Sunrise ||| Ateez

8

Wooyoung winced as he stepped funny and stumbled forward a little. He threw his arms out in front of him to catch himself, but Seonghwa grabbed onto his elbow to catch him instead. "Sorry." Wooyoung muttered, staring at the ground so he could keep an eye on where he was going.

"It's ok." Seonghwa said, keeping his eyes forward.

Things had been tense between the two of them, understandably, every since it was revealed that Wooyoung was pregnant... And it all made sense now. All the puking, fatigue, pain...

It was just his luck that he got pregnant on his first time.

There was no way he could go home now... His father and Rex would probably kill the pup.

Wooyoung didn't even know how he felt about it either. Part of him, mostly his wolf, was excited at the prospect of having a baby. He had always wanted to be a parent.

But then again... Did he? Or was that just his training coming into play?

Wooyoung wasn't sure. He was more worried about what Seonghwa thought of this though. The alpha barely said more than a few words to him whenever they interacted.

It had been a month since the big reveal and they had fallen into the routine of finding a place to stay, hunting something small, Seonghwa skinning it while Wooyoung built the fire, sleep, pack up, repeat.

And he hated it... Sure he wasn't thrilled to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with the alpha who impregnated him against his will... But he didn't think said alpha would ignore him like this either.

Call him pathetic, but Wooyoung missed having someone to talk to.

So that night, when they found and made their camp, and as a few plump pheasants roasted over the fire, Wooyoung decided to make his move.

"What's on your mind?" He asked, eyeing the alpha nervously.

"Nothing." Seonghwa said, poking the ground with a stick.

"Bullshit." Wooyoung said, making sure to keep his tone snappy.

It worked. Seonghwa's red eyes snapped to him and he let out a low warning growl.

"I just want you to talk to me. Aren't we supposed to be a team? Or did you think you could just claim me against my will, pump a pup into me, and have me follow you around for the rest of our long, miserable lives?" Wooyoung could feel himself getting angrier as he thought of what he despised most about being an omega.

But Seonghwa didn't take the bait. Instead, he let the stick fall to the ground and his red eyes faded back to blue. "Is that really what you think of me?" He asked softly, his eyes glazing over as he stared into the fire.

"It's sure how you've been treating me." Wooyoung crossed his arms and glared at the alpha, but his wolf was fighting him, trying to get him to go comfort the alpha who was obviously in distress.

"I'm sorry... I don't mean to. But I deserve anything that you say to me. I'm a monster." Seonghwa whispered as he fisted his hair and bowed his head.

Wooyoung's heart stopped and he felt his mouth open slightly.

"I don't know how to control myself, I've... I've never known how to control myself. I was always looked down on, so I didn't have an alpha to teach me how to be an alpha." Seonghwa's voice was shaking as he spoke.

Wooyoung blinked and held his breath as he waited for the alpha to continue.

"When my mother died, my father and head alpha kicked me out for being a pathetic alpha. They wanted nothing to do with me. That's why I was by myself when you found me. I don't know how to take care of you. I don't know how to protect you, when I'm myself. But when my wolf takes over, I know I would kill for you because it claimed you. I'm just so confused right now... And now we have a baby in the mix that wasn't either of our choice."

Both of them flinched at those words and Seonghwa started to tug at his hair.

"Ok, it was partially my choice... And I can't fault you for blaming me. What kind of pathetic alpha can't control their own wolf?"

Wooyoung flinched again as is own words were thrown back at him, instantly making him feel guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way." He said, biting his lip and looking down. "I'm so used to being told my job is to serve my alpha, it's all I was trained to do, I'm scared..." Wooyoung felt the tears start to form at the corner of his eyes.

He felt rather than saw Seonghwa look at him, but he kept his eyes focused on the ground.

"I know I'm weak. I'm nothing special. The only think I have going for me is the fact that I'm 'the head alpha's son'. Big whoop... In other words I'm a pawn that was sold to the highest bidder... Which apparently is Rex. God... What am I going to do if he finds me?" The thought of that terrified him more than he wanted to admit out loud.

As the tears fell free, Wooyoung was surprised to have Seonghwa come and kneel in front of him. He gently held onto his hands and brushed his thumbs back and forth. "Don't cry." The alpha whispered. "It sounds like we are both a little lost and unsure of our place in the world. I know the start to... This... Wasn't what either of us planned on or wanted. And I don't blame you if you never forgive me for it. But, as long as you are my omega, I will do my best to protect you. And our baby."

Wooyoung's sobs hitched as he tried to inhale while watching Seonghwa glance down at his stomach. "Damn I messed up... I'm so sorry I ruined everything." His eyes flicked back up to look at the omega. "But I will do everything to protect you. It's the least I can do. Will you let me do that? Will you let me try to be a good alpha to you?"

The omega closed his eyes for a second. That's what an omega was supposed to want, right? And alpha to protect him in return for giving him pups? He wasn't going to get to chose his alpha anyway... And Seonghwa had shown him a couple of times that he was willing to protect him over leave him.

And he had already accepted the baby.

So Wooyoung found himself nodding. "Yes. And I promise to try and be a good omega to you. I'll do whatever I can to..." He paused, his instincts telling him to say 'serve', but that word made his heart hurt too much, even if that's what he knew the relationship was supposed to be. "To h-help you with whatever you need. And I will take care of our... our baby to the best of my ability."

A genuine smile crossed Seonghwa's face as he continued to hold Wooyoung's hands.

That was the first night since being together that Wooyoung fell asleep at Seonghwa's feet as the alpha kept watch for the first few hours of the night.

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Written by flamewhipper