ℛ𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑟 𝚑𝚢𝚞𝚗𝚕𝚒𝚡

Tiramisu.

It was eerily silent, as if the very air held its breath. Not a single sound drifted through the grand corridors of the family mansion. Hyunjin had moved back with Felix and the children, and once again, he found himself surrounded by the quiet grandeur of his childhood home.

It was morning, the silence was absolute, broken only by the hum of a breeze outside the thick walls. He is so familiar with this quietness, this stillness that only came with life in the most expensive, secluded parts of the seoul city.

These halls held memories that only he could understand, hidden within the maze of rooms and expensive furnishings. He remembered the feel of the polished wooden floors as he ran through the corridors, how he liked the blank canvas of white walls that he painted with colors with his wildest brush strokes. Even after getting scolded by his mother, she had never truly stopped him from painting, his paints and colors as much a part of the mansion's story as the chandeliers and marble floors.

The once silent corridors were now alive with the sound of his children, Hyeon and Yojin, filling the mansion with laughter, little arguments, and energy he hadn't felt here since he was a kid. His mother had smiled, watching her grandchildren race through the halls, and said, "It feels alive again" Those words touched him deeply.

His parents has become playful, almost childlike with their grandchildren.

Now he is the head of the family, a role his father had passed down to him, Hyunjin felt the weight of the responsibility. But he is ready for it and he looked forward to welcoming another little one soon.

The sun is barely up, to touch the horizon, casting a dim glow through the slightly open curtains. Hyunjin lay there, half-awake, trying to sink back into sleep, but he couldn't do so when he suddenly met the floor, receiving a sharp, unwelcome kiss from the carpet. He grimaced, rubbing his forehead, and groaned in pain.

"What the.." he muttered, only to see Felix wide awake on the bed

"It's coming! I think it's coming!" Felix said almost worried

Hyunjin blinked, still feeling sleepy  "Wh-what's coming?"

Felix glared at him. "The baby! Your pup, Hyunjin!"

It took Hyunjin a moment, but then reality hit him "The baby... THE BABY!"

Felix, exasperated, nodded. "Yes! And I think my water just broke"

Hyunjin's eyes widened, and he hastily stood up on his feet ignoring the kiss on his head from the floor, immediately helping Felix sit comfortably while he went for the hospital bags he'd packed two days ago. He didn't want to be caught unprepared, especially in a moment as intense as this. But as he opened the door, his mom came rushing down the hallway, her expression anxious.

"Mom!" he whispered urgently.

"Is everything alright? I heard a loud thud. Is everything okay? How's Lix?"

"We have to go" he said quickly, his voice tight with worry "His water broke"

His mom peeked into the room, looking at Felix, who was already looking drained, sweat clinging to his face, his expression twisted with the pain radiating through his body.

"Give me the bags," she said gently, "You take him out to the car quickly."

Hyunjin nodded. A warm, steady hand rested on his shoulder as his mom slipped by with the bags, and then she left.

This was his first time facing anything like this, and the nerves clawed at him with each step. Watching Felix like this, vulnerable and in visible pain, his omegas face scrunched with each wave of pain, made hyunjin worried more. He'd been by Felix's side through every restless night, every tear, every frustrated sigh, and each time he felt guilty, no matter how many times Felix assured him it is alright. Sometimes, Hyunjin would cry in silence, in regrets and guilts.