Work Text:
7 months in, in his third trimester, Hao feels beyond ugly. His belly is distended and his back hurts and he wakes up swollen all over. His movements are limited, he can’t walk without his ankles hurting and he has to practically carry his belly around. His usual bubbly and carefree demeanour morphed into his current constantly shifting and irascible temper.
Sometimes, more often than not these days, he wakes up grouchy and irritable. His nest is now a pile of clothes and pillows randomly thrown around. His mate is now seldom let into his nest. He has weird food cravings. On some days, he feels like eating a truck load of ice cream and durian. On other days, he is repulsed by the smell of – and even the thought of – his favourite foods.
Today, he wakes up alone in bed, his mate nowhere to be found. His mate’s scent was fading. Hao’s clothes clung loosely to his frame, wrapped snugly around his midsection. It was cold outside, so the couple had the windows shut and thicker blankets out. However, in the heat of it all, Hao had kicked the blankets off to the floor and his nest was a mess.
He checks his phone and tries to get up. It takes some effort to sit against the headboard, his belly swollen and full. He feels tiny contractions, Braxton Hicks contractions as he was told by his obstetrician. He sighs. Lifting his shirt up, Hao looks down and scans his belly. He had obvious stretch marks now. Although Hanbin doesn’t point them out, Hao knows they’re there, and they’re a part of him now. He turns to his nest. What was previously a neat arrangement of clothes is now tousled and flattened. He feels another wave of frustration wash over him.
Hao grabs Hanbin’s hoodie, one that was a new addition to his nest and inhales deeply. He wishes his alpha were here.
Unnerving thoughts filled Hao’s head. Was Hanbin getting tired of him? Did Hanbin leave because he was getting sick of his omega? Did Hanbin finally notice his flaws and leave him for somebody else? Did Hanbin wish Hao was never pregnant?
Overwhelmed with emotions, tears well up in his eyes and Hao starts sobbing. He tries to blink them away. His scent sours, permeating the room nauseatingly.
Not long after, Hao hears footsteps padding towards their shared room. The door creaks open and his loving mate enters, holding a tray of breakfast. Hanbin saw the heart-wrenching sight in front of him and caught a whiff of Hao’s distressed scent, his face immediately grimaced at his mate’s sadness.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Hanbin asks, his brows furrowing out of concern. He places the tray down onto the desk table and turns towards Hao, his eyes softening.
Hao continues to sob, softer now that his mates close. Fat goblets of tears still stream down his face, as much as he tries to control them. The bed dips as Hanbin sits by the edge.
“Can I enter your nest?” Hanbin asks, not wanting to intrude.
Hao feels so guilty. He’s embarrassed that he feels this way. That he’s so self-conscious and so needy. His heart hurts. He curls into himself, pulling his knees close to his chest. He nods meekly.
Hanbin carefully enters Hao’s nest, not wanting to disrupt anything. Not that it isn’t already a mess. The alpha’s hand reaches out, but does not make contact with Hao’s.
Hanbin sits next to Hao, against the headboard, before pulling Hao flush against his chest, such that Hao’s head is resting in the junction between his neck and shoulder. His hands intertwined below Hao’s belly. Hao feels good having his belly slightly elevated. He usually rests it against the bed, too heavy for him to care. But with Hanbin lifting it gently for him, he feels another level of comfort. He’s reminded of something he never knew he needed.
“Do you want to share with me why you’re so sad?” Hanbin asks gently.
“Everything is alright,” Hao says, trying to assure Hanbin. He’s no longer crying, but small sniffles and sobs still wrack his body.
Hanbin hums, rocking them lightly. He doesn’t push further, he just emits comforting pheromones, little by little, while holding Hao tight against his front. Hao can feel Hanbin’s solid chest against his back, anchoring him.
They stay in this position for a while, he breathes in Hanbin’s comforting, warm, scent, his own scent softening. It lulls him to close his eyes.
Before Hao can drift off to sleep, he’s awoken by another kick to his belly. It hurts. He’s again reminded of all the ache in his body. Their position made him feel numb. He lets out a small whine that doesn’t go unnoticed by his perceptive mate.
“Baby…” Hanbin trails off, slightly displeased that his omega is feeling so much discomfort.
Hanbin’s instincts scream at him to protect and that his mate is in distress. With ease, Hanbin readjusts their position, laying Hao sideways delicately in his nest. Hao groans lightly at the movement. Hanbin stays composed, and scents at the clothes strewn on the edge of the bed, and carefully adds them to Hao’s nest, before tucking himself behind Hao.
Hao lets out a small whimper, nuzzling closer to Hanbin. The alpha’s chest let out a small rumble of pride. Hanbin takes his time to scent Hao at the scent glands slightly behind his ears. His arms wrapped around his mate’s swollen torso, fingers rubbing gentle circles around his belly button, engulfing the older omega in a back hug. Their breathings sync up peacefully.
“Do you still love me?” Hao says abruptly, breaking the silence, his face hidden from Hanbin.
The question catches the alpha off guard. “Baby… what’s going on?” Hanbin asks hesitantly, afraid of the worst.
“Just, answer the question.” Hao replies, sounding slightly exasperated.
Hanbin beckons for Hao to turn around, shifting back to accommodate Hao. Seeing Hao’s initial delay, Hanbin wraps his hand around Hao’s belly, gently coaxing Hao to turn around. After the omega does so, Hanbin cups his face, turning Hao to him.
“I love you, Hao. I love you so much Hao-ah” Hanbin says, face genuine. Even as Hao’s eyes darted away, Hanbin continued, “I love you so much it hurts. It hurts knowing that you’re sad. I want to help you, Hao. It pains me to see you unhappy.”
As the words leave Hanbin’s lips, tears well up in Hao’s eyes. He knew he was extra sensitive pregnant, but Hanbin always knew of a way to break down his walls. He tries to blink the tears away, which proven to be quite unsuccessful. Hanbin’s hand moved to clasp around Hao’s, tenderly caressing the back of his mate’s hands.
“I feel so unworthy of your love Hanbin, I’m not the omega you married,” Hao admits, “I’m sorry.”
As the words leave his lips, Hao could only wait for a reply with bated breath. He hears the sound of the heater in the corner of their room, gushing in tandem to the ticking of the clock by the table. He sees the gears turn in Hanbin, and sees how his words leave an ache in Hanbin’s heart.
Hao shrinks into himself. He feels exposed, uneasy when Hanbin doesn’t immediately reply. His mate’s gaze unravels him, leaving him laid bare.
Hanbin squeezes his hands, holding them up to his face, and presses a kiss to Hao’s fingers.
“Hao, I love you. You have always deserved my love, and you always will. You are the most beautiful, talented, and intelligent person I know, you are the omega I chose, and the person I want to spend my life with. Don’t ever doubt my love for you. I will always love you and who you become. Hao I love you, unconditionally.” he says firmly.
“Really, bin?”
“Really, Hao.”
To that, Hao lets out a soft sob of relief. His tears turn into that of contentment. Hanbin lets his fingers intertwine with Hao’s, shifting closer so that their noses are almost touching. The alpha continues to release comforting pheromones, now lighter and fluffier Hao feels like he’s grazing through meadows.
Inhaling the woody calm scent, Hao pumps out his sweet honeydewed pheromones. The two scents combining beautifully.
Soon after, the pair slowly drift off to sleep, basking in the sun’s rays peaking through the curtains. Hanbin’s fingers remain intertwined with Hao’s.
Later, Hanbin would wake them both up for breakfast, spoonfeeding his mate, insisting that Hao doesn’t need to move a muscle. He sticks to Hao a little closer, and peppers his face with kisses. Hao indulges in the said kisses, relenting as Hanbin offers to take on every responsibility possible. At night, his mate would gently massage away the knots in Hao’s legs, and press kisses all over Hao, tucking Hao’s worries away.