Work Text:
You're the sun in my sky
If love is a flower
You are the seed
Cause loving you so natural to me
Yes, loving you comes naturally to me
- Emeli Sande
“Mae, I’m pregnant!”
“Luk, that’s great news! This is what you’ve been waiting for.”
“I’m so happy, mae. It’s finally happening.”
ΩΩΩ
At 27, Gulf Kanawut felt the desperation and urgency. The biological ticking of his body. As a modern omega, Gulf wanted both career and family. But he wasn’t looking for a partner. No, he wanted a child. One that was biologically his. He didn’t want to adopt; he didn’t want a surrogate. He wanted to experience carrying one. But to do so, he’d need another set of DNA. He wasn’t an asexual plant; he still needed another set of chromosomes to make this work.
But he still stood by his decision. He wasn’t looking for a partner. He didn’t needa partner. It wasn’t that Gulf wasn’t desirable. He was tall and slim, wide hips typical of an omegan figure and he was a natural beauty, sharp (but at the same time soft) natural features and alluring eyes. He was in peak health and had a very stable financial condition. Thus, offers to take him out on dates and courting requests were not uncommon. His parents received them, his sister passed along some interested alphas’ information to him and his best friends wanted to set him up with someone at least once a week.
But he never felt the interest.
So, Gulf began planning. He started saving, started preparing for what he was going to do. In this day and age, Gulf thanked the deity that he didn’t have to find an alpha to do the dirty. All he needed was a good clinic of a good standing offering an artificial insemination service. He only wanted the best.
After gathering data and comparing details, a long work of getting references and finally registering himself at this ultra-exclusive clinic, all Gulf had to do was go through the initial procedure of his dream parenthood.
Gulf knew it was going to be expensive that was why he was as prepared as a strategist in a war. And it turned out getting to be clinically impregnated barely put a dent in his savings. It was probably because Gulf was frugal – never really spending his money for anything much for the last 10 years. His money usually went to his parents and his bank account anyway. And his job as an editor was high-paying enough that he never had to really concern himself with money problem.
Gulf led a rather ‘clean’ dull life. He had no interest in constant social interactions; he didn’t drink or go clubbing often. He never understood the need to stay out too late. He’d rather stay indoors playing online games or sleeping. In other words, Gulf was a homebody on his way to becoming a hermit. If it weren’t for his colleagues-turned-friends, Mild and Boat, Gulf would become a permanent fixture in his flat outside of working hours. So at least with them there, Gulf went out to see the sun playing sports like football or basketball. If he were feeling up to it, he’d join them on their regular hiking trips.
Gulf was a grounded person. Some would say a bit too mature for his age. Since a young age, he knew what he wanted and most if not all of the time he would pursue them, achieve them with satisfying results.
So this pregnancy plan of his was going to become a reality no matter what anybody said. He already kept track of possible changes to his life for the next 2 years. He had a 5-year plan and a 10-year plan already locked and loaded. He was already making changes to his single (but not for long) home unit. It was a good thing that Gulf had an extra bedroom that he was slowly converting into a nursery. He told his family of his plan, and despite the initial objections, they were slowly warming up to his idea and would support him if it made him happy.
“I am happy. And I want to do this because this will make me happy,” Gulf told them in conviction.
ΩΩΩ
Gulf passed the initial interviews with the clinic – generic paperwork on his health, financial background and living condition. It was on his third appointment that they finally asked if he had any preference that he would like his ‘donor’ to have that he wanted to pass down to his child.
“I don’t have a lot,” he started, “I don’t care much for the gender of my child so I don’t need a strong male- or female-only bloodline. I want someone intellectual; I want my child to be smart. I don’t care if they’re Thai, mixed or foreign either. All I care is that at the end of this, I’ll get to hold mybaby – healthy.”
After that, it was easy to narrow down the list of potential candidates. They presented him with a catalogue with detailed information on ‘donors’ matching his request. He browsed through anonymous individuals’ blood types and health history, education and achievements that could be shared and such that might attract patients. Gulf felt a bit bad that his situation was like a business transaction – one that felt like he was shopping for prime meat at the supermarket.
His hand stopped at one profile. The more he read it, the more he was certain that it was the one he wanted to be the other half of the building blocks for his child.
REF: 9102-21-M-α
Sex: Male; Alpha Age: NA (21/02) Race: Thai-Chinese Blood Type: A
Height/Weight: 184cm/70kg Skin: Fair Eyes: Dark brown Hair: Dark brown; wavy
Education: Bachelor, Master & PhD IQ: 144 EQ: 120
Skills: Linguistics (Bilingually proficient – Thai, English), Music (Instruments), Ambidextrous
Health: Excellent, Fertile. Allergen: prawn
And a list of medical check-up results of the unknown alpha – all the works.
There were also some NDAs on his identity and parental rights exclusion. Gulf was impressed with the profile.
He didn’t know what made him attracted to it. And if he didn’t know better, he might be looking at his own profile. This was the one he wanted.
“This is the one,” he told his doctor.
“Alright, we’ll schedule some appointments leading up to your cycle, for your hormone shots in preparation for the insemination.”
“That sounds swell, thank you Doctor.”
ΩΩΩ
Everything went smoothly and Gulf had never felt more excited.
Once he got home from the clinic after his insemination, Gulf did everything his books on conception said. He even lied upside down, draped over his sofa and bed for hours just like what Phoebe Buffay did. He really wanted to be pregnant on the first try because if he wasn’t, he would have to wait for his next pre-ovulation and he didn’t want to wait that long. He was pushing 30 and his chance of getting pregnant is slightly lower than those in their 20s. So the next few days, Gulf spent his time with his head on the floor and blood rushing to his brain. He was healthy, he could do this. After two weeks, he’d better get a positive on the pregnancy test.
He did.
ΩΩΩ
First trimester
Gulf was in cloud nine but he couldn’t really show it. As he was a male omega, there was a slightly higher chance of him miscarrying. Oh how that terrified him. As soon as he found out he was pregnant, his mother started dropping at his apartment unannounced and restocked his kitchen with various herbal concoctions. She also brought a lot of knitted blankets.
“You need to always stay warm na, luk,” she advised.
She made Gulf drink herbal medicine infused tea three times a day so his baby was strong and the delivery made smooth. She stuffed Gulf with pak plangso the baby would come out of him easy (“I’m barely two months in, mae!”).
She even threw out and banned anything that resembled spicy food or could be made into spicy food. Gulf sulked at not being able to eat what he wanted. But it didn’t last long since he didn’t have much appetite anyway. He experienced an almost extreme case of nausea that lasted the whole day. His condition was quite bad that his mother had to move in with him.
Gulf now slept with socks on and he found that that might be a new habit he’d adopt. He could not have his room at its usual cool temperature either so he sometimes woke up sweating buckets. His mother made sure that he suffocated under a mountain of blankets (note that this was sarcasm).
Gulf was tired constantly. His chest felt tender and he slept all the time. He was tired every day that as soon as he got off from work all he could think of was sleeping. He voiced his concern to his doctor about how much he spent time being unconscious. His OG said that it was normal citing that Gulf’s body was working overtime to grow some new tissues, muscles and bones. He reminded Gulf of the early pregnancy symptoms before prescribing some pre-natal vitamins. He also told Gulf to eat a lot more – he was underweight.
It was also during his second ultrasound that he found that there were actually two buns cooking in his oven.
(They overlooked the other implanted embryo during the check-up after his home pregnancy test so they all thought he was carrying just one.)
~~~
Gulf was woken up one Saturday from his mid-morning nap on his sofa by loud banging noises outside his apartment. Since Gulf was a bit more stable, his mother had moved out and joked that Gulf’s father had been begging for her return. Gulf focused on the noise – his head was actually still hazy from sleep. There were people talking and laughing that Gulf didn’t think he could go back to sleep. Someone was moving into the flat across his then.
He dragged his cornflower-blue and white blanket and went into his bedroom where it was better soundproofed.
It was sometime later that he was awakened by someone pressing his doorbell. Gulf grunted as he stretched slightly and got out the bed. He wasn’t expecting anybody but it was probably Mild checking in on him.
He opened the door. It was not P’Mild. It was a smiling stranger.
“Sawadee khrab. I’m sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself,” he said politely, voice deep but gentle, “I’m Mew Suppasit and I moved in just now so I’m your new neighbour across the hall.”
Gulf was still slightly disoriented but he returned the greeting. His mother raised him a well-mannered boy. “Sawadee khrab, I’m Gulf Kanawut. It’s nice to meet you.”
As they bowed to each other, Gulf’s sensitive pregnancy nose caught the other’s scent. A mixture of sandalwood and something minty.
Mew Suppasit was an unmated alpha.
Who smelled so good.
ΩΩΩ
Second trimester
“Oh, I didn’t realise that you’re pregnant.”
Gulf turned to the voice – familiar and welcomed. They were both standing in front of their mailbox side by side. A waft of minty sandalwood reached Gulf and he smiled at his alpha neighbour.
“P’Mew,” Gulf greeted. Mew smiled, glancing at his now prominent belly. He just entered his fourth month but as he was carrying multiple, his stomach grew faster. He now looked like a proper pregnant omega, having a slight waddle. He tried to walk slower too because he read that his centre was off-balanced now so he needed to be more careful.
“What gave it away?” Gulf asked dryly, gesturing dramatically.
Mew laughed, adjusting his glasses, “Well, it certainly isn’t your luscious locks and glowing face.”
Over the past few months, Gulf only saw Mew in passing in the hall. Mew was talkative and friendly enough to greet Gulf on multiple occasions. It was nice.
“So when are you due?” Mew asked as they both climbed up the stairs to their floor. Thank goodness they only lived on the second floor. The Alpha was matching Gulf’s pace as the omega kept his hand carefully holding onto the rail. Unbeknownst to Gulf, Mew had his arm hovering behind Gulf. Worried was he, a protective instinct he had slowly developed for the younger ratcheting up as soon as he smelled the strong sweet pregnancy scent coming off of Gulf in close proximity.
“Hmm,” Gulf rubbed at his baby bump, “somewhere in late January but it could be earlier a week or two.”
It was August so still some time to go incubating his buns.
~~~
Gulf’s friends threw him a baby shower when he reached his sixth month. After knowing the omega was having twins, Mild shrieked in excitement more elated than the one giving birth in about four months. His whole family was there, his neighbours (the ones he was close to anyway) and friends too. There were so many things gifted to him in pairs! By this time, Gulf was as big as a whale and he felt bloated. His ankles were killing him and he wanted to be massaged all the time.
He didn’t care. He was uncomfortable most of the time. One night, he knocked on Mew’s door and in a fit of sobs that alarmed Mew, he hiccupped how badly he wanted to be massaged. He was tired to drive so he asked Mew to drop him off to the closest massage parlour, pushing his car key into the older man’s palm. Mew gave him a better option.
“How about this? Come on in, make yourself comfortable and I’ll massage your muscles for you,” Mew coaxed him, shushing him softly. That made Gulf burst into fresh tears.
“I want to hug you so much right now,” he blubbered. Mew chuckled but indulged the hormonal omega, reeling him in for a hug.
Mew was bulky as most alphas were, his long and toned arms winding across Gulf’s back. His frame dwarfed Gulf’s slighter one and Gulf felt so much better, his hands resting on Mew’s narrow waist. He relaxed against Mew’s body, as much as his stomach would allow and instinctively brushed his nose across Mew’s exposed collarbone.
“I really like your scent. Why do you smell so good?” Gulf said drowsily.
The alpha returned the gesture by inhaling Gulf’s scent, nosing at his temple.
“You smell nice to me too,” Mew whispered.
Without another word, Mew lifted Gulf in a bridal carry and went about with the promised massage. After that it became a routine for Mew to ease Gulf’s aching joints. Sometimes Gulf would knock on Mew’s door, other times Gulf would find Mew at his doorstep holding a bottle of massage oil and some heat pads for Gulf’s back. Mew also developed a habit of touching Gulf’s tummy and get kicked so strongly by the babes. He was there for almost all the milestones Gulf was hitting. They got closer so fast and easy and Gulf didn’t question it. Hanging out with Mew was so easy and comfortable.
~~~
“Gulf,” Mew called out.
The younger omega was sitting on one of the kitchen stools. They were in Mew’s flat preparing lunch. Mew was cooking and the omega wanted to help. Mew was reluctant to allow him so Gulf compromised saying he'd be chopping some vegetables while sitting, happy?
Gulf hummed.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Ask away.”
“What happened to your…mate?”
Gulf’s hands stopped. He looked up but the alpha was facing away from him so he couldn’t see his expression. But Mew’s arms were still moving methodically cleaning the chicken they were going to have. The omega tilted his head before continuing with his task.
“I don’t have one, phi. I don’t have a mate.”
Mew turned to him, eyebrows furrowed.
“You don’t? Did they leave you before they know you’re pregnant? Or after they found out you’re pregnant?”
“What are you talking about, phi?” Gulf smiled in amusement (at his vegetables, he was trying to concentrate on not cutting himself), “I never have had one.”
“But- but… you’re-,” Mew waved in the general direction of Gulf’s belly, getting more confused by the second, “huh?”
“Phi,” Gulf started, “I’ve never had a partner or mate or whatever. I got pregnant the no-sex way, in a clinical way, literally.”
Mew spluttered and Gulf laughed as he watched the realisation dawned on the alpha. Mew was smart – he was an Engineering lecturer after all, he had the title ‘Dr.’ in front of his name. Gulf found out by accident when he saw some letters on the coffee table addressed to Mew.
Dr. Suppasit Jongcheveevat
That sounded so nice – so professional.
Gulf couldn’t really see Mew in front of a classroom full of fresh-eyed undergraduates since Mew was dorky in a lovable way. The professor preferred his thick-rimmed glasses that made his eyes look smaller instead of his lens at home. He walked around in ratty T-shirts that went through the washer way too many time and in sweatpants. More often than not, Mew didn’t bother combing his hair with a brush so the tips curled in all direction.
“So you went for artificial insemination?” Mew asked incredulously as they enjoyed their lunch. He pulled his chair closer to Gulf, the instinct to provide for the omega never wavering.
“Yup,” Gulf nodded. “I want a baby so bad but I didn’t want to be in a relationship...”
Mew noticed the use of past tense. Was Gulf hinting something?
“…and now I’m getting two simultaneously,” Gulf laughed, a series of clear ‘ha’s’ that tickled Mew. Sometimes, Gulf’s laugh sounded so insincere.
Mew smiled watching the mirth in the younger’s face. Mew was intrigued by the insemination process and everything so Gulf told him.
“So you basically pick your donor from a catalogue? Really?” Mew asked in surprise.
“Yeah, I can recite you the information if you want.”
“Go on,” Mew teased, cleaning up the table and carrying their dishes to the sink, “I’d like to know your type.”
“So basically he’s a Thai-Chinese male alpha, I don’t know his name since it’s standard procedure, anonymity and all. His blood type is A, aged I don’t know, born twenty-first February, he’s one eighty four centimetres tall and oh has an IQ of one-fo-“
The plate in Mew’s hands slipped and hit the sink loudly, startling Gulf. He made his way to the older in worry.
“P’Mew, are you okay?” Gulf touched his arm, turning a pale-faced Mew to him. “P’Mew?”
The omega watched as Mew gulped and gripped Gulf’s arms, “Gulf, where did you say the clinic is again?”
Perplexed, Gulf obediently rattled off the name of the clinic. Mew had to sit and Gulf followed, getting increasingly worried. Gulf held Mew’s hands in his, rubbing circles over Mew’s knuckles to calm him.
“Gulf, tell me,” Gulf nodded, “did the profile list the education including bachelor to PhD? And allergy to prawn? IQ of one-four-four…”
Gulf’s eyes widened. He pulled his hands away. “Ho-how did you know that?”
In his gut he knew. As soon as Mew looked at him, eyes shining in desperation and with something Gulf couldn’t name – he knew.
Gulf left Mew’s apartment without a word.
ΩΩΩ
Third trimester
There were signs. God, there were signs.Gulf should’ve seen it, he should’ve known. His relationship with Mew was not normal. There should’ve been red flags raising in alarm. How could he be so blind?
He was 90% sure he was carrying Mew’s babies.
They had inborn instincts. No omega would be that close to an alpha, who welcomed said alpha easily within the span of weeks – especially not a territorial pregnant one. And no unattached alpha would get too close to someone carrying – especially if that someone was not theirs to call a bond-mate.
How could he be stupid? The first time he scented Mew, he already wanted him. And Mew was attracted to his scent. If Gulf was carrying another alpha’s seed, both Mew and Gulf would steer clear of each other – something in their pheromones warning each other but Gulf fell into Mew’s embrace as soon as he did. In a normal scenario, Gulf would be glaring and growling at Mew and Mew would be glaring at him in return for invading each other’s territories.
But they treated each other’s places like their own. At this point, both their homes were saturated with each other’s scents. Gulf wanted to be swallowed and swaddled in Mew’s clean minty sandalwood all the time while the alpha was at his beck and call. The older man became his go to conversation partner to personal cuddler and masseuse.
And all this time he thought their behaviour was platonic. There were obvious signs all over. This wouldn’t do. He needed to talk to Mew, he was done avoiding him.
He caught the alpha unsuspectingly when he was locking up his apartment. Gulf knew how Mew was avoiding him too, maybe out of respect or something. He startled the man so bad they were both awkwardly speechless for a few minutes.
Gulf sighed. “We need to talk, phi.”
“Okay.”
And Gulf thought it was a difficult thing. They made up soon after – telling each other honestly what they were feeling. They got closer and closer to each other as they talked, until Mew’s veiny hands were cradling Gulf’s.
“I miss this. I miss touching you,” Mew confessed. The pregnant omega took that as an invitation to slot himself right into Mew’s embrace
“As cheesy as it may sound like, I can’t lie how much this feels like the natural thing to do. Like the universe is working for us to meet each other,” Mew said, holding onto Gulf’s hand. The alpha’s hand was toasty, perfect for Gulf’s currently chilled digits. Since he got pregnant, his body temperature got all wonky too.
“But what if this is not something that we really want? What if this is just a connection that happens because of Things One and Two?”
Mew made a face. “First off, we’re not calling the babies Thing One and Thing Two.”
The ‘are you crazy?’ was implied. Gulf rubbed his tummy smugly, glancing at the alpha and pouting his ridiculously tantalising lips.
“I’m incubating them, I can call them whatever I want.”
Mew sighed. “Point. Second, I thought we’re having a serious and honest conversation here. Why are you joking?”
In the end, Mew just had to deal with Gulf’s brand of humour.
~~~
The next appointment Gulf had to go to, he asked Mew to accompany him. The alpha was super delighted that he couldn’t stop thanking Gulf. It wasn’t a big deal. As Gulf’s gynaecologist was assigned to him by the very same clinic that made his pregnancy happened (it was part of the package deal Gulf signed up for – a complete coverage of pregnancy and childbirth supervision), Gulf decided to bring the matter of his new relationship status to light.
It wasn’t like Mew wasn’t an important person in his life – he had already accepted the alpha as his partner.
So they reviewed both the contracts Mew and Gulf had with the clinic, waiving Mew’s NDA on his identity as the sire of Gulf’s offspring and nulling the parental claim agreement. Mew had to pay a compensation fee for his, technically, breach of contract but the clinic understood. It was a small price to pay – incomparable to the thought that Mew’s name would rightfully be written on the babies’ birth certificates. The administrative officer assigned to them actually told them that they were not the first couple to have found each other by accident – so they were well prepared.
The universe did work in a fascinating way.
~~~
Gulf’s eighth month was bad. It was worse than his first trimester. He was fatigued, his swollen breasts hurt all the time and his nausea came back to haunt him. However, this time it wasn’t only Gulf that was vomiting into the porcelain throne but Mew too.
Apparently, Mew was sharing Gulf’s pregnancy symptom. Sometimes, Gulf would find the older man in the bathroom before him, flushing bile down the drain. Every little thing that assaulted Gulf’s sense of smell resulted in Mew hurling into the toilet.
“I’m the one who is experiencing hormonal imbalance but why are you the one puking?” Gulf teased Mew from where he as leaning against the doorway of their bathroom.
(They moved in together: Mew transferring his things into Gulf’s place because it was bigger).
“It’s probably because I love you too much,” Mew heaved, trying to breathe through his mouth. He probably didn’t realise how much his words affected Gulf. The fluttering in his chest grew and Gulf couldn’t help but smile.
~~~
Gulf got so big that he had to be admitted and put on bed rest earlier than expected. His OG said he might be giving birth early. So with his maternity leave settled with his company, Gulf tried to make the most of his ‘vacation’. Mew visited him every day and sat with him after his class ended for the day. Sometimes, Mew’s mother, whom Gulf affectionately called Khun Mae, kept him company. Telling him stories of her own pregnancy with Mew.
As soon as Mew and Gulf made it official that they would be together, they had their families meet. It was a surprisingly pleasant affair despite the couple’s unorthodox love story.
It was in the middle of one funny childhood story where Gulf, Khun Mae and Gulf’s mother were laughing so much when Gulf’s water broke. At first, he thought he peed himself and how funny it was imagining a toddler Mew demanding to play on a merry-go-round by himself but was too short to actually push the thing to spin.
Then he thought, he didn’t feel like peeing but why was the wetness spreading so fast. That was when he felt the first of his labour contractions. He gasped, uncovering the sheet covering him.
“Mae,” he called out to his mother and Mew’s. “I think my water just broke.”
~~~
On January 26th, at 16:35, after 11 hours of labour, Thara and Jariya Jongcheveevat were born – screaming into the world only 2 minutes apart. Thara weighed 3.7 kilograms while Jariya was 0.4 kilograms lighter than her brother. They both looked like they inherited Mew’s features more than Gulf’s. The omega didn’t mind one bit as long as they have 10 fingers and toes and were healthy.
Mew cried so much when the nurses put them into his arms. Which triggered Gulf’s silent tears of joy at the sight. Mew kissed him all over on any patch of skin he could find, repeating ‘I love you’, ‘you did it, baby’ and ‘thank you’. The tired Gulf could only smile as he was showered with affection.
Later that night, when Gulf was feeding Jariya on his hospital bed while Mew was staring lovingly at the other twin in his tiny bassinet-like hospital bed, the proud new father spoke.
“Gulf, let’s make another one the old school way this time, yeah?” Mew snickered.
Gulf scoffed under his breath as he caressed Jariya's downy head of hair, adjusting his hold on her as she suckled contently at Gulf’s breast. The front of his issued gown was parted as he fed his daughter.
“Let’s wait for maybe about five more year before making me pop another one out, yeah?” Gulf teased back.
ΩΩΩ
Extra – Five Years Later
“Daddy! Daddy!”
A loud bang. Scampering footsteps. Squealing.
Before Mew could fully process the situation, two tiny bodies were already barreling into his legs, almost knocking him over. The younglings were hopping in place, already begging Mew to be carried. Mew dropped the book and pointer he was holding onto his table.
“H-hey, you guys!” he chuckled, fully knowing and already feeling the intense focus of the dozens of eyes on them. Where did they come from? He scooped the pair into his arms, carrying one on each and he heard some resounding sighs. That was weird.
He cleared his throat, trying to gain his professionalism as he turned to the class.
“Everyone, I’m very sorry for the interruption. These are my children, Mina and Gavin. I don’t know how they actually got here or why they’re here-“
The children giggled. And his students erupted in good-natured laughter.
Just then, the door to the lecture hall was pushed with force, banging against the wall again as Mew’s TA looked around frantically.
“Dr. Jongcheveevat!” he gasped. Then his eyes landed on the twins snug in the professor’s embrace. He fell to the floor.
“Oh thank god, I thought I lost them. I turned around for a second and they were gone,” he wailed. Mew laughed, trying to help his TA who was not stable on his feet. Each of the children tried to grab at the TA’s shirt, patting him in the face and cooing nonsense. The alpha was sure those were not sweat but tears running down the omega’s face.
“Don’t worry, Bright,” Mew consoled, nosing at his kids’ necks earning childish giggles and complaints, “these rascals are slippery, I know.”
“Dr. Jongcheveevat, let me take care of them.”
Bright Vachirawit the TA gestured to take the children off the alpha, as Mew was having a lecture and he was nowhere near done. He was still curious as to why two third of his loves were there.
“Oh and your wife said to check your phone, sir.”
Mew nodded.
The twins went willingly calling out rather lovingly how much they love Mew. Mew waved at them and then it was just him again in front of giddy students. He rubbed at his neck in embarrassment, over the dark red bond mark adorning his neck just above his prominent left collarbone. Then immediately clap his hands together, smiling brightly.
“Now, students, where were we?”