The light of the morning sun gently broke through the curtains, casting golden stripes onto the bed. Minjun was still asleep, his breathing steady, his eyelashes trembling from light dreams. Hyuk pressed against his back, covering him with his body, inhaling the familiar, so comforting scent.
He smiled to himself and, barely holding back, began to slowly kiss his shoulder. His lips glided over the skin - from the back of his neck to his neck, from his neck to his collarbone. Minjun stirred slightly, making a sleepy, barely audible sound. Hyuk didn't stop: his palm rested on the omega's waist, slowly moving lower.
His fingers slid over his stomach and reached his crotch. It was wet. Too wet. Hyuk froze, frowning, and carefully touched the sheet - the fabric was wet, as if soaked with water.
"Minjun..." his voice broke into a whisper.
He quickly pulled the blanket away. A damp fabric was revealed, a sign that could not be mistaken for anything else. His water had broken.
Hyuk's heart pounded so loudly that he felt the whole apartment could hear it. He sharply shook Minjun's shoulder.
"Minjun! Wake up!" his voice trembled.
The omega's eyes flew open, his gaze hazy from sleep and surprise, but a second later he understood what had happened. Panic flashed across his face.
"Hyuk..." he whispered quietly, almost silently, clutching his hand.
"Everything will be okay. I'm with you, do you hear me?" Hyuk didn't give himself time for confusion. He dressed Minjun in the first things he found, held him close, and in a few minutes, they were rushing to the hospital.
***
The corridors shone with whiteness. The smell of antiseptic stung his nose. Hyuk paced back and forth while Minjun was wheeled away on a gurney to the operating room. His hands were shaking, his fingers clenched in his hair, his thoughts jumbled.
"Wait here," a nurse's even voice said, and the door slammed shut in front of his face.
Time stopped. Minutes felt like an eternity. He walked down the corridor, then sat down, then stood up again. A feeling lived in his chest - as if his heart was being torn apart. "Minjun... just hold on... please, hold on..."
Every time he heard a sound of footsteps or a rustle behind the door, he would lift his head. But it wasn't them. Anxiety was burning him from the inside.
Finally, the door opened. A doctor in a white coat came out to him. Hyuk jumped up, his breath caught.
"How is he? Minjun..." his voice broke.
The doctor took off his mask, his gaze calm but serious. And he said words that changed Hyuk's world forever:
"Congratulations. You have a healthy baby."
"The operation was successful. Your partner's and the baby's lives are not in danger."
At first, Hyuk didn't believe his ears. The doctor's words seemed to drown in the sound of blood rushing in his temples. But then it sank in, and his eyes welled up. He covered his face with his hands, trying to compose himself.
"Can I... see them?" he asked hoarsely.
A nurse came out a few minutes later, holding a tiny bundle wrapped in white blankets.
"Here is your son," she said softly, and carefully placed the baby in Hyuk's arms.
Hyuk froze. His breath hitched. A tiny face, wrinkled and reddish, tiny fingers that suddenly curled around his finger. His heart clenched with such a force of feeling that he almost choked.
"Hello... my boy," he whispered, and his voice trembled. "Daddy's here. I'll never leave you or your omega. Never."
The baby squeaked a little, and Hyuk pressed him to his chest, feeling a new, barely perceptible scent for the first time - tender, warm, and familiar.
In the hospital corridor, amidst the smell of antiseptic and the sound of footsteps, their small world was born for the first time.