Chapter Text
"There you go, dad! Your beautiful little girl."
Mark had imagined this moment for eight months now but nothing could prepare him for it.
He thought he had time. One more month. Four more weeks. He'd be ready. Not the same ready as becoming a father a good ten years before he originally hoped to be, and not while at the peak of his very hectic and publicised career.
But the 'ready' that guarantees a lifetime with Donghyuck and their sunshine that make his arms instinctively rise and he finds himself blinking at the most beautiful and loud human ever.
In the many calls with his family recently his parents repeatedly said his instinct will kick in and he shouldn't be afraid. They were right because he's never held a baby younger than two before yet rocking and consoling his screeching newborn of few minutes comes naturally. Though the longer she cries, the more the abject dejection starts to set in. He knows right then that he would never be able to bear his daughter’s tears.
"Mi..ilk..." Mark is nudged towards the table by the nurse, making the nausea return.
He's been fighting the bile in his throat for 18 hours now, starting from when Donghyuck's water broke yesterday at noon and the younger slipped on his own fluid while hurrying out to tell them. Jisung did throw up out of sheer anxiety and fear and Mark wanted to as well. But it was more important to get Donghyuck's hospital bag and follow Johnny and Jaehyun carry Donghyuck to the car so Taeil could drive them to the hospital.
He wanted to throw up every time Donghyuck had a contraction, hurting for the pain he's going through. He did dry heave into the sink of the ensuite of the VIP hospital room every time the doctor piled on the negative news that at times the hyung whose turn it was to be with them ended up staying with Mark instead of Donghyuck.
He almost ran away to heave when the doctors said Donghyuck is losing blood. But he had to be strong especially knowing that Yangyang and Jeno are in the next room, preparing for a blood transfusion.
He forgot all that fear upon holding his daughter but it returned three-fold knowing Donghyuck isn't out of the woods yet. The doctors are working around him but he's semi-conscious behind that screen over his torso.
With instructions from the nurse, he puts the crying baby over Donghyuck's chest but keeps his grip on her. He watches the second most beautiful sight of the past hour when Donghyuck's dazed face cracks into a watery smile.
"Ma... sun... sha..." he rasps out and like the miracle she is that came on the cold winter day, the newborn quiets down to mewling and hiccups.
"We're almost done here. Mr. Lee, would you like to step out first?" It was no request from the doctor.
Mark is ushered out the room just as he sees the nurse take his daughter off Donghyuck. Next thing he knows he's helped out of the scrubs and escorted into their exclusive suite room. The fussing over Jeno and Yangyang comes to an abrupt halt and 25 pairs of eyes - he's mildly disconcerted that there are C-suite representatives from the company present - stare at him in anticipation.
"Mark?" Taeyong steps forward, his cold and bony but comforting hands wrapping around his violently trembling ones.
He's not nervous anymore. He's more eager, anticipating, craving to have that tiny piece of sunshine in his arms again. When Taeyong squeezes his hand with that unspoken question on everyone's mind, the negative emotions suddenly drain away and he's sniffling from overwhelming joy.
"It... 's a girl..."
NCT screams in joy, uncaring of the requests to be hushed. They don't care.
They have a princess now. Their own little sunshine, Lee Haerin was here with the first snow of the year.
~~~
When Donghyuck comes to, his bleary vision makes out the unmistakable silhouette of Johnny in front of him. Doting as ever, his Hyung is fixing Donghyuck's clothes and comforter excessively while Ten whisper/scolds at him to stop disturbing the younger.
There’s a bland realization that Ten and WayV probably flew out of China while he was in labour. And he wonders why is his mind connecting those dots before some more important ones right now.
He can only look around a tiny bit, ahead is the easiest. At the foot of his bed, Jaemin smiles and points his phone at him. Only he seems to have noticed he's somewhat awake. Later when Jaemin shows him the picture he took, he sees his wet lashes are stuck together that no one caught on he was awake throughout the whole conversation.
"What was the name you picked if it was a boy?" He makes out Renjun asking.
"You'd have to ask Hyuck. The deal was I pick the name if it's a girl. All I know if it was a boy, he wanted to something with Tae after our Hyungs."
That reminds Donghyuck that he has no idea if his sunshine is a boy or girl. In a desperate fit to ask, demand his sunshine his fingers twitch. They aren't following his command yet. His body feels so detached from his will. He can feel the wires in his hands but his left hand seems easier to move and he almost touched Johnny's hand that was fluffing the duvet on him when Johnny retreats. He missed the chance.
"Did you pick an English name too?"
That intrigues Donghyuck and he waits for that answer.
"Would he kill me if I picked Lilly?" Yes, he most definitely will. Mark will die on that hill he constructed three weeks ago joking they should name their girl Lilly because it sounds like an onomatopoeic combination of their same last name. Mark laughed squeakily at his own idea. But Mark also laughs at a dumb novelty pen and Donghyuck was not amused. Lilly Lee! That's literally Triple-Lee That sounds like a tongue twister. Oh he's going to clobber Ma-
"Nah I didn't have a name until 20 minutes ago."
"So you have one now?" Someone asks, he can't tell who.
"Sort of... I just looked outside... the snow... and thought Wynter... with a Y."
"Just admit it. You got the name after Winwin-ge!"
Donghyuck's brain is groggy and his English language faculties are not awake yet. But he's not sure what the name was. It's familiar. But he can't tell what. Is it a boy's name or girl's name? He wants to know. Better yet he wants to see his baby.
He lets his head roll to the side when he hears a drawn out mewl in that direction. It sounded indignant.
Outside. Mark said he looked outside. The windows are drawn open and... is that snow? How cold is it outside? Is that why he's shivering? He doesn’t feel too cold… or is it numb?
The whimpers turn to a jerky pitch and there are a dozen voices cooing. That has to be his sunshine. Will they give him his baby now?
"Oh? Why? Why? What's upset my sunshine?"
"She hates the name. She's obviously a Sunny, Mork."
"No one asked you Chenle."
He makes out Mark's back and he's leaning over a glass cradle like thing. By now there's angry howling that distresses the band of uncles.
"She could give Taeil Hyung a run for his money. No wonder the company called dibs on her already. She can probably hold a note for hours."
"Not the time, Yangyang."
"Guys, I think she hates me~" Mark wails agonizingly, bouncing or dancing in Donghyuck's hazy vision. He's blocked out of sight by Jaemin and his duvet is rolled back to his hips.
"Oh? He's awake..." Johnny declares belatedly. Damn right he is. He proves it by moving his arm, barely managing to lift his wrist in the direction of the cries demanding the attention.
"Mark, come here. She wants Haechan." Jaemin is wrong. Donghyuck wants his sunshine. But it accomplishes the task.
Mark is next to him in a second and holding their little star against his side. The world is still blurry but his baby is all he sees.
He can already see Mark's eyes and nose and ears. More pasty like Mark and not the bronze Mark was hoping for. And lips… oddly like Taeyong. Maybe he's imagining but he sees two out of three moles on that distressingly thin face. Where's the trademark baby fat that runs in his family? She's got nothing from him! That won't do. Doyoung better be ready to stuff his sunshine till she too has squirrel cheeks like his. She... that's what they said right?
Her voice has died down to soft coos and he drops his hand to her torso. Mark holds her closer to his front and Jaemin manages to record the first sunny smile on that little face on his phone.
Everyone watches in awe when the infant raises her hand and wraps it around Haechan's thumb while Mark laughs through the fresh set of tears. "She's just like you, so affectionate."