Adjustments

by ot7mikrokosm

Summary:

Bringing a newborn pup into the world causes couples to have to make a lot of adjustments. In Wonwoo and Mingyu's case, it's adjusting to the alpha's newfound anxiety.

Chapter 1: Week 1

Wonwoo felt like he'd just closed his eyes when Jiyoung started fussing again. He squinted open his eyes, making out the time as just before 7:00 through his blurry vision. There was no way he'd been asleep for an hour and a half but the light of the sunrise starting to come through their curtains proved he had. Mingyu was already shifting behind him as Wonwoo reached out for his glasses. "I'll get up with her this time." The alpha mumbled.

"Pretty sure she's up for the day." Wonwoo said as he slipped his glasses on his face and sat up.

Mingyu was clearly struggling to process that the sun was already coming up as Wonwoo Sat up and carefully picked their three-day old pup up from her bedside bassinet, the omega murmuring softly to her. It wasn't until Jiyoung was latched on to Wonwoo's breast to nurse that Mingyu seemed to start functioning again. "Good morning, Little One." He cooed to Jiyoung, lightly running a finger over her fist before leaning down to press a kiss to her chubby cheek. "Eat up all your tiny tummy can take. We gotta show your doctor that you're strong and healthy." He pressed another kiss to her cheek as she grunted around Wonwoo's nipple. Mingyu then sat up to smile at Wonwoo. "And I'll go make Eomma some breakfast so he can stay strong and healthy too." He pressed his lips to Wonwoo's for a few seconds before pulling away to climb out of bed.

"Don't be weird this time!" Wonwoo called after the alpha as he left the room.

The house was quiet as Mingyu made his way to the kitchen. Yawning, he opened the pantry and fridge to pull out the ingredients he would need to make some mixed berry coconut oatmeal. As the oatmeal was cooking, Wonwoo's dad came out of the guest bedroom. "Can I make you some coffee?" Mingyu immediately offered.

His father-in-law shook his head. "I got it." He moved to the coffee machine to get it started. "You look dead on your feet."

"Jiyoung doesn't seem to like sleep all that much." Mingyu gave a tired chuckle, rubbing his face tiredly.

"They're all like that at first." Wonwoo's dad mused. "I don't think Wonwoo slept for more than 30 minutes at a time until he was about three months old."

"Thanks for the warning of what I'm in for." Mingyu mumbled as he removed the oatmeal from the burner to add in the coconut, walnuts, and coconut milk.

Wonwoo's dad walked over to pat Mingyu on the shoulder. "I think you're doing a great job already. I couldn't ask for a better son in law."

Mingyu sent him a grateful smile as he finished up the oatmeal. Then he spooned some of it into a bowl and grabbed a spoon. "There should be plenty for you and Bohyuk too when he wakes up." he informed his father-in-law as he grabbed some juice from the fridge to pour a glass for Wonwoo. He carried the breakfast into their bedroom where Wonwoo was smiling softly down at Jiyoung as she happily suckled on him. "Berry coconut oatmeal, made specially to promote lactation." Mingyu presented as he climbed into the bed next to Wonwoo, scooping up a spoonful and blowing on it to cool it off.

"Gee thanks." Wonwoo said flatly. "This is exactly what I meant when I said not to be weird, you know that, right?"

"Hey, her ability to eat well is based on you eating well." Mingyu said as he fed Wonwoo the bite of oatmeal. "You can't fault me for wanting to make sure of that."

Wonwoo snorted quietly as Mingyu scooped up another spoonful, the alpha taking that bite for himself. "What, are you wanting to make sure you produce enough milk too?" The omega asked, using his hand that wasn't cradling Jiyoung to squeeze the alpha's chest muscles.

"Hey, if I could, I would." Mingyu said sincerely as he fed Wonwoo another bite. By the time Wonwoo was done eating, Jiyoung was too. "Who wants to go spend some time with Halabeoji so Appa can help Eomma shower?" Mingyu cooed as he took a freshly burped Jiyoung from Wonwoo's arms, cradling her to his chest with one arm while grabbing the dirty bowl and glass with the other.

"I don't need help." Wonwoo argued but Mingyu ignored him as he carried Jiyoung out to the living room.

After dropping the dirty dishes off in the sink and passing Jiyoung off to his father-in-law for a few minutes, Mingyu went back to the bedroom and found that Wonwoo had already climbed out of bed and was carefully making his way to the bathroom, the omega wincing at the soreness in his lower half. Mingyu was quick to be by his side, helping him to undress and climb in the shower once the water was warm enough. He would have personally washed Wonwoo too, but the omega was stubborn and insisted on cleaning himself. But Mingyu was equally stubborn and only left the bathroom long enough to retrieve fresh clothes for his mate. Once Wonwoo was done showering, Mingyu helped him dress in a pair of postpartum underwear, leggings, and one of his own t-shirts, then led the omega back to bed, making sure he was tucked comfortably into his nest. "Try to sleep some more before Jiyoung's appointment." Mingyu murmured, dropping a kiss to Wonwoo's forehead.

"No." Wonwoo refused. "I want to cuddle her."

"I'm going to get her." Mingyu said with a small chuckle, brushing his lips against Wonwoo's before straightening up. He went back out to the living room to get Jiyoung--who was already sleeping herself--and thanked Wonwoo's dad for his help. Then he went back to their bedroom where, to no surprise whatsoever, Wonwoo had drifted off already.

***

"And how much is she eating during the day?" Dr. Jones, Jiyoung's pediatrician asked towards the end of her first checkup.

"She nurses about every two hours, maybe a little less." Wonwoo said. "I'm still just producing colostrum, so I guess however much of that I make."

"She is eating enough, right?" Mingyu asked, his leg shaking anxiously.

Dr. Jones nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. "She shows no signs of being malnourished or underfed." Mingyu let out a tiny breath of relief, causing Wonwoo to fondly roll his eyes. "Now with her being a home birth and you not having the option to do the scent gland test, we can offer it to you here. All insurances cover it, unless you have personal reasons to wait until she presents."

Wonwoo shook his head slightly. "No, we don't have any issues with that."

Before Dr. Jones could leave to get the test ordered, Mingyu stopped her. "It won't hurt her, right? The scent gland test?"

"Of course not." Dr. Jones assured him. "We'll gently stimulate her scent gland and use a swab to collect a small sample of the secretion and test that to see what kinds of pheromones are being produced."

Wonwoo stared at Mingyu as Dr. ones left the room. "You're being paranoid."

Mingyu pouted. "This is my little girl! I gotta make sure she's safe!"

"I don't think there's any place safer than my arms." Wonwoo pointed out.

The nurse came in moments later with a swab. "Let's get this scent gland test done!" She said cheerfully.  Mingyu watched her intently as she pressed the swab against the scent gland in Jiyoung's forehead putting just enough pressure for the gland to begin secreting oils. She collected the sample with the swab then left the room with the promise that they would have the results in just a few minutes.

"You have a scary face sometimes." Wonwoo said. "You should work on that."

Sure enough, Dr. Jones came into the room mere minutes after the nurse had left. "The test is showing that Jiyoung produces omegan pheromones." Wonwoo smelled Mingyu's own pheromones releasing at the news, the alpha's protectiveness flaring up as the doctor continued. "We've noted that in her file. Congratulations on your little omega."

Mingyu leaned over to smile down at Jiyoung. "Appa promises to always protect you and keep you safe." He said softly, dropping a kiss to her nose.

"I'm in for a lot, aren't I?" Wonwoo mumbled to himself.

Chapter 2: Week 2

Everything sucks, was the first thing Mingyu thought as his alarm woke him up. When Wonwoo had first gotten pregnant, they'd had a long discussion about what each of their leaves would look like once their pup was born. Wonwoo would be taking all of the PTO he'd accumulated while working at the library along with using half of his FMLA leave, which would have him back at work in June when Mingyu would be out for the summer and able to stay with Jiyoung at home until the new school year started, at which point she would begin going to work with Wonwoo as neither of them liked the idea of leaving her in daycare--Mingyu had grown increasingly adverse to the idea since she'd been born--and Mingyu's parents would not be able to provide full time care for her. It was also decided that Mingyu would take his allotted two weeks of PTO but not take any FMLA leave so that they would have a continuous flow of income as well as saving it in case they needed it later in the year. And since his leave started the day Wonwoo went into labor, that meant Mingyu had to go back just before Jiyoung turned two weeks old. And while Mingyu had been on board and agreed to the plan the previous summer, now he was wishing he hadn't.

He pushed himself out of bed with a quiet groan, feeling Wonwoo stir slightly beside him before settling back down. He walked around the bed to where Jiyoung was sleeping soundly in her bassinet and just took a moment to gaze down at her, lightly running a finger along her nose. Then, before he decided to call into work so he could spend the day snuggling her as he felt he should, Mingyu forced himself to walk away and into the bathroom to start getting ready for the day.

Mingyu was packing up his lunch before leaving when Wonwoo shuffled into the kitchen with a yawn, arms wrapped around himself. "Why are you up?" Mingyu asked as the omega leaned against him from behind.

"This is around when Jiyoung gets up." Wonwoo mumbled. "Therefore my body says it's time to get up."

The alpha finished packing his lunch bag and turned to face his mate, wrapping his arms tightly around him. "Do I have to go?" He whined.

"Yes." Wonwoo said bluntly, tilting his head up to press his lips to Mingyu's before he could even attempt to pout. The kiss was cut short by the sound of Jiyoung starting to fuss traveling out of their bedroom. "Duty calls." Wonwoo murmured as he pulled away, turning to head to their room.

Mingyu followed Wonwoo, hurrying past him once they reached the room so he could pick Jiyoung up from her bassinet. "Good morning, Little One! Appa's so happy he got a chance for snuggles before he has to leave." He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Are you just always going to speak in third person now?" Wonwoo asked as he settled in his nest, holding his arms out expectantly.

"One more minute." Mingyu requested, peppering Jiyoung's face in kisses while holding her close.

Wonwoo gave him an exasperated look. "She's hungry and I need to empty my tits. Come on."

Mingyu continued to snuggle Jiyoung for another moment until her fussiness increased, then he begrudgingly transferred her to Wonwoo's waiting arms, watching with a pout as Wonwoo got her latched onto his breast to start nursing. "I'm gonna miss you, Little One." He leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek. "I love you."

"We'll be fine." Wonwoo assured Mingyu, seemingly reading his anxious thoughts. "Have a good day." He puckered his lips and Mingyu kissed him softly. "Love you." Wonwoo murmured into the kiss.

"Love you too." Mingyu gave Wonwoo one more kiss before making himself pull away and leave the room. He glanced back at his mate and pup one more time before going to the kitchen to retrieve his lunch bag then heading to the door to slip on his shoes and grab his work bag. Fighting the urge to run back to his bedroom and cuddle with his family in Wonwoo's nest, Mingyu left for work.

***

Mingyu was pleasantly surprised to find his classroom lights off when he arrived. He'd half expected to be bombarded with a surprise welcome back party by two certain omegas, so he was actually quite relieved to be able to turn on the lights and prepare his classroom in peace.

Or so he thought.

The second he sat down behind his desk to drink the smoothie he'd made that morning, his classroom door was thrown open so hard the knob hit the wall as Seungkwan and Soonyoung let themselves in while bickering as usual. "No, I will not be having cake shoved in my face at my reception!"

"But it's such a cute tradition!"

"For people who enjoy it! Just because you managed to talk Jihoon into letting you smother him with confectionaries doesn't mean Vernon and I will be partaking." Seungkwan turned to Mingyu with a smile. "Welcome back!"

"Thanks." Mingyu said flatly as Soonyoung dragged an extra chair up to his desk to sit across from him.

"How's parent life?" The omega asked, resting his elbows on the desk and propping his chin in his hands.

Mingyu sighed. "I miss Jiyoung."

Soonyoung reached out to pat Mingyu's hand comfortingly. "Trust me, I get it."

***

"In the criminal justice system, sexually based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories. DUN DUN!" Wonwoo giggled at the way Jiyoung's eyes widened a bit as she happily suckled down her milk. "Do you like this show? This is one of Eomma's favorites." He looked up as he heard the sound of Mingyu's car pulling into the driveway. "Sounds like Appa's home!" Jiyoung let out a tiny grunt around his nipple.

Mingyu entered the house moments later with a bright smile on his face. "I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the store!" He announced, dropping the bag in his hand off in the kitchen before hurrying to the couch where Wonwoo was nursing Jiyoung. It was when he joined them that he realized what Wonwoo was watching, and then his face morphed into an expression of horror. "Are you trying to traumatize her already?!" He moved to grab the remote.

Wonwoo snatched the remote from him before he could change it. "She doesn't even know what's going on on the TV. She's more focused on my boobs."

"Well they are nice." Mingyu said, causing Wonwoo to snort. Mingyu then reached out to run a finger over Jiyoung's cheek. "Did you have a good day here with Eomma? Appa missed you." He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead only for Wonwoo to push him away.

"You're blocking my view of the TV." The omega said, making Mingyu shake his head in amusement as he leaned down to kiss Jiyoung's forehead again.

Chapter 3: Week 3

"Are you sure you two will be okay without me?" Mingyu asked, pouting slightly as Wonwoo made him give Jiyoung to him so he could nurse her.

Wonwoo shot him a look as he helped the two-week-old latch onto him. "We've been through this every day this week. Jiyoung and I are just fine here at home while you're at work." Mingyu's frown deepened. "Hey, it's Friday. That means almost the weekend where you'll have two whole days of hovering over us."

That thought put a tiny smile on Mingyu's face until the alpha realized something. "It's Soonyoung's pup's birthday so he's going to be even more…himself today. Crying in my classroom about where the time has gone and how much his pup has grown up." He let out an exasperated sigh.

"You know you love Soonyoung." Wonwoo teased him. "Every time he's gone on maternity leave, you complain about how quiet and boring your mornings and lunches are."

"And then he comes back." Mingyu deadpanned, causing Wonwoo to laugh. The alpha then leaned down to press his lips to his mate's in a soft kiss. "I love you, I'll be home after practice." Wonwoo hummed and smiled as Mingyu kissed him again. Mingyu then pressed a kiss to Jiyoung's forehead. "I love you too, Little One. I'll miss you so much." He kissed her forehead again before forcing himself to leave for work.

Wonwoo looked down at Jiyoung, gently running a finger over her fist that was curled up on the side of his breast as she nursed. "What are we gonna do with your appa?"

Once Jiyoung was done nursing, Wonwoo changed her diaper and carried her to the kitchen where he found Mingyu had left out a couple pieces of avocado toast with fried eggs on top. "See, this is the real reason I mated your appa." Wonwoo mused to Jiyoung as he grabbed the plate and carried it and Jiyoung over to the couch. "I don't have to cook, nor do I have to eat takeout for every single meal." He settled in, making sure Jiyoung was tucked comfortably in the crook of his arm before turning on the TV. "I think Criminal Minds will be good for today." He mused as he turned pressed play, setting the remote down so he could eat his toast.

By the time he finished his breakfast, Jiyoung was starting to doze off, so Wonwoo paused the episode and carefully stood up from the couch, carrying her into his and Mingyu's bedroom. He gently swayed with her for a moment to soothe her further into sleep before placing her in her bassinet for the duration of the nap. Taking advantage of her falling asleep easy without any fussing, Wonwoo headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower.  After, he dressed in a pair of shorts and one of Mingyu's hoodies and went towards his gaming set up to try to get in some playing time before Jiyoung inevitably woke up.

He chose the Sims as something that didn't require too much focus and wouldn't be too difficult to leave once she did. But as soon as the game loaded, he heard the familiar sounds of her starting to fuss in her bassinet. He gave it a moment just to see if she would stop, but the second the sounds escalated to proper crying, he was out of his gaming chair and picking her up from her bassinet. "That's still longer than any other nap since you were born!" He exclaimed as he cradled her to his chest, the two-week-old calming almost instantly. "You're just a cuddle bug, aren't you?" He pressed a kiss to her forehead and carried her back to his computer to finish out her brief nap in his arms while he played the Sims, even nursing her there when she woke back up and started smacking her lips in hunger.

Once she was done nursing, he exited the game and looked down at Jiyoung as he propped her in his lap to burp her. "It's supposed to be a nice temperature today." He murmured, patting her back. "You wanna go sit outside in the fresh air for a little bit?" Jiyoung's responded by letting out a loud belch, a tiny amount of milk leaking out of the corner of her mouth. "Then let's do it."

Stepping outside for a brief second to gauge how it felt, Wonwoo deemed it to be okay for Jiyoung to be out in as long as she had a blanket over her. So he grabbed her bouncer and a blanket and brought them out to the porch along with a book. He buckled Jiyoung into her rocker and spread the blanket over her before sitting next to her. "It's never too early to introduce you to good literature." Wonwoo said as he held up the book he'd chosen. "So we're going to start with The Awakening by Kate Chopin, a landmark of early omegism in American literature." He opened the book to the first page and cleared his throat before beginning to read. "A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door…"

The day proceeded just like that in cycles of Jiyoung napping, eating, and staying awake just long enough for Wonwoo to read a chapter of the novel to her, while he switched off between gaming and napping himself when Jiyoung slept. When Mingyu returned home after the school day and the omega team's soccer practice, Wonwoo was nursing Jiyoung on the couch while Criminal Minds played on the TV. Mingyu sighed wearily at the TV but didn't say anything as that had become the norm for him since going back to work. Instead he did his best to ignore the wildly inappropriate content for his daughter and walked over to the couch to give Wonwoo a greeting kiss. "How was your day?"

"Working on sleeping longer and studying the basics of omegism." Wonwoo said, smiling against Mingyu's lips as he kissed him again. "You?"

"It was a Friday." Mingyu said simply before turning his attention to Jiyoung. "Are we getting better at sleeping?" He asked, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Not really." Wonwoo said. "But we definitely made headway with the omegism."

Mingyu chuckled and pressed another kiss to Jiyoung's forehead. "I'm gonna get started on dinner. Does chickpea curry sound good?"

"You could make me a bowl of cereal and I would think it sounded good." Wonwoo stated. "Breastfeeding has made my appetite go out of control."

"Then I really better get started so I can get some food in your stomach." Mingyu said, pressing his lips to Wonwoo's one more time before heading to the kitchen to start cooking.

Chapter 4: Week 4

Wonwoo pulled into the nearly empty school parking lot, thinking once again how unfair it was that the omegas' soccer team didn't get as much support in terms of people coming to watch their games as their alpha counterparts. As he parked in a spot close to the entrance to the stadium, he glanced in the rearview mirror to catch sight of Jiyoung in the backseat mirror positioned over her carseat. "Are you ready to see Appa at work?" He asked, earning only gurgles in response. Smiling at how adorable she was, he climbed out of the car and went around to the backseat. He grabbed his wrap carrier and positioned Jiyoung comfortably against his chest before heading to the stadium entrance and showing them his all season pass that Mingyu always got for him every year.

In the stadium, Wonwoo first stopped at the concessions stand and bought as much food as he could carry--both in his arms and what space there was left in the diaper bag with all of Jiyoung's things. Then he carried it all up into the bleachers, getting a front row view of the field and of Mingyu looking especially attractive as he had the omegas go through their warmups. "Look, there's Appa." Wonwoo murmured to Jiyoung before arranging all of his food in the empty space around him.

Just as he was picking up a chip from his nachos, Mingyu spotted him and Wonwoo barely held back an eye roll as the alpha said something to his assistant coach before storming to the ramp that led up to the bleachers. Within seconds, Mingyu was standing in front of Wonwoo. "What are you doing?"

"Eating nachos." Wonwoo said, holding a chip covered in queso out to his mate. "Want one?"

"Why is Jiyoung out here?" Mingyu asked, clearly panicking. "She's not vaccinated yet, it's too cold for her to be outside-"

Wonwoo cut him off. "It is in the 60s and feels perfectly fine, plus she's in her carrier and I have a blanket in the diaper bag in case the temperature drops. Also she will not be leaving this carrier unless I have to take her to change her diaper, so no one will be touching or kissing her besides me. Despite what you seem to think, I do know what I am doing when it comes to our daughter."

The panic in the alpha's eyes was immediately replaced by guilt. "Baby, I didn't mean-" He was cut off by his assistant coach calling up to him, letting him know the game was about to start. "I didn't mean it like that." He assured Wonwoo, who hummed in response. Mingyu then leaned down to kiss Wonwoo's cheek and the top of Jiyoung's head, murmuring that he loved them before hurrying back down to the sidelines.

"What are we gonna do with him, Jiyoung?" Wonwoo asked for possibly the hundredth time since she'd been born. Sighing, he bit into his chip only for a glob of queso to fall right onto Jiyoung's head. "Oops." Wonwoo glanced around to make sure none of the few people in attendance were paying attention to him before using the rest of the chip to scoop up as much of the queso as he could. Then he popped the chip into his mouth and reached into the diaper bag to get a wet wipe to clean what was left off of her head.

***

Mingyu still had that guilty expression, the one that made him look like a golden retriever who had done something bad, when he came out to the living room after his shower. "I really didn't mean it like that."

"I know." Wonwoo said, holding out a bite of ice cream for the alpha.

The alpha joined Wonwoo on the couch and accepted the bite, wrapping an arm around the omega after and pulling him into his side. "I never meant to make you feel like I don’t think you know what you're doing." Mingyu said. "I know you're more than capable, I just…I don't even know what's been going on with me since you got pregnant. I'm just always thinking that the absolute worst thing is going to happen."

Wonwoo blinked at him with the spoon in his mouth as he took another bite of ice cream. "That's called anxiety. Welcome to the club."

"Thanks, I hate it." Mingyu sighed as Wonwoo let out a tiny laugh. "I never want anything bad to happen to Jiyoung, and I guess my brain is going the extreme to try to prevent it."

"I think it is too." Wonwoo nodded. "You know, usually it's the mom that develops postpartum anxiety because of the hormones and all. In all the books I read during pregnancy, I soaked in all these tips on how to cope with it in myself if I experienced it, but nothing on how to deal with paranoid fathers." He let out a laugh at the look Mingyu shot him. "We'll take it one step at a time. Starting by you reminding yourself that I would never do anything to or with Jiyoung that I felt would cause any kind of harm."

Mingyu let out a long breath and nodded. "I'm trying."

"We'll get there." Wonwoo assured him, tilting his head and puckering his lips in a silent request for a kiss that Mingyu happily gave him.

Chapter 5: Week 5

"Mingyu." Wonwoo said with an expectant tone, earning a hum in response from the alpha. "She's so hungry she is literally trying to eat her hand."

"One more moment." Mingyu mumbled, nuzzling the gland in Jiyoung's forehead to scent her. It was his first day back to work since Spring Break and somehow he was struggling even more with leaving her and Wonwoo than he had after his paternity leave. "Appa loves you." He said, pressing a kiss to her nose. "Just two more months and then Appa's done with work for the summer, and I'll get to stay here all day with you. When that happens, I won't put you down for a second."

"I'm sure you won't." Wonwoo said. "Now please let her eat her breakfast."

Pouting, Mingyu gently placed Jiyoung in the omega's arms. "I expect a good report from your checkup today." He said as Wonwoo removed Jiyoung's fist from her mouth and brought her to his waiting breast, the four-week-old latching on immediately. "I'll be home by 5:00."

"Like always." Wonwoo smiled as Mingyu kissed him before pressing his lips to Jiyoung's forehead yet again.

***

"You've got a very healthy little one month old here." Dr. Jones said after finishing up Jiyoung's checkup.

Wonwoo smiled. "Her dad will be very happy to hear that."

Dr. Jones chuckled. "All she needs is the second dose of her HepB vaccine and then you'll be good to go."

"Sounds good." Wonwoo said, thanking her as she left with an assurance that the nurse would be back to give Jiyoung her vaccine soon. "We're gonna be a trooper, right?" Wonwoo asked the four-week-old omega as if she weren't currently trying to fall asleep in his arms. "It's just a little shot. Not a big deal."

The nurse entered the room with the vaccine and sat on the stool next to the exam table. She prepped Jiyoung's thigh with an alcohol swab before injecting the needle. At first Jiyoung seemed to have no reaction whatsoever. Then as the nurse was placing a cotton ball and Band-Aid over the injection sight, her face scrunched up and she let out a little cry. "It's okay, Jiyoung." Wonwoo murmured to her, holding her close to comfort her.

Jiyoung was still fussy when they left the clinic, so rather than putting her directly into her carseat and leaving immediately, Wonwoo brought her into the driver's seat with him and turned the car on, putting a soothing songs playlist on to fill the silence as he nursed her to calm her down. He could tell that she was starting to fall asleep on his breast when the music cut out thanks to an incoming call from Mingyu. "Shouldn't you be teaching right now?" Wonwoo asked as soon as he pressed the answer call button on his steering wheel.

"I stepped out for a bathroom break." Mingyu said. "How'd the appointment go?"

"Dr. Jones said she's a very healthy one month old." Wonwoo said. "We weren't too big a fan of the shot though."

Mingyu made a sympathetic noise. "Don’t worry, Little One, Appa will give you all the kisses and cuddles as soon as I'm home." Wonwoo rolled his eyes fondly. "What are you doing now?" Mingyu then asked.

"Well right now I’m nursing her in the car." Wonwoo said. "Then we're gonna go by the library for a bit to get her an official library card then we'll head home." Mingyu was silent other than a sharp intake of breath and Wonwoo could feel the alpha doing his best to hold back from verbalizing the paranoia he was obviously experiencing over that. Wonwoo was proud of him for not projecting it onto him but went ahead and reassured him anyway so he wouldn't obsess over it. "I already finished all the books I'd checked out for my maternity leave and since we're already out I thought I might as well go return them and get some new ones. And since we're gonna be at the library anyway, I want to register her for a library card. She's gonna be sleeping in her carseat the whole time. She'll be safe."

"I know she will." Mingyu said. "You're the best eomma, always making sure she is." Wonwoo couldn't help but smile at the compliment, his cheeks flushing a bit. "I gotta go. Shouldn't leave my students alone for too long. I'll see you when I get home."

"Love you." Wonwoo said before ending the call. Then he looked down at Jiyoung who was just about completely asleep. "Appa did good today, don't you think?"

***

"Mingyu." The alpha hummed. "It's her bedtime."

"One more moment." Mingyu mumbled, rubbing Jiyoung's back as she rested on his bare chest in just her diaper as the alpha still hadn't full dressed her following her bath. "She needs my cuddles after that big bad needle." He dipped his head to press a kiss to the top of her head.

Wonwoo raised his eyebrows, pointedly shifting his gaze to their daughter who seemed like she had already fallen asleep. "I think she's fine now."

"Not yet." Mingyu shook his head. Then after another minute, he finally sat up, carefully laying her on the bed in front of him to finally put her onesie on and swaddle her.

"Thank you." Wonwoo smiled and gently picked Jiyoung up, carrying her over to her bassinet and kissing her forehead before laying her in it. He then went back around to Mingyu's side of the bed and climbed on top of the alpha, resting his head on his chest.

"Well hello there." Mingyu chuckled, wrapping his arms around Wonwoo to hold him close.

Chapter 6: Week 6

Wonwoo yawned as he gently rocked Jiyoung in his arms while pacing around the bedroom. That day had by far been one of the worst when it came to getting the infant to sleep since she’d been born, as was shown yet again when she was still awake and crying nearly 20 minutes past her nap time. “Eomma’s tired, Jiyoung.” Wonwoo murmured. “So please sleep.”

After another moment Jiyoung finally quieted down, slowly dozing off. Wonwoo continued to rock her for a bit before tiptoeing over to her bassinet, gently lowering her into it. However, the second Wonwoo tried to shift his hands out from under her, she began crying again. “Okay, I give up.” He said, cradling her to his chest once more as he carried her out to the living room.

He settled on the couch, resting Jiyoung on her stomach on his chest. She stopped fussing once again, nuzzling against him while grasping his shirt in her tiny hands. Rubbing her back, he shifted slightly to get even more comfortable. He closed his eyes, ready to take a nap with the five-week-old, only for his phone to start buzzing on the coffee table. “I just want sleep!” He whined as he reached out to grab it, careful not to jostle Jiyoung, seeing that it was Mingyu wanting to FaceTime. “What?” He grumbled as he answered the call.

“Jiyoung still not wanting to sleep?” Instead of answering, Wonwoo moved the phone so Mingyu could see their daughter, her eyes drooping closed before opening wide again as she fought going to sleep. “Maybe this means she’ll still be awake for birthday cuddles when I get home!” Mingyu exclaimed excitedly.

“Please no.” Wonwoo said. “I need sleep too.”

“I doubt she’ll be awake anyway.” Mingyu sighed. “I still gotta get out all the CPR dummies and make sure they’re disinfected and working for next week. Then all the coaches and athletic directors have a meeting. Then I’m meeting Jungkook for a birthday meal that he’s insisting on. And tonight’s game doesn’t start until 7:00 so it’s gonna be, like, 10:00 before I get home.” He pouted deeply.

Wonwoo let out a sympathetic hum. “At least it’s Friday so you can get all the birthday cuddles you want tomorrow.”

“Very true.” Mingyu grinned at Jiyoung. “Are you ready for that, Little One? Appa loves snuggling with you.” Jiyoung’s lips twitch up in a tiny smile that remained on her face for a few seconds before relaxing once more. Mingyu immediately began to freak out. “Did you see that?! I think she just smiled.”

“Well she didn’t fart or shit, so it probably was one.” Wonwoo stated.

“Your first smile, Little One!” Mingyu gushed, his eyes starting to glisten with emotion. “That was the best birthday present ever. I wish I’d gotten a screenshot.”

“I’m sure there will be plenty more smiles to come.” Wonwoo mumbled, yawning again.

Mingyu continued to smile softly at Jiyoung as she finally dozed off. “I’ll let y’all go now. Sleep a lot, baby, okay?” Wonwoo hummed and ended the call, dropping his phone next to him before closing his eyes.

***

Mingyu entered the room quietly, taking care not to wake up Wonwoo or Jiyoung as he closed the door behind him. He padded over to Jiyoung's bassinet, smiling softly at the sight of her sleeping peacefully. He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead before leaning over to do the same to Wonwoo. The omega stirred the tiniest bit at the action but quickly settled back down, burrowing further under the blankets. Wondering yet again how he'd ended up so lucky, Mingyu headed into the bathroom to shower, already tugging his shirt off as he went.

When he came back out, the lamp on Wonwoo's side of the bed was on as the omega nursed Jiyoung while looking half asleep. "Have I mentioned that I can't wait until she's sleeping through the night?" He mumbled, yawning deeply as Mingyu dried off and grabbed a clean pair of underwear from the dresser. "Or at least longer than two hours, if even that."

"Unfortunately, I think it might be a while." Mingyu said, joining Wonwoo and Jiyoung in the bed.

"Unfortunate is right." Wonwoo sighed, slumping against the headboard as he turned his head toward the alpha. "How was the game?"

"We won." Mingyu informed him with a small smile.

Wonwoo let out a small, unenergetic cheer. "Way to remain undefeated."

Mingyu chuckled quietly. "The team's working hard this year." Wonwoo hummed as Mingyu leaned over to press a kiss to his shoulder. When Jiyoung finished nursing, Mingyu held his arms out for her. "I'll burp and change her and get her settled back down so you can sleep more."

"Thank you." Wonwoo mumbled as he handed Jiyoung over, immediately pulling the blanket over himself and snuggling deeply into his nest.

Meanwhile, Mingyu burped Jiyoung, making sure she got it all out, then changed her diaper and redid her swaddle before turning off the lamp so the light wouldn't make it harder for her to fall back asleep. "Looks like I got my birthday cuddles tonight anyway." He whispered, holding her close to his chest and gently rocking her as he walked around the room until she fell back asleep.

Chapter 7: Week 7

Wonwoo scrunched his face in discomfort as Dr. Kay inserted two fingers inside of him for his postpartum pelvic exam. As she checked his uterus and ovaries, Wonwoo turned his head to look at Jiyoung who was sleeping away in her carseat. "Be happy you won't have to go through this for about 20 years." He said to the six-week-old, earning a chuckle from Dr. Kay.

"Alright, everything is feeling good." Dr. Kay said as she removed her fingers from him and changed out her gloves so she could perform a breast exam. "And no issues with breastfeeding?" Wonwoo shook his head. "No pain? Discomfort? Problems lactating?"

"I'm always starving but I don't think there's really anything you can do about that." Wonwoo said, sitting up as Dr. Kay stepped away from him.

"All I can do is tell you to listen to your body and keep it fueled, because breastfeeding takes a lot out of omegas." Dr. Kay mused, picking up Wonwoo's chart to make a few notes. "You're recovering right along track. It seems like your home birth couldn't have gone more smoothly."

"It definitely didn't seem that way in the moment." Wonwoo said. Dr. Kay chuckled again and gave Wonwoo a clean bill of health as well as an updated prescription for his birth control before leaving the exam room. The 32-year-old omega slid off the table and removed the open front shirt so he could redress in his own clothes. "Jiyoung, I'm gonna need you to sleep very well tonight." He said with a serious tone to the still sleeping six-week-old. "Because I have plans for your appa and me that do not need to be interrupted." Jiyoung, of course, had no response or reaction other than a deep, shuddering breath as she continued to nap.

***

It was just after 10:30 when Mingyu finally made it back home following the omegas' soccer game in Bryant, and Wonwoo was ready for him, greeting the alpha eagerly. "Welcome home!" He exclaimed, wrapping his arms around his mate in a tight hug. "How was the game?"

"Bryant won." Mingyu grumbled, walking further into the house with Wonwoo still attached to him.

"That sucks." Wonwoo feigned a pout. "But I know how to make you feel better."

Mingyu raised an eyebrow as he continued on into their bedroom, Wonwoo following along with him. "What's gotten into you tonight?"

Wonwoo smiled cheekily. "Hopefully you."

Realization filled Mingyu's eyes. "Right, you had your checkup today." He murmured, stepping out of Wonwoo's hold.

"Yep, and look!" Wonwoo lifted the hem of Mingyu's sweatshirt that he was wearing, flashing the alpha his panties. "No pants! Easy access for you!"

Mingyu started to undress, making Wonwoo excited for what he thought was coming. Then the alpha opened his mouth. "We don't have to have sex just because your doctor said it's okay now. I know a lot of alphas make a big deal about changes in intimacy after having a pup, but I would never push you before you're ready. Your body's still recovering and I'm more than happy to--in fact I would prefer to wait as long as needed for you."

Wonwoo blinked at him. "Did you just high school health teacher me?" He asked in disbelief. "When have I ever initiated sex without wanting it for myself?"

"I just want to make sure that you're not feeling pressured for our sex life to be like it was before you got pregnant." Mingyu said sincerely.

"And as much as I appreciate that, I'm horny now." Wonwoo deadpanned as he sat on the edge of their bed. "So we have two options before us. One, you put your penis inside me. Two, you tell me the actual reason you don't want to have sex because clearly it's not about me not being ready."

Mingyu frowned, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. "I don't want to risk hurting you." He said.

Wonwoo softened at those words. "You won't hurt me." He assured his mate. "And if you do, then I'll punch you in the face. How's that for a compromise?"

"I'm pretty sure there's a better form of communication there." Mingyu said with a laugh, leaning down to gently kiss Wonwoo.

Wonwoo smiled against Mingyu's lips. "So are you gonna put your penis in me?" He asked.

"Are you gonna tell me if it hurts at all?" Wonwoo nodded, smile growing as Mingyu kissed him again.

They shifted up the bed without parting until Wonwoo was lying comfortably against his pillows, Wonwoo cupping Mingyu's face as he deepened the kiss. After a long moment of just kissing, Mingyu pulled back to shift down Wonwoo's body, pushing the omega's sweatshirt up until he was able to press gentle kisses to Wonwoo's soft tummy just above the waistline of his panties. Wonwoo let out quiet sighs of pleasure as Mingyu took his time, even dipping down to brush his lips over the omega's inner thighs.

Then just as Mingyu curled his fingers around Wonwoo's panties to pull them down, Jiyoung began to fuss in her bassinet. "Jiyoung, no!" Wonwoo whined as Mingyu sat up. "We talked about this! You're supposed to sleep through the night!" He pouted while Mingyu climbed off the bed and padded over to their daughter's bassinet to pick her up.

"Don't worry, Jiyoung. Appa's here for you." Mingyu murmured as he cradled her close to his chest.

Chapter 8: Week 8

It was the district’s annual April break, meaning it was the first Friday since spring break that Mingyu was waking up to the sound of Jiyoung stirring in her bassinet rather than his alarm. When Mingyu opened his eyes, he saw Wonwoo moving to tend to Jiyoung. “Stop!” The alpha called out, throwing the blanket off of himself and jumping out of bed. “I said I was giving you a free day while I handle everything involving Jiyoung.”

Wonwoo blinked at Mingyu as he hurried around their bed to Jiyoung’s bassinet so he could pick the seven-week-old up. “Did you suddenly start producing milk overnight? Because if not, then that’s something I still have to do.” Wonwoo glanced at Jiyoung as she shoved her fist in her mouth. “And soon before she gets angry.”

Mingyu pouted a bit as he pressed a kiss to Jiyoung’s forehead. “Enjoy your breakfast while I make Eomma’s.” He murmured, kissing her nose before gently placing her in Wonwoo’s arms.

While Jiyoung nursed, Mingyu went to the kitchen and heated up some leftover steak tips from dinner the night before. Then he scrambled some eggs with some kale and made a couple of breakfast wraps for himself and Wonwoo. When breakfast was done, he carried the food back to their bedroom and settled into Wonwoo's nest next to the omega. Wonwoo looked up from cooing at Jiyoung only to have Mingyu nearly shove one of the wraps into his mouth. "Can I not take a proper bite?" Wonwoo grumbled as he pulled back enough to take a dainty bite.

"That's what you call a proper bite?" Mingyu asked, earning a flat look from Wonwoo as the omega took another bite of his breakfast.

When they were finished eating and Jiyoung was done nursing and had been burped, Mingyu didn't hesitate to take the seven-week-old omega from his mate's arms. "Alright, Jiyoung. Time for you and Appa to have a special day together while Eomma has a well-deserved break." He pressed multiple kisses to her cheek before adjusting his hold on her so he could cradle her in one arm while carrying their dirty dishes in his free hand.

"She's still nursing every two to three hours." Wonwoo informed Mingyu, not making any moves to get out of his nest just yet. "If she starts trying to eat her hand, that means you have about 30 seconds to get her to me before she starts screaming her head off."

"I'll keep that in mind." Mingyu said, leaning down to softly press his lips to Wonwoo's.

Originally, Mingyu's plan was to spend the morning outside with Jiyoung, walk around the six acres of land around their house and mentally map out where he and Wonwoo would eventually set up various play structures for her as she grew older--maybe even study the trees on their land to determine which ones looked best for a treehouse should Jiyoung decide she wanted one of those. But one step onto the back deck and seeing the overcast sky as well as the scent of rain in the air had Mingyu immediately bringing his daughter back inside. Instead, he spent the morning doing tummy time on the living room floor with her, reading some of the board books Wonwoo had checked out from the library for her, and playing with some of her toys, as well as letting her nap on her chest, all while Wonwoo got to sit at his computer and game to his heart's content without any interruptions--other than the two times Jiyoung needed to nurse.

At midday, Mingyu settled on the couch with Jiyoung resting on his bare chest for the newborn to take yet another nap, the alpha trying to figure out what to make Wonwoo for lunch. One second he was thinking ramen sounded good, and the next he was opening his eyes to see Wonwoo standing over him while eating what was clearly a premixed salad from the store. "Nice nap?" Wonwoo asked before shoving another forkful of lettuce and ham into his mouth.

"How long have I been asleep?" Mingyu mumbled, rubbing his eyes before looking down to check that Jiyoung was still napping contently.

"Fuck if I know." Wonwoo shrugged, taking another bite of his lunch before setting it on the coffee table. Then he gently picked Jiyoung up from Mingyu's chest, softly shushing her as she fussed a bit. The seven-week-old settled down again and Wonwoo carefully buckled her into her swing to finish out her nap. Once Jiyoung was taken care of, Wonwoo climbed on top of Mingyu, straddling him.

"Well, hello there." Mingyu smiled, his hands going to Wonwoo's hips as the omega leaned down to press their lips together.

Wonwoo cupped Mingyu's face as the alpha deepened the kiss, flicking his tongue into Wonwoo's mouth. Moaning softly, Wonwoo began to slightly grind his hips against Mingyu's, the smell of his slick starting to seep out into the room around them as he felt Mingyu's dick starting to harden. Mingyu thrusted his hips up slightly to meet Wonwoo's movements, his hands shifting to the small of the omega's back to hold him even closer.

Then Jiyoung started to cry in her swing. "Jiyoung!" Wonwoo whined as he sat up. "Two minutes is all I'm asking for!"

"That's offensive." Mingyu said as he gently shifted Wonwoo off of him so he could stand up from the couch. "Come here, Little One." Mingyu cooed softly to the seven-week-old as he moved to get her out of her swing. "Who needs a cold, lonely swing when you can have Appa's warmth?"

"I would like Appa's warmth." Wonwoo said but Mingyu ignored him as he began to pace around the living room with Jiyoung in an attempt to soothe her.

Chapter 9: Month 3

Wonwoo woke up peacefully for once. No Mingyu dropping things or stubbing his toe while trying to be quiet as he got ready for work. No Jiyoung crying for milk. In fact, the only sounds in the room were the occasional shuddering breath Jiyoung gave during her deep sleep and the soft snores escaping Mingyu as he took advantage of the weekend to sleep in. Unfortunately for the alpha, his sleep was about to be interrupted.

When Jiyoung turned two months old and thus began transitioning out of the newborn developmental stage, she had finally begun to sleep for longer stretches, particularly through the night, and was sleeping later in the morning. Wonwoo loved it because not only was he starting to get more sleep himself, but he now didn't have to fight with Mingyu to get the alpha to stop his early morning snuggles before he left for work so Wonwoo could feed their pup before she got hangry. And he especially loved it that morning when he'd woken up naturally before Jiyoung and, based on the fact that she'd been waking up closer to 8:00 rather than 6:30 to 7:00, he estimated he had around half an hour to finally get something he'd been so desperate for the past few weeks.

Shifting under the blankets, Wonwoo sidled up next to Mingyu, pressing himself completely against the alpha's sleeping body as he began nuzzling into the crook of his neck, tongue darting out to stimulate his mate's scent gland. Mingyu hummed sleepily as he began to stir, and Wonwoo hitched his leg over the alpha's hips. "Wonwoo~" Mingyu mumbled, blinking open his eyes and tilting his head to look at the omega.

Wonwoo smiled at his mate. "Good morning! Time to put your penis inside me."

"Can I have a few minutes to wake up?" Mingyu asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Sure." Wonwoo said. "But I will be using those few minutes as foreplay." He pressed his lips to Mingyu's, immediately flicking his tongue across the alpha's bottom lip.

As Mingyu gradually woke up and gained his senses, Wonwoo rolled onto his back, bringing Mingyu with him so the alpha was on top of him. Without breaking the kiss, Wonwoo wiggled under his mate until he was able to kick off his pajama pants and panties, tugging Mingyu's pants and underwear down next. Then he wrapped his legs around the alpha's waist, grinding his hips up until he felt the alpha's morning wood rubbing against his hole. Wonwoo whimpered as slick began to leak out of him, arousal tingling in the pit of his stomach with the anticipation of finally having his alpha's knot.

Wonwoo could tell when Mingyu had fully woken up as the alpha began moving his own hips to meet Wonwoo's movements. Wonwoo let a quiet moan slip out, the sound swallowed by Mingyu as the alpha deepened the kiss. "Are you absolutely sure?" Mingyu mumbled against Wonwoo's lips.

"I will kick you if you don't fuck me right now." Wonwoo threatened.

Thankfully Mingyu didn't waste any more time. He slipped one hand between their bodies to grip his dick and guide it to Wonwoo's hole, pushing inside the omega. Wonwoo had to bite his lip to not scream at the feeling of having Mingyu inside him finally, as he really didn't want to risk waking Jiyoung up at that moment, gripping the alpha's back tightly as Mingyu slowly pressed his hips forward until he was fully inside Wonwoo. Mingyu then buried his face in the crook of Wonwoo's neck, nuzzling his scent gland as he pulled out until just the tip was inside before pushing back in. Wonwoo bucked his hips to meet each of Mingyu's thrusts, each tiny whimper and muffled moan that came out of him encouraging the alpha to thrust faster, harder, until Wonwoo's boy was shifting along the mattress with each thrust.

It didn't take very long for Wonwoo's orgasm to build, his stomach tightening in pleasure as he felt Mingyu's knot beginning to swell. "I'm so close~" He panted out, tightening his legs around the alpha's waist.

It only took a few more thrusts for Mingyu's knot to be too big to pull back out, the sensation sending Wonwoo over the edge. The feeling of Wonwoo clenching around Mingyu as he came triggered the alpha's orgasm, Wonwoo shuddering with pleasure at the feeling of his mate's cum filling him. As Mingyu's hips stilled, the alpha breathing heavily, he pulled his face out of Wonwoo's neck to softly press his lips to the omega's.

They shared a series of sweet, gentle kisses as they both came down from their high, Wonwoo smiling up at Mingyu. "I missed you." He whispered, smile growing as Mingyu pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

"Pretty sure you missed my knot." Mingyu chuckled.

"That too." Wonwoo said, kissing Mingyu one more time before turning his head to look at Jiyoung's bassinet where the two-month-old was still sleeping away. "Thanks, Jiyoung. You're a real one." Mingyu snorted quietly as he buried his face in Wonwoo's neck once again, scenting him until his knot went down.

Chapter 10: Month 4

Wonwoo let out a little whine as he checked his phone for the time. "Jiyoung you were doing so well!" He exclaimed as he saw it was barely 7:00 in the morning. "Why are we back to waking up this early?" Jiyoung responded by letting out another cry, squirming in her bassinet.

Mingyu climbed out of bed as Wonwoo sat up, the omega gently picking the three-month-old up and cradling her in his arms. "It's like she knows you're going back to work today." The alpha mused.

"You could have slept for another hour and still gotten the tits before I have to leave." Wonwoo informed Jiyoung as he unbuttoned his pajama shirt and tugged it to the side to expose his breast.

"I'm gonna go fix you something to eat." Mingyu said, leaning down to press his lips to Wonwoo's then to Jiyoung's forehead. "Enjoy your milk, Little One." He said, running a finger over her cheek before leaving the room.

By the time Mingyu finished fixing up a smoothie bowl for Wonwoo, the omega was carrying their daughter into the kitchen, the three-month-old smiling away as she spotted her dad. "You're such a happy puppy today, aren't you?" Mingyu cooed as he took Jiyoung from Wonwoo's arms so Wonwoo could take his bowl and carry it over to the couch to watch TV while he ate. "Let's go get you changed and dressed, then you can help me pack Eomma's lunch for work."

Mingyu carried Jiyoung into her nursery and laid her on the changing table. "Let's get you out of these jammies." He murmured, carefully removing her pajamas. Then he changed her diaper and dressed her in an outfit for the day. With her dressed, he carried her back out to the kitchen, working to fix Wonwoo a couple of chicken salad sandwiches for lunch with only one hand while he held Jiyoung in his other arm.

Wonwoo came out after his shower just as Mingyu was filling an insulated lunch bag with the sandwiches and plenty of snacks to keep Wonwoo going through the day.  "You know I'm just gonna order Wingstop, right?"

"Hey, you work through both lunch and dinner time." Mingyu pointed out, handing the lunch bag to his mate once it was zipped up. "You need lots of food." He leaned down to press his lips to Wonwoo's.

The omega smiled into the kiss before pulling back to look at Jiyoung. "I'm gonna miss you today." He said, gently running a hand over the back of her head. "You keep an eye on Appa and take care of him today." He pressed a kiss to Jiyoung's cheek. "I went ahead and pulled some milk from the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw, so when she's ready to eat you'll just have to warm it up."

"I got it." Mingyu assured him, pressing his lips to Wonwoo's for a few seconds before walking the omega to the door. Just before leaving, Wonwoo pressed another kiss to Jiyoung's cheek then to Mingyu's lips. "Love you!" Mingyu called out as Wonwoo walked out the door.

"Love you too!" Wonwoo called back, closing the door behind him.

Jiyoung stared at the closed door for a second before her face scrunched, a tiny cry leaving her. "Oh, don't cry!" Mingyu pouted, adjusting his hold on Jiyoung so he could better comfort her. "Eomma will be home later. And until then, you and Appa are gonna have a fun day together." Jiyoung nuzzled against Mingyu's chest, quiet whimpers still leaving her. "I think it's about time for your first nap anyway. Let's go snuggle and read some books." Mingyu peppered her face in kisses as he carried her to her nursery.

***

It hadn't been too difficult for Wonwoo to get back into the swing of things at the library. Shelving books that had been returned after the library had closed on Saturday, setting up for story time, leading story time, being on desk duty. It was almost like he'd never left.

Except for the underlying tension he felt. He was restless, something itching at him under his skin. He couldn't figure out what it was, his mind dwelling on the feeling every second of down time he got throughout the morning. It wasn't until Mingyu sent him a video of Jiyoung exploring the grass in their backyard with her hands as Mingyu held her that Wonwoo realized what was going on with him.

He missed Jiyoung and knowing where she was and what she was doing every single second of the day. He finally understood Mingyu's paranoia to an extent, the aching worry that something may be wrong and not able to just put his eyes on Jiyoung to ease it. After watching the video probably an unhealthy number of times, Wonwoo took a few deep breaths, mentally reminding himself that Jiyoung was safe with Mingyu, and went back to work.

***

When Wonwoo entered the house after work, the house was silent other than the sounds of Mingyu cooking in the kitchen. Wonwoo slipped his shoes off and followed the scent of galbi jjim. "Smells good." He mused, giving Mingyu a greeting kiss. "Is Jiyoung already asleep?"

Mingyu nodded. "Only for a few minutes. I started her bath while the ribs were cooking, and it took nearly the entire cooking time for her to calm down enough to take her bottle."

Wonwoo frowned a bit, giving Mingyu another quick kiss before leaving the kitchen to go to their room. He tiptoed over to Jiyoung's bassinet and looked down at her sleeping form. "Hi, Jiyoung." He whispered, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her forehead, taking care not to wake her. "I missed you today. I'm sorry I wasn't here for bedtime." He lovingly ran his finger over her nose for a few seconds before turning away to change out of his work clothes.

Chapter 11: Month 5

As Wonwoo heard Jiyoung beginning to fuss, he quickly found a stopping point in his game and saved his progress. "Eomma's coming!" He said to the four-month-old as he removed his headphones and shut down his computer. Then he hurried from his gaming nook over to Jiyoung's bassinet, smiling down at her. "Did you have a good nap?" He asked as he picked her up, Jiyoung automatically gripping his t-shirt in her tiny fists. "Don't worry, the tit is coming." He lifted his shirt so she could latch on to his breast to start nursing, waiting until she was suckling contently before carrying her out of the room.

In the kitchen, nearly every inch of counter space was covered with the various food prep Mingyu had been doing literally all day since he'd woken up while the alpha himself was hurriedly plating a charcuterie board. "See, Jiyoung, Eomma doesn't believe in celebrating the 4th of July since this country isn't actually as free as the government likes to claim but Appa loves the opportunity to cook for everyone, so what can we do?" Wonwoo grabbed a slice of watermelon from the edge of the board and bit into it. "In just a couple of months, you'll be able to enjoy Appa's cooking too."

"Don't say that." Mingyu said, pouting as he began gathering up everything he needed to start grilling on their Blackstone outside. "Do not talk about our Little One growing up." He paused on his way outside to lean down and press a kiss to Jiyoung's forehead, causing her to smile around Wonwoo's nipple.

Wonwoo followed Mingyu out to their back deck, settling into one of the chairs to continue nursing Jiyoung while he enjoyed his watermelon as Mingyu prepared the Blackstone. Shortly after Mingyu began to grill the burgers and hot dogs, Wonwoo heard a car pulling up their driveway. A few minutes later, Joshua and Seokmin came around from the front of the house carrying the food and fireworks they'd brought. "Welcome!" Wonwoo exclaimed as he waved at them. "As you can see Mingyu is going all out once again."

"We wouldn't expect anything less." Joshua chuckled as they climbed up onto the deck with them. "Hi, Jiyoung!" He then cooed to the four-month-old still nursing away.

"She just had a really long nap." Wonwoo informed him while Seokmin let himself into the house to set their food with Mingyu's creations. "So as soon as she's done eating she's going to be ready for some socializing."

Sure enough, once Jiyoung was done nursing, she couldn't get enough of her parents' friends gushing over her. As the others showed up--first Vernon and Seungkwan, then Soonyoung and Jihoon with Yejun and Haneul, and finally Jun and Minghao with all five of their toddlers--the four-month-old laughed away as she was passed around the adults, cried whenever someone wasn't paying attention to her, and even refused her usual 5:00 cat nap in order to stay with the crowd. "You definitely take after your father." Wonwoo murmured when he finally convinced Jiyoung to return to his own arms, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she yawned. "I think someone's gonna need to go to bed a bit early tonight." Jiyoung started to fuss as if she understood that while Wonwoo walked over to where Mingyu was already beginning to clean up a bit from cooking and eating. "I'm gonna go give Jiyoung her bath and put her to bed."

"I can do it if you need a break." Mingyu offered.

Wonwoo immediately shook his head. "Trust me, this will be my break." He leaned in to give Mingyu a quick kiss before hurrying into the house and to Jiyoung's nursery to pick out her pajamas for the night, breathing a sigh of relief once he was away from all the people and socializing.

***

Jiyoung babbling in her bassinet roused Wonwoo from his sleep. "Good morning, Jiyoung." He mumbled as he opened his eyes, rubbing them tiredly. He grabbed his glasses from the nightstand and put them on as he sat up, his gaze quickly finding the balloon tied to his side of the headboard. As always, he smiled at the sight of it before turning his attention to Jiyoung before she grew angry from not getting milk fast enough. "You see that balloon?" Wonwoo asked Jiyoung softly as he picked her up from her bassinet, settling her in his arms and unbuttoning his pajama shirt until Jiyoung was able to latch onto his breast. "Your halmeoni used to leave one tied to my bed every year. Then when your appa and I were dating, he continued the tradition." He gazed softly down at Jiyoung as she nursed, gently running a finger over her cheek. "You never got to meet your halmeoni, but I know she would have loved you so much."

The bedroom door creaked open a few minutes later and Mingyu padded into the room carrying a tray with breakfast for Wonwoo on it while singing happy birthday to him. Mingyu set the tray down on the bed next to Wonwoo and sat across from him before leaning over to capture Wonwoo's lips in a series of quick yet loving kisses. "Happy birthday." He said when he was done kissing the omega.

"Thank you." Wonwoo smiled and stole one more kiss before Mingyu picked up the bowl of oatmeal on the tray.

"I'm gonna feed Eomma while he's feeding you, Little One." Mingyu informed Jiyoung, making Wonwoo snort in laughter before opening his mouth to welcome the spoon Mingyu was holding out to him.

Chapter 12: Month 6

Mingyu quietly padded into his and Wonwoo's bedroom with the intent to leave the omega's breakfast on the nightstand for him but found that he was already awake and nursing Jiyoung. "Well, good morning." Mingyu said as he crossed over to the bed, setting the smoothie he'd made on the nightstand before leaning down to kiss Wonwoo. "I wasn't expecting you to be up already."

Wonwoo hummed. "Somebody is apparently too excited about going to work with Eomma to sleep."

"I bet." Mingyu murmured, pressing a kiss to Jiyoung's forehead. "I'm sure you're gonna love spending your day at the library." He looked up to see Wonwoo smiling softly at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Wonwoo shook his head slightly. "I'm just proud of you."

"You mean for not being a paranoid knothead?" Mingyu asked with a slight snort.

"Exactly." Wonwoo's smile grew as Mingyu leaned in to kiss him again.

Mingyu pressed a few gentle kisses to Wonwoo's lips before pulling back. "Your lunch is in the fridge." Wonwoo nodded as Mingyu glanced at Jiyoung. "And I'll come pick you up as soon as I get off work and we'll have some Appa Jiyoung time again." He proceeded to pepper kisses all over Jiyoung's face, distracting her from nursing until Wonwoo playfully pushed him away.

"Get out of here before you're late." Wonwoo said as he got their five-month-old latched back on.

"Alright, I'm going." Mingyu promised, leaning in for one more kiss. "I love you." He murmured.

"Love you too." Wonwoo said, watching Mingyu leave for his back-to-school professional development. Once the alpha was gone, Wonwoo looked down at Jiyoung in his arms. "How often do you think Appa is gonna be texting me to check up on you?"

Wonwoo drank his breakfast smoothie while Jiyoung nursed. When she was finished, he got up and got her dressed for the day while cooing at her, telling her what all she could expect from spending the day at the library with him. Then he moved her swing into the bathroom and strapped her inside with a bunny toy to keep her safe and entertained while he showered and got himself ready. Once he was dressed, had packed Jiyoung's diaper bag, and gotten his lunch from the fridge, he carried Jiyoung out to the car and strapped her into her carseat. "And away we go!"

By the time Wonwoo had parked in his spot outside the library, Jiyoung was napping away in her carseat. "Come here, Jiyoung." He murmured as he gently unbuckled her and got her settled in her carrier against his chest without waking her up. He shouldered his work bag and the diaper bag and headed up to the front door, unlocking the library for the day. As usual, he was the first one there, so he dropped his things off in his claimed area of the staff room before heading to the book return window to collect the books that had been dropped off since the library had closed Saturday night. He added the books back into the system then went around to reshelve them as his coworkers and some patrons began to trickle in to start the day. When the books were all reshelved, Wonwoo headed back to the front, directing some newcomers to the Monday Morning Yoga class held at the library when they asked. He settled at one of the computers, checking to make sure Jiyoung was still comfortably snoozing against his chest as he settled in to start assisting people with checking their books out.

***

When Mingyu arrived at the library to pick up Jiyoung, he couldn't help the immediate panic that set in when he didn't spot Wonwoo at the check-out area like he usually was at that time or smell him and Jiyoung in the immediate vicinity. But before he could go all protective alpha, one of Wonwoo's coworkers noticed him and said, "He's down at the stage area."

"Thank you." Mingyu nodded to her before heading to the far back of the library where there was an open space for events and performances.

Sure enough, Wonwoo was there, directing a few other people into setting up the area for a performance while nursing Jiyoung. "Look, Jiyoung, Appa's here for you!" Wonwoo exclaimed softly as he spotted Mingyu approaching.

"Did you have a good day, Jiyoung?" Mingyu asked the five-month-old.

Wonwoo hummed. "She loved having everyone gush over her in between taking naps against Eomma." He smiled down at her before turning back to Mingyu. "She should be done eating soon. She just woke up from a nap."

"That means you should have lots of energy for Appa Jiyoung time." Mingyu said.

When Jiyoung was finished nursing, Wonwoo walked with Mingyu back to the front so he could grab Jiyoung's diaper bag from the staff room before passing her off to the alpha. "You'll probably already be in bed by the time I get home so here's my goodnight kiss." Wonwoo pressed a few kisses to Jiyoung's cheek until she was giggling, then he puckered his lips at Mingyu.

Mingyu smiled and softly pressed his lips to Wonwoo's. "I'll have dinner ready when you get home." Wonwoo smiled and kissed Mingyu again in response. "Alright, let's get home, little one." Mingyu bounced Jiyoung slightly in his arms before turning to leave the library with her.

Chapter 13: Month 7

Wonwoo carried Jiyoung out to the deck where Mingyu was arranging the food he'd already made for their Labor Day party on the tables they'd set up outside before he turned on the Blackstone to make the rest of the food. "You wanna see what all Appa has made today?" Wonwoo asked as he carried Jiyoung along the table to inspect the various vegetable and other side dishes. "Dr. Jones said you can start eating solids now, so you can try almost whatever you want that's on this table." Wonwoo said before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"How about the coleslaw?" Mingyu suggested, picking up the bowl to show Jiyoung. "This is Appa's favorite." Jiyoung turned her head away from the bowl. "Okay not that…then how about the baked beans." He lifted those up next. "Eomma really likes these, and they'll help make sure you poop good." Jiyoung stared at the beans for a moment but didn't seem all too interested.

"Take your time, Jiyoung." Wonwoo said. "We would never force you to eat something you don't want."

They continued to show Jiyoung the different vegetable side dishes, telling her what each of them were even though she probably didn't fully understand. It was when Mingyu lifted up a plate with roasted green beans that Jiyoung finally seemed intrigued, the six-month-old reaching eagerly toward them. "You want to try the green beans?" Mingyu asked and Jiyoung babbled at him in response. He scooped a small amount onto one of the paper plates they had for their guests and cut them into slightly smaller pieces before holding the plate out to Jiyoung.

Jiyoung reached out to grab some green beans in her palm, staring at them intently as she squished them in her fist. After a moment of the infant just playing with them, Mingyu picked a remaining green bean up from the plate and held it out for her. Jiyoung eyed it for a moment before opening her mouth, allowing Mingyu place it inside. As she gummed at the green bean, her eyes lit up and she opened her mouth for more. "I think she likes green beans." Wonwoo chuckled pressing another kiss to the top of her head as she brought her smashed green bean covered fist to her mouth to lick at it.

***

Mingyu had Jiyoung's highchair pulled up beside him as he cooked, talking the six-month-old through his process. "Now the reason we're having this jambalaya pasta for dinner tonight is because this is what your eomma ordered during our first date at Pasta Grill eight years ago." Mingyu informed the infant. "So every year on the anniversary of our first date, I recreate that dish just for him to show I will never forget one of the greatest nights of my life."

Moments later, Mingyu heard the front door opening, signifying Wonwoo's return from work. "Sounds like Eomma's home!" Mingyu exclaimed.

"I am!" Wonwoo's voice rang out from the door, and shortly after he rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Are you helping Appa make dinner?" Wonwoo asked as he unbuckled a smiling Jiyoung from her highchair. "Am I gonna have two personal chefs around now?" Jiyoung giggled as Wonwoo pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes." Mingyu said.

"Can't wait." Wonwoo said eagerly, leaning in to give Mingyu a quick kiss before turning his attention back to the infant in his arms. "Let's go get you undressed so you won't get all messy while you eat." He bounced Jiyoung slightly on his hip before grabbing her highchair to carry back to the table.

***

As Wonwoo's game came to a saving point, he took the opportunity to stretch in his desk chair, cracking his neck and muscles as the next part loaded. He settled in to continue only for his eyes to land on the time. It was probably a good time for him to not only get some lunch, but it was getting close to when Jiyoung would need to nurse before her afternoon nap. So he closed out of his game for the time being and pushed back from his desk.

Padding out of the bedroom and down the hall, Wonwoo was met with the sight of Mingyu laying on the floor in front of Jiyoung as she did tummy time on a blanket in the middle of the living room. She lifted her head higher as she noticed Wonwoo, babbling happily at him. "Do you see Eomma?" Mingyu asked with a smile, pressing a kiss to the top of Jiyoung's head before noticing Wonwoo was heading into the kitchen. "I can make you something to eat." He said, pushing himself up from the floor.

Wonwoo shook his head and waved Mingyu off. "I'm just gonna fix a sandwich to have for now. Get me through Jiyoung's nursing session, then you can make me something bigger when she's asleep."

The omega had just reached the fridge to pull out some turkey when Mingyu began freaking out from the living room. "Wonwoo, look!"

Thinking something might be wrong, Wonwoo whirled around and saw Jiyoung beginning crawl across the living room towards him. "Well, hi!" Wonwoo laughed a bit as he walked to the edge of the kitchen, crouching down and spreading his arms out. "Come here, Little One!" Jiyoung smiled brightly and began crawling faster until she was close enough for Wonwoo to scoop up. "You're getting so big!" He pressed a kiss to her cheek as he straightened up. His gaze drifted over to Mingyu, who looked like he was seconds away from bursting into tears. "You're so dramatic." Wonwoo shook his head at his mate before turning to resume his mission of making a sandwich with Jiyoung as his helper.

"It's not dramatic to get emotional over our pup growing up!" Mingyu whined defensively.

"If that's what you need to believe." Wonwoo said, making Mingyu pout even more.

Notes:

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Series this work belongs to:

• Part 53 of Korean-American Series
• Part 17 of SVT KAS Arc
• Part 5 of MinWon KAS Arc