Archive of Our Own ^beta

1. November

“Do you think they’ll be like you or me more?” The breeze outside was just getting chilly enough for a jacket. The sun still hung high in the air, casting a warm glow on Riku and Sion. The farm looked to be at a standstill, cows huddling inside their barn eating with minimal mooing, chickens clucking at one another without cawing. 

They laid on a grassy hill that sat along the farm, one where the tree that overlooked it gave just the right amount of shade on sunny days. Riku had his overalls undone on his shoulders, his t-shirt pulled up to his sternum to let the soft swell of his belly get sun. Sion laid on his lap, his head facing the miniscule bump with a smile on his face. 

Sion placed his hand along the top of Riku’s stomach, stroking where their baby lay beneath skin and muscle. “I think they will be like both of us.” Riku was only a few weeks along, finding out early in November after his October heat cycle. The bump was barely noticeable without clothing, and with clothing it was completely hidden from outside eyes. For the couple, though, the small bump was growing day by day. 

“How so?” Riku whispered, laying his hand over Sion’s to guide it lower. Sion rolled onto his belly, thumbing right below his mate’s belly button. He pressed a kiss to his stomach, looking up at Riku before speaking. 

“They’ll be nice like you, have the way you care for people, all of that,” he explained, looking at the omega with warmth swarming his eyes, “They’ll have my sense of humor, maybe they will get my hair, or my eyes, they’ll like singing like me too.” Riku hummed, switching his hands to stroke through Sion’s hair. 

“I think they’ll be like you more, honestly,” Riku replied.

“You think?”

“For sure, they're going to love you.” The alpha’s eyes closed with a smile stretched on his lips, letting himself relax into Riku’s body as he continued to speak softly, sharing his ideas of what their baby would end up like. Riku couldn’t help but find Sion endearing like this, a helpless grin stretching across his lips as the elder continued to fawn over their child even if they weren’t anything more than a clump of cells at that moment. 

Sion rose from Riku’s lap, crawling his way up the distance to lay beside the omega. He took in the sweet vanilla scent that poured off his skin, with the soft undertone of milk and powder that belonged to their growing baby. Sion took Riku’s hand, bringing his wrist to his face to bury his nose into the scent gland. 

“I’ll try my best to help out with the farm even as I get further along, I don’t want you to be left all alone with the chores,” Riku said, twisting his wrist around to cup at Sion’s cheek. Sion fervently shook his head, turning his head to kiss in the center of Riku’s palm. 

“Don’t worry about that, I can handle it,” he reassured. 

“It’s a lot of work, hyung-”

“A lot of work that I’ve been doing since I was very little,” Sion reiterated, pushing himself a bit off the ground to lean into Riku’s space. He locked his eyes with him, the silence drawing on as Riku grew flustered under his gaze. Sion smiled, pecking his cheek. “I’ve been working on this exact farm for the better part of 15 years, it’s not that bad, I promise you.”

“That doesn’t mean it still isn’t a lot.” 

“It might be, but it’s not hard anymore for me,” Sion took the hand off his face to squeeze it, pressing his lips into the knuckles. He tilted his head to the side with a soft smile on his lips. “Besides, I'll be happy to do it; you are carrying our child, you have to let yourself rest.” 

Sion turned Riku’s head with his other hand, meeting his lips with warmth. He kissed away the worries that tried to endlessly swarm his head, melting them down to streams that washed off Riku’s broad shoulders. Sion pulled away once breathless, thumbing over the back of Riku’s hand with gentle pressure along the skin. 

“The second you start feeling tired while working you have to stop,” Sion said with a soft, teasing laugh, “Okay?” Riku made an uncommitted hum, turning his head away from the alpha to retaliate.

“Okaaayyy?” he strung on, pressing himself closer to the younger with a smile wide on his face, “You need actual rest.” He peppered teasing kisses along Riku’s jaw and neck, making him squirm and squeal with the tickling sensation. 

“Okay! Yes, yes I will,” Riku panted, fighting through his own flit of laughter that reverbed deep within his chest. His laughs began to sound like squeaks as Sion continued to tease, his kisses traveling right below Riku’s pierced ears. 

“Good, we gotta make sure our Kaa-san is well rested.” 

Kaa-san. 

Riku’s panting breaths slowed down at that title, his lips curling even higher as it settled in. His cheeks tinted the deepest shade of maroon, evidence of his clear bashful feelings. “Kaa-san…” he repeated quietly, smiling deeply at the sound of it on his tongue. “We need to make sure our Appa is healthy too then.” It was Sion’s turn to get shy, burying his face into Riku’s clothed shoulder. 

“I still can’t believe we are going to be parents,” Sion murmured, his smile audible in his voice. 

“There is going to be a little baby this time next year, we will be getting ready to celebrate their first Christmas, their first new years, getting to dress them up in little outfits too…” Riku drew on, his toothy smile clear on his face. “We are going to have a family soon.” 

Sion perked his head up, looking down at the barely there bump on Riku’s stomach. He slid his hand down, resting over the swell with hearts in his eyes. “Are we still on board to tell Yushi and Daeyoung tonight?” Sion quietly asked, resting his hand right below Riku’s sternum. 

“I am, are you?”

“I want them to know, I want everyone to know.” Sion turned back to Riku, reaching up to brush his long bangs from his eyes. He drew his fingertips across his hairline, down to where his sideburns ended and all the way down to his jaw. He slipped his palm against his cheek, watching the omega lean into the touch, nuzzling against his hand like a satiated cat. 

“You’re ridiculous,” Riku laughed, eyes fluttering shut as Sion continued to stroke his cheekbone with his thumb. Sion eventually would still, his eyes still stamped onto Riku’s face. He let himself stare, mapping out his husband's features until the younger was squirming with shyness. 

“They are going to be coming over soon, we better start heading back,” Riku whispered through the blushing smile, “We’re both covered in grass and dirt still.” 

“I’m so comfortable here though…” Sion whined. 

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to tell everyone we’re having a baby? We gotta go clean up to do that.” 

“...Yes, but it’s nice just laying here with you.” Riku pushed himself up from the ground, Sion following without hesitation. 

“Come on, hyung. We can lay down afterwards in the bed and it will be even more comfortable.” Riku leaned in to slip a quick peck against his lips, “Besides, the baby and I are getting cold, the sun is beginning to set.” Hook, line, and sinker. Riku stood from where they laid, pulling Sion up by his clutched hand without a second more of hesitation. Riku quickly redressed himself in his overalls, clicking the straps in place before turning back to the alpha. Sion wrapped an arm around Riku’s waist as they slowly began to trek down the hill, closing the gate of the farm behind them as the warm glow of sunset casted over their farmland. 

Riku’s forgotten phone was a buzz with notifications from their friends, messaging about what time they were arriving, what they were bringing, amongst other little notes for them to keep track of. Riku skimmed the messages, replying with a quick thumbs up before turning back to the kitchen. 

Thankfully he had gotten a headstart on the dinner earlier in the day, all ready to be popped onto the stove once he and Sion had showered and cleaned up. Riku trekked towards the bathroom, Sion already in the room with his work shirt discarded in the dirty laundry bin. Riku slid his arms around the alpha’s waist, burying his nose in the now exposed scent gland. He breathed the deep, rich smell of Sion’s natural body scent alongside his earthy bergamot scent that drenched Riku’s being. 

“They’ll be here in an hour,” Riku whispered into Sion’s back, pressing a kiss along one of his moles. 

“Oh, good. We have a bit of time then.” Sion looked in the mirror, smiling at the tuft of black hair that peaked over his shoulder. Riku lifted his head, his round eyes barely passing over Sion’s body. He met the elder’s eyes in the mirror, a red tinted blush going up to his cheeks. Sion turned around before Riku’s embarrassment would push him away, looping his arms around his waist before curtly kissing his plump lips. 

Their scents casually poured from their bodies, filling the soft room as Riku’s arms slipped around Sion’s neck. The room felt hazy and stuffy once both pulled away, the thick layer of mixed scents soaked into every corner, every fiber of fabric, every crack in the tile, everywhere. Their minds felt dizzy and foggy with scent, completely and utterly encapsulated by the other man. 

When they pulled away for air, both had a satisfied smile on their faces. 

“Let’s shower before we run out of time, hyung,” Riku whispered, his lips brushing against Sion’s with the ghost of a kiss. Sion’s head moved to Riku’s neck, rubbing his cheek against his scent gland like a needy dog desperate for another treat. 

“Alright…” Sion’s lips formed into a pout, slightly disappointed that he needed to pull away from his precious mate. Riku undid his overalls, letting them fall to the floor alongside the rest of his clothes. He smelt strongly of sweat and grass, not to mention the grass stains on his elbows and the sweat-clumped locks of hair. He looked a mess in his eyes but Sion found him stunning nonetheless. 

Sion started the shower, getting the temperature just right for his mate before letting him go in first. He quickly followed behind, settling flush against his back as steaming hot water cascaded over them. Riku’s longer locks streamed down his head in thick strands, the elder didn’t stop himself from carding his fingers through the tresses, scratching his nails against his scalp in soothing circles. 

“I’ll wash your hair, just relax,” he murmured into Riku’s ear, plucking the shampoo off the shower rack to pour a dollop into his palm. He ran his hands through Riku’s hair, smiling as the omega visually untensed. His shoulders slowly dropped, head lolling back with a soft, satisfied sigh leaving his lips. Sion ran his soapy hands down to the base of Riku’s neck, rolling out the tension that lay in the muscles. Once sufficiently washed, Sion tipped Riku’s head further into the shower stream, blocking his face from the water as the soap washed off into the drain below. He repeated the process with conditioner, taking his time to make each lock of hair thoroughly coated. 

“You take such good care of me, hyung,” Riku's voice broke through the shower, low and slightly sleepy while Sion gathered things to wash his body. “What did I do to deserve you?” Sion used a soaped up rag to drag across Riku’s chest, wiping along his belly before going back up to his arms. 

“I think the question is what did I do to deserve you?” Sion strained, his coy smile stretched along his lips. Despite Riku not seeing it, he could hear the teasing grin in his words. Sion knelt down to fully wash his frame, taking all evidence of work off his skin and replacing it with the warmth of his touch. 

“When I’m further along will you do this too? When I can’t move like normal?”

“Of course I will,” Sion replied without hesitation. He stood from the ground, letting Riku stand under the spray of water to rinse off. “You could ask me to do it when you aren’t pregnant and I would do it.” Riku stepped out of the way, letting Sion under the hot water completely. 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Riku teasingly smiled, seizing a moment of stillness to grab the shampoo. “My turn.” Riku took the same care and delicacy when washing Sion, making sure every inch of bare skin was perfectly clean. Once both were clean, they stepped from the shower onto the mat. Drying themselves off quickly before running off to the bedroom to dress themselves comfortably.

Riku could already feel the buzz of excitement under his skin, the looming anticipation of telling their closest friends about the news making his whole body tremble. He took a glance in the mirror, seeing the soft raise of his stomach once turned to the side. It wouldn’t be long before his belly would be growing enough to show; the idea alone made his heart race. He couldn’t help but agree completely with Sion, he wanted everyone to know. 

Riku parted from the mirror after a moment of looking, skipping down the steps and into the kitchen where Sion was already setting the food on the pan. The sound of sizzling food and the smell of rich, homecooked meals washed over him. Sion stirred absent mindedly at the dish, sipping languidly at his water while zoning completely out. 

Riku stepped to his side, wrapping his hand over the curve of his elbow. “What’ya thinking about?” he asked. Sion settled the spatula on the edge of the pan, letting the meat sizzle and cook for a beating moment.

“Just antsy,” Sion spoke softly, the corners of his lips curling, “I’m excited to see how they react.” Riku leaned his head against Sion’s shoulder, staring at the stovetop as the oil popped and crackled. 

“Me too.” The conversation fell into a comfortable, understanding silence. Both needed a little silence as the pressure of waiting fell onto them. They stood flush to one another without moving, basking in each other's calming presence. 

Their peaceful moment was loudly interrupted by knocking on their door, Sion looked over to Riku who shared a similar nervous-but-excited expression on his face. “I’ll get them,” Riku squeezed onto Sion’s forearm before releasing, turning on his heels to walk over to the front door. 

Riku unlatched the locks, cracking open the door to find Daeyoung and Yushi bundled up in their jackets. Daeyoung held a stack of tupperware containers, their insides steamy with hot food. 

“Yushi, Daeyoung! It’s so good to see you!” Riku jumped into his kind, host mode, leaning in to hug both of them before ushering them into the warmth of their house. The sun outside was well set into the fall night, darkness pouring in from the open door. Riku locked the door back up, turning to them with his smile wide. 

He rushed through his formalities without much hesitation, pulling the pair to the quaint kitchen where Sion was now plating the dish onto different plates. Daeyoung placed his containers down on the counter, wordlessly opening up the assortment of side-dishes to hand out. 

“How has everything been? I haven’t heard much from you two in a bit,” Daeyoung asked. 

Sion and Riku shared a quick glance, knowing immediately just why they had been a bit radio silent. “Just life has been busy, work out here is a bit rougher in the colder months,” Riku explained with a kind smile, clear that there was more to his sentence. Yushi caught the subtle indication, his eyebrows furrowing while he settled down at the dining table. He locked eyes with Riku, his brows flickering a bit at the other omega. “How have you liked being mated?” Riku swiftly changed conversation topics, not wanting to give away the big secret just yet. 

“I can smell hyung so much stronger now, I didn’t realize how strong his scent was.” Daeyoung spoke with a wide-eyed wonder about his mate, pure joy etched across his face. “Were you guys like that too?” 

Sion thought back to when he and Riku first mated, how intense everything felt being completely tethered to his soulmate. He nodded and hummed in agreement, pulling Riku’s milky, vanilla scent swiftly from the mix of their four scents. A subtle perk of being mated, he supposed. 

“It’s so fun, though.” Daeyoung turned around to meet Yushi’s eyes, both warm and glowing with their newfound connection. 

“I can tell when Daeyoungie is upset even without smelling him now,” Yushi explained, watching as Daeyoung settled a full plate in front of him with a wide smile. Sion matched the action, bringing over dinner for Riku and himself before settling in at the table. Daeyoung sat alongside Yushi, making sure he ate first before even considering taking a bite. 

“You learn a lot about each other being mated, it’s like getting to know each other all over again. It’s really amazing,” Sion said between mouthfuls of food, looking over at his mate with his glassy, warmth filled eyes. Riku fawned at Sion’s words, feeling melty all over with the sweet sentiment. Yushi and Daeyoung smiled, bumping their legs together as silence crossed the table. 

Yushi always had a keen eye for certain things, mainly when his best friend was hiding something. He could see how Riku was antsy, how he rocked a little in his chair, how he wasn’t even touching the wine glass that was carefully placed a ways away from his plate, everything. His eyes narrowed slightly, trying to pluck just what was going on out of him. 

Riku met his eyes, wide and slightly startled at Yushi’s staring. They held each other's eyes, a silent conversation as the realization settled in for Riku. Yushi was onto him. 

“Daeyoung! You mentioned you were teaching piano at the school, how is that?” Riku suddenly turned to Yushi’s mate, a sweet smile replacing his slightly ajar lips. Daeyoung immediately jumped to talking about his work, gushing about how much he loves it and how fun it is to watch the students learn. Riku could feel Yushi’s eyes still boring holes into his skin, no matter how hard he tried to switch topics. 

Sion slipped a hand over Riku’s leg, squeezing at the muscle there to ease him back down. The younger was getting visibly nervous from Yushi’s knowing eyes, Sion was starting to take notice too.

“...Don’t you agree, hyung?” Daeyoung’s voice broke through Yushi’s focus, a look of shock on his face before looking over to his mate. “Hyung?”

“Sorry, I guess I zoned out, I’m sorry,” Yushi whispered, his cheeks tinting pink as Daeyoung only smiled in response. He hummed before repeating the question, his eyes lingering on Yushi a little longer as the elder finally responded properly. 

The air in the room shifted, the taste of the food dulled, the once vibrant conversations quieting down, and an unresolved, thick tension hung deep in the room between Riku and Yushi. Sion attempted to keep his focus on the conversation, but failed as Riku’s scent only grew more anxious. Riku kept his eyes on his plate with quick glances to Yushi who was still looking at him with the same curiosity in his eyes. Daeyoung kept looking at his mate, attempting to discern what was clearly bothering him. 

Suddenly, Yushi pushed himself up from the table. The chair screeched across wooden floors and cups wobbled with the sheer force. He brought his hand to his mouth, covering up the gasp that was escaping his lips. 

“You’re pregnant.” 

Riku and Sion shared a startled look, questions racing through their brains trying to figure out just how Yushi found out. Daeyoung looked between his mate and Riku, waiting for another person to speak before asking what was going on. 

“You smell like milk, that’s what’s so different!” Yushi’s lips formed into a smile, a mix of excitement and pride that he finally found out what was going on. Daeyoung took a smell of the air, eyebrows raising as that clear, milky scent could be plucked from the mix. 

“Are you really pregnant?” Daeyoung chimed in. 

Riku and Sion shared one more glance, Sion taking in Riku’s subtly anxious expression and Riku watching as Sion’s surprise turned into a soft smile forming on his face as Sion nodded, nudging his head towards the two. The secret was out now, no point in hiding it any longer. Riku took a shaky, deep breath. 

He couldn’t exactly pin-point where his nerves were coming from, he was looking forward to doing it all day. Maybe some deep-rooted fear of the tiny, microscopic possibility that they would have a negative reaction was stronger than he thought. But it was Yushi and Daeyoung, friends he had known for years at that point. He didn’t need to be scared. 

Riku nodded in response, confirming the suspicion. The table immediately erupted in congratulation, Daeyoung and Yushi coming around to hug the pair with a flitter of questions flowing out. The food was long forgotten in favor of showering Riku and Sion with their shared excitement. 

Sion watched Riku’s neverending smile on his lips all the while he talked on and on about their growing family; a surge of love coursed through Sion’s body just at the sight alone. He truly never knew what he did in a past life to deserve having such a perfect, lovely, precious mate like Riku, but whatever his past self did, he thanked that person for giving him the most irreplaceable gift. 

That tension and anxiety that was once hanging high in the air was gone, replaced with pure, unfiltered happiness. Daeyoung even looked like he was tearing up at one point, his joy bottlenecking into emotional tears on his cheeks. 

There wasn’t a feeling that Riku could put to the moment, it was some unknown mix of happiness, comfort, and excitement. It felt like the sight of a comet shining high in the sky, the last moments of warm sun on skin as it dipped below the crest of the horizon, a spring day with shining blue skies and warm breezes that blanketed over him, it was blissful. Maybe it was because he knew that his closest friends were just as excited as they were, he didn’t know himself.

Sion looked over to Riku, meeting eyes and sharing a silent understanding of their unspoken emotions. The moment was a start of a new chapter in their life that they couldn’t wait to continue. 

Yushi and Daeyoung left shortly after dinner concluded, giving a few more congratulatory encouragement and offers to help once the baby arrived. The two smiled wider than Riku and Sion, they thought. Their excitement to watch their closest friends become parents was unmatched.

Riku and Sion quickly retreated to their bedroom once the door was closed and latched, stripping away what was left of the day in favor of going to sleep a little early. They moved in silence aside from Riku’s music lulling off of his phone, both socially worn out and needing at least a few moments to recharge. 

Riku thought back to Yushi’s keen eyes, how quickly he was able to sniff out the difference, and how elated he looked when he finally figured it out. He laughed to himself, taking his own scent gland to his nose to take a long, deep breath of the smell. He hadn’t truly smelt the new scent yet, if he was being honest, he forgot that that part of him would even change. 

There was that distinctly sweet milk and powder scent Yushi and Sion talked about, mixing with his own vanilla scent into a new combination. Sion’s own scent lingered on his skin too, a subtle blanketing of bergamot that fell onto the combined smells. To Riku, it was the best thing he had ever experienced. 

“I didn’t think Yushi would find out like that,” Riku laughed, breaking through the silence. He picked up his nearby brush, combing through his hair in the mirror while Sion clicked Riku’s precious heated blanket on across the room, warming the bed just how he liked. 

“I know, we didn’t even get to do the whole ‘bun in the oven’ thing you were wanting to do.” Sion walked across their bedroom, slipping his arms over Riku’s shoulders, leaning down to align their heads in the mirror. “We can do it with your mom, don’t you think?” Riku hummed in response, body falling a limp against Sion’s frame behind him. 

“Mhm, she will find it funny.” Riku rolled his head to press his lips to Sion’s cheek, placing his brush down on the nearby dresser. “I think how it happened was funny though, I completely forgot that my scent changed.” Sion stood up, pressing his thumbs into either side of Riku’s neck, rolling through the muscles in slow circles. 

“It’s sweeter, it reminds me of condensed milk,” Sion explained, smiling as Riku’s sleepy expression turned into a blissed out, relaxed one. The gentle pressure against his neck released more of that sweet scent, filling the room in a haze. 

“You’re a little different too.” Sion hummed out a questioning sound, head tilting as he looked down to Riku. The omega rolled his head back, meeting Sion’s eyes that looked down at him with a moment of confidence. He smiled, reaching up to cup his face. “You smell a lot more like me now.”

“Do I?”

“Oh yeah, it’s like you have vanilla in your scent glands now.” Sion could barely contain the flood of glee that washed over him. Just another confirmation of how set in stone their mating was. He leaned down, pecking Riku’s pursed lips before thumbing along his jawline. 

“Good, people will know I’m yours without even asking.”

Sion stepped away from Riku after his flirting, the shy laughter that got punched out of Riku’s lungs filling the room’s silence. Riku quickly stepped up from his spot on the floor, flopping onto the bed where Sion was settling down onto the blankets. 

He crawled his way over to Sion, throwing his arm over his chest and leg right below his stomach. Riku pressed his cheek against Sion’s shoulder, taking in his natural scent until he was relaxed. The elder wrapped his palms across Riku’s legs, stroking across soft skin in random patterns. 

“Are you nervous?” Sion asked suddenly.

“About?”

“Being parents?” Sion looked down at Riku’s head of messy hair, watching him think silently as he awaited a response. 

“I am, I really am. I didn’t have younger siblings growing up so I really don’t know what I’ll be doing,” Riku explained, “but, we will have each other, so I know we will be alright.” Riku squeezed his arm around Sion a little tighter, trying his hardest to squeeze out the doubt from the elder’s brain. Sion turned his head, pressing his lips against his temple in a silent ‘thank you.’

“We are going to be great parents.”

1. February

Riku thought he definitely had adjusted to living on the cow farm. The smell of animals, the smell of wet soil soaked into his pants, the grass smell that permeated not only the outside, but their house too. It had grown familiar, undiscernible from the rest of the air around them. 

But for some reason, one February morning, the scent of animals permeated his senses harder than ever before. He was carrying a crate of eggs towards the house, fingers looped in the handles tightly and carefully. Sion was opening up the barn for the first time that morning, putting his body weight into opening to doors as the fleet of cows began to strut out of the space. 

And then, the smell came.

Riku did his best to fight off gagging, but god it was hard. His whole body rocked with nausea, his stomach flipping in rapid circles. 

Morning sickness. 

He had read article after article about morning sickness, how scents he once knew well would become rancidly nauseating. Riku slowly lowered the egg basket down to the grass, kneeling down on the cold, dewy grass as he clutched his stomach. 

He could feel himself begin to heave, the rush of bile up his throat, and the heat flushing to his face. It was inevitable that he was going to puke, but he tried to hold it down nonetheless. “Riku!” He distantly heard, he dug his fingers into the ground, closing his eyes as the world began to spin. His name was called again, a bit closer yet still muffled in his ringing ears. 

Suddenly, hands were on his shoulders, warmth was hovering right beside him. He heard Sion’s voice, rapidly asking what was going on, his voice rushing at a million words a minute. Riku finally got the strength to look up, using what remained of his energy to whisper out morning sickness. And without another beat of silence, Riku turned his head to the opposite side, throwing up the contents of his stomach onto the grass. 

With eggs discarded on the ground, Sion guided Riku’s arms around his neck. He looped his arms under the omega’s thighs, using all of his strength to pull him from the ground and up into his arms. He wavered for a moment, stabilizing himself before briskly walking back to the house. 

He slid the glass door open, not bothering to close it as he rushed Riku over to their bedroom’s attached bathroom. Slowly, Riku was lowered to the bathroom floor, Sion following with him as he knelt down on the tile. He pushed the sweaty, wet locks from Riku’s forehead, his heart breaking at his trembling lips and wavering, dilated eyes. 

“…it’s just morning sickness, I know it,” Riku slurred, his tongue feeling heavy in his mouth while he clutched Sion’s forearms tight. “I’ll just go lay down, you don’t have to stay here while I am sick.” 

“The last thing I'm going to do right now is leave you,” Sion said, his tone serious and firm. Sion slid around to sit behind Riku, gently pulling him to settle on the floor instead of his calves. He protectively wrapped his arms above Riku’s belly, careful to not agitate his already sensitive stomach. 

Riku wanted to cry, not only because of the nausea and sickness but the squeezing of his heart from his mates words. Sion’s scent suddenly filled the area, easing his tense muscles before he could even realize what was going on. It was as if Sion knew what he needed most before Riku himself knew. 

He closed his eyes, fighting through wave after wave of nausea to not throw up again, his hands shaking around where they wound around Sion’s wrists. With bated breaths, Riku attempted to talk without gagging.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. Sion made a soft noise, leaning down to whisper directly into Riku’s ear. 

“You don’t have to apologize, you can’t help it.” Riku pressed his lips into a line, trying to focus on the bergamot scent that swarmed him.

“There is still so much work, I need to help you, hyung-“ 

“That can wait, it’s not important compared to your health.” Sion cut him off, hushing down that worry before it could grow and worsen. “Your body is working hard enough right now, give yourself a little grace,” he assured, carding his fingers through Riku’s hair, sliding his nails across his scalp in soothing circles. 

Sion brought his other hand to Riku’s stomach, ghosting a touch across the growing swell. He could feel the younger’s breath hitch softly before relaxing, the warmth of his touch bringing him comfort as his head spun in circles.

Riku dropped his head to rest on Sion’s shoulder, his body weight falling onto the alpha’s entirely. “Online, they make this sound much easier, like it will just pass after throwing up once,” Riku weakly laughed. Sion made a light, pitiful noise, pressing a kiss into Riku’s cheek before pulling away slightly. 

“If you need to throw up, just do it though. Holding it down won’t help.” Sion slipped his hand under Riku’s shirt, mapping out the warm skin he knew so well. Riku nodded, taking long dragging breaths as he gagged through a few inhales. 

He swallowed down the saliva in his mouth while that creeping feeling of bile coming back up his throat. He pushed off Sion, trying to focus on breathing as the clawing sensation of vomit grew closer and closer.

Sion dragged his nails up and down his spine, whispering sweet things into his ear while his body shuddered. With one more violent gag, Riku finally threw up again, his vision whiting out and ears violently ringing as stomach acid and half-digested porridge escaped from his throat. 

Once done, Sion was there with a rag to wipe his mouth off, throwing it in the general direction of their laundry basket. “Better?”

Riku weakly nodded, looking up at Sion with tears streaming down his hot cheeks. Sion’s lips curled into a frown, his eyes softening at the sight.

“My Riku…” he whispered, he thumbed over the tear tracks, a soft noise emitting from his throat. “You want to go to bed?” Riku nodded, the exhaustion clear in his eyes. Sion rose from the floor, crouching down to help Riku onto his feet. He flushed away the vomit, closing the lid of the toilet and settling Riku down on it. “I’m going to go get water and crackers, just sit here okay?” Riku nodded again.

His hands shook terribly, and his eyes and lips swelled from exertion. He still felt hazy, his mind coated in a thick jelly that fogged his vision. Riku could hear Sion run around their house, opening and closing cabinets and even heard him… talking? It was quiet, but he could hear Sion speaking to someone. 

Sion entered the bathroom again with a bottle filled to the brim with water, he gently guided Riku onto his feet, keeping a secure arm around his waist as he led him to the counter. Sion pressed the mouth of the bottle to Riku’s lips, filling his mouth up before Riku swished it around, spitting it into the sink while Sion— who seemed to be two steps ahead always— grabbed his toothbrush, squirting a line of toothpaste onto the bristles. 

Riku felt a little guilty, if he was being honest. He pulled not only himself but Sion away from the day's work just from a little morning sickness. And even as Sion brushed his teeth and tongue for him without a word or hint of annoyance, he couldn’t help but be riddled with guilt. 

He spat out the toothpaste once done, accepting another swig of water before spitting that out too. Sion looked at him with the same love he always did, not an ounce of disgust in his eyes. Riku wanted to cry again, overwhelmed with the swarm of emotions flooding his brain. 

Instead, he clutched onto Sion’s hand, stabilizing himself in the mess of his feelings. Sion laced their fingers together, reaching around to hug and hold Riku tight like he knew exactly what he needed. Riku buried his face into Sion’s shoulder, taking a long, deep breath of his comforting scent. Not just the bergamot, but the scent that went past that. The one of Sion’s skin, that natural body scent that was unique to Sion specifically, no one else’s could quite match it. 

“Let’s get you to bed, come on.” Sion leaned back to kiss Riku squarely on his lips, laying a few more pecks along his cheekbone before slowly walking into the warmth of their bedroom. 

“I called my sister to help out, so don’t worry about anything other than resting, okay?” Sion slowly sat Riku down on their unmade bed, kneeling down in front of him to take off his still laced up shoes. He slipped each of them off, removing the socks with them before going up to strip Riku of his shirt. He then unzipped his pants, gently pushing him to lay down to take off the uncomfortable denim. 

“You do so much for me, Sion. Even if you don’t have to,” Riku whispered, his skin prickling with goosebumps as cold air whisked around their room.

Sion shook his head, kneeling on the bed to hover over his face. “I want to do all this, I want to care for you like this.” Sion reached down to cup Riku’s swollen cheek, thumbing along the plushness. “I love you, and I want you to be well.” 

Riku’s tears flooded his eyes quickly, his resistance to his overwhelmed emotions failed. Tears streamed in hot tracks, running down in shattered cries while Sion bent down to hold him entirely. He tucked Riku’s head into his chest, using the new space to lay his fingertips across his mating scar. He looked down at Riku’s shaking, sobbing face, feeling like he wanted to cry too. 

Riku’s hands wrapped around, burying his fingers into Sion’s flannel. “I don’t even know why I’m crying, I’m just so overwhelmed,” he wept, feeling Sion shuffled around in the bed until the elder leaned up against the headboard. He slowly pulled Riku up and up on top of his frame, covering his bare body with the sheets and comforter. 

Riku laid between his legs, face resting right against his sternum as his body wracked with sobs. He was exhausted, the mess of nausea and swarming emotions took every ounce of energy from his body. But, he was safe, he was with Sion, and he was going to be okay.  

As long as Sion held his shattered pieces together, he would be okay. “You never have to feel guilty for getting help, especially from me,” Sion said, breaking through Riku’s sobbing. 

“I just don’t want to be a burden.” 

“And you aren’t, you never will be, Riku,” Sion pressed his lips into the crown of his head, closing his eyes as a few silent tears trekked down his own cheeks. He hated seeing Riku so distressed, hated watching his mate in so much emotional and physical anguish. His heart was completely tethered to the man, he couldn’t help but cry just a little too. 

“I’m so scared that I’m not going to be of any help soon, I don’t want you to be overworked, hyung. I’m already getting in bed at just 6 weeks, what will we do when I’m further along and-“ 

“Riku, Riku, Riku breathe, you’re working yourself up,” Sion eased, hushing his spiraling before it got worse, his scent already souring wildly, permeating the room. “We will make it work, because we always do.” Sion pushed out his own scent in an attempt to drown out the rancid one.

“You know that Daeyoung and Yushi messaged me offering to help with work if we needed it? My sister is coming over right now to help too; we have help, they all understand that your body is working twice as hard than normal and needs rest. No one will be upset if you need to step away from work, if anything, I honestly prefer that you rest.” Riku looked up, his eyes glassy and hazed over from tears. 

“You’re making our baby, Riku, that’s more work than anything I’m doing out there, it’s okay to rest,” Sion assured with each word, his calming voice putting the rage of emotions to rest in Riku’s head. 

Sion always knew just what to say, how to word each sentence with delicacy and care without much thought. He could calm a raging storm, one with furious thunder and striking lighting down to a drizzle with his words. He had that soft voice that could even put the Lochness monster to rest. 

He knew Riku inside and out, from top to bottom without a single thing missing. He could tell when his brain was becoming too much, when the thoughts overlapped and emotions strung high, he could catch it, stop it, and calm it from getting worse. 

Riku truly didn’t know how he would manage without Sion, he was his guiding light on the ocean that so desperately wanted to pull him under.

Mousily, Riku whispered, “I love you.”

Sion squeezed around him tighter, burying his cheek into Riku’s head. “I love you too.” Sion let his hand rest over Riku’s mating mark, tracing the outline of the bite scar with the tip of his finger. The gentlest of reminders that as long as they had each other, they would be okay. 

Riku wanted to apologize again for crying, for breaking down and spiraling as quickly as he did. But he knew Sion wouldn’t want him to do that, that truly there was nothing to apologize for. 

So instead, he let himself be cradled, let himself be loved on, and cared for without guilt. Sion reached one of his hands down, stroking over the soft swell of his stomach while simultaneously petting Riku's hair. Riku placed his hand over Sion’s on his stomach, soothing down what remnants of nausea lingered on. 

As long as he had Sion, he knew he was going to be okay. 

Riku unfortunately grew very familiar with morning sickness as days passed, and it lied to him, honestly. It wasn’t just mornings that it hit him, it could have been the middle of the night, middle of the day, dusk, afternoon, any time of the day morning sickness would hit him out of nowhere. 

He kept inside, avoiding going out to their farm unless necessary to not risk any more nausea. He had an array of light snacks and water on the bedside table and on the coffee table in the living room that Sion kept constantly stocked. 

And Sion, his picture perfect husband, kept a close eye on him. Multiple times throughout the day he would come in and check on Riku, spraying himself down with perfume before entering the room just in case the lingering scent of farm on his clothes triggered another wave of sickness. 

But the four walls of their bedroom were beginning to drive Riku crazy. He had gotten used to being outside most of his day, used to the heat of sun on his skin, used to the fresh smell of rain or dew covered grass every day of his life. He was completely and utterly stir crazy. 

But luckily, he had a doting, eager mate who would take him anywhere in the world if he asked. 

The smell of fresh air was overwhelming, yet not nauseating. It took over his senses, clearing out days of nauseating spinning and finally stabilizing his brain. Each breath was no longer bated with fear of getting nauseous again, it was replaced with ease and relaxation. 

“My doctor said that my morning sickness should end in about four more weeks, I just have to get through that,” Riku spoke softly, eyes fluttering shut while he leaned onto Sion’s shoulder. They rested on an isolated part of Mokpo’s beach, shielded by nature and rocks from outside eyes. The sun glistened on the water like glittering sequins, though blindingly bright, Riku couldn’t help but watch. 

“Are you going to be okay at home like that?” Riku’s body tensed as if he was a puffed up cat, slightly uneased. 

“I hope, he said, that my triggers might change as things change, so I hope that the smell will go away first.” Riku sighed, falling into Sion’s warm hold a little more. Sion bit at his lip, hating the idea of Riku suffering for that much longer. He reached over, rubbing over the swell of a bump over layers of clothes. 

“Do you want to stay with my parents until it rides out? I’m sure they wouldn’t mind, they love you over there.” Without a beat of hesitation, Riku shook his head no. 

“I want to be with you, I think I’ll go crazy for real if I stay away.” No matter how bad the smell affected him, he could handle it for a bit longer. He felt antsy during the day while Sion worked, like he was missing some part of him that was so painfully necessary to do anything. He couldn’t imagine being blocks away without even a faint trace of his smell anywhere. 

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t leave you all alone over there, Riku, I would come over as soon as I finished work.” Riku insistently shook his head no.

“I want to stay home.” Riku turned his head up at Sion, gripping along his arm tightly. He had a firm look in his eyes, like there wasn’t another choice left up for choosing. He knew deep down that Sion was just concerned, and he appreciated that Sion cared about him that he was thinking of quick fixes, but he knew that for the both of them that any amount of complete time apart would be anything but good. 

As much as Sion might ignore it, he would be strained too. His heart would be heavy with Riku’s missing scent. Painfully so close to that sweet smell only to find faintly scented blankets and pillows in Riku’s wake. 

Riku could bear it, he could fight through nausea and dizziness as long as Sion was near. Sion nodded, dropping the topic completely with a soft breath leaving his nose. 

“We’ll stay home then.” He squeezed Riku’s shoulder closer to him, nosing the top of his head with a confirming kiss against his crown. The ocean roared with waves, rolling thunder clouds breaching over the horizon. Riku sighed with a whine high in the back of his throat, head falling back against Sion’s arm. 

“It was so nice out, why does it have to rain today,” he whined, closing his eyes and huffing. Sion pouted himself too, looking back at the town behind them. The looming doom of driving back out to the countryside in pouring rain made dread wash over him and Riku only just got out of the house for the first time in days, he almost looked on the verge of tears of his outing getting cut short. Sion would not let that happen. 

“We can wait out the worst of the storm in town, I don’t know if I want to drive in this rain.” There were a couple shops and cafes beneath one long awning, all with orange glowing lights and the promise of warmth behind the glass windows. Riku perked back up at the suggestion, nodding fervently as he pushed up from the bench. 

“Come on, let’s go hyung!” Sion picked up their belongings, clutching onto Riku’s open hand and letting himself get dragged out onto the main beach. The sky was quickly turning gray, the blue sky up above hiding behind a mass of angry clouds. It was still cold out, with faint remains of the worst of winter biting at the end of each waft of ocean wind. Though Riku couldn’t complain much when his mate bundled him up more than he could ever fathom for himself. 

Riku wore at least four layers of tops, a thermal, a long sleeve shirt, a hoodie, and then a coat over all of it. His face was covered with a thick fleece scarf that was tucked under the edges of his beanie. His hands felt stiff with the gloves, shoved hastily into the pockets of his coat just to bear the weight. And of course, the thickest pants that Sion could find, covering up long thick socks that buried themselves into winter boots. It was cold, but thankfully Riku could not feel a thing.

They trekked across the sand, climbing up the steep, stone staircase up to the main street of their town. The sound of pouring rain hitting ocean water began to echo off from the beach, breaking into a brisk walk to step under the awning. As if it was on que, the rain finally hit the road, splashing angrily onto the concrete and puddling up immediately. 

Riku opened up the first door he saw, pulling Sion in by his hand before the wind slammed the door closed behind them. They stripped themselves of their outercoats feeling the warm air cascade over them, their cheeks warming with a rouge glow. 

Sion looked around the store first, a bit confused before realizing where Riku had pulled them into. It was a baby store, ones with aisles of strollers and racks of small, tiny clothing. Furniture lined up against the wall and a hoard of blankets of all different textures and colors. Riku stood quietly as he looked around, finding himself a little bewildered at the coincidence. He laughed softly, looking over at Sion before back at the store floor. 

“Might as well look around?” Riku prepositioned, picking a basket up from the rack. Sion followed as they trekked through aisle after aisle. Each passing item looked more adorable than the last. The discussion of what theme the nursery would be hadn’t quite happened yet. Maybe late at night when both were half asleep it was brought up, vaguely talked about without much energy left to discuss it entirely. Seeing it all in person though, that sparked the conversation. 

The rack of blankets were large and long, stretching across one wall entirely from corner to corner. Sion clutched a dusty purple blanket in his hands, thumbing over the fabric with a sense of certainty in his eyes, while Riku toyed with the corner of a red, minky dot fabric blanket that he was utterly smitten with. 

“I like this one.”

“This one is nice.”

The two spoke in tandem, eyeing each other's choice with conflicted eyes. Their choices were certainly different, and it was painfully clear that a more serious conversation about what theme they wanted was definitely needed. Both were nice blankets, soft and comforting to the touch, but it wasn’t right. 

Riku looked back at the wall of blankets, placing his back on the rack just as Sion did the same. There was no need to even debate whose was better, they knew that it wasn’t going to work out just from one glance. 

They stared at the wall a bit further back from before, looking at the array with lasered focus. “Blue?” Sion suddenly asked, pointing to a sky blue and cloud themed blanket. Riku shook his head, eyes training over a crochet pink blanket.

“How about that one?” 

“I don’t like that one,” Sion admitted, plucking a forest green blanket out with tree decals along the trim, he quirked a brow before showing it to Riku. “This one?” Riku once again, shook his head no. The blankets felt like it was growing fruitless, nothing outwardly stood out to either of them. 

Riku was getting annoyed, not with Sion but with the selection of blankets in front of him. Nothing was good enough for their baby, even if the baby wasn’t born yet, he wanted the perfect one. The omega walked all the way to the edge of the rack, flicking through the last couple blankets with a huff in the back of his throat. 

“Maybe we put a hold on looking for blankets, we can figure out a theme later on,” Sion circled his arm around Riku’s back, rubbing his hand up and down his opposite arm, “We don’t have to rush and pick something now.” Riku bit his lips, about to give up and accept defeat until a soft flash of color flickered by. Riku shoved the blankets apart, his eyes falling on a thick, pastel yellow blanket. 

It had white embroidered sunflowers dotted all along the fabric, with a thick white trim all along the outside edges. Riku pulled the blanket down in his hands, running his fingers across the softness before looking over to Sion. The elder had a similar look in his eyes, a silent understanding that this was it. This was the perfect one. 

The rain outside was slowing to a drizzle, the clouds parting for the bright sun to shine back down on the street. With that sign, they didn’t hesitate any longer. Sion quickly pulled out his wallet as they rushed over to the check out counter, a beaming look of excitement on their faces at their first purchase for their baby. 

As they brushed between shelves of baby socks and racks of tiny pants, Sion caught a glimpse of a small bin of plushies. All different colors and different animals. But squished against the plastic wall he spotted a white dog, tucked underneath a large rabbit and cat plush. He stopped in his tracks, staring into the beady eyes of it with a racing, fleeting thought in his mind. 

Sion pulled the dog out from against the plastic, holding it in his hands with a newfound fondness for it. He turned to Riku, facing the plush towards him with a soft grin on his face. He closed the distance between him and his mate, handing it over to Riku whose glowing smile only widened. 

“It’s perfect.” 

1. May

“Riku, Riku! The cows just gave birth! They are so cute, come look!” Sion sprinted onto the hill where Riku lay, flicking through catalogs of nursery decor and “What to expect when expecting” magazines. His morning sickness had finally faded after weeks of suffering, but he was correct, as long as Sion was nearby he was able to push through the last remnants of winter and sickness in tandem. But, gone was the cold of winter, however the spring heat was reaching its highest, a sheen of sweat laid on top of both of them from the rising temperature. 

Riku was well into his 7th month, growing closer and closer to that precious date in August. His belly had grown two fold as well, even his stretchiest of waistbands struggling to accommodate the swell. He sat atop that hill in undone overalls, straps tied below his belly to keep them up as he did his day to day tasks (or what remained of his tasks). His shirt was a tank-top, thin and loose to allow for more air to roll over his bare skin.

Riku placed the catalog down on top of his neatly made stack, grabbing onto Sion’s open palm to hoist himself off the ground. Sion’s hands instinctively wrapped around his waist, holding him upright as he stabilized himself on the uneven surface.

“There’s a couple male calves, a few girls too,” Sion rambled as he slowly took them down the hill, keeping his eyes trained on Riku for any sign of instability while walking. 

“And they’re all healthy?” 

“Oh yeah, mama’s took to them quick.” Riku could hear the faint mooing of the calves, his heart already swarming with awe just from the sound alone. He kept his hands on his belly, feeling the soft kicking against his stomach beneath his palms. He smiled, stroking over the fabric of his tank-top. “He’s excited too.” Riku nudged Sion, watching as his alpha’s eyes lit up. Sion paused their walking to place a hand over Riku’s stomach, his grin widening at the soft kicking from their baby. 

Only a few weeks ago they learned the sex of their baby, a little boy. They would’ve been ecstatic with a girl too, of course, but their imagination only ran wild when the news broke. Names were brought up practically daily, the debating of what perfectly suited their soon-to-be baby was a conversation that was long and growing overdue. Their parents asked almost daily, Yushi and Daeyoung were curious too, subtly bringing it up at every phone call or lunch meet-up. 

They just weren’t 100% yet, nothing felt right, nothing felt perfect. It was like the blanket situation all over again, except this one held so much more weight. 

Sion removed his hand from Riku’s stomach, smiling down at it before a long, elongated moo echoed from within the barn. “Guess they are wanting to show you,” Sion huffed, a little disappointed at being interrupted by the animals. Riku only laughed, following Sion into the barn by a clutched hand. 

There were a lot of babies, all mooing for their mama’s who nursed them and licked them clean. Riku stood by the entrance, in awe at the sight of all of them. He kept his hand on his belly a little tighter, slowly walking up to the babies with careful steps. 

Their fur was all a mess with their mothers licking them, wide, wet looking eyes looking up at Riku and Sion curiously. Mama cows stood protectively, not quite wanting to push the two away just… watching, just in case. Sion liked to believe their cows knew and trusted them at that point. 

Riku slowly bent towards the ground, reaching a careful hand out to one of the babies who laid exhausted on the ground. The energy of being born knocked him out for a mid afternoon nap. His eyes were on the brink of closing, as a barn window shined a warm light on him. He looked up at the mama cow, whose bell clinked noisily as she moved a bit closer, nudging at Riku’s head with her nose. 

“You think that’s giving me an okay?” Riku laughed, looking up at her warmly. “You worked hard, you did well mama,” he praised the cow, despite her not understanding. He moved his path to pet the mother cow atop her head, scratching between her ears and down to the top of her snout. 

She mooed loudly, turning her head to the calf who was now asleep in the hay. Sion came to Riku’s side, helping him down completely onto the floor as he reached to pet the baby. It was albeit a gross, slightly slimy feeling, but he paid no mind to that feeling for now. Sion settled behind him on his knees, hooking his chin over his shoulder as he watched Riku with warmth filled eyes. Even sweating and hot from the spring sun, he couldn’t help but want to be close to his mate. 

His scent was leaking out steadily, his growing smile being evident of that. His eyes sparkled wide with soft cooing noises emitting from his lips. All the while, Sion’s hands fell to his bump, slowly stroking over the kicking feet against Riku’s stomach. 

“I think he wants to see too, he’s so energetic right now.” 

“He’s been doing that all day, he’s already wanting to get out,” Riku laughed, removing his hand from the cow to lift his tank-top up, exposing his swollen stomach to the humid air. It was clear where their baby was kicking, soft little nudges and wobbles of Riku’s stomach visible with the naked eye. Sion even pressed the tip of his finger against where a foot pressed along his belly, laughing as it disappeared once again. 

A loud moo interrupted their moment again, and before Riku could even look up, a cow's head was in his sights. A little spooked, he leaned back into Sion who clutched him tight. The mama cow knelt her head down, almost eye level with Riku before pressing her nose into his stomach. She sniffed the skin before looking back up at Riku, just staring. 

As the cow stood still, her eyes slowly blinked at him before turning back to her own baby. She licked the top of his head once more, his eyes shooting open from the force before closing once more like nothing happened. She turned back to the omega just one more time, a soft huff leaving her nose before walking away to eat quietly as if nothing happened. 

“You think she knows?” Riku whispered, lowering his tank-top with his now calmed down baby resting comfortably inside his stomach, the kicking calmed to a gentle patter against his ribs. Sion stared at the same cow, his lips pressed against Riku’s shoulder while he thought. 

“Maybe, I’ve never seen her act like that before.” 

Sion stood from his spot behind Riku, helping him up and off the barn floor as he took one more fawning glance at the calves surrounding them. Riku’s heart swarmed with heat, not from the outside air but from adoration at the sight. His smile was wide of his face, hands balling up as he resisted going around to pet all of them. 

As he stared on as he thought about the countdown to his due date, some time in early August his baby would be born. He wrapped his hands around his belly, a soft relaxed breath leaving his lips. Their little family would be sparked that August day, the start of something new. Just as these cows fawned and cared for their babies, he would be doing the same. His eyes would be trained on his babies every move, every little breath or twitch as he slept, listening intently to his little giggles and soft babbling as the world came into view for him. 

Sion leaned in to kiss his cheek, not needing an explanation for what was going on in Riku’s head. He understood the excitement and anticipation, the heart pounding realization that in only a few more months they would have a little baby in their arms.

Finally, a spring breeze came into the barn. A gust of cool air that chilled the sweat beading on their skin. Riku turned to the direction of the breeze, looking out on the horizon as the treeline shook and wobbled with the wind. If he focused enough he could hear the sound of rushing water of the river that ran through the woods, going downstream until it would meet the ocean off the coast of Mokpo. 

Suddenly, a single Kanji character appeared in his head. 

“Ryo.” 

Sion turned his head, a little puzzled at what he said. He hummed in confusion, a silent request to explain. Riku looked down to his stomach, taking a deep breath. The omega stepped out of the barn, taking in the fresh spring air as he continued to watch the horizon shake and wobble. Sion followed wordlessly, his eyes focused on Riku intently. 

“How about the name Ryo?”

“Ryo…” Sion looked at Riku’s belly the same, sounding the name out on his tongue. He met Riku’s eyes, slightly squinted with the sun shining down on their frames. Sion smiled, repeating the name one more time, as if a confirmation of it. “Our baby Ryo.” 

As the day drew to a close the two retreated back inside, a sense of peace on both of them. Maybe it was a mix of the weather, the joy of seeing all the baby animals, and, of course, the elated feelings of finding the perfect name. The name Ryo had been on their tongues all night, repeating it towards Riku’s belly just to say it. Each repetition of the name made them both smile, hearts completely full. 

Sion came out of his shower to a quiet house. Usually he could hear Riku humming as he lounged in the living room, or the mooing of cows or clucking of chickens that were still awake even as the night drew on. But instead he heard nothing but silence. 

Sion tossed his towel in the laundry bin, forgoing drying his hair all the way in favor of finding Riku. While not worried per se, he wanted to check on what he was doing so silently. He peeked into their bedroom, not finding him there. He trekked down the stairs to the living room, finding boxes of unmade baby furniture and bags of hand-me-down baby clothes from Sion’s mother, but no Riku. 

He made his way to the kitchen, thinking that maybe Riku was cooking dinner or getting something from there, but once again nothing. Then suddenly, something sparked his mind. 

Sion made his way back up the stairs, finding the warm glow of the work in progress nursery shining into the hallway. He quietly made his way to the door frame, finding Riku quietly standing there, staring at the work they had done so far. His hands were wrapped around the edge of a white crib frame, his eyes warm as he looked at the white dog plush Sion picked out so perfectly. 

Sion slowly approached him from behind, slithering his arms around his waist. “Penny for your thoughts?” he whispered, pecking into his dimpled cheek gently. The lamp beside the cushioned rocking chair shined a warm yellow glow on the two of them, giving just enough light for Sion to see the sparkle in his wide eyes. 

Even without the light Sion believed Riku would be glowing, whether that tale of ‘pregnancy glow’ was real or not he didn’t know. But he knew that Riku looked brighter than ever since he got pregnant. He always shined and glowed anyways, Sion thought, that his skin glistened under moonlight and his eyes glittered in the darkest of rooms. 

But now, Sion couldn’t stop staring. He usually had decorum, stopping himself once Riku’s shyness grew to a bottleneck, but he couldn’t help himself now. Riku was ethereal. That milky vanilla scent was even stronger now, aerating off of him constantly in thick waves. Sion turned his head to press his lips directly into the scent gland, taking in that smell that instantly relaxed the muscles in his body. He kissed the sensitive nerves, smiling as Riku’s body trembled with a rush of goosebumps. 

“I’m just so happy,” Riku finally replied, his arms coming to clutch where Sion’s own arms wrapped around him. His lips were curled in a cat-like demeanor, staring at the baby’s belongings with fond gazes. “We just have to wait a couple more months and he’ll be here, we will get to hold him and see him and… I don’t know, I guess I’m just thinking a lot about it.” 

Sion hummed, looking up at Riku from his spot on his shoulder. Slowly, he vacated his hands lower, carding his fingers together underneath his belly and lifting. The weight of his stomach was now in Sion’s hands, no longer being supported by Riku’s body. The omega visibly relaxed, his eyes fluttering shut as he fell into Sion’s hold. 

“I’m happy too,” Sion started, forcing some of his bergamot out to mix with Riku’s vanilla, “Ryo will be here soon, we are going to be parents in just a couple weeks.” Riku’s body was growing limp with the scent, muscles weak and relaxed. Slowly, Sion guided them to the rocking chair, where it was definitely not meant for two grown adults, but the elder couldn’t be bothered to care. He settled in first, leaning against the cushioned back as he slowly pulled Riku down onto his lap. 

Riku laid his head against Sion’s chest, taking in the deep natural scent as he grew comfortable atop of him. “Ryo…” he repeated, feeling Sion rock them gently in the chair. His hands traced gentle shapes across Riku’s back, adding more pressure along his lower back where the weight of his belly really affected him. 

“He’s going to be the best.” Riku’s hands clutched onto the alpha’s shoulders, just to make sure they stayed close and flush together. His legs coiled around Sion’s calf, intertwining themselves further. 

The nursery was far from done, the walls were still the plain off-white color from when they first bought the house, changing tables and bookshelves still yet to be built, and of course, the only spark of yellow in the room came from the blanket and warm lamp. They planned to paint the room a creme yellow to match his blanket, buckets of paint sat by the door alongside rollers and tarp, it just needed to get done at that point. 

Sion hummed quietly to fill the silence, his hand coming up to stroke through Riku’s hair. The gentle rocking, mixed with the toying of his hair, and the soft singing on top of it made Riku’s mind slowly sink from exhaustion. The scent of bergamot laid over him like a blanket, warm and comforting. 

“I’m going to fall asleep like this,” Riku slurred, his eyes already half lidded as he curled up more. Sion leaned to the side, grabbing the yellow blanket from the end table and unfolding it. He laid it over the omega, smiling as he subconsciously sank further and further into him. 

“That’s fine, I’ll be here when you wake up.” Sion continued to rock, craning his neck down to kiss at the top of his head. Riku nodded, slipping his arms under Sion’s ribcage to hold him tighter. His eyes closed shut completely as the lulling finally took him under. 

As the world began to fuzz and the warmth of Sion began to overtake him, he heard one last whisper before it all went dark, “Sleep well, Kaa-san.” 

1. August 

“Are you sure you should be helping with this?” 

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” 

Riku was about to burst. It was early on the fourth of August, his stomach rocking with soft kicks and an antsy baby. And of course, they were still painting the damn nursery. 

Yushi and Daeyoung had been called over to help finish up, just to give Riku enough breaks and to actually get everything done in time. Riku was clad in paint covered sweatpants and a tank-top that didn’t fit that well anymore, but with how hot his body ran at that point he didn’t care. 

He was sweating buckets as he rolled yellow paint on the wall, watching the white walls be casted away with the perfect color. All the furniture was huddled in the middle, all of it including the floors covered completely with tarp. Sion was in the hallway, trying to finish up on building a bookshelf destined for the baby books he and Riku read when they were small too. 

“It’s just painting, it’s not like I’m doing farm chores.” Though if Riku was honest, it was a little more strenuous than usual. With the added weight weighing him down it definitely was an adjustment. He had already finished his large water bottle, alongside Sion’s and had refilled it twice now. Sweat was pouring off of him in the quaint room. 

“It might not be farm chores but it’s still work, just sit down for a minute, we can keep going,” Daeyoung said, nudging to the tarp covered rocking chair. Sion was now entering the room to interfere, taking the brush from Riku with a gentle kiss on his temple. 

“Hyung-”

“They’re right and you know it, please baby.” Riku met Sion’s pleading eyes, feeling the ghost of fingertips along his hairline, pushing away sweat drenched locks from his face. Riku sighed, feeling his whole body a little achy with the more he thought about it. He reluctantly nodded, waddling over to the rocking chair and plopping down with a humph. 

Sion took his and Riku’s empty water bottle, scurrying down the stairs to refill them and returning just as quickly. Upon returning, he squatted down next to Riku. “Do you want me to get you a fan?” The omega jumped as a cold rag was gently dabbed along his cheeks and neck, wiping away sweat to be replaced with cool water. 

Riku shook his head, already feeling the blasting A/C hitting his sweat slick skin. He downed half the bottle in one go, groaning as he slowly rocked himself in the chair. “It’s me, not the room,” he panted, looking over at Sion. “I’ll be alright, just need to cool off.” He smiled down at his mate, who looked concerned nonetheless. Sion pushed himself off the floor, leaning down to press a curt kiss to Riku’s lips.

“I’ll be right here, just let me know if you need anything.” Riku nodded in response, too tired to reply properly. 

He watched as Yushi and Daeyoung continued to paint around the room, his eyes drifting off to Sion who sat in the doorway, noisily drilling in screws into the sides of white wood. Admittedly, his eyes lingered on Sion more and more, enjoying the view of his husband working so hard. Though somewhere deep within his mind he felt guilty that he couldn’t help more, watching as everyone continued to work without stopping, there wasn’t anyone else taking breaks like him. 

But, he felt the kicking motions of Ryo deep within his belly, and was reminded of just why he needed breaks more than anything. Ryo was definitely getting more active, his peddling against his stomach growing more frequent as the days went on. Even at night Ryo felt active, not stopping for even a moment of peace. 

It almost felt like his stomach was cramping with how much he was moving, the muscles along his stomach becoming overworked and ready for relaxation. Riku smoothed his hand over his belly, trying to soothe the kicking more and more. The cool rag Sion brought was laid across the back of his neck, yet he could already feel it growing uncomfortably warm. He plucked it off his nape, haphazardly tossing it down to the ground beside him. 

“Ryo just keeps moving…” he whined, lifting his shirt up to rub his bare hands along it, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. 

Sion was there first, his hands smoothing over his skin with worried eyes looking up at the omega. “Does it hurt?” Sion panicked. 

“Are you okay?” Yushi chimed in next.

“Is it cramping?” Daeyoung questioned last. 

“No, no, no, just… uncomfortable.” He breathed a long sigh, swallowing down as he placed his hands on the arms of the plastic covered chair. Riku braced himself, beginning to push himself up as he continued to speak, “I’m alright, he’s just a little more active tod-”

WOOSH

Suddenly, a gush of liquid coursed down Riku’s legs, soaking the fabric of his sweatpants as the liquid audibly hit the plastic below. The room fell silent, all staring at Riku with saucers for eyes. The room felt at a standstill, completely shocked at the sight in front of them. 

There was no denying what that was, it was time. 

“Riku-”

“Your water-” 

“Fuck,” Riku cursed, grabbing onto Sion who was in front of him as fast as he could blink. “We gotta go,” he panted, looking up at Sion in a panic. His scent was souring rapidly, fear and anxiety clear in it. Sion clutched his hands, keeping a secure arm around Riku’s waist as he guided him out of the room and into the hallway. Yushi and Daeyoung ran around gathering the premade hospital bag and any last minute items for the couple. Toothbrushes, clothes, chargers, everything. 

“You’re okay, Riku, just breathe,” Sion murmured, taking each step slowly down the staircase. Riku nodded, trying his hardest to calm down as the uncomfortable reminder of what was about to happen continued to stick to his legs. “Ryo’s about to be here, he’s going to be here today, Riku!” Sion tried his hardest to get Riku’s mind anywhere other than the panic racing through his brain. 

“Hyung, I’m scared,” Riku admitted, his panting breaths not ending as they made it down to the first floor. Yushi and Daeyoung were running out the front door before they could even reach it, dropping all of the supplies into the floorboards of Sion’s truck. They stood idly by the open passenger door, ready to help at the moment's notice. 

“You’re gonna be okay, I’m here, Riku, hyung’s here.” Sion helped Riku into his slippers, definitely not made to be outside but would have to do. He walked Riku down to the driveway, helping him waddle to the passenger side. Sion looked at the step up that his mate would have to make to get into the truck, unsure if he would be able to do it even with his help. 

“Take ours,” Yushi pulled the car keys from his pocket, unlocking the doors that were much lower to the ground, “we’ll take care of everything here, don’t worry about anything.” Sion needed to thank them, but his focus was lasered in on Riku right now. His mind couldn’t think about anything else other than mate, mate, Riku, mate, need to help mate. 

The other couple seemingly understood the silence in return, gathering up the bags one more time to put in the backseat of their car. Sion circled around the other side of the car, unlocking the drivers side with trembling hands before sitting down. 

Riku had his head thrown back, eyebrows furrowed as the start of contractions began to fire up. Groans left his lips in strings, not quite ever ending or beginning. He swallowed thickly, only slightly relaxing once Sion’s hand became tightly wound with his. 

“Bear down on me, it’s okay Riku.” Without another minute of hesitation, Riku’s nails sunk into his hand, a wailing cry leaving his lips as the contractions trailed on. Sion sped down the driveway, hightailing it onto the highway to get to the hospital. 

“You’re gonna be okay, we aren’t that far.” 

“Just breathe, I’m timing them.” 

“You’re doing so well, baby.” 

Riku’s mind was racing, a mess of pain and discomfort as his stomach twisted and cramped harder than ever before. Through trembling lips he tried breathing exercises, tried to count to ten in his head while exhaling painfully slowly. Despite speeding down the road, the hospital only felt farther and farther away. 

“Hyung,” he cried, looking over at his mate with wet, tear filled eyes. 

“I know, I know, we are almost there, just hold on a little longer.” Riku nodded, feeling his mate’s scent coat every inch of his being. It sunk into him, going past skin deep and piercing into each of his agitated nerves. It slowly began to calm his mind, a silent reassurance that did more than he can describe. 

Those racing, overwhelming thoughts calmed, instead, his mind focused on breathing. His mate was with him, they were actively on the way to the hospital, his baby was about to be born. He was going to be okay. 

The pain was still uncomparable to anything he had felt before, no words could describe the amount of fire that spread across his skin. But with each painful wave he clutched Sion’s hand a little tighter, reminding him that he was safe and that it would pass. 

It wasn’t going to last forever. 

Riku’s half-lidded eyes perked up as Sion raced into the entrance of the hospital, parking the car right at the entrance and running out of the driver's side to the passenger side. Before Riku could even cry out at the loss of Sion’s touch, his door was opening and Sion was there again, unbuckling him and pulling him into his arms. He called out for help, pulling Riku onto his feet with a tight grip, supporting his unstable weight as another contraction washed over him. 

More hands were on Riku before he could even register what was happening, and next thing he knew he was getting put on a gurney and rolling between the sliding doors of the hospital. His vision felt blurry with pain, yet one thing was constant amongst the mess of chaos and overlapping voices. 

Sion. 

His voice, his touch, his scent surrounded him, not leaving for a second as he was pushed into a labor and delivery room. “...Hyung,” he shakily cried out, trying to breathe as one wave of contractions went away, the looming doom of another coming quickly after. 

“I’m here, I’m not leaving.” Suddenly Riku was moved onto another bed, one anchored to the ground and prepped for a baby. Riku opened his eyes, biting onto his lips as another wave hit his body. Sion was over him, eyes just as worried as his but trying to stay calm. The second their eyes hit Sion knew Riku could tell he was panicking, he shook his head, leaning in to whisper to him. 

“Do not worry about me right now, I’m going to be just fine,” he whispered, feeling Riku nod against him. “Focus on breathing, I’m not going to leave you.” Sion closed the distance for a quick kiss, looking back up to see a scurry of doctors and nurses coming in and out of the room. IV’s and monitors powered on, a plastic bassinet sat opposite of the bed Riku laid in just waiting to have someone in it. “I love you so much Riku.” 

“I love you too.” 

Riku placed a shaky hand atop his stomach, trying to calm himself as the milky scent from his own became stronger, more overbearing. His spoiled vanilla scent was fading, becoming overtaken by that sweet milk scent that could only mean one thing. It was time to meet him. 

At 8:09 pm, Ryo was finally born. 

The pain of labor was over, the racing heart and soured scent calmed. His cries were the best thing Riku could have asked for, knowing that he was finally here, the wait was over. 

“He’s the healthiest thing, he’s amazing Riku, you did so well,” Sion praised, his cheeks stained with tears as he watched their little newborn get rushed around for immediate tests and checkups. Riku was crying even if he didn’t realize it, his hands lurching to hold the baby he waited so long to meet. His breath was hiccuped, sobs leaving his lips as it was finally done. 

All the pain and aches leading up were worth it, the cries of a newborn echoed out against the walls, and as much as he wanted to comfort that crying, he was relieved he could even hear it. Sion peppered pecks along his hairline, whispering words of praise and love to him. 

A nurse finally brought the swaddled baby over to Riku, settling him on his bare chest where the omega’s hands came to cradle him. If Riku was crying before, he was sobbing now. Ryo’s cries almost immediately stopped, the feeling of his Kaa-san and Appa soothing his voice down to soft gurgles. 

Through tears, Riku managed to croak out a soft hello to the baby, reaching up to stroke his plump cheek. “Hyung, he’s perfect,” Riku cried, his heart swelling with the sight. He was exhausted beyond recognition, his body completely sore and spent from hours of pain, but it was completely worth it. 

“He is.” Sion’s own tears streamed down his cheeks, reaching his hand down to pet gently at the newborn's head. There were feelings that both had never experienced before coursing through them, some unspoken relief that cascaded over them. 

Relief that one, Ryo was healthy and that he was finally born, and two, that they had created something so wonderful. Their family was now officially a family. There was no more waiting, no more anticipation, no more ideas on what Ryo would be like. It didn’t matter anymore, none of it did, because right in front of them was their baby and he was perfect. 

Yushi and Daeyoung were in fact telling the truth about taking care of everything. Despite having limited knowledge of farm life, they worked hard to keep things relatively normal. Animals were clean and fed and fresh milk and eggs now sat in the freezer within their house. And the house was spotless, beds made, furniture dusted and cleaned, clothes folded and put away, everything was perfect. 

And even when they got back from the hospital, it didn’t stop there, they helped with unloading everything, holding back on their own wants of seeing the baby to instead help get things set up. As the couple scurried around downstairs, Sion slowly helped Riku back up the same stairs he helped him down only a week prior. Ryo laid tucked in his arms tightly, asleep and unbothered by Riku’s nervousness of carrying such a delicate thing. 

He wouldn’t be in his nursery for a while, he would be in a cot next to Riku and Sion for the foreseeable future, but Riku was insistent on at least going in. 

The second Sion opened the door, both of their eyes widened. It was done, walls painted perfectly, the room set up with built furniture and perfectly set up decor. A banner hung from above the crib reading “Welcome Home!” in bright rainbow letters. Silence fell between them, in awe at the sight around them. 

“Did they…?”

“They did,” Sion finished, his lips curling up into a smile as he gazed around the room. 

“I can’t believe they did all of this for us.” Riku looked on the verge of tears again, looking down at Ryo who stirred slightly with his weeping. Riku patted his back gently, easing him back to sleep with a newfound ease. Sion turned around across the hall, spotting their open door with oddly clean floors too. He stepped into his room, smiling down at the perfectly folded yellow blanket that hung off of the cot, the white plush dog sitting front and center on their bed. A caddy full of diapers and various supplies sat on the floor next to the cot, a bow tied neatly around the handle. 

Riku followed Sion, his smile only widening further. 

Footsteps echoed up the stairs, and seconds later the other couple arrived at their doorframe, settling the last of their hospital bags down on the floor. They both looked accomplished, smiling shyly at each other as Riku and Sion were at a loss of words. 

“Thank you so much,” Sion spoke first, his voice wavering with the brink of happy tears. He rushed over to hug them both tightly, feeling their laughter rumble against their chests. 

“Don’t worry about it, hyung.” Daeyoung pulled away, looking over at Riku who was crying a steady stream of tears. “Oh, Riku hyung, don’t cry!” Yushi crept over, giving a side hug as Daeyoung took the other side.  

“I’m just so thankful,” he wept, taking a long shuddered breath as he looked at both of his close friends. “You guys did all of this for us, how can we even repay you?” Yushi shook his head no quickly, patting Riku’s shoulder. 

“Don’t think about that, we did it because we wanted to.” 

“But it must’ve been so much work!”

“As if you didn’t just give birth.” Yushi rolled his eyes playfully, taking Riku by the shoulders, “We wanted you to be relaxed and comfortable coming back,” he looked back at Sion, ushering him over with a wave of his hand, “all three of you.” 

All three. 

Sion circled his arm around Riku’s shoulders, pulling him into his side tighter as he looked down at Ryo’s sleeping figure. He looked back up at Riku, who was still smiling through a mess of tears, then over to Yushi and Daeyoung. 

He took a deep breath, dabbing away the tears on his cheeks with the back of his hand. Having all of these people that he loves so dearly close to him made him overwhelmed, the surge of clear care and love for one another was the best gift of them all. “Thank you all, so much.” 

1. November

“Ryo-chan!” Sion lifted Ryo up into the air, wiggling him around a bit before pulling him back down. His giggle echoed loud off into the air, making Sion’s smile grow wide. It was getting chilly out, with remnants of sun warming up the farm just enough for a picnic. Ryo was bundled up in his onesie, a sunflower hat snug on his head that made Sion giggle every time he took notice of it. He had his yellow blanket wrapped around him when laid against Sion or Riku’s chests, keeping any lingering bouts of cold air off of him. 

The hill was clad in a white blanket, plates of food and drinks laid out for himself and Riku. And Riku, who was briskly walking up the hill again, held a bottle of formula for Ryo in his hands. Sion smiled at the sight of Riku, his smile widening at the sight of his mate and baby. 

He plopped himself down to Sion, greeting him again with a curt kiss before handing off the shaken bottle. “It’s good, tested the temperature and everything.” Riku watched as Sion adjusted Ryo’s positioning, laying the yellow blanket up to his chest and placing a burping rag right under his chin. He tapped Ryo on the nose teasingly, giggling as his nose scrunched up for a moment. Riku hooked his chin over Sion’s shoulder, watching as Sion pressed the bottle to Ryo’s mouth. 

He took it quite easily, drinking the milk with ease. “I’m glad he eats well,” Riku commented, reaching over to pat on his belly. 

“Mhm, he’s always hungry, isn’t he?” Sion baby-talked at the end, leaning in to coo at Ryo whose wide eyes looked up at him curiously. His little mittened hands reached up to clench and release, grabbing at air before Riku slipped his finger into his little palm. Ryo clutched his finger tight, gurgling from behind the bottle. 

“You should eat some, Riku, I got him.” 

“I just want to watch him for a minute.” Every passing minute was precious, Riku found. Each second with Ryo and Sion was a moment he never wanted to forget, each late night moment of silence where he could hold Sion close was beautiful, even Ryo crying at 5am where he just wanted to be held he cherished. Despite the exhaustion that came with having a newborn, he found it precious. 

And his husband, his ever doting and caring husband, since having Ryo his love only grew for Sion. Finding the dad side of Sion helplessly endearing and something he wanted to watch forever. 

It wasn’t easy, Riku knew that each passing day there would be something new that he and Sion would have to learn on the spot, but it was bearable when they had each other. When late at night Ryo’s crying wouldn’t stop no matter what they did, Sion’s calming presence reminded him that it would be okay. Or the time Sion couldn’t sleep late at night just because of the knowledge that Ryo would cry at some point, Riku held him tightly, cradling him until he fell asleep even if it was just for a couple hours. 

Everything changed within the span of one summer day, and they wouldn’t ever change things back no matter how hard things were. 

“Riku, why are you crying? What’s wrong?” Riku blinked back to reality, reaching his hand up to feel the wetness of tears on his face. Sion balanced both Ryo and the bottle with one hand, ignoring the strain on his wrist to pull Riku into his side. The omega shook his head, a smile appearing on his lips. 

“I’m just so happy, hyung,” Riku whispered, laughing wetly in the back of his throat. He looked up at Sion, breathing shakily as his tears slowed. Overwhelmed with the eye contact, he buried his face into Sion’s shoulder, wiping his tears onto his shirt. He snaked his arms around Sion’s torso, squeezing him tightly. Sion matched the squeezing with his one arm, resting his head against Riku’s as he did it. 

When Riku pulled away, he pushed up slightly to meet Sion in for a kiss, breathing in deeply as Sion kissed back, letting his hand rest at the small of his back. They broke for air, silly smiles on their faces. The alpha reached up, thumbing away remnants of tear tracks on his face. 

With a soft noise, the two looked back down at Ryo. Belly full and bottle emptied. Sion placed the bottle down on the blanket, leaning back against the tree behind him as he drew his knees up. He held Ryo upright, sitting him down against his legs as he and Riku watched him with warm eyes. 

For a moment, the world seemed to slow. The cows stopped mooing, the chickens quieted down, the wind slowed to nothing, and the sun shone a little higher atop of their hill. Riku gently pet at Ryo’s head, watching the baby giggle and look around for the hand. He grabbed onto Riku’s palm with his own small ones, eyes trying their hardest to focus on the object in front of him. Sion looked down at Riku then back up at Ryo, the corners of his lips curling up to his cheeks. The sight of his precious family making his whole body warm. 

At that moment, everything was perfect and there was nothing in the world that could change that.