The Alpha and his Omega

Autumn Leaves [Parenthood 13]

"You sure you're okay, Eren?"

"Yeah, yeah stop worrying." His omega waved exasperatedly at him. Even though Eren had been due at the end of the month, Chase Merritt Ackerman was born prematurely about a week ago, and all of them were worn out from the ordeal. He was a little underweight, but completely healthy and had a strong set of lungs according to the doctor. But everyone was exhausted dealing with the newest addition to the family. "I'm going to check up on Chase and Farlan and then try to grab a nap myself."

The youngest two Ackermans were both napping, and the dark-haired male had agreed to bring the older two of their children outside, allowing Eren to get some much-needed rest. Luckily, his mate had stopped taking on projects after news of his pregnancy and this time Levi had been able to get parental leave which had begun at the start of this month. But even with both of them at home, it did not mean things were always easy. Taking care of Chase was almost a full-time job for one of them, namely Eren, and there were three other kids to watch over. At times like this Levi couldn't fathom why he ever agreed to raising another brat. At least Eren, who was the one most affected by the ordeal, seemed happy, so he let it slide. A few weeks of stress wouldn't kill him.

Casting one last worried glance at his husband, Levi opened the door and ushered his daughters out with him into the brisk autumn weather. The leaves had begun falling a week ago and even though they didn't affect him the same way that dirt or filth did, the alpha didn't like the idea of leaves littering around. It was going to be Halloween soon, so he figured he might as well kill two birds with one stone by using the leaves to stuff some of those orange jack-o-lantern recycling bags. His children were definitely going to ask to go trick or treating, but with Eren the way he was, Levi didn't want to leave his husband behind.

"Bye bye mommy!" His daughters chorused.

Isabel, Carla, and Farlan had been relatively unaffected by Chase's birth by staying with Mikasa. That had solved the problem of what to do when he was in hospital with Eren, but they were definitely going to need a full-time babysitter (or two) with how busy things were getting. It would be okay for the rest of the year, but after his leave ended, having an extra pair of hands helping out would be a blessing. His daughters had entered grade one last month which meant that someone had to drop and pick them up. Levi didn't trust anyone outside of their circle with his baby girls, and with Eren otherwise occupied, it naturally fell on his shoulders.

"Have fun! And be good for your daddy, okay, Isabel and Carla?" Eren called back and they nodded furiously.

Shutting the door behind them, he grabbed both of their hands, knowing that if he didn't, they could easily run off to another part of the backyard and Levi didn't want to deal with that at the moment.

"Is daddy and mommy okay?" Carla nibbled her lip as they walked towards the shed where all the tools were held.

"Yeah, we're just a little busy now." Squeezing his daughter's hand in assurance, she nodded as if accepting his word. Isabel was humming next to him, skipping in eagerness.

"Okay. Mommy is always busy."

"Yeah, well that's what happens when you have a baby."

"Oh." Isabel wrinkled her nose, rubbing it with her gloved hands. It wasn't cold enough for their skin to start turning pink, but as a precaution he had made both of their daughters bundle up warmly. They were expected to be out for most of the afternoon after all. "Umm... were me and Izzy like that?"

"Like what? You mean like Chase?"

"Uhm."

"It was worse. We didn't know what to expect." Levi honestly had no clue how they managed to survive having Isabel and Carla. From the unexpected pregnancy to having twins, it had been a roller coaster. Farlan was a walk in the park in comparison. Glancing at his younger daughter, he could see her frowning adorably like how Eren sometimes did when he was worried. "But don't worry. We love you just like how we love your baby brother. You love him too, right?"