Beyond Happy
Title: Beyond Happy
Pairing: Yoochun/Jaejoong
Rating: R
Disclaimer: They aren't mine to have babies with.
Summary: Jaejoong will not return to his human form, and it takes Yuri telling Yoochun why not. And he only has a few months to come to terms with fatherhood.
A/N: This fic is part of The Leopard Series. A group of panthers is called a prowl.
Warning: bestiality (although it is only implied in this fic) and mpreg ... sort of ...
A/N - I have been wanting to write baby leopard cubs in this verse for a long time. If you remember, at the beginning of "I'm Ready Now" it says, "The arrival of his previous prowl interrupted his pick-up football game, but all he has to do is point to the field where Seungri and Daesung are kicking the ball between them and Sungmin, Eunhyuk, and a gaggle of children are running over the bright green grass to join in." That gaggle of children I have always envisioned as being baby human-leopards, and they have always been Yunho/Yuri's babies. I just haven't figured out a way to include them in other stories. But now I can.
This is about 5 years after “Know that I’m Okay” and “Protected” - So Yoochun/Jaejoong have been together for a little more than 10-11 years. Yunho/Yuri have been together for about 20 years.
Jaejoong loves his leopardess. He is in her form more often than most leopards that Yoochun knows. At first, he was worried, thinking Jaejoong hid away in her form, but Jaejoong explained that was only part of it. His leopardess was his only escape when he lived in Japan. The prowls who held him captive were less likely to beat him if he was a leopardess and they were less likely to yell at him. It helped him survive.
And now he enjoys it. Before, it was a way to stay sane, and now, living with Yoochun and being mates with Jaejoong, he is allowed to grow and his leopardess is allowed to grow.
Yoochun can already tell that Jaejoong is stronger than when he they first became mates. Part of that was Yoochun and part of it was Jaejoong just coming into his cat a little bit later. She had been stunted in Japan, unable to stretch out and find herself. Here, she has that freedom, and so does Jaejoong. Both of them are learning to be cats now that they aren’t fearing for their lives.
Yoochun loves Jaejoong’s leopardess, probably more than jaejoong does. She’s gorgeous and alluring and playful.
He still changes when he’s surrounded by stronger cats. During most of Yoochun’s prowl meetings, Jaejoong spends the time wrapped around his legs in her leopardess form. It’s almost frightening to her being surrounded by cats that are stronger than her, though she is getting used to Changmin and Junsu and can mostly stay human when they are around, though for short periods of time.
Yunho is another story. And Yuri. Yuri is the strongest leopardess that Yoochun has ever met or ever heard of. Jaejoong cannot be anything but a cat in their presence.
Yunho mentioned it once, and then frowned when Yoochun said it was because of his life in Japan. Yunho still felt badly about that. It was all his fault. To try to make up for it, he didn’t mind letting Jaejoong curl up against him in his leopardess form and didn’t mind feeding her or scratching her or pampering her.
Yoochun minded. Sometimes. He was glad Yunho lived far enough away to make it inconvenient to visit.
When Yoochun wakes up one morning, and Jaejoong is still in her leopardess form, he doesn’t worry. Just scratches at her tail until she’s purring and lifting her rump up in invitation. She seems satisfied (as she should be because of the night before!) and happy, and Yoochun takes his own pleasure from it. Yes, he has to get up and go to work, and yes, he hadn’t slept too long the night before.
But his darling JaeJae comes first.
When he gets home from work, and Jaejoong is still JaeJae, purring at him and licking at his hand and trying to topple him to the ground in welcome, Yoochun doesn’t mind and barely notices. She’s all awkward limbs and flailing tail while she climbs into the tub with him, and her claws dig into his thigh when they finally settle together.
Yoochun runs his hands up and down her spine as they both relax and he tells her all about his day at work and how he had missed hearing Jaejoong’s voice during his lunch break. They stay in the tub until the water goes cold.
JaeJae eats dinner from a plate of raw meat set on the floor and Yoochun reheats something Jaejoong had made the day before. They sit on the couch and watch TV, Yoochun’s hands never stopping their scratching or petting of her soft fur, and then go to bed. When Jaejoong still doesn’t turn back to a human, Yoochun shivers into his panther form and sleeps with her, curled up in the center of the bed with their blankets cocooned around them.
On day two, he still isn’t worried. Sometimes Jaejoong likes to go days just being a cat, and Yoochun misses his voice and laughter and skin, but he knows that sometimes he needs this, and she needs this. Yoochun loves Jaejoong and loves JaeJae, and sometimes they both need to know it in very different days.
By day five, Yoochun is starting to get worried.
On day eight, he calls Yunho.
“I keep asking him to turn back, but he won’t,” Yoochun says and huffs. “I don’t understand why.”
“I hope it’s like you said, and he just needs some time. Maybe this is a day he doesn’t want to remember as a human, maybe this is a horrible memory from his past. I’ll send some flowers.”
Yoochun scoffs. “At this point, I think fish would be preferred.”
Yunho chuckles and then hangs up.
Two days later, three halibut that are more than fifty pounds each arrive, freshly caught and delivered from a local fish market.
JaeJae devours two of them in the same amount of days, and the other is left for the rest of their prowl to eat.
Yoochun sends Yunho a thank you text.
At two weeks, Yoochun is at his wits end.
“I miss my partner,” he tells JaeJae, scratching at her neck and trying to nuzzle against her ear, but it’s not the same as when he’s a human. The skin below his ear is so sensitive as a human. “Just a few minutes, that’s all I’m asking for. I want a real kiss and I want to touch your skin.”
JaeJae growls at him and snaps at his fingers. Something in his soul says, I can’t, you idiot.
But it isn’t ... panicked, not like she’s physically unable to. It’s not like she is stuck in her leopardess form. Just ... there’s something missing.
The fourteenth day, JaeJae doesn’t get out of bed at all. She feels so tired and breathless, and Yoochun is terrified that she is sick.
He calls Yunho again.
“Still?” Yunho says in concern.
“Yes, and now ... she’s sick. I think she ... she’s just so tired. All I can really feel from her is tired and weak, but also ... she’s happy. I just ... I don’t feel like I should be worried, but I’m so fucking worried.”
Yunho is quiet for a moment, and then he says, “I think you need to talk to Yuri. Hang on.”
It makes sense. Yuri is a leopardess and Yunho is not.
When she gets on the line, she tells Yoochun what Yunho had told her about the situation, and Yoochun fills in the blanks.
“You are an idiot,” Yuri says. “She needs some love and rest and if you can take some time off work that would be perfect.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing is wrong with her,” Yuri says with laughter in her voice.
“Yuri, please,” Yoochun says.
“The only reason you don’t know is because you aren’t looking hard enough and it’s not really something I expected or I would have warned you about, and you don’t have any females in your prowl.”
Yoochun huffs again, but knows better than to try to order her.
“She’s pregnant,” Yuri says, and Yoochun hears Yunho’s surprised shout through the phone.
“Pre-pre-pregnant. What ... how ...” Yoochun’s mouth is open wide, and he’s pretty sure his vision is going black.
“Your pretty leopardess is pregnant. Trust me, I know. Look, Jaejoong can’t turn back into a human like I am able to, because Jaejoong doesn’t have a uterus, but JaeJae does. So she’s going to stay a cat for the next three months, and then she’s going to have cubs.”
“What ... I can’t ... this is ... Fuck.” He lets the phone clatter to the floor and then he is a leopard. He slides his way to their bedroom, his claws almost squealing on the hardwood. He slams into the doorframe and then bounds into the room and up onto the bed.
The quick movement wakes JaeJae up and she growls at him. He can’t do anything but sniff at her, run his nose over her belly and she does smell different, but it’s not a bad different, almost sweet. He remembers that as a human he’d been sucking this sweetest of scents off her flank almost two weeks ago.
Pregnant, with babies.
Fuck, he wishes he could talk to her, he wishes they were able to actually speak mind to mind. He thinks that Yunho and Yuri can just because they’re both so strong.
JaeJae is curling away from him, he realizes. Suddenly whining in the silence, and there is a spark of fear and rejection from her.
And Yoochun understands. JaeJae had hid this from him because she wasn’t sure if he’d want them.
He and Jaejoong never talked of having cubs. Theoretically, Yoochun knew it was possible because JaeJae is a leopardess. But he’d been forced into her form for this exact reason, kept as a leopardess to mate and breed.
He lifts his head suddenly. Had ... had they? Had JaeJae been pregnant before?
And now it is too late to ask. And so not the time.
JaeJae is trying to get away from him, sliding up the bed.
Yoochun growls, a silent command to stop. She does, but her breath speeds up and her fear skyrockets. He rarely ever orders her around because it makes her terrified. But this is so important.
Yoochun licks at her neck and then her shoulder and down her side and then back up, trying to touch all the places that JaeJae loves best. He fills his soul and their connection with as much happiness as he can and then he starts purring. He gives JaeJae one more lick to her face and then settles on the bed, curled up in just the right way that leaves a spot for his pretty leopardess to press into.
After a moment, she curls up on herself and scoots back. Right into her spot.
Yoochun purrs louder, and smiles in his soul when she cautiously starts to purr too.
Cubs. Kittens. Babies.
There’s plenty of time to panic. For now, he just basks in his happiness, in his mate’s happiness, and in their love.
---
Three Months later
Yoochun isn’t prepared for it. Not at all.
Yuri and Minji come to help. They are there for a week, telling Yoochun about the birth, about the first few days, and promise to stay even longer if Jaejoong doesn’t mind. Yuri has four kids, or well, they’re almost teenagers now, and Yoochun thinks they’re adorable. He played with them often when they were here while Changmin and Junsu were mating. Minji and Sungmin have a cub who is two or three; Yoochun can’t remember. There were a few other females in their prowl, but Yoochun isn’t sure which of the children he remembers belong to which one.
They also come bearing supplies, to add to those that have been slowly taking over Yoochun’s apartment. Most, if not all, are presents from Yunho to help support them.
They’ll have to move to a new apartment eventually, but after Jaejoong can be a human again.
“She isn’t going to be able to change for a little while longer,” Yuri warns him. “She needs to feed them with her own milk. I’m working on a substitute, but they won’t be able to drink anything but her milk for at least a month.”
“Another month?”
Yuri nods. “I’ve warned JaeJae too. She isn’t happy about it, but she doesn’t want her cubs to suffer.”
“Wait,” Yoochun says. “Cubs? More than ... one? Oh god.”
Yuri laughs. “She has two of them in there.”
“Two ... two ... oh god.”
“You need to watch them closely after they are born,” Yuri warns. “They won’t be able to be human for at least three months, but they might try. They’re still weak, so they’ll listen to you and your impressions. You just need to make it clear that they aren’t allowed to transform into humans for a while..”
Yoochun has to sit down. In the kitchen, all he manages to do is lean against the counter.
“You don't really need to be here unless you want to be. Leopard instincts are for females to raise young. You’ll find that you really aren’t needed the first few weeks. But that said, it’s better for the mother to be with her cubs, so you can bring JaeJae food and water so she doesn’t have to leave. Ah, JaeJae is going to be such a great mother.”
Yoochun rubs his face in his hands. “This is bullshit, god, I’d be able to handle this much better if I could talk to Jaejoong.”
Yuri laughs again.
Minji enters the kitchen from the hallway and smiles, “JaeJae has finally moved to the corner that we set up for her. It’s only a matter of hours now.”
“Hours,” Yoochun whispers. He feels his breath quicken. His vision swims. “God. Fuck. This is ...”
Both of the girls laugh at him.
“We’ll get out of here now,” Yuri says. “We don’t want JaeJae to feel threatened by us. Call if there are any complications.”
---
Yoochun paces, first as a human and then as a leopard, but he’s slowly losing control of his leopard and he doesn’t want to accidentally injure his pretty leopardess or their cubs.
Their cubs.
Dear Lord.
A whine from the bedroom has him hurrying there as a suddenly naked human. Another whine comes from the corner of the bedroom, and Yoochun falls to his knees roughly on the hardwood and stays a bit away from his pretty leopardess. The girls had set up a few large pillows and blankets for her to nest in and walls of cushions and throw pillows form a wall around them. Yoochun does not breach the wall with his body, but reaches to touch JaeJae’s neck.
She whines and licks his hand. She is panting and her fur feels warm and almost sweaty. He is worried for her, but Yuri told him to wait, it could take only an hour or a few, depending on the babies and JaeJae.
Babies.
Yoochun pushes back his panic. He has always wanted children, and then figured he wouldn’t be able to once he realized he was a cat.
Babies. Cubs.
Yoochun settles a hand on JaeJae’s shoulder and waits. He fills his soul with love and whispers it to her. There’s a flush of embarrassment at his corny words, as there often is, and then a firm command to tell him to shut up and let her concentrate. Yoochun chuckles.
“Okay, my love. I love you.”
JaeJae licks his hand.
His knees start to ache, so he sits instead, putting him a little closer to JaeJae, and he sees how she is struggling a little. He stays by her head, knowing himself that he wouldn’t actually be able to see the birth, because it’s ... strange, weird ... gross, sort of. Yoochun shakes himself and just does his best to support his pretty leopardess.
“Such a pretty kitty,” he whispers and scratches the top of her head.
He doesn’t know how long he sits here, just being here, just marveling at his amazing mate and wondering how he got so lucky.
A thin mewl breaks through the silence, and JaeJae finally moves. A second mewl is there in a moment, and Yoochun shifts back as JaeJae moves, and he watches, eyes wide, as she licks at her new cubs, cleaning them of goop and other things. They are little wet balls of grey. They kinda look like hairballs, and they’re the cutest things that Yoochun has ever seen and he’s sort of shocked that they are his and this isn’t just some weird dream.
JaeJae continues to lick at them, and then nudges them toward her nipples where they blindly struggle until latching on for their first drink of milk.
JaeJae settles back down with a heavy breath and then turns and looks at Yoochun. He can’t watch or see anything else, and realizes that he is actually crying. He leans down to press a kiss to JaeJae’s head and gets a quick lick on his neck in return.
Time passes and Yoochun gets the feeling that his mate is thirsty. He is loathe to leave her, but he stands on shaky legs. Absentmindedly, he pulls on sweatpants and then goes to the kitchen for the bowl that JaeJae has been drinking from for the last three months. He fills it with fresh bottled water from the fridge and then goes back into the room. There’s a mess of afterbirth and other things that make Yoochun cringe a little (god, he is an adult and he is stronger than this and this is part of life!) and he settles back onto the floor and helps JaeJae drink. The cute balls of fluff are curled up close to JaeJae’s belly, both of them asleep and intertwined.
He doesn’t know if they’re boys or girls, but he remembers Yuri’s warning and sends an impression to them that they are not allowed to change into humans. He isn’t sure how that’s possible, but he’s a cat, he can do it, why not have little babies that can do it too?
Everything is so surreal. And it’s way too early in the morning. He needs to sleep. How long has he been awake? He keeps a hand on JaeJae’s fur, and uses one of the pillows to curl up nearby. It isn’t easy to sleep because his brain is going too many miles a minute, but he is exhausted and his body lets him know that.
---
The first two weeks go the same, and Yoochun is so glad that his business is his own now and he can take the time off his needs to keep both his JaeJae and their pretty babies healthy. He supplies her with enough fresh water and food so her milk stays rich and nutritious. He checks every day to make sure her nipples aren’t swollen or red, and checks his pretty babies to make sure they are gaining weight. They squirm and meow and sleep, and the first time JaeJae lets him hold one, he’s crying in about three seconds. He doesn’t want to hurt them though, and quickly puts the mewling baby back against his mother’s stomach.
No one visits, but he gets daily text messages from Yuri, offering congratulations and support, and from Onew, his Second, asking about problems or concerns from the rest of the prowl.
Yoochun is very glad that his prowl is so small, because the fewer cats means fewer problems.
He still really misses his mate, and Jaejoong’s laughter and skin, but he can wait. He is patient.
Two weeks after their birth, JaeJae finally lets him clean up, changing the blankets and pillows around them. And their pretty babies eyes open and they start looking more like leopards and less like balls of fur. Spots are starting to show through their grey coats, and their meows are a little more insistent, followed by rough coughing sounds, that Yuri says are normal.
One has brown eyes, the darkest of browns, and the other has blue eyes. He still doesn’t know their genders, and he hears JaeJae’s amusement in their souls.
Yuri is unable to produce any type of substitute milk that she is willing to let them try. If she’s wrong, it could kill their cubs, and Yoochun doesn’t want that. Once Jaejoong returns to being a human, he will reset the leopardess inside him, so no more milk, no more motherly instincts, and the babies will die. So instead, JaeJae stays a leopardess and Yoochun stays to watch over them all.
---
2 Months Later
When there are hands on his stomach, sliding up his body and then lips against his chest, Yoochun is sure he is dreaming. Still. And then he realizes he isn’t and there are hands on him and a mouth on him, and he jumps up with a shout to confront the intruder and instead comes face-to-face with his pretty mate.
“Jaejoong,” Yoochun gasps.
Jaejoong’s smile is fleeting, and then gone as Yoochun surges forward to kiss him, hand sliding into his hair that is too long now and the other skimming over soft skin. Soft human skin, and he moans, the sound desperate around them.
Jaejoong is shaking, and it takes Yoochun too long to realize that he is nervous and ready for a lecture of some sort about the cubs.
“Stop it,” Yoochun says with a bit of a growl. “I love you, I love our children, I love you. I need you now, and you ... just stop that. I am not angry at you. I love you.”
Jaejoong clears his throat and his voice is rough as he says, “I’m sorry.”
Yoochun shakes his head and kisses him again, intent on keeping his mouth busy if he’s going to say and feel such insane things.
Their soul flares with love for a moment and then acceptance, and Jaejoong doesn’t fight him when they roll over and Yoochun’s hovers over him, kissing him and rubbing against him, against his skin, and he finally breaks away from his mouth to start tracing the tattoos on his skin, the tattoos he had missed so desperately.
He’s on his way down to Jaejoong’s erect cock when a loud meow echoes around the room, and then another.
Jaejoong sighs. “Damn, I thought they’d sleep longer.”
Yoochun huffs and collapses on top of him, finding his nipple and licking at it. His pretty pretty mate is back, muscles still all there, skin still there, and Yoochun knows that he will not stop touching Jaejoong for days on end.
Another meow has Jaejoong pushing Yoochun off him and he goes to the makeshift bed in the corner. He’s cooing at the little cubs as he lifts them gently. They’re pretty big now, both of them a good armful of spotted fluff. They nuzzle at him, recognizing their mother’s scent, and Jaejoong licks at one of them and then the other.
Yoochun watches and tries his best not to cry again. They’re so beautiful.
Jaejoong brings them to the bed and settles them down on the comforter. “I’m going to get them some food.”
Yoochun nods and moves his fingers to gain their attention. They both lock eyes on the new toys and then start pouncing, little claws digging into his hands for a moment. He laughs and moves his hand above them and they try to attack it, but topple backwards. He rubs their bellies and gets claws in his skin again. He’s going to have to trim those things. Ouch.
Jaejoong returns with a couple of small plates of raw meat. “I am so tired of eating meat.”
“I am so tired of eating take out,” Yoochun returns and gets a smack to his shoulder.
“I tried to teach you to cook, you incompetent man.”
Yoochun laughs.
Jaejoong settles the plates on the bed and the cubs ignore Yoochun’s fingers in favor of food.
They watch them eat for a little while, and then Yoochun asks, “So what do we talk about first?”
Jaejoong flushes and turns away from him, almost physically curling away with his soul, and Yoochun touches his thigh and pulls him back.
“I am not mad at you, my love. I am not. I am happy and I love you and I love our little babies.”
Jaejoong nods.
“Let’s talk about them, because apparently, I have no idea what I’m doing, according to Yuri and she refuses to help anymore.”
Jaejoong chuckles. “I need to thank her. She really has helped.”
Yoochun scoots a little closer and gets his arms around Jaejoong’s stomach. “God, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so fucking much, Jaejoong. I’ve missed your smile and your laugh and your eyes and your skin and your body, and fuck I need--”
“Babies,” Jaejoong reminds him.
Yoochun sighs and says, “Okay, first. Boy or girl?”
Jaejoong laughs. “You can’t tell?”
“No, and it’s bugging me and Yuri is ...”
Jaejoong covers his mouth and laughs harder. “Oh god, you’re so bad, that’s like the first thing you should be able to sense with your leopard.”
Yoochun frowns. “I have been trying to keep him locked down a little. I didn’t want you or the babies to feel intimidated.”
“So it’s your own fault,” Jaejoong says and nods. “They are both boys. Which you should have been able to physically see for yourself.” He picks up one of them despite its whine of being removed from food, and flips it upside down and shows Yoochun what must be the thing’s penis, but how was he supposed to know that!
“Have you named them?”
Jaejoong shakes his head. “I wasn’t ... I wanted to wait for you.”
“I guess we’ll think about it for a little while because I have no idea.”
Jaejoong smiles. “Okay.” He plops the cub back to its food. And they watch them eat until they’re full and they mewl and come to their mother (father? Yoochun is sure this is going to get confusing). Jaejoong gathers them close and presses kisses to the tops of their heads, between their fluffy ears.
“They are so cute,” Yoochun says. He moves the empty dishes to the nightstand.
Jaejoong nods. “It’ll be interesting to see them as humans.”
“When should I let them? Yuri told me to keep impressing on them that they aren’t allowed.”
Jaejoong shrugs. “Yuri’s cat told me to wait at least three months, when they aren’t relying on my milk, so now, in a little while. I don’t know. Soon though. She also told me that cubs grow faster than human babies, so our little three month olds are going to be toddlers when they change. We have to get this place baby proof before then.”
Yoochun nods and moves close to Jaejoong, curling up against him with his arms around Jaejoong’s shoulders. The two cubs settle between them, pressed against mother and father. They are purring and Yoochun can almost sense that Jaejoong is too, or at least his cat is.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Yoochun repeats and kisses his neck, this time getting the breathy sigh from Jaejoong the he loved so much.
“I missed you too. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for always being there for me.”
Yoochun’s throat closes up and he can’t say anything and shoves all the feelings he can’t express through their soul.
“I told you before,” Jaejoong whispers, his voice cautious, “about how I had to run away in my cat form, away from ... from him.”
Yoochun hums. It isn’t something he will ever forget and he’s so glad that this leopard has been destroyed for what he did to Jaejoong.
“I was pregnant,” Jaejoong says, his voice even softer and even more broken.
Yoochun freezes and pulls away to look at him. Jaejoong is crying and Yoochun makes soft noises and wipes at his tears.
“I wanted babies, but not with him, but I couldn’t ... I couldn’t change when I was with him because I had been ordered not to, and it was so hard, but I had to run, for myself, for them. There was no way that I’d be able to raise my babies and I feared for their lives. But I also knew that as soon as I was far enough away to change that I’d kill them and they would no longer exist, and ...”
“That must have been a very hard decision,” Yoochun says carefully.
Jaejoong presses his face to Yoochun’s neck and sobs. “I didn’t want to. I didn’t ... I just ... It wasn’t their fault, and they were so precious, so perfect, and I just ... I couldn’t ...”
The babies between them mewl at the sudden distress and Jaejoong has to take a deep breath.
“It’s not your fault,” Yoochun says. “You were in a horrible situation. I know this isn’t helpful, but I think you made the right decision.”
Jaejoong nods. “It’s still hard. I still feel so guilty. I wanted to talk to you ... about having cubs, and telling you that I could, but I wasn’t ready to try again, and ...”
“Have you been pregnant before this? Since we’ve been mates, I mean?”
Jaejoong shakes his head. “As a leopardess, I am very in tune with my body, and I know when she is in heat and so I just made sure not to have sex with you as her in those times.”
“And this time?”
Jaejoong shrugs. “I lost track and it was just a bit overwhelming and it felt so good, and then the next day I realized and it was like, oops. I was going to talk to you soon, but ...”
“Do not apologize,” Yoochun says forcefully and with a just-as-forceful kiss. “I am so happy. Beyond happy.”
Jaejoong smiles, though it is a little weak. He looks suddenly tired, and Yoochun rearranges the pillows and blankets and pulls his little family close.
“Sleep, my love. Sleep.”
Jaejoong grins and allows a kiss to his lips. It’s early in the morning, but they haven’t been on a time schedule for months now.
Yoochun can’t sleep and just watches his pretty mate, until the babies on his stomach stir and wake up mewling a little again.
Yoochun scoops them up and takes them into the kitchen, a new place that they explore and slide over the tile until Yoochun presents them with food and water. He starts bouncing names for them around in his head. He has them in the living room and gets out his phone to record them playing with one of the toys that Yunho had given them. He sends the video to his prowl and Yunho’s prowl.
A few minutes later, Yuri calls. “They are so fucking adorable.”
Yoochun chuckles. “They are.”
“How is JaeJae?”
“Well, she is Jaejoong now. Finally.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she changed back this morning.”
“And Jaejoong? How is he?”
“He’s perfect,” Yoochun says, and then thinks about it. “He’s a little depressed. I know he won’t mind if I tell you, but he had been pregnant when he ran away from his prowl in Osaka.”
Yuri gasps. “No wonder he’s been so careful. That means you’re going to have to suffocate him and those little boys with love.”
“Boys. Yeah, thanks for telling me that.”
She laughs. “You’re an idiot. You could have easily figured it out on your own with a little online research. Anyway, your video has made Yunho a bit ... well, let’s say fatherly, and it seems he wants another one. So I’m going to go before his dick replaces his fingers inside me.”
“Ugh, TMI, Yuri. TMI”
She laughs and says, “We’ll come visit soon,” and hangs up.
He puts his phone down and one of the little things tries to swipe at it. The other one meows at him and then keeps mewling and trying to snuggle into him and he realizes that he wants his mother. With a grin, he picks them both up, one trying to bite at the earring in his left ear, and the other just settles down with a plaintive meow. His ear tufts tickle Yoochun’s chin.
He returns to the bedroom. Jaejoong is curled up around a body pillow, and he wakes only when Yoochun puts the two babies in the crevice created by body and pillow, and he smiles and accepts a kiss and then goes back to sleep. The one baby is already asleep and the other one is restless trying to bat at the other’s ears for attention.
Yoochun takes a picture of the three of them, and then another one, and another one. He sits on the end of the bed, a hand on Jaejoong’s ankle under the blanket, and just smiles and lets his happiness roll down his cheeks in tears.
---
The first time the boys are human Yoochun is sitting on the couch trying to work out the finances of his own company before starting new contracts with other companies. It’s hard to support things when he hasn’t seriously worked for six months.
There is a little bit of silence from the cubs playing in the corner and then a thud and then a cry. A human cry, and Yoochun is up so fast that his papers fly all over the living room, which startles the other one and then they are both crying. He manages to get Yoongi into his arms and then Jaejoong is there swooping up little Taehyung.
His babies are beautiful. Taehyung has wavy brown hair, and Yoongi’s is straight and almost black like his eyes. Both are already for a haircut. They looks similar in the way that siblings do, but Taehyung has more of Jaejoong in him and Yoongi looks a little bit more like Yoochun. Both of them look like they are about two years old in human terms. He never thought of ages before. He wonders if Yunho registers his children or just fakes it. He’d have to fake their ages, because there is no way any human would believe they are only four months old. He’ll call and ask eventually. Or maybe Jaejoong already has.
Taehyung is a little smaller than his brother. Quieter, easier to calm, easier to deal with.
Yoongi is not happy and he will let the world know.
His cries get louder and he reaches his stubby arms out for his mother, and Jaejoong takes them both, smiling at Yoochun in happiness while trying to calm them both down with soft words. And then he starts singing, and Taehyung quiets to listen and then tugs on Yoongi’s arm until he finally shuts up.
Jaejoong settles them on the couch, lifting an eyebrow at the mess all over the floor.
Yoochun huffs and says, “I didn’t mean to. They startled me.” He goes about cleaning it up and Jaejoong continues to sing.
Yoochun settles on the couch next to them, and Taehyung crawls into his lap instead. He’s only there for a few seconds before the shimmers back into a leopard cub. He curls up in Yoochun’s lap, yawning and showing sharp teeth and a rough tongue.
Yoongi glares at him, his brown eyes almost daggers. He’s so insulted and hurt, and maybe it’s because he fell down. Yoochun isn’t sure. He reaches to ruffle his straight hair and Yoongi snaps at his fingers.
Jaejoong tells him no and pats his nose with a finger, and Yoongi starts crying again and Taehyung wakes up and huffs at his brother and then jumps down from the couch. After a few steps, he’s human again, tottering toward the bedroom.
Yoochun sighs and says, “I have a feeling we’re going to be chasing after them for a long time.”
Jaejoong smiles and says, “Good.”
Yoochun nods, leans down for a kiss to Jaejoong’s lips, and then follows after his slightly younger son. He is trying to climb up on their bed and he can’t quite manage. He plops down on his bare bum, and stares up at the bed, and then he’s a cat again, who can easily manage the climb.
Good for him, Yoochun thinks.
He curls up in the middle of the bed and goes back to sleep without another look at Yoochun.
Laughing, Yoochun goes back to his paperwork and his mate and their other son who is still angry.
Jaejoong coos at him and rubs their noses together and Yoongi hisses at him.
“Fiesty little cub.”
Yoongi frowns and leaves Jaejoong’s lap for Yoochun’s.
“I hope potty training is easy,” Jaejoong says suddenly.
That is a command that Yoochun has no problem impressing into his sons’ souls. Use the toilet.
Jaejoong feels the order and laughs. “I’m going to make lunch. What do you want?”
“Jjigae,” Yoochun says immediately.
“Again?”
“It’s been months.”
“It’s been days.”
“Still feels like months.”
Jaejoong’s smile morphs into something a little sneakier than usual. “It has been months.”
Yoochun feels the intent clear to his cock and he moans and then apologizes to Yoongi for jostling him, and the young boy starts crying again, though silently.
“He’s angry because he needs a nap,” Jaejoong says. “Go settle him with Taehyung and then I’ll be in the kitchen.” He winks, and Yoochun bites back another moan and hurries to do as he’s told.
Yoongi doesn’t want to let him go though and finally, Taehyung just wraps around him, and in the next moment, Yoongi is a cat again and he’s falling asleep curled up with his brother.
Yoochun sighs in relief and heads to the kitchen. He stops in surprise because his mate is already naked and waiting. Naked is a good thing, and he pulls off his shirt and has his jeans unbuttoned when Jaejoong pounces and pins him to the door jamb.
Their kiss is heavy, their hands everywhere, and Yoochun’s head is spiraling. Jaejoong pushes his jeans down to his knees. The touch of his cock on Jaejoong’s warm skin has him almost coming. Jaejoong drags him toward the table and says, “Can’t wait, just go. I need you so much.”
And Yoochun agrees. He gets another shock to see that Jaejoong’s already lubed himself up, maybe even prepped himself. He takes a moment to slide a finger inside him, and Jaejoong muffles his moan on his arm.
That’s enough.
Yoochun lines himself up and presses, both of their moans echoing around the kitchen as he sinks into his lover for the first time in months. He’s tight, so tight, and Yoochun’s eyes cross and his body shakes. He manages a few thrusts, and Jaejoong is stroking himself off. It’s been way too long to last, and Yoochun doesn’t even try to, just thrusting into him, hands on his hips, holding himself up so he can watch as he fucks into his mate. Everything is too tight, but slick and dirty, and his visions wavers and his orgasms is there in a moment, curling slow and then exploding fast. Yoochun barely stops moving, just thrusting through the pleasure, aware of his moans and Jaejoong’s small whimpers. Jaejoong isn’t quite finished, and Yoochun growls, leans over him and mouths at the mate scars on his neck.
“Mine,” he whispers. “All mine. Fuck, I love you. I love you so much.”
Jaejoong whimpers and his own body shudders, tightening up around Yoochun’s cock, and then there are splatters of come all over the floor. They slow, they don’t stop, and Jaejoong’s head turns for a sideways kiss.
“Fuck,” Jaejoong gasps, rolling his hips to meet Yoochun’s slow thrusts. “That ... fuck. I missed that.”
Yoochun chuckles. “Me too.”
The only thing that keeps Yoochun from scarring his son for life is his impeccable hearing that picks up the soft sound of tiny feet in the hallway. He hurries and yanks his pants on and Jaejoong gathers up his clothes and disappears out the other way just as Yoongi totters into the kitchen. He almost seems angry to see Yoochun there, but then tugs on his pants and yanks him back the other way and toward the bathroom.
Yoochun smiles. Potty training already. His body is still thrumming with lust though, and he does his best to beat it back. He thinks he succeeds until a hand cups his ass and a heavy voice says, “Until next time, Park Yoochun.”
And he watches as his mostly naked mate goes into their bedroom.
Yoochun licks his lips and hopes these cubs of his know how to sleep all through the night soon. Maybe he can make that an order too.
.
Pairing: Yoochun/Jaejoong
Rating: R
Disclaimer: They aren't mine to have babies with.
Summary: Jaejoong will not return to his human form, and it takes Yuri telling Yoochun why not. And he only has a few months to come to terms with fatherhood.
A/N: This fic is part of The Leopard Series. A group of panthers is called a prowl.
Warning: bestiality (although it is only implied in this fic) and mpreg ... sort of ...
A/N - I have been wanting to write baby leopard cubs in this verse for a long time. If you remember, at the beginning of "I'm Ready Now" it says, "The arrival of his previous prowl interrupted his pick-up football game, but all he has to do is point to the field where Seungri and Daesung are kicking the ball between them and Sungmin, Eunhyuk, and a gaggle of children are running over the bright green grass to join in." That gaggle of children I have always envisioned as being baby human-leopards, and they have always been Yunho/Yuri's babies. I just haven't figured out a way to include them in other stories. But now I can.
This is about 5 years after “Know that I’m Okay” and “Protected” - So Yoochun/Jaejoong have been together for a little more than 10-11 years. Yunho/Yuri have been together for about 20 years.
Jaejoong loves his leopardess. He is in her form more often than most leopards that Yoochun knows. At first, he was worried, thinking Jaejoong hid away in her form, but Jaejoong explained that was only part of it. His leopardess was his only escape when he lived in Japan. The prowls who held him captive were less likely to beat him if he was a leopardess and they were less likely to yell at him. It helped him survive.
And now he enjoys it. Before, it was a way to stay sane, and now, living with Yoochun and being mates with Jaejoong, he is allowed to grow and his leopardess is allowed to grow.
Yoochun can already tell that Jaejoong is stronger than when he they first became mates. Part of that was Yoochun and part of it was Jaejoong just coming into his cat a little bit later. She had been stunted in Japan, unable to stretch out and find herself. Here, she has that freedom, and so does Jaejoong. Both of them are learning to be cats now that they aren’t fearing for their lives.
Yoochun loves Jaejoong’s leopardess, probably more than jaejoong does. She’s gorgeous and alluring and playful.
He still changes when he’s surrounded by stronger cats. During most of Yoochun’s prowl meetings, Jaejoong spends the time wrapped around his legs in her leopardess form. It’s almost frightening to her being surrounded by cats that are stronger than her, though she is getting used to Changmin and Junsu and can mostly stay human when they are around, though for short periods of time.
Yunho is another story. And Yuri. Yuri is the strongest leopardess that Yoochun has ever met or ever heard of. Jaejoong cannot be anything but a cat in their presence.
Yunho mentioned it once, and then frowned when Yoochun said it was because of his life in Japan. Yunho still felt badly about that. It was all his fault. To try to make up for it, he didn’t mind letting Jaejoong curl up against him in his leopardess form and didn’t mind feeding her or scratching her or pampering her.
Yoochun minded. Sometimes. He was glad Yunho lived far enough away to make it inconvenient to visit.
When Yoochun wakes up one morning, and Jaejoong is still in her leopardess form, he doesn’t worry. Just scratches at her tail until she’s purring and lifting her rump up in invitation. She seems satisfied (as she should be because of the night before!) and happy, and Yoochun takes his own pleasure from it. Yes, he has to get up and go to work, and yes, he hadn’t slept too long the night before.
But his darling JaeJae comes first.
When he gets home from work, and Jaejoong is still JaeJae, purring at him and licking at his hand and trying to topple him to the ground in welcome, Yoochun doesn’t mind and barely notices. She’s all awkward limbs and flailing tail while she climbs into the tub with him, and her claws dig into his thigh when they finally settle together.
Yoochun runs his hands up and down her spine as they both relax and he tells her all about his day at work and how he had missed hearing Jaejoong’s voice during his lunch break. They stay in the tub until the water goes cold.
JaeJae eats dinner from a plate of raw meat set on the floor and Yoochun reheats something Jaejoong had made the day before. They sit on the couch and watch TV, Yoochun’s hands never stopping their scratching or petting of her soft fur, and then go to bed. When Jaejoong still doesn’t turn back to a human, Yoochun shivers into his panther form and sleeps with her, curled up in the center of the bed with their blankets cocooned around them.
On day two, he still isn’t worried. Sometimes Jaejoong likes to go days just being a cat, and Yoochun misses his voice and laughter and skin, but he knows that sometimes he needs this, and she needs this. Yoochun loves Jaejoong and loves JaeJae, and sometimes they both need to know it in very different days.
By day five, Yoochun is starting to get worried.
On day eight, he calls Yunho.
“I keep asking him to turn back, but he won’t,” Yoochun says and huffs. “I don’t understand why.”
“I hope it’s like you said, and he just needs some time. Maybe this is a day he doesn’t want to remember as a human, maybe this is a horrible memory from his past. I’ll send some flowers.”
Yoochun scoffs. “At this point, I think fish would be preferred.”
Yunho chuckles and then hangs up.
Two days later, three halibut that are more than fifty pounds each arrive, freshly caught and delivered from a local fish market.
JaeJae devours two of them in the same amount of days, and the other is left for the rest of their prowl to eat.
Yoochun sends Yunho a thank you text.
At two weeks, Yoochun is at his wits end.
“I miss my partner,” he tells JaeJae, scratching at her neck and trying to nuzzle against her ear, but it’s not the same as when he’s a human. The skin below his ear is so sensitive as a human. “Just a few minutes, that’s all I’m asking for. I want a real kiss and I want to touch your skin.”
JaeJae growls at him and snaps at his fingers. Something in his soul says, I can’t, you idiot.
But it isn’t ... panicked, not like she’s physically unable to. It’s not like she is stuck in her leopardess form. Just ... there’s something missing.
The fourteenth day, JaeJae doesn’t get out of bed at all. She feels so tired and breathless, and Yoochun is terrified that she is sick.
He calls Yunho again.
“Still?” Yunho says in concern.
“Yes, and now ... she’s sick. I think she ... she’s just so tired. All I can really feel from her is tired and weak, but also ... she’s happy. I just ... I don’t feel like I should be worried, but I’m so fucking worried.”
Yunho is quiet for a moment, and then he says, “I think you need to talk to Yuri. Hang on.”
It makes sense. Yuri is a leopardess and Yunho is not.
When she gets on the line, she tells Yoochun what Yunho had told her about the situation, and Yoochun fills in the blanks.
“You are an idiot,” Yuri says. “She needs some love and rest and if you can take some time off work that would be perfect.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing is wrong with her,” Yuri says with laughter in her voice.
“Yuri, please,” Yoochun says.
“The only reason you don’t know is because you aren’t looking hard enough and it’s not really something I expected or I would have warned you about, and you don’t have any females in your prowl.”
Yoochun huffs again, but knows better than to try to order her.
“She’s pregnant,” Yuri says, and Yoochun hears Yunho’s surprised shout through the phone.
“Pre-pre-pregnant. What ... how ...” Yoochun’s mouth is open wide, and he’s pretty sure his vision is going black.
“Your pretty leopardess is pregnant. Trust me, I know. Look, Jaejoong can’t turn back into a human like I am able to, because Jaejoong doesn’t have a uterus, but JaeJae does. So she’s going to stay a cat for the next three months, and then she’s going to have cubs.”
“What ... I can’t ... this is ... Fuck.” He lets the phone clatter to the floor and then he is a leopard. He slides his way to their bedroom, his claws almost squealing on the hardwood. He slams into the doorframe and then bounds into the room and up onto the bed.
The quick movement wakes JaeJae up and she growls at him. He can’t do anything but sniff at her, run his nose over her belly and she does smell different, but it’s not a bad different, almost sweet. He remembers that as a human he’d been sucking this sweetest of scents off her flank almost two weeks ago.
Pregnant, with babies.
Fuck, he wishes he could talk to her, he wishes they were able to actually speak mind to mind. He thinks that Yunho and Yuri can just because they’re both so strong.
JaeJae is curling away from him, he realizes. Suddenly whining in the silence, and there is a spark of fear and rejection from her.
And Yoochun understands. JaeJae had hid this from him because she wasn’t sure if he’d want them.
He and Jaejoong never talked of having cubs. Theoretically, Yoochun knew it was possible because JaeJae is a leopardess. But he’d been forced into her form for this exact reason, kept as a leopardess to mate and breed.
He lifts his head suddenly. Had ... had they? Had JaeJae been pregnant before?
And now it is too late to ask. And so not the time.
JaeJae is trying to get away from him, sliding up the bed.
Yoochun growls, a silent command to stop. She does, but her breath speeds up and her fear skyrockets. He rarely ever orders her around because it makes her terrified. But this is so important.
Yoochun licks at her neck and then her shoulder and down her side and then back up, trying to touch all the places that JaeJae loves best. He fills his soul and their connection with as much happiness as he can and then he starts purring. He gives JaeJae one more lick to her face and then settles on the bed, curled up in just the right way that leaves a spot for his pretty leopardess to press into.
After a moment, she curls up on herself and scoots back. Right into her spot.
Yoochun purrs louder, and smiles in his soul when she cautiously starts to purr too.
Cubs. Kittens. Babies.
There’s plenty of time to panic. For now, he just basks in his happiness, in his mate’s happiness, and in their love.
---
Three Months later
Yoochun isn’t prepared for it. Not at all.
Yuri and Minji come to help. They are there for a week, telling Yoochun about the birth, about the first few days, and promise to stay even longer if Jaejoong doesn’t mind. Yuri has four kids, or well, they’re almost teenagers now, and Yoochun thinks they’re adorable. He played with them often when they were here while Changmin and Junsu were mating. Minji and Sungmin have a cub who is two or three; Yoochun can’t remember. There were a few other females in their prowl, but Yoochun isn’t sure which of the children he remembers belong to which one.
They also come bearing supplies, to add to those that have been slowly taking over Yoochun’s apartment. Most, if not all, are presents from Yunho to help support them.
They’ll have to move to a new apartment eventually, but after Jaejoong can be a human again.
“She isn’t going to be able to change for a little while longer,” Yuri warns him. “She needs to feed them with her own milk. I’m working on a substitute, but they won’t be able to drink anything but her milk for at least a month.”
“Another month?”
Yuri nods. “I’ve warned JaeJae too. She isn’t happy about it, but she doesn’t want her cubs to suffer.”
“Wait,” Yoochun says. “Cubs? More than ... one? Oh god.”
Yuri laughs. “She has two of them in there.”
“Two ... two ... oh god.”
“You need to watch them closely after they are born,” Yuri warns. “They won’t be able to be human for at least three months, but they might try. They’re still weak, so they’ll listen to you and your impressions. You just need to make it clear that they aren’t allowed to transform into humans for a while..”
Yoochun has to sit down. In the kitchen, all he manages to do is lean against the counter.
“You don't really need to be here unless you want to be. Leopard instincts are for females to raise young. You’ll find that you really aren’t needed the first few weeks. But that said, it’s better for the mother to be with her cubs, so you can bring JaeJae food and water so she doesn’t have to leave. Ah, JaeJae is going to be such a great mother.”
Yoochun rubs his face in his hands. “This is bullshit, god, I’d be able to handle this much better if I could talk to Jaejoong.”
Yuri laughs again.
Minji enters the kitchen from the hallway and smiles, “JaeJae has finally moved to the corner that we set up for her. It’s only a matter of hours now.”
“Hours,” Yoochun whispers. He feels his breath quicken. His vision swims. “God. Fuck. This is ...”
Both of the girls laugh at him.
“We’ll get out of here now,” Yuri says. “We don’t want JaeJae to feel threatened by us. Call if there are any complications.”
---
Yoochun paces, first as a human and then as a leopard, but he’s slowly losing control of his leopard and he doesn’t want to accidentally injure his pretty leopardess or their cubs.
Their cubs.
Dear Lord.
A whine from the bedroom has him hurrying there as a suddenly naked human. Another whine comes from the corner of the bedroom, and Yoochun falls to his knees roughly on the hardwood and stays a bit away from his pretty leopardess. The girls had set up a few large pillows and blankets for her to nest in and walls of cushions and throw pillows form a wall around them. Yoochun does not breach the wall with his body, but reaches to touch JaeJae’s neck.
She whines and licks his hand. She is panting and her fur feels warm and almost sweaty. He is worried for her, but Yuri told him to wait, it could take only an hour or a few, depending on the babies and JaeJae.
Babies.
Yoochun pushes back his panic. He has always wanted children, and then figured he wouldn’t be able to once he realized he was a cat.
Babies. Cubs.
Yoochun settles a hand on JaeJae’s shoulder and waits. He fills his soul with love and whispers it to her. There’s a flush of embarrassment at his corny words, as there often is, and then a firm command to tell him to shut up and let her concentrate. Yoochun chuckles.
“Okay, my love. I love you.”
JaeJae licks his hand.
His knees start to ache, so he sits instead, putting him a little closer to JaeJae, and he sees how she is struggling a little. He stays by her head, knowing himself that he wouldn’t actually be able to see the birth, because it’s ... strange, weird ... gross, sort of. Yoochun shakes himself and just does his best to support his pretty leopardess.
“Such a pretty kitty,” he whispers and scratches the top of her head.
He doesn’t know how long he sits here, just being here, just marveling at his amazing mate and wondering how he got so lucky.
A thin mewl breaks through the silence, and JaeJae finally moves. A second mewl is there in a moment, and Yoochun shifts back as JaeJae moves, and he watches, eyes wide, as she licks at her new cubs, cleaning them of goop and other things. They are little wet balls of grey. They kinda look like hairballs, and they’re the cutest things that Yoochun has ever seen and he’s sort of shocked that they are his and this isn’t just some weird dream.
JaeJae continues to lick at them, and then nudges them toward her nipples where they blindly struggle until latching on for their first drink of milk.
JaeJae settles back down with a heavy breath and then turns and looks at Yoochun. He can’t watch or see anything else, and realizes that he is actually crying. He leans down to press a kiss to JaeJae’s head and gets a quick lick on his neck in return.
Time passes and Yoochun gets the feeling that his mate is thirsty. He is loathe to leave her, but he stands on shaky legs. Absentmindedly, he pulls on sweatpants and then goes to the kitchen for the bowl that JaeJae has been drinking from for the last three months. He fills it with fresh bottled water from the fridge and then goes back into the room. There’s a mess of afterbirth and other things that make Yoochun cringe a little (god, he is an adult and he is stronger than this and this is part of life!) and he settles back onto the floor and helps JaeJae drink. The cute balls of fluff are curled up close to JaeJae’s belly, both of them asleep and intertwined.
He doesn’t know if they’re boys or girls, but he remembers Yuri’s warning and sends an impression to them that they are not allowed to change into humans. He isn’t sure how that’s possible, but he’s a cat, he can do it, why not have little babies that can do it too?
Everything is so surreal. And it’s way too early in the morning. He needs to sleep. How long has he been awake? He keeps a hand on JaeJae’s fur, and uses one of the pillows to curl up nearby. It isn’t easy to sleep because his brain is going too many miles a minute, but he is exhausted and his body lets him know that.
---
The first two weeks go the same, and Yoochun is so glad that his business is his own now and he can take the time off his needs to keep both his JaeJae and their pretty babies healthy. He supplies her with enough fresh water and food so her milk stays rich and nutritious. He checks every day to make sure her nipples aren’t swollen or red, and checks his pretty babies to make sure they are gaining weight. They squirm and meow and sleep, and the first time JaeJae lets him hold one, he’s crying in about three seconds. He doesn’t want to hurt them though, and quickly puts the mewling baby back against his mother’s stomach.
No one visits, but he gets daily text messages from Yuri, offering congratulations and support, and from Onew, his Second, asking about problems or concerns from the rest of the prowl.
Yoochun is very glad that his prowl is so small, because the fewer cats means fewer problems.
He still really misses his mate, and Jaejoong’s laughter and skin, but he can wait. He is patient.
Two weeks after their birth, JaeJae finally lets him clean up, changing the blankets and pillows around them. And their pretty babies eyes open and they start looking more like leopards and less like balls of fur. Spots are starting to show through their grey coats, and their meows are a little more insistent, followed by rough coughing sounds, that Yuri says are normal.
One has brown eyes, the darkest of browns, and the other has blue eyes. He still doesn’t know their genders, and he hears JaeJae’s amusement in their souls.
Yuri is unable to produce any type of substitute milk that she is willing to let them try. If she’s wrong, it could kill their cubs, and Yoochun doesn’t want that. Once Jaejoong returns to being a human, he will reset the leopardess inside him, so no more milk, no more motherly instincts, and the babies will die. So instead, JaeJae stays a leopardess and Yoochun stays to watch over them all.
---
2 Months Later
When there are hands on his stomach, sliding up his body and then lips against his chest, Yoochun is sure he is dreaming. Still. And then he realizes he isn’t and there are hands on him and a mouth on him, and he jumps up with a shout to confront the intruder and instead comes face-to-face with his pretty mate.
“Jaejoong,” Yoochun gasps.
Jaejoong’s smile is fleeting, and then gone as Yoochun surges forward to kiss him, hand sliding into his hair that is too long now and the other skimming over soft skin. Soft human skin, and he moans, the sound desperate around them.
Jaejoong is shaking, and it takes Yoochun too long to realize that he is nervous and ready for a lecture of some sort about the cubs.
“Stop it,” Yoochun says with a bit of a growl. “I love you, I love our children, I love you. I need you now, and you ... just stop that. I am not angry at you. I love you.”
Jaejoong clears his throat and his voice is rough as he says, “I’m sorry.”
Yoochun shakes his head and kisses him again, intent on keeping his mouth busy if he’s going to say and feel such insane things.
Their soul flares with love for a moment and then acceptance, and Jaejoong doesn’t fight him when they roll over and Yoochun’s hovers over him, kissing him and rubbing against him, against his skin, and he finally breaks away from his mouth to start tracing the tattoos on his skin, the tattoos he had missed so desperately.
He’s on his way down to Jaejoong’s erect cock when a loud meow echoes around the room, and then another.
Jaejoong sighs. “Damn, I thought they’d sleep longer.”
Yoochun huffs and collapses on top of him, finding his nipple and licking at it. His pretty pretty mate is back, muscles still all there, skin still there, and Yoochun knows that he will not stop touching Jaejoong for days on end.
Another meow has Jaejoong pushing Yoochun off him and he goes to the makeshift bed in the corner. He’s cooing at the little cubs as he lifts them gently. They’re pretty big now, both of them a good armful of spotted fluff. They nuzzle at him, recognizing their mother’s scent, and Jaejoong licks at one of them and then the other.
Yoochun watches and tries his best not to cry again. They’re so beautiful.
Jaejoong brings them to the bed and settles them down on the comforter. “I’m going to get them some food.”
Yoochun nods and moves his fingers to gain their attention. They both lock eyes on the new toys and then start pouncing, little claws digging into his hands for a moment. He laughs and moves his hand above them and they try to attack it, but topple backwards. He rubs their bellies and gets claws in his skin again. He’s going to have to trim those things. Ouch.
Jaejoong returns with a couple of small plates of raw meat. “I am so tired of eating meat.”
“I am so tired of eating take out,” Yoochun returns and gets a smack to his shoulder.
“I tried to teach you to cook, you incompetent man.”
Yoochun laughs.
Jaejoong settles the plates on the bed and the cubs ignore Yoochun’s fingers in favor of food.
They watch them eat for a little while, and then Yoochun asks, “So what do we talk about first?”
Jaejoong flushes and turns away from him, almost physically curling away with his soul, and Yoochun touches his thigh and pulls him back.
“I am not mad at you, my love. I am not. I am happy and I love you and I love our little babies.”
Jaejoong nods.
“Let’s talk about them, because apparently, I have no idea what I’m doing, according to Yuri and she refuses to help anymore.”
Jaejoong chuckles. “I need to thank her. She really has helped.”
Yoochun scoots a little closer and gets his arms around Jaejoong’s stomach. “God, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so fucking much, Jaejoong. I’ve missed your smile and your laugh and your eyes and your skin and your body, and fuck I need--”
“Babies,” Jaejoong reminds him.
Yoochun sighs and says, “Okay, first. Boy or girl?”
Jaejoong laughs. “You can’t tell?”
“No, and it’s bugging me and Yuri is ...”
Jaejoong covers his mouth and laughs harder. “Oh god, you’re so bad, that’s like the first thing you should be able to sense with your leopard.”
Yoochun frowns. “I have been trying to keep him locked down a little. I didn’t want you or the babies to feel intimidated.”
“So it’s your own fault,” Jaejoong says and nods. “They are both boys. Which you should have been able to physically see for yourself.” He picks up one of them despite its whine of being removed from food, and flips it upside down and shows Yoochun what must be the thing’s penis, but how was he supposed to know that!
“Have you named them?”
Jaejoong shakes his head. “I wasn’t ... I wanted to wait for you.”
“I guess we’ll think about it for a little while because I have no idea.”
Jaejoong smiles. “Okay.” He plops the cub back to its food. And they watch them eat until they’re full and they mewl and come to their mother (father? Yoochun is sure this is going to get confusing). Jaejoong gathers them close and presses kisses to the tops of their heads, between their fluffy ears.
“They are so cute,” Yoochun says. He moves the empty dishes to the nightstand.
Jaejoong nods. “It’ll be interesting to see them as humans.”
“When should I let them? Yuri told me to keep impressing on them that they aren’t allowed.”
Jaejoong shrugs. “Yuri’s cat told me to wait at least three months, when they aren’t relying on my milk, so now, in a little while. I don’t know. Soon though. She also told me that cubs grow faster than human babies, so our little three month olds are going to be toddlers when they change. We have to get this place baby proof before then.”
Yoochun nods and moves close to Jaejoong, curling up against him with his arms around Jaejoong’s shoulders. The two cubs settle between them, pressed against mother and father. They are purring and Yoochun can almost sense that Jaejoong is too, or at least his cat is.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Yoochun repeats and kisses his neck, this time getting the breathy sigh from Jaejoong the he loved so much.
“I missed you too. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for always being there for me.”
Yoochun’s throat closes up and he can’t say anything and shoves all the feelings he can’t express through their soul.
“I told you before,” Jaejoong whispers, his voice cautious, “about how I had to run away in my cat form, away from ... from him.”
Yoochun hums. It isn’t something he will ever forget and he’s so glad that this leopard has been destroyed for what he did to Jaejoong.
“I was pregnant,” Jaejoong says, his voice even softer and even more broken.
Yoochun freezes and pulls away to look at him. Jaejoong is crying and Yoochun makes soft noises and wipes at his tears.
“I wanted babies, but not with him, but I couldn’t ... I couldn’t change when I was with him because I had been ordered not to, and it was so hard, but I had to run, for myself, for them. There was no way that I’d be able to raise my babies and I feared for their lives. But I also knew that as soon as I was far enough away to change that I’d kill them and they would no longer exist, and ...”
“That must have been a very hard decision,” Yoochun says carefully.
Jaejoong presses his face to Yoochun’s neck and sobs. “I didn’t want to. I didn’t ... I just ... It wasn’t their fault, and they were so precious, so perfect, and I just ... I couldn’t ...”
The babies between them mewl at the sudden distress and Jaejoong has to take a deep breath.
“It’s not your fault,” Yoochun says. “You were in a horrible situation. I know this isn’t helpful, but I think you made the right decision.”
Jaejoong nods. “It’s still hard. I still feel so guilty. I wanted to talk to you ... about having cubs, and telling you that I could, but I wasn’t ready to try again, and ...”
“Have you been pregnant before this? Since we’ve been mates, I mean?”
Jaejoong shakes his head. “As a leopardess, I am very in tune with my body, and I know when she is in heat and so I just made sure not to have sex with you as her in those times.”
“And this time?”
Jaejoong shrugs. “I lost track and it was just a bit overwhelming and it felt so good, and then the next day I realized and it was like, oops. I was going to talk to you soon, but ...”
“Do not apologize,” Yoochun says forcefully and with a just-as-forceful kiss. “I am so happy. Beyond happy.”
Jaejoong smiles, though it is a little weak. He looks suddenly tired, and Yoochun rearranges the pillows and blankets and pulls his little family close.
“Sleep, my love. Sleep.”
Jaejoong grins and allows a kiss to his lips. It’s early in the morning, but they haven’t been on a time schedule for months now.
Yoochun can’t sleep and just watches his pretty mate, until the babies on his stomach stir and wake up mewling a little again.
Yoochun scoops them up and takes them into the kitchen, a new place that they explore and slide over the tile until Yoochun presents them with food and water. He starts bouncing names for them around in his head. He has them in the living room and gets out his phone to record them playing with one of the toys that Yunho had given them. He sends the video to his prowl and Yunho’s prowl.
A few minutes later, Yuri calls. “They are so fucking adorable.”
Yoochun chuckles. “They are.”
“How is JaeJae?”
“Well, she is Jaejoong now. Finally.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she changed back this morning.”
“And Jaejoong? How is he?”
“He’s perfect,” Yoochun says, and then thinks about it. “He’s a little depressed. I know he won’t mind if I tell you, but he had been pregnant when he ran away from his prowl in Osaka.”
Yuri gasps. “No wonder he’s been so careful. That means you’re going to have to suffocate him and those little boys with love.”
“Boys. Yeah, thanks for telling me that.”
She laughs. “You’re an idiot. You could have easily figured it out on your own with a little online research. Anyway, your video has made Yunho a bit ... well, let’s say fatherly, and it seems he wants another one. So I’m going to go before his dick replaces his fingers inside me.”
“Ugh, TMI, Yuri. TMI”
She laughs and says, “We’ll come visit soon,” and hangs up.
He puts his phone down and one of the little things tries to swipe at it. The other one meows at him and then keeps mewling and trying to snuggle into him and he realizes that he wants his mother. With a grin, he picks them both up, one trying to bite at the earring in his left ear, and the other just settles down with a plaintive meow. His ear tufts tickle Yoochun’s chin.
He returns to the bedroom. Jaejoong is curled up around a body pillow, and he wakes only when Yoochun puts the two babies in the crevice created by body and pillow, and he smiles and accepts a kiss and then goes back to sleep. The one baby is already asleep and the other one is restless trying to bat at the other’s ears for attention.
Yoochun takes a picture of the three of them, and then another one, and another one. He sits on the end of the bed, a hand on Jaejoong’s ankle under the blanket, and just smiles and lets his happiness roll down his cheeks in tears.
---
The first time the boys are human Yoochun is sitting on the couch trying to work out the finances of his own company before starting new contracts with other companies. It’s hard to support things when he hasn’t seriously worked for six months.
There is a little bit of silence from the cubs playing in the corner and then a thud and then a cry. A human cry, and Yoochun is up so fast that his papers fly all over the living room, which startles the other one and then they are both crying. He manages to get Yoongi into his arms and then Jaejoong is there swooping up little Taehyung.
His babies are beautiful. Taehyung has wavy brown hair, and Yoongi’s is straight and almost black like his eyes. Both are already for a haircut. They looks similar in the way that siblings do, but Taehyung has more of Jaejoong in him and Yoongi looks a little bit more like Yoochun. Both of them look like they are about two years old in human terms. He never thought of ages before. He wonders if Yunho registers his children or just fakes it. He’d have to fake their ages, because there is no way any human would believe they are only four months old. He’ll call and ask eventually. Or maybe Jaejoong already has.
Taehyung is a little smaller than his brother. Quieter, easier to calm, easier to deal with.
Yoongi is not happy and he will let the world know.
His cries get louder and he reaches his stubby arms out for his mother, and Jaejoong takes them both, smiling at Yoochun in happiness while trying to calm them both down with soft words. And then he starts singing, and Taehyung quiets to listen and then tugs on Yoongi’s arm until he finally shuts up.
Jaejoong settles them on the couch, lifting an eyebrow at the mess all over the floor.
Yoochun huffs and says, “I didn’t mean to. They startled me.” He goes about cleaning it up and Jaejoong continues to sing.
Yoochun settles on the couch next to them, and Taehyung crawls into his lap instead. He’s only there for a few seconds before the shimmers back into a leopard cub. He curls up in Yoochun’s lap, yawning and showing sharp teeth and a rough tongue.
Yoongi glares at him, his brown eyes almost daggers. He’s so insulted and hurt, and maybe it’s because he fell down. Yoochun isn’t sure. He reaches to ruffle his straight hair and Yoongi snaps at his fingers.
Jaejoong tells him no and pats his nose with a finger, and Yoongi starts crying again and Taehyung wakes up and huffs at his brother and then jumps down from the couch. After a few steps, he’s human again, tottering toward the bedroom.
Yoochun sighs and says, “I have a feeling we’re going to be chasing after them for a long time.”
Jaejoong smiles and says, “Good.”
Yoochun nods, leans down for a kiss to Jaejoong’s lips, and then follows after his slightly younger son. He is trying to climb up on their bed and he can’t quite manage. He plops down on his bare bum, and stares up at the bed, and then he’s a cat again, who can easily manage the climb.
Good for him, Yoochun thinks.
He curls up in the middle of the bed and goes back to sleep without another look at Yoochun.
Laughing, Yoochun goes back to his paperwork and his mate and their other son who is still angry.
Jaejoong coos at him and rubs their noses together and Yoongi hisses at him.
“Fiesty little cub.”
Yoongi frowns and leaves Jaejoong’s lap for Yoochun’s.
“I hope potty training is easy,” Jaejoong says suddenly.
That is a command that Yoochun has no problem impressing into his sons’ souls. Use the toilet.
Jaejoong feels the order and laughs. “I’m going to make lunch. What do you want?”
“Jjigae,” Yoochun says immediately.
“Again?”
“It’s been months.”
“It’s been days.”
“Still feels like months.”
Jaejoong’s smile morphs into something a little sneakier than usual. “It has been months.”
Yoochun feels the intent clear to his cock and he moans and then apologizes to Yoongi for jostling him, and the young boy starts crying again, though silently.
“He’s angry because he needs a nap,” Jaejoong says. “Go settle him with Taehyung and then I’ll be in the kitchen.” He winks, and Yoochun bites back another moan and hurries to do as he’s told.
Yoongi doesn’t want to let him go though and finally, Taehyung just wraps around him, and in the next moment, Yoongi is a cat again and he’s falling asleep curled up with his brother.
Yoochun sighs in relief and heads to the kitchen. He stops in surprise because his mate is already naked and waiting. Naked is a good thing, and he pulls off his shirt and has his jeans unbuttoned when Jaejoong pounces and pins him to the door jamb.
Their kiss is heavy, their hands everywhere, and Yoochun’s head is spiraling. Jaejoong pushes his jeans down to his knees. The touch of his cock on Jaejoong’s warm skin has him almost coming. Jaejoong drags him toward the table and says, “Can’t wait, just go. I need you so much.”
And Yoochun agrees. He gets another shock to see that Jaejoong’s already lubed himself up, maybe even prepped himself. He takes a moment to slide a finger inside him, and Jaejoong muffles his moan on his arm.
That’s enough.
Yoochun lines himself up and presses, both of their moans echoing around the kitchen as he sinks into his lover for the first time in months. He’s tight, so tight, and Yoochun’s eyes cross and his body shakes. He manages a few thrusts, and Jaejoong is stroking himself off. It’s been way too long to last, and Yoochun doesn’t even try to, just thrusting into him, hands on his hips, holding himself up so he can watch as he fucks into his mate. Everything is too tight, but slick and dirty, and his visions wavers and his orgasms is there in a moment, curling slow and then exploding fast. Yoochun barely stops moving, just thrusting through the pleasure, aware of his moans and Jaejoong’s small whimpers. Jaejoong isn’t quite finished, and Yoochun growls, leans over him and mouths at the mate scars on his neck.
“Mine,” he whispers. “All mine. Fuck, I love you. I love you so much.”
Jaejoong whimpers and his own body shudders, tightening up around Yoochun’s cock, and then there are splatters of come all over the floor. They slow, they don’t stop, and Jaejoong’s head turns for a sideways kiss.
“Fuck,” Jaejoong gasps, rolling his hips to meet Yoochun’s slow thrusts. “That ... fuck. I missed that.”
Yoochun chuckles. “Me too.”
The only thing that keeps Yoochun from scarring his son for life is his impeccable hearing that picks up the soft sound of tiny feet in the hallway. He hurries and yanks his pants on and Jaejoong gathers up his clothes and disappears out the other way just as Yoongi totters into the kitchen. He almost seems angry to see Yoochun there, but then tugs on his pants and yanks him back the other way and toward the bathroom.
Yoochun smiles. Potty training already. His body is still thrumming with lust though, and he does his best to beat it back. He thinks he succeeds until a hand cups his ass and a heavy voice says, “Until next time, Park Yoochun.”
And he watches as his mostly naked mate goes into their bedroom.
Yoochun licks his lips and hopes these cubs of his know how to sleep all through the night soon. Maybe he can make that an order too.
.