TW002: If You Want Me
From: writersstudy
Title: If You Want Me
Prompt Code: TW002
Rating: PG-13
Side pairing/s: Kris/Lay, ninja!Kai/Chanyeol
Length: 6553 words
Summary: Junmyeon is really, truly Jongdae's last hope
Warning/s: mpreg, homelessness, a/b/o verse, mentions of drunk sex
Notes: I loved writing this. Thank you so much to the prompter, and to my amazing beta Denise. This is undoubtedly the longest fic I've ever written and I hope you enjoy it! Title from the song by Marketa Irglova.
Junmyeon’s life falls apart on a Tuesday. He comes back from a very important financial meeting to find a very small, very round omega in his desk chair, slowly turning back and forth and cooing at his swollen stomach.
“Who the fuck are you?” he barks, startling the omega, who smiles upon seeing him.
“Kim Jongdae,” he says with a smile, “your omega.”
“My - I don’t even know you! Get out of my chair!” Junmyeon strides over and hauls Jongdae up by his arm, pushing him toward the entrance of his cubicle. Suddenly, he’s hit with a wave of pheromones. It’s something distinctly omega, distinctly babies, but there’s another scent mixed in, the scent of the breeding alpha. He feels a wave of possession before realizing very suddenly that the scent is his own.
“Jesus fuck,” he groans and pushes Jongdae back into the chair, “what do you want from me? Money?” Jongdae opens his mouth to respond but, before he can, one of Junmyeon’s coworkers barges in.
“Oh! I didn’t know that you had a visitor, hyung. Is this your omega? He’s cute.” Jongdae beams.
“That’s me! I’m Kim Jongdae.” Junmyeon forces a smile onto his face.
“Baekhyun, did you need something?” The beta perks up.
“Right! Minseok hyung needs those presentations by lunchtime. Are they done?” Junmyeon pushes Jongdae (and his chair) out of the way and works on his computer for a few minutes before handing Baekhyun a flash drive.
“Go away,” he growls and Baekhyun darts out with a laugh. Junmyeon turns to Jongdae.
“You can't tell people that you're my omega. You're an omega and you happen to be carrying pups that are biologically mine, but you're not my omega. I've never even met you before. If it weren't for the fact that I can smell my pheromones on you, I probably would've thrown you out by now. What do you need from me? Money? I can give you money.” Jongdae suddenly seems a lot more serious.
“That would probably help,” he says quietly, pushing himself out of the chair, “but don't sweat it. I mean, this is your fault too, but who am I to expect an alpha to take responsibility? You didn't wear a fucking condom but that's my fault, right? It's okay for a six months pregnant homeless omega to live in an alley, but god forbid the alpha give even a few bills for food. I'm not even going to have custody of these kids when it's over if I'm not mated. They'll go to a center and I'll never see my kids again. But I should've thought of that before my suppressants failed, right? God, fuck you, Kim Junmyeon.” Jongdae storms out as best as he can with the size of his stomach. He makes it all the way into the elevator before he breaks down. The omega slides to the floor, tears streaming out of his eyes. Junmyeon was his last hope for getting off the streets, and his only hope for keeping his babies, but it seems like neither of those things will happen now. The elevator dings when it opens on the ground floor, and Jongdae starts truly crying when he realizes that he can't get up; he's too large. The doors close and the elevator starts to climb again. It stops again at floor twenty one and someone rushes in hurriedly.
“Are you - oh. Um. Are you okay?” Of course it's Junmyeon. Jongdae wipes his eyes furiously.
“I'm having an awful day and I'm very very fat and it's all your fault,” he hiccups, “what do you think?” Junmyeon takes Jongdae by the wrists and pulls him to his feet before guiding him back to the cubicle. He gently lowers the omega into the chair.
“Stay here. I’m going to get lunch for us, okay? We can...discuss arrangements when I get back, okay?” He disappears down the hallway and Jongdae plucks some tissues from the box on the desk. He wipes his eyes and cheeks and the tissues come away brown. Junmyeon returns a few minutes later with two steaming bento boxes. He passes one to Jongdae and pulls two bottles of water out of the mini fridge under his desk.
“Don't worry if you can't finish it. Eat up and then we can talk.” Jongdae eats like the food is going to disappear, but Junmyeon doesn't fault him for it. He can't even pretend to know what the younger man is going through.
“If you need a place to stay, I can provide one. If you need money for food or for baby stuff, I can provide that. If you need medical care or insurance, I can take care of it. The...claiming thing...we need to discuss that further. We can look into alternatives because I'm sure you don't want to be claimed by an alpha that you don't even know. You're already six months, so I don't think we have time to contest the law, but that isn't fair to you. Do you have any family anywhere, anyone that you haven't been able to contact?” Jongdae swallows, absentmindedly rubbing a spot near his ribs.
“I have a cousin, but I don't know where he is or how to reach him, and I'm prohibited from seeing my brother, so no.”
“Why is that?” Junmyeon inquires. Jongdae smiles bitterly.
“When our parents died, he went into the foster system, since I was of age and he's not. His foster parents are very, very traditional and they won't let me see him because they think that an omega who has a college education and is - or, well, was - headed for a career is a bad influence on an alpha. They think my...independence will make him feel inferior and god forbid an alpha feel inferior to an omega. It's illegal but I'm in no position to contest it right now.” Junmyeon is stunned into silence. The fact that someone, in this day and age, believes such things about omegas is simply disturbing.
“We can take care of that too,” he says, “and find your cousin and just...I’ll take care of you. I'm sorry I was so awful before. It's...shocking to find out that your pups are going to be here in three, four months, and I'm not really the type that ever wanted any. But,” he adds when Jongdae stiffens, “that doesn't mean that I won't take responsibility or pull my weight or love those pups. I might not have wanted them, per say, or expected them, but they're still my pups. Our pups. I'll make sure - oh no, oh god, why are you crying again?” Junmyeon plucks some more tissues from the box on his desk and kneels down in front of Jongdae to dab at his face.
“I don't - this - thank you,” Jongdae sobs, taking the tissues gratefully. Junmyeon smiles and places the box in his lap.
“Let me just go tell my boss that I'm leaving and then I'll take you home, okay?” Junmyeon disappears around the corner and Jongdae mops at his eyes.
Junmyeon’s apartment isn't large, by any means, but it's cozy and Jongdae immediately feels comfortable.
“I have to make up the guest room bed, so why don't you lay down on the couch for now? I'm sure your back is probably sore.” Jongdae groans as he lowers himself onto the cushions and rolls onto his side. Junmyeon smiles slightly and disappears down the hallway. Jongdae stuffs a throw pillow between his knees, trying to ease some of the ache, but it’s too flat to do much good.
Junmyeon stops in the guest room after making the bed, leaning against the footboard to take a deep breath. He’s going to be a father. The shock and panic are finally wearing off, leaving just wonder in their place. He’d never thought he’d be a father, or even that he’d find a mate. Junmyeon knows he’s messy, that he doesn’t look the part of the alpha that he is, and that most people, regardless of their blood status, wouldn’t want anything to do with him. He’s listened to enough boyfriends tell him over and over that he’s given up on any form of commitment. Now, though, he has Jongdae, and their pups, and his mind is still reeling.
When he finally finishes in the guest room and goes to get Jongdae, he finds the omega fast asleep on the couch, pillows shoved between his knees and under his bulging abdomen. There’s no way Junmyeon will be able to carry him to the guest room, so he crouches next to the couch and gently shakes Jongdae awake.
“C’mon,” he murmurs, “just a few more meters and then you can nap, okay?”
“Gonna get the sheets dirty,” Jongdae mumbles tiredly, not even bothering to open his eyes, “will sleep here tonight and bath tomorrow.” That’s when Junmyeon really notices the streaks of dirt on the younger’s face and clothes, and the slight mattedness of his hair. He definitely needs that bath, but Junmyeon can tell that he’s much too tired for it tonight, and despite his misgivings, the couch is undoubtedly much more comfortable than whatever Jongdae has been sleeping on for the last six months, so he merely pulls the blanket off the back of the couch to cover the omega, pulls the coffee table next to the couch in case Jongdae rolls over, and, after a moment’s hesitation, presses a good night kiss to Jongdae’s forehead, despite it only being three in the afternoon.
“I’ll be in my room doing some work, with the door open,” he murmurs, “you can help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you get hungry. Sleep well, okay?” Jongdae grunts, nodding tiredly, and then he’s asleep again, leaving Junmyeon to turn off most of the lights, shut the curtains, and retreat to his room with his laptop.
When Jongdae wakes up, the clock near the television spells out midnight. He groans as he pushes himself into a sitting position. There’s a faint light coming from the direction of the kitchen and Jongdae’s stomach grumbles. He groans as he pushes himself into a sitting position and off the couch. When he approaches the kitchen, the smell of ramyun hits his nose.
“Hey,” Junmyeon says softly, “you hungry? This is almost finished.” Jongdae nods with a yawn and waddles over to the table. He rubs a sore spot on his ribs and slowly lowers himself into a chair. The alpha places two bowls on the table and takes a seat across from him.
“How did you sleep?” he asks gently, passing Jongdae a pair of chopsticks. The younger shrugs, stirring the noodles. He takes a bite and groans contentedly.
“So, I was doing a bit of research while you were asleep. It turns out that while most of the hospitals in the city are fine, all of the privately owned clinics are being investigated for pressuring single pregnant omegas into mating by telling them lies about pregnancy laws, especially the clinics that cater to homeless and impoverished omegas. Basically, everything you were told about your children being taken away unless you have a mate, and anything else they told you, is a lie. You’re not technically required to have a mate, but there are other provisions. Because of the hormonal imbalances in omegas immediately after childbirth, you’re not considered emotionally stable enough to take care of children for the first few weeks unless you have an alpha presence to balance the hormones. The alpha doesn’t have to be a mate. It could even be your brother, although I will continue to provide for you as long as you need even if we’re not mated. And speaking of your brother, I contacted Social Services. It seems like they’ve had complaints about those particular parents before, which is why they only place older teenage alphas with them, and they’re obviously taking your allegations very seriously. Jongin has been removed from their custody and Social Services is meeting to review his case. They may not place him at all, given that he’s almost an adult, and if they don’t, they’ll put him in contact with me. With you.” Jongdae is gaping, noodles completely forgotten.
“You…” he stutters, “you are the - the most amazing person - Junmyeon! Why did you do any of that? You didn’t need to.” The alpha shrugs.
“You’re my omega. You’re carrying my pups, and I want to help you.” He’s about to say something else, but at that moment his phone goes off. He kisses Jongdae’s forehead and steps out of the room to answer it. Jongdae cleans up his now cold bowl of noodles and waddles down the hallway to find the bathroom. Junmyeon follows, still on the phone, and hands him a towel before pointing him to the tub.
“I put a chair in there,” he whispers, covering the receiver, “so that you don’t slip but you can still get up. It was my grandmother’s before she passed.” Jongdae nods with a soft smile and Junmyeon leaves him, closing the door behind him. He puts the towel on one of the hooks and leans over to turn on the warm water. His dirty clothes get pushed into a corner and he lowers himself into the chair with a groan. Junmyeon’s left the soaps safely within his reach and before long the water is tainting itself brown as Jongdae showers for the first time in weeks. The more he thinks about it, aside from the rain showers he’d been caught in, it’s his first proper shower since graduation, nearly four months ago. He winces when he feels two twin kicks to his ribs and quickly finishes cleaning up. It takes a moment for him to get out of the chair without slipping, but he’s soon wrapped in a towel that doesn’t quite cover all the way around his bump.
“Junmyeon hyung,” he calls through the door, “I don’t...I don’t think any clothes you have will fit me.” His voice is tinged with a tiny bit of insecure disappointment.
“Can I come in?” the alpha asks and Jongdae opens the door, covering his lower half as best as he can. Junmyeon doesn’t come in very far, just enough to get a good look at him.
“My neighbor is a pretty big guy, heightwise, and he’s always wearing oversized clothes. I’ll see if he has something you can borrow until I can take you shopping, okay? His omega wasn’t as...big as you are when he was pregnant, because they only had one pup, but he might have some comfortable stuff too. You can either stay here or...well, your brother’s been demanding to see you and they can’t say no to him, so he’s going to be here in about half an hour, and I’m going to set him up in the guest room, so it’s your choice if you’d like to stay with him or with me at night,” Junmyeon hums in thought, “yeah, you might as well just stay here until I get back. Here.” He pulls the chair out of the shower and wipes it off with a hand towel before helping Jongdae to sit down. With a promise to be back in a matter of minutes, Junmyeon closes the door again and the omega can hear him leaving the apartment.
His mind is reeling yet again. Twenty four hours ago, he had no hope of keeping his children, or seeing his brother again, or even having something eat, and now he has all of those things and more. Jongdae now has a wonderful alpha taking care of him, and a place to sleep. His brother, who he hasn’t seen in over two years, is on his way to see him, and Jongdae thinks this is what happiness must feel like. The pure joy and relief nearly brings him to tears again.
“Hey, I have clothes for you. Yixing insisted on coming back with me. Is it okay that he comes in?” Jongdae can feel the softer omega pheromones through the door and he nods before he realizes that Junmyeon can’t see him.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” he says quietly and the door opens to admit a dimple-faced omega. He’s carrying a pile of clothes and smiles widely when he sees Jongdae.
“Oh, you and Junmyeon are so lucky!” he says happily, closing the door, “you’ve got at least three little ones in there. Yifan and I only had one, because my body isn’t strong enough to handle more.” Jongdae blushes, both excited and terrified by the thought of so many pups living inside of him. Yixing hands him a shirt and Jongdae slips it on, comforted by the way that it fits loosely over his frame. There’s a very faint scent of alpha on it, but the scent of laundry detergent almost overpowers it.
“You can keep that one. Yifan never wears it anymore. I’m sure Junmyeon will want to cover it in his own pheromones anyway.” The older omega hands him a large pair of boxers and pajama pants next and helps him stand to put them on.
“We thought I was going to be bigger than I ended up being, so we bought all of these,” he says, holding up the rest of the pile, “but never used them. You can have them if you’d like. They seem to fit you perfectly.” Jongdae accepts them gratefully, face reddened. As much as he hates to admit it, Yixing’s compliments have managed to boost his very fragile confidence.
“I have to get back,” the other omega says as he opens the door, “Zitao’s fussy and Yifan just came off a long shift, so I don’t want to leave them alone too long. Come down the hall and visit us sometime, okay? We’re in two thirteen.” Jongdae nods with a smile and Yixing gives him a quick hug from the side before calling a goodbye to Junmyeon and returning to his own apartment. Jongdae waddles over to where Junmyeon is seated on the couch and sits down.
“If...If it’s alright,” he starts, “I’d like to stay in your room, for safety’s sake at the least. Jongin is a sprawler and a kicker. I’ve fallen out of bed more than once with him and, obviously, that’s an issue, especially right now.” Junmyeon hums his agreement and rubs a casual hand over Jongdae’s lower back, right where it aches the most. They sit just like that until they hear a sharp knock on the door. Jongdae tenses immediately, nerves overcoming him suddenly, but Junmyeon just soothes over his back again and stands to answer it. From his spot on the couch, Jongdae hears the terse voice of a woman and Junmyeon seemingly natural politeness before the door closes.
“Jongdae’s in the living room. Here, I’ll take your stuff down to your room.” Jongdae hears footsteps and looks up just as his younger brother steps into the room. Immediately, tears come to his eyes, and Jongin’s eyes widen when they start spilling down his cheeks. He immediately rushes over to hug Jongdae.
It takes both Jongin and Junmyeon to calm Jongdae down with all the blubbering he’s doing about missing his brother and disappointing their late parents. They eventually get him to wipe down his puffy face with a cold washcloth and help him into Junmyeon’s bed. The scent of the man he now considers to be his alpha calms him enough to bring him to the edge of sleep and Jongin gives him one final hug before going to his own bed. Junmyeon changes and then slides into bed behind Jongdae.
“I want you to know,” the alpha murmurs, “that I really am genuinely happy about this. It’s unexpected for me, but I’m not upset at all. I’m going to be here for you the entire time, and afterwards too. Okay?” Jongdae hums tiredly, nodding with his back against Junmyeon’s chest. The alpha’s calming pheromones surround Jongdae completely and lull him to sleep.
-
By the time Jongdae hits the nine month mark, he’s absolutely enormous. His days are spent mostly in bed, trying to find the most comfortable position. Jongin’s managed to find a part time job at a cafe down the street and Junmyeon has secured time off from his own job as soon as the babies are born.
Jongdae can hear Jongin getting ready for work from where he’s curled up on his and Junmyeon’s bed and is tempted to call out for him. The babies have been kicking all morning at the same spot that the ache in his back is the worst, and Jongin’s pheromones always seem to calm them down. He can see the clock from where he is, though, and knows that if the younger doesn’t leave within the next ten minutes, he’s going to be late for work.
Suddenly, another wave of pain washes over Jongdae, making him feel like his entire abdomen is contracting and oh shit. Male omegas don’t experience Braxton Hicks, because the contractions are the only way for them to know when the time comes.
Jongdae’s in labor.
“Jongin!” Jongdae tries to push himself into a sitting position, but cries out in pain at the shift in position. His younger brother appears in the doorway with a look of concern on his face. The elder grimaces in pain.
“Get the bag,” he grits out, “call out of work and call Junmyeon. We need to go to the hospital.” The concern on Jongin’s face morphs into fear and he hurriedly digs his cell phone out of his pocket as he rushes to get the bag from the kitchen. Jongdae tries taking deep breaths to fight the pain, but his fists are still clenched, knuckles white, when Jongin comes back to help him down to the waiting taxi. He’s still on the phone, trying to reach Junmyeon while simultaneously telling the taxi driver to book it. Jongdae grips his free hand tightly, squeezing every time they hit a bump.
When they get to the hospital, there are nurses outside with a wheelchair for Jongdae.
“I’m not allowed up until after, but Junmyeon hyung is on his way, okay? He’ll be here before they take you into surgery.” Jongdae nods, clenching his fists in pain. The nurses wheel him into the elevator and Jongdae takes one last look at Jongin before the doors slide shut.
True to his word, Junmyeon arrives just before they wheel Jongdae into the delivery room. He’s in scrubs and sits by Jongdae’s head behind the screen that keeps him from seeing his surgery. There’s a local anaesthetic numbing his entire abdomen and Jongdae is just waiting nervously for the first cry of a child.
It comes a few minutes later. Jongdae sobs in relief when he hears the healthy wailing of the newborn and Junmyeon immediately leans down to kiss his forehead, flooding the area with calming pheromones.
“It’s a little boy,” he murmurs, “a beta.” Tears of joy and relief stream down Jongdae’s face as a second cry rings around the room. It’s another boy, Junmyeon says, an alpha. Their third son, whose cry brings even Junmyeon to tears, is an omega. The doctors stitch Jongdae back up quickly and he soon finds himself in a maternity suite with three prams by his bedside.
“What did you write on their certificates?” he asks Junmyeon quietly. The alpha shakes his head.
“I haven’t written anything. You did most of this on your own, Jongdae. I’m going to leave it up to you. They’re Kims either way.” Jongdae stares at his babies, reaching out to touch the hand of the closest one, the beta. In his sleep, he wraps his tiny fist around Jongdae’s finger.
“Baekhyun,” he says quietly with a smile, “and Kyungsoo and little Sehun.” Junmyeon smiles and presses a kiss to his hair.
“Those are beautiful names. I’ll go fill the certificates and let you have some time with them and Jonginnie, okay?” Jongdae nods and tugs his finger out of Baekhyun’s loose grip. Junmyeon leaves the room and Jongin comes in a few moments later. His eyes well up when he sees his nephews.
“They’re beautiful, hyung. One of each, right?” Jongdae nods tiredly, sitting up a bit. He reaches for Sehun, cradling the smallest pup to his chest. The baby omega has managed to sneak a fisted hand out of his swaddling and Jongdae grips it between his thumb and forefinger.
“I made this,” he murmurs, “these are...I made them.” More happy tears drip from his eyes and Jongin immediately releases a wave of alpha pheromones to calm him while he places tiny teddy bears in each of the prams.
“Get some sleep, hyung,” he says quietly, “I’ll keep an eye on these three until Junmyeon hyung gets back.” The last thing Jongdae registers is Jongin gently lifting a still sleeping Sehun from his arms, and then he’s out like a light.
-
Raising babies is hard. Junmyeon and Jongdae are up alternately at all times of the night, and even Jongin when they’re all crying and the two parents can’t handle it all at once. Kyungsoo, the alpha, is the easiest, only getting whimpery when he’s hungry or his diaper is full. Baekhyun is undoubtedly the loudest, even though Sehun is the one that cries for everything and takes the longest to calm down. Junmyeon manages to get the first two months off work, given that his boss is his own cousin, and the weight is still overwhelming.
“Baekhyunnie, please,” he murmurs, bouncing the tiny beta in his arms. It’s nearly three in the morning and he’d gotten up for a glass of water just in time to hear the eldest triplet start crying. They’re pacing around the kitchen now. Baekhyun’s down to just whimpering and Junmyeon’s waiting for the microwave to go off to signal that the formula is warm. He manages to stop the timer before it dings and the tiny beta in his arms is soon happily suckling on the bottle.
“Hyung?” a tired voice says from the doorway and Junmyeon turns to find a sleepy Jongdae standing there. The younger approaches him, reaching out to take Baekhyun.
“Go back to bed,” he whispers, “it’s your first day back tomorrow and you should be well rested.” Junmyeon reluctantly hands the now-sleeping pup over and kisses Jongdae’s temple as he heads back to their bedroom. Jongdae sighs when he hears the door close and carries Baekhyun back to the office-turned-nursery.
“I wish your appa wouldn’t do that,” he murmurs as he sets the sleeping beta down between his brothers, “especially since he doesn’t want to mate me. I get it, I do, but it hurts. Your appa hurts me sometimes, but he doesn’t mean it.” Jongdae leans down to give each of his babies a kiss and goes back to bed. Junmyeon’s already fast asleep again but Jongdae lies awake for a while longer, wondering just what he needs to do to give his babies a proper home.
The pups are about six months old, just starting to crawl around, when Jongin announces that he’s saved up enough to find an apartment of his own.
“I figure it’ll give you two more space and privacy. You won’t have to pay my bills anymore either.” Jongdae’s sad to see him go, but he understands that the younger, nearly into his twenties, needs his own space. They help him move his things out into his coworker Chanyeol’s car and are left with just an empty room.
“I’ll help you move your things back into the guest room if you’d like, now that we have the extra room and you’re not forced to stay with me.” Jongdae doesn’t really know how to respond. He doesn’t want to be separated from Junmyeon, but the alpha is really nothing more than his benefactor and if he’s suggesting that Jongdae have his own space, then he should probably listen. Jongdae nods silently and starts pulling clothes out of his drawers.
That confirms it for Junmyeon. Jongdae doesn’t see him as anything other than a convenience, a safe place to raise his pups. While Junmyeon has no problem with that at all, it still stings. It’s just like all those exes of his said. No one wants a weak alpha. He doesn’t sleep well after that.
With his move away from Junmyeon’s room, Jongdae figures it’s about time he finds a job of his own, so that he has a back up plan on the off chance that Junmyeon decides that he doesn’t want Jongdae around anymore. He doesn’t have a laptop of his own and Junmyeon uses his exclusively for work, so he enlists Yixing and Yifan to watch the babies for the afternoon while he uses the internet cafe a few bus stops away.
Jongdae hasn’t been sleeping well since moving into the guest room and it’s hard to concentrate on the ads he’s looking at without dozing off. It’s also hard to find something that he’s qualified for. Yes, he’s a college graduate, but he also has no experience, three kids, no mate, and is an omega - all of which are counts against him. Before he even realizes what’s happening, Jongdae’s fallen asleep in the very back corner of the cafe.
“Yixing?” Junmyeon is very confused when he sees his neighbors and their son in his apartment instead of his omega, “where’s Jongdae? And the babies?” The omega shrugs.
“Said he had to run some errands, asked us to come over and watch the little ones for a while. They’ve all been asleep for a while, although Kyungsoo woke up a little while ago. He’s was a little warm and pretty fussy, but your calendar says that they have a check up this week so I figured it’s not too worrisome.” Junmyeon sets his things down near the door and turns to face his younger neighbor. The other alpha and their son are asleep on the couch behind them.
“Yixing,” he says slowly, “you do realize that it’s almost eleven o’clock at night and Jongdae doesn’t have a phone, right?” Understanding and worry blooms over the omega’s face and he hurriedly shakes Yifan awake.
“Get up, you idiot,” he hisses, “we have to find Jongdae. Did he tell you where he was going?” Yifan shakes his head blearily, but then starts nodding.
“He mentioned something about a job. I don’t know if he was going soliciting or to find an internet cafe though. He didn’t say. Xing, take Zitao back home so he can sleep properly and I’ll help Junmyeon. I’ll call you in a bit, okay?” The omega nods, biting his lip nervously, and scoops their son up to carry him down the hall.
“You know, I don’t think you need to worry,” Yifan says as he straightens his clothes, “Jongdae lived on the streets for months, while pregnant. He knows how to take care of himself. I’m sure he’s fine.” Junmyeon glares.
“I don’t care. He is my mate and he’s out there alone and I’m worried.” This time, it’s Yifan who glares.
“If he’s really your mate, then maybe you ought to put a fucking mark on him, because right now all you’re doing is confusing and hurting him. Go check the internet cafe on Rosen and if he’s not there, we’ll figure something else out. Go!” Junmyeon shoves his phone into his pocket and takes off down the stairs. He runs straight into someone as he’s dashing out the door and spins to find Jongdae rubbing his shoulder.
“Oh thank god,” he says weakly, grabbing the omega roughly by the arm and tugging him toward the elevator. Jongdae protests, ripping his arm away.
“You’re going to give me a bruise,” he says crossly. Junmyeon crosses his arms.
“You can’t just disappear like that. No one knew where you were. Do you know how worried I was? Why are you looking for a job anyway? I make more than enough to support us and I don’t know if I want to trust a babysitter with our pups yet.” Jongdae looks livid.
“What am I supposed to do then? Just sit around with our pups and wait for you to ask me to leave? I’m not even your mate, Junmyeon, I’m practically nothing more than a surrogate!” Junmyeon looks like he’s been slapped. He even takes a step back.
“You...you really feel like that?” Jongdae refuses to meet his eyes.
“I take care of your kids, I sleep in the guest room, what else would you call me?” His eyes are wet and he steps out as soon as the doors open, letting himself into the apartment. Junmyeon can hear Jongdae and Yifan exchange a few words through the door before Yifan is stepping out into the hallway. He doesn’t say anything, but the look he gives Junmyeon says it all.
Jongdae isn’t in his room when Junmyeon walks in, and he finds the younger in the nursery instead, cradling a fussy Kyungsoo in his arms. The baby alpha is whining and Jongdae gives a soft sigh before perching him on his stomach over his forearm, cradling the boy’s head in his palm. Once Kyungsoo falls asleep again, Jongdae places him into the crib next to Baekhyun, still on his stomach.
“I’m sorry,” Junmyeon murmurs, not moving from the doorway. Jongdae leans on the edge of the crib and sighs.
“It’s okay,” he replies quietly, “I really shouldn’t be complaining anyway. A bed is a bed and food is food. I should be grateful.” He pushes past Junmyeon and goes into his own room to change, but Junmyeon follows him.
“It’s been really hard to sleep since you moved. The pillow still smells like you but it’s not the same. I called you my mate before in front of Yifan. I think I meant it.” Jongdae snorts.
“You can’t just think. You either mean it or you don’t,” he says sharply, going over to his closet to change his shirt. Junmyeon sighs and moves to sit on the bed.
“I meant it,” he says resolutely, “I definitely meant it. I miss you, Jongdae. You mean so much to me and I don’t ever want to think about you leaving. I don’t know if I love you yet, but I know that I certainly don’t want to lose you. You don’t...you don’t have to agree to be my mate right away, or at all, but...will you at least come sleep in our bed again? I sleep so much better when I’m with you.” Jongdae grip on the door is knuckle white and he’s shaking. It takes Junmyeon a moment to realize that he’s crying. Immediately, he stands and wraps Jongdae into a tight backhug, rocking him gently. The omega turns in his arms, crying into his chest.
“I thought,” he whimpers, “I thought you wouldn’t want me. E-Even in the beginning, you wouldn’t have had me if I wasn’t on s-suppressants. A-And then I got pregnant and I thought you w-wouldn’t have me because you d-didn’t want an omega. But you t-took responsibility and I thought maybe you were only doing it f-for the babies, because I’m just an om-mega and that’s n-not what you want.” Junmyeon’s heart aches and he squeezes Jongdae tighter, pressing loving kisses into his hair. He lets a wave of his pheromones flood the room, working to calm the omega.
“I didn’t want an omega before because every omega that I had ever been with left me because I wasn’t the assertive dominant person they were expecting. When I saw you, I knew that it was suppressants and not beta hormones. I knew that. But I wanted to have you anyone, beta or not, and I would have still wanted you, babies or not. Neither of us were expecting the pups, but we both got really drunk, so it’s something that we both owned up to. I don’t want you to think that I’m taking you in as a charity, or purely because of our babies. I want you here for you, Jongdae.” His head has gradually lowered, but he stops just centimeters from Jongdae’s lips and it’s the omega that closes the gap. Junmyeon’s lips are as soft and pliant as he remembers and Jongdae finds himself pressing forward for more. Eventually, it’s the alpha that pulls away.
“C’mon,” he says gently, pulling Jongdae in the direction of the master bedroom, “it’s late and we both need our sleep. We’ll take it slow, okay? Right now, I just need to hold you.” Jongdae follows, tired and awake at the same time. The instant he crawls into the alpha’s bed and his waiting arms, however, he falls fast asleep, finally finally content.
Epilogue
“Sehun-ah, stop running in the house!” Jongdae calls from where he’s standing by the stove, putting the finishing touches on dinner. The young omega giggles, dashing behind a doorway in an effort to hide from his uncle. When Jongin enters the kitchen, Jongdae whaps him with a spoon.
“Stop instigating,” he says crossly. Jongin scoops Sehun up and carries him to the table where his brothers and other father are waiting. Jongdae carries the last pot of food over and sits in the chair to Junmyeon’s right, with Jongin to his own right. Yifan and Yixing are seated across from them and the four boys take up the end of the table.
It’s still hard to believe he’s come so far from where he was six years ago. He has three beautiful boys and an amazing mate, which is the height of luxury compared to the streets he sat on all those years ago.
The mating mark that Junmyeon had placed on the inside of Jongdae’s thigh sometime around the boys’ first birthday aches idly and Yixing gives Jongdae a knowing look from across the table. Subtly, he shakes his head. The older omega wants him to make the announcement tonight, but he can’t until he tells Junmyeon. It doesn’t feel comfortable.
The other family leaves not long after the food is finished, with six year old Zitao demanding to go to bed early lest he be unprepared for his first day of kindergarten in the morning, and Jongin heads back to his own apartment shortly after that. Jongdae washes up and helps Junmyeon put the boys to bed before he can finally crawl under the covers next to his mate.
“You know, I don’t think I ever really thanked you for what you did that day,” he starts, “taking me in on a whim like that, and Jongin too. I think if I was in your position, I would not have handled it nearly as well as you did.” Junmyeon turns on his side to face Jongdae better, eyes searching his face.
“I wouldn’t trade our family for the world,” he murmurs, reaching to take Jongdae’s hand, “never.” Jongdae smiles and presses Junmyeon’s hand to his stomach, where the barest of bumps is just starting to make itself known.
“Good,” he says, “because it’s about to get a little bit bigger.”
1. Within this universe, omega suppressants make omegas temporarily infertile unless they're in heat and claim to change their scent to that of a beta, but there is usually a noticeable distinction.
2. Within this universe, an omega's heat ends when their body accepts a knot. Jongdae normally hooks up with a friend on the first day of his heat, uses suppressants the second night, and is fine. In the cycle that he was impregnated, his body never accepted the knot of the alpha he was with because it was too small, hence why the suppressants didn't make him infertile. Jongdae didn't realize this, which is why he decided to drink while on the pills even though he knows it can make them ineffective.
3. Most pregnancies in this universe result in multiple babies, unless the omega is in bad health, which is why Jongdae and Junmyeon both refer to the pups in plural despite not actually knowing.
4. At the end of the fic, Tao is roughly six and a few months, and the babies are just over five and a half. The "six years ago" mentioned refers to when Jongdae was pregnant and homeless after graduation, not when the babies were born. Their birthday is at the end of December, Tao's is in May as per usual, making him only about six months their senior.
Title: If You Want Me
Prompt Code: TW002
Rating: PG-13
Side pairing/s: Kris/Lay, ninja!Kai/Chanyeol
Length: 6553 words
Summary: Junmyeon is really, truly Jongdae's last hope
Warning/s: mpreg, homelessness, a/b/o verse, mentions of drunk sex
Notes: I loved writing this. Thank you so much to the prompter, and to my amazing beta Denise. This is undoubtedly the longest fic I've ever written and I hope you enjoy it! Title from the song by Marketa Irglova.
Junmyeon’s life falls apart on a Tuesday. He comes back from a very important financial meeting to find a very small, very round omega in his desk chair, slowly turning back and forth and cooing at his swollen stomach.
“Who the fuck are you?” he barks, startling the omega, who smiles upon seeing him.
“Kim Jongdae,” he says with a smile, “your omega.”
“My - I don’t even know you! Get out of my chair!” Junmyeon strides over and hauls Jongdae up by his arm, pushing him toward the entrance of his cubicle. Suddenly, he’s hit with a wave of pheromones. It’s something distinctly omega, distinctly babies, but there’s another scent mixed in, the scent of the breeding alpha. He feels a wave of possession before realizing very suddenly that the scent is his own.
“Jesus fuck,” he groans and pushes Jongdae back into the chair, “what do you want from me? Money?” Jongdae opens his mouth to respond but, before he can, one of Junmyeon’s coworkers barges in.
“Oh! I didn’t know that you had a visitor, hyung. Is this your omega? He’s cute.” Jongdae beams.
“That’s me! I’m Kim Jongdae.” Junmyeon forces a smile onto his face.
“Baekhyun, did you need something?” The beta perks up.
“Right! Minseok hyung needs those presentations by lunchtime. Are they done?” Junmyeon pushes Jongdae (and his chair) out of the way and works on his computer for a few minutes before handing Baekhyun a flash drive.
“Go away,” he growls and Baekhyun darts out with a laugh. Junmyeon turns to Jongdae.
“You can't tell people that you're my omega. You're an omega and you happen to be carrying pups that are biologically mine, but you're not my omega. I've never even met you before. If it weren't for the fact that I can smell my pheromones on you, I probably would've thrown you out by now. What do you need from me? Money? I can give you money.” Jongdae suddenly seems a lot more serious.
“That would probably help,” he says quietly, pushing himself out of the chair, “but don't sweat it. I mean, this is your fault too, but who am I to expect an alpha to take responsibility? You didn't wear a fucking condom but that's my fault, right? It's okay for a six months pregnant homeless omega to live in an alley, but god forbid the alpha give even a few bills for food. I'm not even going to have custody of these kids when it's over if I'm not mated. They'll go to a center and I'll never see my kids again. But I should've thought of that before my suppressants failed, right? God, fuck you, Kim Junmyeon.” Jongdae storms out as best as he can with the size of his stomach. He makes it all the way into the elevator before he breaks down. The omega slides to the floor, tears streaming out of his eyes. Junmyeon was his last hope for getting off the streets, and his only hope for keeping his babies, but it seems like neither of those things will happen now. The elevator dings when it opens on the ground floor, and Jongdae starts truly crying when he realizes that he can't get up; he's too large. The doors close and the elevator starts to climb again. It stops again at floor twenty one and someone rushes in hurriedly.
“Are you - oh. Um. Are you okay?” Of course it's Junmyeon. Jongdae wipes his eyes furiously.
“I'm having an awful day and I'm very very fat and it's all your fault,” he hiccups, “what do you think?” Junmyeon takes Jongdae by the wrists and pulls him to his feet before guiding him back to the cubicle. He gently lowers the omega into the chair.
“Stay here. I’m going to get lunch for us, okay? We can...discuss arrangements when I get back, okay?” He disappears down the hallway and Jongdae plucks some tissues from the box on the desk. He wipes his eyes and cheeks and the tissues come away brown. Junmyeon returns a few minutes later with two steaming bento boxes. He passes one to Jongdae and pulls two bottles of water out of the mini fridge under his desk.
“Don't worry if you can't finish it. Eat up and then we can talk.” Jongdae eats like the food is going to disappear, but Junmyeon doesn't fault him for it. He can't even pretend to know what the younger man is going through.
“If you need a place to stay, I can provide one. If you need money for food or for baby stuff, I can provide that. If you need medical care or insurance, I can take care of it. The...claiming thing...we need to discuss that further. We can look into alternatives because I'm sure you don't want to be claimed by an alpha that you don't even know. You're already six months, so I don't think we have time to contest the law, but that isn't fair to you. Do you have any family anywhere, anyone that you haven't been able to contact?” Jongdae swallows, absentmindedly rubbing a spot near his ribs.
“I have a cousin, but I don't know where he is or how to reach him, and I'm prohibited from seeing my brother, so no.”
“Why is that?” Junmyeon inquires. Jongdae smiles bitterly.
“When our parents died, he went into the foster system, since I was of age and he's not. His foster parents are very, very traditional and they won't let me see him because they think that an omega who has a college education and is - or, well, was - headed for a career is a bad influence on an alpha. They think my...independence will make him feel inferior and god forbid an alpha feel inferior to an omega. It's illegal but I'm in no position to contest it right now.” Junmyeon is stunned into silence. The fact that someone, in this day and age, believes such things about omegas is simply disturbing.
“We can take care of that too,” he says, “and find your cousin and just...I’ll take care of you. I'm sorry I was so awful before. It's...shocking to find out that your pups are going to be here in three, four months, and I'm not really the type that ever wanted any. But,” he adds when Jongdae stiffens, “that doesn't mean that I won't take responsibility or pull my weight or love those pups. I might not have wanted them, per say, or expected them, but they're still my pups. Our pups. I'll make sure - oh no, oh god, why are you crying again?” Junmyeon plucks some more tissues from the box on his desk and kneels down in front of Jongdae to dab at his face.
“I don't - this - thank you,” Jongdae sobs, taking the tissues gratefully. Junmyeon smiles and places the box in his lap.
“Let me just go tell my boss that I'm leaving and then I'll take you home, okay?” Junmyeon disappears around the corner and Jongdae mops at his eyes.
Junmyeon’s apartment isn't large, by any means, but it's cozy and Jongdae immediately feels comfortable.
“I have to make up the guest room bed, so why don't you lay down on the couch for now? I'm sure your back is probably sore.” Jongdae groans as he lowers himself onto the cushions and rolls onto his side. Junmyeon smiles slightly and disappears down the hallway. Jongdae stuffs a throw pillow between his knees, trying to ease some of the ache, but it’s too flat to do much good.
Junmyeon stops in the guest room after making the bed, leaning against the footboard to take a deep breath. He’s going to be a father. The shock and panic are finally wearing off, leaving just wonder in their place. He’d never thought he’d be a father, or even that he’d find a mate. Junmyeon knows he’s messy, that he doesn’t look the part of the alpha that he is, and that most people, regardless of their blood status, wouldn’t want anything to do with him. He’s listened to enough boyfriends tell him over and over that he’s given up on any form of commitment. Now, though, he has Jongdae, and their pups, and his mind is still reeling.
When he finally finishes in the guest room and goes to get Jongdae, he finds the omega fast asleep on the couch, pillows shoved between his knees and under his bulging abdomen. There’s no way Junmyeon will be able to carry him to the guest room, so he crouches next to the couch and gently shakes Jongdae awake.
“C’mon,” he murmurs, “just a few more meters and then you can nap, okay?”
“Gonna get the sheets dirty,” Jongdae mumbles tiredly, not even bothering to open his eyes, “will sleep here tonight and bath tomorrow.” That’s when Junmyeon really notices the streaks of dirt on the younger’s face and clothes, and the slight mattedness of his hair. He definitely needs that bath, but Junmyeon can tell that he’s much too tired for it tonight, and despite his misgivings, the couch is undoubtedly much more comfortable than whatever Jongdae has been sleeping on for the last six months, so he merely pulls the blanket off the back of the couch to cover the omega, pulls the coffee table next to the couch in case Jongdae rolls over, and, after a moment’s hesitation, presses a good night kiss to Jongdae’s forehead, despite it only being three in the afternoon.
“I’ll be in my room doing some work, with the door open,” he murmurs, “you can help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you get hungry. Sleep well, okay?” Jongdae grunts, nodding tiredly, and then he’s asleep again, leaving Junmyeon to turn off most of the lights, shut the curtains, and retreat to his room with his laptop.
When Jongdae wakes up, the clock near the television spells out midnight. He groans as he pushes himself into a sitting position. There’s a faint light coming from the direction of the kitchen and Jongdae’s stomach grumbles. He groans as he pushes himself into a sitting position and off the couch. When he approaches the kitchen, the smell of ramyun hits his nose.
“Hey,” Junmyeon says softly, “you hungry? This is almost finished.” Jongdae nods with a yawn and waddles over to the table. He rubs a sore spot on his ribs and slowly lowers himself into a chair. The alpha places two bowls on the table and takes a seat across from him.
“How did you sleep?” he asks gently, passing Jongdae a pair of chopsticks. The younger shrugs, stirring the noodles. He takes a bite and groans contentedly.
“So, I was doing a bit of research while you were asleep. It turns out that while most of the hospitals in the city are fine, all of the privately owned clinics are being investigated for pressuring single pregnant omegas into mating by telling them lies about pregnancy laws, especially the clinics that cater to homeless and impoverished omegas. Basically, everything you were told about your children being taken away unless you have a mate, and anything else they told you, is a lie. You’re not technically required to have a mate, but there are other provisions. Because of the hormonal imbalances in omegas immediately after childbirth, you’re not considered emotionally stable enough to take care of children for the first few weeks unless you have an alpha presence to balance the hormones. The alpha doesn’t have to be a mate. It could even be your brother, although I will continue to provide for you as long as you need even if we’re not mated. And speaking of your brother, I contacted Social Services. It seems like they’ve had complaints about those particular parents before, which is why they only place older teenage alphas with them, and they’re obviously taking your allegations very seriously. Jongin has been removed from their custody and Social Services is meeting to review his case. They may not place him at all, given that he’s almost an adult, and if they don’t, they’ll put him in contact with me. With you.” Jongdae is gaping, noodles completely forgotten.
“You…” he stutters, “you are the - the most amazing person - Junmyeon! Why did you do any of that? You didn’t need to.” The alpha shrugs.
“You’re my omega. You’re carrying my pups, and I want to help you.” He’s about to say something else, but at that moment his phone goes off. He kisses Jongdae’s forehead and steps out of the room to answer it. Jongdae cleans up his now cold bowl of noodles and waddles down the hallway to find the bathroom. Junmyeon follows, still on the phone, and hands him a towel before pointing him to the tub.
“I put a chair in there,” he whispers, covering the receiver, “so that you don’t slip but you can still get up. It was my grandmother’s before she passed.” Jongdae nods with a soft smile and Junmyeon leaves him, closing the door behind him. He puts the towel on one of the hooks and leans over to turn on the warm water. His dirty clothes get pushed into a corner and he lowers himself into the chair with a groan. Junmyeon’s left the soaps safely within his reach and before long the water is tainting itself brown as Jongdae showers for the first time in weeks. The more he thinks about it, aside from the rain showers he’d been caught in, it’s his first proper shower since graduation, nearly four months ago. He winces when he feels two twin kicks to his ribs and quickly finishes cleaning up. It takes a moment for him to get out of the chair without slipping, but he’s soon wrapped in a towel that doesn’t quite cover all the way around his bump.
“Junmyeon hyung,” he calls through the door, “I don’t...I don’t think any clothes you have will fit me.” His voice is tinged with a tiny bit of insecure disappointment.
“Can I come in?” the alpha asks and Jongdae opens the door, covering his lower half as best as he can. Junmyeon doesn’t come in very far, just enough to get a good look at him.
“My neighbor is a pretty big guy, heightwise, and he’s always wearing oversized clothes. I’ll see if he has something you can borrow until I can take you shopping, okay? His omega wasn’t as...big as you are when he was pregnant, because they only had one pup, but he might have some comfortable stuff too. You can either stay here or...well, your brother’s been demanding to see you and they can’t say no to him, so he’s going to be here in about half an hour, and I’m going to set him up in the guest room, so it’s your choice if you’d like to stay with him or with me at night,” Junmyeon hums in thought, “yeah, you might as well just stay here until I get back. Here.” He pulls the chair out of the shower and wipes it off with a hand towel before helping Jongdae to sit down. With a promise to be back in a matter of minutes, Junmyeon closes the door again and the omega can hear him leaving the apartment.
His mind is reeling yet again. Twenty four hours ago, he had no hope of keeping his children, or seeing his brother again, or even having something eat, and now he has all of those things and more. Jongdae now has a wonderful alpha taking care of him, and a place to sleep. His brother, who he hasn’t seen in over two years, is on his way to see him, and Jongdae thinks this is what happiness must feel like. The pure joy and relief nearly brings him to tears again.
“Hey, I have clothes for you. Yixing insisted on coming back with me. Is it okay that he comes in?” Jongdae can feel the softer omega pheromones through the door and he nods before he realizes that Junmyeon can’t see him.
“Yeah, that’s fine,” he says quietly and the door opens to admit a dimple-faced omega. He’s carrying a pile of clothes and smiles widely when he sees Jongdae.
“Oh, you and Junmyeon are so lucky!” he says happily, closing the door, “you’ve got at least three little ones in there. Yifan and I only had one, because my body isn’t strong enough to handle more.” Jongdae blushes, both excited and terrified by the thought of so many pups living inside of him. Yixing hands him a shirt and Jongdae slips it on, comforted by the way that it fits loosely over his frame. There’s a very faint scent of alpha on it, but the scent of laundry detergent almost overpowers it.
“You can keep that one. Yifan never wears it anymore. I’m sure Junmyeon will want to cover it in his own pheromones anyway.” The older omega hands him a large pair of boxers and pajama pants next and helps him stand to put them on.
“We thought I was going to be bigger than I ended up being, so we bought all of these,” he says, holding up the rest of the pile, “but never used them. You can have them if you’d like. They seem to fit you perfectly.” Jongdae accepts them gratefully, face reddened. As much as he hates to admit it, Yixing’s compliments have managed to boost his very fragile confidence.
“I have to get back,” the other omega says as he opens the door, “Zitao’s fussy and Yifan just came off a long shift, so I don’t want to leave them alone too long. Come down the hall and visit us sometime, okay? We’re in two thirteen.” Jongdae nods with a smile and Yixing gives him a quick hug from the side before calling a goodbye to Junmyeon and returning to his own apartment. Jongdae waddles over to where Junmyeon is seated on the couch and sits down.
“If...If it’s alright,” he starts, “I’d like to stay in your room, for safety’s sake at the least. Jongin is a sprawler and a kicker. I’ve fallen out of bed more than once with him and, obviously, that’s an issue, especially right now.” Junmyeon hums his agreement and rubs a casual hand over Jongdae’s lower back, right where it aches the most. They sit just like that until they hear a sharp knock on the door. Jongdae tenses immediately, nerves overcoming him suddenly, but Junmyeon just soothes over his back again and stands to answer it. From his spot on the couch, Jongdae hears the terse voice of a woman and Junmyeon seemingly natural politeness before the door closes.
“Jongdae’s in the living room. Here, I’ll take your stuff down to your room.” Jongdae hears footsteps and looks up just as his younger brother steps into the room. Immediately, tears come to his eyes, and Jongin’s eyes widen when they start spilling down his cheeks. He immediately rushes over to hug Jongdae.
It takes both Jongin and Junmyeon to calm Jongdae down with all the blubbering he’s doing about missing his brother and disappointing their late parents. They eventually get him to wipe down his puffy face with a cold washcloth and help him into Junmyeon’s bed. The scent of the man he now considers to be his alpha calms him enough to bring him to the edge of sleep and Jongin gives him one final hug before going to his own bed. Junmyeon changes and then slides into bed behind Jongdae.
“I want you to know,” the alpha murmurs, “that I really am genuinely happy about this. It’s unexpected for me, but I’m not upset at all. I’m going to be here for you the entire time, and afterwards too. Okay?” Jongdae hums tiredly, nodding with his back against Junmyeon’s chest. The alpha’s calming pheromones surround Jongdae completely and lull him to sleep.
-
By the time Jongdae hits the nine month mark, he’s absolutely enormous. His days are spent mostly in bed, trying to find the most comfortable position. Jongin’s managed to find a part time job at a cafe down the street and Junmyeon has secured time off from his own job as soon as the babies are born.
Jongdae can hear Jongin getting ready for work from where he’s curled up on his and Junmyeon’s bed and is tempted to call out for him. The babies have been kicking all morning at the same spot that the ache in his back is the worst, and Jongin’s pheromones always seem to calm them down. He can see the clock from where he is, though, and knows that if the younger doesn’t leave within the next ten minutes, he’s going to be late for work.
Suddenly, another wave of pain washes over Jongdae, making him feel like his entire abdomen is contracting and oh shit. Male omegas don’t experience Braxton Hicks, because the contractions are the only way for them to know when the time comes.
Jongdae’s in labor.
“Jongin!” Jongdae tries to push himself into a sitting position, but cries out in pain at the shift in position. His younger brother appears in the doorway with a look of concern on his face. The elder grimaces in pain.
“Get the bag,” he grits out, “call out of work and call Junmyeon. We need to go to the hospital.” The concern on Jongin’s face morphs into fear and he hurriedly digs his cell phone out of his pocket as he rushes to get the bag from the kitchen. Jongdae tries taking deep breaths to fight the pain, but his fists are still clenched, knuckles white, when Jongin comes back to help him down to the waiting taxi. He’s still on the phone, trying to reach Junmyeon while simultaneously telling the taxi driver to book it. Jongdae grips his free hand tightly, squeezing every time they hit a bump.
When they get to the hospital, there are nurses outside with a wheelchair for Jongdae.
“I’m not allowed up until after, but Junmyeon hyung is on his way, okay? He’ll be here before they take you into surgery.” Jongdae nods, clenching his fists in pain. The nurses wheel him into the elevator and Jongdae takes one last look at Jongin before the doors slide shut.
True to his word, Junmyeon arrives just before they wheel Jongdae into the delivery room. He’s in scrubs and sits by Jongdae’s head behind the screen that keeps him from seeing his surgery. There’s a local anaesthetic numbing his entire abdomen and Jongdae is just waiting nervously for the first cry of a child.
It comes a few minutes later. Jongdae sobs in relief when he hears the healthy wailing of the newborn and Junmyeon immediately leans down to kiss his forehead, flooding the area with calming pheromones.
“It’s a little boy,” he murmurs, “a beta.” Tears of joy and relief stream down Jongdae’s face as a second cry rings around the room. It’s another boy, Junmyeon says, an alpha. Their third son, whose cry brings even Junmyeon to tears, is an omega. The doctors stitch Jongdae back up quickly and he soon finds himself in a maternity suite with three prams by his bedside.
“What did you write on their certificates?” he asks Junmyeon quietly. The alpha shakes his head.
“I haven’t written anything. You did most of this on your own, Jongdae. I’m going to leave it up to you. They’re Kims either way.” Jongdae stares at his babies, reaching out to touch the hand of the closest one, the beta. In his sleep, he wraps his tiny fist around Jongdae’s finger.
“Baekhyun,” he says quietly with a smile, “and Kyungsoo and little Sehun.” Junmyeon smiles and presses a kiss to his hair.
“Those are beautiful names. I’ll go fill the certificates and let you have some time with them and Jonginnie, okay?” Jongdae nods and tugs his finger out of Baekhyun’s loose grip. Junmyeon leaves the room and Jongin comes in a few moments later. His eyes well up when he sees his nephews.
“They’re beautiful, hyung. One of each, right?” Jongdae nods tiredly, sitting up a bit. He reaches for Sehun, cradling the smallest pup to his chest. The baby omega has managed to sneak a fisted hand out of his swaddling and Jongdae grips it between his thumb and forefinger.
“I made this,” he murmurs, “these are...I made them.” More happy tears drip from his eyes and Jongin immediately releases a wave of alpha pheromones to calm him while he places tiny teddy bears in each of the prams.
“Get some sleep, hyung,” he says quietly, “I’ll keep an eye on these three until Junmyeon hyung gets back.” The last thing Jongdae registers is Jongin gently lifting a still sleeping Sehun from his arms, and then he’s out like a light.
-
Raising babies is hard. Junmyeon and Jongdae are up alternately at all times of the night, and even Jongin when they’re all crying and the two parents can’t handle it all at once. Kyungsoo, the alpha, is the easiest, only getting whimpery when he’s hungry or his diaper is full. Baekhyun is undoubtedly the loudest, even though Sehun is the one that cries for everything and takes the longest to calm down. Junmyeon manages to get the first two months off work, given that his boss is his own cousin, and the weight is still overwhelming.
“Baekhyunnie, please,” he murmurs, bouncing the tiny beta in his arms. It’s nearly three in the morning and he’d gotten up for a glass of water just in time to hear the eldest triplet start crying. They’re pacing around the kitchen now. Baekhyun’s down to just whimpering and Junmyeon’s waiting for the microwave to go off to signal that the formula is warm. He manages to stop the timer before it dings and the tiny beta in his arms is soon happily suckling on the bottle.
“Hyung?” a tired voice says from the doorway and Junmyeon turns to find a sleepy Jongdae standing there. The younger approaches him, reaching out to take Baekhyun.
“Go back to bed,” he whispers, “it’s your first day back tomorrow and you should be well rested.” Junmyeon reluctantly hands the now-sleeping pup over and kisses Jongdae’s temple as he heads back to their bedroom. Jongdae sighs when he hears the door close and carries Baekhyun back to the office-turned-nursery.
“I wish your appa wouldn’t do that,” he murmurs as he sets the sleeping beta down between his brothers, “especially since he doesn’t want to mate me. I get it, I do, but it hurts. Your appa hurts me sometimes, but he doesn’t mean it.” Jongdae leans down to give each of his babies a kiss and goes back to bed. Junmyeon’s already fast asleep again but Jongdae lies awake for a while longer, wondering just what he needs to do to give his babies a proper home.
The pups are about six months old, just starting to crawl around, when Jongin announces that he’s saved up enough to find an apartment of his own.
“I figure it’ll give you two more space and privacy. You won’t have to pay my bills anymore either.” Jongdae’s sad to see him go, but he understands that the younger, nearly into his twenties, needs his own space. They help him move his things out into his coworker Chanyeol’s car and are left with just an empty room.
“I’ll help you move your things back into the guest room if you’d like, now that we have the extra room and you’re not forced to stay with me.” Jongdae doesn’t really know how to respond. He doesn’t want to be separated from Junmyeon, but the alpha is really nothing more than his benefactor and if he’s suggesting that Jongdae have his own space, then he should probably listen. Jongdae nods silently and starts pulling clothes out of his drawers.
That confirms it for Junmyeon. Jongdae doesn’t see him as anything other than a convenience, a safe place to raise his pups. While Junmyeon has no problem with that at all, it still stings. It’s just like all those exes of his said. No one wants a weak alpha. He doesn’t sleep well after that.
With his move away from Junmyeon’s room, Jongdae figures it’s about time he finds a job of his own, so that he has a back up plan on the off chance that Junmyeon decides that he doesn’t want Jongdae around anymore. He doesn’t have a laptop of his own and Junmyeon uses his exclusively for work, so he enlists Yixing and Yifan to watch the babies for the afternoon while he uses the internet cafe a few bus stops away.
Jongdae hasn’t been sleeping well since moving into the guest room and it’s hard to concentrate on the ads he’s looking at without dozing off. It’s also hard to find something that he’s qualified for. Yes, he’s a college graduate, but he also has no experience, three kids, no mate, and is an omega - all of which are counts against him. Before he even realizes what’s happening, Jongdae’s fallen asleep in the very back corner of the cafe.
“Yixing?” Junmyeon is very confused when he sees his neighbors and their son in his apartment instead of his omega, “where’s Jongdae? And the babies?” The omega shrugs.
“Said he had to run some errands, asked us to come over and watch the little ones for a while. They’ve all been asleep for a while, although Kyungsoo woke up a little while ago. He’s was a little warm and pretty fussy, but your calendar says that they have a check up this week so I figured it’s not too worrisome.” Junmyeon sets his things down near the door and turns to face his younger neighbor. The other alpha and their son are asleep on the couch behind them.
“Yixing,” he says slowly, “you do realize that it’s almost eleven o’clock at night and Jongdae doesn’t have a phone, right?” Understanding and worry blooms over the omega’s face and he hurriedly shakes Yifan awake.
“Get up, you idiot,” he hisses, “we have to find Jongdae. Did he tell you where he was going?” Yifan shakes his head blearily, but then starts nodding.
“He mentioned something about a job. I don’t know if he was going soliciting or to find an internet cafe though. He didn’t say. Xing, take Zitao back home so he can sleep properly and I’ll help Junmyeon. I’ll call you in a bit, okay?” The omega nods, biting his lip nervously, and scoops their son up to carry him down the hall.
“You know, I don’t think you need to worry,” Yifan says as he straightens his clothes, “Jongdae lived on the streets for months, while pregnant. He knows how to take care of himself. I’m sure he’s fine.” Junmyeon glares.
“I don’t care. He is my mate and he’s out there alone and I’m worried.” This time, it’s Yifan who glares.
“If he’s really your mate, then maybe you ought to put a fucking mark on him, because right now all you’re doing is confusing and hurting him. Go check the internet cafe on Rosen and if he’s not there, we’ll figure something else out. Go!” Junmyeon shoves his phone into his pocket and takes off down the stairs. He runs straight into someone as he’s dashing out the door and spins to find Jongdae rubbing his shoulder.
“Oh thank god,” he says weakly, grabbing the omega roughly by the arm and tugging him toward the elevator. Jongdae protests, ripping his arm away.
“You’re going to give me a bruise,” he says crossly. Junmyeon crosses his arms.
“You can’t just disappear like that. No one knew where you were. Do you know how worried I was? Why are you looking for a job anyway? I make more than enough to support us and I don’t know if I want to trust a babysitter with our pups yet.” Jongdae looks livid.
“What am I supposed to do then? Just sit around with our pups and wait for you to ask me to leave? I’m not even your mate, Junmyeon, I’m practically nothing more than a surrogate!” Junmyeon looks like he’s been slapped. He even takes a step back.
“You...you really feel like that?” Jongdae refuses to meet his eyes.
“I take care of your kids, I sleep in the guest room, what else would you call me?” His eyes are wet and he steps out as soon as the doors open, letting himself into the apartment. Junmyeon can hear Jongdae and Yifan exchange a few words through the door before Yifan is stepping out into the hallway. He doesn’t say anything, but the look he gives Junmyeon says it all.
Jongdae isn’t in his room when Junmyeon walks in, and he finds the younger in the nursery instead, cradling a fussy Kyungsoo in his arms. The baby alpha is whining and Jongdae gives a soft sigh before perching him on his stomach over his forearm, cradling the boy’s head in his palm. Once Kyungsoo falls asleep again, Jongdae places him into the crib next to Baekhyun, still on his stomach.
“I’m sorry,” Junmyeon murmurs, not moving from the doorway. Jongdae leans on the edge of the crib and sighs.
“It’s okay,” he replies quietly, “I really shouldn’t be complaining anyway. A bed is a bed and food is food. I should be grateful.” He pushes past Junmyeon and goes into his own room to change, but Junmyeon follows him.
“It’s been really hard to sleep since you moved. The pillow still smells like you but it’s not the same. I called you my mate before in front of Yifan. I think I meant it.” Jongdae snorts.
“You can’t just think. You either mean it or you don’t,” he says sharply, going over to his closet to change his shirt. Junmyeon sighs and moves to sit on the bed.
“I meant it,” he says resolutely, “I definitely meant it. I miss you, Jongdae. You mean so much to me and I don’t ever want to think about you leaving. I don’t know if I love you yet, but I know that I certainly don’t want to lose you. You don’t...you don’t have to agree to be my mate right away, or at all, but...will you at least come sleep in our bed again? I sleep so much better when I’m with you.” Jongdae grip on the door is knuckle white and he’s shaking. It takes Junmyeon a moment to realize that he’s crying. Immediately, he stands and wraps Jongdae into a tight backhug, rocking him gently. The omega turns in his arms, crying into his chest.
“I thought,” he whimpers, “I thought you wouldn’t want me. E-Even in the beginning, you wouldn’t have had me if I wasn’t on s-suppressants. A-And then I got pregnant and I thought you w-wouldn’t have me because you d-didn’t want an omega. But you t-took responsibility and I thought maybe you were only doing it f-for the babies, because I’m just an om-mega and that’s n-not what you want.” Junmyeon’s heart aches and he squeezes Jongdae tighter, pressing loving kisses into his hair. He lets a wave of his pheromones flood the room, working to calm the omega.
“I didn’t want an omega before because every omega that I had ever been with left me because I wasn’t the assertive dominant person they were expecting. When I saw you, I knew that it was suppressants and not beta hormones. I knew that. But I wanted to have you anyone, beta or not, and I would have still wanted you, babies or not. Neither of us were expecting the pups, but we both got really drunk, so it’s something that we both owned up to. I don’t want you to think that I’m taking you in as a charity, or purely because of our babies. I want you here for you, Jongdae.” His head has gradually lowered, but he stops just centimeters from Jongdae’s lips and it’s the omega that closes the gap. Junmyeon’s lips are as soft and pliant as he remembers and Jongdae finds himself pressing forward for more. Eventually, it’s the alpha that pulls away.
“C’mon,” he says gently, pulling Jongdae in the direction of the master bedroom, “it’s late and we both need our sleep. We’ll take it slow, okay? Right now, I just need to hold you.” Jongdae follows, tired and awake at the same time. The instant he crawls into the alpha’s bed and his waiting arms, however, he falls fast asleep, finally finally content.
Epilogue
“Sehun-ah, stop running in the house!” Jongdae calls from where he’s standing by the stove, putting the finishing touches on dinner. The young omega giggles, dashing behind a doorway in an effort to hide from his uncle. When Jongin enters the kitchen, Jongdae whaps him with a spoon.
“Stop instigating,” he says crossly. Jongin scoops Sehun up and carries him to the table where his brothers and other father are waiting. Jongdae carries the last pot of food over and sits in the chair to Junmyeon’s right, with Jongin to his own right. Yifan and Yixing are seated across from them and the four boys take up the end of the table.
It’s still hard to believe he’s come so far from where he was six years ago. He has three beautiful boys and an amazing mate, which is the height of luxury compared to the streets he sat on all those years ago.
The mating mark that Junmyeon had placed on the inside of Jongdae’s thigh sometime around the boys’ first birthday aches idly and Yixing gives Jongdae a knowing look from across the table. Subtly, he shakes his head. The older omega wants him to make the announcement tonight, but he can’t until he tells Junmyeon. It doesn’t feel comfortable.
The other family leaves not long after the food is finished, with six year old Zitao demanding to go to bed early lest he be unprepared for his first day of kindergarten in the morning, and Jongin heads back to his own apartment shortly after that. Jongdae washes up and helps Junmyeon put the boys to bed before he can finally crawl under the covers next to his mate.
“You know, I don’t think I ever really thanked you for what you did that day,” he starts, “taking me in on a whim like that, and Jongin too. I think if I was in your position, I would not have handled it nearly as well as you did.” Junmyeon turns on his side to face Jongdae better, eyes searching his face.
“I wouldn’t trade our family for the world,” he murmurs, reaching to take Jongdae’s hand, “never.” Jongdae smiles and presses Junmyeon’s hand to his stomach, where the barest of bumps is just starting to make itself known.
“Good,” he says, “because it’s about to get a little bit bigger.”
1. Within this universe, omega suppressants make omegas temporarily infertile unless they're in heat and claim to change their scent to that of a beta, but there is usually a noticeable distinction.
2. Within this universe, an omega's heat ends when their body accepts a knot. Jongdae normally hooks up with a friend on the first day of his heat, uses suppressants the second night, and is fine. In the cycle that he was impregnated, his body never accepted the knot of the alpha he was with because it was too small, hence why the suppressants didn't make him infertile. Jongdae didn't realize this, which is why he decided to drink while on the pills even though he knows it can make them ineffective.
3. Most pregnancies in this universe result in multiple babies, unless the omega is in bad health, which is why Jongdae and Junmyeon both refer to the pups in plural despite not actually knowing.
4. At the end of the fic, Tao is roughly six and a few months, and the babies are just over five and a half. The "six years ago" mentioned refers to when Jongdae was pregnant and homeless after graduation, not when the babies were born. Their birthday is at the end of December, Tao's is in May as per usual, making him only about six months their senior.