Chapter Text
Unknown Number:
It’s coming
It’s a one-time text to a phone that will be destroyed immediately. In the coming weeks, Sakura will receive a note of some kind with a new number, and the cycle will repeat. It’s for emergencies only.
This really feels like an emergency.
“Motherfucker!!” he hisses, bending forward with his hands on the side of the bed as agony rips through him. He’s soaked through with sweat, panting hard, and ready to rip his own abdomen open to make the pain stop.
“‘Mother fucking’ in that position is how you got into this mess in the first place,” Tsubaki hums, dabbing a wet cloth on Sakura’s forehead. Sakura bares his teeth and swipes at him, but it’s weak from exhaustion.
“I hate you so much.”
“I know, darling, let it out,” Tsubaki brushes his sweaty hair from his forehead and presses the cool, wet cloth to the back of his neck. He groans and lets his head hang.
This sucks. This sucks so fucking much.
“Not much longer now, I promise. You can do this, sweetheart,” Tsubaki murmurs, and Sakura is mortified at the tears that well up in his eyes. Stupid hormones. Stupid pregnancy. Stupid labor!
“I’m going to kill him next time I see him,” he hisses through gritted teeth. He can’t look at Tsubaki after he says it, the pity in his eyes would be too much to bear. They both know it's very likely he will never see Suo again.
“Save a hit for me, okay sweetie?” Tsubaki wraps an arm around his shoulders and presses a quick kiss to his temple.
Sakura loves his family, his pack, but the thought of any of them being here during the most agonizing, weakest moment of his entire life makes him want to claw his skin off. Tsubaki’s his one compromise, the one person he knows he can stand during this process. Tsubaki who had just wrapped him in a hug and held him when he found out about the pregnancy; who had gone out and gotten certified as a midwife.
Who had held him when he cried over how scared he was to do this alone, and how much he missed his mate. Pregnancy hormones are really a bitch.
He knows the others wouldn’t judge him, but his weakness feels like too much to bear. So, Tsubaki is him compromise. If he had it his way, he would be doing this completely alone. If he were an Omega female, he probably would have risked it. Omega males have slightly more difficult pregnancies, but he’s overall much more suited to giving birth than a Beta female. Alpha females are incredibly high risk and can’t be done without a medical team.
But, as an Omega, the chance of complications are low. He’d likely be fine even unaided, if lonely.
Lower risk or not, it fucking hurts!
He rides the waves of cramping until midnight, pacing back and forth with one hand on his back and one on his belly until the pain gets so bad he falls to his knees. It’s time, he knows it, he can feel it.
Tsubaki’s in the next room heating water, but he doesn’t call out to him. He just wants a moment to feel sorry for himself, to realize how viciously alone he is. He rests his head on the edge of the bed, forehead pressed to the rough comforter. In a moment, he will rally. He’ll have this baby, he’ll go back to protecting the town and being dependable. He’ll pretend he isn’t so lonely he could die from it.
But, for a second, he mourns. The enormity of the situation sits heavy on his shoulders. He’s about to bring a new life into the world, a little piece of himself and his mate. A mate who might never even meet his own child.
A big, rough hand runs softly through his hair. It’s nice, soothing to his aching body and frayed nerves. He feels himself exhale, body relaxing with no conscious thought. He tips his face to the side, resting his cheek on the edge of the bed with his eyes closed. Because with his eyes closed-
“You’re doing so well, Haruka. I’m sorry I’m late.”
Sakura hadn’t dared to hope. Ever since sending that first text, he’s been crushing anything resembling hope. But, as he cracks an eye open to confirm, he knows there was no way Suo would miss this.
“I’m going to kick your ass for doing this to me,” he growls, but he flips his hand palm-up and Suo slides his own hand down to intertwine their fingers. Hours of exhaustion don’t completely abate from the small touch, but it feels like a balm on his soul.
Suo’s here, he’s really here. Months of loneliness suddenly feel worth it for this moment. His mate’s going to see the birth of their baby.
“I know, I’m sorry. I know it hurts,” Suo strokes his hair again, barely scratching at Sakura’s scalp. The feel and smell of him is incredible.
“Don’t be sorry about our child, you asshole,” he groans, but there’s no bite to the words.
“On the contrary, I’m incredibly proud of our child. Mated and knocked up on one knot, we’re a regular Hallmark movie,” Suo preens, pressing a rough kiss to Sakura’s temple. Sakura swats at him.
“I don’t know what ‘Hallmark’ is but I’m assuming it’s gross,” he snarls, though the effect is lost with how his eyes slide closed and he leans hard against the bed.
“Are you happy like this or do you want me to move you?” Suo asks, brushing the sweaty hair back from his forehead. Sakura squeezes his hand, barely cracking open his eyes to look at him. He doesn’t want to miss a second of having him back, even when he’s being torn apart.
“Stay like this for a bit.”
Suo slides down to kneel behind him, one hand still intertwined, and the other resting lightly on Sakura’s belly. Sakura brings their joined hands to his chest and squeezes, savoring the closeness for as long as he possibly can. This is the part he wants to remember.
“Anything you want.”
***
“It’s a boy!”
Sakura’s more exhausted than he’s ever been in his entire life, covered in sweat and fluids he never wants to think about again. His body has been wrung out viciously, thoroughly. But the sight of Tsubaki holding that little bundle gives him strength.
He’s half sitting, propped up on pillows and Suo’s chest where he’s curled around him on the bed to hold him and whisper how proud he is, how well Sakura’s done. Sakura lifts his head from where he’d buried it against Suo’s throat.
Tsubaki rests the little bundle against his chest, tucked into his arms.
“Hi, baby,” he whispers, pressing his face to the crown of his baby’s head. Their baby.
“Oh, Haruka, he’s perfect,” Suo murmurs, lips pressed to Sakura’s temple, and eyes fixed on their son.
He is perfect, nestled carefully to Sakura’s chest, sleepily blinking one grey and one red eye up at them. He has a fine dusting of hair, but it’s impossible to tell the color just yet, though the split eyes make Sakura a little nervous. It’s unnecessary, of course. Bofurin and Makochi would never let his son feel like an outsider. The town has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the little prince. He’s going to be spoiled beyond saving at this rate.
Suo runs a gentle finger across the baby’s forehead and down his cheek. His eye is softer and more full of wonder than Sakura’s ever seen as he takes in their son’s face. An answering warmth to the love in Sakura’s chest.
“Have you thought of a name?” Suo asks, eyes fixed on the baby, fingers tracing down the bridge of his nose and through his downy hair. Sakura has, of course. It would have been impossible not to with how much people asked him these last several months. In a perfect world, it’s something they would have done together, but-
“Meiyue,” he says, cheeks flushing red, but eyes fixed on Suo. Suo freezes, hand resting on the crown of Meiyue’s head. He swallows.
“That’s lovely,” he whispers, unable to meet Sakura’s eyes. “‘Berry’ and ‘moon’?”
“Yeah.” Sakura clears his throat. “You should hold him,” he says, raising the baby for Suo to take. Suo takes a deep breath, eyes still fixed on the little bundle.
“No, no you did all the hard work. You should go first,” Suo says, but his voice shakes a little, full of longing. It’s the most unsettled Sakura’s ever seen him. Parenthood really brings even the strongest of them to their knees.
“Take the baby, Hayato.”
Suo does, and it’s the single most clumsy, careful motion he’s ever made. His hands tremble as he takes their son and tucks him close to his chest. Sakura tips his head back and smiles, admiring
the shocked affection, the way their baby steals Suo’s heart so quickly and thoroughly.
It’s the only time he will hold their baby.
It might be one of the only times he even sees their child, so Sakura wants him to have as much time as he can tonight. He wants them to have this. It’s not much, and it’s not fair, but it’s what they have.
Sakura settles back, head pressed against Suo’s chest, lulled by the steady beat of his heart. He reaches out and runs a finger over Meiyue’s closed fist. His mate and their baby, together for a night.
It’s not enough.