Chapter Text
His left hand floats beneath warm bath water, and he smiles with relief when he realises he is finally happy with the temperature of the liquid and the amount of bubbles now present too.
Yunho pulls his hand out of the water and dries it off on a nearby white towel. He dims the bathroom light a little, turns the rooms fan on, and finally makes his way back out into the corridor.
A loud groan fills his ears immediately, and he knows exactly where it’s coming from without even needing to second-guess himself for a second.
With deep concern in his heart, he moves through an otherwise empty hallway, heading to the bedroom he shares with his mate.
There he finds Mingi sitting upright in their bed, right hand settled on the swell of his nine-month bump. A look of intense discomfort is on his face, and his pair of shoulders are rising and falling unevenly.
Yunho is at his side in an instant.
He sits down beside him, allowing the Omega to lean into his left side as he works through the contraction that tells them they’re getting closer to meeting their son.
They’ve decided to call him Minho, and not because that name is a mixture of both of theirs… they hadn’t actually realised it was until Wooyoung, because who else would it have been, pointed it out.
Beneath his loose pyjama shirt, that actually belongs to Yunho, Mingi’s tummy is tight. Yunho gently kisses Mingi’s head, whispering words of encouragement as well as comfort to him in the aftermath of the action.
His right hand joins Mingi’s one on the bump, resting contently over it. It takes another couple seconds for the contraction to finally begin subsiding, and in that time Yunho slots the tips of their fingers together.
He asks quietly, feeling Mingi begin to relax into him, “better?”
Their bedroom is dark, the glow of the falling moon’s hidden by the curtains hung in front of the window.
Mingi nods small, his tummy relaxing. Minho, getting more restless by the minute, shifts inside of him. He can’t wait to meet his two parents, having listened to their kind voices for so many months now.
”The bath is run,” Yunho tells him, “whenever you’re ready-”
Mingi cuts him off, “thank you.”
Yunho smiles small, watching as Mingi turns his head to connect their gazes. He greets him with a whisper of, “hi.”
The Omega chuckles lightly, heart warm despite the bouts of pain, resting their foreheads together. “Hi.”
”You’re doing so well,” Yunho praises him, “my brave Omega.”
Mingi’s cheeks tint pink while a playful, “you’re never knotting in me again,” leaves his lips.
Amused, Yunho says, “whatever you say, Princess.”
The Omega chuckles once again, and smiles into the gentle kiss that is placed to his lips.
Feeling another tug from within him, Mingi winces as he pulls backwards.
Yunho’s heart leaps. “Mingi-”
”I’m okay,” he assures his mate, face relaxing, “just- he’s moving around a lot, that’s all.”
As if on queue, Minho lightly kicks the part of Mingi’s tummy their connected hands rest on.
Yunho’s honest when he tells him, “I’m sorry you are in so much discomfort.”
Yunho has always despised seeing Mingi in any form of pain, from when they first met at fifteen years old to where they are now.
”You don’t need to be sorry, sweet Alpha,” Mingi tells him, “and besides, it’ll be worth it, yes? Soon we will have our little boy to hold.”
The Alpha hums small, nerves bubbling. Mingi’s gaze softens.
”Hey,” Mingi speaks softly, “I think he’s going to look like you.”
“Oh yeah?”
”Yeah,” Mingi nods, “and I think we both know Minho has been practicing his Spider-Man tricks for the last five months in there.”
Yunho chuckles, the Omega smiles upon hearing one of his most favourite sounds- his mate’s happiness.
With a sparkle in his eyes, Yunho says, “he’s going to look so cute in the little outfit.”
When Mingi was a little bit over six months pregnant with Minho, Yunho presented him with a little Spider-Man onesie for their unborn pup.
They plan for him to wear it whenever they can bring him home from the hospital.
”He is,” Mingi agrees smiling, holding the exact same adoring sparkle in his eyes too.
The two are quiet for a moment before:
”We’ll be okay, sweetheart,” Mingi then clarifies, “the three of us. I’m certain of it.”
Yunho nods, “me too.”
”Now,” the Omega bumps the tips of their noses in a careful and affectionate manner, “about that bath-”
Yunho sighs, “it might be a bit cold now-”
”That’s alright,” Mingi assures him, “we can just heat it up again.”
Mingi just stole his Alpha’s upcoming words with that suggestion.
“My thoughts exactly, Princess.” The older then asks, “would you like to wait here or-”
”No,” Mingi shakes his head, “I’ll come with you.”
”You’re certain?”
”I am certain,” Mingi melts into the kiss placed to his cheek.
”You won’t be too uncomfortable?”
”I’ll be okay, but thank you for checking.”
”Of course,” Yunho nods. Then, he leans in and sits a kiss to Mingi’s lips. A fond whisper, “I love you.”
Mingi smiles, also fond, “I love you too.”
Minho kicks his parent’s hands like he’d done before, only this time it’s to remind the both of them that he is, in fact, still here…
not that they could ever forget.
They both chuckle, looking down to where their pale hands are joined on the bump. Yunho tells their son, “we love you as well, Minnie.”
Minho settles down again.
Yunho stands and offers out both hands, Mingi takes them and allows himself to be guided away from the mattress. Now standing upright, the aches within his lower back become more prominent than before.
Yunho asks, “okay?”
Mingi nods, “okay.”
They take their time when heading to the bathroom, Yunho’s right hand staying firmly in his Omega’s left one throughout the entire journey. Mingi has to stop once to breathe through a smaller contraction Yunho holds and comforts him through.
Now in the bathroom, Yunho helps Mingi to sit down on the closed toilet lid. The Omega’s exhales deeply, exhausted, and settles his hand back onto his bump, caressing small circles onto the fabric of the pyjama shirt he’s wearing.
Yunho drains some of the bath water, and then fills it up with water from the hot tap. Thankfully, it returns to the pleasant temperature it had been before quite quickly.
Yunho crouches down at Mingi’s side, “what should I get you to wear?”
”Your hoodie, and your jogging bottoms.”
”Which pair?”
”The dark grey ones,” Mingi says.
”Anything else?”
”Socks. My ones.”
”And?”
”That’s it.”
”Okay,” Yunho stands up, “I’ll be back in a second.”
Mingi hums, eyes heavy.
Yunho kisses the top of the younger’s head. “Please, Princess, call if you need me.”
Mingi promises, “I will.”
”Good,” Yunho hums.
He leaves to fetch the requested clothes, and he sets out an outfit for himself and leaves it folded together at the end of their mattress.
He comes back into the bathroom and places Mingi’s, or technically his, clothes to the floor. Mingi’s still sat on the toilet lid, but now he is leaning to the left. His arms are folded on their marble counter by the sink, the left side of his head is resting on them.
Mingi asks, “can you get in with me?”
Yunho makes sure, “you want me to?”
”Yeah,” a slightly breathless, “please.”
Yunho’s eyebrows furrow, “Min?”
”Another little one,” he closes his eyes, wincing while his tummy tightens, “i’ll be alright in a second.”
Quietly, Yunho moves to sit down on the floor behind Mingi. He reaches under the pyjama shirt his Omega is wearing and starts massaging the younger’s lower back with his hands.
Mingi hums in appreciation, the nice pressure on his back a very welcomed contrast to the uncomfortable pressure on the front half of his body.
He says a quiet, “thank you, baby.”
Yunho hums as a reply, focusing intently on relieving as much of the discomfort as he can. Mingi went into early labour at home yesterday evening, his stronger contractions have been appearing consistently 25-30 minutes apart.
The small ones in between come when they please.
Mingi’s exhale is shaky as he moves upright again, a look of content coming to his face. Yunho massages him for a moment more before moving to sit in front of him.
”I’ll grab my clothes and come back, okay?”
Mingi nods. Minho kicks him.
The Omega frowns, “I don’t think our Minho likes the idea.”
Yunho tilts his head to the side, “no?”
Mingi shakes his head, “no.”
Yunho sits one of the fingertips of his right hand onto the fabric of the pyjama shirt, “can I?”
Mingi nods, running his hand through Yunho’s hair in an affectionate way, “of course.”
Yunho smiles, carefully guiding the shirt up to reveal the home of their unborn child. While their son grew, Mingi’s skin stretched. Faint marks run from the very bottom of his tummy to just above his belly button.
Mingi gets insecure about them sometimes.
Yunho thinks every part of him is perfect.
The older leans in, cradling their pup in his hands, to place a delicate kiss onto his Omega’s tummy. Mingi watches him do so with a full heart and a fond smile.
They watch as a lump appears Mingi’s tummy, oddly foot like. It disappears, and then comes back. Yunho kisses that spot too.
“Fetch your clothes,” Mingi requests quietly, brushing his fingers through Yunho’s hair, “and join me inside the bath?”
Yunho leans up and kisses the right corner of Mingi’s mouth, feeling the Omega’s hand fall from his hair in the process. Neither of them say anything more, the taller of the couple goes to get his clothes from their room and is back in record time.
He helps Mingi to undress and get in the bath before ridding himself of his own clothes. He sits behind his Omega, it’s always a slightly awkward fit because of their heights.
But they will forever manage to make it work.
Mingi adjusts his sitting position a little so Yunho can extend his legs either side of him. The Omega moves the top half of his body backward, so his back meets his Alpha’s chest.
Mingi tilts his head to the left, settling the top side of his head against Yunho’s jawline.
Yunho asks, “this is okay?”
”Perfect,” Mingi hums, “thank you.”
”Of course, Princess.”
The two soak in the warm water for a few minutes, a dim lighting helping to keep the room peaceful. They do not talk. Yunho caresses the parts of Mingi he can easily reach. Along his arms, his tummy, his face, as well as neck and shoulders too.
And Mingi melts further and further underneath each careful touch, so much to the point in which both his eyes fall closed and his breathing begins to even out. Until…
He opens his eyes with a quiet cry, tummy tightening as another contraction catches him. It’s a bigger one this time, one that leaves tears building in his brown eyes and his left hand searching both desperately as well as blindly for anything to cling onto.
He finds the side of their bathtub, clinging onto it so tightly that his knuckles go a shade paler than what they should be. Yunho’s right arm wraps around him, his mate’s left hand settles upon his own one.
Yunho kisses the side of his head.
Mingi whimpers quietly, “h-hurts.”
The older’s heart breaks. “I know, Princess,” his next words are spoken comfortingly, “but you’re doing so well, my brave Omega, so well. I’m so proud of you.”
Mingi’s tummy tightens slightly more, his right hand comes to sit on top of it. Yunho slots their left fingers together.
”Ah,” his vision blurs due to his tears, “Yun-”
”I’ve got you,” Yunho promises him, “breathe, Mingi.”
His back screams at him, and Minho shifts unhappily within him. Mingi just hopes the contractions are not hurting their little boy too.
If something were to happen to their child, he’d burn the entire world.
”Breathe, love,” Yunho guides him, stroking the right side of his bump, “nice and slowly, Princess.”
And with Yunho continuing to help him through it, he does.
His breathing’s unsteady to begin, but the pain he is feeling soon begins to thin out as his tummy relaxes. His eyes close again while his head tilts back, resting somewhat on Yunho’s shoulder.
The sixty seconds his contraction lasted for felt more like sixty long years- and yet having Yunho with him made it that bit more bearable.
Yunho places a kiss to Mingi’s cheek, “you did so well and I’m so proud of you, Princess.”
Mingi’s grip on the bathtub loosens.
Yunho takes his hand from Mingi’s left one, and then places both of his hands onto the now relaxed bump. Mingi places his hands on top of Yunho’s in one swift movement.
Mingi pulls his head forward, positioning the top side of it against Yunho’s jawline like he’d done earlier. He winces when Minho kicks again, gasping sharply.
Yunho shushes softly, comforting both their baby and his Omega, Mingi feels his thumb caress his skin and Minho stops moving.
Mingi asks, “are th-they hurting him?”
“Are what hurting him?”
”The contractions. Are th-they hurting him?”
Yunho shakes his head. “No, Princess.”
A slightly hysterical, “are y-you s-sure?”
”I’m sure,” Yunho kisses the side of Mingi’s head, “he is safe, Mingi, with you.”
Neither of them got much sleep last night.
The early labour contractions started at around 8pm yesterday evening, and every time Mingi went to fall asleep, one would capture him.
It was like clockwork. Every half an hour Mingi would double over in bad pain and Yunho would cradle him through it, would massage him, comfort him through words and actions.
They slept for perhaps 90 minutes each, at the same time, when the contractions, even the big ones, were just terrible aches Mingi had gotten used to over the course of the last few months of pregnancy.
“And you,” Mingi adds swiftly, “Minnie’s safe with you too. Both of us are.”
Yunho smiles warmly, heart full under his skin. “Shall we get out and get you into something comfy?”
”Ten more minutes, please.”
”Of course, Princess.”
Their muscles stay relaxed thanks to the warm water they’re in, their pup shifts around in Mingi’s tummy a few times and they tell him they cannot wait to meet him.
Minho kicks in response to that, trying to tell the two of them the same thing but in the only way he’s able to.
Yunho gets out the bath, ten minutes later, and dries himself off with a towel and gets changed first.
And Mingi? Well he lies back and enjoys the view.
Yunho helps Mingi out of the bath next, and he uses a fresh towel to rid his mate of lingering bubbles and bath water. The towel moves very slowly over Mingi’s skin.
”Bottom or top-”
”Bottom, more often, but I can ride t-"
”No,” Yunho chuckles, “you know what I meant.”
”Oh, right,” his face burns red, “bottoms first.”
Yunho helps Mingi into the previously chosen jogging bottoms, and then into the hoodie after. Mingi sits on the toilet lid for Yunho to put his socks on for him.
Yunho asks, “did you want to try breakfast?”
”What’s the time?”
“Probably around 06:15 now?”
Mingi shakes his head, “later.”
”Alright,” Yunho nods his head, helping Mingi up once again. “Would you like to go back to our room?”
Mingi nods, and so that is exactly where Yunho leads him. The younger sits where he’d been before.
“I’m just going to open the curtains, okay?”
Mingi nods, already feeling uncomfortable again.
Yunho pulls back the curtains of their bedroom. They live at the end of a quiet street, their neighbours on both sides elderly pairings who have been showering the couple with newborn gifts since they first spotted Mingi’s growing bump.
An orange glow, one running a bath for 5.30 did not give them, fills their room. The sun is starting to rise on this chilly October morning.
”I’ll clean up the bathroom, and then come back.”
”Okay,” Mingi nods.
”Call if y-”
”If I need you,” Mingi finishes for him.
Yunho smiles soft, Mingi turns around to look at him. “I love you both.”
”We love you too.”
The bath water is cold when he drains it, he puts the clothes they, sort of, slept in into the wash basket. It is a white one with a star pattern across the outside. Mingi chose it when they first moved in together.
He turns the bathroom’s fan off, and that is when his heart stops.
It stops a beat before:
A loud, pained cry of, “Yunho!”
He’s out of their bathroom in an instant, turning off a dimmed light on his way out. Yunho rushes into their room, only to find Mingi on his knees on the floor.
”Hey,” he falls to his knees in front of Mingi, worry in his tone of voice, “Princess, what-”
Mingi shakes his head, the pain he’s currently feeling written so clearly on his face. Both of his hands grips onto the fabric of the jogging bottoms he is wearing, both his shoulders move shakily.
He’s groaning low when Yunho takes his hands in his own and guides his upper body closer. The labouring Omega leans into him, arms slotting around Yunho’s neck, Yunho’s hands rest upon Mingi’s hips.
Mingi buries his face into his left arm, whining as his tummy brushes very briefly against the carpet floor. The position they’re in, Mingi basically on all fours, is helping with the pressure already.
Yunho knows this is a big contraction, and he knows also that it’s come sooner than what the last one did.
He slides his hands to his Omega’s back, deciding to massage the lower part again since that helps a lot.
Mingi whimpers, swaying side to side in little, barely noticeable movements. The contraction lasts the 60 seconds, Yunho places a kiss to the corner of Mingi’s forehead as he groans and breathes through it.
The tightness in his tummy unravels, the sharp pain becoming a duller ache. His right fingertips curl into Yunho’s hoodie, holding him like he’s a lifeline.
Yunho’s hands massage up Mingi’s sides too, Mingi’s trembling breath fills the air. The Omega settles his left hand onto his bump, at the very bottom, where the skin is still tight.
His head is now on Yunho’s shoulder. “Yun-”
”Yeah, Princess?”
”Hurts.”
”I know, lovely,” and it kills Yunho that he cannot do much more to help lessen the pain, “I’m sorry.”
”Wh-where’s the hospital bag?”
”By the front door.”
”I think we’ll need it.”
Yunho nods, “twenty-five minutes.”
He winces, ”huh?”
“Between the contractions. Twenty-five minutes.”
Five minutes closer than what they have been.
Mingi groans quietly. “Can we-”
”Downstairs?”
Mingi nods quickly.
”Okay, Princess. Let me help you up.”
”I tr-tried to walk.”
Yunho hums, showing he’s listening.
”I tried, ah, to walk around a bit like yesterday but it hurt too much.”
His heart aches. “Oh, Princess-”
”Had to sit, couldn’t get back to the bed.”
”That’s okay,” Yunho tells him with a nod of his head, “you listened to your body, Princess. I’m so proud of you.”
Mingi brings his right hand to the hair on the back of Yunho’s head. “‘m love you.”
”I love you too, my brave Mingi.”
Yunho helps Mingi to stand, a slow process filled with patience and understanding, and then they slowly go downstairs after fetching their respective phones.
The next contraction comes 20 minutes later. Mingi’s sitting on the sofa when the pain starts and Yunho is comforting him in a matter of half a second.
Mingi’s neck is resting on the top of the sofa while he gets through it, Yunho’s left hand moves so carefully through his hair and his right hand caresses his taut bump. Mingi’s left hand grips the arm of the sofa, his right hand sits uselessly at his side.
Yunho makes a mental note that the contractions are again five minutes sooner than they’d been before.
Sixty seconds comes and goes by, after a lower back massage they mutually decide to go into the kitchen to make a light breakfast and get something to drink as well. Yunho is drying the dishes when Mingi:
”Yun,” he whines, standing in front of the sink, hands curling around the edge of the kitchen counter.
Yunho places the damp cloth down, moving to stand behind Mingi. He settles his two hands onto the hips of his mate, then gently encourages him in moving backwards. Mingi does, pressing his back to Yunho’s chest. Both his eyes flutter closed, head falling back.
Yunho kisses his right cheek as he guides his Omega through breathing. Mingi’s tummy tightens, inside of him Minho moves lower.
Their hands connect on the bottom of Mingi’s tummy so they can support the swell. Yunho glances toward the clock on the wall.
07:00am. Only 15 minutes since the last contraction.
The ache in Mingi’s body is constant.
”Fifteen minutes, Min,” Yunho speaks as Mingi begins to relax.
The younger, wearing a tiny smile, asks, “we can see him today? L-like meet him?”
Yunho smiles too, “it seems like it.”
With a warm heart, “we can bring our pup home?”
For first-time pregnancies, active labour usually lasts about 8 to 18 hours as the cervix dilates from 3-4cm to 10cm. They might get to meet Minho has early as this afternoon.
But, then again, labour isn’t the same for everyone…
”Maybe not today,” Yunho tells him, “but soon.”
A moment of quiet before Yunho asks:
”Would you like anything added to the hospital bag?”
”The hat your Mum knitted, please.”
”Do you know where it is?”
”Dresser in the nursery, I think.”
”Okay,” Yunho nods, “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Mingi hums, nodding, standing upright so that Yunho can go upstairs. Yunho goes after a fleeting kiss, the Omega leans against the kitchen counter again.
He exhales, eyes falling closed while the aches in his back linger. Minho moves inside of him again, falling even lower.
A little bit too low, for this particular stage of labour, but Mingi doesn’t know that.
Outside, the world comes to life. Birds sing in trees, a car horn blares, the sun is higher than before and it’s- it’s peaceful.
Mingi opens his eyes at the sound of a dulled thump and is greeted by a clutter of orange leaves fluttering against the windows. They’re there for a few seconds before they disappear, captured by October wind.
Mingi drains the water from the sink, and then…
He gasps sharply, doubling over as an intense cramp overwhelms him. It leaves him completely breathless and teary-eyed, gripping onto the kitchen counter as if his life depends on it.
”Ah,” he cries quietly, mouth open in a silent scream.
He forces himself to look at the clock. 07:05am.
Only five minutes since the last one.
He tries to breathe through the pain but it is in vein. The pressure in his lower stomach causes him to cry out again, a little louder this time. A ringing is in his ears, his tummy tightens, and tightens again.
His entire body aches, a tears slips down his face. He knows this contraction feels different to the rest, and he’s about to find out why.
His body tightens. “Shit,” his face contorts in pain as he squeezes his eyes shut, “fuck-”
Then something breaks.
He gasps as it happens, as water hits the floor below him and his jogging bottoms get stained. The reliefs immediate, the tightness in his hips and tummy fade to almost nothing, but the ache remains.
He stays hunched over the sink, panting, feeling the pup move in him. He cries soft, what just happened finally sinking in.
Mingi takes a step back, hands trembling at his sides as his heart hammers behind his chest, stunned. “Y-Yunho!”
There’s movement upstairs straight away.
Mingi stares at the clear puddle on the kitchen floor, his lower body damp. He calls again, a little bit more desperately this time, “Yunho!”
The stairs creak as more fluid gushes out of him. It’s clear, odourless, morphing with the larger puddle. A shaky exhale leaves him, his tummy cramping a bit.
“Princess,” Yunho makes his presence known with his voice. He stands in front of his partner, very worried, confused as he cradles his face, “Min-”
And then he realises his feet are wet. He looks down, heart skipping a beat. Yunho joins their gazes again with a breathless, “Mingi-”
Mingi tells him, “m-my water broke.”
Yunho nods, his heart beating quickly. “Are y- do you feel okay?”
”I th-think so, I just- it shocked me. Hurt.”
Yunho wipes away Mingi’s falling tears. “Princess-”
”C-can you call the hospital? See what they say?”
”Of course,” Yunho nods, “absolutely.”
He sniffles, ”I ruined your clothes-”
”Mingi,” Yunho quickly shakes his head, “you did not. And please don’t worry about that, Princess.”
Mingi doesn’t say anything. His eyes are distant.
”Mingi,” Yunho guides him, “breathe, baby.”
“It j-just feels so real all of a sudden.”
Yunho offers a gentle smile. “We’re having a pup.”
Mingi chuckles wetly, nodding. “We’re having a pup.”
The hospital tells them Mingi is fine to stay home. He and pup were written down to be perfectly healthy at the check up last week, and the contractions are still far apart enough. Minho is still moving around a lot, there is no bleeding and the water breaking fluid was clear and odourless.
Due to Mingi’s pregnancy being complication free, he can stay home for maximum four hours, because it’s their first pup and so Mingi will eventually need to be monitored, so long as he doesn’t begin feeling unwell or drastic change to contraction pattern occurs.
Mingi is also full-term. 40 weeks pregnant exactly as today is their pups due date.
They’re given strict precautions to follow while being at home, as the water breaking means chances of an infection can be higher.
They need to monitor everything- Minho’s movement in case he stills, Mingi’s temperature all contractions, especially the tighter ones since they could be a sign of progressing labour, if additional fluid leaves him or bleeding occurs.
At 07:20am, 15 minutes later, when the call is done, Mingi breathes through another contraction with his Alpha at his side.
Yunho takes his Omega to their downstairs bathroom to wipe his legs and help him into an underwear that is lined with a maternity pad. He helps Mingi get into some fresh jogging bottoms and socks.
Mingi sits on their settee, breathing through another contraction at 07:30 while Yunho cleans the kitchen. Yunho changes his own socks and then joins Mingi in the lounge.
Another ten minutes goes by quick, Mingi grabs onto Yunho’s left arm when he feels a contraction coming. Yunho notes that the contractions are coming sooner. He holds Mingi through it, guiding him to breathe.
He also makes a joke that is incredibly unfunny, but still Mingi laughs softly anyway.
This is the last contraction the Omega will be able to breathe through.
Because what they did not know is that the breaking of the waters caused a rapid labour to begin.
Mingi cries out in agony again only five minutes later, shooting into a sitting position due to the intensity of the tightness within his tummy.
He feels Minho move, thankfully.
”Princess,” Yunho reaches for him.
A pained shake of his head, ”don’t touch me.”
It hurts, but Yunho nods. As he goes to move back:
”Wait, n-no, I’m sorry,” Mingi turns to him with a sob leaving his throat, “come back. I didn’t mean that.”
Yunho holds his Omega close, “Mingi-”
Mingi grips onto him, groaning loudly.
The contraction happening so soon is alarming to the both of them.
Yunho’s phone, lying on their coffee table, tells them how far apart they are.
”Oh, Princess,” Yunho’s careful hands make their way to Mingi’s back again, massaging him tenderly.
Mingi’s eyes move closed, groaning lowly, leaning his entire body weight onto Yunho who of course doesn’t mind at all.
He tests, ”Mingi, can you t-”
Mingi shakes his head, a soft cry leaving his lips.
Yunho massages Mingi’s hips and back, the right side of Mingi’s head rests on his left shoulder and both of his arms are draped around Yunho’s middle.
Mingi’s left leg bounces through the pain.
And then Mingi relaxes in his arms.
Not completely, but just enough to find his voice:
“How many minutes?”
Yunho frowns, “five.”
Mingi buries his face into Yunho’s neck.
”I’m here,” Yunho promises, “for every step.”
Minho shifts lower, Mingi whimpers.
“You are doing so well, Mingi, so very well.”
Mingi doesn’t say anything.
”I love you, Princess, so much.”
Again, nothing. He winces as his tummy cramps.
The television they put on some time ago now hums in the background, a weather report for the week.
Rain, rain, and more rain.
Today is the only day they’ll be sun.
Yunho keeps an eye on his phone. Four minutes has gone past.
Yunho keeps massaging him, Mingi’s breathing stays uneven and then suddenly he’s pulling back.
Mingi grips onto the sofa arm with his left hand once again, his right one grips onto Yunho’s knee.
His facial features screw together, his whole body is tense, and he lets out a yell of pure agony Yunho will remember forever. Tears slip down Mingi’s face.
His tummy tightens as Yunho slides closer. The older has damp eyes too, tears he quickly blinks away.
Yunho places his right hand onto Mingi’s tummy, the Omega’s one moves to sit on top of it.
Mingi tries his best to breathe, however his breath is constantly stolen from him by a newer wave of hurt. He manages through a series of quiet pants.
Yunho strokes comforting circles onto his lower back, Mingi’s fingers entwine with his own.
Two contractions in the space of ten minutes.
When the pain eventually subsides, Mingi feels Minho move again. Yunho kisses the right side of his mate’s head, Mingi looks at him with half-lidded eyes.
He manages a, “Yun-”
He knows what Mingi’s thinking. It’s the same thing he is.
”It’s too soon, isn’t it?”
Mingi nods small, “I th-think so.”
”I’ll call the hospital, tell them we’ll be there soon.”
Mingi sniffles.
”Can you still feel him?”
”Yeah,” Mingi nods, “low.”
”Is there pressure?”
He shifts uncomfortably, nodding.
”Okay,” the Alpha sounds more relaxed than what he feels, “I’ll call and we’ll get you ready.”
Mingi nods.
Yunho fetches Mingi’s shoes and helps him put them on while talking with the midwife on the phone. She tells them they should absolutely come in and also a room will be waiting for them.
At 07:55, while Yunho fetches their son’s little hat he dropped on the stairs when rushing into the kitchen, Mingi experiences another contraction which is again five minutes after the most recent.
Yunho guides Mingi through it the last of it and helps him to stand afterwards.
“I’ll get you some more water,” Yunho says, “then we can go.”
Mingi nods, not trusting his voice at the moment.
Yunho gets the water in record time, and then helps Mingi out to their car. He leaves the Omega sitting in the front passenger seat while he heads in to collect the hospital bag.
He slips their phones in there, getting his own shoes on.
He places it into the back of the car, keeping an eye on his wincing mate as he does so. After getting into the drivers seat, he adjusts the seatbelt over Mingi’s body to be a bit looser and more comfortable.
The car seat has been in the back since month five of pregnancy.
”Would you like to lay back a little?”
Mingi nods, gripping onto the handle above his head with his right hand. Yunho reclines the seat and then starts the car.
08:02am. Seven minutes since the last contraction.
Another hits as Yunho pulls out the driveway. Mingi’s body tenses as it takes him, a long groan leaving his body as he tightens his hold on the handle. Sweat is finally building in his hairline, his belly hangs lower.
Yunho places his right hand onto Mingi’s left thigh, a reminder that he’s still here. Mingi joins their hands, gasping quietly as a single fresh tear makes it’s way down his face.
Things are happening, they both know that fact, but the difference is that Mingi can feel it. Minho shifts in him, low, slow, and with purpose.
”Yunho,” he admits, staring out the window, “I’m so scared.”
Yunho brings Mingi’s hand to his lips. “I know, honey, but I can promise you I will never leave your side as we get through the last step. You have been so very brave, my perfect Omega, through it all. Pride isn’t a strong enough word.”
Mingi shifts a little in his seat.
”I’m with you, my Princess, exactly like I promised I would be. You’re not alone, you’ll never be alone.”
Mingi exhales shakily.
”The three of us, yes? All together.”
Mingi’s head lulls to the left. “When we go home, he will be with us.”
”He will be,” Yunho nods, “he will.”
Their hands disconnect so Yunho can put both of his back onto the car wheel. They run into their first red light. It can’t be helped, but Yunho feels awful about having to delay the journey.
”Thank you,” Mingi tells him, “for everything.”
Yunho looks at him.
”What do you think teen us would say if they crossed the street right now and saw us here?”
Yunho looks back at the road. “I-"
”Teen Mingi would be so happy.”
Yunho nods, voice soft, “so would teen Yunho.”
“You’ve been brave too, Yunho. Thank you for always keeping us safe. Being yours, starting a family with you, it’s my greatest honour.”
The words make his heart swell. He starts driving as the light goes green. “Oh, Princess,” and he’s honest, “I can say the exact same thing to you.”
”Having you with me has made this experience that much easier.”
Yunho tells him, “there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
Mingi says, “I love you.”
“I love you too, Mingi. I always have.”
The quiet does not last for very long. 08:08am is the next contraction time, six minutes after the previous one. Mingi’s entire body tenses again, his eyes falling closed.
This one is just as painful.
Minho is still moving around, creating a dull tugging sensation in the lower half of his tummy. It feels like a lot is happening down there. The aches, as well as the pains, the shifts.
He turns his head to the right, focusing on breathing.
As a pup, he’d stare out the window, stunned that so many people could be in one location living so many different lives. A teenage couple hold hands crossing the road, an elderly couple exit a flower shop, a lady with a small baby bump greets her friend.
There is a constant cramp in Mingi’s tummy, smaller contractions making themselves known.
08:13am. The next contraction. Mingi gasps sharply when he feels it coming 5 minutes after the last one. His left hand moves to his bump, the swell hard and tight.
Mingi’s breath comes out in a series of gentle pants and moans. He holds onto the handle above his head so tightly that his knuckles go white.
This contraction feels different.
It feels like it lasts longer, the pressure in his tummy seems to double. He feels their pup shift lower.
And then Minho stops.
Mingi whimpers.
Yunho asks, “Mingi?”
”How has Seonghwa-hyung done this twice already?”
Yunho reaches for Mingi’s hand again. The pair cling to each other. The car’s swollen with many emotions- anxiety, excitement, fear.
”Not long now, Princess. We’ll be there soon.”
It is so relieving to hear. He feels his shoulders relax, despite all the nerves that comes alongside knowing what will happen beyond the hospital entrance door. He can’t wait to meet their boy after carrying him for so long, but of course he remains scared.
Birth is painful and unpredictable. He knows that.
What he doesn’t know?
Mingi was only 3cm dilated when his water broke.
Now, in the span of just over an hour, he’s 9cm.
Yunho kisses the back of the Omega’s hand and then returns his right one to the steering wheel.
For the next six minutes, while he dilates his last cm, Mingi is mostly free from the bigger contractions. He experiences smaller ones that feel like tight cramps, ones he shuts his eyes, groans, whimpers, and shifts through.
He’s not free from the dull aching as well, or the fear that Minho is moving around more and more slowly.
And then…
There’s a pressure in the bottom of his tummy, tight and sharp. His contraction holds onto him, taking his breath but also-
“Yunho,” his voice is panicked as he adjusts the way he’s sitting. A pained gasp, “I c-can feel him.”
His heart stops. “Feel him where?”
”Low,” Mingi sobs, “like h-he’s coming.”
His panic grows. “L-like you need to push?”
The contraction leaves him groaning out in pain, he’s able to feel everything due to the lack of medication in his system. It is agony, to the point in which Mingi feels as if he’s being pulled apart.
”Mingi,” Yunho’s body trembles, “talk to me, hun-”
But Mingi couldn’t even if he tried to.
This contraction, like all the recent ones, has left him unable to speak, the pressure in the lower half of his body growing by the second.
Minho is ready to come out. And he’s ready now.
But should he be? Mingi and Yunho aren’t sure.
This entire thing, the active stages of labour, seems too fast, especially for a first pup. Mingi has only had six contractions that’ve been 5-7 minutes apart, also he has only been in active labour for 40 minutes.
This contraction is his seventh.
He shouldn’t be ready to push yet… right?
They don’t even know how far he’s dilated.
They’re five minutes from the hospital. ”Mingi-”
Precipitous labour, or ‘rapid labour’ is the birth of the pup within 3 hours of the start of consistent occuring contractions. While labour often begins normally with the mild or irregular contractions, the paces can shift abruptly into intense, back-to-back contractions that quickly dilate the cervix.
A quick delivery may sound appealing, but it is often very overwhelming, coming alongside increased risks of bleeding, severe tearing, and delivery outside of a hospital.
Mingi cries out in pain, Yunho sees his legs fall apart out the corner of his eye.
Yunho caresses Mingi’s left thigh. ”Do not try to hold it, Princess. Push if you need too, I’m right here.”
Mingi’s whole body feels like fire. Yunho prepares to help Mingi take his jogging bottoms off if it’s needed.
Their hearts beat wild. Nerves at a height they never knew they could reach.
Yunho brings his hand up to Mingi’s tummy. It’s tight and solid as it continues to contract.
”Breathe, Princess,” Yunho guides him, “I’m here.”
Mingi’s breathing comes out in pained pants, sharp gasps and sobs. While he breathes, the urge to push subsides. The pressure’s apparent, still there, but no longer as overwhelming.
His body is not bearing down on it’s own, their pup is simply sitting.
Waiting.
Yunho asks, “Mingi?”
He shakes his head, forcing a, “didn’t push.”
”Alright,” Yunho breathes out, placing his hand back onto the wheel, “okay. We’re here. It’s okay, we’ll be okay.”
Greeting them when they pull up to the hospital is a Nurse they recognise immediately. Yunho helps Mingi into the wheelchair she’s standing behind.
With entwined hands, they are lead to the first room their son will ever be in.
The room where they’ll meet Minho for the first time, hold him, and tell him to his face all about how loved he is.
08:25am. October 26th.
12 hours after the start of early labour.
80 minutes after his water broke.
45 minutes into active labour.
And it’s all downhill from here…