Chapter Text
— Chapter 1 —
The memory of it still lived just beneath Shaoyou’s skin, sharp and cold, ready to prick at him whenever the room grew too quiet.
He wasn’t a man easily shaken.
As an alpha, he took pride in his steady hands and his ability to anchor his family. But looking at Hua Yong right now, laughing softly as he tucked their five-year-old son, Hua Sheng, into bed, Shaoyou felt that familiar, suffocating knot tighten in his chest.
He wasn’t undermining his omega. He knew exactly what kind of steel ran through Hua Yong’s veins.
You couldn’t survive what Hua Yong had survived without an indomitable spirit.
No, Shaoyou’s fear wasn’t a doubt of his husband’s strength; it was the lingering trauma of a witness.
When Hua Yong had been pregnant with Hua Sheng, the universe seemed determined to test the limits of their bond.
It had started with exhausting sickness that left the omega frail, but it quickly spiraled into a nightmare of unpredictable complications. Shaoyou remembered the frantic, midnight drives to the hospital, the sterile scent of the emergency room, and the agonizing spikes in Hua Yong’s blood pressure that made the monitors scream.
He remembered the terrifying drop in the baby’s heart rate, and the suffocating helplessness of standing by while the doctors rushed his pale, sweating husband behind double doors.
During those dark hours, Shaoyou would have gladly traded his own life force, his own alpha strength, just to absorb a fraction of Hua Yong’s pain.
He had begged whatever higher power would listen to just let them both survive.
They did survive.
Little Hua Sheng was a miracle—healthy, bright-eyed, and currently giggling as Hua Yong kissed his forehead.
By all accounts, their little family was whole.
Yet, lately, the quiet shift in the air hadn’t escaped Shaoyou’s notice. He caught the way Hua Yong’s eyes lingered on tiny baby clothes at the market, or how his scent softened into something wistful and yearning whenever they passed a newborn.
The omega’s instincts were calling out for another child. Hua Yong was brave enough to look back at the fire they had walked through and think,
I could do it again for another miracle.
But Shaoyou couldn’t.
Every time he tried to imagine a second pregnancy, his mind didn’t picture a sweet newborn; it pictured the ghost-white shade of Hua Yong’s face on a hospital pillow.
It replayed the terrifying moment the doctor told him to prepare for the worst. The thought of putting Hua Yong’s life on the line a second time felt like playing Russian roulette with the center of his universe.
Shaoyou leaned against the doorframe, watching his husband gently close Hua Sheng’s bedroom door. When Hua Yong turned and caught his gaze, a soft smile graced his lips.
Shaoyou reached out, pulling the omega tightly against his chest, burying his face in the crook of his neck to inhale the soothing, comforting scent of home. He loved Hua Yong fiercely, enough to give him the world.
But as he held him close, Shaoyou knew they would have to face a difficult conversation, because his heart simply couldn’t survive losing the man who gave him everything.
Shaoyou sat down on the floor of the living room to join Hua Sheng, trying to shake off the heavy thoughts.
From the kitchen, the comforting sound of Hua Yong chopping vegetables and the rich aroma of simmering stew filled the house. It was a perfect, peaceful evening.
Until the wooden block in Shaoyou’s hand slipped.
”Baba, will I have a sibling?” Shaoyou’s hands froze mid-air, the blocks clattering loudly against the hardwood floor.
The word echoed in his ears, heavy and terrifying. For a second, the cheerful living room seemed to fade, replaced by the ghost of that sterile hospital corridor.
His throat went dry.
Hua Sheng was very smart for his age, possessing a razor-sharp perception that routinely caught adults off guard.
But Shaoyou had a strong suspicion this particular idea hadn’t sprouted entirely on its own. He could practically hear the teasing voices of his friends, Gao Tu and Shen Wenlang, probably whispering ideas into the boy’s head during their last family dinner.
”Baby, what do you mean by that?” Shaoyou managed to ask, his voice tight as he forced himself to blink. Hua Sheng puffed out his small chest, crossing his arms with a dramatic pout.
“It’s boring being alone, I want a sister or brother, baba!” The little boy picked up a stray block, tapping it against his knee.
“Uncle Tu said if I ask nicely, maybe Papa’s tummy will get big again and a baby will come out! I promise I’ll share my toys. Even my favorite race car.” Shaoyou felt a cold sweat break out along the back of his neck.
From the kitchen, the gentle clinking of pots and pans suddenly seemed to quiet down. Shaoyou glanced nervously over his shoulder toward the doorway, wondering if Hua Yong had overheard.
He looked back down at his son. How could he explain to a five-year-old that the last time “Papa’s tummy got big,” it nearly cost them everything?
Hua Sheng only saw a playmate to cure his boredom. Shaoyou saw a gamble he wasn’t willing to make.
He knew his omega was strong, and he knew Hua Yong secretly yearned for another child, but Shaoyou just couldn’t see himself putting his husband’s life on the line a second time.
“A’Sheng,” Shaoyou began, kneeling down so he was at eye level with the boy, his large hands resting gently on his son’s small shoulders. His voice was thick with a complex web of love and deep-seated fear.
“Having a baby is... it’s a very big deal. It’s not just about sharing toys.”
“But I want a sibling... Baba doesn’t get me, I will ask Papa about it!” Hua Sheng huffed, crossing his arms firmly over his chest.
He threw his little head back with a definitive, stubborn nod—an attitude so blindingly identical to Hua Yong’s whenever the omega was determined to win an argument that Shaoyou, despite his rising panic, felt a pang of fond amusement.
But the amusement was instantly swallowed by dread as Hua Sheng scrambled to his feet.
“A’Sheng, wait—” Shaoyou called out, reaching a hand forward, but the boy was already a blur of determination, his small feet pattering rapidly across the hardwood floor straight into the kitchen.
Shaoyou’s eyes followed his son’s path through the doorway. He watched as Hua Sheng marched right up to his husband, reaching up to tug urgently on the hem of Hua Yong’s linen apron.
Hua Yong paused, setting down the wooden spoon he was using to stir the soup. He wiped his hands on a kitchen towel, a soft, curious look washing over his elegant features as he looked down at their son.
“What is it, my love?” he asked, his voice a soothing melody that usually grounded Shaoyou’s wildest anxieties.
“Papa, lean down! It’s a secret,” Hua Sheng demanded, gesturing frantically with his small hands.
With a gentle chuckle, Hua Yong obliged, bending down and tilting his head so his ear was level with the five-year-old’s mouth.
Hua Sheng cupped his hands around his Papa’s ear, whispering his request with the kind of intense, exaggerated secrecy only a child could manage.
Shaoyou couldn’t hear the words from the living room, but he didn’t need to. He knew exactly what was being asked.
Shaoyou held his breath, his chest tight, fully expecting Hua Yong to gently let the boy down, to offer a sweet distraction, or to give a soft answer.
He expected his husband to remember the blood, the monitors, and the weeks of agonizing recovery just like he did.
Instead, Shaoyou watched as a breathtakingly warm, tender smile slowly graced Hua Yong’s lips.
The omega didn't look startled. He didn’t look pained. As he listened to their son’s eager whispers, his eyes crinkled at the corners with a deep, wistful fondness.
He glanced up over Hua Sheng’s head, his bright, knowing eyes locking directly onto Shaoyou standing frozen in the living room.
The look in Hua Yong’s eyes wasn’t just maternal warmth; it was a quiet, enduring hope.
A hope that sent a cold shiver of absolute terror straight down Shaoyou’s spine.