⥽ hyeonjoong & donghyun's house

@Kim Hyeonjoongᵃˡᵖʰᵃ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: notre dame - paris paloma

　　Maybe his husband's expecting him to walk away, Donghyun doesn't know. Nor, for that matter, does he care. he makes himself comfortable while Hyeonjoong turns away to put the rejected packages in the cabinet, with little more than a hum to acknowledge the alpha's spoken. He doesn't have much to say in response. Whether Hyeonjoong intends to bribe him with snacks or to lower his walls, it remains to be seen, and in the meantime, it's another thing he doesn't have to care about.

The omega watches as Hyeonjoong moves around the kitchen, washing his hands before preparing the rice. Donghyun watches him like a hawk, uncertain of Hyeonjoong's culinary skills and honestly worried that he was as thick-skulled when it came to matters of the kitchen as he was in other facets of his life. Perhaps he worried that he'd even forget to wash the rice.

(It wasn't such an unbelievable thought, but perhaps Donghyun was also just that unwilling to give Hyeonjoong any benefit of the doubt.)

(And after all, why shouldn't he be?)

But at least he washed the rice, and once the water was clear, dumped it into the rice cooker. Donghyun shifted his position slightly, making himself a little more comfortable with a small wince, and continued to watch Hyeonjoong as his attention turned from what he was cooking to his cellphone. From the angle of where he was sitting, Donghyun didn't have enough of a view of his phone screen to tell what he was doing, but he also didn't need one, as a moment later loud audio spilled into the otherwise quiet, and tense, kitchen.

A diaper changing video.

It isn't, perhaps, the most surprising thing the alpha could have been watching, given that they /are/ expecting their daughter to arrive soon, and Donghyun's eyebrow raises not at the topic of the video but at the embarrassment displayed by his husband via his groan and the way his finger quickly swipes at the screen like he's searching for something else. The omega doesn't say anything to reassure him, however, as it's neither his will nor his responsibility to ease his apparent shame.

Not for the first time, Donghyun wonders if Hyeonjoong had experience with any other babies before Iseul, or if he, like Donghyun, mostly stayed away from them. For as much as the omega adores children, he wasn't around many of them in the past. Between what he did for a living and a lack of children being brought into the Kim family itself, Donghyun's experiences were limited.

@Kim Donghyunᵒᵐᵉᵍᵃ ˗ˏˋ now playing: get scared - keep myself alive ´ˎ˗

Hyeonjoong was certain Donghyun would immediately take on the offer to go to the bedroom, but instead, the latter pulled a stool and sat, there in the same room the alpha would be for at least the following half an hour. Less surprising is the refusal to eat the snacks - he was already expecting the other man wouldn’t want anything from him, but he had to at least try. Leaving his pregnant husband to starve was not an option, no matter the circumstances or how much they despised each other.

“I’ll leave it here, you can eat them later if you want,” said the taller male as he placed the packages in the cabinet over his head. After closing the doors, he washed his hands in the sink and returned his attention to the ingredients he had bought. He started with the rice, cutting the plastic with a knife in the lack of scissors, and transferring two cups to a container to wash the grains under the running water.
His mind was free to wander while his wet fingers mixed the white cereal. Letting his imagination flow was a good habit for a researcher like him, but lately, he had been keeping himself occupied as much as he could to keep his thoughts tied to whatever he was doing or listening to. It occurred to him that perhaps Donghyun was there to check if he would poison the food, the omega was in the mafia after all - and it caused him to let out an annoyed sigh.

Fortunately, the water passing through the rice turned clear before his brain could strengthen the poison theory. Hyeonjoong put the grain into the rice cooker and turned it on. A pause in the cooking followed to play a random YouTube video on his phone, an attempt to distract himself from the presence of his husband. Just opening the app caused the last video he was watching to start playing: how to change diapers step by step + tips and tricks.

An embarrassed groan left his throat, and he scrolled the main page trying to find something else. However, he realized they had no common interest other than the baby. The diaper video would have to do. After balancing his phone against the wall, he sighed once more and picked the onions to start cutting them.

@Kim Hyeonjoongᵃˡᵖʰᵃ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: all u have is you - deathbyromy

　　Donghyun smells him before he sees him from the corner of his eye, lingering in the entry of the kitching for the slightest of moments. The omega reaches up to switch off the faucet and steps away from the sink to dry his hands, his acknowledgement of Hyeonjoong's presence only coming when the alpha seems to shake himself from his reverie and reaches out to set his bags on the counter. Donghyun turns his head, a brow raising slightly as his husband speaks, the towel gliding over his hands until they are dry and out of habit, he folds the cloth and drapes it over the empty rack hanging from the bottom of the overhead cabinet.

It's almost entertaining, how disheveled Hyeonjoong appears. Not, perhaps, in the demeanor he presents, but in the way his wolf attributes still linger even know, and his bowtie is gone. Donghyun notices the beads of sweat, before the suit jacket is tossed onto one of their stools, momentarily distracting him—from both his observation of the alpha, and a mild, budding irritation.

He doesn't leave the kitchen. He's still on edge, more so than he'd like to admit, and he knows it will be hard for him to 'rest' in the same house as Hyeonjoong, let alone at the alpha's suggestion. No, he stays, though he pulls out one of the stools and sits, his hands pushed into the front pocket of his hoodie. It's a habitual response, tensing when Hyeonjoong puts the bag in front of him, and he half-wonders if the alpha can feel his unease.

(Donghyun hasn't even tried to discern their new bond. If he's strived to think of anything but, he can't be blamed.)

"Thank you, but I'm not that hungry right now." It's not even a lie, uttered after Donghyun peeks into the plastic bag, curious. He's more tired than anything, the kind that comes with teeth setting against one another. Maybe it's the dull ache of the bitemark that has an idle desire to claw out someone's eyes settling under his skin; maybe it's something else. It's awkward; it will always be awkward, he feels. Perhaps even once they've cohabitated for years, it will still bear this tension, fear and a mutual dislike and the knowledge that neither of them wants to be there.

@Kim Donghyunᵒᵐᵉᵍᵃ ˗ˏˋ now playing: all time low - some kind of disaster ´ˎ˗

Hyeonjoong took both plastic bags in one hand to open the door and walked in, straight to the kitchen. The trail of omega scent, lingering in the living room but stronger as walked through the house, warned him that Donghyun would be at his destination. There was no helping it, however, he couldn’t leave the pork out of the fridge until the younger wolf decided to move.

After walking in, he remained silent for a moment. His husband was across the kitchen in the most casual clothes Hyeonjoong had ever seen him in. The bump was now visible even under loose tops, the icing on the cake for the domestic atmosphere. A glimpse of a scene unfolded in his mind: he smiling at Donghyun as he told the latter to rest, kissing him and his belly before the omega left. The professor shook his head at his stupidity, maybe in another universe. A universe where he hadn’t destroyed the dreams he had worked so hard for in the blink of an eye.

“I’m going to make food. You can go rest, I’ll let you know when it’s ready,” said the alpha, his mind already back from the alternate timeline. Of course, no smile or kiss followed. He simply placed the bags down on the counter, avoiding eye contact with the other man. His appearance was the same as when he had left - wedding suit still on and ears out - except for the gone bow tie and the drops of sweat now gently running down his temples. It wasn’t the best outfit to cook, so he took the jacket off and threw it on a stool before rolling up his sleeves.

Only when he started taking the groceries out of the bags that he remembered he had bought some snacks. “You can have these as you wait, or save them for later,” he said as he handed Donghyun the plastic bag filled with cookies and crackers. “I didn’t know if you preferred the salty or the sweet ones so I got both.” Truth was he knew nothing about his husband despite his family configuration. And even when it came to family there was much he didn’t know - what had happened to Donghyun’s other parent, for example. So far he had met the alpha father and brothers, not the one who had given birth to him.

[ ] hyeonjoong doesn’t know about donghyun’s mother, right?? i remember you writing about it but i think it was just inside donghyun’s thoughts. if i’m wrong just ignore that bit

@Kim Hyeonjoongᵃˡᵖʰᵃ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: stockholm syndrome - arcana

　　The alpha is in a rush to leave and Donghyun, for his part, does nothing to try and stop him. Once the door is locked behind him, the omega peels himself off of the couch and slinks into the bathroom, staring at himself in the mirror. At the blood that runs down his neck, as sluggish as the omega feels. He hates it. He hates everything about this situation, about this house—

—he exhales, removes the light makeup he had worn for the sake of appearances and starts shrugging off his wedding clothes, resolving to wash off the blood and the crawling feeling of discomfort that had settled over him like a second skin as soon as he had initially arrived to the church.

He turns on the water, lets it heat up until it's steaming and stands under the spray for longer than is probably advisable, letting the heat and the pelt of water droplets push him far away from the thoughts that always seem to plague him. Only once the water feels almost stinging does Donghyun actually wash up, cleaning the blood from his skin and the products from his hair. Once he's clean, and dry save for his hair, Donghyun realizes he's forgotten to bring clothes to the bathroom with him.

He exhales through his nose, wraps a towel around his waist and slowly opens the door, listening with heart hammering for any noise in the house. There is no sound to indicate Hyeonjoong's return, nor fresh scent in a house that doesn't yet /smell/ like either of them, so Donghyun hurries to his room and swings the door shut behind him.

Once he emerges, he's dressed, albeit in sweatpants and an oversized hoodie that smells enough like his old apartment for Donghyun to halfway relax, at least while he's alone. The used towel is draped in the bathroom, and Donghyun pads on bare feet to their empty kitchen, where he leans against the counter and stares out the window, across the fenced-in backyard that their new home boasts. Moving from a second floor apartment back into a house will take some getting used to, especially with the housemate that comes with the transition.

Absently, he his bump and leans against the counter, continuing to gaze out into the distance. He's still there when his sharp ears pick up the jingle of keys outside, the sound of the lock turning to announce the return of his husband. Donghyun straightens, expression schooled into one impassive and turns away from the counter, pushing the sleeves of his hoodie up to his elbows so he can wash his hands at the sink.

@Kim Donghyunᵒᵐᵉᵍᵃ ˗ˏˋ now playing: alec benjamin - shadow of mine ´ˎ˗

It was impossible not to notice the blood running down Donghyun’s neck as Hyeonjoong pulled away, and the alpha was impelled to clean and treat the wound he had inflicted. It was what any decent person would do. However, the omega’s reply made him sigh softly in relief - relief that his mate and child were safe and that they were well enough he could leave them alone. It would only bother Donghyun more if he tried to show kindness after everything he did.

He didn’t try to close the distance after the other wolf almost dashed toward the other end of the couch. “I’m going to buy food,” he said as he stood up, not bothering to turn to Donghyun. Hyeonjoong was for once glad their refrigerator was still empty. It came as the perfect excuse to leave the house for enough time to clear his head.

The alpha made his way out without adding another word. He locked the front door with his own set of keys, leaving a spare one for Donghyun. Only when his eyes met with those of one of the neighbors that he realized the state he was in - wedding suit, undone bow tie around his neck, ears and tail out, and thick scent. He had probably just set himself up for being the talk of the neighborhood, but he wasn’t going back in. He didn’t know where he was going, just that it wasn’t back home.

Hyeonjoong took the undone bowtie and tucked it inside his pocket. That was the most he could do at the moment, besides hoping his ears and tail would decide to disappear soon. They had decided to live in a residential neighborhood so there weren’t many shops around, on the other hand, there weren’t many people around either. After walking for several blocks, he finally found a small grocery store, the kind that sold overpriced products for the convenience of being in the middle of the residential area. Not perfect, but it would have to do.

As soon as the alpha walked in, the clerks and clients stopped talking. Everyone’s eyes were on him, some widened in fear, others curious and taking in as much as they could to spread gossip later. The professor ignored them, walking through the narrow aisles as if he were the only person in the store. His first picks were the basic: rice, chopped pork, onions, soy sauce, and frozen vegetables. It wasn’t a feast but at least they would have something decent for dinner. Next, he picked some shrimp crackers and cookies for Donghyun, unsure about which one he’d prefer.

The cashier exchanged as few words as possible with the wolf as he scanned the products. It was a good thing, Hyeonjoong wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. After paying, he carried his bags home. He didn’t feel like going to that house yet - maybe he never would, at least not until the pup was born - but it was now his duty to take care of the omega.

@Kim Hyeonjoongᵃˡᵖʰᵃ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: headlights - pvris

　　Realistically, Donghyun knows he shouldn't be standing for the claim. In practice, he still startles a little when Hyeonjoong reaches for him, taking his hands to draw him nearer. If there had been any other way to protect his child than finding himself here, he would have taken it; it is only the memory of his father's callous ultimatum that brings Donghyun to settle, stiff and ginger, on the alpha's thighs. He won't, can't, move any closer. There's not enough space between them as is, but this is better than being trapped underneath Hyeonjoong.

(That doesn't mean he doesn't want to get up. To bolt. That he isn't tense, that there isn't a minute tremble to the hands that, for lack of knowing where to go, eventually wind up on the alpha's shoulders.)

If his breath quickens, it isn't from excitement or anticipation. Donghyun forces himself to keep his eyes open as the alpha leans in, the sniffing at his neck bringing back memories that the omega would rather not face in this moment. He can almost feel himself pinned over that desk again, a twinge of pain in his shoulder at the memory. Donghyun grits his teeth, and then there are teeth sinking into his flesh.

It hurts like hell, Hyeonjoong's teeth sliding home in his mating gland. There's a reason, he knows, that most wolves choose to mate during heats and ruts. There are no hormones or adrenaline running wild to ease the ache of two sharp points settling into his flesh, but Donghyun chokes on the noise that wants to make its way from behind his teeth.

A rivulet of blood slips down his neck and Donghyun reminds himself that this, all of this, is for the sake of his baby in order to keep himself calm. As new sensations swirl through him, a complicated tangle of emotions not unlike his own but /not/ his own, the omega halfway wants to weep, regardless of how his wolf feels.

It's only when Hyeonjoong's teeth pull away from his neck that Donghyun realizes he's clutching at the alpha's shoulders, fingers gripping so tight his knuckles are white. He lets go like he'd been burned, can't get out of Hyeonjoong's lap fast enough, nearly tripping over his own feet. He settles on the far end of the couch, ignores the whining of his wolf wanting to be closer to his mate, and clears his throat. "I'm fine. We're fine."

@Kim Donghyunᵒᵐᵉᵍᵃ Hyeonjoong stayed in place as it seemed he had gotten his partner to cooperate. He glanced at the latter to see slender fingers working on the buttons of the shirt, exposing more skin. It was surprising, Donghyun had hesitated to lift his shirt during the exam a few weeks back but was now exposing a much more sensitive zone, the most delicate part of the body of wolves like them. At some point, the digits stopped, and the omega stepped closer. It was finally the time for the alpha, who was trying not to scare the other, to make his next move.

“It’s safer for you to sit down,” he said as he took Donghyun by the hands and guided the latter onto his lap. He was probably pushing his luck there, but he wouldn’t risk having a pregnant omega passing out and falling onto the cold, hard floor. All he had to do was to make it quick so it didn’t seem he had other intentions - and his instincts didn’t lead him into so.

A sniff on the exposed neck was enough for his fangs to find the exact spot where to sink themselves. Metallic taste slipped into Hyeonjoong’s mouth and triggered his wolf ears and tail to come out, as well as his scent to become thicker. However, that scent was nothing like the one during his rut. There was no ual desire behind it, it came from a warmth that grew in his chest. He had fulfilled his goal as a wolf, he had found his mate and put a pup in his belly. Dopamine intoxicated his animal side. And the same feeling irritated his human side to no end.

Only a minute had elapsed when he let go, but it couldn’t be fast enough. His senses were out of tune as if they didn’t belong to him. Was it what it meant to be bonded to someone? Did those weird feelings in his chest belong to Donghyun? He would find it out with time, for sure. For now, all he wanted was to run away, to anywhere as long as it was as far as possible. “How are you feeling?” He asked, just to make sure he wasn’t leaving a dizzy omega behind.

@Kim Hyeonjoongᵃˡᵖʰᵃ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: take my nirvana - pvris

　　Donghyun's expression tightens, briefly. He toes off his shoes, unwilling to wear them beyond the entryway, and steps into the living room in his socks. Discomfort or no, he wasn't going to walk around his new house in street shoes. His brow raises at the 'just cooperate' — he doesn't like being jerked around like a puppet on a string, and it's one of the easiest ways to ensure his lack of cooperation.

All the same, he reaches up and starts ing his shirt. Three buttons down, he stops. It's far enough, he'd imagine, to give Hyeonjoong room to do what needs to be done.

If he's hesitant to cross the distance between them, Donghyun dares the alpha to comment on it. It takes him a moment, a moment of staring into space, before he can bring himself closer to Hyeonjoong and the final seal on their life sentence.

@Kim Donghyunᵒᵐᵉᵍᵃ ˗ˏˋ now playing: halsey - castle ´ˎ˗
// this song is from donghyun’s pov, but it fits so well I had to share

Hyeonjoong stayed in place as the sound of the door being forcefully closed echoed across the room. Donghyun was making yet another little scene, and the alpha figured the best answer was not to overreact. If he let everything get to him, he would go insane in a week.

His first answer to the sentence that followed was a sigh. He wasn't surprised at all - if he had been in the right mind to ponder his words, he would have figured it was the obvious reply from Donghyun. Unfortunately, that time it hit him too late.

After letting his weight fall onto the couch, he unfastened his bow tie and rested his elbows on his knees before looking at his husband again. “Just cooperate, I will leave you alone after that.”

@Kim Hyeonjoongᵃˡᵖʰᵃ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: turn on me - the national

　　The alpha is just as quiet as Donghyun, and the omega is not bothered by it at all — quite the opposite. When their driver pulls away, when it's just the two of them standing on the sidewalk, looking up at the house that they will somehow have to make into a home, the silence enveloping them is a tense one. Both know what awaits them inside.

Donghyun follows the alpha inside, his hand on the back of the door — prepared to push it shut — when Hyeonjoong's voice breaks the silence that had spun around them since they left the church. Immediately, Donghyun stiffens and when he pushes the door closed, it is with more force than necessary. The slam isn't enough to rattle the house, but enough to make his displeasure known.

Donghyun's had enough of being pushed around and told to do things in the past month to last him a lifetime.

"Do not," he snarls, "give me /orders/, Kim Hyeonjoong."

@Kim Donghyunᵒᵐᵉᵍᵃ ˗ˏˋ now playing: ruelle - where do we go from here ´ˎ˗

When most guests had already left, the newlyweds' car arrived. It was a trip straight to their new house, with no party and no honeymoon in sight. Hyeonjoong wished he could be relieved for leaving the atmosphere of fake happiness, but the wedding was still not over. Not for two wolves like them.

The professor, who was naturally a man of few words, didn’t break the silence. His mind was full and, while he didn’t care to share his feelings with Donghyun, the latter could easily figure out what he was thinking. Getting married in a church before one’s family, exchanging rings, or even signing papers, all of that was of second importance for a wolf. The most important moment of their lives was yet to come, but as they neared their destination, it meant the critical moment was closer as well.

Hyeonjoong thanked the driver before settling into silence again. He couldn’t bring himself to speak. He left the car, unlocked the door, and walked into their house like a robot on autopilot. He didn’t want to think.

Suddenly, the alpha stopped in the middle of the living room. Filled boxes and unassembled furniture surrounded him as he turned around, finally facing his husband. “Let’s get it over with,” he said in a serious, unwavering tone. It was better to get it out of the way once and for all than to push it back and mull it over. “Close the door and show me your neck.”

@Kim Hyeonjoongᵃˡᵖʰᵃ 　　⤿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: downhill lullaby - sky ferreira

　　Donghyun resists the urge to wipe his mouth after their kiss, after their marriage ceremony is finally over. He doesn't smile when Hyeonjoong escorts him out of the church, but that is perhaps too much to ask from him. While Hyeonjoong's family and friends greet them with enthusiasm, Donghyun's family are perhaps as restrained as the omega is, clipped and cold with stares that could cut diamond.

It can't end fast enough, even if Donghyun isn't looking forward to being alone with his new husband.

By the time all of their guests are gone, all of Donghyun's energy seems to be gone with them. The ride to their new house is quiet — silent, mostly, Donghyun doesn't speak. He leans his head against the window and closes his eyes, hand resting over his bump. Despite this, he's not relaxed, nor at any risk of falling asleep. Each rustle of movement from the alpha makes his pulse skyrocket before an eye cracks open and he slowly calms again.

It's simultaneously too fast and not fast enough when they arrive at their new house. Donghyun had picked one uptown, far enough from his father that Dongwook can't keep too close of an eye on them, but in a safe neighborhood in a good school district for their daughter. There's a fenced-in yard, a well-maintained sidewalk and a pretty wraparound porch. It's picturesque, the kind of thing that Hyeonjoong and Donghyun are not.