Omegaverse

@☭ Xiao Zhan Yibo raised a brow at Zhan's very unconvincing declaration, giving the older a knowing look, "Oh you better," he warned Zhan. There was no way Yibo was going to sit through nine months of a pregnancy only for Zhan to be disappointed at the end of it. Once they were at the convenience store, his curiosity got the best of him. Leaving Yuning to walk with Zhan, Yibo went down the short aisles to see if there was anything that would catch his eye. He wasn't in the mood for the usual snacks he went for, so he walked right past them, and his eyes landed on a pack of colorful skittles. They looked like they would be perfect in his cereal. Grabbing a pack for himself and a pack for Yuning, he brought it back to Zhan, dropping it in his husband's basket, "These too," he hummed.

@☭ Wang Yibo At once, Zhan reached over to Yibo, his free hand crossing over, to block Yibo's nostrils from the offending smell until they were far enough from it that Zhan couldn't smell it anymore. "I know what he is," Zhan said confidently. "Alpha instinct. Trust me." A girl would be nice, but it would be a hassle amongst a family of men. An omega boy was best, so Zhan could spoil him, dress him up, and take him shopping. When he saw Yibo's expression, he added hastily, "Of course, I'll still love a girl all the same."

@☭ Xiao Zhan Once Yuning was also dressed in warm layers, they headed out to the closest convenience store together. Yibo didn't mind taking a walk, but he did notice that there were a lot of night stalls open around this time, all of which served foods with strangely pungent odors. It was probably because he had been pregnant with Yuning already when they first moved into this new apartment, so he wasn't to sensitive midway through his pregnancy. Now that it was a new experience again, he wrinkled his nose in disapproval. "That luosifen smell is making me nauseous," he mumbled to Zhan. And even though he knew how excited Zhan was about having another pup, Yibo couldn't help but wonder aloud, "What if it's not a boy?" he asked his husband, "What if we have a girl this time, hm? How are you so sure Yuning is going to have a younger /brother/?"

@☭ Wang Yibo When Zhan watched Yuning waddle into Yibo’s arms right away without screaming or throwing himself on the ground, he breathed a sigh of relief. His kid was not too far gone yet. They dressed Yuning, bundling him up against any potential breezes, and walked out with him, each holding one of his chubby little hands. He didn’t need so much support walking anymore, but seeing Yuning sandwiched between them made Zhan’s heart melt. His smile widened when he glanced toward Yibo’s stomach. It was still flat, but Zhan was sure Yibo would start showing in no time. “Ah Ning, when you’re an older brother, you’re going to have to hold your little brother’s hand tightly all the time, okay?”

@☭ Xiao Zhan Yibo had considered asking Zhan to go on his own when the older came back and offered him to go along. But after realizing that he couldn't become complacent just because of his pregnancy and lose sight of his physical wellbeing, Yibo agreed firmly, "Mm, that's a good idea." He got up and put a black hoodie on, making sure that he covered his head with the hood. "Ah Ning," he called, unapologetically turning the TV off without a second warning when they had somewhere to go, "Come on. We're going to the store!" He grinned and opened his arms for Yuning to come to him. "Baba is going to buy us some things we need. Let's keep him company okay?"

@☭ Wang Yibo "Banana and yogurt cereal," Zhan recited as he headed to the bedroom to change. When he returned, though, and saw how fixated Yuning was on the television, Zhan frowned. No child of his, especially an alpha, was going to end up an iPad kid. "Baby, if you're feeling up for it, how about we all go together?" Zhan suggested, giving Yuning a tap on his head to see if he could draw his own attention away from the screen. To his disappointment, Yuning didn't even turn his head. "You and Yuning have been home all day, and the store isn't far. Let's go for a walk and get some fresh air, hm?"

@☭ Xiao Zhan Yibo's beverage of choice usually wasn't milk, and even if he did drink it, it wasn't over a bowl of cereal. It just so happened that this perfect combination was the only thing that he was willing to wake up for in the morning now, and he just wanted to finish his day with it. Zhan brought up a good point, both about having it fresh while also having enough to last until tomorrow. Yibo gave a moment of thought to his mate's suggestion before resolutely nodding his head, "I'm gonna stay home with Ah Ning then. You go quickly and come back, okay?" he asked. Yuning was watching a show on the TV and nothing was going to tear his attention off of his favorite red bear, "Don't forget the bananas!" Yibo called after Zhan.

@☭ Wang Yibo Zhan paused in his review of his script with a raised brow, although he immediately set his hand down to Yibo's head, nestled so docilely in his lap. "Three? How about I get them one at a time as you eat them? It's better to get them fresh." He grinned at how cute Yibo looked down there and trailed his fingers down the side of Yibo's face. His mate was noticeably more clingy while he was pregnant, and that alone was enough to make Zhan wish Yibo would just stay pregnant forever. "But are you sure you can last until tomorrow without cereal, baby? How about I head to the store now? It's not so far from here."

@☭ Xiao Zhan The unusual changes his body went through under his first pregnancy seemed like a blur to Yibo - buttered corn had sounded so good when he was pregnant with Yuning, but upon trying the craving again after giving birth, it just didn't really have a special effect on Yibo. A few weeks had passed since he discovered his pregnancy, but true to Zhan's word, his alpha had not uttered a word to anyone around them. Yibo was still not showing, so he tried to get through his days as he normally did, but there was one urge that started as a little thought lingering in the back of his mind that eventually grew into something he almost couldn't live without. "Lao Xiao, we're out of cereal again," Yibo whined as he laid his head over Zhan's lap, resting on the couch after another day of practicing at the track and then caring for Yuning after day care. "Tomorrow, you need to pick some up okay?" he asked, "Get two boxes...or maybe three. I want the one with the yogurt chunks in it. And then get bananas so I can add it on top." Yibo started to salivate at the thought, imagining that exact combination that he would definitely have again tomorrow, just like he had been eating for the past week or so for every day.

@☭ Wang Yibo Zhan had been expecting something like a higher end restaurant, like the one he took them to break the news of Yibo's first pregnancy to their parents, but it seemed Yibo was a little too tired for that. "Sure, that place across Yuning's daycare is pretty good. I took him after school once. Ah Ning, you okay with that?" Yuning chirped his agreement, although he still seemed a little unsure at all the commotion. Perhaps he just didn't understand what was happening yet, but soon enough, when Yibo started showing, Zhan was sure he would catch on quickly. "Then let me take a shower and wash my face, and we'll go, okay? I'll dress Ah Ning after, you rest here."

@☭ Xiao Zhan When Zhan was in a good mood, he could be equated to somewhat of a dork. Yibo found it rather endearing that his alpha, who was usually so put together, could ramble on for so long about a single comment he'd made. It made him giggle amidst his own uncertainties about what his own future would hold. He nodded in agreement, reaching over to Yuning's head, "Ah Ning, what do you want to eat tonight? How about let's get some jianbing?" he suggested, knowing that Yuning always enjoyed being able to touch the food that they ate with his hands. He looked at Zhan, raising a brow, "What do we think Lao Xiao?" he asked, "Is there a good jianbing place nearby?"

@☭ Wang Yibo Slowly, Zhan put his phone back down. He supposed he did see Yibo's point, but without anyone else to brag about the good news toward, he was now left with all this pent up energy. "Okay," he said without complaint, sitting obediently beside his husband again. "We'll tell them when you want. In fact, we don't even have to tell anyone until after the pup comes. /In fact/, we don't even have to tell anyone /after/ he comes." Zhan stopped abruptly, only then realizing the hole he had dug for himself. "Er... we'll decide when the time comes. For now, how about we go out for dinner to celebrate? Hm, Ah Ning?"

@☭ Xiao Zhan "Wait," Yibo stopped Zhan before his husband could reach for his phone, "I don't think we should tell people yet. It's too early." After all, the moment his pregnancy was announced to their family and friends, there was no way Yibo was going to be able to get any peace and quiet anymore. Thus would begin the whole regiment on developing a healthy fetus with random herbal tonics and superstitions that he just didn't need right now. "We'll tell them...when I start showing," he said, "Or maybe when they notice it for themselves." He raised a brow at Zhan, going back to the older's statement. "Because that's what I want. Okay Lao Xiao?"

@☭ Wang Yibo Yuning didn't really answer, and there was a dubious expression on his little face, but Zhan figured he would eventually come around. He cuddled up to Yibo, his hands automatically moving toward his stomach to rub and caress. "Of course," Zhan agreed readily, willing to do just about anything for his mate since he was being given another pup already. "Anything my mate wants, he gets." Keeping one's omega happy and stress-free was, obviously, the way to ensure their pup would come out healthy. "This is such good news. I need to tell your mom!"

@☭ Xiao Zhan Yibo could understand where Zhan's boundless happiness was stemming from, and he admittedly had much more positive feelings towards having another pup again now that he had the experience of parenting Yuning. But still, there was a little uncomfortable tug in his stomach as he realized that his ultimate dream of becoming the MotoGP champion was going to be put on hold...yet again. No matter what, fate didn't seem to be playing in his favor. He mustered a smile as Zhan hugged him around his waist, keeping his grievances to himself so he wouldn't stifle his mate's excitement. Yibo reached his arms out for Yuning when Zhan brought their pup over, a light smile on his lips while he leaned in to press his cheek against Yuning's head, "You have to be a big boy and be your little brother or sister's role model, got that Ah Ning?" Yibo asked, looking up at Zhan, "And you...you're still in charge of baby sitting when the new one comes, got it?"

@☭ Wang Yibo Dropping Yibo in favour of the phone, Zhan's eyes skimmed the report, zoning right into what he wanted to see. He dropped the phone back on the couch with a cry and wrapped his arms around Yibo's waist again, though much more gentle this time as if he might break Yibo's waist if he used any more strength. "It's correct!" he yelled, teetering on his toes, unable to keep in his excitement bottled up. "Baby, oh- this is the best thing all year!" Seeing the commotion, Yuning waddled over, clinging to their legs. Zhan let Yibo sit so he could pick up his pup, bringing him onto the couch with them. "Ah Ning, you're going to be a big brother! Isn't that great?"

@☭ Xiao Zhan Yibo could practically hear Zhan tumbling through the hallways of his building on the other end of the phone, and he scolded his mate right then and there, "Wei, Xiao Zhan, get your act together. Is that what someone who's a father should be acting like?" It didn't seem like Zhan was registering what he said though, so Yibo hung up first, curling up on the couch to wait for Zhan to return. It mustn't have been more than half an hour since his call, but Yibo was close to nodding off. Yuning was playing with his toys on the floor in front of him, which made keeping an eye out for his pup easy. When the front door burst open, Yibo was sudden jolted back to full alertness, but even that didn't quite prepare him for the whirlwind that was his husband. "Ahh-" he cried out, rubbing his sleepy eyes, "See for yourself," he said, flicking his chin towards his phone, gesturing for Zhan to unlock the screen so he could read the report for himself. "I'm pretty sure I read it correctly."

@☭ Wang Yibo Zhan wasn't able to hold back a yell. "WHAT?" Immediately, his fingers numbed, and he tightened his grip over his phone before he could drop it. Yibo wouldn't call Zhan for a negative result, and from the way he was speaking about missing his motorcycle races again this year, it could only mean one thing. "I'm gonna come home right now," he babbled, his lips and tongue barely forming the words properly. He managed to hang up and tuck his phone away before rushing back into the reading room, blurting out some sort of excuse—'an emergency', if he managed to get the words out—before running out to the parkade. It was as if he blacked out on the drive home, because the next time he blinked, he opened his eyes to his apartment door. Flinging it open, he flew down the hall, nearly bowling Yuning over to reach Yibo. Picking up his mate off the couch, Zhan's hands held his waist. "Is it true?"

@☭ Xiao Zhan Yibo clicked his tongue in disapproval when Zhan answered the phone in the worried tone that he did, "Why does something have to be wrong for me to call you?" he asked back, though he didn't give Zhan enough time to think of an answer, "When are you done with the table read? The test results from the clinic came back..." He figured that Zhan would ask, even if Yibo didn't want to tell him right over the phone and send him into a frenzy. And he didn't want to worry the older with the idea that something was wrong. "It's your fault I'm going to miss this year's MotoGP race...again," he said, pouting into his phone before giving Zhan one order, "Come home and I'll show you."

@☭ Wang Yibo Despite his personal little set of ethics he had for his workplace, Zhan had been breaking it the past couple years. He always left his phone with his assistant, but with Yuning's arrival and /now/ a potential pup on the way, Zhan wanted to be on call twenty-four seven for Yibo. He always had his phone tucked against his skin on his person or directly on his table, like he had now. While he wished Yibo would just contact him for any trivial thing now that he knew Zhan would answer no matter what, Yibo did the opposite. So if Yibo called Zhan during work, it had to be /big/ news. Zhan excused himself out into the hall to pick up. "Hey. What's wrong?"

@☭ Xiao Zhan The visit to the clinic had been so uneventful that Yibo almost forgot that it happened. That was why when he ended up getting an email from the nurses, Yibo casually opened up the message to read without thinking anything else about it. He couldn't believe his eyes, doing a double take to re-read the message as it loaded out onto his screen. Pregnant. Somehow, the results on both his blood and urine test had turned the same result: positive. Yibo almost fell out of his seat on the couch as he saw this, scrambling to dial Zhan's number. His mate had gone out for a table reading earlier this morning, but Yibo was sure that once Zhan heard about it, he would come barreling home.

@☭ Wang Yibo "Okay, eat." Zhan watched Yibo stuff his cheeks and chew rapidly like a little hamster, his heart trembling at the adorable sight before him. Aside from wanting to see more meat on Yibo's bones, Zhan loved to watch Yibo enjoy food. While Yibo had his liangpi, Zhan's chilli oil wontons took a little while longer to come, but he ate faster, so they matched up in pace fairly quickly. With the rest of the day ahead of them, they took a walk in the nearby mall, finding a cute new outfit for Yuning, before swinging by Yibo's parents' place to pick up their son. As usual, after a hard day of play, Yuning knocked out in the car, but he woke after Zhan carried him into the house. He was all smiles then, bouncing after Yibo and pulling on Yibo's pant legs for attention. "Mama, mama," he crowed. "Want a snackie!" Zhan watched him with a fond smile—Yuning was such an angel that if Yibo was pregnant, he would undoubtedly be happy if he was pregnant again with another pup.

@☭ Xiao Zhan "Where did that nonsense come from?" Yibo asked in passing as they arrived in the restaurant, "I just want to eat, so let me eat." If Zhan was going to be a worrywart before Yibo's supposed pregnancy was even confirmed, then it was his job to shut the older down real quick. Since they were regulars at this spot, their order was rung in and brought over to their table at record speed. Yibo remembered how opposed Zhan used to be about eating at such small restaurants with little attention to their hygiene standards, but he had converted the alpha (just a little) after showing him all the delicious hotspots. Since his food was cold and didn't need any time to cool down, Yibo dug in right away, "Lao Xiao, I'm gonna eat first," he said, taking a large mouthful of the saucy liangpi and slurping it down loudly, deliciously.

@☭ Wang Yibo Zhan glanced at the omegas filling the room as they made their way to the exit. "They probably don't work..." he said, holding back a comment about how spoiled Yibo was to have an alpha who let him do whatever he wanted. He wanted to work, then he got to work. He wanted liangpi after a pregnancy blood draw, then Zhan would hurry him to the best liangpi in the city. He helped Yibo into the car and headed for their usual stomping grounds, which was relatively quiet on a weekday just a bit after the lunch hour. Zhan eyed stomach as they sat, and even if he knew Yibo might hit him for it, he said, "If you're pregnant, you shouldn't eat so many cold things."

@☭ Xiao Zhan Yibo did his business quickly in the restroom, not wanting to take any more time doing such an uncleanly task that he needed to. After relieving himself and filling the volume up to the required line on the cup, he stuck the cap back on and pushed it into the compartment behind the little flap door in the wall. He supposed that would be a direct pathway to the lab on the other side. Once he washed his hands thoroughly, he emerged from the bathroom, pushing Zhan back again by the chest, "There's nothing to see. I already turned it in. Let's go, I'm hungry," he said, leading the way out of the clinic first. On his way out, he wrinkled his nose at an odd scent, but didn't think much of it, since it didn't linger for very long. "Dang, so many people are visiting the clinic today," he noted to Zhan as they headed towards the car, "Do they have that much time to be taking off from work?"

@☭ Wang Yibo Zhan sat back down with a huff, unable to understand why he had been so cruelly rejected by his mate. He could help Yibo hold his things inside the bathroom so he wouldn't have to set anything down on the dirty countertops. Since he his help had been turned down, Zhan passed time, albeit a little anxiously, by judging the other omegas and couples in the room. None of those omegas could hold a candle to Yibo's beauty, and not a single one of them looked interesting enough to the point they would never catch Zhan's attention in the first place if Zhan was single. He chuckled to himself at his own fortune, ignoring the glance it drew from the alpha two seats down from him, and decided to wait for Yibo just outside the bathroom door. "How'd it go?" he asked, as if collecting urine was a very daunting task in itself. "Let me see."

@☭ Xiao Zhan If it weren't for Zhan covering his costs, Yibo didn't think he could ever justify taking one trip to the clinic just to get his blood drawn and his pee collected for an ungodly cost. He would just let time tell him if he was pregnant or not - since he really wasn't convinced that he was to begin with. And on top of that, the urine sample had to be collected by himself too, so that was just even more annoying. Heading back out into the lounge, Yibo sat down with a huff, pulling his phone out to scroll on. He didn't want to think about using the restroom, since that would only make him /not/ need to go even more. It was a psychological response and he had to play a trick on his mind so his body would respond faster. Gulping down three cups of water at Zhan's behest, Yibo wriggled in his seat until the semblance of an urge came upon him. "Kay, I'm going," he said, taking the test cup with him. Seeing Zhan stand up behind him, Yibo shoved his alpha back by the chest, "Alone."

@☭ Wang Yibo Zhan made a face. He was being bullied. Still, he continued to stand fast, holding Yibo's hand throughout his blood draw. The nurse opened the door for them once she was done, and said, "You can take it home to do and bring it back, plastic bags are supplied out in front; or you can help yourself to some water and sit in the lounge until you're ready." Zhan took the bottle for Yibo, and they made their way back out. If Yibo took the test home, who knows how long that would delay the results. "It's still early, let's wait for a bit," Zhan insisted, taking Yibo by his hand to guide him to the lounge. "I'll get you some water."

@☭ Xiao Zhan If one were to look at the way Zhan was corralling Yibo into the examination room, they might've thought it was a father bringing their son to get tested, with the look of seriousness on Zhan's face. Once they were seated in the room and Yibo's information was documented, he reached his arm out and looked away. While the pain and actual process of drawing blood didn't unnerve him, the sight of a needle disappearing under his skin did. Yibo looked up as the nurse directed her attention to Zhan's presence, and he snickered at how eager Zhan was to stay, like he was looking at a large candy that was right in front of him. "Oh...no I think he'll be fine. He's harmless," Yibo reassured the nurse and laughed to himself, only hissing once in pain when the needle was injected into him. The process was quick, but then Yibo was handed a test for him to pee over, just like the home kits. "I have to do that here?" he asked the nurse, "But I don't need to use the restroom yet."

@☭ Wang Yibo "Not about the results—I'm asking if you're nervous about the blood draw." Yibo was clearly anxious about having another pup but he had nothing to worry about. Zhan would just drop the topic if it happened to be a false alarm, but he was also going to step up and make sure Yibo was completely spoiled and pampered for his pregnancy if there was another pup growing inside him. Yuning was such an angel, which convinced Zhan it was time to grow their family—hopefully with the addition of a little omega this time. "Sure, let's eat liangpi," Zhan agreed easily, rising first when Yibo's name was called. Although all the omegas in the clinic went into the examination room themselves, Zhan clung tightly to Yibo's hand the entire time, to the point that he was holding Yibo's right hand inside the room while the omega nurse cleared Yibo's right elbow to tap a vein. Surprisingly, she raised a brow, her expression clearly judgemental behind her own mask, and asked Yibo, "Mr. Wang, should I ask him to step out of the room?"