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The couple’s first night back at home was nothing short of hectic.
Only a few days prior was their pup, Jihyun, born. He was born a healthy baby boy of seven pounds, a full head of hair, and the spitting image of his father. —Beomgyu questioned what the pup got from him.
They thought it’d go smoothly, as it had in the hospital. However, taking care of a newborn proved to be quite the feat without experienced doctors and nurses at their aid. The nurse made it look so easy, trying to calm a distressed baby. Yet, when Beomgyu attempted to, he seemed to only make things worse. He didn’t know what it was. The pup’s diaper was clean, he kept rejecting the bottles of milk brought to his lips, and a pacifier lasted hardly even a second in his mouth.
Somehow, Taehyun was worse than Beomgyu. When a wailing Jihyun was brought into the alpha’s arms, his cries only seemed to intensify. With each passing second, the stressed pheromones clouding the room and fogging their minds only grew stronger.
Taehyn sat in the rocking chair they put in Jihyun’s nursery, the pup still wailing in his arms. It seemed as if the cries wouldn’t ever stop.
“Hyun, what are we doing wrong?..” Beomgyu asked, frown lines aging his boyish face. He paced around the dimly lit room in retaliation against his exhaustion. The couple had been up for an unfathomable amount of time trying to cease their baby’s cries.
“I don’t know, baby. We’ve tried everything and my head aches so bad, it’s hard to think of anything else.” Taehyun gently bounced the pup in his arms as he rocked back and forth in the chair. He stared down at the dainty face that mirrored his own, observing the way it was scrunched up in discomfort. The child shrieked and fought against his swaddle, the small bumps of his legs and hands poking out of the fabric. The sight drove Taehyun into despair.
On the other side of the room, the omega was close to tears. “Mine too.. It’s getting so suffocating in here,” Beomgyu spoke, running a frustrated hand through his hair. The frustration translated into tears which he so desperately tried to hold back as he walked over to open the window in the room, letting in fresh air.
Beomgyu stuck his head out of the window as he tried to clear his conscience, the moon shining glaringly on him, almost as if mocking the situation. The night, made for peace and serenity, when it seems everyone on this side of the world stops as time progresses. Beomgyu so wished for those typical nights again. He already counted the very days until the wails that sustained until late in the night came to a halt.
The omega let his body relax as he breathed in the midnight breeze, the cool air calming the flush he knew was donning his face. He felt the fog gradually lift from his mind, the intense throb like a feeling from the past. He took one last deep inhale before turning back around into the room.
His dulled senses sharpened once again, he came to notice that the cries had finally stopped. He saw Taehyun nodding off, a docile Jihyun still securely in his arms. He tried to keep his rejoice internal as he went over and bent down next to the rocking chair. He poked the alpha on the shoulder, “Tyun.”
The male jolted awake, his senses abruptly heightened. “Hm?”
Beomgyu gave a small, relieved smile. “Ji’s finally stopped crying.”
“Oh, thank God,” Taehyun whispered, his half-open eyes trailing over to the pup in his arms. He thought Jihyun looked much better when he wasn't screaming at the top of his tiny lungs.
Taehyun continued bouncing Jihyun in his arms and rocking back and forth as he inquired, “I wonder what kept him up like that.” He gave a frown as he thought back to mere moments ago when the pup was screaming bloody murder.
“..Tyun, do you think it was our pheromones?” Beomgyu supplied as he got Jihyun’s crib ready to put him to sleep. “I mean, he didn't stop crying until I opened the window, and it was feeling a bit stuffy before then,” he elaborated.
Taehyun let out a miserable sound. “It must've been.. We must've been the reason for his stress..” The alpha let out a small whine as he leaned down to rub the tip of his nose against Jihyun’s significantly tinier one. “Appa is sorry, baby..” he softly spoke to the pup, despite the newborn not understanding a word he uttered. Jihyun only continued gaping his mouth like a fish, drool gathering in the corners of his lips and falling down his chin.
The pair felt more than guilty. They knew pheromones affected pups more than they would adults or teens. All of this could've been avoided if they'd just kept their emotions under control. That wasn't usually a problem for them, yet they let their nerves get the best of them and everything eventually spiraled into chaos.
Beomgyu let out a remorseful sigh as he finished preparing Jihyun’s crib. It looked like the omega projected his stress into the way he arranged the pup’s crib, if the numerous scented blankets and stuffed animals molded into somewhat of a nest were anything to go by.
Taehyun leisurely stood up with Jihyun in his arms, the pup’s eyes struggling to stay open.
“Why don't you go get started in our room? I’ll put Jihyun to bed,” he softly spoke as he approached the omega. He could tell Beomgyu was itching for an outlet for his stress.
Beomgyu nodded in response. “Okay,” he whispered. He focused his attention down to Jihyun and placed a thumb on his soft cheek. “Good night, Jihyunnie,” he pressed a kiss to the pup’s forehead. “Appa loves you. And I’m sorry.” He placed a feathery kiss on Jihyun's nose before facing back up toward Taehyun.
“I’ll see you in a minute?” Beomgyu nodded in response to the statement and Taehyun gingerly kissed the omega’s temple. Beomgyu's hand lingered on the alpha’s shoulder before he left the room.
When he heard the door close, Taehyun glanced down at the now-sleeping pup in his arms. “Nightnight, Ji. We love you so much.” He pressed an elongated kiss to the newborn’s forehead before slowly and carefully lowering him into his crib.
Taehyun turned off the lamp in the room, exposing the celestial projections on the ceiling cast from the pup’s nightlight. He made sure the baby monitor was on before exiting the room, leaving one last glance at the newborn before closing the door.
Upon entering his own bedroom, Taehyun found Beomgyu curled up in a nest on their bed. Beomgyu lifted his face out of Taehyun's pillow upon the alpha’s entrance. He let out a miserable-sounding whine as Taehyun slid into the nest right beside him. Taehyun wrapped his arms securely around Beomgyu, and the omega buried his face into his lover’s neck, his nose kissing the alpha’s mating bite.
Taehyun let out his calming pheromones and nuzzled his face into Beomgyu's hair as he soothingly caressed the omega’s body. His thumb drew circles on his lover’s hip while his other hand rubbed the omega’s back.
Beomgyu nosed up Taehyun's neck before placing a kiss on the alpha’s chin, then to the corner of his lips. When Beomgyu pulled back to look his lover in the eyes, Taehyun brought a hand up to cradle his cheek, his thumb gently pressing against the omega’s bottom lip. Silent tears fell down Beomgyu's cheeks as he blinked.
“..Don't cry, love,” Taehyun softly murmured as he used his thumb to wipe the wetness from his lover’s face.
“I’m sorry, I just… wish we had our parents’ support with this. I’m so scared, Tyun.. What if we mess up? What if we do something wrong and it hurts Jihyun? We already got too close to that today..”
“..Firstly, don't apologize, Beomie.. I’m scared too. And I know you feel bad for what happened, but all we can do now is ensure nothing like it happens again. We’ll get through this, love. We just have to trust ourselves and each other. It’ll be alright. Even without the support of our parents.”
Beomgyu stared deep into the alpha’s glistening eyes. Fear shone through, but hope and determination was glaringly brighter. He couldn't help but trust his mate’s words.
Beomgyu nodded, and with conviction, he spoke, “Everything will be alright.”
Taehyun gave the omega a proud smile. “That's right. We’ll learn and adapt to everything together. Because as long as we have each other,” Taehyun interrupted his sentence with a lasting kiss to his mate’s lips.
“Promise, it’ll be alright.”