Work Text:
There are only three things that one must know about Na Jaemin at any given point in time: He loves his daughter. He loves his husband. He hates the Ilio sun.
He also happens to be the reigning monarch of a fairly large and mighty kingdom by the name of Trasta.
But that is not nearly as important as those first three.
The chance to visit Ilio presented itself as a diplomatic endeavor. How does it look? Jaemin told the court, that he has been married to their prince for four years and has never once set foot on the island? It was in their best interest to approve the trip, and by some miracle (Jaemin’s persistence) they had.
Weeks before they’d even departed, Donghyuck had warned Jaemin that Ilio’s summer months were not a season to be toyed with—especially not for someone whose country saw full sunlight for a select few days a year. Jaemin had listened to him and diligently made sure he packed extra sunscreen, but he had also assumed Donghyuck was just being bossy again.
Unfortunately, Ilio is hot enough to burn.
“I’m going to die,” Jaemin wails.
In the lounge chair adjacent, shielded by an umbrella and a massive sunhat, Donghyuck turns over a page in his book before heaving a long, apathetic sigh. “No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am. These are my last words, I can feel it.” He heaves out a deep dramatic sound, one that causes the pail sitting on his chest to topple over. They’ve been at the beach all day, and he’s going to have sand in places where sand should not be later, but it's rather comfortable being buried under the sand like this.
Still, he must maintain the act. “I’m going to miss you both so much.”
At this, Donghyuck looks up. He takes his sunglasses off, looking at the little girl kneeling at Jaemin’s feet when he says, “Oh stop it, you’re scaring her.”
Jaemin raises his head long enough to peer at their daughter. “Am I scaring you, bub?
Hayun looks positively darling in her twin pigtails and her rainbow striped bathing suit. She stopped digging when Jaemin began his groaning, and now she’s looking at Jaemin with big wet eyes and fluttering lashes, her bottom lip quivering like she’s barely holding it together.
“No…”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Jaemin laughs. “Come here.”
She crawls over to him, and he wriggles his left arm out to grab onto her. His hand swallows the entirety of her much smaller one. “I'm alright, I promise. Daddy was only playing pretend, see? I’m perfectly fine. Right as rain. It wasn’t that scary, right?”
Hayun sniffles and buries her face in the crook of her arm, embarrassed.
“It was a little scary.” She admits. Jaemin looks over to give Donghyuck a sheepish look, but his husband only rolls his eyes before relaxing back into his chair.
“Told you so,” he mutters.
“It is so very hot though…” Jaemin protests. “Don’t you think so, sunshine?”
“I like it!” Hayun exclaims, suddenly as enthusiastic as she was a few minutes ago, “It’s warm and sunny and warm and—and there’s so many colors!”
“Sounds like you’re on your own,” Donghyuck says, clearly amused. Hayun gets up and wanders over to his side then, lifting both arms and standing quietly like she does when she wants to be picked up. Donghyuck gives her a smile from underneath his massive sunhat.
“Aren’t you getting too big for this?”
“Please?” Hayun says. Her little voice is so sweet and polite. Jaemin knows he wouldn’t be able to resist it if he could see her face. Neither can Donghyuck, who picks her up and puts her on his lap despite his earlier chastising. She rests her head on his chest, and Donghyuck dusts sand off her bathing suit, instinctively rubbing his nose against the top of her head to scent her.
“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” he says. He bites playfully at her round little cheek, and Hayun squeals and tries to bite him back.
“Would you love me if I wasn't cute?”
“Of course I would. I love you because you’re you, silly.”
“What if I was a chicken?”
“Well, yes.”
“What if I was a teeny, tiny little worm?”
“Yes.”
“What if I bit you? What if I was a worm and I bit you?”
Donghyuck laughs at that. “Worms don’t bite.”
“They don’t?”
“They don't have any teeth.”
“Why?”
“They don’t need them.”
“Huh. I would love you if you were a worm too, appa.”
“That makes me very happy, cutie.”
Hayun is so cute that she makes Jaemin’s insides ache sometimes, but he feels so blessed to have her—to have them both. It's still funny to think that a handful of years ago he and Donghyuck couldn’t stand to be in a room at the same time without having some sort of explosive exchange, and now they have a kid together. A beautiful, brilliant little girl, with Jaemin’s hair and Donghyuck’s moles. Born in the middle of a terrible blizzard, the first real heir to the Trastan throne.
Though Jaemin supposes he’s getting ahead of himself. For now, Hayun is but a toddler. All too suddenly, he’s overcome with the urge to embrace them both. He wriggles where he’s been buried securely into the sand.
“May I have a little assistance, please?”
“Hmm,” Donghyuck hums. “What do you think, sunshine? Shall we help him? Or shall we go swim some more?”
“Oh, come on.”
It's not an impossible question, but to Hayun it’s like asking her to pick between two equally gorgeous slices of cake. Hayun looks at Jaemin, and then at the water, back at Jaemin, then the water, and then at Donghyuck who’s so clearly trying not to laugh.
Jaemin pitches an idea. “Hayun, cutie, baby. If you help me, we can go swimming together whenever you like.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Donghyuck tucks a few stray strands of silver hair behind her ear, saying, “Don’t bribe her. Cheater.”
Jaemin scoffs. “Like what you’re doing is any better.”
Hayun tugs on the brim of Donghyuck’s hat. “Appa? What’s bribe?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it, Hayunnie.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s not important.”
“But why?”
Jaemin takes the chance to resume his performance. “I'm dying again. The sand is crushing me…can’t…breathe…”
Hayun screams.
♕
By the time they finally start heading back to the castle, all three of them have accumulated a deep rich tan—along with a very slight sunburn for Jaemin—and Hayun has learned the meaning of several more words, including bribe, conspiracy and embezzlement. Jaemin has to let her sit on his shoulders before attempting to convince her five times that they hadn’t actually hurt him by burying him in the sand, and, upon his success, solemnly swears to himself to never try trickery like that again.
Hayun is chatty all the way from the beach, to the castle, through her bubble bath, and finally runs out of steam when Jaemin sits her down on the bed to do her hair. Donghyuck ducks out to shower, and Jaemin’s hair is still damp from his own, slick silver half drying in the cool sea breeze coming in from the open door that leads to Donghyuck’s beachfront patio.
Hayun sits obediently between his crossed legs, occupied with her worn teddy bear while he works, and she does such a good job that he’s already done by the time Donghyuck walks in from the bathroom adjacent in a colorful robe.
“Oh, how’d you get her to stay still for so long?”
“I didn’t do anything, Hayun is just a little angel. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?”
“I am an angel,” Hayun says solemnly. She’s barely paying attention to them though, still busy with getting her teddy back into his shorts. Donghyuck crawls onto the bed, the comfortable mattress dipping under his weight as he settles in next to Jaemin. He thumbs at the finished braid and kisses the crown of Hayun’s head.
He turns to Jaemin to say, “You’re getting good at this. M'proud of you.”
“I've had a good teacher.”
Donghyuck smiles. He looks like he’s about to say something more when someone knocks quietly on his door.
“Come in,” Donghyuck calls, and out from the crack in the doorway comes Jisung’s face. He steps into the room, and Hayun immediately scrambles out of bed only so she can run to him and cling to his leg. “Uncle Jwi!” she squeals.
Sometimes, Jaemin thinks she genuinely believes her uncle is part-tree. She loves him all the same, so they won’t bother to correct her, at least not yet.
“Miss Hayun,” Jisung says, in that soft, deep voice of his, “What did we talk about?”
“Climbing!”
“No, no climbing.”
“But you said I could climb you gentle. I’m being gentle.”
Jisung lifts his leg experimentally, and Hayun hangs tight, going with it. Jaemin holds back a laugh.
Jisung gives them both an incredulous look. “Are you seeing this?”
Donghyuck shrugs. “She is being gentle,” he says. “Did you come to fetch us for dinner?”
“Oh! Yeah. Our mothers are looking forward to hearing all about your beach day,” he pries Hayun off his leg to hold her then, and Jaemin thinks that it secretly must have been her plan all along. “Are you hungry, Hayunnie?”
“Yeah! Di-nner! Di-nner! Di-nner!”
“Aren’t you coming with us?” she asks, and Donghyuck walks over to hand her her emotional support teddy bear. “I still need to get dressed, bub. Daddy and I will be there in a minute. You two go ahead, okay?”
“Okay. Bye Daddy, bye Appa!”
“I’m surprised she still has so much energy,” Jaemin says fondly, as soon as they’re gone. “I don’t think I ran around half as much and I’m exhausted.”
“You’re just getting old,” Donghyuck says, which of course elicits a scandalized gasp from Jaemin, which in turn just makes Donghyuck laugh at him.
“It’s going to hit her as soon as she gets some food down, trust me.”
“You think she’s going to fall asleep at the dinner table.”
Donghyuck scoffs as he sits down at the vanity in order to take the golden pins holding his waves in place out of his hair. “I know she’s going to fall asleep at the dinner table.”
Jaemin hums, tiredly settling into the mattress instead of putting his shirt on. Long days in the sun make him drowsy, and he doesn’t like getting ready nearly as much as he enjoys watching Donghyuck do it. He almost doesn’t blink as he watches his husband dot a soft pink blush over his cheeks, something with a candy-like glaze going over his lips before he gets up to walk over to his wardrobe.
“You’re staring,” Donghyuck sing-songs.
Jaemin catches his gaze in the mirror. “Am I supposed to pretend not to?”
Donghyuck shakes his head but doesn’t protest, so Jaemin keeps watching as he sheds his bathrobe to change into proper clothes. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before, anyway.
“Help me put this on?”
Donghyuck sits on the edge of the bed, and Jaemin scoots over so he can tie the strings on his blouse, some backless contraption that cinches in a mock corset at the waist and leaves all the beauty marks on his back on display. Jaemin kisses the one closest to him when he’s finished. “All done.”
“Thank you.” Donghyuck turns to smile at him, poking at his sunburned shoulders when he says, “Do you want some aloe for that?”
Jaemin pouts. “It’s not that bad.”
“It looks quite bad. Turn around.”
He does so obediently, only able to hear the slide and shut of a drawer somewhere in the room before Donghyuck is reappearing behind him and rubbing the salve on his shoulders. After the magical mixture has dried, he helps Jaemin with his linen button down. The buttons are rather small, and the tip of Donghyuck’s tongue sticks out in concentration as he makes his way down. Jaemin can’t help the giggle that escapes him. He’s just so cute.
Donghyuck is on to him immediately. “What are you smiling about?”
“Nothing in particular,” Jaemin admits. His eyes drop down to Donghyuck’s lips. Donghyuck lets him look. “I'm just happy to be here. Can I not be happy?”
“Of course not,” Donghyuck says. He smiles anyway. “Who would allow such a thing?”
Jaemin reaches up to drag his thumb over Donghyuck’s bottom lip, sticky with the gloss he’d put on it earlier. “I didn't realize I needed permission?”
Whatever Donghyuck is going to say next dissolves under Jaemin’s tongue when he kisses him, tender and slow.
He only means to do it once, but his tendency for indulgence comes to light whenever he’s with Donghyuck, so naturally one kiss melds into two, and then three, and soon enough Jaemin is taking him by the shoulders and gently laying him down on the mattress.
Donghyuck hums. “What’re you doing?”
“You smell really good.” Jaemin kisses his neck again, nuzzles against it in a way that makes the omega giggle. “I…would very much like to eat you out.”
“You…mm…you are really good at that.”
“I know I am.”
“And as tempting as it sounds—” Donghyuck allows him one more kiss before nudging at his shoulder to get him off. “We can’t be late for dinner. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“No!” Jaemin falls face forward in his absence, groaning petulantly into the mattress. Donghyuck laughs at him. It is a lovely laugh, one that makes Jaemin feel warm all over.
Donghyuck reaches down to scratch tenderly at his scalp. “Come on, you big baby. We’ll have plenty of time to ourselves later.”
“Fine,” Jaemin grumbles, “Who is it, anyway?”
♕
Ilio is an island of dreams. No matter how many times Donghyuck talked about it—no matter how many times Jaemin imagined it—he couldn’t quite grasp its beauty until he was walking through the main palace on polished pearl with a gorgeous blue ocean just within sight. The air is perpetually sweet with salt and flowers, and the weather (scorching for someone like Jaemin) is almost always perfect, never too humid or dry. He could tell why Donghyuck had missed it so much immediately, and understands why to Hayun, it feels like coming home.
The island itself is full of lush vegetation, dotted with small villages and open markets full of the kindest people you’ll ever meet. Trastans are not unkind in comparison, but rather guarded, the kind of people who…need to warm up to you. On their first day here, Jisung had taken all three of them shopping and Jaemin had left with more items than he could carry, half of them free on the basis that he was both handsome and a tourist, never mind the fact that he was married to their crown prince.
Most of their meals are eaten outdoors, which is something Jaemin is still getting used to. Tonight, dinner is in the south garden, in a pristine, white gazebo-like structure that overlooks the coastline. He and Donghyuck make their way down the stone path together, Donghyuck swinging their locked hands between them and remaining ever-cryptic about his surprise guest.
Hayun has already embellished her entrance by insisting on plating all of her own food. By the time Donghyuck and Jaemin arrive she has successfully knocked over an entire bowl of rice. Donghyuck takes her from Jisung and seats her in his lap so he can keep an eye on her while she eats, which she seems perfectly happy with.
Again, Jaemin is sensing a pattern.
“You’re spoiling her,” Donghyuck’s mother—The ever radiant Queen Sooyoung says, but it’s with enough mirth in her tone that Jaemin knows she’s only poking fun. She’s a sunny blonde omega, tall and chatty and magnetic. Her wife, Queen Miya, is much quieter, a beta with short dark hair and the same smile as Donghyuck. They match each other well, the two of them as complementary as the sun and moon.
“Eomma,” Donghyuck starts, “Are you truly questioning my parenting skills right now?”
“Ignore her,” Queen Miya says, “She was the same way with you when you were a child.”
“And look at how you turned out.”
Donghyuck stops piling his plate with food to focus all his energy on their pseudo fight. “You haven’t seen me in years and this is how you welcome me back?”
“You’ve been back for three days. The magic wore off already.”
“How could you—Mom. How could she say that to me?”
Sitting quietly by his side at the dinner table, it’s easy for Jaemin to see where Donghyuck learned how to banter so well. All the meals they’ve had here so far have been so lively. On their first day Jaemin was worried sick thinking they were fighting for real, but Donghyuck assured him that this is how they are—how they’ve always been.
When Jaemin was younger he wasn’t allowed to talk at dinner unless he’d finished his food first, and all the fights he’d had with his parents were very real, so this new dynamic is a lot to take in, but he welcomes it all the same.
They’re halfway through the main course when Donghyuck’s surprise guest is accompanied into the garden by one of the guards.
“Oh my goodness, Melt!” Donghyuck exclaims, he passes a very confused Hayun over to Jaemin, and gets up to run over and embrace the newcomer most ardently. Jaemin watches as the stranger splays a hand across his husband's bare back, the other far too low across his waist as he rocks him back and forth in a fierce hug. When they pull away from each other he says, “You look beautiful Hyuck, seriously. You’re glowing and everything! Our prince of the sun is back indeed.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” Donghyuck says, but he’s blushing. Jaemin can see it on his neck from here. Both Jaemin and Hayun crane their necks to see who it could possibly be. They don’t have to wonder for much longer, because Donghyuck is walking him back to the gazebo steps with an arm looped around his elbow.
“Look who it is!”
“Mark,” Queen Sooyoung smiles, “How nice of you to finally join us.”
Mark bows his head in apology, his high cheekbones tinted red. “Apologies, I lost track of time in the village.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Donghyuck quickly chimes in, “It’s so good to see you.” He pulls him to the table and enthusiastically gestures at Jaemin.
“This is my husband, Jaemin. And our little one, Hayunnie. Say hello, bub.”
“Hellooo.” Hayun waves, pleased to finally have her grip on the attention back. Sometimes Jaemin wishes she was a little more shy.
Mark drops into a squat so he’s eye-level with her when he says, “Oh whoa, it's so nice to meet you… both,” he gives Jaemin a tight smile before redirecting his attention to the girl in his lap.
“How old are you, Hayun?”
“Three and a half!” She holds up four fingers. Jaemin quietly folds one of them down. She’s three for a couple more months yet.
“Three and a half!” Mark echoes. “Wow! You’re getting so big already! Last I heard of you, you were still a tiny baby in Hyuckie’s tummy.”
“I’m still baby.” Hayun insists.
Mark laughs. “So you are. I brought you a present. Think of it as a really early gift, and as an apology for missing all your birthdays thus far.” He pulls a small blue box out of his pants pocket. In it, is a singular dove seashell with pink pearls on either side, all strung on a red rope. “May I put it on for you?”
Hayun nods eagerly and holds her hand out, and Mark gently ties the bracelet around her small wrist.
“What do you say, bub?” Donghyuck prompts.
“Thank you…” Hayun says softly. “It’s pretty. Like me.”
“Exactly like you.” Mark laughs.
Jaemin clears his throat then, feeling out of place even though he knows he is not. Hello? He’s right here. Hayun is literally in his lap. Hayun is his kid. Who is this guy, anyway?
“I think you owe me a proper introduction,” Jaemin says.
Mark stands, still somewhat awkward. His scent is neutral, despite his gait. Jaemin wonders if he’s truly calm or if it’s just because he doesn’t know him well enough to read him.
“Oh, sorry. It seems my manners are all over the place today,” he smiles and does a little bow. “I’m Mark. Mark Lee. Donghyuck and I went to school together. I’ve known him for…well, forever, really. It’s a pleasure to finally meet the man I’ve heard so much about in the last few years.”
“I’m curious to know what you’ve heard about me? Donghyuck never lets me read his letters.”
Mark just laughs. He’s done it so much in the last few minutes. He has a funny one too, loud and vivid, with his head thrown back and all his teeth on display. It’s infectious. Jaemin feels the corner of his mouth quirk up involuntarily, completely bemused as Mark takes a seat on the other side of Donghyuck, the two of them—well, three, if you count Hayun in Jaemin’s lap—flanking him like bodyguards.
“I’m so glad that two of my favorite people in the world finally get to meet,” Donghyuck says. He looks at Jaemin. “Mark is the alpha who carried me home after I sprained my ankle trying to climb up that apple tree. I told you about it, remember?”
Jaemin nods. “Yes, I do remember you mentioning that.”
“It was so scary, seriously, I thought his foot was going to fall off, it was so bruised,” Jisung chimes in.
“You cried so much that day,” Donghyuck laughs.
“I was all but six!”
Hayun tugs on Jaemin’s collar to get his attention, long disinterested in the conversation.
“Daddy I wanna try.”
She points at the untouched fruit on Jaemin’s plate and tugs him again.
“The grapefruit? It’s sour bub, I don't think you’ll like it.”
Hayun makes a whiny little noise. It scares Jaemin sometimes, how much she’s growing into a miniature version of Donghyuck. She looks up at him with her dark brown puppy eyes. “I wan’ try. Please…”
Jaemin feeds her a spoonful. As soon as she begins to chew, her whole face screws up. She doesn’t spit it out. She just keeps chewing.
“Is it tasty?” Jaemin asks.
She nods.
“Would you like some more?”
She goes remarkably stoic. “No thank you.”
They all laugh at that, and dinner continues like it had never been interrupted. Mark is charming, and he has so many stories of Donghyuck’s childhood that Jaemin hasn’t gotten to learn about yet. He feels an odd sort of jealousy, wishing he too could have known Donghyuck as a child and shared all those memories with him. So much of Jaemin’s life was spent not loving him, and while he’s grateful they ended up together, he feels he has a lot of catching up to do.
At some point, Hayun gets passed to Mark, and then over to her grandmother’s, and finally to Donghyuck.
True to Donghyuck’s prediction, Hayun doesn’t even make it to dessert. She starts nodding off almost as soon as she finishes her meal, a chunk of unchewed fish bulging in her cheek when her eyes flutter shut. Her sleepy head tips directly into Donghyuck’s waiting palm, who manages to get her to chew the remaining food before excusing himself early to get her settled in for bed, and just like that, Jaemin is left at the mercy of his parents. And Mark Lee, worst of all.
Without Donghyuck there to bridge the gap between them, things turn awkward quickly. At least they are awkward for Jaemin, who feels strange taking up space at the dining table yet again. He and Mark don’t speak directly until the plates have been cleared away and Jaemin is sneaking off with an extra slice of cheesecake. Mark intercepts him in the garden with a smile on that charming face of his.
“May I borrow you for a moment?” He asks.
“Oh, I have to go I—I saved Donghyuck a slice of cheesecake, don’t want it to get warm, so!”
“I won’t take up too much of your time, I swear.”
“Alright,” Jaemin says hesitantly. “What did you want to discuss?”
“It’s nothing really I just—it didn’t feel right to let you go without saying thank you. As in, thank you for taking good care of Donghyuck. I know this might not mean much to you because we’re perfect strangers, but he’s my best friend, and I—well I was worried about him going so far away, but he seems to be doing so well now. I owe that to you.” Mark says.
Jaemin softens up immediately. “Oh. There’s no need for that. He’s the one who takes care of me, I assure you. I was emotionally destitute before I met him.”
“I know how that goes,” Mark laughs. Jaemin wishes he kept track of how much he’s done it so far. “Still though, I must give credit where credit is due. I hope the two of you are happy for a long time.”
Jaemin wants to give him a hug. The tables turn so quickly. “Thank you,” he says, a little choked up, “May I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Did you and Donghyuck…were you involved? Romantically? I only ask because I am curious…he is so fond of you.”
“Well. I wouldn’t say that.”
“What would you say? Is he not fond of you?”
“No, I mean…yes—he’s—I am as fond of him as he is of me, but we never…It was never something we spoke about in detail. I knew how he felt about me. And I think he knew I felt the same way, but he’s a prince. I’m not even a nobleman. Doesn’t work like that around here. We are equals in every realm except marriage.”
Jaemin thinks immediately of Renjun and Chenle. It’s better than in Trasta at least, where secondary gender often outranks all other facets of identity. Still, Jaemin feels sorry he asked.
Mark playfully shoves him. “Dude,” he says. Dude. Jaemin has never heard anyone talk the way Mark does. He’s not entirely sure what ‘dude’ means, only that it is a positive term. “No way, I think everything worked out the way it was supposed to, don’t you?”
Jaemin can’t argue with that. Donghyuck chose him, albeit in the end. “Yes. Yes it did.”
“Tell him I said goodbye. You’re both here for another week or so, right? I’m sure we’ll get to see each other again soon.”
♕
Jaemin finds Donghyuck in Hayun’s bedroom. The door is ajar, and Jaemin pokes his head in to find a sight that makes his heart swell.
Hayun is already in her pajamas, and Donghyuck is tucking her in with a lullaby. He sings in a language Jaemin does not understand, but his voice is rare and as sweet as honey dripping from the comb, so Jaemin watches him quietly from the doorway, overflowing with love for them both. Hayun catches his eyes and sleepily calls out for him, so he climbs into bed with them, lets her hold his hand until she dozes off.
Once they’re sure she’s asleep, they both rise in silence, making sure to dim her nightlight and shut the window so she doesn’t get too cold. Donghyuck’s mothers have their chambers next door, and it’s comforting to know that should she need anything during the night, they’ll be there to take care of her.
Jaemin wraps his arms around Donghyuck’s waist, pulling him close to his body so he can rest his chin on his shoulder, and for a short while they just stand and watch Hayun sleep. Jaemin playfully pinches his husband’s soft belly and whispers, “What are you thinking about?”
“She’s growing up so fast,” Donghyuck whispers back, somber and soft. “I feel like just a week ago we were arguing over what to name her, and now she knows what a bribe is.”
“That was completely your doing, by the way.”
“Shut up,” Donghyuck hisses, but Jaemin can hear the smile on his lips. “I know it’s selfish, but I want to protect her from everything. For as long as I can, anyway.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Jaemin whispers. Hayun is still too small to worry about the things Jaemin had to learn at her age. Both him and Donghyuck agree that the most important thing right now is for her to grow up happy and healthy. Her passions first, the monarchy second. It’s the least they can do.
They close the door quietly behind them and begin to walk down the hallway, in the direction of Donghyuck’s bedroom. Donghyuck clings to his side. His hand comes up to rest over the swell of his bicep, his warm palm sliding down until he can gently link their fingers together. “How’d the rest of dinner go?”
“It was good. Your mothers are lovely.”
“They are… most of the time. They also really like you. I can't fathom why but they do.”
Oh, that's good to hear. Jaemin has been unable to gauge it thus far. It seems he felt like an idiot at dinner for nothing. “It is probably because I’m handsome, polite and perfect. Probably something like that.”
“You find yourself funny?”
“And perfect,” Jaemin murmurs. He turns to kiss the first mole he can reach in this position, high on Donghyuck’s cheekbone. “Don’t forget that.”
Donghyuck hums contentedly, toying with his fingers as they walk. “What about Mark? He was really anxious about meeting you, you know. He was starting to make me nervous, too.”
“Mark is nice,” Jaemin says. “He’s really nice. Terrifyingly nice. I told him I didn’t understand from the stories that you two were so close. Now I do. It’s a different sort of thing altogether.”
“Pfft. Why do you sound like you’re jealous?”
Jaemin stays quiet. Donghyuck’s expertise in reading him has only gotten better throughout the years. It’s frustrating and comforting all at the same time, because it means Jaemin has no room to hide. Not that he wants to. Not anymore.
“My gods. You are.” Donghyuck stops walking and stands in front of him, perhaps so Jaemin can better see the shock on his face. He is very shocked. He smacks him in the arm. “Jaemin!”
“Can you blame me? You seemed so happy to see him. Hayun was sticking to him all night!”
“Jaemin. I let you—I marry you, I let you mark me, I let you put a baby inside me and you still find room to be jealous of other alphas?”
“I find room for many things. I’m a man of varied talents.”
“Well, clearly.”
“It’s not like that. I don’t care about what happened between you. I just…Is it strange? I wish I could’ve known you as a child.”
“Oh no you don’t,” Donghyuck sighs. He loops their arms together as they start walking again. “I was awful. I bit people. Hated sharing. Threw a tantrum every time someone tried to get me to do something I didn’t want to. Broke every rule in the book.”
Jaemin laughs at that. “So you’re the same?”
“Exactly,” Donghyuck laughs. “Did Mark tell you he was my first kiss? The only boy who wanted to kiss me at the time…It’s natural that I have a soft spot for him, don’t you think?”
“That he did not mention,” Jaemin says. He purses his lips, quiet for a moment before letting the dramatic take over. “This isn’t helping me feel better.”
Donghyuck groans.
“You know what would help me feel better?”
Donghyuck gives him a wary look. “What…”
“Will you please put more aloe on my back before bed?”
Donghyuck groans again, but when they get back to his room he does it anyway, tenderly rubbing the gel onto his back and letting Jaemin fall asleep on his chest while he runs his fingers through his hair, doting and familiar.
♕
There’s another thing that Jaemin is getting used to. In Ilio, Donghyuck sleeps with his window open. It’s not a window so much as it is that glass doorway leading to the patio. It’s positioned perfectly so that Donghyuck is bathed in the light of the sunrise each time it happens, and every day thus far Jaemin has woken up early just to watch him sleep.
Here, it feels like there are no gods or nymphs. Jaemin’s religion is Donghyuck in the morning, cast in golden sun, lovely tan skin and dark hair soaked in pinks and oranges. Salt sweet air, Donghyuck’s scent, the sun in his bed and creeping over the horizon. Jaemin crawls across the king sized bed to settle closer to him, slipping an arm over his waist and kissing his shoulder, his neck, his ear.
Sometimes it takes more to wake Donghyuck up. This morning Jaemin is much more fortunate.
Donghyuck grunts to signal consciousness.
Jaemin kisses his cheek. “Good morning, my love.”
“Morning.” Donghyuck murmurs. His eyes are still closed. “What time is it?”
Early, Jaemin supposes. Judging by how low the sun still is, at least. He looks over at the clock on Donghyuck's bedside table before remembering a key detail.
“I…cannot read any of the clocks here.”
Donghyuck huffs out a quiet laugh and blindly pats his face. “Too early, then.”
Jaemin squishes his cheek against Donghyuck’s neck. With his eyes closed, he feels like he’s still dreaming. His whole body is thrumming with want, unable to quell it long enough to slip back into any real slumber.
“Go back to sleep.”
“Can’t,” Jaemin says, and it sounds a little pathetic, even to him.
Donghyuck makes a questioning noise, low in his throat. Jaemin sleeps in the nude, so he’s been playing keep-away with his hips all this time, but he’s prompted to press closer now, so that his bare chest is pressed to Donghyuck’s back, his knees tucked under his so that his erection rests neatly against his husband’s clothed ass.
Donghyuck wiggles his hips back as if to make sure, and then he’s laughing again, slightly more awake this time. “Did you have a good dream or are you just really happy to see me?”
“Both,” Jaemin says. “All of my dreams are about you.”
Donghyuck hums. “Can’t move. Too tired.”
He says this, but Jaemin recognizes the spark of arousal in his scent. He kisses his neck, right over his mating bite, and innocently slides his hand up his thigh, squeezing at the smooth skin with poorly hidden intent. His hand lingers just over the jut of his hip, and at Donghyuck’s sleepy sound of acknowledgment he slips his fingers into his underwear. He inhales sharply when Jaemin brushes past his clit, but does nothing to stop him even as he goes lower.
He’s smooth and bare down here too, courtesy of an Ilian wax treatment that had scared Jaemin when Donghyuck had tried to explain it to him. Jaemin secretly mourns the loss of what is usually a neatly trimmed bush, but Donghyuck is so wet already, hot and damp between the legs like he is in the mornings, all of his warmth deliciously accumulating in one spot.
Jaemin fingers him shallowly as he continues to leave lazy wet kisses and bites on his neck. He presses a little closer, still hard, and starts rutting his cock against the small of his back. He could come just like this, as awful as that sounds. Donghyuck has made him unrecognizably weak, though it doesn’t help that Donghyuck has started to rock back onto his length just as shamelessly. After these few years, his body has learned to respond to Jaemin’s own, and vice versa.
Jaemin peels himself away from him to slide under the satin sheets, and Donghyuck lets Jaemin part his legs without question. Jaemin’s heart is beating wildly against his ribs as he pulls off his tiny sleep shorts, and then his underwear, a syrupy string of slick breaking off the material and smearing against Donghyuck’s thigh. Jaemin licks it off easily, trails his tongue down to Donghyuck’s glistening cunt to get a taste of the real deal. He licks a long stripe up all the way from his taint to his clit, closing his lips around the sensitive bundle of nerves and sucking softly at it.
Donghyuck reacts immediately, sighing and threading his fingers through Jaemin’s hair. His heel drags sensually across the dip of Jaemin’s spine as Jaemin mouths hungrily at him, tongue and jaw working in tandem. Donghyuck must somehow be more sensitive than usual, or maybe it’s just been too long since they did this, but he comes faster than he usually does. Fully awake now, he throws the sheets off Jaemin and pulls him up to wipe off his chin so they can kiss sloppily.
“You taste like me now,” Donghyuck says absently. His hair is a rat’s nest. His face is all puffy from sleep, and his lips are plumper than usual, rosebud red and wet from Jaemin’s mouth. He’s the most beautiful person in the world, Jaemin is sure of it.
“Sweet?”
Donghyuck pushes his cheeks together with both hands.
“You’re always sweet.”
“Hm.” Jaemin kisses him again, gently, and then full of passion. As he is wont to do.
When Donghyuck speaks, he sounds like he’s run across the country and back. “You can fuck me if you want. I want you to fuck me.” He shudders out a breath as Jaemin nips at his ear. “I think… I think we’ll have enough time to…before everyone else wakes up?”
By everyone else Jaemin knows he really means their rambunctious daughter. They spend most mornings with her reading in bed, but that quality time means they haven't had space to do things like this. But Donghyuck is here in his arms, and they’re alone, and Jaemin is so full of lovely lust that he can barely think.
“Yes, yes I'll be—we'll be quick.”
Donghyuck pulls away to rid himself of the rest of his clothing, the rest of his night clothes get tossed onto the carpet as he crawls naked into Jaemin’s arms.
His heart stumbles in his chest at the sight of Donghyuck, all laid out for him, all his. It doesn’t matter how many times they’ve done this, for the shortness of breath itself is an easy consequence of falling more in love with him every day. Tomorrow's suffering will be greater, and promised, and worth it.
“You’re so gorgeous, my love,” Jaemin says, breathless. He kisses his shoulder, trails his lips over his collarbone and follows through to where Donghyuck’s pulse is thumping against the hollow of his neck. “So, so gorgeous,” he murmurs.
“You’ve seen me like this a million times by fact,” Donghyuck says, but he tilts his head back so Jaemin can lick at his mating bite, moaning quietly when Jaemin’s thumbs brush over his nipples.
“I could see it a million times more and never tire of it.” For as long as I’m in this body, Jaemin thinks, I’m going to want you. And for a thousand lives after I transcend it, I’m still going to want you.
Donghyuck's breath seems to escape him against his will. “Aren’t you being too nice today?”
“I'm always nice to you,” Jaemin counters. “You are the air that I breathe, my dearest Donghyuck.”
They lay down together, and Donghyuck scoots closer to him until they’re sharing the same pillow. Jaemin puts a hand on his thigh and hikes it over his waist, an easy, lazy position that ensures Jaemin can still lean in and kiss him while they fuck.
Donghyuck smiles at him with his eyebrows furrowed, striking the perfect balance between slightly annoyed and heart achingly lovely. “You talk too much. Ravish me.”
“Oh you wish to be ravished?” He circles a hand around his cock and rubs the head against his wet folds, imbued by the need to tease although all he really wants is to be balls deep.
“Cmon alpha,” Donghyuck says quietly, and ah—there’s Jaemin’s reward, his alpha ego stroked and pampered in a way only Donghyuck knows how to do. “Make it good for me.”
Jaemin pushes in, only halfway, drinking in the way Donghyuck’s mouth falls open as he slides all the way home.
“You’re in so deep like this,” Donghyuck murmurs, pointless. “S’deep.” For a while it’s nothing but the faint sound of waves crashing against the shore in the distance, and the lewd wet sounds of Jaemin thrusting sloppily into his omegas pussy, all of Donghyuck’s sounds soft and beautiful. “I love you,” Donghyuck says in between kisses, “Gods, I love you.”
Jaemin rests his forehead against Donghyuck’s as he blindly grinds against his clit, overwhelmed by just how much he feels for the man in his arms. “I love you too. Love you more. Love you always.”
“Me too,” Donghyuck rambles, “Come inside me, alpha. Please, I want it, want your knot, wanna give you another baby...”
“You want that? Want me to fill you up? Knock you up again for real?”
Donghyuck tightens up around him, scratches down his back. “Mph, please. Need it.”
Jaemin’s breath hitches. They’re not actively trying for another baby just yet, but they’re not not trying. They’d talked it over before his last heat, that they both wanted to have another kid sometime soon so they could be close in age with Hayun, but nothing had come of it. He rolls them over so Donghyuck is on his back, pushes his knees to his chest and angles deep, steady thrusts into his sweet spot. Donghyuck grabs at his arms and chokes out something like a sob. He’s so pretty like this, flushed and dewey and messy. Jaemin braces both hands on either side of him, looks into his wide dark eyes and wants nothing more than to fulfill his request.
“Please,” Donghyuck begs, “Alpha, please.”
Jaemin comes before his knot is full, groaning as he empties his load deep inside him. Donghyuck keeps moving, squeezing around his knot, and Jaemin shudders as it draws another orgasm out of him, all of his senses so saturated with pleasure that he can’t hear or see.
“Donghyuck,” he gasps, “What—” What has gotten into you? He wants to ask, but he can’t speak as Donghyuck keeps doing that, wrapping his arms and legs around him and milking his knot like he’s in heat and Jaemin is the only thing that can soothe him.
♕
Their time on the island comes to a close far too quickly.
Donghyuck’s parents see them off at the port, and a few more of the palace staff help them load their gifts and belongings onto the ship.
Despite her best efforts to remain indifferent, Queen Sooyoung is red-nosed and teary, hugging Donghyuck so tightly it appears as though she might be cutting off his circulation a bit. Donghyuck gives Jaemin a helpless look over her shoulder while he pats her back.
“Eomma, it’ll be alright. Please stop crying…You’ll make me cry too…”
“But must you go!” She sobs, “Can’t you stay a little while longer?”
“You know I can’t. It was hard enough to get the court to approve this trip—” Donghyuck tries to explain, just as his mother bursts into tears again. “But I’ll be back as soon as I can! It won’t take another four years this time, I promise.”
“Let him go, honey. They should leave now while the skies are clear.” Queen Miya says. She hands Hayun to Jaemin, who seems as sad to part with her grandmothers as they are to part with her. Jaemin seats her on his hip, which cheers her up just a little bit.
“You’ll make sure he comes back to visit soon right?” Queen Sooyoung says. It’s windy now, and her blonde hair whips across her face, her eyes eagerly boring into Jaemin’s despite it. Queen Miya is tenderly tapping at her cheek with a handkerchief, so obviously endeared. Is that what Jaemin looks like when he’s with Donghyuck? Is that how clearly other people can see the love they have for each other? Jaemin hopes so.
“Of course,” Jaemin says. “All three of us will make sure we visit as soon as we can. Perhaps we’ll make it a yearly tradition.”
“You mean all four of you?”
Donghyuck frowns. “Eomma, what—”
“I’m sure Jaemin will see to it,” Queen Miya smiles. “He is a man of his word, after all.”
“I am.” Jaemin confirms.
“Mom, seriously, what did she mean by that?” He turns to Jaemin. “You heard her, right? Four?”
Jaemin shrugs and makes a vague sound. He truly does not know. Donghyuck’s mothers smile at each other as if sharing an inside joke of some sort, before they step forward to squeeze all three of them together in a lovely hug.
“We’ll miss you all so much,” Queen Miya murmurs. “Write to us as soon as you get back to Trasta, alright?”
♕
They’ve only been back in Trasta for a few weeks before Jaemin notices that Donghyuck is being…odd.
He’s often fatigued after doing nothing at all, and at first Jaemin chalks it up to a temporary side effect of suddenly being in cold weather again, but there are other things, too. He’s clingier, doting on Hayun to an extreme extent, his omega getting restless whenever he and Jaemin have to be apart for too long.
Unfortunately, Jaemin has a lot of work to catch up on after their impromptu vacation, so he’s away a lot more than usual, which leads to discomfort for both of them. Worst of all, Donghyuck develops a deep, awful craving of strawberries and often nothing else. Strawberry pies, strawberry tarts, strawberry jam, strawberries and cream—the list grows with each passing day.
Jaemin loves Donghyuck. Jaemin also hates strawberries.
“Why are you being like that?” Donghyuck whines. He has his arms around Jaemin’s waist, rubbing their noses together as he tries to kiss him with his mouth still tart from that awful berry juice. Jaemin playfully ducks his head away. “I’m not kissing you when you taste like strawberries—Donghyuck.”
“Why not? You never minded before…” Donghyuck relinquishes his grip on Jaemin to wipe the back of his hand over his mouth. He’s quiet for a few minutes before Jaemin notices that his eyes are welling up with tears.
“Oh no—”
“Do you still love me?” Donghyuck sniffles, “Answer me honestly.”
“Donghyuck—baby, of course I—”
“Then why…why…”
It spirals unimaginably quickly. One minute Jaemin is teasing him, and the next they're both sitting on the floor in the middle of the dining room, Donghyuck heaving in sobbing breaths while Jaemin holds him and kisses his face and goes, “I was only joking!” more times than he can count.
When Donghyuck calms down, he pulls away on his own. “Gods,” He covers his face with both hands, something like an embarrassed laugh escaping him. “Sorry. I think I’m pregnant again. I think…I think I have been, since Ilio. That’s what my eomma meant when she said four.”
Jaemin laughs, sweaty and frazzled by the sudden outburst, but also overjoyed by the news. It’s strange how much Donghyuck’s confusing emotions seep into him when they’re close like this, their mating bites making them one in two. “Yeah. Yeah, I think so too.”
They stare at each other for a long minute. Donghyuck with his wet lashes and bright red nose, and Jaemin with his shirt tear-wrinkled and snot stained. Donghyuck bursts into laughter again, probably at how ridiculous they’ve been, and Jaemin sees no other choice than to laugh too.
♕
The months go by much quicker after that.
Jaemin is in his study when Donghyuck quietly sneaks in with Hayun. He doesn’t bother knocking anymore, much to the chagrin of the advisors who are usually in here with Jaemin.
Jaemin himself doesn’t mind it much at all. In fact, he can’t help the smile on his face when he sees the two of them.
“Hey,” Donghyuck says quietly, “Someone refused to go to bed without saying goodnight to you first.”
Jaemin stands, unsurprised to find his joints are stiff from sitting behind his desk for so long. Maybe he really is getting old. Hayun lets go of Donghyuck’s hand to run up to him, and Jaemin meets her halfway, scooping her up and groaning, exaggerating her weight. He sighs and kisses her cheek with an exaggerated mwah! “Hello angel, did you miss me?”
Hayun nods and picks shyly at his collar. “You were gone all day.”
“I was. I’m sorry. I really did miss you too.” He turns to smile at Donghyuck, who has silently walked up to them.
“Hello, you.”
“Hello. Do you have time to tuck her in or are you still working?”
He’s only just begun to show, and his baby bump is making his shirt ride up, the slightest bit of tan skin exposed underneath his otherwise form fitting black attire. Jaemin laces their fingers together and brings his hand up so he can kiss the back of it.
“I always have time to tuck her in.”
“Uh huh. Come on, Your Highness.”
Hayun settles in easily once they reach her bedroom. Donghyuck pulls up her fluffy pink blanket and tucks her in. Jaemin smooths her hair back and kisses her forehead.
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight Daddy…” Hayun murmurs, “Goodnight Appa.”
She’s quiet for a while, and they both think she’s dozed off, but as they both get up to leave, she makes a little nervous sound.
“Appa?”
“Hm?”
“Will you still tuck me in when the baby comes?”
“Oh, sweetheart, we’ll tuck you in every night for as long as you want us to,” Donghyuck murmurs. He lightly elbows Jaemin in the side. “Won’t we?”
“Of course we will. You’ll always be our special little girl. Na Hayun, Angel of the Frost. Princess of Our Hearts, the prettiest, loveliest girl in all of Trasta.”
Hayun smiles at that, seemingly satisfied. “Will you stay until I fall asleep?”
“Sure. Do you want another bedtime story?”
Hayun shakes her head. “Just want you.”
They take off their shoes and climb in on either side of her, and she instantly turns to Donghyuck, burying her face in chest as he laughs at her urgency. “Go to sleep, cutie.”
After they leave Jaemin asks, “What do you think that was about?”
Donghyuck sighs and rubs an absent hand over his baby bump. “I finally told her—well, earlier today she was asking about my belly, so I told her that she’d be getting a little sibling soon. I guess she didn’t take it as well as I thought. My poor baby.”
“Oh darling,” Jaemin says softly, “I’m sure she’ll come around to it. She’s been begging for someone her age to play with, after all.”
Donghyuck nods, almost shy. “You’re right. I’m doing the thing again aren’t I?”
It’s not like he can help it when he’s like this. Jaemin wishes there was a way to take all of Donghyuck’s hormonal anguish and set a fire to it.
Jaemin puts an arm around his shoulders and sniffs behind his ear. He’s almost distracted by it, how good Donghyuck smells. He rubs his nose up and down the strip of skin even as Donghyuck laughs, leans away and pushes at his chest with the back of his hand.
“Jaemin!”
“I’m sorry. How do you feel?”
“Excited, mostly. I’m excited to grow our little family. Excited to break the record.”
“Will you please stop saying that? We’re not having sixteen children.”
“Well no, we’d need seventeen children to break the record.”
“Donghyuck.”
“Forgive me, my love,” Donghyuck giggles. “For the look on your face each time I mention it remains priceless.”
“I should like a divorce.”
“Nonsense. You could not live without me.”
“I could not,” Jaemin agrees, and he kisses the center of Donghyuck’s palm. “I’m excited too. I love you. ”
“I know. I love you too.” Donghyuck kisses him on the tip of his nose. “I’m going to get ready for bed. I’ll see you in a bit? Perhaps before midnight this time?”
“No, I'll come to bed.”
Donghyuck frowns cutely. “But the treaty…and the new environmental policy—oh!”
Jaemin scoops Donghyuck up bridal style. “Who cares. I need to take care of my precious omega.”
“I forgot how unbearable you can get about this. I’m with child, not the plague. Put me down.”
“But I like taking care of you.”
“You are the bane of my existence,” Donghyuck says, and then he puts a hand on Jaemin’s neck and kisses him before he can respond. When he pulls back, the look in his eyes takes Jaemin’s breath away. How lucky he is, to be loved by someone like Donghyuck, to be loved by Donghyuck, lovely and incandescent in all his ways. Jaemin is leaning in to kiss him again when laughter erupts from behind them.
Three of the maids, in their evening coats, giggling and curtseying as they walk past. It is so very easy to forget that they live with other people sometimes.
“Goodnight your highnesses~” they giggle.
Donghyuck looks like he wants to disappear at once. Jaemin nods amicably at them.
“Goodnight, ladies. Be careful out there, it’s slippery tonight.”
“We will!” One of them says, and then they round the corner and disappear, chatting excitedly amongst themselves.
Jaemin looks down at Donghyuck with an impish smile.
“You’re blushing.”
Donghyuck buries his face in his neck, his cheeks red-hot on Jaemin’s skin. “Shut up and start walking.”