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Neither of them was particularly fond of sleeping in. They rose naturally early, catching the first rays of sun, the city waking up to a brand new day. Or at least they used to.
Nowadays with their increasingly active son keeping them up and at it, early mornings seemed to be more of an exception than a rule. Even Wenlang struggled a bit, despite being used to waking up early for work and other engagements his whole life. What he wasn’t used to was a small child babbling and crying late into the night, refusing to fall asleep early despite all the efforts of his fathers.
That was why now, early in the morning both of them were still asleep, wrapped around each other and snoozing quietly underneath the plush covers. Until a shrill giggle broke the silence, forcing both of them back from dreamland. ”It’s your turn to entertain your son”, Gao Tu mumbled sleepily, pulling the covers over his head in an attempt to keep the noise out. ”Before 8AM he’s your son”, Wenlang answered, voice groggy as he tried to bury himself deeper in bed. Last night he had sat for hours with their son, feeding him and reading him a story in a quiet voice. As much as he complained, those quiet moments at night alone with his son were gentle, soothing moments. Precious memories he stored in the safe box of his mind for rainy days.
He only received a light swat on his shoulder from his mate, which prompted him to groan and sit up in bed. In his crib their baby - or toddler - was sitting up looking at him with a gummy smile, shrieking in delight at the sight of his father. So what else could Wenlang have done but smiled?
”Good morning, baobao”, he yawned, leaving the warmth of their bed and instead walking to the crib, lifting their son in his arms. Lele was at the age where he was supposed to start speaking at any minute now, babytalk flowing from his mouth like water in a creek. And of course Wenlang indulged him, reacting to everything their child said, even if he had absolutely zero idea what the boy was telling him about.
Happily he nuzzled Lele’s hair, inhaling his fresh and milky baby scent. ”You are the most adorable baby there is”, he murmured against their child’s dark hair, ”nobody has a more beautiful and adorable child than us.”
”Hua Yong is going to kill you if he hears that”, a voice pointed out from under the covers, barely hidden amusement apparent from it. ”He can try, and he will fail”, Wenlang scoffed, giving their baby another kiss on the cheek. ”Let’s wake up baba, shall we?”
With a smile on his face he sat on their bed, placing Lele on the suspicious Gao Tu shaped lump, hands still hovering around the child just in case. At a little under a year their child was very active, enjoyed crawling and made valiant efforts to stand up. Each and every milestone was a wonder to Wenlang, his phone gallery filled with pictures and videos of anything new their child did. First laugh, first tooth, first time rolling over… Amazing. The only thing he was looking forward to more than their child starting to walk was for him to start talking - to hear his son call him dad. Or more likely dada or baba, anything of the sorts was fine.
He didn’t get to mull over his anxieties about Lele not recognising him as his father, when their child laughed as he was snatched into the arms of his mate. Gao Tu blew raspberries on Lele’s little belly and made the laughter even louder, and Wenlang couldn’t help but smile. Who even cared about sleep, when this was what he had instead.
”Lele, can you say dada? Or baba?” His omega tried to coax as Wenlang rounded the bed and sat back down on his side, Lele sitting happily between them. The reply was only a happy gurgle, followed with nonsensical babbling. ”Such a happy baby”, Gao Tu cooed, smiling softly and patting Lele’s chubby thigh as his gaze moved onto him. ”Good morning”, the omega said, voice full of affection despite the obvious sleepiness in his figure. ”Good morning”, Wenlang wished back, moving his other hand to stroke Gao Tu’s hair gently. The scent of sage quietly drifted from his mate, full of contentment and rich, loving affection. It was intoxicating, calming down not only Wenlang, but their child too.
Lele flopped happily on his back and grabbed at anything he could reach, mostly the blanket and Gao Tu’s hair. His mate winced as the tiny hands yanked curiously, smile still hanging on his lips despite the gentle assault. It was easy to get lost in the affection hanging around them, and on some mornings Wenlang did. Sometimes he just laid next to his family and watched, taking in the sight of warmth and quiet adoration flowing from his mate and child. It was a welcome distraction and diversion of all the stress and pressure of the corporate world, and he was lucky he could leave all that at the threshold of his bedroom. It was a space reserved only for the loves of his life.
Fatherhood suited Wenlang, Gao Tu observed. Whereas in the office his alpha was a cutthroat business man suited for tense negotiations and oppressive mergers, in the safety of their home he was a soft, gentle man still growing as a father. At home wasn’t afraid to look silly, like he currently looked while crouched on all fours, following their crawling baby as a big bad wolf trying to snatch Lele. It was a heartwarming sight, their son giggling happily as his father grabbed him into his arms and drowned him in gentle kisses. Gao Tu himself was sat on their couch, a cup of tea steaming on the side table next to him. He enjoyed just observing, watching his mate play with Lele, rough edges softened to soft smiles and fatherly looks. It was hard to believe Wenlang hadn’t had a good father himself, when he managed to be so effortlessly gentle and loving to his own offspring.
Quietly Gao Tu grabbed his phone and snapped a few pictures of the image in front of him, saving them to a shared folder of baby pictures. Neither he nor Wenlang really had any baby pictures of their own, both due to different reasons. His own baby pictures had once existed, eventually lost to the whims of his father, only a couple remaining in the possession of his sister. Wenlang on the other hand was part of a family that had rarely celebrated anything else than accolades, or shown any affection at all. His mate had been honest about his childhood and his family, despite it all clearly being a source of pain for him. His omega father had been a slightly kinder man than his alpha father, but after his passing Wenlang had been at the mercy of Shen Yu’s alpha ways. No baby pictures, no birthday celebrations, no hugs or gentle moments. Each time he thought about it Gao Tu felt such pain in his heart, hurting for his gentle and strong lover. The past couldn’t be changed, but still he found himself wishing he could’ve met Wenlang earlier, protected him from the ever looming darkness of that household.
Wenlang’s past was dark, of course, but it was a minute thing compared to all the good the man radiated in his current life. A stable, curious and affectionate father to their child, an attentive and loving partner to him. It hadn’t been easy to get this version of Wenlang to appear, of course, but Gao Tu never regretted being persistent and giving him a chance.
“Do you think he recognises me as his father?” Wenlang suddenly asked, rousing him from his thoughts. His mate was lying on the soft carpet of their living room, their son sitting on his chest with his strong hands staying protectively around him. “Of course he does”, Gao Tu deadpanned. “He’s very infatuated with you. Sometimes when you’re at work he’s restless, until you come home.”
A small, even shy smile tugged on Wenlang’s mouth. “That doesn’t really mean he knows I’m his father, though”, he sighed. “Maybe to him I’m a funny uncle.”
“A funny uncle who sleeps in bed with his father and kisses him senseless, sure.”
His partner chuckled, still shooting him a pointed look. “... I’m just wondering. He’s not talking yet, so I’m… Uncertain.”
Gao Tu smiled gently. “Don’t be. He’ll start talking soon, and then he won’t ever be quiet.”
“You promise?”
“Wenlang.”
The alpha smiled at him brightly, not noticing how their son first looked at him curiously, and then mirrored his smile with a gummy smile of his own. Of course Lele recognised his father. They were the spitting image of each other, and in his son’s eyes he sometimes saw the same mischievous glint as in the eyes of his lover. There was no doubt in his mind about Lele knowing Wenlang as his father.
“He’s very talkative today”, the omega hummed. “Maybe he’s happy after having his nightly story time with his dada.”
“He should be, it took ages to get him to fall asleep”, Wenlang grumbled half-heartedly, tickling their son gently. There wasn’t really any rhyme or reason to Wenlang being dada or daddy and him being baba, but it felt right.
“You say that now, but when he’s older and spends his time with friends or sleeping the day away instead of spending time with you, you’ll be heartbroken”, Gao Tu teased, moving to sit on the floor next to the two. “How ever will you manage?”
“Obviously we have to make another one”, Wenlang said seriously, blinking at him like it was the most obvious thing there was. He wasn’t opposed to more children himself, but it did make him flush gently when his partner was so forward about wanting to knock him up again. “... You just want an army of little Wenlangs to parade around”, he teased, doing his best to not blush even more. It wasn’t like he himself didn’t want several tiny Wenlangs to snuggle.
“Maybe I do”, his alpha grinned, leaning close to him. “Or maybe I want an army of little Gao Tus…”
Heat crawled up his neck, his body unconsciously leaning towards his mate and the warmth emanating from him. Some things never changed, his attraction to Wenlang being one of those. The quickest gaze was enough to get his heart beating louder, a suggestive whisper making warmth slip into his limbs too fast to not be shameful. And he loved it - Wenlang made his body pliant with no effort, cocooned him in his soft iris scent and made him feel so safe. Gone were the days where he had to wonder what Wenlang was thinking, where he had to fear his reaction - no such thing happened nowadays. What they used to be was in the past, both of them doing the work and growing as two people navigating the world together.
Gao Tu sighed in content against his partner’s lips, Wenlang kissing him gently while holding his chin with his other hand. The other one stayed on Lele, making sure he wouldn’t fall, always the protective father. As well as fatherhood suited Wenlang, it also made him even more sexy in his eyes. No wonder more kids would probably be in their future…
“Dada!”
Both of them froze, the alpha snapping his head back to their child, who was now looking at them with small hands fisted tightly. “What did you say?” Wenlang stuttered, earning an indignant huff from Lele. “Dada!” he yelped again, a wide smile starting to spread on Gao Tu’s face. “It appears that our baobao is jealous of the attention between us”, he chuckled, silently grabbing his phone from the sofa where he left it. He knew the telltale wobble of Wenlang’s lip, and he wasn’t surprised when a couple of happy tears slid silently on his cheeks. He wasn’t a crier, normally, but each and every new milestone regarding their son was the exception. And just to tease, he snapped a photo or two of him joyously embracing their son, smiling widely and prompting him to say the word again and again.
Yes. Fatherhood truly suited Shen Wenlang.