𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 || 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧

End

After his scare, Seungkwan was only too happy to accept Seokmin’s recommendation of modified bed rest for the remainder of his pregnancy.

At first, it meant plenty of naps in his hedgehog form, lots of breaks between chores, and no heavy lifting. It also meant no horseback riding, which made Seungkwan a little sad. But it was only for two months, and riding in his condition didn’t exactly sound comfortable anyway.

“Let me take that,” Vernon said, snatching the water bucket from his hands.

“I can manage an empty bucket,” he said with a laugh, trying to steal it back.

“I’ve got it,” Vernon told him. “You look tired still. Why don’t you go back to bed?”

“All I do these days is laze around in bed. That can’t be good for anyone. Couldn’t we go for a walk in the woods?”

Vernon glanced doubtfully up at the sky. “Looks like rain.”

“Then we’ll get wet. It won’t kill us.”

When Vernon hesitated, he started to get a little ticked off.

“Can we stop with the whole ‘overprotective alpha’ routine? Everything is fine. I’m fine, the babies are fine. We just had an ultrasound yesterday. Three healthy, happy, growing babies in there. I’d like one equally happy omega out here, not one whose limbs are atrophying from lack of movement.”

Vernon winced at that. “Okay, you’re right. Just let me fill the water trough, and we’ll stretch our legs.”

Seungkwan, feeling he’d been a bit harsh on the alpha, pressed a hand to Vernon’s arm.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”

“It’s okay. Joshua and Yuna have been saying the same thing. That I’m swaddling you in cotton wool, and it’s going to drive you crazy.”

“It’s not like you haven’t had reason to feel protective of me,” Seungkwan said softly. “Between the court case, the military, and our scare. That’s a lot to have to deal with when it’s in your very nature to protect.”

“Yeah. The urge to grab you and find a safe place to hide out is pretty strong most of the time.”

“All the same,” Seungkwan continued. “The court case is over, there’s nothing left for us to do there. We've got that writ of protection from the courts—the military can’t touch us for at least the next six months. And—”

“And you and the babies are doing just fine,” Vernon murmured, pressing his hands to Seungkwan’s bump. The babies shifted around in there, doing what felt like little somersaults.

“Exactly,” Seungkwan said, letting his hands rest over Vernon’s.

The alpha stole a kiss, taking Seungkwan’s hands in his. “Six weeks to go,” he murmured.

“I know. I don’t know whether it’s too soon or not soon enough.”

Vernon laughed softly, his breath warm against Seungkwan’s skin as he kissed him again.

Not soon enough was definitely the answer. Seungkwan had never known it was possible to be so uncomfortable in his own body. Parts of him he hadn’t even known were there ached. He felt like he had the back of a man three times his age, and there was no comfortable position to lie in anymore.

He spent as much time as possible in his shifter form, curled up in a pile of blankets on his bed. Vernon often curled up with him, in human form because the practical implications of a horse in the bed just didn’t work.