Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Seonghwa was a planner. He liked a schedule. He liked order. He liked being organized.

So, when baby fever hit the pack, he wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page.

…

It started with Wooyoung. The omega came home one day excited and giddy, sharing with the rest of the pack that Changbin had informed him of Felix’s pregnancy. He’d passed off his excitement as joy for his best friend becoming an appa, but Seonghwa had quickly managed to wrangle a confession out of him. He’d gotten Wooyoung alone in his nest the very next night, after a full day of Wooyoung gushing over pups.

“It’s just…” he said hesitantly, as if choosing his words carefully. “Sometimes, I think about our pack having pups some day. I know we talk about it sometimes, and I am okay with waiting if we’re not ready. But, I don’t know, maybe we could revisit the conversation. Seriously this time.” Seonghwa considered his words. He couldn’t lie, he’d always wanted pups of his own. Especially since their pack had mated. Traditionally, as the pack’s Luna, Seonghwa would be the first to carry a pup for the pack. The thought secretly thrilled him.

“Is this something you’re thinking about because Felix is pregnant?” Seonghwa asked. “Or have you been thinking about this for a while?”

“I mean, finding out Felix is pregnant is just making me think about it more. I know we’d be good parents. And we all agree that we want pups, it’s just a matter of when.” Wooyoung wasn’t wrong. The few, very brief conversations the pack had in regards to their future included pups. But their focus had been on their careers. Being an idol and having kids was not an easy life to balance, and their attention always went back to that.

“Maybe you’re right.” Seonghwa conceded. “Maybe we should have a discussion about it again. Even if we just come up with a timeline.” Wooyoung’s chocolate scent sweetened and he snuggled closer to Seonghwa. A small part of Seonghwa had hoped that that timeline was sooner rather than later. He loved his job and performing, but he wanted to finally start growing their family.

…

Yunho and San were the next ones he caught. They’d been out filming another idol babysitter video, and the two seemed absolutely smitten with the little boy they’d taken care of.

“He was just the sweetest little thing.” Yunho told them over dinner. “And he absolutely loved San. Couldn’t get enough of him.”

“Are you kidding? He adored you!” San insisted. “Said he felt like he could touch the sky when you picked him up.”

“Sounds like you both had a very exciting day.” Seonghwa smiled fondly at the two. “It seems like the pup really liked you.”

“He did.” San had a dreamy look in his eyes, and Seonghwa could swear he knew what the beta was thinking.

After dinner, he helped the two clear the table, shooing the rest of their mates off so he could speak to them privately.

“It made you think about it, didn’t it?” Seonghwa asked them once they were alone in the kitchen. “Being with the pup all day.”

“We may have talked about it on the way home.” Yunho’s cheeks flushed scarlet. Seonghwa cooed, squishing the alpha’s face in his hands. “I think I’d like one or two of our own.”

“One or two.” San snorted. “This man over here was gushing over how he wants a whole litter.”

“Is that so?” Seonghwa raised a teasing brow. “And how do you feel about that, San-ah?” It was the beta’s turn to go red in the face.

“I could see us having a few.” He admitted shyly. “Wh-when you, Min, and Youngie are ready, of course.” Seonghwa’s heart clenched. It was just like his beta to put the omegas first.

“Aren’t you two just the sweetest?” Seonghwa cooed. He kissed both their cheeks and left them to finish the last few dishes, a plan brewing in his head.

…

It was Honjoong that fell into his nest a few days later with a dreamy sigh and made Seonghwa finally decide they should probably have a pack meeting about all this.

“And what are you sighing about?” He asked, accepting the alpha happily. It wasn’t often Hongjoong came looking for cuddles, so he relished the contact.

“Wooyoung got me thinking.” He said. “We’d make good parents, wouldn’t we?” The question caught Seonghwa a little off guard. While Hongjoong had mentioned wanting pups, he hadn’t been nearly as vocal as the rest of the pack about it.

“I think we would.” Seonghwa finally said. “Do you want us to have pups?”

“I do.” Hongjoong smelled like a campfire, his scent pleasant and warm. “Do you?”

“I do.” Seonghwa answered easily, his cherry scent sweetening. “And, in the sake of honesty, I kind of want them sooner rather than later.” Hongjoong sat up, looking confused at the omega for a moment before smiling. He leaned down and pressed their lips together in a chaste kiss.

“Me too.” He admitted against Seonghwa’s lips. “I want everything with you and our pack.” Seonghwa smiled, nuzzling his nose against Hongjoong’s.

“We’d have to step away from performing and music for a while.” He reminded the alpha.

“I’m prepared to do that.”

“Well then, my alpha, I suppose we should see how the rest of our mates feel.”

“I have a feeling they’ll be more than happy to hear what we have to say.” Hongjoong kissed him again.

…

Rehearsals ended early the following day, and the alpha and Luna wrangled the pack into the living room for a family meeting with the promise of them ordering whatever they wanted for dinner. Seonghwa was immediately greeted with a lapful of his omegas, as well as San cuddling close to his side. Seonghwa met Hongjoong’s eyes from under the pile of their cuddly mates, the alpha laughing.

“And what is it that our esteemed pack leaders wanted to talk to us about?” Wooyoung asked.

“You, My Dear, may actually be the happiest about this talk.” Seonghwa said, kissing his cheek. Wooyoung gasped, wide eyes looking between Seonghwa and Hongjoong.

“Are we… talking about pups?” Seonghwa nodded his confirmation. Wooyoung squealled, arms flying around Seonghwa’s neck and nearly knocking Mingi off the Luna’s lap. The omega grumbled, but was quickly soothed by Yunho taking him into his arms.

“Wait? You’re pregnant?” Jongho asked, suddenly looking nervous. Hongjoong immediately sensed the shift in Jongho’s mahogany scent, and sat beside the alpha.

“No one’s pregnant yet, Baby Bear.” He assured Jongho. The alpha sighed, scent mellowing out. “But, we wanted to talk with you all, because we noticed the idea of pups has been floating around more and more in the pack.”

“We think,” Seonghwa took over, “that it’s time we start talking seriously about it. Figure out if we’re ready. I know I spoke with some of you recently about it, but this needs to be a decision we all make together. If any of us aren’t ready, we wait.”

“The important question is, are you three ready?” San asked, referring to the omegas. “It’s your bodies that will be going through it for us to have pups. Even if all of us are ready to be parents, the choice comes down to whether or not you’re ready to carry.”

“I am.” Wooyoung said easily.

“I’ve been ready for a long time.” Seonghwa confessed. “I’ve always wanted to carry pups of my own.” Mingi was quiet, sinking further into Yunho’s embrace.

“Princess?” Yunho said softly. “Like Seonghwa said, if you’re not ready…”

“It’s not that I’m not ready for us to have pups. I’ve always wanted pups.” He interrupted. “I just… I don’t think I want to be the one to carry them.” Mingi wouldn’t look at the other two omegas, as if he was ashamed of his confession. Seonghwa pat Wooyoung’s hip, coaxing him up so he could comfort his other omega.

“Mingi-ah.” He said, sitting beside Mingi and Yunho. “If you don’t want to carry pups, you don’t have to. You are under no obligation to put your body through something you’re not comfortable with.” Mingi hid his face in Yunho’s chest and mumbled something the rest of them couldn’t make out.

“What was that, Princess?” Yunho asked.

“It feels selfish.” He pulled his face away just far enough so they could hear him. “Like, I want pups but I don’t want to do the work.”

“That’s not it at all.” Seonghwa eased, petting his hair. “Mingi, Wooyoung and I are more than happy to be the ones to carry the pups for our pack.” Wooyoung nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

“You’re worried about us being disappointed in you?” Hongjoong asked. Mingi nodded, his face red. “We could never be. You never have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.” Mingi’s bottom lip wobbled, tears gathering in his eyes. His caramel scent betrayed how relieved he was to hear his mates’ support.

“We love you, Mingi.” Yeosang said. “And our pups will love you too.” The dam broke at his words, and Mingi was pulling the beta into a crushing hug as he cried.

Mingi seemingly handled for the time being, Hongjoong turned his attention to Jongho, who was sitting quietly beside him.

“You seemed awfully nervous when you thought Hwa was pregnant.” He said. “Care to share your thoughts?”

“It was just scary I guess.” He admitted. “The thought of suddenly having a baby on the way and no plan.” Hongjoong chuckled, pulling the younger alpha into his side.

“You and I both know our Luna is far too careful for that. And far too meticulous a planner.” He ruffled his hair, Jongho grumbling. “But, if we do have a plan, do you think you’d be ready?” Jongho considered Hongjoong’s words for a moment, before a small smile graced his lips.

“I think I would.” Similar to Seonghwa, Jongho was a planner. He liked to know what was going to happen and how he might be able to handle it. “This is a big step for us, huh?”

“The biggest, I think.” Hongjoong agreed. “Aside from when I asked to court you all.” He playfully tugged on the cuff Jongho wore on his ear. Each member of the pack had one, as it was Hongjoong’s gift to them when he began courting them. He enjoyed how Jongho’s face turned redder than a tomato.

“Hold on.” Seonghwa called the attention of the pack to him. “So, are we all in agreement? We want to try for pups?” Murmurs of agreement flit around the room as everyone voiced their happiness at the prospect of growing their family. Seonghwa looked so happy he could burst at any moment. Hongjoong was half convinced he was ready to run and get his schedule of all of their cycles. It was color coded, of course. Instead, he stayed cuddled up to their mates, retrieving his phone and ordering dinner like he had promised. The room smelled happy and content.

…

“So, we should plan this out properly if we want to do this right.” Seonghwa dropped into his seat at the table as everyone gathered for breakfast the next morning. He did have his color coded schedule in hand now. “It looks like Yunho’s rut is the next of our cycles to hit in two weeks. If Wooyoung and I stop our birth control now then maybe it will be cleared from our systems in time. If not, that’s okay. And then next month it’s Mingi’s heat…”

“We don’t really have to worry about my heat.” Mingi said quickly. “Not if we’re trying to get you two pregnant. I can… maybe take suppressants or something…”

“Absolutely not.” Hongjoong said decidedly. “Those suppressants are terrible for you. I don’t even like when we have to take them for work. Not to mention how sick they make you. I won’t let you skip your heat.”

“It’s not that big a deal.” Mingi insisted. “We’re trying to start a family. If I’m not going to get pregnant, we shouldn’t have to worry about my heat.”

“You’re acting like your heat is a burden on us.” Yunho said. “We love taking care of you during your heat.”

“We were never trying to get you pregnant during your heats before.” Jongho pointed out. “What makes now so different? You should be allowed to enjoy your heat.”

“Why don’t you think about it?” Seonghwa offered, noticing Mingi becoming uncomfortable with all eyes on him. Hongjoong moved to protest, but was silenced with a look from the Luna. A look that told the alpha ‘I have this handled.’ “If you really want to skip your next heat, you can. But really think about it, okay?”

“Alright.” Mingi agreed. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.” Seonghwa squeezed Mingi’s hand.

“Who’s cycling after me?” Mingi asked, desperately trying to steer the conversation away from him. Seonghwa smiled, turning his attention back to his schedule.

“Well, Hongjoong has his rut a month after. A few weeks later, Wooyoung and I will actually have our heat together, provided neither of us are pregnant by then. And then Jongho after a month and a half break.” Seonghwa put the schedule down. “I don’t suppose anyone has any particular feelings about who sires pups with who?” The pack was quiet for a moment, Wooyoung giggling to himself. “What?”

“Well,” Yeosang started, “we all just sort of assumed you’d want to carry Hongjoong’s pups. You know, because he’s our pack alpha and you’re our Luna.” Seonghwa sputtered, face turning beet red.

“Well… I mean… of course I would be honored…'' he stuttered out, rubbing the back of his neck. Hongjoong’s face was equally as red. Wooyoung could no longer contain his giggles and a full body cackle ripped out of him. San, Jongho, and Yunho not far behind. “I’d be honored to carry any of our alphas’ pups.” Seonghwa tried to quickly defend.

“It’s okay, Luna.” Wooyoung teased. “We know you and Joong have a special bond. I’m sure Jjong and Yun won’t be offended.”

“It is all very traditional.” Yunho pointed out fondly. “It feels right though.” Seonghwa didn’t think he could turn any redder as he met Hongjoong’s eyes across the table.

“It’s appears the choice has been made for us.” Hongjoong said lightly. He seemed far from upset at the prospect of being the one to get Seonghwa pregnant. Quite the opposite in fact.

“It seems it has.” Seonghwa smiled.

Cherries and smoke would make a nice combination.

Chapter Text

One of Wooyoung’s favorite things was when Seonghwa would build up his nest and steal him and Mingi away for the evening. He’d pull out his nicest nesting materials and make it nice and cozy before snagging the two of them away from whatever they were doing and hiding them away. Sometimes, if he was feeling extra stingy over his omegas, he’d hang up the silly sign Wooyoung had made ages ago reading out “No Alphas Allowed.” Occasionally, he may also steal away the betas, but usually this time was reserved for him and his omegas.

It was the night after their pack meeting that Seonghwa seemed to be in such a mood. He snatched Wooyoung and Mingi from the video games they had been playing with Yunho and Jongho, and whisked them away to his bedroom. He was met with protests from the alphas, but none from his omegas, who happily followed him into the nest. Seonghwa arranged them as he saw fit before settling himself down between them.

“There we go.” He hummed.

“Someone’s feeling snuggly.” Wooyoung noted, cuddling up to Seonghwa. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“We’ve made some big choices as a pack.” Seonghwa said. “I want some time with my omegas.”

“Since when do you need an excuse to steal us away?” Mingi teased.

“It is possible I had a bit of an ulterior motive getting the two of you into my nest tonight.” He admitted.

“Oh, well, if that’s what you wanted.” Wooyoung trailed a hand over his chest. “Could have just asked.”

“Maybe later.” Seonghwa pulled his hand away, lacing their fingers together. “I did want to talk.”

“Hwa, if this is about what I said this morning, it’s really okay.” Mingi insisted.

“No. It’s not.” Seonghwa hooked a finger under Mingi’s chin so that he was looking him in the eye. “We will not be neglecting you or your needs. You always get so sick after taking suppressants.”

“You said you’d let me think about it.”

“And I will. But I need to say this first.” Mingi nodded. “Not carrying a pup is no one’s choice but your own. We will always support you if that’s the choice you want to make. But skipping your heat can seriously affect your health. And don’t think that every single member of the pack wouldn’t love to take care of you during your heat.”

“Heats aren’t just for breeding.” Wooyoung said wisely. “They’re also for letting our alphas spoil us rotten. And bonding. And you always have fun during your heat.”

“I do.” Mingi admitted, cheeks turning pink. All three of their alphas were always incredibly attentive and doting during the omega’s heats. Their betas extra snuggly as well. “I’m not skipping my heat because I don’t have fun during it.”

“Are you scared you’ll get pregnant if you don’t skip your heat?” Mingi, now looking embarrassed, nodded. It seemed silly to stress about it now that it had been spoken aloud. “Oh, well that makes sense.”

“It does?”

“Sure it does.” Wooyoung agreed. The youngest omega looked ready to crawl over Seonghwa to comfort Mingi. “With everyone’s mindsets changing and focusing on pups, I kind of see why you’d be nervous.”

“I really don’t want to be pregnant.” Mingi started to tear up. The thought of being pregnant actually terrified him. Seonghwa gathered him immediately into his arms, Wooyoung clinging to them. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Princess.” Seonghwa soothed. “You can cry if you need to. Let it out.”

“If you really want to skip your heat, you have our support.” Seonghwa said once Mingi had calmed down a little. “But, if you do want to go through with it, we’ll take whatever extra precautions necessary to ease your mind.”

“I want to have my heat.” Mingi admitted. “But I’m scared.”

“That’s okay.” Seonghwa adjusted them so Mingi was between him and Wooyoung. “You’re gonna stay on your birth control, or we’ll see if there’s a better one we can get you on. And we’ll figure out what else we can do to make it better for you.”

“And…” Mingi chewed at his bottom lip. “And if we do everything right, and I still get pregnant?”

“Then you get to decide what happens next.” Wooyoung said easily. “Just because we all agreed to have pups doesn’t mean you need to put your body through something you’re not comfortable with. Seonghwa and I have already said we’re happy to carry all the pups for our pack.”

“You don’t think I’d just be disappointing everyone if I got pregnant and didn’t keep it?”

“The way anyone else feels about it is irrelevant.” Seonghwa insisted. “It’s your body. No one gets to make this choice but you. They wouldn’t even have to know if you didn’t want them to.” Mingi looked at him confused. The thought of not telling at least the sire made his stomach roll uncomfortably. “Though, I don’t think anyone would be upset with you or hurt by your choice if that were to happen.”

“And if they were, I would bite them.” Wooyoung smiled with his teeth, nipping at the air right by Mingi’s face and pulling a giggle out of the omega. “All jokes aside, we have your back, Minnie.”

“And you really don’t think it’s selfish of me? Even if I never want to carry a pup? Even though I want them?”

“Absolutely not.” Seonghwa assured him. “You will be just as much a dam to our pups as me and Wooyoungie.”

“Okay.” Mingi took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you.” He didn’t feel completely at ease, but he definitely felt better. He felt heard in a way he feared he wouldn’t have been. And maybe it was easier just being with the other omegas.

They passed the rest of the evening with a drama on the tv and thorough scenting between them. Their mates always joked they smelled like a fancy dessert after nesting, their cherry, chocolate, and caramel rich and decadent. Jongho in particular always seemed affected by it, and one of them, or on one occasion, all three of them, would end up in his bed with him.

That night, however, they fell asleep in the nest tangled up together.

…

When Mingi woke up, it was pitch dark outside the window, and the tv was still on. He wasn’t sure exactly what had woken him up, but he knew he wasn’t getting back to sleep. He carefully extracted himself from the other two omegas and shut off the tv before padding out to the kitchen for some water. He retrieved a bottle from the fridge, pressed his back to the appliance and sighed heavily.

“You’re up late, Mingi-ah.” Yeosang’s voice made him jump.

“Yeah.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep.”

“Me too.” Yeosang nudged him gently so he could get his own bottle of water. Once he had it, he jumped up on the counter, smiling softly at Mingi. “I’m just excited, I guess.”

“For pups?” Yeosang nodded.

“We’re going to be parents soon.” Yeosang’s eyes sparkled. “We’re going to have little babies crawling around. Will we be good at it, do you think?”

“At what? Being parents?”

“Yeah.”

“I think you’ll be a great appa.” Mingi answered easily. Yeosang was kind, empathetic, and emotional. Everything a parent should be. There was no question that Yeosang would be a wonderful parent to their pups. “I just hope I’ll be a good dam.”

“You will be.” The pair sat in silence for a while. They finished off their bottles and Mingi took Yeosang’s to drop them both in the recycling.

“We should get back to bed.” Mingi said softly. “We have rehearsal early tomorrow morning.”

“Come to bed with me?” Yeosang wrapped his arms around Mingi’s neck, rubbing his nose on his scent gland. Yeosang was never this clingy unless he was really tired. “You smell nice.”

“Okay.” Mingi agreed, allowing Yeosang to wrap his legs around him. “Your room or mine?”

“You pick.”

“Then we’re going to yours.” Mingi started down the hall. “Your lavender helps me sleep.” Yeosang giggled. They fell into bed together, Yeosang’s face still stuck in Mingi’s neck.

“G’night, Minnie.” He mumbled.

“Night, Sangie.”

…

Yunho’s rut came sooner than any of them anticipated. They had a slew of promotional events for their upcoming album, and they all seemed to lose track of time. It wasn’t until they were backstage after an interview that any of them noticed Yunho’s behavior. He clung to Wooyoung as soon as they were away from the cameras, and he snarled at the stylists who came forward to get them out of their makeup and outfits from the show. It took some gentle coaxing from Seonghwa and Yeosang to peel the alpha away from Wooyoung for long enough to get them ready to go home.

Once everyone was finally ready to go home, Yunho was loaded into a car with Hongjoong, Jongho, and San, while Seonghwa, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Yeosang took the other car home. It was probably not the best idea to have him stuck in a car with any of the omegas on the hour drive home. Lest they want to traumatize their poor manager.

“We don’t have anything ready.” Seonghwa lamented. “We’ve been so busy with promotions, I never got the chance to put the grocery order in. And the nest is probably a mess. And he’s early, so he’s probably uncomfortable.”

“It’s going to be fine, Hwa.” Wooyoung assured him. “I’ll put an order in right now, and it’ll be waiting for us when we get home. And you can make the nest all nice when we get there. Even though you know Yunho doesn’t care about how the nest looks so long as he has one of us all pretty under him.”

“And he’s not that early.” Yeosang pointed out. “Only by a few days.”

“A few days that we had to prepare.” Seonghwa emphasized. The omega got like this every time one of them was on their cycle. He would stress over every detail, assuring that his mates would be comfortable. He’d calm down once they were in the thick of it, but the lead up always stressed him out.

“He’ll probably want you first, Young-ah.” Mingi said. “The way he was hanging off you before.”

“You think?” Wooyoung’s nose scrunched. “He always wants you first though.”

“Not this time I guess.” Mingi shrugged. He didn’t seem upset about it, as if he had prepared himself for the alphas to just forget about him. Seonghwa and Yeosang shared a look.

The ride home seemed to become tense after that. Mingi certainly didn’t want to talk more, and the other three weren’t exactly sure what to say. It smelled tense. So much so that Seonghwa had to roll down the window, despite the winter chill setting in.

When they finally pulled up to the house, the other car was already unloading and Jongho and San were dutifully taking in the grocery order that was in fact waiting for them. Hongjoong took note of the unease coming from the other car, and immediately pulled Seonghwa aside.

“What happened?”

“It seems like Mingi thinks Yunho, and probably you and Jongho, are going to ignore him in favor of me and Wooyoung while in rut.” Seonghwa crossed his arms over his chest, sighing. “It’s like he’s already accepted it.”

“Oh.” Hongjoong looked sadly over at where Mingi sat himself on the couch. “Well, that’s just not true at all.”

“Yunho was already hanging all over Youngie when he usually picks Mingi first.” Seonghwa pointed out. “I’m just worried about him.”

“We’ll see what Yunho does.” Hongjoong decided. “They’ve always had a special bond. I don’t think Yunho would forget about Mingi.”

“I hope you’re right.” Seonghwa ran a hand through his hair, still sticky with hairspray. “I need to go set up the nest. Make sure everything is comfortable for the next few days. You all should get cleaned up.”

“You’re a wonderful Luna.” Hongjoong noted. “You’re gonna be a wonderful dam.” Seonghwa flushed, smiling. “Go do your thing.” Seonghwa kissed his cheek.

He set to work on the nest, pulling out the stash of blankets they used for cycles. Most of which were waterproof. They weren’t quite as plush as their usual nesting materials, but it was much easier to clean at the end of a heat or rut. Wooyoung had been right when he said Yunho wouldn’t care much about how the nest looked. He made sure that everyone’s scent was present and the room would be as comfortable as possible seeing as they’d all be spending the next few days locked away in there.

When he finally deemed the nest complete, he took a quick shower, throwing on some loose sweats and forgoing a shirt, and went to retrieve their rutting alpha. What he found made him incredibly happy.

Yunho was on the couch, Mingi on his lap. The two were making out heavily, Yunho’s hands holding tight to Mingi’s ass through the sweatpants he wore. Seonghwa didn’t want to pull them apart, but he also knew they wouldn’t be comfortable if Yunho knotted Mingi on the sofa.

“The nest is ready, Loves.” He said softly, leaning over the back of the couch. “Yun, why don’t you take our princess back there and show him how special he is?” Yunho detached from Mingi, releasing a sinful moan. “He’s so pretty, isn’t he?”

“So pretty.” Yunho stood, wrapping Mingi’s legs around him. He whisked him down the hall to the den.

“Looks like we had nothing to worry about.” Hongjoong said, wrapping his arms around Seonghwa from behind and kissing the back of his neck. “Those two always gravitate to each other like magnets.”

“And no one happened to guide him in any sort of direction?” Seonghwa raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow.

“He came in after Sangie got him cleaned up and went right for Mingi.” Hongjoong explained. “Now, the others will join us in a little bit. Let’s go see to our mates.” Hongjoong pulled himself off Seonghwa’s back and took his hand, pulling him down the hall to the den where Yunho already had Mingi naked under him.

Yeosang was stretched out beside Mingi, whispering in his ear something that made the tips of his ears turn red. Yunho’s hickory scent was hot, thick with arousal as his lips traveled Mingi’s body. Seonghwa couldn’t deny the heat coiling in the pit of his stomach at the sights and scents he was experiencing.

“Need me to help with that?” Hongjoong asked, probably smelling his arousal. Seonghwa hummed as Hongjoong’s hand pressed against his stomach, fingers teasing at the hem of his sweatpants. “Might be a while before he gets to you. Besides, didn’t we agree that I’d be the one to put a baby in you?”

“You always get so filthy during cycles.” Seonghwa said, pulling away from him and entering the nest.

“Are you complaining?” Hongjoong followed him.

“Not in the slightest.” Seonghwa spread his legs, allowing Hongjoong to settle between them. “Come on then, Alpha Mine. What are you waiting for?” Hongjoong smirked before dipping down and nipping at Seonghwa’s right scent gland, where his bite sat.

“You already smell so wet.” Hongjoong whispered in his ear. “Just from watching the two of them. I wonder just how much more I can make you leak.”

“Why don’t you find out?” Seonghwa rolled his hips up. “Do you want me to beg?”

“You do sound so pretty begging.” Hongjoong contemplated it for a moment, before a string of breathy curses drew both of their attention back over to Yunho and Mingi. Yunho had Mingi spread out beneath him, Yeosang holding one of his legs up by his chest while Yunho fingered him.

“Pretty.” Yunho mumbled. “So perfect.”

“‘M ready, Yun.” Mingi whined, hips rolling. “Want your knot.” Yunho hesitated suddenly, fingers stalling. “Please. Yunho.” Yeosang frowned up at Yunho. “You don’t want me?” Seonghwa, rather harshly, pushed Hongjoong off of him and was at Mingi’s side. Mingi had begun to tear up, looking up at Yunho expecting him to say anything. “I knew it. I’m a bad omega. I won’t give you a pup and now you don’t want me.” Hongjoong pulled Yunho away, the alpha making a distressed noise. Seonghwa pulled Mingi to his chest.

“You are not a bad omega.” He soothed. “You are the furthest thing from a bad omega.”

“He rejected me.” Mingi sobbed into his chest. Seonghwa looked sadly over at where Hongjoong was holding back a now very upset Yunho who was trying to get back to Mingi.

“I’m sorry.” He said. “Of course I want you, Princess. I just… I just…” It was clear he had no good defense for himself.

“We’ll talk this through when your rut is over.” Seonghwa decided. “I’m taking Mingi out of here for now.”

“Hwa-” Hongjoong started.

“We’re not debating this right now.” Seonghwa shut him down, helping Mingi out of the nest. “We’ll be back if Mingi wants to come back. But for right now he can’t be in here.”

“Mingi, I’m sorry.” Yunho said again. “I’m so so sorry.”

“I just wish I was enough for you.” Mingi sounded broken as Seonghwa led him out of the room and into his bedroom. He dressed him in some soft clothes and settled him into his nest.

“You are more than enough.” Seonghwa said into his hair. “Please don’t you ever doubt that.”

“I knew this would happen. I knew the alphas wouldn’t want me anymore.” Mingi clung to him, as if he thought Seonghwa would leave him. “Maybe I should just suck it up. Let one of them put a pup in me. Maybe then they’ll want me again.”

“Mingi no.” Seonghwa held him tighter. “I can’t… I can’t say I know how to fix this right now. We need to have a long talk with our alphas about expectations. Should have had it before Yunho’s rut hit. I failed you for not pushing for that.” He kissed his head. “Yunho loves you more than anything. You two have been through everything together. Whatever happened, we’ll figure it out.”

“I just want to sleep right now.”

“Okay, Princess. Sleep. I’ll be here.”

Chapter Text

“Mingi-ah?” Jongho poked his head into Seonghwa’s room. Seonghwa held a finger up to his lips, motioning for the alpha to be quiet as he approached.

“Still asleep.” He whispered. The omega was dead to the world beside him, face pressed into Seonghwa’s neck.

“Yeosang told me what happened.” Jongho sat on the edge of the bed, right outside the nest. “Yunho’s torn up about hurting Mingi. He can’t stop crying.” Seonghwa’s heart broke for the alpha. “He won’t touch Wooyoung. He wants to comfort Mingi, but Hongjoong won’t let him leave the den.”

“This is all wrong.” Seonghwa sighed. “We should have talked more. Planned more. Mingi didn’t deserve this. We can’t bring a pup into a mess like this.”

“We can’t go back in time.” Jongho said sagely. “But we can fix what’s happened.”

“When did you get so wise?” Seonghwa caressed his face. Their youngest mate had always been a voice of reason.

“I’m worried about Yunho dropping.” He confessed quietly. “It’s bad down there.”

“I won’t bring Mingi back in there.” Mingi stirred against him, disturbed by Seonghwa raising his voice. “Not until Yunho’s rut is over.”

“It might already be over.” Seonghwa froze.

“You mean…”

“I don’t smell it on him anymore. What happened may have shocked his wolf right out of rut.” Seonghwa cursed.

“Let’s let Mingi decide when he wakes up.” He decided. “If Yunho really has been forced out of rut because of this, we need to fix whatever’s wrong between them before one of them drops.”

“I’m awake.” Mingi mumbled against his neck. “I woke up when Jongho came in.”

“What do you say then, Princess?” Seonghwa pulled away from him to look at his face.

“I don’t want him to drop.” Mingi forced himself into a sitting position.

“Well, I don’t want you to be hurt anymore.” Seonghwa insisted. “If you want to go back, we’ll go. But the minute you want to leave, we’ll come right back here.”

“I want to tell you something, before we go down there.” Jongho stopped them before they got up. “The three of us, Hongjoong, Yunho, and I, we did talk about it. Mingi, none of us think of you as any less of an omega or any less our mate because you don’t want to carry a pup. We’d agreed that we wouldn’t treat you any differently than we would Seonghwa or Wooyoung. Yunho was the most insistent on that, even though we all agreed. Whatever happened before, there has to be more to it.” Mingi’s eyes welled with tears again as he pulled Jongho into a crushing hug. “We love you, Mingi.” Jongho let Mingi cry in his arms for as long as he needed, Seonghwa watching on.

Once Mingi was calm enough to get himself up, they finally went down to the den. Hongjoong was still holding onto Yunho tightly, the younger alpha hysterical.

“I fucked up.” He kept sobbing. “He hates me. I fucked up.”

“Yun?” Mingi said softly.

“Mingi!” Yunho attempted to break free from Hongjoong’s arms, but San assisted their captain in keeping Yunho in his place. Seonghwa stepped in front of Mingi protectively. “I’m so sorry. Min, Baby, please let me explain what happened. I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

“Go ahead.” Seonghwa said, his tone challenging. “Explain.”

“Seonghwa please.” Hongjoong sighed. “Mingi, how do you want to do this?”

“Let him go.” Seonghwa turned around, staring shocked at Mingi. Mingi ignored his Luna, getting into the nest. “Can… can we have a minute alone?”

“Are you sure?” Hongjoong asked. He and San released Yunho, who immediately moved to collect Mingi into his arms. Yunho was stopped by Mingi holding up a single hand.

“Please.” Was all Mingi said. Seonghwa and Hongjoong shared a look over Mingi’s shoulder, debating if it was a good idea to leave the two of them alone. “You can wait right outside the door. But I want to talk to him alone.” Seonghwa sighed, nodding at Hongjoong.

“Okay.” The Luna said. “We’re right in the hall if you need us.” Seonghwa gave the rest of his mates a look, silently telling them to find somewhere to go.

“Are you okay?” Yunho asked once they were alone. “That’s a stupid question.”

“Am I not good enough for you anymore?” Mingi’s voice broke.

“You’ve always been good enough for me. More than good enough.” Yunho moved to touch him, but his hands paused halfway, dropping limply back down on the blankets.

“Then why?” He spoke barely above a whisper, afraid he’d cry.

“It’s always been the two of us.” Yunho started after a long stretch of silence. “Before the pack, before debut, before ATEEZ, it was you and me. Even before we presented, I knew I’d want you to be my mate. I love our pack, and each one of our mates more than anything. but, I always thought that when we finally decided to have pups, you’d be the one to carry mine.”

“I’m sorry.” Mingi reached out and touched his hand. “I’m sorry I can’t do that for you.”

“It’s your choice. I’d never take that away from you. I just need to adjust to the fact that it’s not going to be like I thought it was.” Yunho squeezed his hand. “I should have talked to you. Before my rut. Once you told us.”

“I should have told you all long before this.” Mingi admitted. “So we had more time to adjust.”

“My wolf was so focused on breeding, that when I realized there would be no pup I just froze up. It’s like the rational part of myself was fighting with my wolf.” Yunho laughed a little. “It sounds so stupid now that I say it. But when I saw how badly I hurt you, how you saw it as a rejection, I lost it. Seonghwa has every right to be pissed at me.”

“Oh he is.” Mingi wiped at his eyes.

“And I deserve it. I never want to see you that upset. Hongjoong nearly had my head too before he realized I’d been forced out of my rut.” Mingi seemed to finally have enough of the distance between them, and used his grip on Yunho’s hand to pull the alpha to him. Yunho went easily into his arms. “Can you forgive me?”

“Can you forgive me for not fulfilling that dream for yours?”

“That would imply you’ve done something wrong. All you’ve done is be honest with us. It was my wolf that had a hard time accepting it.” Mingi squeezed him. “You’re more important to me than whatever pups you and I could have had. I love you, Princess.”

“I love you too. I forgive you.”

“I don’t deserve it.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” Mingi kissed his head. “I’m gonna bring everyone back in now. I can smell Seonghwa worrying out in the hall.”

“Please.” Yunho whined, forcing a laugh out of Mingi. “You try being forced out of your cycle into a breakdown. I feel like shit.”

“And now you need the pack.” Mingi finished his thought.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’ll get them.”

…

It took a full day to ease Yunho’s wolf enough for his rut to resume. Mingi was hardly allowed to leave his side in that time, to the point where he had to employ one of their mates to distract the alpha so he could get up to use the bathroom.

Seonghwa, it seemed, was much less inclined to forgive Yunho than Mingi was. He hovered around the younger omega every time Yunho got too clingy with him, as if he was afraid he’d do something to him. Hongjoong had to step in a few times and pull him away, assuring him that the two of them were okay.

When his rut finally restarted, he still only wanted Mingi.

“I’m not giving you a pup.” Mingi said as Yunho trailed his lips down his throat.

“I know.” Yunho said back. “I still want you though. That okay?” Yunho reached down, squeezing Mingi through the thin pants he wore.

“Please.” Mingi arched up into the touch.

“Pretty omega.” Yunho shoved the pants down, nearly tearing the offending garment off. Mingi’s shirt had already been lost at some point, not that he could say when. San was suddenly beside him, cooing gentle praises as Yunho explored his body with his mouth and teeth. His hands caressed inside Mingi’s thighs as he sucked what would be a brilliantly purple bruise on his hip.

Yunho was notoriously gentle with his mates, even in rut. His partner’s comfort and pleasure always came first. He’d wait ages to finish if he even thought whoever he was with wasn’t completely lost to pleasure. He wrapped his lips around Mingi’s length just as his fingers prodded at his entrance.

“Oh.” Mingi’s head fell back. “So good, Alpha.” Yunho slipped two fingers in easily, slick already pouring from him onto the sheets. He bobbed his head in time with the thrusts of his fingers, avoiding that bundle of nerves in favor of stretching Mingi out. “Ngh! More. Please, Alpha.”

“He sounds so pretty begging.” He vaguely heard Wooyoung say.

“So pretty.” Yunho pulled off his cock. “Perfect omega.” He curled his fingers, causing Mingi to arch up off the bed with a moan. “Gonna knot you. Make you feel good.”

“Please! Wan’ it. Please!”

“Damn, Princess.” Wooyoung slid up beside him. “You’re begging like you’re in heat.”

“Wait.” San stuck his face in Mingi’s neck. “He does smell sweeter.” Mingi wasn’t really listening, too lost in the pleasure Yunho was bringing him.

“What?” Seonghwa nudged San away from Mingi so he could check his scent himself. “Mingi, Love, you’re going into heat.”

“Nooo.” He whined, suddenly tensing as all the pleasure bled from his body. “No heat. No pups.” Hongjoong jumped into action.

“Yunho, Baby, you need to stop for a minute.” He cooed. “We need to make sure Mingi’s okay.”

“My… my omega?” Yunho froze, eyes beginning to fill with tears. “Hurt him again?”

“No. No, Love. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Hongjoong assured him, petting his hair. “You can go back to him in a minute. We just need to check on him.” Hongjoong helped Yunho pull his hands away, passing him to Yeosang, who took him into his arms without protest. “Just give us a minute with him, okay?” Yunho nodded, eyes glassy as he looked at Mingi.

“Mingi, while you’re still lucid, what do you want to do?” Seonghwa asked. “We can stop everything right now. I can take you up to my nest and I can help with your heat.”

“But… but Yun.” Mingi looked sadly over at the alpha, who was looking back at him with equal distress.

“You can stay with Yunho if you want to.” Hongjoong said. “You’re still on your birth control, right?” Mingi nodded. “We’ll make sure you don’t miss any doses. No pups. You can spend your heat with him if you really want.”

“Don’t make me leave him again.” Mingi’s eyes filled with tears. “Can’t leave him again.”

“Of course not.” Seonghwa soothed, petting his hair back. “It’s your decision. But he’s in rut. Staying with him means sex. Are you okay with that?”

“‘M okay. Wanna stay.” Mingi reached out for Yunho.

“Okay, Princess.” Seonghwa kissed his cheek. “You can come back now, Yun.” Yunho perked up, breaking free of Yeosang’s arms and barreling toward Mingi.

“My pretty omega.” Yunho connected their lips, rolling his hips down against Mingi’s.

“So, you’ve forgiven him?” Hongjoong asked Seonghwa as they pulled off to the side.

“Not quite.” Seonghwa confessed. “I will. But Mingi was really messed up.”

“I know.” Hongjoong kissed his temple, then turned to Jongho. “Keep an eye on them? I need to talk to Hwa alone a minute.” The younger alpha nodded. “Come on, Baby.” Seonghwa looked hesitantly over to where Mingi and Yunho were tangled together. “They’re going to be fine. The rest of the pack is here. They’ll come get us if they need us.”

“Yes, Alpha!” Mingi cried, clearly enjoying himself.

“He’s okay.” Hongjoong repeated. “You need to step away for a minute.” Finally, with some additional coaxing from Wooyoung and San, Hongjoong managed to get Seonghwa out of the den and into his nest.

“There we go.” Hongjoong settled him against his chest. “You know they’re going to be okay.”

“I know.” Seonghwa sighed. “I can’t help but worry about him. You didn’t see him before. I know Yunho was going through his own issues, but he made Mingi think none of the alphas would want him anymore. That he should just suck it up and get pregnant.” Hongjoong wiped away a tear from Seonghwa’s cheek. “I’m worried that he’s trying to force himself to do something he doesn’t want. That he’s convinced himself he has to.”

“He’s lucky to have such a caring Luna looking out for him.” Hongjoong held him tighter, as if it could take away all of the worry Seonghwa had built up within him. “No one could have predicted his heat would hit like this. And we can’t force him to spend it away from Yunho if he doesn’t want to. All we can do is support him and keep them both safe.”

“You’re a good alpha.” Seonghwa buried his face in Hongjoong’s chest. “Thank you.”

“I wouldn’t be half the alpha I am without you, My Star.” Hongjoong coaxed his head up so he could look into Seonghwa's eyes. “You are what keeps this pack together. You work so hard taking care of each and everyone of us.” Hongjoong caressed his cheekbone, wiping away more tears. “Our omegas, especially, are so lucky to have such a wonderful Luna. I’m lucky to have you by my side.”

“I love you.” Seonghwa sniffled.

“I love you too.” Hongjoong brushed the hair out of Seonghwa’s face. “My Star. Can I take care of you for a while?” Seonghwa nodded. “How do you want me to help?”

“Can you make me feel good?” Hongjoong’s soft smile turned to a flirty grin.

“We never did get to finish.” Hongjoong adjusted them to a sitting position, Seonghwa straddling his lap. “How do you want it?” Seonghwa cupped his face, moving in until their lips were nearly touching.

“Make love to me.” He whispered, finally connecting their lips. Hongjoong gripped his hips, clutching at the soft fabric of the pants Seonghwa wore. Part of him wanted to rip every last bit of fabric away and ravage the man until he could erase all of his worries from his mind. Mark him up in so many ways the stylists would be mad at him for weeks.

But that’s not what Seonghwa needed.

Instead, Hongjoong undressed him like he was unwrapping a present, revealing expanses of golden skin. His hands caressed each curve and dip of his beautiful body. He pressed soft, loving kisses along the column of his graceful neck.

“Joongie.” Seonghwa sighed, voice breathy. “Touch me. Please.” He tugged at Hongjoong’s shirt, the alpha moving easily to remove the garment.

“I’ve got you.” He took Seonghwa’s red, leaking length in his hand. “I’ve got you.” He pumped him slowly, enjoying the breathy sighs falling past Seonghwa’s lips. There was a steady stream of slick leaking down his thighs, staining Hongjoong’s pants. The sweet, heady, cherry smell making Hongjoong near dizzy with desire. The hand that wasn’t wrapped around his cock moved to prod at his soaked entrance. He was already loose, two of Hongjoong’s fingers slipping in easily. Seonghwa gasped, hips pushing back against the intrusion.

Seonghwa rocked his hips back and forth, chasing pleasure from both the hand wrapped around his cock, and the fingers rubbing against his bundle of nerves. Hongjoong let him set the pace, content to watch the man fall apart in his lap and add another finger when Seonghwa deemed himself ready.

“Close.” Seonghwa’s hips faltered. “Wanna cum.”

“I’ll give you whatever you want, My Star.” Hongjoong kissed him, swallowing down all the beautiful sounds falling past the omega’s lips. Slick was dripping down Hongjoong’s wrist, his pants surely ruined, but his wolf preened knowing his omega was feeling good.

Seonghwa shook, whining and panting against his lips as he came, spilling into his hand. Hongjoong kept his fingers where they were, but pulled his hand away from Seonghwa’s cock, meeting his eyes as he licked it clean.

“Filthy.” Seonghwa scolded, no heat to his voice.

“You taste so good.” Hongjoong defended himself.

“Want you inside.” Seonghwa rolled his hips.

“I am inside.” Hongjoong brushed his fingers against Seonghwa’s prostate to emphasize his point, the omega gasping.

“You know what I mean.” Seonghwa grabbed the waistband of his pants with one hand, the other removing Hongjoong’s fingers from his hole. Hongjoong lifted his hips obediently and let Seonghwa finish undressing him. “Much better.” He straddled Hongjoong’s lap, lined his cock up, and sunk down. He took him slowly, savoring every inch. It took every ounce of Hongjoong’s strength not to take over and fuck up into the inviting heat of him. He instead grabbed onto Seonghwa’s thighs, squeezing at the soft flesh.

Finally, Seonghwa was fully seated in his lap. His arms wrapped around Hongjoong’s neck, pressing their foreheads together. Hongjoong’s hands travelled up from Seonghwa’s thighs up along his back to pull him impossibly closer.

“I love you.” Hongjoong whispered. “So much.”

“I love you too.” Seonghwa moved his hips once. Twice. Relishing in the sweet drag of Hongjoong against his walls. Airy sighs spilled past his lips with each movement. Hongjoong relished in every little noise that came from the omega in his lap. His hands moved to Seonghwa’s hips, assisting his movements.

“Fuck.” Seonghwa’s head fell back, his hips picking up speed. “Feel so good.” Hongjoong kissed his chest, teeth grazing along his skin. He left a trail of wet kisses, taking Seonghwa’s perky brown nipple in his mouth. Seonghwa hissed, pushing his chest further against Hongjoong’s mouth.

Seonghwa was panting, hips stuttering, by the time Hongjoong turned his attention to the other nipple.

“Close.” He warned. “Wanna come together.”

“Hold onto me.” Hongjoong braced his feet on the bed, thrusting up into Seonghwa. The omega cried out in surprise, head falling onto Hongjoong’s shoulder, burying his face in his neck. “So good. Feel so good around me. My Luna. My Star.” Seonghwa ground his hips down, searching for his knot. “I’ll give it to you, Love. Stuff you full just like you want. Give you all the pups you want.” Seonghwa cried out, Hongjoong’s knot pushing past his rim and triggering his second orgasm. Hongjoong followed quickly after, filling him and locking them together.

Seonghwa breathed heavily against Hongjoong’s neck as he came down from his high. Hongjoong peppered kisses all along his shoulder, hands soothing down his sides.

“Better?” He asked against his skin. Seonghwa nodded, not finding his voice yet. “I mean it, you know. You’re the best Luna our pack could have asked for.”

They sat in silence, basking in each other's company, while they waited for Hongjoong’s knot to go down. Seonghwa started pecking soft kisses against his neck, urging him to release more of his scent.

“Want to get cleaned up?” Hongjoong asked once his knot had gone down enough. “I’ll run a bath, we can soak for a little while?” Seonghwa nodded. “Okay, My Star. We gotta get up then.” He tapped Seonghwa’s thigh gently before assisting him up. He whined as Hongjoong slipped out of him. It didn’t take much more coaxing to lead him to the bathroom and sit him down on the closed toilet while he ran the bath.

Hongjoong reached for the supply of bath bombs and bubbles they had, and held out two bombs for Seonghwa to choose from. He picked one that was a shimmery purple and smelled like vanilla.

“Bubbles too?” Hongjoong reached for the basket again.

“The lavender one.” Seonghwa answered, finally finding his voice again. “Smells like our Sangie.” Hongjoong chuckled, obediently selecting the pale purple bottle from the basket. Seonghwa had always found Yeosang’s scent calming ever since they met. Hongjoong dutifully finished preparing the bath before easing Seonghwa into the tub and settling in behind him.

“Thank you, Joong.” Seonghwa allowed himself to rest against Hongjoong’s chest, the alpha cleaning him off.

A knock pulled them out of their little world.

“Come in.” Hongjoong called. San poked his head in, smiling fondly at the pair. His eucalyptus scent filtered into the room.

“I was asked to come check on you guys.” He explained, stepping into the bathroom. “Yungi are fine. Resting. Wooyoung made sure Mingi remembered his pills.” Hongjoong appreciated how San made sure to give them an update on their mates first, knowing Seonghwa would worry. “How are you two?”

“Just fine, Sannie.” Seonghwa assured him. “We’ll join you all in a little while.”

“No rush.” San knelt by the tub to give each of them a kiss. “Like I said, they’re fine right now. Enjoy your bath. Eat something. Then come join us when you’re ready.”

“Thank you, San-ah.” Hongjoong kissed his cheek.

“I’ll leave you to it then.” The beta said softly. “See you in a little while.”

“Love you.” Seonghwa said.

“Love you too.” San gave them each one more kiss before leaving them alone once again.

“Did that help?” Hongjoong asked as he got back to wiping the sweat from Seonghwa’s body.

“It did.” Seonghwa confirmed. “I appreciate him coming to update us and check in.”

“We have wonderful mates.” Hongjoong reached for the shampoo, squirting a generous amount onto his hand and moving to wash Seonghwa’s hair.

“That we do.” Seonghwa sighed at Hongjoong’s gentle massaging of his scalp. “They’ll all be great parents.” Hongjoong hummed, placing a delicate kiss against the column of Seonghwa’s throat.

“Do you think it took?” Hongjoong moved one hand from his head and down to press it firmly against his stomach.

“Unlikely.” Hongjoong didn’t miss the note of disappointment in Seonghwa’s voice. “You’re not in rut. I’m not in heat.”

“Well, we’ll just have to keep trying, won’t we?”

“Yes. We will.”

Chapter Text

Mingi and Yunho’s joint cycles ended three days later, and Seonghwa couldn’t lie that he was relieved. It had been an intense time for both of them, the pair refusing to be separated for the duration of time. Everyone was diligent in making sure Mingi took his birth control, and Seonghwa was reminded once again how thoughtful and kind his loves were. Not that he really had any doubts.

The morning after his rut had ended, Yunho sought out Seonghwa to explain his side of what happened. He couldn’t go any longer thinking his Luna was upset with him.

“I’m sorry.” He said first. He was sitting at Seonghwa’s desk chair, while the omega was sitting in his nest. “You have to know I would never, ever want to hurt Mingi. He means so much to me.”

“It didn’t seem that way.” Seonghwa’s arms were crossed over his chest. “You hurt him really bad. He was crushed.”

“I know. And I’ll do everything I can to make it up to him.” He took a shaky breath. “I know you want to know what happened. Why I acted that way. The truth is that it’s been hard for me to accept that Mingi isn’t going to be the one carrying my pups.” He couldn’t meet Seonghwa’s gaze. “I know it’s still not fair to have acted the way I did. It was my own insecurities and I shouldn’t have taken it out on him.”

“I thought that might have been what happened.” Seonghwa’s voice wasn’t as harsh as before. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“What was I supposed to say? ‘I’m upset because Mingi made a boundary for his own body and my wolf wants to breed him’?”

“You could have talked to me. Or Hongjoong. One of us could have helped you work through these feelings instead of bottling them up.” Yunho winced, knowing he was right. “You’re allowed to feel these things. You’re allowed to be disappointed that thing’s aren’t going the way you’d hoped. But you’re not allowed to hide away your feelings until they hurt our mates.”

“I’m sorry.” He said again. “Trust me, I’ve been kicking myself since it happened. Mingi says he forgives me, but how am I supposed to forgive myself?”

“Come here.” Seonghwa beckoned him into the nest. Yunho blinked in surprise. “Come on, My Alpha.” Yunho’s body unfroze, and he climbed in beside the omega. Seonghwa maneuvered him so his head was in his lap. “Do you want to know what I think?”

“Please.” Seonghwa pet his hair.

“I think Mingi has forgiven you, and for you to forgive yourself, you need to show Mingi that you mean it. That your feelings for him haven’t changed, and that you support his decision.”

“I never want to hurt him like that again.” Yunho whispered.

“Then you need to work for it.” Seonghwa continued to pet him. “Show him that you mean it.”

“Are we okay?” Yunho looked up at him.

“We’re okay.” Seonghwa stopped petting him, hand moving to caress his face. “I wish you hadn’t kept your feelings to yourself. But we’re okay.”

“I’ll be better.”

“I know you will.”

…

All too soon, it was back to the company. Back to rehearsals. Back to performances.

Before they knew it, nearly four weeks had passed. They had a blissful day off, and Seonghwa had sequestered himself in his room to work on his newest Lego set.

He’d only just gotten the first bag open when someone knocked on his door. His mates knew they were allowed in anytime, unless the door was locked, so someone knocking right now was surprising. Seonghwa set the bag of pieces down and went to open the door to find Mingi and Wooyoung waiting for him.

“Hi, Loves.” Seonghwa greeted, confusion clear in his tone. “Is everything alright?” Everything was clearly not alright, as Mingi looked close to tears, and Wooyoung looked serious for once. Mingi nudged Wooyoung, urging him to tell Seonghwa what the problem was.

“Mingi is worried he’s pregnant.” Wooyoung explained.

“What makes you think that?” Seonghwa looked over Mingi curiously. He hadn’t mentioned feeling any differently.

“Nothing specific.” Mingi admitted. “I’m just… I’m just freaked out a little bit. I didn’t expect to spend my heat with Yunho in rut. I’m worrying myself sick over it.”

“He’s going to take a test, but he’s afraid to do it alone.” Wooyoung said. “I offered that you and I could take one with him and he thought it would help.”

“Of course.” Seonghwa agreed easily. “Whatever you need.” Wooyoung handed him a box, which Seonghwa hadn’t even noticed he was carrying. “We’ll each take one, and we’ll check them together. Okay?” Mingi nodded, shoulders relaxing just a fraction.

Seonghwa went first, hoping to give Mingi some courage. Once they all took their test, Seonghwa gathered them into his nest to wait. They each had their test laying face down in front of them, the timer on Wooyoung’s phone counting down.

“We’ll look all together.” Seonghwa said. The timer beeped and they picked up their tests.

“Oh thank fuck!” Mingi cried. “It’s negative.” He heaved a sigh of relief, falling against Wooyoung.

“See?” Wooyoung accepted the cuddle. “Nothing to worry about.” Mingi’s body shook, and Seonghwa realized he was crying.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” He asked, cuddling up on his other side. Mingi shook his head. “Are you relieved?” He nodded. “We promised, didn’t we?”

“Thank you.” They let him cry it out for a little while. Release whatever emotions he might be feeling.

“You haven’t checked yours yet.” He said once he’d calmed down some.

“Mine was negative.” Seonghwa didn’t miss the note of disappointment in Wooyoung’s voice.

“It’ll happen.” Mingi patted his arm. “Your heat’s only a few weeks away.”

“I hardly looked at mine.” Seonghwa admitted. “I’m sure it was negative though.”

“Look at it.” Mingi requested.

“Okay.” Seonghwa picked the test up from where it lay abandoned on the sheets.

Seonghwa stared at his test for a long while, not sure he believed what he was seeing. There, on the display screen, clear as day, read ‘PREGNANT’ in all caps.

“Hwa?” Mingi urged gently.

“It’s positive.” He said faintly.

“What?” Wooyoung snatched the test from his hands. “Holy shit, you’re pregnant!”

“Now, hold on.” Seonghwa took the test back with shaky hands. “It could be a false positive. I don’t want us to get our hopes up.”

“Then take another one.” Mingi suggested. “It’s unlikely you’d have two false positives.”

“Do you smell different?” Wooyoung had glued himself to Seonghwa’s side, investigating his scent. “It’s subtle, but there’s definitely a little milkiness.”

“I’ll take another one.” Seonghwa decided. “I just… I wasn’t in heat. Hongjoong wasn’t in rut.”

“Doesn’t make it impossible.” Wooyoung reminded him. “Go. We’ll wait for you.” Seonghwa nodded, taking a shaky breath and heading to the bathroom.

In preparation for them trying for pups, Seonghwa had purchased, what may have been, an impossible amount of pregnancy tests. He took one out from under the sink and followed the instructions.

He was so distracted on his walk back to his room, he bumped directly into someone, knocking him back on his behind.

“Shit.” Hongjoong cursed, crouching down to help him up. “Are you alright, Star?” He froze, seeing the pregnancy test now abandoned on the floor. “What’s this?” Hongjoong moved to grab it, recognition on his face.

“No, wait.” Seonghwa snatched it up. “There are still a few minutes left.”

“But you might be.” He didn’t say it as a question.

“Mingi was nervous he might be and needed moral support. Youngie and I took tests with him. Their tests were negative.”

“But yours wasn’t.”

“Will you stop that?” Seonghwa swatted him. “Yes. Mine was positive. I took another one to be sure.”

“How much longer?” Seonghwa checked the timer on his phone.

“Two minutes.”

“I’ll wait with you.”

“Mingi and Wooyoung are waiting for me in my nest.”

“Then we’ll go to them.” Hongjoong pulled him down the hall.

“There you are!” Wooyoung shouted. “We thought you might have panicked. Oh, Joongie!” The omega’s face brightened at the sight of their alpha.

“What does it say?” Mingi asked as the two of them entered the nest.

“There’s still a minute left.” Seonghwa placed the test face down in front of him. He hoped it was positive. More than anything he hoped it was positive.

It felt like a lifetime before his alarm went off. Hongjoong squeezed his hand as his other reached to flip over the test.

PREGNANT

“I’m pregnant.” Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong, who was staring back at him with bright eyes. “Joongie.”

“You’re pregnant.” He said back. He reached out, holding Seonghwa’s face in his hands. “Oh, Seonghwa.” His name sounded like a prayer coming from his lips.

“We’re going to be parents.” Seonghwa couldn’t help the giggle that spilled from his mouth. “The rest of the pack will be so happy.”

“We need to tell everyone.” Wooyoung jumped up from the nest. “Mingi and I will bring them to the living room. You two can join us when you’re done with… whatever this is.” He gestured vaguely to the two of them. Seonghwa and Hongjoong barely seemed to hear him, too lost in each other. Wooyoung dragged Mingi out of the nest, his fellow omega half heartedly protesting but following him out the door anyway.

“You’re having my pup.” Hongjoong whispered, like it was a secret for just the two of them. “I can’t believe this is real.”

“I can’t either.” Seonghwa admitted. He was, however, overjoyed at the news. The pack wanted this so bad. He wanted this so bad. They were going to be parents. They were going to have a little pup. Hongjoong’s hands moved from Seonghwa’s face down to cradle his belly. Obviously, there was no bump yet, Seonghwa’s stomach still firm.

“Let’s go tell the others.” Seonghwa said finally. “I don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“Just another minute.” Hongjoong bent down, eye level with Seonghwa’s stomach. “Hello, Love. You can’t hear me yet, and we only just learned about you, but I’m your Appa Joongie and I already love you so much.” Seonghwa felt tears prick at the back of his eyes watching him. He already couldn’t wait to see Hongjoong be an appa. He kissed Seonghwa’s belly and whispered something else that Seonghwa didn’t quite catch before deciding he was content to go give their mates the news.

Wooyoung was vibrating in his seat by the time they finally joined the rest of the pack.

“So, why did Wooyoung and Mingi force us all out here?” Jongho asked. Seonghwa’s cheeks hurt from how big he was smiling as he placed the two positive tests on the coffee table.

“You’re kidding.” Yunho snatched up one of the tests. “Oh my god.”

“We’re having a pup?” Yeosang looked back and forth between the test and Seonghwa. “You’re pregnant?”

“I’m pregnant.” Seonghwa confirmed. San shot up from the couch, gathering Seonghwa in his arms. The act forced a laugh out of the omega. “I take it you’re happy.”

“So happy.” San kissed him, his large hand settling on his belly.

“It’s really happening.” Jongho picked up the second test. “We’re really going to be parents.”

“Are you okay, Jjong?” Hongjoong asked.

“I’m fine.” He assured him. “I’m just… wow. I’m happy. But is it wrong to feel a little scared?”

“Of course not, Baby Bear.” Seonghwa pulled away from San to comfort their youngest alpha. “I’m scared too. I’m excited, and happy. I'm so happy. But I am scared.”

“You’re going to be an amazing dam though.” Jongho insisted. “You have nothing to be worried about.”

“I hope I will be. But we won’t know for sure until they’re here and we’re in it. We’re going to be learning together.” He took one of Jongho’s hands and placed it firmly on his belly. “But I know that this little one is going to have eight parents who love them and are going to do their best for them.” Jongho’s demeanor softened as he looked down at Seonghwa’s stomach.

“With all of us, we’ll be okay.” He finally said.

“Eight makes one team.” Mingi recited. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

…

Seonghwa’s first ultrasound appointment approached quickly. It also happened to butt up right before Hongjoong’s rut, and the alpha was feeling particularly possessive of the omega. It was progressively becoming more obvious from his scent that he was pregnant, as not only was it milky, he also smelled like Hongjoong now. Though, with the amount of time the two spent together even before his pregnancy, Seonghwa was certain the two of them always smelled like one another.

Hongjoong had tried to insist he take Seonghwa to the appointment on his own, but the omegas quickly shut it down. They’d already arranged with their team to get the day off, and their doctor was more than okay with the whole pack being in the room, so they would all go. Hongjoong pouted for a bit, but a promise from Seonghwa that he would be allowed to hold his hand the whole time seemed to pacify him.

The pack was greeted warmly by the nurse who took them down the hall to the large exam room they used for packs. She took his vitals, as well as a few samples for the lab, and left them to wait for the doctor.

Seonghwa was wiggling in his seat on the exam table, excitement getting the better of him. He was going to see his baby for the first time. His mates giggled at his enthusiasm.

“Don’t act like you’re not excited.” He pouted, noticing the pack’s eyes on him.

“Of course we’re excited.” Yunho assured him with a kiss on the cheek. “It’s just so cute how excited you are.”

“How could I not be? We’re seeing our pup!”

“It’s very exciting.” Dr. Park agreed, stepping into the room. “Hello, everyone.”

“Hi, Dr. Park.” Seonghwa perked up. “It’s great to see you.”

“And wonderful to see you as well. And happy to see the whole pack here for such a big appointment.” She typed up a note on her tablet. “How are you feeling, Seonghwa-ssi?”

“Very good! Morning sickness hasn’t hit me too bad thankfully. There’s been a day or two where I struggle with some nausea, but I can still keep food down.”

“Good to hear.” She tapped out another note. “Alright, I won’t keep you waiting any longer. You can lay down on the table and we’ll get started.” Seonghwa obeyed immediately, ready to get going. The ultrasound machine was already set up and ready to go.

Seonghwa cringed at the feeling of the cold gel on his stomach despite Dr. Park’s warning.

“Are you ready to see your pup?” Dr. Park asked.

“More than ready.” She pressed the want to his stomach, causing him to shiver and reach for Hongjoong’s hand. He saw on the screen as Dr. Park searched. The wand paused for a moment, and she hummed.

“Is everything okay?” Mingi asked.

“Oh, yes everything is fine.” Dr. Park assured them. “But I do have some interesting news for you.”

“Which is?” Hongjoong asked, squeezing Seonghwa’s hand.

“You see this little spot right here?” She pointed to a mass on the screen. “Well, you can’t see it great, but there’s another one right here.” She pointed to a spot right next to it. “It’s sort of hidden behind the first.”

“Which means?” Yeosang asked.

“Congratulations, it looks like you’re having twins.” The entire pack froze, trying to digest her words.

“Are you sure?” Seonghwa finally asked.

“It’s not often we can tell this early, but yes. You have two pups growing right now.” Dr. Park smiled warmly at Seonghwa. “You’re quite a lucky omega. Not only did you conceive outside of your heat, it’s multiples. That’s incredibly rare.”

“I’m not sure I even believe it.” He admitted. He couldn’t really make out what Dr. Park was showing to him. It just looked like one little black dot on the screen.

“Would hearing the heartbeat help?” Seonghwa nodded, prompting Dr. Park to turn a knob on the machine. A gentle thumping echoed in the room, and Seonghwa caught himself tearing up. “You can even hear both of their heartbeats. Notice how there’s an echo?” He did notice how there seemed to be two separate beats going together. “And they sound great. We’ll be able to differentiate the heartbeats better as your pregnancy progresses.”

“You’re incredible.” Hongjoong said to him, kissing his hand. “Twins.”

“Everything looks good right now.” Dr. Park said, taking a few snapshots of the screen to print for them. “We’ll wrap this up and I’ll let you get cleaned up before we discuss your care plan.”

Seonghwa really liked Dr. Park. Their pack had switched to her after their first few years at KQ and dealing with the doctor the company had found. A crotchety old man who seemed to get some sort of weird kicks out of having omegan patients. It was Minho who had recommended Dr. Park after Seonghwa confessed his unease about the doctor to the other Luna during Kingdom, informing him that their pack had great experiences with the specialist. Seonghwa had gone right to the company, less requesting and more stating that they were switching providers. Dr. Park was incredibly kind, happy to take on the pack. She made all of them feel at ease, and even Mingi, who typically didn’t like doctors, felt comfortable with her. Seonghwa felt good knowing he and his pups had her as their doctor.

Pups. The reality hadn’t really set in yet. It was hard for him to believe he had two pups growing in his belly. He knew it was not as common for male omegas to carry multiples.

“Hwa?” Wooyoung nudged him. “You with us?” Seonghwa snapped back to reality, realizing Dr. Park had left the room and he was still lying on the table. Wooyoung was gently wiping away the gel from his stomach.

“I just can’t believe it.” He let Hongjoong assist him to a sitting position. “We’re having twins.” Beyond surprise, Seonghwa was overjoyed at the news. Two pups.

“We are.” Wooyoung confirmed. “Let’s get you dressed so Dr. Park can come back and finish your appointment.”

“And then get you back home.” Hongjoong said.

“Aww, feeling territorial, Joongie?” Yunho teased, earning a grumble from the alpha. “Should we really have let him out of the house so close to his rut?”

“I’m fine.” Hongjoong snapped. “I just want to get Seonghwa home.”

“That’s enough, Hongjoong.” Seonghwa said smoothly. “The appointment is almost over, then we can all go home.”

“Sorry.” Hongjoong shifted in his seat. “Maybe I am feeling a bit protective right now.”

“It’s okay, Alpha.” San said, his voice also teasing. “You're just excited that you bred our Luna so well.”

“Please don’t.” Jongho begged. “We’re still in public. I’d rather we didn’t send him into full rut in a doctor's office.”

“He’s right.” Yeosang said. “It would be impossible to get him out of here.”

“Youngie, can you get the doctor so we can finish up?” Seonghwa asked. “Then we’ll get our alpha home.”

…

Seonghwa couldn’t look away from the ultrasound photo as they drove home. The longer he stared at it, the more he could make out where the first little blob ended and the next one began. He seemed to be the only one who could really tell, as when he tried to point it out to Yeosang, who was staring at the photo over his shoulder, the beta couldn’t see what he was referring to.

“It’s right here.” Seonghwa said again, circling the spot with his finger.

“I’m sorry, I don’t see it.” Yeosang giggled at how insistent Seonghwa was. “I’m excited about the twins, but I can’t tell in the photo.”

“Can no one else see it?” Seonghwa’s bottom lip wobbled. His emotions were admittedly a bit out of whack. The hormones had started to mess with him and he felt himself getting emotional over something as simple as their pups’ sonogram photo.

“We’ll see it better as they get bigger.” San assured him. “The doctor said it wasn’t even common for them to tell this early. The fact that we know at all is amazing.”

“We’re going to have so many photos of our little ones we won’t know what to do with all of them.” Yeosang added, kissing Seonghwa’s forehead.

“I can see it.” Hongjoong said. “It’s there.” He placed his finger on the photo, very much not where Seonghwa was seeing it.

“You’re just trying to make me feel better.” Seonghwa whined.

“I am.” Hongjoong admitted. “I can’t tell.” Seonghwa shoved him, earning a yelp from the alpha.

“You’re all the worst.” Seonghwa crossed his arms, staring out the window. He knew, deep down, that he was behaving childishly over something so simple, but unfortunately the hormones were in control.

“Hwa, Baby, we’re sorry.” San cooed. “It’s just really hard to tell right now.”

“Maybe Wooyoung will be able to see it better.” Yeosang offered. The omega was in the other car with Mingi, Yunho, and Jongho. “I could definitely hear both heartbeats, though.”

“Clear as day.” San agreed.

“Two strong heartbeats.” Hongjoong said, hand slipping to its seemingly permanent place on Seonghwa’s belly. “Two strong pups.” Seonghwa relaxed. He knew he was being ridiculous.

When they arrived home, Seonghwa asked his remaining mates if they could see the twins.

None of them could.

Chapter Text

Hongjoong’s rut was… interesting. Seonghwa was concerned that, since he was pregnant, Hongjoong would hang on to him and ignore the rest of their mates. That wasn’t the case.

Hongjoong, as it turned out, was perfectly happy playing with all of their mates, so long as Seonghwa stayed close to him. And Seonghwa was perfectly content to watch as Hongjoong made each of their mates feel good.

Currently, Hongjoong had three fingers stretching San. He’d tired out their omegas, Wooyoung and Mingi curled up with each other at the far end of the nest. The rest of their mates were spread out around the nest. San was whining, begging Hongjoong to fuck him.

“You know he’s gotta take his time with you, Love.” Seonghwa crooned in his ear. “He’s gonna make you feel so good.” Seonghwa ran his hand along San’s pecks, fingers tweaking his nipples.

“Mhm.” San moaned. “Alpha, I’m ready. Ready for your knot.” He ground down on Hongjoong’s fingers.

“You heard him, Joongie.” Seonghwa turned his attention to the alpha. “Make our sweet beta feel good.” Hongjoong growled, pulling his fingers away. San didn’t have time to complain about the loss as Hongjoong immediately sunk into him.

“Fuck.” San’s back arched up off the bed as Hongjoong immediately set a rapid pace. “Yes! Don’t stop. Don’t stop!” One hand gripped the sheets above his head, the other holding onto Seonghwa’s arm. “Fuck! Joong!”

“That’s right, Baby.” Seonghwa cooed. “Let alpha take what he needs. Let him give you his fat knot and fill you up.”

“Please, fill me up!” San’s grip tightened on Seonghwa’s arm. “Fill me up, breed me!” Hongjoong grabbed his thighs, pushing them up so they were pressed against his chest. The new angle had San seeing stars. “Fuck! Alpha! Gonna cum. Please, wanna cum on your knot.” Hongjoong’s pace faltered, revealing how close he was. “Yes! Yes!” San spilled all over his chest, eyes rolling back as he rode out his orgasm. Hongjoong growled, knot locking them together.

“What a show.” Yunho whistled. “How you feeling after that, Sannie?” San hummed as Hongjoong laid down against his chest.

“Breed you, huh?” Wooyoung said, still sleepily cuddled up to Mingi.

“Don’t tease.” Seonghwa scolded him, though he was also curious. San had never responded that way before.

“Who’s teasing?” Wooyoung asked. “It was hot.”

“Very hot.” Yunho agreed.

“Agreed.” Hongjoong mumbled against San’s throat. It seemed the latest wave had subsided enough to allow him to speak again. A Hongjoong cresting communicated in exclusively grunts and growls. San’s cheeks were bright red as the alpha nuzzled into his neck.

“You should drink some water, Joong.” Seonghwa suggested. He grabbed a bottle from the side table by the nest and held it out to Hongjoong. The alpha made a noise of protest, comfortable where he was. He was on day three of his rut, which was when he got the most stubborn. “Come on, you big baby.” Hongjoong grumbled, pulling himself away from San’s neck. “There you go. Come on.” Seonghwa held the straw up to his mouth. He took the straw, suddenly realizing how thirsty he was, and drained the bottle quickly.

“Thank you.” He rasped.

“When your knot goes down we should probably get you cleaned up.” Seonghwa suggested. “I think you’re almost through it.”

“Finally.” Hongjoong fell forward against San, the beta huffing at the impact. “I’m exhausted.”

“Dramatic.” Yeosang teased. “You weren’t complaining earlier when you had Jongho on all fours.”

“Because that’s the fun part.” Hongjoong pouted. “When else can I get him like that?”

“More often if you ask nicely.” Jongho tossed a pillow at him. San whined as it made contact with his face instead of the alpha on top of him.

“I’ll remember that.” Mingi said. Jongho reached for another pillow, which was snatched away by Yunho. “What? Hongjoong gets to have all the fun?”

“Pack alpha privileges.” Hongjoong sang.

When Hongjoong’s knot finally went down, he and San were whisked away by Yunho to get cleaned up and Seonghwa set to work cleaning up the nest. Wooyoung and Mingi grumbled over having to move, but helped load all the soiled blankets into the laundry.

“I’m going to make something for dinner.” Wooyoung said. “I bet we can finally get him to eat something substantial now.”

“Thank you, Youngie.” Seonghwa said as he reset the nest.

“You need something hearty too.” He added. “Gotta keep you and the twins well fed.”

“The twins and I are okay.” Seonghwa assured him, rubbing his still-flat belly.

“And you’ll be better once you eat something. I’m thinking stew.”

“Stew sounds great.”

“I’ll get started.” Wooyoung bent down and kissed Seonghwa’s stomach. “Damma Youngie is gonna make you something yummy.” Seonghwa laughed.

“Go cook.” Seonghwa playfully swatted him away.

“You know, it’s still hard to believe.” Mingi said as he assisted Seonghwa with the next. “Twins.”

“I’m relieved you’re so excited about it.” Seonghwa admitted.

“Why wouldn’t I be excited?” Mingi put the pillow he was holding down and wrapped his arms around Seonghwa. “Two pups for us to love. And I’m not the one carrying either of them. It’s a win all around.” Seonghwa laughed, hugging him back. “I’m so excited to be doing this with you all.”

“I’m excited too.”

“I think it’s two girls.” He said. “And they’ll look just like their Damma.”

“And if it’s two boys? And they’re Joongie’s clones?”

“I’ll be just as happy.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

…

Hongjoong’s rut was thankfully over. He graciously ate the stew Wooyoung had prepared and passed out in the nest. Seonghwa took the opportunity of peace to pull San aside.

“Look, Hwa, I know what you’re about to say.” San started before Seonghwa could speak. “What I said earlier, it was the heat of the moment. Just, you know, rut pheromones.”

“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself.” Seonghwa could help but smile a little. “So, you’ve developed a new kink? Nothing wrong with that.” San was quiet for a long moment. Longer than Seonghwa thought was normal. “It’s not just a kink, is it?”

“Aish! It’s so embarrassing.” San hid his face in his hands. “Sometimes… I think about it. You and Wooyoung and Mingi, even though he doesn’t want to and I completely respect that, can do this amazing thing. You can grow whole humans. You are growing two humans right now. And maybe… maybe I’m jealous. It sounds absolutely insane, because I can’t do that. It’s literally impossible. And I like being a beta. I’m happy as a beta. So it doesn’t make sense…” San’s eucalyptus scent started to turn, betraying just how upset he was.

“Sannie, Love, you're rambling.” Seonghwa put his hands on San’s shoulders. “How long have you felt like this?”

“It would come up whenever we talked about having pups.” San admitted. “And… when I’m with one of our alphas in rut. Just sometimes, I think about what it would be like if it worked. If it took, you know?”

“I’m sorry.” Seonghwa hugged him. “I wish there was something I could do for you.”

“Like I said. It’s only sometimes.” San accepted the hug. “I’ll get over it.”

“You can talk to me, when you feel like that. You can come to me.” Seonghwa held him tighter. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

“It’s so dumb.” San groaned. “It doesn’t even make sense. I don’t even have a uterus!” Seonghwa tried to hold back his laughter, but failed when San started laughing. “I sound crazy.”

“You’re not crazy.” Seonghwa assured him. “You just have some big feelings. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Can you not tell the others?”

“It’ll be our secret.”

…

Hongjoong woke up to a sleepy Mingi cuddled against his side. The omegas nose was pressed against his throat, breathing in his smokey scent.

“Hey there, Princess.” Hongjoong wrapped his free arm around Mingi.

“You smell so good at the end of your rut.” Mingi nuzzled closer.

“You smell good too.” There were few things Hongjoong loved more than the smell of a happy, content pack. “Your caramel is extra sweet.”

“Is it?” Mingi pulled away from Hongjoong’s neck to expose his own.

“Yeah, it’s nice.” Hongjoong pulled him closer so he could smell him better. “You were cuddling Yunho earlier, weren’t you?”

“No. I wasn’t.” Mingi sat up, bullying out of Hongjoong’s arms. “I smell like Yunho? And I smell sweeter?”

“Yeah. What are you…” Hongjoong’s words died on his lips. “Oh, no.”

“I- I can’t be. I can’t be pregnant, Joong.” Mingi shook his head, chest heaving as he took shaky breaths. “The test. The test was negative.”

“Hey, hey.” Hongjoong scrambled to sit up, reaching out for Mingi. “Deep breaths. Deep breaths for me, Mingi. It’s all gonna be okay.”

“No it’s not. No it's not. I can’t do it.”

“You don’t have to.” Hongjoong finally got his arms around Mingi. “You don’t have to. I’ll take you wherever you need to go. We’ll take care of it.”

“Yunho’s going to hate me.” Mingi wasn’t crying, but the panic in his voice and scent was evident. “I can’t - can’t keep it.”

“You don’t have to.” Hongjoong said again.

“How do I tell him? How do I break his heart? I know how badly he wants this. How do I tell him that I’m carrying his pup just to get rid of it?”

“I don’t know. I wish I did but I don’t.” Hongjoong’s heart broke for Mingi. “Do you want to tell him? You don’t have to.”

“How can I not?”

“Okay. I’m going to get Seonghwa, and we’ll figure this out.” Hongjoong pulled away from Mingi, who protested the lack of contact. “I’ll be right back. It’s all going to be okay.” Hongjoong kissed Mingi’s head before backing out of the room to find Seonghwa.

He didn’t have to look far, finding Seonghwa cuddled on the couch with San. The beta noticed him first, immediately registering the unease written on his features.

“Joongie, what’s wrong?” He nudged Seonghwa to get his attention.

“Hwa, can I steal you for a minute?”

“Of course.” Seonghwa coaxed San off his chest. “Are you okay?”

“It’s not me.” He pointed back to the den where Mingi was. Seonghwa frowned, knowing the omega had gone in there earlier to cash in on Hongjoong cuddles.

“Wait, what’s going on?” San questioned as the two made way to the den.

“We’ll explain soon.” Hongjoong promised. “Just keep everyone out of the den for right now.”

Seonghwa immediately moved to Mingi when he entered the nest.

“What’s wrong, Princess?”

“I might be pregnant.” Mingi’s eyes were glassy, but he still wasn’t crying. “Hongjoong says… he says I smell sweeter, and that I smell like Yunho. But I haven’t been around Yunho much at all today.”

“Do you want to take another test?” Mingi shook his head.

“I don’t want it to be true.”

“I know, Baby. But we need to be sure so we know what steps to take next.” Mingi sat frozen in the middle of the nest. They all knew what the next steps were. A single call to Dr. Park, and they wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.

Hongjoong remembered when Minjae found him in his studio, shortly after their group debuted. The young omega was crying, confessing to Hongjoong that he was pregnant and didn’t know what to do. He’d offered to get Seonghwa, as he would probably be better suited to help, but Minjae was afraid of anyone else finding out, so Hongjoong was it. He made the call to Dr. Park, and brought Minjae in himself. He held his hand as she went through the process, and let his dongsaeng hide out in his studio while he processed everything.

He wasn’t sure if Minjae ever told his pack. Though, he supposed it didn’t matter much. What’s done was done.

“Can you just call?” Mingi requested, eyes getting misty. “If I’m not she’ll tell us. Please.”

“Okay. I’ll call.” Seonghwa stepped out of the room to make the call. Mingi sat stock still, looking down at his hands. Hongjoong really wasn’t sure what to say at this point. It’s not like anything he said would make a difference for him.

“I need to tell him.” Mingi said after a long stretch of silence. “He deserves to know. Even if I’m not keeping it.”

“If that’s what you need.” Hongjoong reached for his hand. Seonghwa reentered the room, pocketing his phone.

“Dr. Park can get you in tomorrow morning.” He sat beside Mingi, pulling him sideways to his chest. “It’s all gonna be okay.”

“Is it?”

“I promise.” Seonghwa nuzzled his head. “I do still think you should take a test. Just to be sure.”

“Do I have to?”

“No. I guess you don’t.” Seonghwa looked over at Hongjoong, concern evident. “But, it might help you to know for sure. To know exactly what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

“I already know what’s going to happen.” Mingi sighed. “She’s going to tell me what I already know, try and talk me out of it, and when that doesn’t work, she’ll go in and get this baby out of me.”

“That’s not what will happen.” Hongjoong said. “She won’t try and talk you out of it. Dr. Park will support your decision one hundred percent. And it’s a pill. Two pills, actually. One to terminate, and the other to… evacuate the fetus. It’s gonna suck for a few days. You’ll feel sick and uncomfortable. But you can take them at home.” Both omegas stared at him confused. “I helped a friend a few years ago.” Was as much explanation as he was willing to give. He made a promise to keep Minjae’s secret, and he’d honor it. “I’ll take you myself.”

“So I wouldn’t be able to hide it from Yunho even if I wanted to.” Mingi sounded defeated. “You’ll both stay with me?”

“For all of it.” Seonghwa promised. “Every little bit.”

“Do you want to bring him in and tell him?” Hongjoong asked.

“It might be wise to tell the whole pack.” Seonghwa suggested. “So they don’t worry about you when you take the pills.”

“Can you tell them?” Mingi looked up at Seonghwa. “I’ll tell Yunho myself. But… I can’t face them all right now.”

“I will do that for you.” Seonghwa said. “If you do one thing for me.”

“You want me to take a test.”

“I just don’t want to worry the pack if we’re not sure.” Seonghwa pushed the hair out of his face. “Please. This could all be a misunderstanding. We should be sure before jumping into it.” Mingi pursed his lips, thinking about it.

“Okay.” He said. “I’ll take one.”

“There’s some in the en suite.” Seonghwa nodded towards the bathroom attached to the den. “You won’t even have to leave.”

It took some additional coaxing from both Seonghwa and Hongjoong to get Mingi to go into the bathroom. He was in there for a while. Much longer than it should have taken for him to take the test.

“Mingi?” Seonghwa knocked on the door. “Are you okay?” He was met with silence. He looked back at Hongjoong, who urged him to enter the bathroom. “I’m coming in.”

Mingi was sitting on the floor, knees to his chest. The rest sat face down on the counter.

“I can’t look at it.” He whispered.

“That’s okay.” Seonghwa grabbed the test and knelt down beside him. “I’ll look at it.” He flipped the test over, and the same word he saw a few weeks earlier stared back at him. Stirring a very different feeling in his gut. “It’s positive.”

“I knew it.”

“I’m sorry I broke my promise.”

“It’s no one’s fault.” Mingi sounded defeated. “I just wish I could be happy about it. Be a normal omega. But I’m not. I’m angry. And scared. I don’t want this. Don’t want to put my body through this.”

“You are allowed to not want to be pregnant.” Seonghwa assured him. “You don’t need a big reason. And you’re not a bad omega for it. You are allowed to just say no, and I won’t let a single person cause you to doubt that choice or make you feel bad about it.”

“Will Yunho feel the same way?”

“Yunho loves you so much. He’ll support you.”

“I should talk to him. While I still have the nerve.” Mingi pulled himself up off the floor, holding out a hand to assist Seonghwa up.

Yunho was already waiting with Hongjoong when they came back out.

“Do you want us to leave you alone?” Seonghwa asked. “We can go talk to the others while you two talk.”

“I would appreciate it.” Seonghwa nodded, hugging him tightly.

Alone in the den, the silence was deafening.

“I’m pregnant.” He bit the bullet and just said it.

“And you’re not keeping it.” Yunho finished his thought. “It’s mine, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I mean, I knew it was a possibility.” Yunho looked heart broken. “You do what you need to do.”

“You’re upset.” Mingi didn’t move from his spot by the bathroom door, across the room from Yunho.

“You can’t fault me for that.” Yunho wiped a hand over his face, as if he could hide how hurt he was. “I won’t try to change your mind, or make you feel bad for doing what you need to do. But I can still be upset about it.”

“I never said you couldn’t.” Mingi fought hard not to cry. He’d made it this far, he wouldn't break down now. “It’s not like I’m happy about it. I wish I could tell you what you want to hear. That I’m happy to be pregnant. That I’m going to have your pup. But I’m not. I’m sorry, but I’m not and I can’t fake it.”

“And I’d never ask you to.” Yunho opened his arms. “Come here.” Mingi complied, wanting nothing more than to be held by Yunho. “Yes, I’m upset about the situation. But I also understand that this choice is yours. I’ll support your decision.”

“Seonghwa made me an appointment for tomorrow morning.” Mingi tried to read Yunho’s face and scent to see how he was feeling. “The process is apparently pretty simple. I’ll be sick for a couple days but…”

“Please, can we not discuss that part right now?” Yunho requested. “I’ll be by your side as it happens, but I don’t think I can handle the details right now.”

“Okay.” Yunho maneuvered them so Mingi was laying with his head on his chest. “You don’t hate me? For doing this?”

“I could never hate you.” Yunho ran his fingers through Mingi’s hair. “What time is the appointment? I’ll take you.”

“You don’t have to. Hongjoong already offered. This is already hard enough on you.” Yunho’s hickory scent eased a fraction.

“Then I’ll be waiting here to help you through whatever happens.” Mingi purred at the gentle affection. He suddenly felt silly for being scared to tell Yunho. Even despite his own feelings, Yunho was loving and supportive.

…

The appointment was simple and to the point. Dr. Park confirmed the pregnancy and verified Mingi was sure of his decision. When he insisted he wouldn’t change his mind, she gave him a packet of two pills, one pink and one white. He’d take the pink one first, and the white one two hours later.

“It’s okay to still be sad about it.” Dr. Park told him. “Even if it’s not something you wanted, terminating is an emotional experience. Let yourself feel that. Having your pack with you helps.”

“He doesn’t have to worry about that part.” Hongjoong squeezed his hand. “We’re not going anywhere.”

“I should hope you’re not.” Dr. Park flashed a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’ve got a good pack. That’s important.”

“The best pack.” Mingi agreed.

Dr. Park sent them off with instructions to call her if they needed anything. The drive home was spent in silence. Neither Mingi nor Hongjoong felt there was anything left to say on the matter. The silence was comfortable, companionable, Hongjoong a steady presence in the driver's seat.

The nest was set just the way he liked it when they arrived home, San and Yeosang waiting for him there.

“Everyone wanted to be here for you.” San explained. “But we didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

“Have you… done it yet?” Yeosang asked.

“No.” Mingi presented the packet of pills. “I wanted to wait until I was home.”

“Do you need anything?” San asked. “Before you take it?”

“Just be here.” San smiled and handed him a bottle of water.

“We’re not going anywhere.”

Chapter Text

Dance rehearsals were always fun for Yunho. He was able to let go and just allow the music to take over. Allowed him to stop thinking so much. 

Today, the opposite was happening. Yunho couldn’t stop thinking. He’d stayed behind after rehearsal with Wooyoung and Yeosang, the three of them working through some of their newer choreo. 

But Yunho’s focus was not on the choreo. In fact, there was only one thing he could focus on at all. 

Mingi. 

Yunho hadn’t lied when he told Mingi he supported his decision to terminate the pregnancy. And he did his best to be by Mingi’s side as he went through the worst of it. It had been a few weeks since it happened, and Yunho stuck with Mingi the entire time. Even through Wooyoung’s heat, provided the other omega didn’t require his attention. 

But there was still a part of him, bigger than he’d like to admit out loud, that was devastated over it. He tried not to be, he did, but his wolf cried over the loss of their pup. 

He knew he should probably talk to someone. Perhaps Hongjoong or one of his beta mates. He feared Seonghwa and Wooyoung might be too over protective of Mingi to understand Yunho’s feelings. Not that he could blame either of them after what happened when he was in rut. 

After his fourth attempt at the combination they’d been running, where he couldn’t seem to find his mark and kept hitting Yeosang by mistake, he dropped down to the floor with a groan. 

“Let’s just call it for today.” He flopped onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. 

“What’s up with you?” Wooyoung asked, rolling a water bottle his way. 

“It’s nothing.” Yunho ignored the bottle now resting against his leg. “Just tired.” 

“You seem distracted.” Wooyoung clearly wasn’t buying his excuse. “Come on, you can talk to us.”

“It’s nothing, Youngie. Please just drop it.” 

“Fine you big grump.” Wooyoung grabbed his bag from the corner of the room. “I’m gonna grab some food. Anyone coming?”

“Text me where you’re going and I’ll meet you there.” Yeosang said. Wooyoung nodded and left the two alone. Once Yeosang was sure the omega was gone, he turned his attention to Yunho. “Alright, spit it out.” 

“There’s nothing so ‘spit out’.” Yunho didn’t appreciate being so easy to read. “I said I’m tired.”

“I’m tired too.” Yeosang sat on the floor near Yunho’s head. “Tired of you ignoring your own feelings.”

“Ha. Ha.”

“This is about Mingi, isn’t it?” Yunho must have been silent for too long, giving him away. “Yuyu, you’re allowed to be upset about it.” 

“Am I?” 

“Of course you are.” Yeosang’s tone didn’t leave much room for argument. “It was something you wanted. It was right to put Mingi’s feelings ahead of your own, but you’re allowed to be sad.” 

“I wanted it so bad, Sangie.” Yeosang pet his head. “And I feel like an ass for still wanting it after Mingi’s made it so clear he doesn’t. Am I awful for having hoped he’d change his mind?”

“I don’t think so.” Yeosang’s gentle fingers in his hair eased him little by little. “You’d be awful if you tried pressuring him, or treated him poorly for going through with it. But you’re not awful for wanting.” 

“Should I tell him?” 

“Eventually maybe. Not now though. He’s still sensitive about the whole thing.” 

“Thank you for listening to me.” 

“I’ll always listen.” Yeosang booped Yunho’s nose. “Come on, let’s go meet up with Wooyoung for dinner.” 

“Actually, I think I’m gonna go see if Hongjoong’s in his studio.” Yunho pulled himself off the floor. “Kind of want to talk to him too.” 

“Okay. Don’t stay too late.” Yunho smiled and kissed Yeosang’s cheek. 

“I’ll see you at home.”

He did find Hongjoong in his studio, the alpha fiddling with a few different sounds on his computer. Yunho draped himself over Hongjoong’s shoulders, startling the older. 

“Hello.” Hongjoong smiled when he realized who it was. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“I need a reason to spend time with my alpha?” It wasn’t uncommon for members of the pack to come into Hongjoong or Mingi’s studios and just hang out while they worked. 

“I guess not.” Hongjoong allowed Yunho to place a wet kiss on his cheek. Yunho looked curiously at the frame on Hongjoong’s desk housing the photo from Seonghwa’s first ultrasound. Hongjoong noticed his staring and chuckled. “Can’t blame me for being happy.” 

“No. I can’t.” Yunho wasn’t sure if his tone or his scent gave him away, but Hongjoong spun around in his chair with a frown.

“Are you not happy?” 

“No, of course I am.” Yunho assured him, dropping down on the couch. “It’s not about Seonghwa and the twins.” Hongjoong gave him a sad smile, immediately picking up on what was bothering him. 

“You know, he was terrified to tell you.” Hongjoong said. “Mingi knew it would break your heart to find out. It killed him to hurt you like that.” 

“Part of me wishes he didn’t tell me.” Yunho found himself picking at his nails to avoid looking at Hongjoong. 

“You don’t mean that.” He didn’t. “I know you love Mingi too much to have let him go through that on his own.” 

“I wish I could stop picturing them.” Yunho confessed. “I keep seeing this little pup with Mingi’s eyes and that sweet little pout of his. And no matter how hard I try I can’t make that picture go away.” He couldn’t help but start to tear up. “It feels so stupid to get upset over something that wasn’t even really anything. And… I know I’d hate myself if I’d tried to make Mingi go through with it. And he’d hate me. But I am upset about it. I’m upset that what I wanted was right there and it was taken away. And I just need to be upset about it and I feel like I can’t.” 

“It’s a complicated situation.” Hongjoong agreed. “Why don’t you hide out here with me for a while? You can be as upset as you need to be.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Yunho wiped angrily at his eyes, feeling stupid and foolish and small. “Every time I start to feel sad, I think about how miserable Mingi would have been if he’d changed his mind for me. And I feel like an ass all over again. I’m the one who’s not letting me be sad.” Hongjoong gave him a look that almost seemed like pity. He got up from his chair and moved beside Yunho on the couch to pull him in. It was a little awkward, Yunho’s much larger body curling against itself to fit in Hongjoong’s embrace, but the comfort of his alpha was welcome as he let his tears fall freely. 

Hongjoong allowed him to cry as long as he needed. He didn’t say anything, there was nothing he could say. It was a shit situation all around. He wasn’t equipped to handle something like this. None of them were. All he could do was be there for his mates and offer them whatever comfort he could. 

By the time Yunho was done crying, he was out of breath, hiccuping between short breaths. He’d sufficiently soaked the shoulder of Hongjoong’s shirt with his tears. 

“Did the cry help?” Yunho nodded against his neck. 

“I needed to just… feel it for a little while.” 

“I understand.” Hongjoong squeezed him. “Why don’t we go get some food? My treat.” 

“Your treat?” Yunho picked his head up. “We haven’t had a date just the two of us in a while.” 

“Well I’ll just have to rectify that.” Hongjoong stood, pulling Yunho up with him. “It's going to be okay, Yunho.”

“I know it is.” Yunho wiped the last of his tears away, looking over at the framed picture on Hongjoong’s desk with a smile. “Besides, we have two perfect little pups on the way. And I’m so excited for them.” Hongjoong smiled up at him. 

“Come on. Let me take you on that date.” 

…

Hongjoong and Yunho stumbled into the house, giggling like fools. They’d gotten dinner and talked over one or two too many bottles of soju, so they were just on the right side of tipsy. Yunho had his hands on Hongjoong’s hips, pressing him up against the door. 

“How do you want it?” Hongjoong asked. 

“Can I fuck you?” Hongjoong grinned wickedly. Despite being the pack alpha, Hongjoong loved handing over control to Yunho and/or Jongho in the bedroom. 

“Lead the way then.” They moved down the hall, bumping into walls as they tried to make it to Yunho’s room without separating. If anyone else was home, they didn’t notice. They giggled against each other's lips, falling onto the bed together and tugging at each other's clothes. 

“You smell so good.” Yunho moaned, latching onto Hongjoong’s throat to take in his smoke, thick with arousal. 

“Thought you were going to fuck me.” Hongjoong rolled his hips, the bulge in his pants pressing against Yunho’s own in a way that had both of them moaning. 

“I’m, fuck, I’m getting there.” Yunho continued rutting against Hongjoong, keeping that delicious friction between them. Hongjoong looked positively sinful laid out beneath him. Hair a mess and lips red and puffy from kissing. Hongjoong was probably the prettiest alpha in the world. 

When Yunho first met Hongjoong, he was so sure he was an omega. His lovely, delicate features and lithe body were hypnotic, and Yunho had been instantly captivated by him. To be honest though, Yunho didn’t care what Hongjoong’s dynamic was, Yunho wanted him. And when Hongjoong had kissed him one late night after spending too long staring at unchanging lyrics, Yunho was giddy. And when Hongjoong gave him his ear cuff asking if he could court him, Yunho will admit that he cried. 

“What are you thinking about?” Hongjoong asked, pulling him back to the present. 

“How lucky I am to be your mate.” Yunho kissed him. “How beautiful you are.” Yunho kissed down his throat. 

“Feeling sentimental?” 

“Perhaps I am.” 

“Care to share?” Hongjoong played with the hem of Yunho’s shirt. 

“I thought you wanted me to fuck you?” 

“We can still do that.” Hongjoong moved to fully remove his shirt. “But you’re cute when you’re sentimental. And I want to know what’s got you looking all starry eyed.” 

“I was just thinking about how I fell in love with you the minute I saw you.” Yunho started undoing the buttons of Hongjoong’s shirt. “And if someone had told me that day that all these years later, I’d be a part of your pack, one of your mates, preparing to raise twins with six other mates we love more than anything, I don’t think I would be able to believe them.” 

“Well it’s real. It’s happening.” Hongjoong pulled him down to connect their lips again. 

The rest of their clothes joined Yunho’s shirt on the floor quickly, their hands roaming each other's bodies. Yunho blindly reached towards the nightstand, fumbling to find the bottle of lube he kept there. 

“How do you want me?” Hongjoong asked. 

“Just like this.” Yunho kissed his jaw. “I want to see your face.” 

“Sap.” Yunho playfully nipped Hongjoong’s shoulder at the teasing. 

“I mean, I could flip you over and fuck you until your crying on my knot.” 

“Hmmm. Don’t threaten me with a good time.” Hongjoong rolled his hips again, their cocks sliding against each other. “So, do you want it sweet, or do you want it rough?”

“Decisions decisions.” Yunho began trailing kisses and bites down Hongjoong’s chest, stopping to pay special attention to his nipples. 

Yunho’s skilled mouth continued to move along his torso, leaving playful love bites on his tan skin. He seemed to become distracted by Hongjoong’s warm body beneath him, and the older was shaking with anticipation as Yunho got closer and closer to his cock. Yunho reached his cock, licking a stripe from base to tip. Hongjoong whined. Yunho grabbed the bottle of lube, the cap clicking open. 

“I can still make you cry on your back.” Yunho decided. “And that way I can see your pretty eyes shiny with tears.” Yunho was fibbing just a little. While he enjoyed topping his alpha, asking him to submit and present himself felt wrong. 

“If you insist.” Hongjoong spread his legs wider. “Come get me then.” 

Yunho took his time as he stretched him. He knew Hongjoong liked a bit of pain, but if he was going to knot him, he wanted to make sure he was comfortable. He brushed his fingers against his prostate every few thrusts, leaving Hongjoong desperate for more. 

“Are… oh… are you just… fuck… going to tease me all night?” Hongjoong whined. Yunho loved it when he got whiny. His elf-like features twisted in pleasure as Yunho pulled the most beautiful sounds from him. 

“Maybe I just want to see how loud you can get.” Yunho curled his fingers, eliciting another moan from Hongjoong. “See if I can make everyone hear how good I’m making our pretty pack alpha feel.” 

“Ho-hoping for an audience?” Hongjoong’s back arched up off the bed. “Don’t stop. Don’t fucking stop!” 

“Don’t blow your knot too soon.” Yunho retracted his fingers and wiped them on the sheet, deciding Hongjoong was stretched enough. “Gotta make it last.” Yunho lifted one of Hongjoong’s leg, hooking it over his shoulder as he slowly sank into him. Even with Yunho’s careful prepping, he was tight. His walls squeezed him deliciously and Yunho couldn’t hold back the moan as he sunk deeper into him. Hongjoong’s head was thrown back, mouth open in a silent moan as he took him inside. 

Fully sheathed inside him, Yunho once again took a moment to marvel at the beauty of the alpha beneath him. The flush of his cheeks matched the pretty pink of the bites Yunho had left behind, and he was tempted to leave more. He didn’t fight the urge and began nipping at the inside of Hongjoong’s calf to match the marks on his chest. He moved, pulling out and thrusting back into him at a slow pace. 

Yunho felt suddenly overcome with emotion as he fucked into his mate. Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, his hips not stopping their movements. How lucky was he? To live such a beautiful life with his pack? To have such a beautiful alpha mate? 

Hongjoong, eyes closed as he lost himself to the pleasure, hadn’t noticed Yunho’s shift in demeanor until an audible sob slipped from his lips. His eyes snapped open, instincts kicking in immediately. 

“Hey.” Hongjoong reached out for him. “What happened? What’s wrong?” 

“I just love you so fucking much.” Yunho’s hips never stopped their movements. “You feel so fucking good. I can’t believe you're mine.” Hongjoong couldn’t help but smile. 

“I’m yours and you’re mine.” Hongjoong moved his leg so he could pull Yunho down closer to him. He pressed a hard kiss to Yunho’s lips, letting all the love he had for the alpha spill into it. “My mate. My pack.” Yunho groaned, hiding his face in Hongjoong’s neck as his thrusts picked up speed. “I’m close. Go on. Knot me.” Hongjoong’s fingers tangled in Yunho’s hair, his mate's head moving to expose Hongjoong’s bite on his throat. It was one of two he’d left on his mates. His alpha mark sat pretty on all of their necks, while his mating mark sat on their spines with the rest of their bites. Hongjoong sank blunt teeth into the mark on Yunho’s throat. He didn’t break skin, but the bruise that was sure to be left behind would be a nice reminder to Yunho of exactly where he belonged. 

Yunho’s knot popped, the alpha crying out as he came. The stretch burned, on just the right side of pain, causing Hongjoong to release as well and smearing cum between their bodies. 

Yunho’s body shook against Hongjoong’s, the alpha pulling himself impossibly closer to him. They laid in silence, just enjoying each other's presence. They stayed close long after Yunho’s knot went down. 

“Hey there.” A soft voice said from the side of the bed. Yunho peeled his face away from Hongjoong’s neck to find Seonghwa smiling down at them. “Looks like you two had fun.” 

“Mhm.” Yunho reached out for him. “C’mere.” 

“Not until you two get cleaned up.” Seonghwa chuckled. “You seem in a better mood.” Yunho’s easy demeanor fell. 

“Was it that easy to tell?” 

“We know you too well, Love.” Hongjoong kissed his chest. 

“If it makes a difference, I don’t think Mingi’s noticed.” Seonghwa said. “He kept saying how wonderful you’ve been when he went with me for my appointment today.” 

“I’ve been trying.”

“I know you have.” 

“How are the pups?” Hongjoong reached out, slipping a hand under Seonghwa’s shirt. It was rare anymore to see the two of them in the same place and Hongjoong’s hand not be on his belly. A belly which now sported the tiniest of bumps, just above the waistband of his pants.  

“Growing well. Dr. Park says they’re looking great.” Seonghwa was just about to enter his second trimester, and was positively glowing. Yunho didn’t know if it was just the fact that he was his mate, or the things he’d heard about pregnancy glow were real, but Seonghwa looked more beautiful than ever. He didn’t look pregnant per-se, but he looked different. 

As of right now, his pregnancy was under wraps. Save for Felix and his pack, thanks to Wooyoung letting it slip last week when he, San, and Yeosang went to visit. The omega immediately reached out to Seonghwa to congratulate him and share his excitement that their babies would grow up together. Yunho couldn’t lie that the thought made him happy as well, that their pups would have that. 

“Come on now.” Seonghwa urged them up and out of bed. “Go clean yourselves up. I’ll change the sheets.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Yunho said. “I’ll change them when we’re done. You go rest.” 

“I may be pregnant, but I can still do things.” Seonghwa crossed his arms over his chest. “We will not be treating me any differently while I’m carrying these pups. I’m still fully capable of doing everything I used to do until Dr. Park says otherwise. Am I making myself clear?” 

“I didn’t mean…” Hongjoong and Yunho looked at each other for a moment. “You’re right. Sorry, Love.” 

“I appreciate your concern for me and our babies. But I promise I’m fine to change some sheets.” 

“Of course you are. I’m sorry.” Seonghwa smiled softly, and kissed both of their cheeks. 

“Go. I’ve got it in here.” He shooed them off. “I love you both.”

“Love you too.” They both said. 

Chapter Text

Wooyoung sat on the edge of the bathtub, nerves frayed. Yeosang sat on the closed toilet while San sat beside him. A pregnancy test sat face down on Wooyoung’s other side. He hadn’t been feeling different since his heat, and no one had noticed his scent changing at all, but Wooyoung still hoped. 

“If I’m not…” he started to say.

“We can always try again.” San said easily. “We don’t need to rush it.” 

“But I want it so bad.” Wooyoung looked down at the test. He’d quietly hoped he and Seonghwa would be pregnant together. To go through the process alongside one another. 

“It’s now or never, Youngie.” Yeosang urged. Wooyoung gulped, picking up the test with shaking hands.

NOT PREGNANT

“It’s negative.” He dropped the test on the floor, hiding his face in his hands. 

“It’s okay.” San hugged him close. “There’s always your next heat.”

“But why couldn’t it have been this one?” 

…

Interviews, if Seonghwa was being honest, were probably the worst part of the job. Or at least the most boring. Sure, they tried to make them more fun with games, but Hongjoong typically took the lead and the rest of them just followed along. 

They were currently all gathered for another google search interview, Seonghwa sat in the back behind Mingi so the camera wouldn’t show his quickly growing belly. It was hard enough to hide in loose clothing, though still only 14 weeks along, and was almost impossible to miss when he was sitting. 

The twins were growing quickly, much to his delight, and he was absolutely enamored with the growing swell of his stomach as they did. His mates had caught him a number of times already admiring his bump in the mirror, smiling like a fool. He couldn’t help it though, he was deliriously happy. 

Right now, however, he was bored out of his wits. None of the questions had been too entertaining thus far, and Wooyoung’s energy had been keeping the focus on his end, so Seonghwa was more or less just there to look pretty. Which wasn’t exactly a chore, but he’d like to at least have a little fun. 

This did take a more entertaining turn when Hongjoong started reading off the searches for specific members, and Seonghwa found himself laughing so hard his belly hurt. 

“Wooyoung’s turn.” Hongjoong mused as he was handed the board. 

“The answer is yes. To all.” Wooyoung said. 

“Careful now.” Seonghwa said, enjoying the happy energy the pack had taken on. “You could be agreeing to some crazy things.” 

“Okay okay.” Hongjoong reached for the first tab. “Does ATEEZ Wooyoung twerk?”

“Yes I do!” Wooyoung jumped from his seat to demonstrate, shaking his butt in Yeosang’s face. The beta in question swatted at him, but couldn’t contain his laughter. “Thank you. Next!” He dropped back down at his seat. 

“Next one.” Hongjoong peeled the next paper. “Who is ATEEZ Wooyoung's favorite member?”

“It depends on what he wants.” Yunho teased. “Whoever he wants something from is his new favorite.” 

“You’re right.” Wooyoung turned to him. “Yunho, you’re my favorite. Gimme 5000 won.” He held out his hand, making Yunho burst into laughter. 

“Alright, next question.” Hongjoong pulled the paper away. “Is ATEEZ Wooyoung…” Hongjoong hesitated, not wanting to read the question. 

“Am I what?” Wooyoung asked. 

“Is ATEEZ Wooyoung pregnant?” The entire group paused, all of them hesitant to look Wooyoung’s way. 

“Well, that’s not appropriate.” Yeosang grumbled. Wooyoung’s omega status, as well as the group's mating, was public knowledge, so it wasn’t uncommon for them to receive relationship related questions. But that particular question shocked them.

“No. I’m not.” Wooyoung wrapped his arms around his middle, curling in on himself a bit. He looked sad. 

“Can we take a minute?” Seonghwa asked the producer. The woman nodded. “Thank you.” Seonghwa rose from his seat and collected Wooyoung, leading him back into the green room. 

“I took a test yesterday.” He admitted quietly once they were alone. “It’s been a month since my heat. I should be able to tell by now. It was negative. Sannie and Sangie were with me.” 

“Oh, Youngie, I’m sorry.” Seonghwa hugged him tight, noting the beginnings of tears in his eyes. “It’s going to happen. You just have to be patient.” 

“I want it so bad.” 

“I know, Lovely.” Seonghwa rubbed soothing circles on his back. “It was only your first heat off the birth control. We have plenty of opportunities to try again.” 

“You didn’t even need a heat.” Seonghwa could hear the pout in his voice. “You’d only been off of it for like, two weeks.” 

“I got lucky. I never expected to conceive so quickly. You have to give it time for all those chemicals to leave your system.” 

“You know I’m impatient.” Seonghwa chuckled. 

“I know.” 

“Why would they even ask that question?”

“To get a rise out of us. You know there’s always one.” 

“Hey.” Hongjoong stepped into the room. “I talked to the producer. They’re going to cut that part from the video.” Seonghwa had a feeling the ‘talk’ Hongjoong claimed to have had was more likely him scaring the daylights out of the woman. Hongjoong was terrifying when he wanted to be, especially when one of his mates were hurt. He wasn’t a member of the demon line for nothing. 

“Thank you.” 

“Come here, Young-ah.” Seonghwa transferred their upset mate into Hongjoong’s waiting arms. “I’m sorry, Baby.”

“Can we go home?” Wooyoung fell into his arms willingly. 

“Soon. We still have to finish the shoot, unfortunately.” Wooyoung whined.

“Such is the life, I’m afraid.” Seonghwa kissed the top of his head. “But the minute we get home, we can all snuggle up in the nest. How does that sound?”

“And we can order kimchi fried rice?”

“Yes, we can order kimchi fried rice.” 

“Okay.”

“Are you okay to go back out, or do you need another minute?” 

“I’m okay.” Wooyoung pulled himself away from Hongjoong. “Let’s get this over with so we can go home.” 

“Alright, Baby. Come on.” Seonghwa and Hongjoong each took one of his hands. It was a little awkward maneuvering down the narrow hall back to the sound stage, but they managed. Everyone was waiting for them, Yeosang still sat on his stool silently seething and staring daggers at the producer. 

“Give him some space.” Hongjoong instructed as he led Wooyoung back to his seat next to Yeosang and in front of San, the two betas moving closer as if to protect him. “Just an hour left, tops. Then we can all go home and love on our boy.” 

“Are you okay?” San asked quietly. 

“I’m alright, San-ah.” Wooyoung forced a smile. “I just want to finish recording and go home.” San placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

…

They finally finished the shoot, Wooyoung’s energy much more subdued for the remainder of filming. It would definitely be noticeable to atiny when the video went up in a few weeks, and Seonghwa just hoped they could shield him from the worst of the prodding. They loved their fans, but sometimes they were too invasive of their personal lives. They were planning on making the announcement about Seonghwa’s pregnancy soon, so hopefully that would take some of the attention away from him. 

Seonghwa was excited about that bit. About not having to keep his joy under wraps. He had done a few lives for atiny since finding out, and it was almost impossible for him not to talk about it and show off. 

For now though, he had to make sure his youngest omega was alright. 

Seonghwa took Wooyoung into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, and delicately undressed Wooyoung as the water warmed. 

“I’m okay.” Wooyoung tried to assure him. “You don’t have to baby me.”

“But I like doing it.” Seonghwa kissed him. “Besides, who says I’m babying you? Maybe I just want to get you naked and wet?” Wooyoung couldn’t help but giggle against his lips. 

“Well if that’s the case.” Seonghwa laughed and led him under the spray. “You make a compelling argument.” 

“I also want to take care of you.” He confessed once they were fully in the shower. “Can I do that?”

“I’m okay.” Wooyoung insisted. “Really.”

“You know that doesn’t work on me.” Wooyoung deflated. 

“Yes, the question upset me. But only because it’s so fresh.” Seonghwa turned him around to start washing his hair. “I know we have time, and we don’t need to rush it. But I wanted us to have our babies at the same time.” 

“Oh, Wooyoungie.” 

“Is that silly?” 

“It’s sweet.” Seonghwa moved him to rinse out his hair. “I would have liked that too.” 

“I guess my future babies having two awesome big siblings is okay too.” 

“You know, I get to find out the genders in a few weeks.” Seonghwa massaged the conditioner into his scalp. “Do you want to come with me for that appointment?” 

“Really?” 

“I thought about going alone so I could surprise you all, but it would be nice to have you there.” Wooyoung decided it was Seonghwa’s turn to have his hair washed, and started working on the older omega. Seonghwa chuckled. “I thought I was taking care of you.”

“You are. And I want to take care of you too.” Wooyoung kissed his nose. “I’d love to go with you.” 

They washed one another with gentle hands, sharing sweet kisses between them as the water turned cold. When they couldn’t take the chilly spray any longer, Seonghwa dried Wooyoung off with one of the fluffy towels he’d set aside for them, and allowed Wooyoung to do the same. Seonghwa then brought Wooyoung to his room and dressed him in his own clothes. Seonghwa’s omega swelled with affection over seeing Wooyoung so claimed by him. 

The rest of the pack was already waiting for them in the nest, a takeout bag placed in the middle. Normally, Seonghwa would scold his mates for eating in the nest, but today he’d let it slide. 

“Just in time.” San held his arms open for Wooyoung to crawl into them. “Food just arrived.” Seonghwa settled in against Yunho, the alpha happily accepting cuddles. Seonghwa watched fondly as Wooyoung relaxed more and more, cuddling up to San, the two of them being fed by Hongjoong. 

There was suddenly a pair of chopsticks in his line of vision, a piece of kimchi held to his mouth. Seonghwa accepted the bite of food, smiling at Yunho. Yunho kissed his head, picking another bite of food for him. He held out a piece of pork belly for the omega. The smell hit his nose, immediately churning his stomach and sending him running to the bathroom to throw up. 

A warm hand rubbed soothing circles on his back and someone was holding his hair back. He fell back against the waiting body when the nausea finally passed. 

“I guess the pups don’t like pork belly.” Mingi mused, a bit of a chuckle in his voice. 

“Nooo.” Seonghwa whined, looking down at his bump. “You two are really going to make me go without pork belly? You don’t give me morning sickness, but this is where you draw the line?” 

“It’s not so bad. It’s only, what, six more months?” Seonghwa gave him an unimpressed look. “You’re right, it sucks.” Mingi helped him up off the floor and left him to brush his teeth. 

“You okay, Star?” Hongjoong asked as he rejoined them in the nest, all the pork belly suspiciously missing. 

“No. Your pups are torturing me.” Seonghwa dropped his weight against Hongjoong.

“Oh, they’re just my pups now, huh?” They all noticed the spike in Hongjoong’s scent at the acknowledgement that it was, in fact, him who sired the pups growing in Seonghwa’s belly. 

“They are when they’re mean to me.” Hongjoong laughed and kissed his head. “You shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy pork belly either. In solidarity.” 

“I’ll think about it.” 

“I suppose it could be worse. They’ve been nice to their damma so far.”  Seonghwa rubbed his bump. “I knew it would bite me in the ass sooner or later. If I have to stay away from a food or two until they’re here, I guess that’s okay.” 

“I’ll get you all the pork belly you want once they’re here.” Hongjoong promised. “And whatever else they decide they don’t like.” 

“Aw, such a sweet alpha.” Wooyoung cooed, still curled up against San. “So good to our Luna.” His scent was much lighter than before, finally feeling more relaxed after the uncomfortable interaction of the afternoon. Hongjoong swatted at him playfully, Wooyoung sticking out his tongue in response. 

“Do you think you can eat a little more?” Yunho asked Seonghwa. “They seemed okay with the kimchi.” 

“I’m just going to make myself some tea.” Seonghwa said. “My stomach is still upset.”

“I’ll go make a cup for you.” Jongho offered. “The peppermint?”

“Yes. Thank you.” Jongho nodded, accepting the kiss on the cheek offered by Seonghwa before he went to complete the task. 

“Will you try later at least?” Yunho requested. 

“Oh, I’ll probably be ravenous later.” Seonghwa assured him. “The pups like to eat. Everything but pork belly I suppose.” 

“We’re going to hear about this for the rest of your pregnancy, aren’t we?” Yeosang asked, his voice teasing. 

“Imagine if you couldn’t eat chicken for six months.” Seonghwa challenged. 

“Okay. I see your point.” 

“It may not be six months.” San offered, not unhelpfully. “They could come early.”

“As if that concern hadn’t already crossed my mind.” Jongho returned, handing the tea over to Seonghwa before entering the nest. “Thank you, Love.” 

“What concern?” He asked. 

“That the twins could be early.” Seonghwa frowned, his scent souring. “I know it’s a high possibility given the circumstances. But what if one of them is too little? What if there’s problems?”

“Then the doctors will take care of them.” Hongjoong assured him. “Our babies are going to be just fine.” 

“You can’t promise that.” Seonghwa felt himself get teary eyed, his emotions getting the better of him. 

“I’m sorry, Hwa.” San reached out to Seonghwa to comfort him, even with Wooyoung on his lap still. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“But we should talk about it.” Seonghwa insisted through his tears. “Because it’s a possibility.” 

“We’ll discuss it with Dr. Park at your next appointment.” Hongjoong promised. “She’ll be able to give us some peace of mind. For now, there’s no sense worrying about it. They’re safe and healthy right now.” 

“I don’t want anything to happen to them.” 

“I know, Star. And that’s what’s going to make you such a good dam.” 

“Why don’t we think about something else.” Yeosang suggested gently, not wanting to see their Luna in so much distress. “We have a few days off coming up. We should think of something fun to do.” 

“Those days off are because of Jongho’s rut.” Yunho reminded him. “We’ll have plenty of fun.” 

“Who says you’ll be having any fun?” Jongho challenged. 

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t like throwing me and Yuyu around.” Hongjoong flashed a flirty grin. “That’s lots of fun.” 

“It’s definitely fun to watch.” Wooyoung added. Seonghwa found that he was no longer crying as he witnessed his mates’ interaction, but rather giggling through his tears. He met Wooyoung’s eyes, the younger omega smiling fondly at him. 

He needed to get his omegas alone again. It had been too long since he’d had them too himself. And they’d been dealing with so much, he wanted to spoil them. 

Wooyoung was suddenly distracted by his phone ringing. 

“It’s Changbin.” He said. “He’s video calling me.” The omega answered, immediately being greeted with the image of Felix holding a precious baby wrapped in a pink blanket. “Oh my god!” 

“Meet Jinae.” Changbin introduced the little pup proudly. “Arrived yesterday. She’s absolutely perfect.”

“She’s so precious.” Seonghwa cooed. “How are you feeling, Felix?”

“Really good, actually.” Felix had the sweetest smile as he looked down at the pup. “Little one put me through twenty hours of labor. But it was all worth it.”  

“Congratulations.” Hongjoong said. “She’s beautiful.” 

“I wanna squish her sweet little face.” Wooyoung said, pinching at the screen. “When can we meet her?”

“We’ll let you all know soon. Right now we want to bond as a family. Probably no guests for a bit.” 

“Of course. No rush.” Seonghwa assured him. 

“Glad you’re doing well, Felix.” San said. 

“Make sure to get some rest.” Yunho instructed. “We’re really happy for you guys.” 

“Will do.” The pup began to fuss in his arms. “I should go. Someone needs some attention.” They bid their goodbyes, cooing over the baby a little longer before they ended the call. 

“I can’t wait for that.” Seonghwa admitted softly. “To see you all holding our babies.”

“I can’t wait to hold them.” Hongjoong kissed his head. 

Chapter Text

Some time had passed before Seonghwa found the time to steal away Mingi and Wooyoung for some much overdue omega time. The pair had been particularly clingy with him all day, so he took the opportunity to get them alone and into his nest. 

“I’ve missed you two.” He confessed, kissing along Wooyoung’s throat, hand running down Mingi’s chest. “Haven’t spoiled my babies in a while.” 

“So neglectful.” Wooyoung teased. “How will you make it up to us?” 

“I can make a few suggestions.” Mingi offered. 

“Do tell.” Seonghwa moved his lips from Wooyoung to Mingi. “What can I do to make you both feel good?” 

“I want to fuck you while you fuck Youngie.” Seonghwa hummed against Mingi’s skin. 

“I like the sound of that. Do you like the sound of that, Youngie?”

“Oh, fuck yes.” Wooyoung moaned, a sinful sound that had Seonghwa leaking. “Please.” 

“Why don’t you put us where you want us.” Seonghwa suggested to Mingi. “Since it was your idea.” 

“Can I taste you first?” 

“Why do you get to taste him?” Wooyoung whined. “I bet he tastes so good now that he’s pregnant.” 

“We can share.” Mingi offered. Seonghwa moaned at the idea of handing himself over to both of his omegas. “Someone likes that.” 

“Lay down, Luna.” Wooyoung instructed, maneuvering Seonghwa onto his back. “Let us take care of you for a bit.” Seonghwa hummed pleasantly, the two undressing him. The feeling of both sets of lips and hands on his skin was sending him hurtling towards incoherence almost embarrassingly fast. His libido had been fairly low during his first trimester, but recently it was like a hairpin trigger. The simplest touch from one of his mates made him putty in their hands. He was squirming under their ministrations, and they hadn’t even really touched him yet. 

“Desperate, Pretty?” Wooyoung teased, hand running over his chest. He was incredibly sensitive there, and Wooyoung noticed. He pinched his nipples, pulling pretty noises from Seonghwa. His mouth latched onto one, his fingers giving attention to the other. 

“Love your tits.” Wooyoung nipped at his chest. “So pretty. Can’t wait until they get bigger.”

While Wooyoung worked his chest, Mingi trailed kisses down his body. He worshiped the tight skin of his rounded belly where their babies were safely nestled in his womb. Seonghwa was whining, incoherently begging one of them to touch him. 

“We are touching you.” Mingi said, his hand coming close to where Seonghwa wanted him, but not quite touching. Seonghwa bucked his hips, trying to get Mingi’s hand to move to where he wanted it. 

“Have we teased you enough?” Wooyoung asked. 

“ Please.” Seonghwa sounded completely debauched. Mingi finally settled between his legs, licking a fat stripe over his leaking hole. “Fuck!” 

“How does he taste?” Wooyoung asked. 

“So good.” Mingi moaned. “Like the sweetest dessert.” Mingi licked at him again. “You should taste him.” 

“Don’t mind if I do.” Wooyoung fit himself between Seonghwa’s legs alongside Mingi. The pair took turns licking into him, one fucking him with their tongue while the other took his cock in their mouth. Seonghwa was shaking, hurdling quickly towards an orgasm. He didn’t know what to do with himself, his hands gripping the pillow under his head for something to hold onto. 

He screamed, vision whiting out as he came, Mingi’s mouth on his cock and Wooyoung drinking up his slick. His skin was buzzing, nerves humming. As his eyes focused, he was greeted with the sight of Wooyoung and Mingi making out heavily. He reached out for them, wanting them close. 

“Come here.” He managed to get out, his voice raspy. The two moved willingly, caging Seonghwa in on either side. “I thought I was taking care of you.” 

“You always take care of us.” Mingi said. “Wooyoung and I wanted to take care of you.” 

“Did you plan this?”

“Maybe.” Wooyoung admitted coyly. “Now, can you handle more? Or are you tired?”

“I think Mingi had made a very compelling suggestion.” Seonghwa pulled Wooyoung in for a kiss, tasing himself on his lips. “Why don’t you get on your knees for me, Lovely?” 

“Thought you’d never ask.” Wooyoung rushed to do as he was told, presenting for him. 

“Isn’t he so pretty, Min?”

“Fucking gorgeous.” Mingi reached over, smacking one of Wooyoung’s ass cheeks and earning a high pitched moan. Seonghwa pulled himself up onto his knees behind Wooyoung and took one cheek in each hand, spreading him open. 

“Oh.” He said curiously. “You really did plan this.” Seonghwa stared at the gem, set into the end of the plug Wooyoung had fit snugly inside himself. His thumb ran over it, gently pressing it and pulling a whine from the omega. “Eager, aren’t we?” 

“So eager.” Wooyoung pushed his hips back. “What are you waiting for?” 

“Absolutely nothing.” Seonghwa teased the plug for a moment, enjoying the sounds Wooyoung made in response, and pulled it out slowly. He wasted no time lining himself up and sinking into Wooyoung’s inviting heat. “Mhh. So wet and ready for me.” He slid in easily, hips meeting Wooyoung’s ass. He thrusted a few times, feeling Wooyoung relax around him. “Mingi. Mingi please.” 

“I’ve got you.” Mingi grabbed his hips, sinking into him slowly. “Fuck. How are you still so tight?” 

“Complaining?” Seonghwa felt so good sandwiched between his two perfect omegas. Having Mingi inside him while he was inside Wooyoung was making him near dizzy with lust. 

“Not at all.” Mingi took his time pressing every inch into Seonghwa. For an omega, Mingi had an impressive cock, and Seonghwa and Wooyoung loved taking it whenever they could. 

Finally fully sheathed inside, Mingi paused for a moment so they could relax a bit. When he was ready, he moved his hips a little, forcing Seonghwa impossibly deeper into Wooyoung. 

“Fuck.” Wooyoung cursed. “Move. Please.” Mingi complied, pulling out of Seonghwa to the tip, moving the older’s hips back as well. It was like Mingi was using Seonghwa to fuck Wooyoung and Seonghwa loved it. He let Mingi take control, he moaned and Wooyoung cried out beneath him. Seonghwa wanted to pull him closer, trail kisses along his golden skin, but he had no control over his body. Not that he could easily pull Wooyoung against him, his belly getting in the way. 

He hurdled towards the finish line, Wooyoung tightening wonderfully around him as he got closer as well. He tried to hold out until both of them finished, but he didn’t know how much longer he could. He was overstimulated by all of the sensations around him. Of filling and being filled. The intoxicating scent of slick and sex. The moans and cries of his lovers as they used him for their pleasure. 

Wooyoung came with a shout, making a mess of the nest below him. He collapsed into his mess, Seonghwa continuing to be fucked into him by Mingi. 

“Go on.” Mingi urged. “Let go. He wants you to fill him up. Right, Woo?”

“Fill me up.” Wooyoung repeated. “Want my Luna to fill me up.” Seonghwa could only do as he was told, orgasm ripping through him and unloading into Wooyoung’s eager hole. Mingi breathed heavily against his ear, not far off. 

“You feel so good.” He moaned. “Could stay inside you forever.” His hips snapped erratically against him, breath catching. “Gonna cum. Gonna fill you up so good.”

“Go on.” Seonghwa urged. Mingi bit his shoulder, blunt teeth latching onto his skin as he came. 

Seonghwa quickly started to get uncomfortable in their current position, his lower back straining to keep himself elevated above Wooyoung. 

“Okay.” He said, breathing heavily. “I need to lie down now.” Mingi pulled out quickly, making him hiss. 

“Sorry.” He helped Seonghwa ease out of Wooyoung, the younger omega whining in protest. Seonghwa winced a little as Mingi assisted him into a reclined position. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.” He placed a reassuring hand on Mingi’s cheek. “We’re just going to have to be more careful about positions from now on.” 

“I can get you a heating pad.” Mingi offered. “Or run a bath.” 

“Just a heating pad right now. I don’t want to move.” Wooyoung moved closer to cuddle up against him. “Hi, Lovely.” 

“I’ll be right back.” Mingi kissed him sweetly and dipped down to kiss Wooyoung as well. Seonghwa accepted the careful cuddles from Wooyoung. 

“I missed this.” Wooyoung said. 

“I did too.” Mingi returned quickly with the heating pad, as well as a damp towel to clean them up with. 

“Mingi-ah, Come cuddle with us.” Wooyoung requested. 

“After I clean you both up.” Mingi giggled as he set to work cleaning up the mess of slick and cum between Seonghwa’s legs. Seonghwa hummed in appreciation. 

“You two really planned to get me alone tonight, huh?” Seonghwa asked as Mingi moved on to cleaning up Wooyoung. 

“We’ve actually been trying to get you alone for the last week.” Wooyoung confessed. “Today we just took drastic measures.”

“You mean you took drastic measures.” Mingi corrected. He discarded the towel into Seonghwa’s hamper and set up the heating pad for him. “Here you go.”

“Thank you, Baby.” Once he was finally satisfied, Mingi joined them. 

“Okay, it was my idea.” Wooyoung admitted. “But you weren’t exactly complaining when you opened me up in the shower this morning.” 

“So that’s what took you both so long this morning.” Seonghwa had noticed they’d taken a while getting ready. They’d almost made everyone late going to the company. 

“You have no idea how hard it was going through the whole day like that.” Wooyoung pouted dramatically. “I almost gave in and begged Mingi to fuck me in his studio.” 

“And I almost did it.” Mingi was no stranger to sex in the studio. “But we wanted to wait to get you alone. Knew it would be more fun.” 

“I’m impressed you made it all day.” Seonghwa said. “Remember the last time you tried wearing a plug all day?” Wooyoung’s cheek turned red, hiding his face in Seonghwa’s neck. Wooyoung had insisted he could last through a whole day of rehearsals wearing one, and ended up being taken home early when he came in his pants. He cried from embarrassment for all of five minutes before Hongjoong and Seonghwa took him to bed and made him forget. 

“Did you like your surprise?” Mingi asked. 

“Oh, I loved it.” Seonghwa kissed both of them. “I meant it when I said I’ve missed you two. We’ve been too preoccupied with everything else I think.” 

“You mean baby making.” Wooyoung finished his thought. 

“Yes. I mean baby making.” Seonghwa shoved him playfully. “I’m serious though. I’m sorry if I made either of you think I’ve forgotten about you.” 

“You haven’t.” Mingi assured him. “You’ve been right by our sides the whole time. Through everything.” 

“How are you doing?” Seonghwa asked him. “After… you know…”

“Having an abortion?” Mingi couldn’t help the little laugh that slipped out. “Good, honestly. I don’t regret it one bit. And, while it sucks that it had to happen at all, it felt good to know I had everyone’s support.”

“Have you and Yunho talked about it since?” 

“Not as much as I’d like.” 

“What do you mean?” Wooyoung asked. 

“I know he’s hurt by the whole thing. He stuck by me the whole time, even though he was broken up about it. He wanted me to have his pup so bad.” Mingi sighed. “I just want him to know that I see his side. I just don’t know how to say it.” 

“You’ll figure it out.” Seonghwa assured him. “You and Yunho have always had a way with each other.” 

“It feels like we lost it a little. It just seems like we’re dancing around each other recently. Like, he’s not avoiding me, but it hasn’t been the same.” 

“You’ll find your way again. You always do.” Seonghwa kissed his cheek. 

“I know. It’s just hard right now.”

“I know. It’ll be okay.” Seonghwa nuzzled against him. “And you.” He then turned his attention to Wooyoung. “You are going to have your pups. It may take a while, but you will.” 

“Think maybe I’ll get lucky during Jongho’s rut?” There was hope in Wooyoung’s eyes. A hope Seonghwa didn’t want to dash, but he also didn’t want to see Wooyoung’s heart get broken again so quickly. 

“It’s possible.” He decided on saying. “But, you should remember that it could take a little more time for you. It might happen, it might not.” 

“I’m just worried that it won’t happen at all.” Wooyoung said softly. 

“Don’t give up hope, Lovely. Just be patient.” 

“Ugh! I’m so bad at that.” Wooyoung flopped down dramatically on his back. 

“You did pretty good today.” Mingi noted playfully. “Held out all day.” Wooyoung groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “You’ll have your pups when the time is right.” 

“Speaking of pups.” Seonghwa said. “I already asked Wooyoung, but my appointment to find out the genders is tomorrow. Do you want to come with me, Mingi?” 

“Really?” Mingi put his hand on Seonghwa’s belly. 

“I want you both there.” Seonghwa decided, taking Wooyoung’s hand and putting it on his bump. “Will you come?” 

“Of course I’ll be there.” 

“Then we can come up with a way to surprise our mates with the news.” 

“Sounds like fun.” Wooyoung said. “I’ve got so many ideas already.” Seonghwa smiled down at him, then suddenly paused, his smile faltering. “Hwa, what’s wrong?” Hongjoong’s scent on Seonghwa became intense, bright and warm, like how he smelled when he was happy. 

“You didn’t feel that?” Seonghwa started moving their hands around his bump.  

“Feel what?” 

“A kick. One of them kicked.” Seonghwa laughed, his scent sweet and light. “Come on, Babies. Show your other dammas.” 

“I don’t feel anything.” Mingi pouted. 

“It just happened.” Finally, they both felt the tiniest flutter of movement. “See. There.” 

“Oh my god.” Wooyoung whispered. They sat still for a long moment, waiting for more movement. When it didn’t come, Seonghwa deflated a bit. 

“Was that the first time?” Mingi asked. 

“It was.” 

“They’re growing so strong.” Wooyoung said, his voice filled with wonder and his hand searching for any more movement. “Hi, Babies. You just gave your dammas the most special gift.” 

“Your appas are going to be so jealous.” Mingi added. “Especially Appa Joongie.” 

“Oh Joongie will be so pouty he didn’t get to feel it first.” 

…

Seonghwa was giddy as they drove home from his doctor's appointment. Wooyoung had given him a fun idea for how to tell the pack, while also making their public announcement. Seonghwa was already so big, it was impossible for them to hide it anymore. Apparently, Wooyoung had already texted one of their managers to pick up all of the supplies they needed and to meet them at the company. 

It seemed like he also had texted the pack on where to meet as they were all gathered in the smaller dance studio when they arrived. Seonghwa immediately noted that Jongho looked tired, and moved to check on him. 

“Are you okay, Bear?” He felt his forehead. 

“Just tired right now.” Jongho assured him. “I think I’m in pre-rut.” 

“Do you want to go home? We can wait to do this a few more days.” 

“No, I’m fine.” Jongho took his hand off his forehead and held it. “I want to know. And I know our dongsaengs are in the other studio totally not eavesdropping.” It had been impossible to hide Seonghwa’s pregnancy from the younger pack, as they were constantly in close quarters. And, once Minjae had noticed the sonogram photo on Hongjoong’s desk, the rest of the pack found out quickly. 

“Let’s not keep them waiting then.” Seonghwa noticed Wooyoung busying himself with four water guns, handing two off to Mingi, along with a white shirt. “Are we going to have to put down towels for this?”

“Way ahead of you.” One of their managers, Taeyung, was already laying them out. 

“Mingi and I will be right back.” Wooyoung said.  “Seonghwa, you pick who gets the guns.” 

“Give them to Yuyu, Jjongie, Sannie, and Sangie.” Seonghwa decided easily. Wooyoung nodded and the two disappeared down the hall. 

“Why don’t I get one?” Hongjoong pouted. 

“Because you are going to come here.” Seonghwa reached out for him. “Put your hand here.” He placed one of his hands on his bump, right where one of the twins was kicking. Hongjoong looked down at his belly wide eyed. “They’ve been taking turns.” 

“You’re right. This is better.” Seonghwa laughed. “I’m never moving my hand again.” Wooyoung and Mingi came back and handed the guns off to their mates, each of them setting up on a towel wearing a white shirt. 

“Taeyung Hyung, can you record?” The manager took Seonghwa’s phone happily. “Alright, My Loves, time to find out what we’re having.” Hongjoong, true to his word, hadn’t moved his hand from Seonghwa’s belly as Yunho and Yeosang were handed Mingi’s guns and San and Jongho were given Wooyoung’s. “So, Mingi represents twin one, and Wooyoung represents twin two. The guns are filled with colored paint. Spray their shirts to find out!” 

“This was Wooyoung’s idea, wasn’t it?” Hongjoong asked. 

“It absolutely was.” Wooyoung confirmed proudly. 

“Come on.” Seonghwa pouted. “It’s fun.” 

“You’re right. Fire away!” The four aimed their guns and fired, Mingi’s shirt staining pink, and Wooyoung’s blue. “A girl and a boy?”

“A girl and a boy.” Seonghwa confirmed. “Are you happy?”

“I’m so happy.” Hongjoong smiled up at Seonghwa. “I would have been happy no matter what.”

“Oh it’s so exciting.” San cheered. “I have so many ideas for the nursery.” 

“Do you?” Wooyoung asked softly, smiling fondly at the beta. 

“Sannie, that’s so sweet.” Yunho cooed at him, wrapping him in a hug. “Our babies are gonna love their Appa Sannie.” 

“Yeah. Their Appa Sannie.” San smiled but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Did you do it yet?” Someone called from the hallway. “Can we come in now?” 

“Yes, you can come in now.” Hongjoong called back, laughing. All ten members of the Xikers pack stumbled into the room like they were pressed against the door listening. 

“I called it!” Hunter cheered once he saw Mingi and Wooyoung. “I told you all!”

“Were you all placing bets?” Mingi asked. 

“What? No.” Yechan said unconvincingly. “And you weren’t the only one who guessed a boy and a girl, Hunter. Jinsik and I said the same thing.” 

“You’re all ridiculous.” Minjae said, as if he wasn’t posted at the door along with the rest of them. “Congratulations, Hyungs.” 

“Thank you.” Seonghwa smiled at him. “I see some congratulations are in order for you all as well.” He noted the bite mark on the right side of Minjae’s neck. 

“Last weekend.” Minjae touched the bite mark, blushing. “Junmin has already been an amazing pack alpha. We decided we should make everything official.” 

“Glad to hear it.” Hongjoong said. “Why don’t you all come by the pack house soon? We’ll celebrate.” 

“We’d love to.” 

…

Seonghwa posted the clip of their little gender reveal celebration on his instagram the same night. The caption reading:

8 makes 1 team, but our pack will soon be 10. So excited to welcome our little loves. We can’t wait to meet you.

Along with the video, Seonghwa included several of the photos he’d gotten of his belly. As well as a sonogram photo. He then decided to shut his phone off for the night. He could deal with all of the messages and calls he’d receive in the morning.

Chapter Text

At twenty weeks along, Seonghwa was already constantly exhausted. Their schedule hadn’t slowed down even a fraction, the company trying to cram as much content in before the pack went on hiatus. He understood. They’d be gone for well over a year as they adjusted to parenthood, but that didn’t make it any easier on his body. A body that was already doing so much to grow their little ones.

One particular day had been harder on him than any. They’d been pulled from sound stage to sound stage, filming interviews and variety shows and this that and the other. Seonghwa was ready to all but collapse into bed by the time they dragged themselves into the cars at the end of the day. And it didn’t help that the twins, now that they’d started moving, didn’t seem to want to stop.

He got himself ready for bed mechanically. Showering, cleaning his face, and dressing himself in clothes he’d stolen from Yunho and San. He went straight for the den, where they’d all found themselves sleeping most nights as of late. Wooyoung’s doing.

When Jongho’s rut came and went, and he was met with another negative test, Wooyoung became increasingly clingy in an attempt to ease his damaged heart.

Seonghwa was the first to the den. The nest was a mess from the constant use, but he couldn’t be bothered to care. He made himself as comfortable as he could, despite the pups’ ceaseless movement. He just wanted to sleep. He felt the mattress dip as one of his mates sank into bed behind him, Hongjoong’s smoke wrapping around him like a warm blanket. His hand found its seemingly permanent place on Seonghwa’s bump, the movement in his womb easing.

“This is the first time they’ve stopped all day.” Seonghwa sighed in relief. “Never move your hands again.” Hongjoong chuckled. “I mean it. Your children are terrors.”

“Yes, because you had nothing to do with them getting there.” Hongjoong kissed behind Seonghwa’s ear.

“Well they seem to have your affinity for mischief.” Hongjoong gasped in mock offense. “Our son,” Seonghwa moved Hongjoong’s hand to the top of his bump, “has decided he’s going to use my ribcage as a jungle gym. And our daughter,” he moved Hongjoong’s hand to the far side of his bump, “has made my bladder her new kickball.”

“You poor thing.” Hongjoong said sincerely. “Going through so much to bring us our babies.”

“I love feeling them moving around mostly. I do. If only they’d let me sleep.”

“I’ll cuddle you to sleep every night if you need.”

“Well isn’t this precious.” San cooed from the doorway. His hair was damp, fresh from the shower. Jongho was beside him, looking cozy in an old hoodie.

“Oh hush and come here.” Seonghwa reached for them. “It’s sleep time. Hurry, while the pups are quiet.”

“Coming.” San crawled in and cuddled up against Seonghwa’s front.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“I thought you wanted to sleep.” Jongho said.

“Can’t sleep without everyone’s scents.”

“They’ll be in soon.” San assured him. “Got used to sleeping with everyone, huh?”

“The babies like it.”

“Yeah. Just the babies.” Hongjoong hummed.

“Shut up.” Seonghwa elbowed him. “Yes. I like having all of my mates in the same place.”

“I do too.” Hongjoong confessed.

Slowly, the rest of their mates trickled into the room. Finding their places among the nest.

“Are the pups calm now?” San touched his belly.

“Thankfully.” Seonghwa sank further into their touches. “They seem to like having their appas close.” Seonghwa caught how San cringed at the title. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. It just… doesn’t feel quite right. Appa.”

“Well…” Yeosang was clearly trying to think of what to say. “What do you want to be? Damma?” San thought for a moment, then smiled. And he purred.

“Okay.” Hongjoong said easily. “Damma Sannie.”

“It sounds right.” Wooyoung hugged San from behind. “We’re happy to have you in the Damma club.”

“It’s much more fun then the Appa club.” Mingi said.

“Hey!” Yunho whined.

“We’re plenty fun in the Appa club.” Jongho insisted.

“We can debate how much fun the clubs are in the morning.” Seonghwa silenced them all, eyes closed. “It’s time to sleep now.”

“Of course, Star.” Hongjoong rubbed his belly.

“We are very happy to have you in our club, Sannie.” The omega whispered to him.

…

Mingi couldn’t take it anymore. He needed to talk to Yunho. The alpha was still acting strangely with him. As if he was there but not at the same time. He wasn’t avoiding Mingi, exactly, but he was distant.

“We need to talk.” Mingi said to him curtly, catching Yunho as they left the dance studio.

“What’s going on?” Yunho looked confused.

“Let’s go to my studio.” Mingi led him through the company building over to where the music studios were and pulled him into his own. Locking the door behind him. “You’re acting weird around me.”

“What do you mean?” Yunho avoided his gaze, suddenly finding the little trinkets on Mingi’s desk interesting.

“You’ve been distant. It’s like there’s this wall between us. And it’s been there since I terminated the pregnancy.” Yunho kept his eyes on the desk, noticing a little snow globe of Osaka, Japan. He picked it up, feeling the weight of it in his hand. “Yun, I know it was hard for you. You don’t have to hide it from me.”

“I remember when I got you this.” He said instead of acknowledging what Mingi had said. “It was on my family trip in high school.”

“Yeah. I was so excited when you gave it to me. My eomma was so tired of me talking about it.”

“I spent so much of that trip missing you.” Yunho shook the snow globe and watched the glittery snow fall. “It did hurt. And… maybe you’re right that I pulled away a bit.” He put the snow globe back in its place. “My feelings about the situation felt insignificant to yours. It would have been you going through it, so the choice was ultimately yours to make.”

“How you feel matters to me.” Mingi said it as if it was obvious. “It was your pup.”

“It wasn’t anything!” Yunho snapped, then immediately felt bad when he saw the shock on Mingi’s face. “I’m sorry. It’s what I have to keep telling myself to make it suck a little less.”

“I don’t want you to hide from me.”

“I was devastated.” Yunho finally admitted. “When you told me, there was this tiny, traitorous part of me that hoped you were going to tell me you wanted to keep it. I knew that wasn’t the case though and I didn’t want to make you feel guilty for choosing to do what you did. So I pulled back. I hoped you couldn’t see how hard it was for me.”

“I don’t need to see it to know it was hard for you.” Mingi stepped towards him carefully, as if he were a spooked animal. “I’m not going to apologize for doing what I did, because I would have been miserable if I hadn’t. But that doesn’t make how you feel about it less real or less important to me.”

“I just wish it could have been different.”

“I do too if I’m honest.” Mingi reached for Yunho. “I want to give you everything. But that’s just not the person I am.”

“And I’d never ask you to change that.” Yunho held Mingi’s face in his hands. “I like my Princess the way he is.” He pressed their foreheads together. “I’m sorry I hid from you. I thought you needed me to be strong for you.”

“I’m plenty strong.” Mingi assured him. “Don’t hold yourself back from me anymore. I can handle it.”

“Of course you can. I'm sorry I doubted you.”

“Just don’t do it again.” Mingi kissed his nose playfully, contradicting the sternness in his voice.

…

“Should we start thinking about names?” Jongho asked as he worked on building one of the cribs. Seonghwa was sitting in the rocking chair, sorting through a box of baby clothes his parents had sent them. He’d tried to tell them they didn’t need to buy anything for the pups, but he couldn’t stop his, or any of their parents for that matter, from spoiling their babies. They’d already received multiple deliveries of clothes, and toys, and Hongjoong’s parents had even insisted on purchasing the cribs.

“I have a few ideas. Why? Did you have something in mind?” Seonghwa paused, cooing at a little onesie he pulled from the box, covered in little pink bunnies. “Oh, Jjong, look at this. They’re little DDEONGbyeolis.”

“That’s adorable.” Jongho smiled. “We should get them some JJONGbear outfits too.”

“That would be so cute.” Seonghwa pouted. “We should have those made. Oh! Or we could make them their own little characters. Wouldn’t that be adorable?”

“It would be.”

“Anyway, we were talking about names.” Seonghwa folded the onesie and added it to the pile.

“I was just thinking. I saw the name Haeun recently. It might be nice for our girl.”

“Haeun?” Seonghwa tested the name. “I like it.”

“Really?”

“It’s nice. I’ll add it to my list.” Seonghwa took out his phone and pulled up his list of names. The rest of the pack had insisted Seonghwa got to make the final choice on the twins names, as he was doing all of the hard work. He had taken down every name his mates had suggested and would choose from those. “How’s that crib coming along?”

“Okay I think. I can’t find the Korean instructions so I’m just going off of pictures.” He seemed to be stuck trying to attach two of the side panels together. “I think this is in German.” Seonghwa laughed.

“Give it to me.” He held out his hand. Jongho handed over the instruction book. “I think you're holding that piece upside down.”

“I’m definitely not.” Jongho continued to struggle while Seonghwa flipped through the book trying to find the correct instructions.

“Just try turning it around.” Seonghwa was also struggling to find the instructions in the right language.

After several more minutes, Jongho huffed, looking ready to give up. “Fine, I’ll flip it.” He turned the piece around, the two sides snapping together smoothly. He could feel Seonghwa’s smug smile. “Don’t say a word.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Seonghwa handed the book back to Jongho. “Found the right directions.” Jongho glared at him, no real heat in it. Seonghwa went back to folding the clothes.

“Oh my goodness! Look at these!!” He pulled two little matching onesies out of the box. Brown, fuzzy bear costumes. “Jjong, two little JJONGbears.”

“Oh.” Jongho’s heart squeezed with affection at the tiny bear suits. Soon, their little ones would be there, wearing those little onesies. Suddenly, their inevitable arrival was so much less scary.

“Baby, are you crying?”

“What? No.” Jongho quickly wiped at his eyes.

“Aw, you are crying.” Seonghwa put down the costumes. “Come here, My Alpha.” Jongho dropped what he was doing and accepted the offered affection. “What’s the matter?”

“They’re happy tears. Promise.” Jongho touched his belly. “Our little baby bears.”

“Okay then.” Seonghwa smirked. “I hope you know I’ll be getting a million photos of you with them in these little costumes.”

“I can’t wait.”

Chapter Text

The concept of parenthood didn’t scare Hongjoong. In fact, he was incredibly excited to meet and raise the twins. He couldn’t say he’d always known he wanted to have pups. In fact, the idea of kids only came to him recently, in the last year or so. But now that it was happening, he felt ready. He felt happy.

He wanted to do something special for them, but he couldn’t decide what. He could write them a song, but that didn’t feel quite right. Melodies and lyrics were his strength, but, when it came to putting how he felt about his babies into words, he couldn’t seem to get them out right. Nothing could encompass the kaleidoscope of emotions he felt for them as properly as he’d like. He’d spent hours looking at his computer, trying to do something, anything. But nothing was coming. He was about to give up when someone knocked on the door.

“Hey, Joongie.” Mingi entered his studio without waiting for Hongjoong’s permission. “I was wondering if you could help me with something.”

“Hi, Min. Of course. What do you need?”

“It’s kind of embarrassing. I was, uh, working on a song. For the twins. And I can’t seem to get it right.”

“Well, it appears you and I are having the same problem.” Hongjoong pulled the second chair closer to the desk. “Maybe we can help each other.”

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“Naughty.”

“Where are you on your song?” Mingi ignored his comment as he took the seat. “Maybe if we put ours together we can come up with something.”

“Let’s give it a try.”

…

Seonghwa looked around the living room, frustrated. The room was spotless. As was the kitchen. And the den. And all the bathrooms. In fact, the entire house had been cleaned top to bottom, but something just didn’t feel right. His nesting instincts were going haywire and he couldn’t figure out why. It had gotten worse and worse the last few weeks, with no end in sight. He was restless, and antsy, and it just wouldn’t go away.

It wasn’t until Yunho and Yeosang came home, and he was met with the scents of hickory and lavender, that he realized what was missing. In his frantic state of cleaning, he inadvertently muted his pack's scents. He whined, rushing around to find things for them to scent.

“Hwa, what’s gotten into you?” Yunho asked as several pillows were thrust towards him. “You need to sit down. Have you been on your feet all day?”

“The nest isn’t right.” He handed Yeosang an armful of blankets, still warm from the dryer. “Scents please.”

“Okay, we’ll scent them.” Yeosang took the blankets and sat down on the floor, pulling Yunho and the pillows down with him.

“I’ll text the rest of the pack and let them know what’s going on.” Yunho said once he was finished with his scenting. “Try and get them home sooner.”

“I also need your shirts please.” Seonghwa requested, making grabby hands at them.

“You could have just taken some from our laundry.” Yunho complied regardless, handing over his shirt.

“I did all the laundry.”

“What? Hwa, have you been cleaning the whole time?”

“Can’t sit still.” Seonghwa paced back and forth through the living room, trying to find something else to busy himself with.

“I’m calling Hongjoong. You try and get him sitting.” Yunho slinked away with his phone.

“Seonghwa, My Love, can I scent you?” Yeosang stood from the carpet, reaching out for the omega. He was well aware of the calming effect his scent had on Seonghwa. Seonghwa nodded, looking a little lost. “Come here.” He gathered the pregnant omega into his arms and rubbed his nose against his scent gland. He felt Seonghwa slowly relax in his hold as he spread his calming lavender.

It took several minutes of scenting, but Seonghwa had finally calmed down enough to sit him down on the sofa. Seonghwa still seemed off, but at least he was sitting.

“The rest of the pack should be home soon.” Yunho said once he returned to the living room. He took a seat at Seonghwa’s other side, rubbing his back. “We’re gonna get everything scented for you. And you can make the nest up all nice if you want.”

“Please.” He said softly.

“We’ve got you.”

“Is it the pups?” Yeosang asked.

“My nesting instincts are going crazy.” He rubbed his belly. “And they never seem to want to stop moving. I can’t seem to get a moment of rest. If it’s not one thing it’s another.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

“I got an hour or two last night.” Seonghwa sounded defeated. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Let’s see if getting the nest back in order helps at all.” Seonghwa nodded, looking exhausted.

As each member of the pack came home, Yunho and Yeosang sent them directly over to the pile of pillows and blankets to scent them. Hongjoong and Mingi were the last to arrive, and Seonghwa finally seemed less tense. Once the pile was thoroughly scented, and Seonghwa had claimed all of their shirts, Mingi and Wooyoung helped Seonghwa bring everything into the den. They waited patiently for instructions from their Luna on how he wanted the nest set up. They did precisely as they were told, without even a joke or remark from Wooyoung.

Finally, after several requests for additional scented materials and nearly two hours, Seonghwa deemed the nest sufficient. In that time, the rest of the pack had cleaned up from the day and prepared dinner, all hoping Seonghwa would finally be able to relax. Hongjoong brought him his bowl, dutifully feeding him. It was only when Seonghwa had finished his meal that Hongjoong fed himself. San took Seonghwa to get him cleaned up while Jongho quickly did the dishes.

“Feeling any better, Star?” Hongjoong accepted the omega into his arms as soon as he reentered the nest. Seonghwa immediately stuck his nose against Hongjoong’s throat, sucking in lungfuls of his smoke.

“I know the doctor said it would be normal for me to be like this, but I didn’t know it would be so bad.” Increased need for scenting and nesting was normal for a pregnant omega, especially as they entered their third trimester. Dr. Park had explained that, because he was carrying multiples, it would likely be a lot more intense for him. But that, combined with the fact that the twins were incredibly active, and that the pack was spread out across their different responsibilities all day, was making him feel absolutely miserable. No amount of scenting before they split off could seem to calm him enough.

“Do you think…” Yeosang said carefully. “That it might be time for us to consider pushing up our hiatus?”

“No, we shouldn’t have to stop because of me.” Seonghwa argued, face still smushed against Hongjoong’s scent gland.

“If it’s going to help you then we’ll do it.” Hongjoong insisted. “The company said they’d work with us however we need. Having us all closer will help you, right?” Seonghwa nodded.

“But I can’t just keep you all cooped up with me until the twins arrive. It’s not fair.”

“There are worse places to be than cuddled up with our Luna all day.” Wooyoung assured him. “If having our scents close helps you and the pups, it’s not exactly a burden on us.”

“We just want to make sure all three of you are okay.” Hongjoong said into his hair. “And the two of them can’t be okay if you’re not okay.”

“You’d all really be okay with that? With putting everything aside so soon?”

“Of course we are.” San insisted. “We were going to have to do it eventually. Now’s as good of a time to start as any. We need to be here with you more than we need to be out there.”

“I love you all so much.” Seonghwa started crying before he realized it, heavy tears rolling down his face. “I don't deserve you all.”

“Don’t say that.” Hongjoong managed to urge Seonghwa to pull his face from his neck. “You deserve the world. Every little bit of it.”

“You all are my world.”

“And we’ll always be here.” Hongjoong wiped his tears away. “You’re okay.”

“I’m okay.”

“You’re also exhausted. Maybe stopping will help you get some sleep.” Hongjoong rubbed his belly, where the twins were doing what he could only assume was backflips. “Can we try something? Maybe it will help.”

“Try what?”

“Sannie, come here.” San was by their side in a moment, ready to do whatever it was he was needed for. “Sit behind Seonghwa.” San got into place and Hongjoong moved his hands to cradle the bottom of Seonghwa’s round belly. “Okay. Now lift a little bit.” The noise that left Seonghwa was borderline pornographic as the weight was eased from his hips and back. “Feel better?”

“So much better.”

“Chan Hyung said it worked wonders for Felix towards the end of his pregnancy.” Hongjoong petted his hair back.

“Tell Hyung I said thank you.” Seonghwa melted against San.

“They seem to be calming down.” San noted. The twins, indeed, had slowed in their movements. “Close your eyes, Hwa. I’ll hold you as long as you need.”

“Just until I fall asleep.” Seonghwa’s eyes drifted shut, finally at ease for the first time in days.

It took surprisingly little time for Seonghwa to fall asleep, lightly snoring. San gingerly released his hold on Seonghwa’s belly.

“I guess I’m his pillow tonight.” San looked at him fondly, far from upset by his new job.

“I hope he sleeps well.” There was a look akin to sadness in his eyes. He hated seeing his mates sick or uncomfortable, especially if he was the cause.

“I can smell you thinking.” Jongho said. Hongjoong flushed, not noticing his scent had soured.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Hongjoong rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding their gazes.

“You’re thinking that this is all your fault. You’re a terrible mate for putting him through this. Yada yada yada.” Mingi looked at him unimpressed. “And you can stop that right now.”

“He’s just so miserable right now.” Hongjoong lamented. “And it is kind of my fault.”

“Yes because he had absolutely no say in this.” Yeosang deadpanned. “You kicking your own ass isn’t going to make him feel any better.”

“I know.”

“He’ll say so himself that it’ll all be worth it once they’re here.”

…

Seonghwa woke with a start, heart hammering in his chest. His hair, damp with sweat, stuck to his forehead. The twins were still, sending his already frazzled mind further into panic.

Then, someone was holding him, whispering words that didn’t process in his panicked state. He was pulled against a firm chest, the smell of hickory filling his nose. It was tinged with a slight burn of fear, but Yunho was trying very hard to push out calming pheromones.

“It’s okay.” Seonghwa came back to himself little by little, Yunho’s soothing voice pulling him out of his head. Someone was rubbing his back, meaning more than one of his mates had been woken up by his outburst.

“I’m sorry.” He choked out, forcing himself away from Yunho’s comforting arms. “For waking you.”

“What happened?” Jongho, who was rubbing his back, asked, his worry clear in both his voice and scent.

“Nightmare.”

“Here.” Wooyoung was suddenly in front of him, offering a bottle of water with a straw. “Drink.” Seonghwa accepted the water, drinking it down greedily to soothe his scratchy throat. “Better?” Seonghwa nodded. “Wanna tell us about your nightmare?”

“I… I went into labor.” His voice shook as he spoke. “It was far too early, and we weren’t able to get to the hospital in time. I gave… I gave birth in the car. They weren’t breathing. They weren’t crying. They were so small. They fit in the palms of my hands.” Seonghwa gasped, fighting off the tears. “They didn’t make it. And you all hated me for it. Said it was my fault. Then you left me.”

“That’s never going to happen.” Yunho attempted to assure him.

“Promise me?”

“We promise.” Wooyoung insisted. “The twins are going to be just fine. And even if anything were to happen, you’d never lose us.”

“I just want them to be okay.” Seonghwa finally looked around the nest. San, Hongjoong, Yeosang, and Mingi were all dead asleep.

“We know you do.” Jongho continued to rub his back. “So do we.”

“What can we do for you?” Yunho asked.

“I just want to go back to sleep.”

“Let’s get you comfortable then.” The three of them allowed Seonghwa to move them around and fuss over them until he found the most comfortable way to lay.

“I’m sorry for waking you all.” He said again.

“It’s okay.” Wooyoung ran his fingers through Seonghwa’s sweaty hair. “Try and get back to sleep.”

“Jongho, can you sing to me, Bear?”

“What do you want to hear?”

“Anything. Just wanna hear your voice.”

“Okay.” Jongho rubbed Seonghwa’s belly, earning a kick to his hand. Seonghwa visibly relaxed at the movement.

Seonghwa drifted back to sleep as Jongho sang softly, held snugly against Wooyoung’s chest.

Chapter Text

They began their hiatus immediately, and settled into it quickly. Being home more often meant that Seonghwa was less antsy with all of their scents nearby, though he was still cleaning and nesting at a near constant rate. There was hardly an inch of the house, save their personal spaces, that wasn’t covered in nesting materials.

It was, however, becoming increasingly more difficult to move around due to his ever growing belly. Luckily for him, all he had to do was bat his eyes at one of his mates and they were ready to help him. Wooyoung and Mingi loved helping Seonghwa nest, and all of them were willing to hold his bump to give him some relief.

“Yunho” He called from the kitchen. “Can you help me in here?”

“Coming.” Yunho rushed in, finding Seonghwa trying to get up on his toes to reach a mug on the top shelf. He pouted as his attempts failed. Yunho giggled as he watched.

“Don’t laugh at me. Why would someone even put my favorite mug up that high?” Seonghwa tried to reach for the mug one more time. It was a yellow, covered in Animal Crossing characters.

“That may have been my fault. I was the last one to do the dishes.” Yunho got the mug down. “Why don’t you go relax? I’ll make your tea.”

“I can make it myself.” Seonghwa waved him off, waddling over to the electric kettle. “Thank you for my mug.”

“How are the twins today?”

“Oh, just wonderful. Endlessly active as usual.” At thirty weeks, Seonghwa’s belly was almost comically large. He’d taken to wearing dresses, insisting they were more comfortable than trying to squeeze himself into a pair of pants. Today’s dress was a simple tee shirt dress with sunflowers. “Actually, they’ve started to calm down a little. I actually got a few good hours last night.”

“Maybe that means they’ll be good sleepers.” Yunho came up behind him, hands coming around to rub his belly.

“Let’s not get our hopes up. Dr. Park said this happens as I start to get closer to giving birth.” They’d discussed the birth plan at length during his last appointment. Dr. Park had made it clear it was more than likely the twins would arrive early, and had laid out her plan to make sure the both of them and Seonghwa would have a safe delivery. It had put Seonghwa’s frantic mind at ease to be in such capable hands.

“It’s getting so close.” Yunho smiled at a kick to his hand. “Before we know it they’ll be home.”

“We still have so much to do.”

“What do you mean? The nursery is ready, we’ve got more diapers than we could possibly know what to do with, we’ve got bottles, bibs, clothes, and toys. What else is there?”

“They don’t have names.” Seonghwa’s voice sounded sad. “They’re gonna be here soon and I don’t know what to name them.”

“Well, what do you have so far?”

“I’ve been listening to everyone’s suggestions. I just don’t know.” He showed Yunho the list. “I like this one.” He pointed to one on his list.

“Haeun?”

“Jongho suggested it. Said it sounds nice for our daughter. I can’t help but agree.”

“Okay. That’s one down.” Yunho let Seonghwa rest against his chest.

“But look at how many good names are on the list for our son. How am I ever going to choose?”

“You’ll figure it out.” Yunho kissed his temple.

“You’re all awful for making me choose on my own.”

“You’re doing all the hard work, it's only fair.” Seonghwa groaned, head falling back against Yunho’s shoulder. Yunho couldn’t help but laugh at his antics. “I have complete faith in you.”

…

“Jjong.” Yeosang dropped down on the alpha’s bed. “I need your help with something.”

“Hello, Yeo.” Jongho put down his book. “Yes, please come in.”

“Well fine, if you’re gonna be mean to me.” Yeosang moved to get up from the bed, but was stopped by the alpha pulling him back and holding him against his chest.

“I’m just joking, Sangie. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to do something for the twins.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. But I know Hongjoong and Mingi are writing them a song, and Sannie designed the nursery.” Yeosang twisted around to look at Jongho. “You and I could totally do something for them too.”

“How do you know I don’t already have something planned?” Jongho puffed up his chest, trying to look smug.

“Do you?”

“No.” Jongho deflated. “I can’t think of anything I can do that the others can’t do better.”

“What are you talking about? You’re amazing at so many things.”

“Yeah, but nothing I can make or create for our pups. I can sing to them, sure, and teach them about sports as they get older.” Jongho suddenly looked downtrodden. “I don’t have the creativity to give them something tangible.”

“Do you want to?”

“Yes? No? I don’t know.” Jongho collapsed down on the bed, pulling Yeosang with him. The beta yelped in response. “Part of me feels silly for worrying about it so much right now. We’ll have a million and one opportunities to give them gifts. I just want to be a good parent.”

“You will be.”

“Everyone keeps saying that. But how do you know?”

“I mean, you don’t.” Yeosang rolled off of Jongho, lying beside him. “None of us have any idea if we’ll be good at it. We’re flying blind.”

“That’s exactly my point. We don’t know what we’re doing. I thought I’d get used to impending parenthood as we get closer to them arriving, but I’m more scared than ever. I don’t want to screw them up.”

“We won’t let you.” Yeosang held his hand tightly. “We hold each other accountable and work together. None of us are doing this on our own.” Jongho worried his bottom lip with his teeth, not quite convinced at Yeosang’s confidence. “We’re going to make mistakes. It’s inevitable.”

“When I was younger, my pack left me alone with my little brother.” Jongho took a shaky breath, steadying his nerves to tell his story. “They said I was mature enough to take care of him. It was only for a few hours. We were in the yard playing. I turned my back for just a minute, and the next thing I knew, he was on the ground. He was crying, and his arm was twisted in a terrible way. I didn’t know what to do so I ran to the neighbor’s house. They called an ambulance and my eomma. When she and my dam came home, they were livid. They didn’t let me go see him in the hospital. Said I was too irresponsible and it was my fault he got hurt.” Yeosang carefully wiped his tears. “It was my fault. He got hurt because I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

“But you were just a pup yourself. You couldn’t have known better.”

“I don’t want to be the reason our pups are hurt.”

“Pups are going to get hurt. They’ll scrape their knees, and bump their heads, and maybe even break a bone or two. We can’t prevent that.” Yeosang squeezed their joint hands. “What happened to your brother wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t intentional. And, even if you don’t believe that, you know better now. Our babies will be in good hands.”

“You promise?”

“I swear it.”

“I’m still scared.”

“I am too. It’s okay.” A comfortable silence fell over the room. Just the gentle sounds of their breathing.

“I hope they like me.” Jongho whispered.

“They’re going to love you.”

…

“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa’s terrified voice rang through the house, sending the entire pack running to the source. They found Seonghwa hunched over the couch, one hand clutching his belly.

“What’s wrong?” Hongjoong dropped down to his knees beside him.

“I-I don’t know. There’s p-pain.” His eyes clenched shut, a scream of pain ripping from him.

“Oh. Fuck. Fuck. Can you walk?” Seonghwa shook his head, breathing heavily. “Okay. Okay. Sannie.”

“I’ve got him.” San, with Jongho’s help, gathered Seonghwa in his arms in a bridal hold. “I’ve got you. It’s all going to be okay.”

“I can’t lose them.” Seonghwa shook his head, frantic. “I can’t.”

“You won’t.” San tried to assure him, hoping his scent didn’t betray his fear. The smell in the house was oppressive with anxiety and fear as the reality that something terrible might be happening set in. Seonghwa’s own scent was sour, pungent and rotten with fear, mixed with Hongjoong’s sickly smoke.

San slipped him into the backseat of Yunho’s car, Hongjoong sliding in on the other side. The two pressed in against him on either side, trying to comfort him. Murmuring assurances they didn’t quite believe. Wooyoung was on the phone with Dr. Park, speaking rapidly. Seonghwa screamed again, crushing both of their hands in an ironclad grip.

“Seonghwa, Baby.” Wooyoung twisted around from the passenger seat. “Dr. Park is asking what the pain feels like.”

“Like… pressure. Tight. In my hips and back.”

“And it comes and goes?” Seonghwa nodded. “Yes. Yes. Are-are you sure?”

“What is she saying?” Hongjoong asked.

“She thinks you might be in labor.”

“No. No.” Seonghwa shook his head rapidly. “It’s too soon. They… they won’t make it.”

“Just breathe.” Hongjoong tried soothing him. “I know you’re scared. I’m scared too. Terrified. But we’re going to the hospital. Dr. Park is going to meet us. The three of you are going to be okay.”

“Don’t.” Seonghwa continued shaking his head, rocking back and forth. “Don’t promise that. You can’t promise.” He gasped, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. “You can’t promise.”

“I am promising.” Hongjoong insisted. “The three of you are going to be okay. I need you to believe that.”

“She’s already there.” Wooyoung informed them. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

It felt like an eternity before Yunho pulled the car up to the hospital’s emergency entrance. Dr. Park was waiting at the door, along with a nurse ready with a wheelchair. San and Hongjoong worked to get him out of the car, another wave of pain hitting him as San deposited him into the chair.

“Don’t leave my side.” Seonghwa squeezed Hongjoong’s hand.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Hongjoong followed them into an exam room, leaving the rest of them out in the hall to worry.

Chapter Text

Dr. Park was in the room with Seonghwa for a long while. The pack stood around the waiting room, several of them pacing anxiously. No one had come out to update them and it had been nearly an hour.

Finally, Dr. Park emerged from the room looking somehow both stressed and relieved.

“He and the pups are alright.” She assured them. “I’ve given him some medications that will hold off further progression of labor, as well as steroid injections to help speed up the twins development.”

“So the twins won’t come early?” Yunho asked.

“The medications can only delay labor for so long. He’s going to be staying here for a while so I can keep a close eye on him.” She smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “The twins will be arriving sooner than planned, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure the both of them, and your mate, are just fine.”

“How long will he have to stay?” Mingi was tugging on his fingers as he asked, clearly anxious.

“Labor may resume anywhere between two days to a week, so it is in my professional opinion that Seonghwa-ssi remain here until delivery.”

“What? No way!” Wooyoung jumped up from his seat.

“Woo, Baby, please.” San reached out for him.

“No! He should be home, safe in the nest! Not stuck in the hospital!”

“Baby, the hospital is the safest place for them.” San tried to soothe him.

“I don’t want him so far away.” Wooyoung’s eyes welled with tears. “He needs the nest.”

“We’ll bring him some things from the nest.” Yeosang suggested. “If he’s gonna be here a while, we should make it comfortable for him.”

“Precisely what I was going to suggest.” Dr. Park said. “I encourage you to keep him surrounded with your scents as best you can.” Wooyoung still didn’t look convinced. “Wooyoung-ssi, our biggest concern here is that your mate and pups are okay. I understand it’s scary. I assure you, he is in the best possible hands.”

“Can we see him?” Jongho asked.

“Of course.”

“Come on.” San urged Wooyoung towards the door. “Let’s go be with him.” Wooyoung nodded, allowing San to pull him forward.

“Thank you, Dr. Park.” Yunho said.

“If you need anything, let me know.” Dr. Park bowed, leaving them to see their mate.

Wooyoung was clung to Seonghwa the moment he made it to his bedside. Arms wrapped around him tightly and nose pressed firmly against his throat.

“Woo, you have to let him breathe.” Hongjoong moved to pry wooyoung away but Seonghwa waved him off.

“I don’t want them to keep you here.”

“I know, Lovely.” Seonghwa ran his fingers through his hair, accepting the cuddles. “She’s right though, it’s best I stay here where it’s safe.”

“The nest is safe.”

“I can’t have the babies at home. You know that.” They’d discussed it at length early on in Seonghwa’s pregnancy. While it had sounded nice in theory, Seonghwa having the pups at home, he had felt much more comfortable with the idea of being at the hospital in case anything went wrong.

“You don’t smell like us.” He rubbed his nose against Seonghwa’s scent gland in an attempt to cover him with his own scent.

“Well you’ll just have to fix that, won’t you?”

“Let us know what you want us to bring from the nest.” Yeosang offered.

“Thank you, Sangie.”

“A nurse is going to bring a cot in so one of us can stay with him overnight.” Hongjoong informed them.

“So, this is really it, huh?” Mingi said. “The babies will be here any day now.”

“I still don’t know what to name our son.” Seonghwa said softly. “He’s gonna be born without a name.”

“We’ll find one.” Hongjoong kissed his head. “You picked one for our girl?” Seonghwa nodded. “What is it?”

“I’ll tell you when she’s here.” Seonghwa and Yunho shared a conspiratorial look. One Hongjoong immediately took notice of.

“Yunho gets to know, but I don’t?” Yunho just laughed.

“Well, we’ll all know in the next few days I guess.”

“Are you feeling okay?” San asked Seonghwa. “Are you still in pain?”

“I’m okay for right now, Sannie.” Seonghwa accepted the beta’s outstretched hand, his other arm still supporting Wooyoung’s clinging. “You hear that, Youngie? I’m okay.”

“Baby, do you want to stay with Hwa tonight?” Hongjoong scratched the back of Wooyoung’s head. Wooyoung nodded. “Okay. You can let him go now. He’s not going anywhere.”

“That’s the problem.”

“Baby, look at me please.” Seonghwa requested. Wooyoung begrudgingly pulled his face away from Seonghwa’s neck to look at him. “You’re scared, yeah?” Wooyoung nodded. “Me too.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you and the babies.” Seonghwa just looked at him sadly, knowing he couldn’t assure him that nothing would happen. He wanted to believe he and the pups would be alright, but so much could go wrong.

“We’ll take things as they come.” He said instead. “And we’ll do it together.”

“Okay, but I’m not leaving your side.”

“I don’t want you to.” He squeezed him a little tighter. “I’d prefer if you all could stay with me. I don’t like the idea of being in labor without all of you nearby.”

“We’ll be here from the minute visiting hours start until they’re over.” Yunho promised him. “And if we’re not here when it happens, whoever’s with you just has to call and we’ll come running.”

“Dr. Park thinks a c-section is safer for us. Said only one of you can go in with me.” He looked around at all of them. “How am I supposed to choose?”

“It should be Hongjoong.” Jongho said, as if it was the easiest choice. The rest of them agreed. Hongjoong had the fondest flashback of when they were just planning for pups, the twins barely just a concept.

“I’ll hold your hand the whole time.” Hongjoong promised him.

…

They stayed for as long as the hospital allowed them, and a little longer as they lingered to say their goodbyes. They were all hesitant to leave Seonghwa’s side, but Wooyoung, who had finally calmed down and detached himself from their Luna, promised to give them regular updates until they could come back.

“If anything happens, you’ll be the first one I call.” Wooyoung promised Hongjoong.

“We’ll be back first thing.” San kissed Seonghwa’s head, then turned his attention to Seonghwa’s belly. “You two stay put, yeah?”

“I don’t know how willing they are to listen.” Seonghwa attempted to joke. “Go get some sleep. I’ll be okay with Youngie for the night.”

The first night passed without much incident, only Wooyoung weaseling himself onto Seonghwa’s bed with him despite the nurse telling him not to. Seonghwa didn’t mind. The feeling of Wooyoung’s body against his was grounding and helped keep him calm through his turbulent emotions.

He didn’t sleep much. The twins were too still. The steady beats of the heart monitor strapped to his bump assured him they were okay, and he knew they probably didn’t have much room to move, but their stillness caused unease to settle in his chest. The fear that one or both of them could be unwell was heavy on his mind. That they could be born sick or too small or unable to breathe on their own. That he might not even be able to hold them once they’re born because they’ll be too fragile. He was haunted by visions of his pups in little incubators, hooked up to machines to keep them alive.

“You’re thinking a lot.” Wooyoung whispered. “You’re worried.”

“Of course I’m worried.” Seonghwa wiped his eyes quickly, realizing he’d begun to tear up. “There’s a lot to worry about.”

“If they’re anything like you, they’ll be too stubborn to be anything but okay.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“And you’re not allowed to be anything but okay either.”

“I promise.”

“I mean it. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

“Don’t think like that. Please.” Seonghwa looked at him sadly. “We’ll let the doctors worry about that.”

“I can’t help it.” Wooyoung hugged him tighter. “Seeing you in so much pain today was terrifying.”

“Baby, childbirth hurts. Dr. Park said the amount of pain I was in was pretty normal.”

“Oh. Right.” Wooyoung frowned. “Am I sure I want to get pregnant?”

“That’s completely up to you.” Seonghwa laughed.

“Hey, I got a smile out of you.”

“Thank you for that.” Seonghwa kissed his forehead.

…

The next few days passed in a similar fashion. The pack arrived at eight on the dot each morning, presenting Seonghwa with more nesting materials. Mingi stayed with him the second night, and San the third. No one really slept those nights, be it at the hospital or at home. They were all posed to go the moment they got a call.

Jongho volunteered to stay with Seonghwa on the fourth night. It was only an hour or so after the rest of the pack left that Seonghwa began to shift uncomfortably. By the middle of the night, it was clear something was happening.

“Are you okay?” Jongho stood by his bedside, not sure what to do.

“I think.” He grunted, attempting to sit up. “I think that was a contraction.” Seonghwa reached for his hand, groaning. “Yes. Definitely a contraction.”

“Should I get the nurse?”

“Stay.” Seonghwa squeezed his hand. “The remote. Just press the button.” Jongho scrambled for the call button with his free hand. He pressed it then reached for his phone.

“I'm gonna call the others.” He dialed Hongjoong’s number.

“Is it time?” Hongjoong asked in lew of a hello.

“I-I think so. He started having contractions.”

“We’re on our way.” The line dropped. Jongho turned his attention back to Seonghwa.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“Just hold my hand.” Jongho allowed Seonghwa to squeeze his hand as tight as he needed.

A nurse came rushing in moments later. She checked Seonghwa over and confirmed he was, in fact, in labor. She assured them she’d call for Dr. Park right away and be back in to check on him soon.

“It’s really happening.” Seonghwa said between shallow breaths. “They’re really coming.” He grit his teeth, leaning into Jongho for support as another contraction worked its way through him. Jongho said nothing. There wasn’t much he could say. He was scared shitless. “I picked the name you gave me. For our daughter.”

“Really?” Seonghwa nodded. Jongho’s heart fluttered.

“Help me to the bathroom?” Jongho assisted Seonghwa up from the bed. They walked slowly, Seonghwa leaning on Jongho for support. “Fuck.” He froze, the sound of water hitting the floor. “My water broke.”

“Oh shit. Shit. What do you need?”

“Just… bring me back to the bed.” Jongho nodded rapidly. “Fuck.”

“E-everyone else should be here soon.” Seonghwa gripped Jongho’s shoulders as he lowered himself to sit on the bed. “It’s going to be okay.”

Jongho coached Seonghwa through several more contractions before their mates arrived. The nurse had been in a few times to check him over and update them on Dr. Park’s arrival.

“We’re here.” Hongjoong rushed into the room, immediately at Seonghwa’s side. “We’re right here, My Love.”

“Hurts.”

“I know. It’s okay.” He pushed the sweaty hair back from his eyes. “It’s almost over.” The nurse, a sweet older beta woman, swept into the room, followed closely by Dr. Park.

“Sorry for the delay.” She apologized quickly, moving immediately to check Seonghwa over. “How are you feeling?”

“Like hell.” Seonghwa groaned, curling in on himself.

“How far apart are the contractions?”

“Five minutes.” Jongho answered. “His water broke about half an hour ago.”

“Well, we shouldn’t waste any more time then.” She turned to the nurse. “Bora-ssi, let’s have Seonghwa-ssi prepped to head to the OR.” Bora nodded, flitting around the room. “Who is going to be with him?”

“Me.” Hongjoong raised his hand.

“You can follow me. I’ll have one of the nurses assist you in scrubbing in.” Hongjoong didn’t move, clearly hesitant to leave Seonghwa’s side. “It’s alright. You’ll be back by his side in no time.”

“Go, Joong.” Seonghwa said. “I’ll be okay.”

“I’ll see you down there.” Hongjoong kissed Seonghwa’s head, and followed Dr. Park from the room.

“Is it normal to be so scared?” Seonghwa asked the nurse. The woman smiled at him, her eyes kind.

“It’s perfectly normal.” She assured him. “I’ve had three pups. And each time was just as scary for me as the last. You and these babies are in good hands. I promise you that.”

“Were any of them this early?”

“My oldest. My little fighter. Just turned eighteen and joined his own pack.” She finished changing out Seonghwa’s IV. “Are you ready?”

“No.”

“That’s okay.” She addressed the rest of the pack. “There’s a waiting room right outside the surgical wing. I’ll be out to get you all the moment we’re done.” She put up the guard rails and unlocked the bed's wheels. “You can follow me up to the doors of the surgical wing. After that you’ll have to stay behind.”

“And you’ll tell us the moment we can see him?” Yunho asked.

“I promise.”

…

The lights of the operating room were bright in Seonghwa’s eyes, the room smelling steril. Hongjoong was there, holding his hand and petting his head. There were others, talking and bustling about. He could hear Dr. Park’s voice, but couldn’t make out what she was saying. It didn’t hurt, but it felt strange.

The piercing cries of newborns hit his ears and he was crying.

“Oh, Seonghwa.” Hongjoong whispered. “They’re beautiful.”

“They’re okay?” Seonghwa asked anyone. “Someone tell me they’re okay.”

“They’re checking them over now.” Bora said. “We’re just going to close you up and they’ll meet you back upstairs.”

“But they’re okay?” Bora didn’t answer. “Something’s wrong with them? Someone tell me what’s wrong with my babies.”

“Baby boy is having some trouble breathing on his own. We just need to make sure everything is okay.”

“He’s not breathing?”

“No, Baby, he’s breathing.” Hongjoong assured him. “I saw it myself. He just needs some help.”

“And our girl?”

“Oh, there is no worry about her lungs.” Dr. Park said. “She is pretty small, but that’s no surprise. They’re going to be taken to see the pediatrician for a full work up.”

“Let… let me see them first. Please.” Two nurses approached with a bundle each. “Oh.” They were perfect. Two pink, wriggly little babies. “They’re perfect.”

“We’re going to take them up now.” One of the nurses said. “We’ll bring them over to your room once we get the all clear from the pediatrician.”

“Joong, go with them. Please.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“The rest of your mates are still waiting outside.” Bora said. “One of them can go with the twins while Hongjoong-ssi stays with you.”

“Okay.”

“They’re here.” Hongjoong said to him. “They’re here and they’re breathing. They just need a little help. They’re going to be alright.”

“We’re almost done here.” Dr. Park said. “Then we’ll have you back up in your room to rest.” Seonghwa knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until he knew both twins were alright.

…

Half an hour later, Seonghwa was back in his room surrounded by his pack, minus San and Yeosang, who had gone with the twins.

“They’re going to be okay.” Hongjoong assured him for what felt like the millionth time. “They’ll be in with them any minute.”

“What if they’re not? You heard them, our son wasn’t breathing well. What if we can’t take him home?”

“Maybe he will have to stay longer.” Jongho said, earning looks from the others in the room. “What? We have to talk about it. It’s happening. They might have to keep him here. We avoided it for the whole pregnancy, but it’s here now.”

“He’s right.” Mingi said.

“Then we stay beside him until we can take him home.” Hongjoong insisted. “Because we will be taking him home. It just might take a little longer.”

“Yeah. We’ll take him home.” Seonghwa nodded. “We’ll take him home. We’ll take both of them home.”

“Hey.” San entered the room, followed closely by Yeosang and a doctor as well as Bora. His two mates were each pushing a plastic bassinet.

“They’re okay.” Seonghwa felt relief flood through his body instantly.

“Yes, your son here’s breathing balanced out thankfully.” The doctor explained. “I’m Dr. Yang, the hospital pediatrician. I imagine you want to hold your little bundles of joy.” Seonghwa nodded rapidly.

“Let me help you.” Bora assisted Seonghwa into a sitting position and placed a pillow on his lap. “Holding twins is a little tricky, so be careful.” Bora placed the girl in Seonghwa’s left arm, positioning it properly so he supported her little head, and repeated the action with the boy. They were little, almost impossibly so. Seonghwa was crying the moment he had the both of them in his arms.

“Hi.” He cooed. “You’re both so perfect.” He was finally able to take them in properly. They both had Hongjoong’s nose, as well as shocks of black hair on their heads. Their son’s hair was curly.

“When can we take them home?” Hongjoong asked, enraptured by the sight of them.

“Well, it’s hard to say.” Dr. Yang admitted. “Given how small they are, as well as the scare we had with your son’s breathing, this does call for a stay in the NICU.”

“But you just said his breathing was fine.” Wooyoung said quickly.

“And we’re hoping it stays that way.” Dr. Yang explained. “Rest assured, this is more of a precaution than anything else. Though, I would like to see them gain some weight before sending them home.”

“Should we be worried?” Mingi asked.

“Based on my initial work up, I don’t have many concerns for them.” She said. “The biggest are getting them to weight and making sure his breathing doesn’t relapse. We’ll keep a close eye on them, make sure they’re getting plenty of nutrients, and give him a few breathing treatments a day. I estimate a week to two weeks.”

“We’ll be able to see them, right?” Yunho asked.

“Of course. The pack’s scents are great for them. Especially the birth parent and sire. Visiting hours don’t end in the NICU, so having at least one of you with them will be beneficial for their development.”

“When do they have to go?” Seonghwa tried not to hold them tighter to him.

“I can give you about an hour before we should take them up for his next breathing treatment. It’s best to keep them together, as we find with multiples they respond to treatment better that way.”

“You better take good care of your brother, then.” Yunho cooed at their daughter.

“Have you decided on names for them?” Bora asked.

“This little one is Haeun.” Seonghwa motioned to their daughter. “And this one.” He looked down at their son, contemplating for a long moment. “Sukchin.” He finally said. “His name is Sukchin.” Sukchin gurgled in response, wiggling in Seonghwa’s hold. “You like your name? Did I pick a good one?”

“It’s perfect.” Hongjoong touched Sukchin’s little head carefully. “They’re perfect.”

“Joong, you should hold them.” Hongjoong looked nervously between Seonghwa and the babies. They were just so small, he was scared to hurt them.

“I’ll show you how.” Bora assured him. “Trust me, once you have them in your arms, you’ll never want to put them down.” Hongjoong allowed her to shift and adjust his arms so the babies were comfortably cradled with their heads supported. “There you go. You’re a natural.”

“Oh, look at you two. So beautiful. Just like your Damma.”

“They both look like you.” Seonghwa said.

“I look at them and all I can see is you.”

Over the next hour, each of them were carefully shown by Bora how to hold the twins. They were all teary messes, giving them kisses and whispering how much they loved them. Shortly before it was time to take them back to the NICU, Bora had Seonghwa feed them. Sukchin, to his delight, latched without issue. Haeun struggled a little, but managed eventually. He had to remind himself that they were both learning.

Seonghwa cried when they were taken.

“Go with them.” Seonghwa said to Hongjoong. “I mean it this time. Dr. Yang said your scent will help them.”

“Okay.” Hongjoong kissed his forehead.

“I’ll go too.” Yunho offered.

“I’ll be able to see them soon too?” Seonghwa asked Bora.

“As soon as the doctor comes in to check your site. I’ll take you up myself. Remember, you just went through a major surgery.” She said to him. “You need to be in good shape to take care of those little miracles.”

“They’re going to be okay, right?”

“Dr. Yang is the best of the best. Your babies couldn’t ask for a better doctor.”

“Thank you, Bora-ssi.”

“You just call if you need anything else. I’ll be back with the doctor soon.” She smiled warmly before taking her leave.

Chapter Text

Jongho would have liked to say he hadn’t cried multiple times in the last four days since the twins arrived, but he’d be lying. The second they were brought from the delivery room, he was a mess. These tiny, fragile humans were theirs. Were his to care for. To raise. To protect.

He was in the NICU, watching over their sleeping forms. Sukchin had just had a breathing treatment, and Dr. Yang noted how well he was responding. She was, however, concerned with Haeun’s lack of weight gain.

“Hi.” Someone was suddenly beside him, making him jump. “Oh. Sorry!” It was a young woman, an omega. He’d seen her in the NICU the days prior, watching over her own pup. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You looked like you could use some company.”

“Uh. Sure. Yeah.” He motioned to the empty chair beside him.

“I’m Eunji.” She pointed to the bassinet beside the twins, holding a sleeping baby girl. “And this is Jisoo.”

“Jongho. And the twins are Haeun and Sukchin.”

“They’re adorable. What are they in for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Premature. Dr. Yang wants to make sure Sukchan here can breathe well on his own. And Haeun has some problems feeding.” The teeny tiny cannula in Sukchin’s nose, and the itty bitty bag of IV nutrients attached to Haeun, made his heart clench. “What about Jisoo?”

“Waiting for a new heart.” She smiled sadly at her daughter. “Apparently I didn’t make her a very good one.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Dr. Yang’s confident we’ll hear about a match soon. For now it’s just me and her here every day.”

“It’s just the two of you?”

“Yeah. Her sire freaked and ran off when he found out.” She rolled her eyes. “Couldn’t handle it I guess.” She bit her lip, automatically cringing. “Sorry. You probably didn’t want to hear all that.”

“It’s okay.” Jongho assured her. “That guy sounds like he sucks.”

“Well, anyway. My parents are out in Busan and they haven’t been able to make it to see her. So, yeah, just me and my girl.”

“Well, until these two get sent home, or little Jisoo gets her heart, my pack and I are happy to keep you company.”

“That’s very kind of you, Jongho-ssi.”

“Hey.” Wooyoung came up beside them, handing Jongho an iced coffee. “You’re the eomma of the little girl next to the twins, right?”

“That’s me.” Eunji confirmed. “Eunji.”

“Wooyoung.” He turned to Jongho. “Seonghwa should be discharged tomorrow. He’s nervous to go home without them.”

“I can’t say I blame him. It feels wrong that the nursery is empty and they’re here.”

“It doesn’t get easier.” Eunji informed them, not unhelpfully. “I prefer spending my time here with her than at home.”

“We’ve been taking turns coming to see them.” Wooyoung smiled down at the twins. “But everyone’s itching to get back in here.” He delicately caressed Haeun’s cheek. “Hi, Baby. How are you feeling today?”

“Dr. Yang is still worried she’s not getting enough while feeding.” Jongho told him. “I don’t know if we should tell Seonghwa. He’ll be beside himself if he thinks he’s not feeding her well.” Even though they were mostly being fed by bottle, Dr. Yang had encouraged Seonghwa feeding them himself whenever he could.

“He’ll want to know why they’re not coming home yet.”

“Not that it’s my place,” Eunji said delicately, “but I would want to know everything that was happening with my pup. Even if it made me feel like a shit parent.”

“Seonghwa is… delicate right now.” Jongho explained. “This has all been a lot for him.”

“Trust me. I understand. But, at least he has you guys to hold his hand through it.”

“Sorry. All this probably seems trivial to what you two are dealing with.”

“Jisoo and I have been in this NICU for four months. We’ve seen pups come and go with things much worse than her and things much easier to beat. No matter what put them here, it always fucking sucks seeing your babies sick.”

“That it does.” Wooyoung turned his attention to Sukchin. “And how are you faring today, Sweetheart?”

“His last breathing test was very good according to Dr. Yang.” Jongho said. “He just needs to gain a little more weight.”

“Look at you go!” He beamed down at their son. “We’ll be bringing you home in no time.”

“But without his sister.” Jongho’s heart ached for their little girl. She looked so small, the preemie diapers even looked big on her.

“She’ll be right behind him.” Wooyoung sounded so sure. “Isn’t that right, Haeunie? You’re gonna get big and strong so we can take you two home. We made your nursery so nice. You’re gonna love it.”

…

Seonghwa was a mess when Dr. Yang updated him on the state of the twins. He didn’t know what to feel. On one hand, Sukchin seemed to be thriving, recovering wonderfully from their scare when he first arrived. On the other, Haeun was still struggling. He was somehow filled with both joy and dread. Hongjoong held him tightly, trying and failing to hide his own worry from his scent.

“If we can’t take them home together, what will we do?” Seonghwa asked.

“What we can.” Hongjoong said. “We’ll split off. Some of us will come here to be with her. The others will stay home with him.”

“I feel like such a failure. I couldn’t carry them for long enough. Now they’re paying for it.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t blame yourself.”

“How can I not? My body was meant to nourish them. To keep them safe until they were ready to be here. I failed.” Seonghwa was struggling to parse through the emotions running rampant through his mind. His scent was probably indescribable from how quickly he was cycling through them.

“You did the best you possibly could for them. You got them here. We always knew this was a possibility.” Hongjoong held him as tight as he could, trying to take on his pain as if he could. “They’re going to be okay. We have to believe that.”

“I just want to take them home.”

“I know, My Star. I do too. We all want them both home as soon as possible.”

“Can we go up and see them?”

“Of course we can. Jongho and Wooyoung are up there now.” The rest of the pack had gone down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Between Seonghwa and the twins, they were practically living in the hospital. Hongjoong hadn’t left Seonghwa’s side save for the short while he was with the twins in the NICU the first day. “I’ll get a nurse to bring you up.”

“I want to try to feed her again. Maybe she just doesn’t like the formula they give her. Maybe she just wants me.”

“Maybe.”

…

It was, unfortunately, not the formula. After only a few moments, Haeun unlatched and fussed, refusing to continue. Seonghwa had to stop himself from crying. He was not doing well with that.

“It’s alright, Seonghwa-ssi.” Dr. Yang assured him. She’d come to round on the babies right as Seonghwa had arrived, and wanted to stay to see how Haeun fed. “I’m going to run some new tests. Maybe we can get to the bottom of why she’s struggling to eat.”

“How long will that take?” Hongjoong asked.

“Not long at all. I am going to have to take her down to radiology to get some scans.”

“Can one of us go with her?” Wooyoung asked.

“One of you can come with us down to the suite, but you’ll have to wait outside.”

“I’ll go.” Wooyoung offered, looking to Seonghwa and Hongjoong. “I’ll stay with her.”

“I’ll have them call down and we’ll be on our way.” She tapped something out on her tablet. “A nurse will be around soon to take her down. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“Thank you, Dr. Yang.” Hongjoong kept close to Seonghwa.

…

When Dr. Yang came back up with Haeun, she had a serious look on her face. Seonghwa’s heart immediately sank.

“So, the reason Haeun here is having trouble feeding is because of an obstruction in her stomach.” She explained. “It’s not big, but it is preventing her from taking in enough food.”

“Can you get it out?” Seonghwa had Hongjoong and Yunho’s hands in a vice grip. The rest of the pack had rushed to the NICU at the news of Haeun getting more testing done.

“It’s a simple procedure.” Dr. Yang assured them. “I can get her into an OR today.”

“Will she be okay?”

“She’s going to be just fine. Once the obstruction is removed, we should see significant improvement in her intake.”

“The obstruction,” San said, his nerves were evident in his scent, his eucalyptus off, “it’s not… is it…” he seemed to not know how to ask it.

“It's highly unlikely the obstruction is cancerous or dangerous in any way. I will send it to pathology to be sure, but the chances for it to be anything but benign are slim to none.”

“But… but surgery.” Mingi was frazzled to say the least. “She’s so small.”

“I’ve operated on pups just as small. Trust me when I tell you that this procedure is perfectly safe.”

“We… we trust you.” Jongho’s eyes never left Haeun. “It’s just… it’s hard to understand that she’s four days old and she has to go through all of this.”

“Your reaction is completely normal.” She met Seonghwa’s gaze. “The sooner we remove the obstruction, the sooner we can get back on track to getting her home.”

“How soon can you do it?” He asked.

“If an OR is available, I can have her in and out in two hours or so.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “I guess she’s going in for surgery.”

…

The surgery ended up taking nearly three hours. The pack restlessly and anxiously waited in the surgical waiting room every second of it. Several nurses tried to get Seonghwa back to his room, but he insisted on staying put. He wanted to be there the moment Dr. Yang came out.

When she finally did emerge, she was smiling.

“The surgery went perfectly.” She informed them. “She’s headed back to the NICU for recovery and observation.”

“She’s okay.” Seonghwa breathed a sigh of relief. “Our baby girl is okay.”

“She did great. She should heal up just fine.”

“Thank you.” Jongho hugged Dr. Yang, tears falling freely. “Thank you.” Dr. Yang didn’t seem to know how to respond at first, but returned the hug.

They all quickly made their way back to the NICU to see Haeun. She was set back up in her little plastic bassinet right beside her brother. She was asleep, her little chest rising and falling with her breath. There was a bandage, almost as big as she was, covering her abdomen.

“Looks like you and I are gonna have matching scars.” Seonghwa said softly. “You did so good, Baby. Damma’s so proud of you.”

“When she wakes up we can try feeding her again.” A nurse told them. “For now, Seonghwa-ssi, I do think we should bring you back to your room so we can check your site and you can rest.”

“She’s right, Star.” Hongjoong caressed his cheek. “You need sleep. They’re okay.”

“You’ll all stay with them, right?”

“We won’t leave their side.” Yeosang assured him.

“And you’ll get me when she wakes up?”

“We promise.”

“I’m going to stay with you.” Wooyoung insisted. “I don’t want you to be alone.”

“No, no. The pups need you more.”

“You need us too.” San said. “Youngie and I will keep you company.”

“Okay.” He held a hand out. “Someone help me up so I can give them kisses.” Mingi assisted him in standing from the wheelchair and helped him over to the twins. “Damma loves you both so much.” He kissed both of their heads. “I’ll be back to see you both soon.” Mingi helped him back into the wheelchair. “Okay. We can go now.”

“Get some sleep.” Hongjoong kissed his cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you too. Love you all so much.” They all replied in kind as Wooyoung and San wheeled him away. Hongjoong sighed, looking down at their sleeping pups.

“They’re going to be okay.” Yunho said, wrapping his arms around Hongjoong from behind.

“I hope they will be.”

Chapter Text

In the days following Haeun’s surgery, Dr. Yang had been extremely happy to see she had finally started eating better and gaining weight. Sukchin, as well, was doing great. His breathing tests were nearly perfect and he was also gaining well. Dr. Yang had also given them the good news that the mass was benign. Seonghwa, who was glued to their sides the moment he was discharged, had never felt such relief as when they were told they would be going home soon.

“They are very close to the goal weight to discharge them.” Dr. Yang had informed the pack. “A few more days and they should be on their way.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard in the last two weeks.” Hongjoong breathed an audible sigh of relief. He felt like he could finally breathe again. His Luna and his pups were okay. They were all healthy. They could go home.

“They’re strong little pups. You’ve got tough ones.” Dr. Yang said before leaving the pack alone.

“That we do.” Hongjoong smiled down at his two babies. Sukchin no longer needed the little cannula to help him breathe, and Haeun had been taken off the drip. They’d grown quite a bit as well, or maybe it was just his imagination.

“You guys finally get to come home with us soon.” San cooed. “Can’t wait to show you your nursery.”

“Damma Sannie did such a good job for you guys.” Yeosang added.

A shout from nearby pulled them away from their little moment with the twins. Dr. Yang was talking with Eunji, who was crying. They couldn’t make out what they were saying, but Eunji was nodding rapidly and nurses were suddenly pulling Jisoo away.

“Is everything okay?” Jongho asked Eunji. In the last week, the pack had become fast friends with her as they watched over their babies together.

“They found Jisoo a heart.” Eunji said through her tears. “They’re taking her now. She’s getting her heart.”

“That’s great!”

“I almost can’t believe it.” She wiped her eyes. “We’ve been here so long I just started to accept we might never get it.”

“Come wait with us.” Jongho led her over to his mates.

“You okay?” Wooyoung asked once she was seated.

“I’m alright. It’s good news. Maybe Jisoo and I can get out with you and the twins.” She sighed. “It’s not even her first time going into surgery. But this time is different. I might actually be able to hold her now.”

“You haven’t held her yet?” Seonghwa asked softly. That was one of his greatest fears with the twins.

“Once. Right after she was born. Because of her heart condition, it would be too much of a risk of her getting sick.”

“That sounds impossible.” Yunho looked sadly at the twins. “I don’t know what we’d do if we couldn’t hold them.” They were, all things considered, extremely lucky for parents with babies in the NICU. They didn’t have to be closed off or kept under protections every second of the day, allowing them to still be held and kissed, even for a short while.

…

Jisoo’s surgery took several hours. At one point Mingi and Jongho disappeared, only to return half an hour later with food for everyone. They could all tell Eunji was trying very hard not to freak out the whole time. They tried to distract her by getting her to tell them more about herself. She worked an office job, which had a very generous maternity leave and allowed her to spend all of her time with Jisoo. She liked to paint and read, and she’d hand painted Jisoo’s nursery themed to the Chronicles of Narnia.

“It’s kind of shit.” She confessed. “Aslan looks more like a weasel than a lion somehow.” She showed them a picture. Wooyoung, immediately, broke out into cackles, only to be quickly scolded by a nurse for being so loud.

“It’s not that bad.” Yeosang said, trying not to laugh.

“No it is. You can laugh. It’s okay.”

“Is that supposed to be Mr. Tumnus?” Yunho squinted at the screen.

“You know what, she’s going to love it.” Seonghwa insisted. “Because her Eomma made it with love.”

“Sannie designed the twins' nursery,” Mingi said proudly. “It looks amazing.”

“It’s not hand painted mural amazing.” San waved him off, cheeks pink.

“Oppa, the beavers look like chewed up slippers.” Eunji deadpanned.

“It’s great.” Seonghwa assured her. “And Sannie, the nursery you designed is gorgeous. You should be proud of it.”

“Do you have pictures?” Eunji asked San.

“Uh, yeah.” San pulled out his phone. “Here.”

“Oh, it’s beautiful. All the colors.” She flipped through the photos. “It’s amazing.”

“Thank you.”

“He did all the painting and everything himself.” Hongjoong praised him. “Spent hours hiding away in there not letting any of us see.”

“I wanted to make it special.”

“It’s so special.” Eunji gave him back his phone.

“Eunji-ssi.” Dr. Yang approached carefully. “Jisoo is out of surgery.”

“Is she okay?” Eunji jumped to her feet.

“There were some complications, but your little girl pulled through just fine.”

“Complications? What complications?”

“Nothing major. There was some additional bleeding, but we got her patched up. They’ll be bringing her up shortly.”

“Will… will I be able to hold her?”

“We’ll be keeping a close eye on her for the next twenty four hours. So long as she does well, I don’t see why not.”

“Thank you, Dr. Yang.” Eunji sat back down, her body visibly relaxing. “Thank you so much.”

“They’ll be bringing her up in just a little bit.” Eunji nodded, thanking her again.

“I really appreciate you guys keeping me company through this.” She turned to the pack. “It means a lot.”

“No one deserves to be alone with something like this.” Hongjoong said.

…

Three days later found the pack huddled around a scale while Bora did the twins weigh in.

“Okay, Sukchin, are you ready?” Bora lifted him from his little bassinet and placed him delicately on the scale. “Oh! Look at you! Two point nine kilograms! An overachiever! Dr. Yang will be happy with you.” She entered his weight into her tablet and carefully transferred him back to his bassinet. “Alright, Haeun. Your turn.” The whole pack was holding their breath as Bora transferred her to the scale. “Let’s see, shall we?” Time seemed to slow down as the scale balanced out. “Two point seven! My Dear, you made it!”

“So, that’s it right?” Jongho asked. “We can take them home.”

“As soon as I get their numbers over to Dr. Yang she’ll be signing them off for discharge. It might take a little while to complete the paperwork.” Bora laid Haeun back down. “You, My Dears, are headed home.”

In what felt like an eternity, but yet no time at all, they were finally strapping the babies into their car seats to take home.

“Congratulations.” Eunji said, watching them get ready to leave.

“How is Jisoo doing?” Yeosang asked.

“Fantastic. She should be out soon herself.”

“Let us know if you two need anything.” Hongjoong insisted.

“The two of us will be alright. But I will let you guys know when they discharge her.”

“Please do.”

…

“Okay, My Little Loves,” Seonghwa sang as they stepped inside, “we’re finally home.”

“You wanna see your room?” San cooed, already taking the twins, still in their car seats, down the hall to the nursery.

“Sannie, they can barely see.” Hongjoong followed, laughing.

“That’s why I used so many bright colors. I read it’s good for their development.” San held the car seats up so the twins were facing into the nursery. “You see, Loves. All the fun colors and shapes. So pretty, right?” The walls were painted a pretty coral color, with the wall behind the cribs painted an aquatic blue with tropical leaves. The cribs were white with blue accents.

“You never told us what inspired you.” Wooyoung pointed out.

“Well, like I said, bright colors are good for their development.” San put the car seats down on the changing table. “And, when I was thinking about colors, I kept thinking about the Eternal Sunshine music video set. It also reminded me that Eternal Sunshine was the first music video we filmed after our mating. It only seemed right that it be the nursery theme.”

“That’s so sweet.” Seonghwa was teary eyed.

“Why are you crying?” Yeosang wiped away his tears.

“It’s these damn hormones.” He huffed. “Hopefully I stop crying soon. We’ll get enough of that with these two.” The twins were currently wide eyed and alert. “It really is beautiful, Sannie.”

“And you guys like it too, don’t you?” Yunho lifted Haeun from her seat while Mingi took Sukchin. “Yes you do.” Sukchin, at the moment, seemed more interested in gumming on his fist than the room. Haeun’s attention was firmly on Yunho, little hand reaching up for his face. “Yes, Baby, what can I do for you?” He smiled wide and bounced her gently as he took her around the room, pointing out all of the little details San had included. At one point, Haeun’s hand wrapped around Yunho’s finger and the alpha just seemed to melt.

“You’re still crying.” San pointed out as he wrapped Seonghwa up in his arms.

“I’m fine. I promise.” Seonghwa gratefully accepted the hug. “I’m just so happy. Our babies are home.”

“They’re home and they’re healthy.”

“You did such a beautiful job for them.”

“It’s only fair. You did such a beautiful job bringing them to us.” Seonghwa squeezed him tighter, not responding. “You did, Hwa. It was tough, and it was scary, but they’re here. And you did that.”

“I did all that and we got two little Joong clones out of it.”

“No.” Mingi disagreed. “Sukchin has your eyes. And your lips.”

“I think they both look like you, Hwa.” Hongjoong said, taking Haeun from Yunho’s arms. “Hello, My Baby. You’re so beautiful.”

“Yeah, well you are biased,” Yeosang said. “You don’t want to see yourself. You only want to see Hwa.” He held his arms out towards Mingi, who transferred their son to his arms. “You’re right though, Min. I do see both of them in him.”

“It doesn't even matter who they look like.” Seonghwa confessed, adjusting himself in San’s arms. “They’re perfect.”

…

The babies crying woke Seonghwa. Not that he’d been sleeping very well. He was sensitive to any noise around him, his instincts convincing him it was his babies.

As quickly as the crying started it stopped. Seonghwa slipped from the nest to check on them.

He found Jongho in one of the rocking chairs, Sukchin in his arms. Haeun was sound asleep in her crib.

“I didn’t even notice you left the nest.” Seonghwa sat in the chair beside him.

“I couldn’t really sleep.” Jongho confessed. “I heard Sukchin crying so I came to check on him. I didn’t want to wake you if I didn’t need to.”

“He just wanted to be held, huh?” Sukchin seemed perfectly content now that he was in someone’s arms. “Appa Jjong gives good cuddles, doesn’t he?”

“It feels like a dream.” Jongho confessed. “Like I’m gonna wake up and I made this all up in my head.”

“I know what you mean. But it’s real, Bear. We have two beautiful babies. They’re here, and they already love their Appa Jjong.”

“I was so scared at first. I didn’t think I’d be good at this. I still don’t know if I’ll be good at it. But it’s definitely not as scary.”

“You’re doing okay so far.”

“There’s still a long way to go.”

“Eighteen years at least.” Seonghwa chuckled. “But we’ve got each other.”

“Yeah, we do.” Haeun began fussing from her crib, Seonghwa jumping up to get her.

“Hi, My Girl. What’s the matter? Did you just want snuggles like your brother?” She continued to cry as he rocked her. “No, that’s a hungry cry, isn’t it? It’s okay, Damma’s right here.” He cradled her in one arm while he used his free hand to unbutton his shirt. “Come on, Haeunie. Time to eat.” He sat down in the rocking chair, adjusting her so she could latch. She did without issue. “You know, I’m still scared she’s not going to feed properly. That she’s going to start having problems again.” He watched her as she ate. “I never, ever, want to see either of them have to go into an operating room again.”

“You're such a natural.” Jongho complimented. “How do you know exactly what they need?”

“I don’t know. Instincts I suppose.” Haeun held onto one of his fingers. “But I don’t know what I’m doing. Not really. I’m guessing more than anything. But I’m starting to get it.”

Once Haeun had gotten her fill, Sukchin started to fuss for his turn. Seonghwa and Jongho trained off babies so one of them could feed while the other burped.

“Come on.” Seonghwa said softly once the pups were back in their cribs and asleep. “Let’s go back to bed. I’m sure it won’t be much longer until they’re up again.”

“Okay.” Jongho took his hand and followed him back to the nest.

Chapter Text

Hongjoong loved holding the twins. Any chance he could, he had one, or both, in his arms. He liked to strap them to his chest while he went about his day. It brought him comfort to know they were warm and safe against him.

He currently had Sukchin strapped to his chest as he worked on his computer. He wasn’t doing much, just fiddling around with some sounds. But the baby seemed to enjoy it.

“And this is the topline.” He explained, as if the one and a half month old had any clue what he was saying. “That’s what gets people interested.”

“Aren’t you two just the cutest.” Wooyoung cooed from the doorway. He had his phone out, clearly recording Hongjoong and the pup.

“He’s well on his way to being a top notch producer.” Hongjoong said, smiling down at their son. “What’s up?”

“It’s about time for his treatment.” Even though Sukchin had been cleared by the doctor, he still needed breathing treatments twice a day, as he did have a touch of asthma. Sukchin hated them. Hongjoong’s heart broke every time they put the little mask on his face. “I know. It sucks to watch.”

“All for the best, I know.” He caressed Sukchin’s cheek. “Come on, Sweetheart. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can get back to snuggles.”

“Do you plan on hogging him all day?”

“We’re working on a song.” Wooyoung chuckled.

“You can get back to your song later. I need some quality time with our son.”

“Okay, fine.” Hongjoong stood, Sukchin protesting the movement. “I know, Baby. You don’t like this part of the day. It’ll be over soon.”

Seonghwa was already setting up the little nebulizer machine in the nursery when Wooyoung and Hongjoong walked in. They’d found he was more agreeable to the treatment if Seonghwa was the one to give it to him. He still hated it, but just that little bit less.

“Come here, My Love.” Seonghwa held out his arms for Hongjoong to transfer the pup over. Hongjoong begrudgingly handed Sukchin over. “Did you have fun with Appa Joongie?” Sukchin was perfectly calm until Seonghwa picked up the mask and put it on his face. The tears started as soon as the machine was flipped on. “Oh, I know. It’s no fun. I’m sorry, Baby.”

He cried through the entire five minutes the treatment took, his little face red.

“That’s it. All done.” Seonghwa removed the mask the moment the medicine ran out. “You were so brave. Damma’s so proud of you.” He said that every day after Sukchin’s treatments. He held him close and rubbed his back, soothing his cries.

“It’ll get easier.” Hongjoong wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince Seonghwa or himself.

“I hate when they cry.” Wooyoung said.

“It’s unavoidable unfortunately.” Sukchin’s cries had finally eased a little, his head resting on Seonghwa’s shoulder. “Let’s go find your sister. You need a good cuddle with your Haeunie.”

“Yunho and Mingi have her in the nest.”

Mingi had created a mini nest within their pack nest for Haeun to rest in. She was settled between him and Yunho, content to be doted on by the two. She looked up at them with big, curious eyes. She squealed in delight as Seonghwa rested Sukchin beside her.

“How’d he do today?” Yunho asked.

“As well as he usually does.” Hongjoong replied, laying down beside Mingi. Sukchin appeared much calmer now that he was beside his sister. The two seemed to calm each other down in a way that none of them could quite explain, but was appreciated nonetheless.

“Haeun got in some tummy time.” Mingi informed them. “Hated every second of it.”

“Oh, Appa Yuyu and Damma Minnie are so mean to you, huh?” Wooyoung cooed down at Haeun. Hongjoong reached out and flicked his forehead. “Ow! Hey.”

“It’s okay, Haeunie.” Seonghwa said to the pup. “Damma has a hard time on his tummy too.”

“Her site should be healed though.” Yunho said, confused. “The doctor said tummy time was fine.”

“It’s still probably uncomfortable for her.” Seonghwa chided him gently. “Mine still gets sore sometimes.” Every morning, after he looked over his own site, Seonghwa would check over Haeun’s surgery site. He was meticulous, assuring neither of them had any problems or concerns. He carefully cleaned them and applied the ointments and creams just as instructed. “But we’re doing okay, aren’t we Haeunie?” He booped her nose, the pup grabbing his finger and sticking it in her mouth. “It’s time for you two to eat again, isn’t it?”

“I can get the bottles if that will be easier.” Hongjoong offered.

“No. No. I haven’t pumped recently.” Seonghwa set himself up against the headboard, undoing his shirt. “I prefer feeding them myself anyway. I hate the pump.” When Hongjoong had suggested Seonghwa start pumping more often so the rest of the pack could help feed the twins, he was staunchly against it. The machine was uncomfortable, pinching at his nipples every time he tried to use it. He’d rather just feed the babies directly. “Give me Sukchinnie first. He always gets hungry after his nebulizer.” Yunho dutifully transferred Sukchin from the mini nest to Seonghwa’s waiting arms.

“I don’t understand why you won’t let us help.” Hongjoong said.

“It’s not about you helping. The pump is uncomfortable. It’s just easier for me to feed them directly. Besides, you help with them plenty.” The rest of the pack did indeed help wherever else they could. They always took care of the diapers and bath time. “This is just the one thing I’d rather do myself.” He cradled Sukchin’s head, smiling at the pup as he ate. “After this, it’s nap time. How about your dammas here put you and your sister down once you’ve eaten? Sounds nice, yeah?”

“Give him to me to burp when you’re done.” Wooyoung held out his arms. “I have not gotten nearly enough pup snuggles today.”

“Where are the rest of our mates?” Seonghwa asked suddenly.

“Not sure.” Yunho shrugged. “I think Jongho went to nap a little while ago. He didn’t sleep well.” Jongho had been up nearly as often as Seonghwa most nights. He was hyper vigilant over the twins and would sit with Seonghwa while he did their late night feedings.

“Sannie and Sangie disappeared a little after lunch.” Mingi said. “Haven’t seen them since.”

“Were they alright?” Hongjoong immediately looked concerned.

“I think so. San had mentioned needing to talk to Yeosang about something, but he didn’t seem upset. They went to San’s room.”

“I think I’ll go check on them.” Hongjoong decided. He kissed both babies on the head, then gave Wooyoung and the others kisses after they pouted.

“San-ah. Sangie.” Hongjoong knocked on San’s door. He had every intention of waiting patiently for one of them to open the door, but when he heard a hiccuped sob and smelled San’s sad scent, he made the executive decision to let himself in. Yeosang was holding him, San’s bulky body folded up and looking so small in his arms. “What happened?”

“I’m so sorry.” San forced out through his tears. Hongjoong was by his side in an instant.

“What are you sorry for? Talk to me, Baby. Whatever it is, we can fix it.” He looked to Yeosang for an answer.

“Tell him, Baby” Yeosang urged. “It’s okay.”

“You won’t hate me?”

“I could never hate you. None of us could.” San looked up at Yeosang, as if to get confirmation it was okay.

“Go on.”

“I’m an omega.”

…

“Sangie.” San approached him as he was cleaning up after lunch. “Can I talk to you?”

“Sure.” Yeosang put the last dish on the rack. “What’s up?”

“Alone. Please.” San wrapped his arms around himself. “Can we go to my room?” Yeosang nodded, following San up the stairs. Yeosang shut the door behind him. He could tell by San’s scent something was bothering him. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell the others? Until I’m ready to? I just need to tell someone.”

“What’s wrong?” Yeosang allowed San to pull him onto the bed to sit. He noticed there were piles of clothes and blankets and plushies on the bed, and recognized his own missing shirts among them.

San had made a nest.

“San-ah.” Yeosang was putting the pieces together. “Whatever you’re about to tell me, it’s okay.”

“You don’t even know what it is yet.”

“I think I do.” San finally met his eyes, unshed tears glistening. “You wanting to be called dam by the pups. The way you looked at Seonghwa when he was pregnant. Like you wanted it.” He held San’s face in his hands. “You’re an omega, Baby.”

“Yeah.” San nodded. “Yeah I am.”

“You have a lovely nest.” Yeosang pulled him into his arms, and the dam broke. San sobbed in his arms, soaking his shirt. “It’s okay. It’s alright.”

“I-I wanted you to know first.”

“Because we won’t be betas together anymore?” San nodded. “That’s alright. I’d rather you be who you need to be.”

…

“An omega?” Hongjoong asked. “Baby, are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” San said. “I’ve known for a long time now.”

“And you thought we’d be upset?”

“It changes everything.”

“Of course it changes things.” Hongjoong agreed. “But what’s not going to change is how much we love you.”

“It’s such a hard process. I looked into it. And with the twins.”

“We’ll make it work.” Yeosang assured him. “We always do.”

“I don’t know how to tell the others. Seonghwa might already know. But the rest of the pack?”

“Will support you no matter what.” Hongjoong insisted. “And Sangie and I will be right by your side when you’re ready to tell them.”

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.” San admitted. “But I also don’t know how much longer I can hide it.”

“We’ll follow your lead.”

“Do you… do you think the process might have already started?” Hongjoong asked. He would have had to have been blind to not notice the changes in his mate. They were small, but so obvious to the people who knew him best.

“Maybe. I’m not sure. I don’t think it can happen by accident. I’ve just been giving in to my instincts more. Like, I realized I really like nesting.”

“I can see that.” Hongjoong looked around at his room. “It looks cozy.”

“Can we tell them today?” San asked. “Once the twins go down. So no one’s too distracted from them.”

“They’re about to go down for a nap. Seonghwa’s just feeding them first.”

“Are you sure?” Yeosang asked him.

“No. But I think I need to just do it. Rip the bandaid off, right?”

“I’ll come get you once they’re down?” Hongjoong offered.

“Okay.”

“You’ll stay with him?” He asked Yeosang. Yeosang nodded.

Wooyoung and Mingi were just putting the twins to sleep when he made it to the nursery.

“They’re asleep?” He asked quietly.

“Just about. Haeun fought it for a bit, but couldn’t resist Damma Youngie singing her a lullaby.” Mingi laid the twin in question down in her crib.

“Are San and Sangie okay?” Wooyoung asked.

“They’re okay. Sannie does want to talk to us though. Nothing bad.” Hongjoong quickly assured the two when they shared a nervous glance. “Just, when you’re done, head back to the den. I’ll wake Jongho.”

With the pack gathered in the den, Hongjoong collected San and Yeosang. San held onto Yeosang while the pack patiently waited for him to speak.

“Do you want me to tell them?” Hongjoong offered after a while. “I can.”

“No. I can do it.” San took a deep breath. “I came to a realization about myself recently.” Hongjoong squeezed his hand. “I’m an omega.” His bottom lip wobbled. “I’m sorry. I know it’s going to be hard.”

“No apologies.” Yunho shook his head. “You finding yourself is worth it.”

“I had a feeling.” Seonghwa took his face in his hands. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Can we really make it work?” San asked softly.

“We absolutely can.” Jongho answered like it was the simplest thing in the world.

“I’m happy for you.” Wooyoung didn’t sound happy. “Sorry. I need a minute.” He crawled out of the nest and left the room.

“Woo…” San reached out for him as the door shut. “No. No. I take it all back. I take it back.”

“No you don’t.” Seonghwa wrapped him in his arms.

“Wooyoung hates me now.”

“No he doesn’t.” Yeosang assured him. “I’ll talk to him. I’m sure there’s a good explanation.”

“There better be.” Hongjoong grumbled.

“I’ll be right back.” Yeosang kissed the top of San’s head and left to find Wooyoung.

Chapter Text

“Wooyoung.” Yeosang didn’t bother knocking on his door, letting himself into the omega’s room. “Wooyoung, what was that?”

“Not now.” Wooyoung was laying in his nest, holding one of San’s shirts against his chest. “Just leave me alone please.”

“Not happening.” Yeosang let himself into Wooyoung’s nest, earning a grumble from him. “Why did you run off?”

“I don’t want to talk.”

“I don’t care. You hurt San, you don’t get to avoid explaining why.”

“What does it matter? He’s going to be a better omega than I am.” Wooyoung stuck his face in San’s shirt.

“What are you talking about?” Yeosang rolled him over so he could look at Wooyoung’s face. “You’re an amazing omega.”

“‘M not. Can’t give us a pup.”

“So? Mingi’s not giving us pups. Is he not a perfect omega?” Yeosang could see the tears welling in his eyes.

“That’s his choice. I can’t.”

“We don’t know that yet.” Yeosang wiped away a tear from Wooyoung’s face. “What’s this really about, Youngie?”

“Why wouldn’t he tell me?” Wooyoung’s eyes met Yeosang’s. “Why wouldn’t he trust me with this?”

“Well, you running off after finding out isn’t the best vote of confidence.” Yeosang ran his fingers through Wooyoung’s hair. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why the omega was so upset about this.

“He could have come to me.” Wooyoung insisted. “He could have told me how he was feeling. I could have helped him. I could have been there for him.”

“He wasn’t ready. He was scared. You should understand that.”

“I do. I mean… I.” Wooyoung sat up, looking like he’d just realized something. “I’m an asshole. I left him down there when he needed me.” He jumped out of his nest. “I have to get back to him.” He left Yeosang behind in the nest, running as quickly as his feet could carry him back to the den.

“San. Baby, I’m so sorry.” He nudged Hongjoong and Seonghwa out of the way to get San. “I’m so sorry. I love you so much. I’m so sorry.” San clung to him, crying against his chest. “You're such a good omega. And I’m an asshole.”

“You don’t hate me?”

“No, Baby. I could never hate you.” Wooyoung rocked them back and forth, trying to soothe San’s sobs. “I got in my own stupid head. I’m so happy you found yourself.”

“You won’t run off again?”

“Never. I’ll be right here. I’ll help you nest. Help you however you need.” He kissed his head over and over again. “I love you. I love you. I’m sorry.”

“You and I will talk later, okay?” Seonghwa said softly. He didn’t sound upset, but Wooyoung still felt like he was in trouble. Seonghwa, so protective of his omegas, had a new one to protect after all. He just nodded, holding San even closer.

…

It was nearly impossible to get Wooyoung to leave San’s side after that. He was with him every moment, morning, noon, and night. Where San was, Wooyoung wasn’t far behind. They’d check on the babies together, give them baths together. And when they weren’t occupied with the twins, Wooyoung was helping him nest. Teaching him all of his little tips and tricks to make his space the most comfortable.

They hadn’t started the bitching process just yet. At least, not in the sexual manner. They had very little time on their hands taking care of the pups. Wooyoung definitely noticed the little changes taking place though. They weren’t big, San always being a kind of picture perfect omega to begin with, but he leaned into them more. He was allowing himself to be more affectionate, if that was possible. Softer. It was a rare occasion as of late for them to be able to enjoy some omega time, but Seonghwa eagerly accepted San into his nest.

An entire week had passed before Seonghwa was able to catch Wooyoung alone.

“Hey.” He leaned against the doorframe of Wooyoung’s room. He’d snuck off with Haeun at some point, getting some alone time with her. “Got a minute?”

“For my Luna? Always.” Wooyoung pat beside him in his nest.

“What happened?” Seonghwa asked, taking the offered seat. Wooyoung didn’t need him to elaborate.

“I got in my own head.” Wooyoung preferred to look down at Haeun rather than meet Seonghwa’s eyes. “San becoming an omega, it changes things. I’m happy he knows who he is. I am.” He gave Haeun his finger to gum on. “But I can’t help but feel like I’m going to be replaced.”

“Replaced? How could we ever replace you?”

“You’ll have a whole other omega to dote on. One who could actually give the pack pups. Who’ll be a better omega than I am.”

“What? Where is this coming from?” Seonghwa coaxed his head up so he could look at his face. “My Love, you’re a wonderful omega. There’s no right way. Just because you haven’t given us pups, doesn’t mean you’re not a good omega.”

“I want it so bad.” Wooyoung’s voice came out as a whisper, afraid that if he spoke any louder he’d break. “And I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

“I wish I could make it happen for you. I do.” Seonghwa held his face in his hands. “I know how badly you want it. But, even if you can’t, it wouldn’t make you a bad omega. It breaks my heart to hear you talk about yourself like that. None of my omegas are bad omegas.”

“Sannie is already such a perfect omega.”

“So are you, Lovely. Whether you believe it or not. You’re perfect.”

“I don’t feel perfect.”

“That’s okay. I don’t either.”

“I think this little one and her brother would disagree.” Haeun was looking up at Seonghwa with big, sparkly eyes. All while still gumming at Wooyoung’s finger.

“That’s just because I’m the one with the food.” Seonghwa pet the pup’s head, Haeun following his touch.

“I think you’re a perfect omega too.”

“I appreciate it, Baby. But I’m not. And we don’t have to be. We can just be us, and that’s okay.”

“Will it really be okay if I can’t have a baby?”

“It will. I know it doesn’t feel that way, but it will.” Seonghwa wiped under his eyes with his thumbs. “We will be with you every step of the way. I promise you.”

“I think the worst part is not knowing why. But I don’t know if I want to find out.”

“Whatever you decide, we’ll take care of you.”

“We have so much going on right now. Maybe once San has finished his transition.”

“You just let me know.” Seonghwa kissed his forehead.

“I can’t wait for his first heat.” Wooyoung confessed. “So we can spoil him like he always does for us.”

“That might be a while.”

“I don’t know. He’s already changing I think. At least a little.” He removed his finger from Haeun’s mouth, earning a whine of protest from her. “Sorry, Sweetheart. But those gums are tougher than they look.”

“What do you mean you think he’s already changing?” Seonghwa asked.

“I mean, it’s kind of hard to tell over all because he’s already so traditionally omegan. But, he’s different. And his scent is changing.”

“I thought I imagined that.”

“I did too at first. It’s sweeter. Still his usual eucalyptus, but there’s another layer to it now. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is though.”

“I kind of hope he keeps the eucalyptus. Whatever his new scent may be. It’s just so him.” Haeun yawned, beginning to drift off. “Now, would you care to help me find which of our mates has Sukchin and get them ready for bath time and bed?”

“Indeed I would.”

Chapter Text

“Hey.” San smiled at Yunho as he stepped into his room. Yunho gave him a devious smirk, closing and locking the door behind him. “What’s up?” Yunho didn’t say anything as he crawled into San’s nest, took his phone from his hands, and settled between his legs. “Can I help you?” San immediately got the message, laying back on the pillows.

“I just thought,” Yunho’s fingers moved to the hem of San’s shirt, “Seonghwa and Hongjoong took the twins for their appointment. We have a few hours to ourselves.” Yunho dipped his head closer, so their lips were almost brushing. “And I remembered there’s a pretty omega in here.” San purred, closing the distance.

“Are you going to take care of me, Alpha?”

“We have to start your bitching sooner or later. Why not now?” Yunho kissed him again. “Now, are you going to be a good omega for me?” San couldn’t help the pleased hum he released being called ‘omega’.

“I’ll be such a good omega.” San let Yunho remove his shirt, the alpha pressing gentle kisses along his torso. “So good for you.”

“I know, Baby.” Yunho undressed him with deft fingers. “Do you have lube in here?” San froze suddenly, his scent becoming bitter. “San? What’s wrong?”

“Can’t slick.” He said quietly. “Not like a real omega.”

“Oh, Baby.” Yunho moved back up his body, cradling his face in his hands. “That’s okay. You’ll be able to soon. For now, I don’t want to hurt you.” He kissed his forehead. “Do you want to keep going?”

“Can… can we just pretend?” San swallowed the lump in his throat. “Just for now. Until I can. Please.”

“Of course. Whatever you need.”

“It’s, um, it’s in the drawer. The nightstand.” San nodded over to the side of his bed. Yunho nodded rapidly, reaching over to retrieve the small bottle. He was careful to hold it in a way where San wouldn’t see it.

“Okay, Baby.” Yunho repositioned himself back between San’s spread legs. “Is my pretty omega ready?” San nodded. Yunho proceeded to undress him the rest of the way, kissing every expanse of skin he could get his mouth on.

When San had relaxed enough, Yunho carefully opened the bottle so the cap wouldn’t make too much noise. He coated his fingers in the sticky substance, and pressed one against San’s entrance.

“Already wet for me, Baby.” He crooned. He didn’t breach him just yet, taking his time to help him relax. “So pretty. Laid out for your alpha like this.” He slowly pressed his ring finger into him, careful not to hurt him. “So tight. Will you be able to take my knot?” Out of the alphas in the pack, Yunho’s knot was definitely the largest.

“Yes.” San nodded. “Can take it. Be a good omega.”

“You are such a good omega.” Yunho assured him, sliding another finger into him. “So lovely.” He stealthily added more lube to his fingers. “So wet. I wonder what you taste like.”

“Can taste me.”

“Can I? How sweet.” Yunho kissed down his body, lips soft against his warm skin. San’s scent became warm, syrupy with arousal. Yunho swore he could smell something almost minty beneath his eucalyptus. He bypassed his cock, laying hard and heavy against his stomach, in favor of his tongue finding San’s hole. The lube didn’t taste the nicest on his tongue, but he found it was easy to ignore it if he instead focused on the sounds spilling from his mate’s lips. San sounded breathtaking as Yunho opened him up, breathy pants and moans filling the room.

“I’m close.” Yunho retracted his fingers and pulled his face away, earning a whine from San.

“Don’t worry, Baby.” Yunho moved back up his body. “You’ll still get to cum. Just on my knot.” They’d done an immense amount of research on how to best help San. It involved a lot of orgasms. Specifically on a knot. Which the alphas of the pack were more than happy to provide.

“Please.”

“I’ve got you.” Yunho soothed, lining himself up. He entered him slowly, allowing San to adjust to his size. “Take me so well, Baby.”

“So good for you, Alpha.” Fully sheathed inside, Yunho looked down at San fondly. He was lovely. His big, broad shoulders, trim hips, and the loveliest look on his face. Mouth open in a silent moan, eyebrows pinched in pleasure.

“Can I move?” Yunho was careful to not hurt him.

“Yes. Please move.” He didn’t need to be told twice. He rolled his hips gently, starting with a slow pace. “Fuck, Yunho. You feel so good.”

“Ah.” Yunho tapped his thigh, mildly scolding. “Who are you talking to?” He picked up the pace a little, forcing a shout out of San.

“Ah-alpha.” San corrected himself. Another important part of the process. Submission. “Feels so good, Alpha.”

“That’s better.” Yunho kept a steady rhythm, earning the prettiest noises from the man below him. “Will you be this good of an omega for your other alphas?”

“Yes. Yes.” San babbled. “Be so good.”

“I know you will.” San was usually quick to fall apart, but he seemed to be hurtling towards release exceptionally quickly.

“Wanna cum.” San tried moving his hips in time with Yunho’s thrusts, his moves sloppy. “Your knot. Please.” Yunho pulled out suddenly, San making a distressed noise at the back of his throat.

“Get on your knees for me.” Yunho tapped his flank. San did as told, his shaky limbs making the task more difficult. “Perfect.” Yunho coated his cock in more lube before lining himself up and pushing into San’s inviting heat. San’s arms immediately gave up on him, face falling into the pillows below him. He blindly reached for his cock, but Yunho swatted his hand away.

“Can you cum just from my knot?” San nodded, whimpering. “Good boy.” Yunho didn’t bother to ease him back into it, immediately setting a bruising pace. San cried out, hands gripping the blankets for something to hold onto. Yunho praised him softly. ‘Good boy.’ ‘Perfect omega.’ ‘Take me so well.’

San was a writhing, hiccuping mess by the time Yunho felt his knot start to catch.

“Almost there, Baby.” He soothed, hand running down San’s spine. “Can you hold out for me a little longer?” San whined, unable to form words any longer. “I know you can. You’re so good, Baby. Such a good omega.”

Yunho’s knot finally caught, locking the two together and filling him up. He reached around and stroked San to completion. San came with a cry, cum streaking across the sheets. Yunho carefully moved them so they were both laying on their sides.

“How do you feel?” Yunho asked San softly.

“I…” San‘s voice was hoarse, and it shook as he spoke. “I feel so…” alarm bells started going off in Yunho’s head.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“No.” San said, shaking his head. “You were amazing. I’m just so happy.” Yunho softened, smiling.

“Good. You deserve it.” Yunho kissed his shoulder.

“Do you think it’ll work?”

“I think it’s already working.” Yunho nuzzled against San’s throat. “Your scent. It’s minty. It’s never been like that before.”

“What? Really?” San suddenly sounded excited.

“Yes, really.” Yunho giggled, San’s happiness infectious.

“But, that’s not supposed to happen until much further along in the process.” San was giddy at the idea of his bitching working faster than he hoped.

“I think, maybe, we might have started the process long before this without any of us really realizing.” Yunho couldn’t get a good look at San’s face to get his reaction, so he continued carefully. “You’ve wanted this for longer than you let yourself admit. Maybe, that desire manifested in the ideal circumstance to begin the bitching process. Maybe, we’re a lot closer than you think.”

“You mean… I could be an omega soon?”

“You’re already an omega. Your body’s just starting to catch up.” San’s body relaxed, sinking further into Yunho’s embrace as a gentle purr sounded from his chest.

…

San didn’t realize he’d fallen asleep until he was being gently woken by a hand caressing his face.

“Hi, Lovely.” Seonghwa said quietly. “How are you feeling?”

“Good.” San’s voice was hoarse. Yunho was still cuddled against his back, his knot now deflated and no longer inside him. “Really good.”

“I’m glad.” Seonghwa continued the gentle caress. “Hongjoong got a bath ready for you both.” Seonghwa moved to wake up Yunho with the same care.

Once they were awake enough, Seonghwa sent them off to the bathroom to clean up. He insisted he’d take care of the soiled blankets in San’s nest while they took their bath.

“Come join us in my nest when you’re done.” Seonghwa said to San. “We’ll bring the pups in and get some snuggles.”

“Can’t wait.” San kissed his cheek.

Freshly washed and dressed in cozy clothes, San kissed Yunho warmly and went to join the rest of the omegas in Seonghwa’s nest. They’d set up another little nest in the middle to hold the pups. Haeun and Sukchin looked absolutely adorable cuddled up against each other.

They’d gotten so big in such a short time, finally fitting into their newborn clothes. Seonghwa had chuckled when he’d realized that morning, as their due date was meant to be that weekend. So, technically speaking, the two of them were right on track.

“There you are.” Seonghwa smiled warmly, beckoning San into the nest.

“Did Yunho take good care of you?” Wooyoung immediately cuddled up to San.

“He was amazing.” San bent down to kiss both babies on the head, Sukchin reaching up and grabbing his nose.

“Do you feel any different?” Mingi asked.

“I just feel good. I feel right.” San leaned into Wooyoung. “Check my scent.” Wooyoung did as asked, nose brushing against San’s scent gland.

“Mint.” Wooyoung gasped. “But that means…”

“It’s working.” San knew he was getting teary again. “I’m almost there.”

“We should start planning for your first heat.” Seonghwa suggested. “At this rate I’ll be here before we know it.”

“Well, ideally, I’d want everyone. But, we have these two to worry about.” Haeun had begun drifting off, while Sukchin was still wide eyed and lively.

“We can take shifts.” Mingi offered.

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“We’ll make sure you’re taken care of.” Wooyoung nuzzled against San’s throat. “I like this new scent.”

San felt warm, comfortable, surrounded by his fellow omegas. Their babies were cozy between them, content to be doted on and cuddled. His mates smelled happy, which made him even happier.

Chapter Text

Yeosang had always wanted pups. Even when he was a pup himself, when thinking about his future, he saw himself as a father. So to have two he could love and dote on was a dream come true. 

He loved them to pieces. Every new milestone, and every little bit of their personalities they revealed was another special moment Yeosang could store in his heart forever. 

At only four months old, the twins had already begun to show how different they were to one another. Sukchin, for instance, loved bath time, while Haeun would fuss and put up as much of a fight as her little body could muster as soon as she entered the bathroom. Or how Haeun was a great sleeper, but Sukchin resisted sleep each night. 

The twins also had their favorites. Aside from Seonghwa, of course. No one could quite match the bond between him and their pups. But Yeosang was giddy when he realized Sukchin had chosen him as his favorite. For the most part, the baby boy had gotten more used to his nebulizer treatments, but he always prefered when Seonghwa or Yeosang gave it to him. 

Currently, Yeosang was supervising tummy time. Haeun still disliked it, though her scar was long since healed into a thin pink line down her belly. Sukchin wasn’t much of a fan either, typically preferring to be cuddled against one of his parents, but he was much more agreeable than his sister. 

“Now, I know you don’t like it, but it’s important.” Yeosang spoke to the twins like they were grown adults at times. Seonghwa thought it was precious. “How else will you get big and strong and crawl around?” Haeun whined, trying to roll herself over onto her back. She nearly had it too. “That’s good, Sweetheart. So strong.” Sukchin just rested on his hands, occasionally lifting his head to give his sister an unimpressed look. Or, as much as a baby could do such a thing. “You should try to, Chinnie.” 

“Training them hard in here, Yeo?” Jongho joined them in the living room. 

“Look at Haeunie.” Yeosang had taken his phone out in hopes to catch her rolling over for the first time. 

“Oh, what’s going on here?” Jongho joined Yeosang on the floor. “Come on, Precious. You can do it.” Haeun tried for a moment longer, before giving up with a whine of disappointment. 

“It’s okay. You’ll get it eventually.” Sukchin, now interested in his sister's behavior, attempted to roll himself over. Their son managed to flop himself onto his back with little effort. 

“Did you get that?” Jongho looked to see if Yeosang was still recording. “You got that, right?”

“I sure did.” Yeosang put down his phone and picked up Sukchin. “You did such a good job, My Love.” He kissed his cheek. “You’ll be crawling before we know it.” Haeun, not to be outdone by her brother, forced herself up again and attempted once more. Jongho picked up Yeosang’s phone, the camera still open. With a frustrated huff, Haeun was successfully now laying on her back. 

“Yes! That’s my girl!” Jongho swept her up into his arms, Haeun shrieking delightfully. “Look at you guys! Everyone’s going to be so proud of you!” 

“What are we going to be proud about?” Hongjoong entered the room. “Why are we yelling?” 

“They rolled over!” Yeosang nuzzled against Sukchin’s cheek. “Can you show Appa Joongie, My Love?” Yeosang put him back down on the mat. “Come on. You can do it.” Sukchin instead put his head down in the ground, uninterested. “Aw. It’s okay. There’s proof!” Jongho handed Yeosang’s phone over so Hongjoong could watch the videos. 

“Would you look at that?” The look on Hongjoong’s face was one of complete adoration. “Wow.” 

“I’m going to send these to the chat.” Yeosang took his phone back, sending the videos off. 

“Send them to my eomma too.” Hongjoong requested. “She’ll want to see.” Yeosang nodded, sending them out to all of their parents. He laughed at a text Seonghwa had sent in the chat. 

Seonghwa: 

and why did no one get me to see it first hand? My babies 😭

Jongho: 

we didn’t plan it. I guess Sangie and I are just the cool parents they want to show their new tricks to 😎

“You’re terrible.” Yeosang scolded, no real heat. 

“I know.” Jongho smiled his big, bright, gummy smile. He still had Haeun held close to his chest, their daughter looking up at him with big, wide eyes. No one could deny that he was her favorite. “We’ve got to keep it going, Haeunie. You gotta make sure Appa Sangie and I are around when you two show off again.” Hongjoong chuckled as he lifted Sukchin from the mat, holding him close. 

“Is that what’s happening, My Boy?” Hongjoong asked him. “Do you and your sister like to show off for Appa Sangie and Appa Jjeong?” 

“Obviously we are the coolest.” Yeosang fell into the joke. He leaned into Hongjoong’s side. 

“Obviously.” Hongjoong chuckled and kissed Yeosang’s head. “But you guys are gonna wait for me to be in the room before you crawl though, right?” 

“Don’t worry, we’ll get another video for you.” Hongjoong stuck out his tongue at Jongho, who returned the gesture. Yeosang rolled his eyes, a smile on his lips. He tilted his head to nose at Hongjoong’s scent gland, lovingly scenting him. 

“You smell like Sannie.” He noted. 

“He may have stolen me away a little bit ago for a session.” The tips of Hongjoong’s ears turned red. 

“Is that what we’re calling that now?” Jongho tilted his head, a teasing smile on his face. “Because he calls it something different with me.” 

“He’s right, though.” Yeosang pointed out. “Session makes it sound so clinical.” 

“What else should I call it?” 

“Making love?” Jongho suggested. “Sex?” 

“Excuse me, there are little ears present.” Hongjoong gasped, covering Sukchin’s ears. “I’m just trying to not be so vulgar.” 

“Sure didn’t have reservations about vulgarity during your last ‘session’ with Wooyoung.” Yeosang said. “Or was that just because Mingi and Seonghwa had taken the twins on a walk?” 

“You both are absolutely ridiculous.”  

“But you love us.” Yeosang giggled. 

“Yeah.” Hongjoong smiled, his eye catching the cuff on Yeosang’s ear. “I do.” 

…

Wooyoung slipped into San’s room to check on him. He knew Hongjoong had cleaned him up and taken good care of their soon to be omega after. But, he’d been napping for quite a while, and Wooyoung just wanted to see that he was alright. 

“Sannie?” He whispered, climbing into his nest. “Baby?” San groaned, curling up tighter under the blanket. “What’s wrong?” Wooyoung put a hand on his forehead. “You’re really warm, Baby.” His scent hit his nose next. Sweet, sugary, and syrupy. “Oh? Is it time?” 

“Hurts.” 

“Yeah. The first one sucks.” Wooyoung combed his fingers through his hair. “It’s okay. I’m going to get Seonghwa, and we’re going to take good care of you.” Wooyoung kissed his burning forehead. “I’ll be back in just a minute.” 

“Nooooo.” San grabbed Wooyoung’s arm. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay. I’ll only be gone a minute. But the others need to know what’s happening so we can take care of you properly.” 

“Hurry.” 

“I will, Baby. Promise.” Wooyoung hated to leave him alone in such a vulnerable state, but he needed to make sure the rest of the pack was prepared. “I swear I won’t be long.” 

He found Seonghwa and Hongjoong together, along with Yeosang, Jongho, and the twins. 

“San’s in heat.” He announced. Seonghwa was on his feet immediately, running into the kitchen. 

“Are you sure?” Hongjoong asked. 

“I’m absolutely sure.” 

“Alpha’s, keep out for now.” Seonghwa emerged from the kitchen with an armful of water bottles, a bottle of pain medication, and a heating pad. “Wooyoung, get Mingi. It’ll be easier for him if he has other omega pheromones.” 

“What do you need us to do?” Jongho asked. 

“Just stay with the pups. Sangie, come get me if they need feeding. We’ll let you know when the fun part starts.” He started towards San’s room, then turned back around. “If one of you can put in a grocery order. Things that will be easy on his stomach.” 

“I’ll take care of it.” Hongjoong assured him. 

“Come on, Youngie.” Seonghwa nodded down the hall. “We have a new omega to take care of.” 

Chapter Text

The first day of an omega’s first heat was always considered to be the hardest. Their bodies weren’t used to the new sensations and changes they were going through. It would be especially hard for San, who was much older than the typical presentation age, as well as the fact that his subgender was changing entirely. Seonghwa had been preparing for it as soon as San had told them of his desire.

As soon as the cramps and fever set in, Seonghwa was prepared with everything they would need to get San through the first night. His warm head was pillowed in Wooyoung’s lap, the younger omega holding a cold towel to his sweaty forehead. Mingi was massaging his stomach in an attempt to ease his cramps. Seonghwa had stepped out to feed the twins.

“Hurts so bad.” San cried.

“I know, Baby.” Wooyoung carded his fingers through his sweaty hair. “Making a whole new organ sucks.”

“You’ll start feeling better tomorrow.” Mingi promised him. “And we’ll make sure you’re well taken care of.”

“This is the worst bit.” Wooyoung added. “Once the transition part is over, then it’s the fun part.”

“You should try and sleep, Sannie.”

“Can’t. Hurts too much.”

“I know it does. But we can’t give you any more pain meds yet. Sleep will help.”

“Where’s Hwa?”

“Feeding the babies.” Wooyoung reminded him. “He’ll be back soon.”

“Can he bring them in?”

“We’ll see what we can do.”

“Want my babies.”

“We’ll try.” Mingi kissed his abdomen. “Will you be okay if I go find Hwa?” He asked Wooyoung.

“I’ve got him.” Wooyoung continued his gentle petting. “I’ve got you, Sannie.” Mingi kissed San’s burning cheek and then Wooyoung.

“Tomorrow will be better.” Wooyoung assured him again once they were alone. “The cramps won’t be so bad, and we can have one of our alphas come in. Make you feel good.” San hummed at that. “Which one should we get first, huh? Maybe Joongie? Give our captain the honor?”

“Will the pain stop?”

“It will. I promise. And heats will be so much fun.” The door clicked open, Mingi and Seonghwa entering each with a pup in their arms.

“Hi, Lovely.” Seonghwa entered San’s nest carefully. “We have some visitors.”

“Hi, Babies.” San held out his arms. Mingi and Seonghwa put the babies on their bellies on San’s broad chest. “Hi, Cuties. I love you two so much.” San kissed both of their heads. “I can’t believe I won’t see you for a few days.”

“We’ll make sure you get plenty of cuddles when it’s over.” Seonghwa assured him. The comforting, powdery scent of the pups actually began to ease some of the discomfort San was feeling. Sukchin was dozing in and out, while Haeun’s head was perked up as she made silly, nonsensical noises at San.

“That’s interesting, Sweetheart.” San nodded along.

Eventually, San began to nod off. Wooyoung and Mingi took the twins from his chest.

“Poor thing.” Seonghwa cooed down at San.

“I’m getting a little nervous.” Wooyoung admitted. “I don’t remember it being this bad when we presented.”

“No.” Seonghwa shook his head. “You, My Love, were inconsolable the day you finally presented.” Wooyoung blushed, the tips of his ears turning pink. “It’s sweet that you’re concerned, but both of you were just as bad during your first heats. He’s going to be alright.”

…

Seonghwa ended up being right. Wooyoung stayed up all night watching over San, despite his mate’s insistence he get some rest. But he couldn’t sleep until he knew San was okay.

It was around two in the morning when San’s fever finally broke, his tense body finally relaxing as the pain subsided with the fever. Wooyoung let himself relax as well. He laid down and allowed San to snuggle closer to him. He drifted in and out of sleep, still on alert in case San needed him.

San woke up to the early morning sun streaming in through the blinds, and hid his face in Wooyoung’s neck.

“Morning, Baby.” Wooyoung squeezed him a bit tighter. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” San nosed his scent gland.

“Feeling hazy?”

“A little.”

“Mmh. That means the fun part is starting soon.” Wooyoung rubbed his back.

“And sticky.”

“Sticky?” Wooyoung pulled back just enough to look at San’s face.

“Like… my underwear.” Wooyoung looked at him confused for a moment, before realization set in.

“Oh. Can I check, Baby?” San nodded, cheeks pink. Wooyoung pulled away from San, coaxing him to lie on his back as he delicately undressed him. It was just as he’d suspected. “Sannie, that’s slick. You’re slicking.”

“I am?” Wooyoung noted the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

“You are.” Wooyoung kissed his knee. “Can I taste?” San’s face flushed an even deeper red. “Please? I bet you taste so good.”

“What do we have here?” Seonghwa asked from the doorway. Yeosang was by his side, seeming to greatly enjoy the view.

“Come see for yourself.” Wooyoung moved to the side to allow Seonghwa to take his place between San’s spread legs. Yeosang laid down on San’s other side.

“Oh, look at you. My good omega.” Seonghwa ran a finger through San’s slick. “You’re almost ready.” Seonghwa stuck the slick coated finger in his mouth, humming pleasantly. “You taste delicious, Lovely.”

“Hey, I want to taste him too.” Wooyoung pouted. Seonghwa chuckled, gathering more of San’s slick on his fingers and sticking them in Wooyoung’s mouth. Wooyoung moaned around his fingers.

“Fuck.” San gasped.

“Feeling better, Lovely?” Seonghwa draped his body over San’s. “You smell good.” Seonghwa dipped his head down, nose brushing against San’s scent gland. “It’s almost time to bring the alphas in.” He kissed San’s throat, one hand traveling down San’s side. “But, Yeosangie did ask if he could have you first.” San moaned. “You want that? Our beta to make you feel good?” San nodded. “Sangie?” Seonghwa looked to Yeosang through his lashes.

“Can I get him alone?” Yeosang asked, batting his eyes sweetly.

“I think we can agree to that.” Seonghwa looked to Wooyoung. “Why don’t you and I go have our own fun?” Wooyoung cast an uneasy glance toward San, clearly unsure about leaving his side. “He’s going to be alright with Sangie. We’ll be back.”

“Alright.” Wooyoung still wasn’t one hundred percent certain. He bent down and kissed San’s head. “You have fun with Sangie.”

“He will.” Yeosang assured him.

Wooyoung was still pouty as Seonghwa led him out of San’s room and down to the den.

“San is very lucky to have you.” Seonghwa complimented him. “Now, I know you stayed up all night watching over him. So, we are going to lay down, and you are going to get some rest.”

“I’m alright.”

“I know. You’re still going to rest.” Seonghwa led him into the nest. “I’ll be right back with something for you to eat, and then you’re going to take a nap.”

“Okay.”

…

Yeosang and San’s dynamic had always been easy. Being the two betas of the group, they had a rhythm they’d found quickly. Yeosang, despite being the older of the two, would typically follow San’s lead. They were a team.

So Yeosang wouldn’t lie that San’s coming out had thrown him for a loop.

He wasn’t upset or unhappy with San by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, he was immensely proud of his mate. But it was still an adjustment for him to learn how to navigate the pack as their soul beta.

Yeosang also remembered how scared San was that he’d be upset with him. So, Yeosang had resolved himself to show San just how far that was from the truth.

His first step was to help him through his first heat.

“Is this alright?” Yeosang asked once they were alone.

“Yeah.” San nodded, the gentle haze of heat clouding his eyes. “It’s more than alright.”

“Can I kiss you?” San nodded again, closing the space between them before Yeosang got the chance. San pulled Yeosang closer until he was above him, hips between his spread legs.

“You know I love you a lot. Right?” Yeosang asked when San broke the kiss to breathe.

“I know. I love you too.”

“I know this isn’t how we’re usually together but…” Yeosang blushed, suddenly feeling shy. The times the two of them would have sex, San would top. It’s not that Yeosang had never topped, Wooyoung being their resident pillow princess. But it would be new with San.

“Don’t care.” San kissed him again. His hands moved along Yeosang’s body, attempting to undress him. Yeosang caught himself grinning. He was used to this part of a heat, having helped their omegas through plenty of them in the past. San wasn’t fully lost to it yet, but he was getting there. The discomfort making way for lust to settle in. Not far enough to let their alphas in with him, but enough for him to start getting needy.

After several attempts from his fumbling hands, San pouted. Yeosang chuckled, pulling away from him just far enough for him to be able to remove his clothes. San whined at the small distance.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Yeosang assured him softly, returning to his place between San’s spread legs. “Just… tell me if I do something you don’t like.”

“I’m sure I’ll like whatever you do.” Yeosang smiled, fingers trailing carefully down San’s body. “I trust you.” Yeosang’s fingers found his entrance. He coated his fingers in San’s slick. He didn’t breach him yet, his fingers instead drawing circles around his entrance hoping to relax him. Though San seemed far from tense. Yeosang leaned in, kissing him while he experimentally pressed one finger inside. San gave way easily, the newly presented omega making a pleased noise against his lips.

Yeosang worked him open slowly. With the same care and attention San had always used on him in the past. Neither spoke, the only noise in the room was San’s breathy pants and the wet sound of Yeosang’s fingers stretching him open.

“I’m ready. Sangie please.”

Yeosang sank into him slowly, letting San feel every inch of him. Those breathy pants became deep moans as San was filled, taking Yeosang’s length easily. Yeosang paused for a moment once he bottomed out, allowing both of them to get used to the feeling of being together this way. An experimental roll of his hips had both of them moaning. Yeosang set a pace that was slow, fucking into San deep. His cock brushed against San’s prostate with every thrust, pulling pretty, desperate noises out of him.

“H-harder. Please.” San moaned. Yeosang complied, hips snapping forward hard enough to make San cry out. “Yes! Like that.” San pulled Yeosang in for another kiss, his hips rolling up to meet his thrusts. The kiss was sloppy, more like San panting into Yeosang’s mouth than anything.

Feeling bold, Yeosang wrapped a strong arm under one of San’s thighs, lifting the appendage so it was nearly folded against his chest. San cried out at the new angle. He couldn’t have been far off from cuming.

Yeosang was not a particularly vocal lover, regardless of position. He seemed to lose his voice to the pleasure, communicating in moans and pants and cries to tell his partner he was enjoying himself. Though now, he felt compelled to whisper praises against San’s tanned skin. To tell him how beautiful he was, how perfect and wonderful he felt around him.

They came together, teeth clacking together in a messy kiss.

Yeosang was shaking, overcome with emotion for his mate. He didn’t bother pulling out, only rolling them onto their sides and slinging one of San’s legs over his hip. He held San close to him, unable to voice any of the emotions working their way through him.

“Sangie?” San said, his voice shaky. He was clearly parsing through emotions of his own.

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you.” Yeosang kissed his temple.

“You’re really okay being our only beta?”

“I am. If it means I get to see you happy.”

“I’m so happy.”

“Then I’ll be just fine.”

…

That’s how Mingi found them a little while later. The two tangled up in San’s nest sound asleep.

San’s scent was getting stronger, headier. It wouldn’t be long until he was fully in it. He’d need his sleep. Mingi covered them with a blanket, careful not to wake them. He delicately let himself into San’s nest so he could sit and watch over them for a little while.

In a few hours, it would be time to bring the alphas in.

Chapter Text

San’s heat lasted three blissful, beautiful days. The pack cycled through, San wanting time with each of them. They all doted on their newest omega, making sure he was well taken care of. Whatever he may need.

When he finally came out of it, it was Hongjoong who offered to get him cleaned up and taken care of. The pack alpha coaxed him out of his nest, helping him to the bathroom where a warm bath was waiting. He got into the tub, letting San rest against his chest.

“How do you feel?” Hongjoong asked.

“Like I’m finally who I’m supposed to be.” Hongjoong couldn’t help but smile. The happiness in San’s new eucalyptus-mint scent was obvious. “I feel… whole.” Hongjoong kissed his shoulder. “I never thought I could feel like this. It feels like one big dream.”

“Need me to pinch you?” Hongjoong grabbed at the skin on San’s hip, making him jump and slap Hongjoong’s hand away. Hongjoong laughed. “It’s very real, Love.” Hongjoong finally started cleaning the remnants of the past few days from San’s skin. Hongjoong kissed his alpha bite, freshly renewed.

~~~

Hongjoong had been the first of the alphas to be with San during his heat. San had asked for him specifically when he had crossed the threshold into full blown heat.

“Hi, Beautiful.” Hongjoong waited politely outside of the nest. “Can I join you?”

“Please, Alpha.” Hongjoong entered his nest, stripping out of his clothes and tripping over his pants as he did. San giggled.

“Before we do this,” Hongjoong said, “there’s something I want to ask you. Are you still with me?” Hongjoong caressed his face. San nodded. “Can we remate you?”

“What?” San’s eyes cleared a bit.

“When we mated, originally, we mated you as a beta. I want us to mate you properly. As the omega you are.” San didn’t know what to say, too overcome with love. “Is that okay?”

“Yes.” San sniffled. “Yes please.” Hongjoong pressed their foreheads together, smiling. “Can I bite you back?”

“Yes. Yes of course.” Hongjoong kissed him.

“Can we do it now?”

“Whatever you want.” Hongjoong bent his head down, kissing his alpha mark on San’s throat. “Are you ready?”

“I am.” Hongjoong kissed him once more before sinking his teeth into his throat and reopening his mark.

~~~

“Do they hurt?” Hongjoong asked, fingers moving delicately over the fresh mating bites on San’s spine.

“No. Not at all.” San melted into Hongjoong’s embrace. “I’m glad you suggested it.”

“It’s only appropriate. You’re a new you.”

“I’m the same me I’ve always been.”

“I suppose that’s true. But, still. It’s a new chapter for you.” Hongjoong continued his gentle attention in cleaning the slick and cum and sweat from San’s skin. “I don’t want you to ever doubt how much we love and adore you. How special you are to our pack.”

“I know.” Once Hongjoong deemed his body clean, he moved to wash San’s hair. San hummed pleasantly at the feeling of Hongjoong’s fingers massaging the shampoo into his scalp.

“Do you still want it?” Hongjoong asked. “To have a pup?”

“I do.” San hesitated. “It just… it feels wrong if Wooyoung can’t.”

“The only person you can talk to about that is Wooyoung.” Hongjoong rinsed his hair. “But, I know Wooyoung won’t want you to hold back for his sake. He’s not like that.”

“The way he ran out that day… it was like I’d betrayed him.”

“But he hasn’t left your side since, has he?”

“Not if he can help it.”

“Talk to him. Once you’re more yourself. It’ll do you both good.”

…

Hongjoong deposited him back in his nest, which had been cleaned up and fixed by Seonghwa, when he was finished pampering him. Their Luna was waiting for him with a pile of blankets and clothes that seemed to have been scented by the whole pack.

“I thought you’d want to be the one to put together your first nest as a full fledged omega.” Seonghwa explained.

“Will you help me?” Seonghwa’s face softened.

“Of course, My Love. Do you want me to get Wooyoung and Mingi too?”

“Just you.”

“Come here.” Seonghwa opened his arms for a hug, and San happily fell into them. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I’m proud of me too.” San breathed in Seonghwa’s cherry scent, still with the hint of milk. His scent would remain like that until the pups were weaned off. San found himself wondering how his new scent would smell with the milky touch of pups.

“No one was too rough with you, were they?”

“No. It was perfect.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” Seonghwa kissed the crown of his head. “Come on. Let’s get your nest set up.”

They worked in companionable silence, Seonghwa patiently following San’s lead to set up his nest exactly as he wanted it. San hummed a little tune as he worked. Once it was to his liking, he pulled Seonghwa down and cuddled close to him.

“Well, I was going to get the pups so you can get some time with them. But I like this too.” Seonghwa nuzzled his nose in his hair.

“Babies?” San perked up. Seonghwa chuckled.

“Do you want me to get them?”

“After a bit of a cuddle.” San decided, dropping his head back down on Seonghwa’s chest.

“Needy baby.” Seonghwa happily accepted the cuddle, scratching San’s scalp.

“Hwa?” Seonghwa hummed, signaling him to continue. “Is Wooyoungie alright?”

“He’s just fine, Lovely. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know. He smelled… stressed the last few days. I’m worried he’s still upset with me.” Seonghwa cooed, adjusting them so he could look San in the eye.

“Sannie, Wooyoung smelled stressed because he was worried about you. He wanted to make sure you were okay during your heat.”

“Really?”

“It was a fight to get him out of here every time to sleep. All of his focus was on making your first heat the best it could be.” Seonghwa held San’s face delicately in his hands. “Wooyoungie is not upset with you. He never was.”

“He and I never really talked about what happened that day.” San confessed softly. “I’m just worried.”

“I understand. But it’s alright.” Seonghwa kissed his forehead. “When you’re feeling more clear headed, you two should talk.”

“Joong said that too.”

“Sometimes our alpha is smart.” San giggled. “Wooyoungie loves you. You two will be alright.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course, Lovely.”

…

After a nap with Seonghwa, followed by a nice meal and some snuggles with the pups, San was finally feeling level headed.

He didn’t need to look far for Wooyoung, San finding him in his own nest waiting for him.

“Hey, I was just going to look for you.” San joined him. “I wanted to talk with you.”

“I wanted to talk with you too.” Wooyoung replied. “I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“I’m fine, Youngie. Promise.” Wooyoung visibly relaxed at San’s assurance. “You were worried, I know.”

“I just wanted your first heat to go well.”

“It did. It went perfectly.”

“Good. What did you want to talk to me about?” San took a deep breath, calming the sudden frenzy in his stomach.

“The day I came out. When you ran. You never told me why.” Wooyoung frowned, chocolate turning bitter. “But it hurt. I thought I was about to lose my best friend.”

“Sannie, you’d never lose me.”

“Then why’d you run?” Wooyoung didn’t look like he wanted to answer. Like instead he wanted to crawl into his own skin and disappear. “Woo, please tell me.”

“You’re a better omega than me.” Wooyoung said quietly, almost so quiet San couldn’t hear him. Almost.

“That’s not true at all.”

“Yes it is. You’ve always been a better omega, even before any of us knew you were one.” Wooyoung pulled his knees to his chest. “I’m too loud. I’m crude. I’m obnoxious. You’re the perfect omega. I guess I’m jealous.”

“Youngie, we have a jumping ban because of me.” San reminded him. “Don’t call me perfect. I’m so fucking scared that people will never see me as a real omega, or that I’ll fuck it up somehow.”

“You can’t fuck it up.”

“How can you say that to me but not believe it for yourself?”

“My body can’t do the one thing it’s supposed to do as an omega.”

“We don’t know that…”

“I do.” Wooyoung admitted. “I just know that it’s true.”

“And you were upset because now I might be able to? Woo, we don’t even know if I can yet.” San moved closer to him and pulled him in. “Can I admit something?” Wooyoung nodded. “I don’t know if I want to have a pup if I don’t get to do it with you.”

“What? San, no.” Wooyoung looked heartbroken at the thought. “Don’t do that. You want to have a pup. Don’t let my inability to do so stop you.”

“But you want it too.”

“I do. So bad. But that shouldn’t be the reason you don’t. I will love any pups you have more than anything in the world.” San pulled Wooyoung into a crushing hug before he could even finish speaking. “I love you. You want this. So do it, and don’t let me stop you.”

“I love you too.”

“I’m going to be their favorite anyway.” Wooyoung giggled. San groaned, throwing his body down with Wooyoung still in his arms and pulling a surprised yelp from him.

“I’ll let that slide for now.” San adjusted them so Wooyoung was laying on his chest.

“I love your new scent.” Wooyoung tried to worm his way closer, if it was even possible. “I’m glad the eucalyptus is still there.”

“Me too.”

“We’re gonna be okay, right?”

“I think we will be.”

Chapter Text

Things returned to normal quickly around the house. San and Wooyoung were still stuck to one another like glue, and the twins once again fell into the center of everyone’s attention.

They were getting so big, their features becoming more prominent. Haeun was turning out to look more like Hongjoong, with his elf-like nose and soft features. Sukchin was turning out to be a lovely balance of both Seonghwa and Hongjoong. He had Seonghwa’s smile and naturally curly hair, but you could definitely see who his sire was.

Yunho couldn’t get enough of them. He was enamored with their smiles, their little giggles. Loved making them happy and getting their joyful laughs in return.

And he was a natural with them. Yunho was born to be a father. From the minute Seonghwa told them he was pregnant, Yunho was ready. He’d do anything and everything for their pups. His main concern was just to make sure their little ones were happy. The rest would come.

“I thought I’d find you here.” Mingi was standing at the door of the nursery, watching Yunho with the twins. They’d just woken up from their nap, and were full of excitable energy as they crawled around on the floor.

“Hi, Princess.” Yunho kissed his cheek as he joined him on the floor. Haeun crawled over to Mingi, trying to clamber into his lap.

“Hi, Haeunie.” Mingi smiled brightly down at their daughter, the corners of his eyes crinkling in endearment. “You want to sit with me? Come on up, Sweetheart.” He picked her up from the floor, placing her in his lap. Yunho’s heart swelled as he watched the interaction. Mingi’s quiet voice as he spoke to her, his delicate hands as he handled her. Haeun’s bright, gummy smile was evidence enough as to how much she loved Mingi.

Yunho’s alpha perked up, once again imagining Mingi with his pup. He quickly silenced them. Haeun and Sukchin were their pups, even if Yunho didn’t sire them and Mingi didn’t carry them. They were just as much their pups as any they could create.

“I love seeing you with them.” Yunho said softly. “You’re a really good dam.” Mingi flushed pink all the way to his ears. “Look at her, she adores you.” Sukchin, curious as to where his sister had gone, crawled over to investigate. His little face lit up when he found them again. “And so does he.”

“Well, I adore them just as much” Sukchin made a loud noise, pulling Haeun’s attention from Mingi back to her brother. The two exchanged what must have been a riveting conversation in a secret baby language, as their back and forth was lively.

“Now what are you two on about?” Yunho chuckled as he pulled Sukchin into his lap.

“That’s just it, they don’t want us to know.” Mingi chuckled.

“Are you guys excited for your big play date tomorrow?” Yunho asked them. They’d invited over Chan’s pack to bring Jinae, and Eunji to bring Jisoo. They’d had them over separately a few times, but this would be the first time they’d be meeting.

“You guys are gonna have so much fun.” Mingi was very happy that their friendship with Eunji and Jisoo had extended beyond the NICU. She’d admitted that they were the first ones she’d reached out to when Jisoo was discharged, and when she was finally clear to be around other pups. She didn’t have many people in her corner, but the pack was more than happy to be a support for her and Jisoo. Hopefully she’d get on well with Chan and his pack.

…

Having four small pups crawling around was a lot. Seonghwa had gone to great lengths to block off the living room so none of them could crawl out of sight. Even with seventeen grown adults watching them, he was not taking chances of any of them getting into something they shouldn’t.

Jisoo and Jinae seemed hesitant to play at first. Both very shy with each others presence.

“Go on, Treasure.” Felix urged, sitting beside Jinae on the floor. “It’s okay.” Jinae stayed firmly beside Felix. Eunji was attempting the same with Jisoo, who had preferred to sit in her own corner with a few toys.

“She’s still a pretty shy pup.” Eunji admitted. “It took a little while for her to warm up to the twins. Probably a lot of my own fault.”

“You were just keeping her safe.” Hongjoong assured her. He currently had both twins trying to hand him toys and climb into his lap. “Yes, My Babies. Why don’t you go play with your friends?”

“Why was she in the NICU so long?” Felix asked. “If you don't mind me asking.”

“Not at all.” Eunji told them the whole story of Jisoo’s heart problems and waiting for a transplant. The long months spent just the two of them.

“And then I met Jongho and the rest of the pack.” She finished. “He just looked so miserable I had to check on him.”

“Now that’s not what happened.” Jongho was quick to defend himself. He was smiling though, so he really wasn’t that upset. “You wanted someone to talk to.”

“I can’t even deny that. Can you blame me? My only company was an infant.”

“You really didn’t have anyone else supporting you?” Jisung looked sad just thinking about it.

“Not really. My family and I were never really close and the other parents in the ward weren’t exactly looking to make friends.” She shrugged, as if it was all fine. “No clue why. It helped a lot to have other parents who got it. And I wasn’t expecting her sire to show up and actually, you know, take accountability. Not even sure he was getting my texts.”

“You’re better off without him.” Wooyoung insisted. “Anyone who runs off like that isn’t someone you want around anyway.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Eunji smiled at her pup. “I’m good with it being me and my little girl. And friends of course.”

…

Jisoo and Jinae finally began warming up to each other after Jinae offered Jisoo a block. They couldn’t really tell if they were getting along, per se, as the four pups just seemed to work around one another. Occasionally yelling and babbling at each other. Haeun and Sukchin just seemed happy to be included.

They were all happy to see Eunji getting along well with the other pack at least. She and Felix seemed to hit it off immediately, though that wasn’t a surprise to anyone. Felix could make friends with a brick wall if he tried hard enough. They’d be more surprised if Eunji didn't like Felix.

They ended up exchanging numbers before leaving, agreeing to keep in touch and get the girls together again for a play date.

“Alright, My Loves.” Seonghwa effortlessly lifted both of the twins from the floor. “I hope you had fun today.” He kissed both of their heads. “I bet you’re both pretty sleepy now, huh?” Haeun immediately dropped her head down on Seonghwa’s shoulder, eyes fluttering shut. “Let’s get you down for a nap.” Seonghwa noted Hongjoong wordlessly follow him into the nursery. He allowed Hongjoong to take Haeun from his arms so he could feed Sukchin.

Seonghwa felt Hongjoong’s arms wrap around him as he looked down at their pups now sound asleep in their cribs.

“Look at them.” Hongjoong said softly. “They’re so perfect.”

“Thank you.”

“Why are you thanking me? You’re the one who gave us the two of them.”

“I know. But I didn’t think we’d get to have this. Not for a long while.” Seonghwa turned around in his arms. “Don’t get me wrong, I love the other parts of our life too. The music and the tours and the fans. But, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this.”

“I never let myself want it. Always thought it was some unattainable dream because of who we are.” Hongjoong’s eyes never left the twins. “I’m so happy I was wrong.”

“Being a parent suits you.”

“I couldn’t do it without you.” Hongjoong finally looked up at Seonghwa. “You were made to be a dam.”

“Let’s leave them to sleep.” Seonghwa began pulling him from the room. “Come lay in my nest with me?”

“Okay.” Who was Hongjoong to refuse a quiet moment with his Luna?

“I love you.” Seonghwa said, his voice barely a whisper as they settled into the nest.

“I love you too.”