly. "Calm, Sehun. Breathe with me, okay? In and out, in and out... in and- that's it... Keep relaxed..."
Sehun followed Yixing's instructions obediently and let his breaths slowly settle back into a regular rhythmic pattern again. It was only when he looked back to where his husband was lying, did he notice that Jongin was gone. "Yixing- where's Jongin-?"
"Chanyeol carried him out so the ambulance can quickly get to him," Yixing replied before Sehun could start panicking again. "Kyungsoo and Junmyeon have our sons with them right now, so don't worry about them too. They'll be okay."
Sehun sighed on relief, resting his forehead on Yixing's shoulder. "Yeah, they'll be okay- I- Sorry, I just freaked out for a moment."
Yixing smiled warmly, relaxing his hold on the younger. "It's fine, Sehun. Pregnancies don't help when something bad or unexpected happens. It heightens those horrible emotions tenfold." Sensing Sehun's next question, he spoke again. "And Sehun, Jongin will be fine. I think he must have just been really sick and collapsed in exhaustion or something." He gently pushed Sehun back so that the younger was supporting himself sturdily.
Sehun shook his head as he let Yixing lead him to the door of the hall. "I knew he was working himself too much - I should have pushed the wedding back a week even if he didn't want to," he berated himself, looking guilty.
"Sehun, it's not your fault, okay?" Yixing said firmly. "We all know Jongin can be an extreme workaholic a lot of the time and there was nothing you could do to stop him from overworking himself if he wanted to. He should have known better, but that's also just how he is. At least now he can understand where our concerns are coming from."
"He so stubborn," Sehun said, a little exasperated, but mostly worried. "If I hadn't stopped him all those times he was rushing to meet his deadline, he probably would have collapsed even before now." He slumped forward onto Yixing, the latter allowing the younger to do so as Sehun lapsed into a troubled silence.
Only a few minutes later did the ambulance come, the paramedics swiftly checking Jongin's current health before deciding they would have to take him to the hospital for a thorough check-up. With Chanyeol's help, the paramedics placed Jongin onto the stretcher and loaded him into the vehicle.
Afterwards, Yixing approached one of the paramedics to ask if Sehun was allowed to come, seeing as he was the patient's husband and currently pregnant - he wanted them to check that the baby and Sehun were also healthy after his almost panic attack. The paramedics agreed readily, guiding a subdued Sehun onto the ambulance with Minseok following as the child wouldn't stop crying for his appa.
As Minseok curl up to his side while they sat on the side bench near Jongin, Sehun saw Junmyeon giving him an encouraging smile and mouthing that they would see him tomorrow before the doors of the ambulance closed.
Letting out a long breath as the ambulance began to move towards its destination, Sehun pulled Minseok closer to his side as he squeezed Jongin's hand with his own, trying his best to not let his fear overwhelm him.
Jongin would be just fine.
xXx
"He has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."
Sehun furrowed his eyes in confusion. "I don't understand - is it dangerous?" He clenched Jongin's hand as he sat by the sleeping man lying on the hospital bed, who was hooked up to an IV drip. After Sehun had a quick check-up to make sure he and the baby were okay, Minseok passed out on his papa's lap, leaning against Sehun's chest but carefully avoiding Sehun's rounded stomach. It was nearly 12am, but Sehun was nowhere near tired, too anxious to find out the reason for Jongin's abrupt collapse.
"Thankfully no, it's not. And even better for Mr. Kim here, is that it's only mild, and it can easily be cured if he follows a restful routine. If it had been any more severe, he would not be able to function very well for the rest of his life," the doctor explained. "The only reason I can see for him suddenly collapsing, however, are two situations; he has been ignoring the symptoms and overworking himself, and possibly on top of that was also quite ill at the same time."
Sehun immediately nodded and exhaled heavily. "He was sick last week, and for the past three months he's been all over the place - I mean, just today we got married."
Despite the situation, the doctor smiled at Sehun's words and congratulated the man, who smiled back. "I do suggest that you make sure your newly wedded husband gets a lot of rest, otherwise he may only make the syndrome worse." She gave Sehun a sympathetic look as she said her next words. "Unfortunately, if you have a honeymoon planned in a few days, you'll have to push that back for at least a month. Travelling anywhere far won't help, and he needs a lot of rest to recover." The doctor glanced at the door before turning back to Sehun. "We'll keep Mr. Kim here overnight so he can go through at least three IV drips, so you can pick him up tomorrow afternoon. You can stay for a few minutes, but I suggest you go home and rest as well. If you want, you can come earlier tomorrow as the visiting times are from 9am to 8pm."
Thanking the doctor, Sehun bowed in his seat as the woman left before lightly waking his son up. "Wakey wakey, my little bun."
Minseok groaned quietly as he opened his eyes and glanced down at his appa and then up at his papa. "Is Appa going to be okay, Papa?"
Sehun grinned, stroking Minseok's hair. "Of course, Minnie. Appa just worked himself too hard, that's all, and now he needs a lot of rest. I know you and Appa have been looking out for me and your baby sibling, but I think it's time we look out for Appa, hm?"
Minseok nodded tiredly, yawning into his small hands. "Is Appa coming with us?"
Sehun softly shook his head. "Not today. The doctors want to make sure he rests up for tonight, so we're going to pick him up tomorrow. Let's say bye to Appa and get some sleep, yeah?"
Minseok agreed with another yawn and kissed his appa's cheek as Sehun did the same to Jongin's forehead before they head home for some well-needed sleep.
He knew he would need the energy to lecture his troublesome husband tomorrow.
xXx
"Seriously? He collapsed because he overworked himself? Oh Jongin, you sure are an idiot," Kyungsoo said over the phone to Sehun, who had called the following morning after the incident. The latter could practically hear the older rolling his eyes, but the relief was clear in his tone. "Honestly, I wasted all that energy worrying over him."
Sehun snorted. "Same. Why did I ever fall for such a careless man?"
"Because he also an affectionate and cheesy man, and you know it," Kyungsoo replied. "Listening to his speech yesterday was like hearing a passage from a teenage girl rambling about her high school crush in her secret diary."
Sehun laughed, not denying the comparison. "I thought it was sweet."
"Of course you did - it was about you after all. Although, the thing about him spilling his drink all over your blouse during your first date was priceless." Sehun heard Kyungsoo clear his throat briefly before being asked, "Did you tell the others yet?"
"Yeah, I called them just before you. I was hoping you would tell Chanyeol for me too. He wasn't answering his phone, so yeah." Sehun could feel the grin widening on his face as he heard Kyungsoo choke slightly.
"W-what? What makes you think I'm going to see Chanyeol any time soon?" Sehun could hear the nervousness in the older man's voice.
"Well, considering I did see him making some choice moves yesterday during the reception, and you reciprocating, I figured it would be some time soon. Like today, perhaps?"
"...Yeah, you're right. I'm meeting Chanyeol in a few minutes before I go to work, and then later for dinner." Sehun heard a sigh and then a pause before Kyungsoo hesitantly spoke again. "You don't mind, do you?"
"What do you mean?"
"That I want to see your cousin. I mean, I already caused some conflict between you and Jongin before, and I don't want to do the same with you and Chanyeol-"
"Kyungsoo, you're not going to cause any conflict between us." Sehun shook his head, even though he knew the other couldn't see it. "And are you still hung up about that? None of it was your fault. It was our problem that we caused, and you just so happened to be in the middle of it. It wouldn't have even reached that point if we had just communicated better. Jongin still has a lot to work on with that, clearly, but that's just another added lecture for him," Sehun added as a fond jab at his husband. He heard a small chuckle from the older. "I don't mind that you used to be Jongin's ex, and that he still cares about you. That's just who he is and I don't want to change that. I also know that he loves me differently, and in the same way I love him. Look, I want you to be happy in your new life, Kyungsoo, and if that happens to be someone who matters to me, then I'm okay with that. Even if I wasn't, you should still go for it." Sehun smiled. "Just don't break his heart."
"Of course. I'm pretty fond of him too, and I've only just met him," Kyungsoo said. "Even though we've only know each other for a few months, I value you as a friend, Sehun. I don't want to hurt you."
Sehun could hear the warmth in Kyungsoo's statement, and it make him happy. "I like you too, Kyungsoo-ah," he responded with an equally affectionate tone. "Now go get him, tiger."
Sehun could hear the laughter in Kyungsoo's voice as he bid him goodbye and hung up, leaving the pregnant man sitting contently on his couch for a few minutes. It was only then when he realised something important.
"...Oh my god. Yixing might actually win our bet."
xXx
Before Sehun had even set a foot into the room, Jongin spoke first.
"I'm sorry I'm such a careless husband. I'm sorry that I pushed myself too harder when I should have taken a break like you said. I'm sorry I'm a stubborn asshole. I'm sorry I'm... Did I miss any more?"
The pregnant man huffed out a noise and sat next to the male in his hospital bed, who was looking rather apologetic and tired, but much better than the night before. It made Sehun feel a little guilty - how had he not noticed the bone-deep exhaustion written on his face? "You forgot to say, 'I'm sorry for being an idiot.' Honestly, not even one day into our married life and you've already managed to do something stupid," Sehun teased lightly, stroking the back of Jongin's hand gently with his fingers. He decided to forgo the lecture, knowing Jongin didn't really deserve it. "But it's fine, Jongin. I'm just glad you're okay."
"I know. I heard from Yixing over the phone that you nearly had a panic attack," Jongin said. His eyebrows furrowed, and he turned his hand over to squeeze Sehun's soft hand. "I really am sorry I scared you. I promise I won't do it again."
"And you'll listen to me when I say that you need to rest?" Sehun asked, raising an eyebrow. "And when I tell you to stop working and come cuddle?"
"Yes, and yes. You know I love cuddles," Jongin grinned. He glanced around as he softly patted Sehun's protruding stomach. "Where's Minseok?"
"He went to grab some food with Joon and Luhan. They'll be here soon enough," Sehun explained, his pursed-lip expression fading to a fond look as he placed his hand on top of the hand rubbing his baby bump.
A few minutes later, two small figures appeared at the doorway, shouting loudly when they spotted the occupants of the room.
"Appa!"
"Uncle Jongin!"
Both boys barrelled straight into Jongin's outstretched arms, the man laughing as the boys snuggled into his embrace tightly. "I missed you both too." He kissed them on the cheek, earning twin giggles as Junmyeon finally arrived after the boys.
"You look a lot better, Jongin," Junmyeon commented with a smile, glad to see his friend looking a lot healthier.
"I feel tons better too. I feel like I slept for more than a week, though," Jongin frowned slightly.
"Well, I hope this won't be happening again. I don't think Sehun can handle another dramatic collapse like that again," Junmyeon joked lightly.
Sehun punched Junmyeon's shoulder in retaliation, but looked at his husband. "It's true though. When I said I didn't want to seeing you fainting on our wedding day, I was being serious."
Jongin sent Sehun a reassuring smile. "I know. I promise I'll look after myself properly," he said, before cheekily adding, "But only with your help. You have to spoon-feed me, tuck me into bed, read me a bedtime story-"
"And what, wash you too?" Sehun asked sceptically, an incredulous look his face. "Are you a baby?"
"I'm your baby," Jongin replied, attempting to wiggle his eyebrows.
"No, I'm Papa's baby!" Minseok suddenly piped up from his father's lap, glaring at his appa.
Jongin almost looked scandalised for a second. "No, I saw Papa first. He's mine, Minnie. Mine."
"No, Papa is mine!"
"Mine."
"No, mine!"
Both males shot each other looks before turning to the man in question.
"Papa-"
"Hunnie-"
"-Tell him that you're mine!" Both father and son yelled at the same time, before staring at each other and breaking into a small play-fight.
Junmyeon sniggered into his sleeve as Sehun stared bewilderedly at his squabbling family, while Luhan didn't even bother to hide his laugh.
Jongin was definitely okay.
xXx
"I can't believe he won!" Sehun sulked as flicked one of the cushions off of his foot.
Sehun had his head resting on a shirtless Jongin's lap as they were curled up on the couch watching one of Jongin's late-night football matches together as a consolation prize for their honeymoon.
After he had been discharged from the hospital, Jongin had not been happy to find out that they had to cancel their flight to Malta, but he did understand the reason for it and pushed the flight back for the next month. However, since the older male was given leave from his job for two months on doctor's orders (and with the added perk of being a higher-up in his company), Sehun suggested that they just simply spend time together in a relaxed environment, something they hadn't been able to do properly in the last few weeks leading up to the wedding. That suggestion had currently led to a week of mostly staying at home, having sex (when Minseok was at Junmyeon's or Kyungsoo's), and snuggling.
"Who won?" Jongin asked in confusion.
"Yixing," Sehun pouted, before pulling at Jongin's arm. "Nini, Yixing won our bet!"
"What bet?" Jongin tilted his head questioningly. He was aware of the bets that his husband and friend would have, even though he was hardly ever privy to details unless Sehun won.
"About how long it would take Chanyeol and Kyungsoo to get together officially. It's only been just over a week since they met, and they're already together and making out like teenagers with unresolved sexual tension," Sehun complained, but only because he was annoyed that he lost.
"Oh yeah. Chanyeol never moves that fast," Jongin pondered thoughtfully. "I didn't even realise they had been eying each other since our wedding until they mentioned it yesterday."
The night before, Sehun and Jongin had attended Kyungsoo's simple birthday dinner party. The couple (as well as other friends) had noticed how close the birthday man and Sehun's cousin were being, both never keeping their hands off of each other, whether it be soft kisses on the cheek or hands resting on thighs. Their suspicions had been confirmed when Chanyeol announced that he and Kyungsoo were officially dating each other after the cake had been cut.
"Actually, now that I think about it, Kyungsoo doesn't move very fast either. It took weeks of begging before he caved and let me ask him out on a date," Jongin continued, letting out a small chuckle at the memory.
"See! That's what I said to Yixing and Junmyeon - that those two were super slow when it comes to dating. They just said that I'm blind to the signs of love," Sehun frowned, his mouth curving into a familiar upside-down 'u' shape that Jongin always found rather adorable.
"Well, to be fair, you are," Jongin said, earning a narrowed look from his husband. "Come on, it took you almost three months to realise I was actually hitting on you."
"I thought you just wanted to be my friend!"
"Sehun, at one point I literally told you that I thought you were the most beautiful human being I had ever seen in my life."
"...I thought you were just being very nice."
"Only you, Hunnie. Only you." Jongin shook his head in mirth, combing his fingers through the loose tangles in Sehun's hair. "But anyway, what did he win?"
Sehun turned his head and mumbled into Jongin's bare skin, his lips tickling the right side of the man's stomach.
"What was that?"
Sehun pulled his head back slightly, words muffled but discernible. "...Yixing gets to name our baby."
Jongin startled at Sehun's words, jolting the other's head in his lap. "What?! Sehun!" The older man whined, his face scrunching up.
Sehun made a face too. "I know," he huffed, copying Jongin's tone. "I genuinely thought I was going to win, though! I mean if I won, I would have been able to name our sometime-in-the-future godchild instead. It was too good of a deal to pass up. I just didn't count on Yixing actually winning this one."
"Okay, but Sehun, what if he names our child something silly like Dumpling? Or worse, like Naruto?" Jongin whispered in horror. "Sehun, I can't live with having an anime blonde ninja for a child! Imagine how embarrassing that would be for me!"
Sehun slapped Jongin's thigh, getting the man to shut up. "Shouldn't you be more concerned for your child's future than yourself?" Sehun shook his head at his husband's dramatics. "Not that it matters. I told him no ridiculous names, so if it's stupid we can just reject it."
Jongin sighed in relief. "Oh, good. I'm kind of disappointed though. I thought we'd be picking their name together."
"Maybe next time," Sehun smiled, earning a surprised look from Jongin. "What? I would like a little girl to dote on in the future, you know."
Jongin leaned down to press a soft kiss against Sehun's forehead, silently telling the other that he loved the idea of another child. "How do you know it's not a girl we have now? We haven't had a scan for their sex yet."
"Just a feeling. Carrier's intuition," Sehun replied, placing a hand over the middle of his belly.
Jongin placed his own hand on top of Sehun's, relishing in the low heat that was being radiated. It was a comforting feeling, and both males enjoyed how encompassing it was, as well as feeling the need to see their new addition to the family. There wasn't long left, but for the two of them, it felt like forever.
"I love you, Hunnie. You, Minnie, and our new baby."
"I love you too, Nini. I love you all so much."
Linking their fingers together, the couple slowly felt asleep on the couch, cocooning their baby in a protective huddle of warmth and love.
xXx
"Sehun..."
"What?"
Jongin sighed like he wasn't sure if he should be exasperated at his husband or just enamoured by his thoughtfulness. "This is wonderful, but you really didn't have to go that far for me."
Sehun gave Jongin an 'are you sure' look. "Nini, it's your birthday today. Of course I had to. Since we couldn't spend out time together in Malta during your birthday, I figured we could do something a little different but special."
"So you set up a dinner date outside in a park?" Jongin asked, taking in the sight before him.
They were standing by a massive tree, and set up just underneath it was a large wooden gazebo, decorated by white fairy lights and bowed ribbons. In the middle was a table for two with Jongin's grandmother's vintage cutlery set up, while sat in the corner was a table with a vinyl record player, playing an old song that Jongin vaguely remembered from his childhood days. The whole set-up gave Jongin a sense of nostalgia and romance.
"Don't you like it?" Sehun looked at Jongin, feeling a little apprehensive at the man's tone.
Jongin only grinned. "Of course I do. I was just wondering how you managed to set this all up... You did get help, didn't you?" He narrowed his eyes a little.
Sehun rolled his eyes at Jongin's question. "Obviously. This is a private park that the company Chanyeol works for owns, and I had to ask Kyungsoo to cook for me and set up the pretty lights." He pulled Jongin over to the table before the man could even react. "Come on, sit down. I'm hungry." He pushed the older man into the chair before taking the opposite seat, smiling warmly as they caught each other's gazes.
"Wait, who's bringing the food if we're both sitting down-" Jongin was cut off as he spotted a small and familiar figure approaching from behind the tree. He held his laugh in, nearly choking in the process.
"Waiter Minseok at your service," the couple's son greeted formally, beaming at his parents. "Would you like the food to be brought now?" His hair and mini black suit was subtly ruffled, like he had gone running around beforehand, but he looked so adorable that neither parent said a word.
"Yes please, Minnie," Sehun answered. "And could you tell your daddy to bring the champagne out as well?"
Minseok frowned a little at his papa's words and whined. "Papa, you're supposed to play along! You're not allowed to call me Minnie here - my name's Waiter Minseok tonight!"
Sehun patted his son's arm gently with an amused look. "Oh, my mistake. Sorry, Waiter Minseok. Could you also ask Chef Kyungsoo to bring the champagne over?" Minseok nodded and bowed stiffly, leaving the two males alone again.
"You hired our son and Kyungsoo to serve us dinner?" Jongin snorted, laughing into the palms of his hands.
"Well, I didn't hire them; they offered, so I took it. And they're staying at that little café over there in the distance, before you ask." Sehun ran his hand through hair, pushing the stray locks out of his face, and then reached out to entwine his slender fingers with Jongin's own calloused ones.
In no time at all, the food and drink arrived and the two dug in, enjoying Kyungsoo's homemade kimchi spaghetti with some sparkling champagne. They finished the meal with a little small talk in-between bites, laughter traversing the expanse of the night as the woodland creatures chirped in the background.
"Come with me," Sehun said after they had finished their meal. He held his hand out as he got up, leaving the plates behind for Kyungsoo to collect later. The older man gave Sehun a questioning look, but followed anyway, taking his husband's hand and squeezing it gently.
Guiding Jongin through a manmade archway made of entwined flowering branches, Sehun led the man to a large open space, only sparsely covered in patches of flowers. What caught Jongin's attention, however, was the large, glittering lake in the middle, almost glowing in the dim light.
"Wow," Jongin breathed, barely paying mind to where Sehun was still taking him, immersed in the scenery before him.
"-Jongin," Sehun's voice broke through Jongin's musings, earning an embarrassed laugh from the latter. "Come on."
"Sorry," the older male said. He glanced around and noticed that there was a small but comfortable rowing boat tied to a post. "No way, are we really going to...?"
Sehun nodded, casting Jongin a look. "Yeah. Do you want to?"
"Hell yeah," the man responded excitedly. He raised Sehun's hand and helped the man to sit in the boat safely, then untied the rope and hopped in just before the boat could float off, making Sehun grip on tightly as it rocked precariously.
Sehun slapped Jongin's arm when the man settled into the boat to face his husband, silently reprimanding the other's actions. "Nini, you nearly made me fall into the water!"
Jongin grinned cheekily. "Don't worry. If you did, I would have saved you."
"Jongin, you can't even swim," Sehun deadpanned.
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I would have tried to save you...?" Jongin corrected sheepishly.
"And that would have ended with me saving you and dragging your ass back to dry land," Sehun replied, rolling his eyes at Jongin's response.
Their words lapsed into a comfortable silence, both enjoying the calm atmosphere as Jongin paddled the boat once in a while to keep them moving. They revelled in each other's appearance, both entranced by the soft moonlight glow shining on each other's face.
With a quick gesture, Jongin got Sehun to turn around and lean against his chest, letting the younger man snuggle back with ease as they curled their hands over Sehun's belly.
"This is nice, isn't it?" Sehun said quietly, almost like he didn't want to disturb the peace they were feeling.
"It's wonderful," Jongin agreed, pressing a loving kiss against the nape of Sehun's neck. "Thank you for this, Hunnie."
"You're welcome, Nini," Sehun replied, smiling as he felt the man continue to trail soft and innocent kisses along his neck and jaw. "I love you, Kim Jongin."
Jongin sighed as he stared into Sehun's sparkling eyes, illuminated by the moon's own glow, showing every inch of love that he equally felt for the gorgeous man in his arms. "I love you too, Kim Sehun."
xXx
"Guess what Yixing told me today?"
"What?"
"He came up with a name for our son."
"...How bad is it?"
"It's nothing bad, I promise. I actually quite like it, surprisingly."
"...Okay. I'm ready. Hit me with it."
"Zitao. Nice, right?"
"Huh. Yeah, actually. It's Chinese, isn't it?"
"Mmhm. He said he got the idea for it when I mentioned that you like to call our baby 'little peach,' although he's far from little now. Look at me - I look like a beached whale!"
"Hunnie, you do not look like a beached whale. You look like a sexy mummy whale- what- ow!"
"Don't call me mummy, and don't call me a whale."
"Sorry, sorry... But wait, does that mean Zitao means peach in Chinese? Sehun, no, we are not naming our child after food, even if it sounds nice."
"I wouldn't even. Yixing said it meant 'humble son.' Taozi means peach in Chinese."
"...That's not a bad name either, actually. I think I could deal with naming our child after a fruit forever."
"Jongin..."
"What?"
"We aren't naming our child after a fruit with a large seed in the middle of it!"
"I was thinking more like, Princess Peach from Super Mario, but you know-"
"No!"
"But-"
"I said no!"
"...Fine."