Himchan had thought he was prepared for this. He had thought that it would be a moment of joy. What were the odds he would find himself squished in between two soundly sleeping older women on a tiny midnight plane ride back home, fiddling with his fingers and downing three cups of coffee within the first half hour of the flight, bouncing his leg and regretting that specific decision regarding beverages, and wishing there was a faster mode of transportation so that he could get back home to his maybe-pregnant mate?

Slim to none, he determined. Of course it would be just his luck. Of course he would be so stupid the one time he needed to not be, and leave his mate at the worst possible time in which one could leave their mate.

And Daehyun had sounded so worried over the phone, and that made Himchan worried, and Himchan should have asked for more details before rushing out; he should have asked if Jongup was feeling well, if he was alright. He should have asked Daehyun why he thought Jongup was pregnant, because Daehyun had a habit of jumping to conclusions sometimes, and––. But no, Himchan had mindlessly fled back to the airport he hadn’t been away from for even a full day in the middle of the night, leaving a note––a note ––behind on his mother’s kitchen counter to explain his abrupt disappearance and apologize for it.

Could be worse. Could be raining. Not like he would know if it was, anyway, just so happening to be above the clouds at the moment, and whatnot. Maybe it was raining. Maybe it was worse. Himchan grew jittery as the worries got stuck in his head. On one hand, he hoped that Daehyun was right, because it would explain all of Jongup’s recent neediness and discomfort. Not to mention it would imply that Himchan had finally fulfilled one of his duties as an alpha of the pack. But on the other hand, Himchan would feel all-around even more terrible for leaving at a time in which his presence alongside Jongup was practically vital for proper health. He shouldn’t dwell on that.

He dwelled on it for the rest of the flight.

“Explain.” Himchan had thrown his bags into the back of the car, and as soon as he had buckled into the passenger’s seat, Youngjae had taken off.

Youngjae just shrugged. “I don’t know either, Himchan. Daehyun won’t tell any of us anything. It’s quite frustrating.”

“Wait, you mean he didn’t tell you?”

“Refused to say anything that wasn’t ‘go pick him up at the airport’,” Youngjae said with a roll of his eyes.

Oh. Daehyun didn’t want them to know about his suspicion before Himchan. There wasn’t a way to be sure until Himchan got back, too, and they could go to a doctor.

Himchan had been so certain that he would know if Jongup was going to have pups, but nothing (aside from his recently strange behavior) had seemed off about him physically. His scent had been the same as always, but it wasn’t like he had done a thorough sniffing of him or anything.

He had read about how alphas had a should to be able to “sense” when a mate was pregnant. Maybe it took a lot of concentration, or something, and was less instinctive than he thought. Or maybe it was more of a wolf thing. He did know for a fact that pregnancies were much easier to deal with in wolf form after the first two weeks, as that was about when the pups would normally begin to take on their shape, and they couldn’t shift themselves with the parent, so trying to shift while pregnant could put a lot of stress on the body and even deal damage.

Pregnancies with male omegas were rare and usually produced half the amount of offspring a female would; not that Himchan minded.

He spent most of the car ride receiting everything he knew in his head. Male omegas had a longer gestation period than females, about four or five months, so it was likely that (if Jongup was actually going to have pups) he would start staying in his wolf form about a month in. He doubted Jongup would mind. In fact, if he knew anything about his mate he figured he would enjoy it, considering how much time he usually spent in his wolf form already.

On another note, parenting wasn’t a huge deal for werewolf pups compared to actual, one-hundred-percent-human babies, and they matured much more quickly (physically, at least,) but that didn’t mean Himchan wasn’t nervous. He would have to do some more reading. Pups couldn’t even shift into humans until they were six months old, and that only meant that they were capable of shifting at that age, not that they would, necessarily. Sometimes it could take years. Himchan was brought to the realization that he didn’t know nearly enough about this.

All of the omegas in their extended pack were actively trying to conceive; Himchan was actively helping with that. Why hadn’t he been doing research? Idiot. This isn’t a “we’ll cross that bridge when we get there” situation. At least, it shouldn’t be.

A lot of the time, male omegas weren’t even fertile––in fact it was rare for them to be––, and when they were, they exhibited a higher rate of failed pregnancies and side effects than women.

Himchan knew that Daehyun couldn’t conceive. It was something he didn’t like to talk about, and Himchan hadn’t been a part of the pack when they’d found out, but, according to Jongup, it had been bad.

As soon as Himchan closed the front door behind him, there was a commotion at the top of the staircase. A blur of gray shot down the steps and slid into the wall, knocking into the side table and skittering through the foyer.

By the time the wolf reached him, it wasn’t a wolf anymore. Much to Himchan’s delight, it had transformed into a Jongup, albeit a Jongup, but still a Jongup, nonetheless.

He looked down.

All the more, actually.

He leapt into Himchan’s arms like he was returning from war and not his parents’ house, and Himchan didn’t even stumble. He dropped his bag and slipped his arms around Jongup’s waist, then turned them around to hide his… assets from the other people around them. Don’t get him wrong, Himchan trusted his pack with everything he had, but he wasn’t about to let Jongup go around showing off his body to them. That was reserved for him exclusively, no exceptions.

Youngjae, who had swooped in to steady the table Jongup had almost knocked over when he flew down the stairs, ushered everyone else into the living room. The sun would be rising soon, and Himchan figured they whole house would be snoozing the day away once it did, after all this drama. He especially could use some snoozing, himself, having not even been able to doze off during his flight.

But the snoozing would have to wait. Jongup had taken to dropping kisses all over Himchan’s face, humming as he then lowered his head to tuck into his neck.

“I missed you,” he murmured. (Whined.)

Himchan cracked a small smile. “Jonguppie, I wasn’t even gone for a day,” he said, petting his mate’s hair softly. Suddenly, Jongup pulled back, but his arms and legs tightened around Himchan.

“Don’t leave again,” he demanded with a stubborn pout.

“We have some things to discuss, I think?” Himchan rose his eyebrows and gave him a look, watching Jongup’s face flush. He toed off his shoes, leaving them in the middle of the hallway, right in front of the door. Hazardous placement on his part, but he could worry about that after somebody tripped over them.

“Upstairs, Master?”

Jongup squirmed as if only now realizing the predicament his rushed actions had put him in. “Um, you can put me down…” he began to unwind his legs from where they gripped around Himchan’s waist, but a hand grabbed his thigh and the other pressed against the small of his back, stopping him. Jongup looked up at Himchan and paused his thinking for a minute, foregoing the embarrassment of being cradled practically against the wall of their foyer for any passerby to potentially witness, then leaned up and kissed him.

Himchan’s grip around his thigh tightened, and his fingers dug into his spine. Jongup broke away quickly, instead dragging his mouth down Himchan’s neck and over his collar, laying his cheek against the claim mark he knew was beneath his shirt.

“Why are you two still down here?” Suddenly Youngjae’s voice echoed down the hall, and Jongup jumped in his arms.

Himchan rolled his eyes. “We were just on our way up,” he mumbled, just loud enough that he knew Youngjae would pick it up, and hiked Jongup up a little bit before ascending the stairs.

“Were you in here?” Himchan kicked the door to his room shut behind them after awkwardly nudging the light switch up with his shoulder. The lamp in the corner lit the room in a dusky orange glow, and he carefully deposited Jongup on the rumpled bed.

Jongup uncurled his calves and let go of Himchan’s shoulders, resting on his back as he watched him turn to his dresser. As Himchan began to change, yanking his jeans off and abandoning his shirt, Jongup frowned. He rolled onto his side and curled up a bit. He cleared his throat and reached over the side of the bed, retrieving the shirt Himchan had tossed to the floor and sitting up to slide it on.

“Himchan…”

The older man hummed and turned around, smiling at Jongup’s behavior. It was a habit he’d learned he took to completely mindlessly, stealing Himchan’s worn clothes from him.

He shook his head with a light laugh. “Jonguppie, that’s dirty.”

When he reached forward Jongup pouted and clutched the fabric, leaning away.

Himchan sighed. “I’m right here, you know,” he said. “If you want to smell like me just use the real thing. You can rub up against me all you want, I promise.”

“I’d rather you rub up against me all I want,” Jongup mumbled. His pout remained, but he relented, and allowed Himchan to pull the shirt over his head and toss it into the hamper.

“I’m sorry,” Jongup said, “for all of this.”

Himchan turned around and pulled a face, nose scrunching up. “Why are you apologizing? You didn’t do anything wrong.” He sat down on the side of the bed, next to Jongup, who leaned into him immediately. “If anything, I shouldn’t have even left, knowing already weren’t feeling well.”

Jongup shook his head. “You were with you family,” he said to Himchan’s shoulder. “You were supposed to see your niece but you didn’t even get to stay the night because of me.”

Himchan sighed and pulled Jongup’s face back, cupping it with his hands and tilting it upward so that he could look at him properly.

“Jongup-ah, I am with my family,” he said softly. “Every time I enter this house, I’m with my family.” He Jongup’s cheek with his finger. “Especially now.”

“Honestly, that’s really sweet and cheesy, hyung,” Jongup said, scrunching his nose, “but I really do feel bad.” He shook his head, and Himchan let go, dropping his hands into his lap.

“I couldn’t even handle a few hours away from you! If… if this keeps up, or gets worse? And then I can’t––I won’t be able to––”

Himchan cut him off by placing a finger over his lips. “Jongup, if this keeps up or gets worse, then I’ll stay with you. I will anyway, you know that.”

“I don’t want to keep you bound to my side at all times,” Jongup argued, casting his eyes down and reaching for Himchan’s hands.

“Hey, I signed up for this, you know,” Himchan said, a half-smile gracing his face. He brushed his fingertips over the scar on Jongup’s neck. “Maybe I could have done more research before hand––”

Jongup gave him a look.

“––okay, I should have done more research before hand––but at the end of the day, when you hurt, I hurt.” Himchan linked their hands together and pulled Jongup into the small nest of sheets and pillows at the head of the bed. “Really, Jonguppie, you have nothing to feel sorry for.”

Jongup huffed and let Himchan tug him down, settling in his arms, facing him.

“Okay, well, anyway––” it was clear by the way Jongup spoke that it was not okay by any means at the moment, but that would have to be dealt with later “––um, so, Daehyun…” he fumbled, and Himchan picked up the line for him.

“Is pretty sure you’re––”

“Yeah,” Jongup interrupted. He almost felt afraid of the word, scared to hear it leave Himchan’s mouth. “He thinks I’m––yeah.”

“And,” Himchan drew the word out, having expected Jongup to continue.

“And, I need to make an appointment with the doctor…” his eyes darted around, as if nervous to land on Himchan’s.

Himchan quirked a brow. “We need to make an appointment with the doctor,” he corrected. Jongup’s face flushed, and Himchan decided not to push it for now. They could deal with that in a few hours.

“You feel better now?” he asked.

Jongup smiled up at him. “Yeah. A little weird still, but yeah. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” He snuggled further into Himchan’s embrace and pushed his nose up into his neck, inhaling deeply. Himchan frowned, wondering what Jongup meant by “hurt” and what exactly had been hurting, but he pushed the questions back, figuring Jongup wasn’t too keen on discussing that yet.

“You sure made quite the nest out of my bed,” Himchan said.

Jongup winced. “Sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking very clearly. I kind of just… shifted and let my instincts take over for a while.”

“It’s comfortable,” Himchan said, rubbing the back of Jongup’s neck. “Now stop apologizing for everything.”

“Sorry.”

“Jongup.”

“I mean, um,” Jongup drummed his fingers on Himchan’s shoulder, tapping gently. “My bad?”

Himchan exhaled a laugh. “We’ll work on it.”

“I feel more comfortable being a wolf right now, I think,” Jongup said, pushing his head against Himchan’s chest and wrapping his arms around him even more tightly. “It helped, before.” His hand trailed down Himchan’s arm and squeezed his hand. “I think because I could smell you better,” he said with a shy smile. “But it also made the aching go away. Even though I am feeling better now, I still keep getting urges to change back.”

“Sounds to me like your body wants you to do all the sniffing and snuggling you can,” Himchan said, amused.

Jongup nodded. “Yeah, seems like it,” he agreed.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Himchan asked, pulling back to smile at him..

“You, I guess,” Jongup answered, pulling back before tracing a finger up his chest, gaze rising to meet Himchan’s eyes.

He was out of his socks and underwear almost as fast as he had been when Jongup’s last heat had started.

“Okay, Himchan-hyung is back, now can you tell us what’s wrong with Jonguppie?” Youngjae’s leg was bouncing under the table as he sipped his water. Not knowing the exact condition of any pack member had a tendency to put him on edge. He was supposed to be responsible, to take care of the others and make sure that any and all problems were immediately addressed. Youngjae was, admittedly, a bit softer when it came to traditional pack alpha traditions in comparison to most, but he didn’t want to be in charge of anybody else’s life. He didn’t want there to be rankings within his family. There would be no drama happening on his watch.

But there were instincts he couldn’t ignore. For example, how uncomfortable he felt being aware that a pack member was ill and he couldn’t help.

“Youngjae, I told you already, it’s not my place to tell you.”

“Look, Daehyun.” Youngjae rubbed at his temples. “I appreciate your chivalry or whatever in regards to this situation, but you literally have never said a thing like that before in your life. I honestly can’t imagine what could be wrong with Jongup that you wouldn’t be blabbering all over the place about, and, quite frankly, it’s freaking me out.”

Junhong, who was lying on the couch in the next room, head in Yongguk’s lap as he dozed (it being quite too early in the morning for his liking,) bit his lip, well aware that he knew something he shouldn’t. Yongguk, being Yongguk as he was, of course noticed the slight shift in Junhong’s mood, and looked down.

“Stop biting,” he rumbled, reaching down to tug Junhong’s bottom lip from where his teeth had caught on it. His canines had already brought a dot of blood to the surface.

Yongguk knew better than to pry, but Junhong was so jumpy. He was bouncing his knee and drumming his fingers. He had been pacing until Yongguk hadn’t been able to stand it any longer and pulled him down onto the couch.

There was a low growl from the kitchen table, and both of them perked up to peer over the half wall separating them. Youngjae had risen to his feet, and Daehyun was curled back in his seat, making himself small and avoiding the alpha’s gaze. Yongguk could feel it, too, and he didn’t doubt Junhong did as well. It was unusual for Youngjae to lose his cool; it was common knowledge that he hated using his genetics to assert dominance over the rest of the pack, but he had only actually become a pack leader a few years ago, and nothing like this had ever happened under his responsibility before. Yongguk was sure he’d feel the same way.

Youngjae gave Daehyun’s shoulder an apologetic pat before leaving the kitchen. He would give him a proper apology later. For now, he needed to talk with the other two. He made his way upstairs silently, one hand on the railing even though he required no help to maintain his balance. Instead he used it to pull himself up faster, taking the steps two at a time.

The door to Himchan’s room was closed, but Youngjae could see soft light flowing into the hallway from the space between the door and the hardwoods. He knocked lightly on the door. It took Himchan a minute to beckon him inside, but as soon as he opened the door, he understood why. He had needed to shift back.

The whole room was basked in a dim, dusky orange glow from the lamp on the bedside table. Jongup was curled around Himchan’s waist, regarding Youngjae passively, as usual.

“Did Daehyun tell you?” Himchan asked, one hand the fur behind Jongup’s ears.

Youngjae shook his head and leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “He refused to spill even a word to any of us. Though I am absolutely positive Junhonggie knows something . Kid has been fidgeting like crazy.”

Himchan nodded. “Interesting that Daehyun seems to suddenly have to power to keep his mouth shut,” he joked. “Close the door?”

Youngjae sat carefully at the edge of the bed, this time addressing Jongup. “Are you feeling better?” he asked.

Jongup made a pleased-sounding rumble deep in his chest, which seemed to appease both Youngjae and Himchan.

“He told me he feels better as a wolf right now,” Himchan filled in. “Which makes sense, I suppose.”

Youngjae rose an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

Himchan looked down at Jongup, who, after a beat, nudged his side with his snout. Himchan giggled when his wet nose brushed against his stomach. “Alright,” he said. “Well, we’re… pretty sure Jongup is going to be having pups.”

The sentence lit up Youngjae’s ears like a thousand fireworks, and a huge smile graced his face. “Seriously?” He looked between the two, eyes sparkling as his back straightened to attention.

Himchan just nodded, and Jongup nuzzled back into him contentedly.

“Himchan––Jongup, that’s amazing,” Youngjae said. He scooted up but not past the makeshift nest the two mates were resting in, and reached out to pat Jongup’s head. “I can’t even describe how happy I am right now,” he gushed excitedly, trying hard to keep from shouting. “This will be the first litter of the pack! Oh my God, I can’t believe it––so soon… I’ll need to tell the others. Or, you two can, if you’d prefer that, but––God, I’m just,” he cut himself off with a laugh. “This is so amazing. Especially with how rare it is for male omegas to be fertile and whatnot… I feel like the luckiest pack leader in the world,” he exclaimed.

Himchan just smiled. “I know,” he said quietly. “It’s the most incredible feeling ever.” He continued to run his fingers through Jongup’s fur, sweet affection obvious in his touch.

“Congratulations,” Youngjae said, sending another smile Jongup’s way. “Really. You make me proud of my pack.”

“Aw, don’t cry, Youngjae,” Himchan cooed.

“Oh, shut up.” Youngjae punched him in the arm half heartedly. “I’m not going to cry.”

Himchan sighed contentedly and leaned back, adjusting the sheets to follow his movement. “You can spread the news,” he said. “I think we’re both too sleepy to do much else right now.” He nodded to Jongup, who was trying hard to keep his eyes open. “And we don’t want to keep everyone waiting in suspense any longer.”

Youngjae nodded. “Understandable. Are you two going to make an appointment with a doctor soon?”

“We’ll take care of all that after we get some rest, Jae, don’t worry. It’s under control for now.”

“For now,” Youngjae echoed. He stood up and stretched, then made his way back over to the door. “Let me know if you need anything,” he said. “Really, anything. We’re all here to help, don’t forget that.”

“I know. Thanks, Jae.”

When he woke up at around one in the afternoon, Himchan finally allowed the happiness and pride to seep in as he gazed at Jongup. They were going to be parents together––they were contributing to the pack, they were going to be parents . This certain detail was one he couldn’t get to leave his head, and he didn’t want it to leave his head, either.

When he had only first known him, Himchan had been surprised at how much time Jongup liked to spend in his wolf form. He’d been a wolf when they met, in fact, refusing to turn back despite Youngjae’s efforts to beckon him from where he had been snuggled across Junhong’s lap.

After he started helping out Jongup with his heats and they began to spend more time together, Himchan often found himself waking up to wolf-Jongup curled up next to––and sometimes on top of––him, with his head resting on his chest, or his nose tucked under his own tail, if he was cold.

Now, Himchan woke up to the cold of a snout poking at his chin. He couldn’t remember how long they had managed to stay awake cuddling for, and he definitely didn’t remember when he had shifted back. But he have no mind to that, because Jongup was lying stretched out on top of him; his lower half and legs sat between his thighs, and the remainder of him rested on Himchan’s stomach and chest heavily. It was like having a hundred-degree brick on top of him. (Not that Himchan minded in the slightest.)

Wolf-Jongup was breathing deeply, still sound asleep. His paws just reached Himchan’s shoulders, and his front legs stretched out alongside his head. His tail was draped over Himchan’s thigh, and the tip flicked a tiny bit every few seconds; he must have been dreaming.

Himchan brought one hand up to rest beneath Jongup’s jaw, on the side of his neck, and the other buried itself in the thick, fuzzy fur behind one of his ears. He began to scratch there slowly, knowing full well where Jongup’s favorite spot was, and more than willing to exploit that knowledge. He remembered the day they first discovered it.

They had been on one of the sofas in the living room downstairs, and Jongup had been curled up, a wolf, half on Himchan’s lap and content with the hand softly petting his head. He’d shifted back in a panic the moment Himchan’s fingers had swept under his ear, and he skittered backwards, hand covering his neck and his face pink.

Himchan thought Jongup must have already known about it, but apparently it was a first for the both of them. Himchan had tried many times after that to get Jongup to let him touch, eager to please him, but Jongup would just keep smacking his hand away, clearly still embarrassed from the first time.

Now, with Jongup so deeply asleep, Himchan had the perfect opening. As soon as he started to lightly scratch, Jongup shifted and breathed out deeply, tickling Himchan’s face with the whiskers on his snout. Himchan flinched and paused his hand, and Jongup rolled just a fraction over, settling back down on his side. As soon as Himchan was sure he was still asleep, he started to pet him again, with easier access now that he had rolled over. Once it became apparent that Jongup wouldn’t be waking up any time soon––deep sleeper as he is and exhausted from the night before, anyway––, Himchan moved his other hand opposite the first, cupping Jongup’s neck in his palms, and scratched from both sides at the same time.

Jongup began to shift more in his sleep, even some little noises managing to escape. Himchan watched, fascinated, as one of Jongup’s hind legs began to kick as he arched his neck to give his hands better access.

Since when did wolves do the leg-shaky thing?

He chuckled a bit, absolutely delighted at this new discovery, and Jongup promptly landed a solid kick to his shin. Himchan winced and grunted, looking down to see Jongup’s eyes open, watching him indifferently.

Jongup stared at him, and Himchan could tell he was exhausted, too, eyes falling shut slowly, drifting off, only to snap back into hard focus every time he realized that he was dozing. Cute .

Then, suddenly, Jongup shifted back and fell with a light “oof” onto his chest.

They laid there together for a few minutes, just breathing in sync with one another, before Himchan spoke.

“I know we don’t know for sure,” he mumbled from beside Jongup’s head, which was pressed into his shoulder again, “but I have a feeling. I think… I think we are going to be parents.” He Jongup’s spine with his fingers.

“You know what will help us be great parents?” Jongup asked, yawning and lifting his head to raise his eyebrows at Himchan.

He knew what was coming. “What?” he played along.

“Sleeping.”

“Yeah, we should… do more of that…”

Jongup’s fingers on Himchan’s skin were distracting, though. The way he traced over the veins in Himchan’s neck, the lines of his torso. Jongup nuzzled back into his neck and sighed contentedly.

“I missed you,” he said softly, accompanied by a kiss to Himchan’s skin. Jongup kept his lips pressed against the pulsepoint just below his ear, enjoying the feeling of his heartbeat against them.

“I won’t leave again,” Himchan assured him, petting his hair. It was like they just couldn’t keep their hands off each other. Though there was no reason Himchan could think to justify why they wouldn’t always be touching each other so long as they were within the same building. Touching Jongup was nice, and brought upon him a sense of peace and contentment. Himchan didn’t think he’d ever take his hands off of his mate if he didn’t absolutely have to.

“Ever?” Jongup lifted his head and smiled brightly at him. “So you’ll remain attached to my hip from here on out, forever?”

“If that’s what you want.” Himchan leaned up and kissed him. When he withdrew, Jongup was frowning at him, his nose scrunched up.

“If you get any more cheesy, Hyung, I’ll develop a lactose intolerance,” he said, poking Himchan in the cheek.

“Well, we can’t have that now, can we? You wouldn’t be able to have you morning glass of milk.”

Jongup continued to rain pokes across Himchan’s face. “I drink milk in the afternoon and evening too, you know,” he said.

Himchan snorted. “No wonder you’re so dense,” he joked, hitting Jongup lightly on the arm.

Jongup scoffed and pushed himself up so that he was sitting over Himchan’s hips, and suddenly Himchan was reminded of just how nice Jongup looked when he was . His arms were folded across his chest and he looked down at the alpha, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, please,” he said, absently bringing one hand down to draw up and down Himchan’s chest. “I’ve been able to see right through you since the moment we met.”

It took a lot of willpower for Himchan to keep himself from reaching for Jongup again, but he managed to keep still, head staying on the pillow. “When we first met you were in your wolf form curled around Junhong’s waist like a lap dog,” he shot back.  “And you refused to shift to say hello.”

“In my defense,” Jongup said, now tracing his finger along Himchan’s stomach in slow, tantalizing circles, “I don’t exactly have a great history when it comes to meeting strangers.” He pursed his lips and his hands stilled. “Especially alphas.”

Himchan wiggled his arms up and propped himself up on his elbows, smiling as Jongup’s hands cupped his face.

“I know,” Himchan murmured. “I can’t understand what it’s like to be an omega. But I can say that I’m glad you and Junhonggie found Youngjae.”

Jongup rubbed small circles into Himchan’s cheeks with his thumbs, loving how the soft skin felt under his hands. “Well, it was more like Hyung found us ,” he said. “But me too. I don’t know how long we would’ve lasted out there if Daehyun-hyung hadn’t sniffed us out.” He bit his lip, and dropped his hands from Himchan’s face. “I really thought Junhonggie wouldn’t––”

“I know,” Himchan cut him off, placing his own hands over Jongup’s cheeks and pulling him closer. He pressed their foreheads together and closed his eyes. “This is the best family I’ve ever had.”

Jongup sniffled quietly, finding himself a bit overcome with emotions as Himchan held his face like he meant everything to him. (He had been doing that a lot lately.)

But he was smiling, and gave a breathy laugh before closing the gap between them and kissing him.

haha guess who didn't edit a word of this and also made the story double the size it was originally going to be :))) yes, so. there are actually still two more chapters to go.
Thank you to bunches to everyone who's giving me support; it means the world to me. Please leave me a comment if you're enjoying it!! Your feedback always makes me want to write more. <3

Also, I know there's a little bit of angst being hinted at in this chapter, but it won't really be too prominent in the rest of this part of the series, so don't worry; all promises of fluff will be fulfilled! There is much, MUCH more cuteness to come, I guarantee. :D