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Busy bodies roamed the broad sidewalks of the shopping center, all doing their best to get last-minute holiday shopping finished. Venti had finished his ages ago, seeing as ordering things online had been easier for him while pregnant. Walking around with his swollen feet and sore back would’ve been too much work just to get a few things for the small group of people he actually cared enough about to buy things for.
However, his alpha had a different way of getting gifts, and with their bundle of joy out in the world and no longer keeping Venti stuck in the nest, he wanted them to go out and see the gifts for themselves. Something about “assuring the quality” of the items was all he said before they were all too quickly wrapped in their winter clothes and headed out of their home. While wanting to make sure the gifts he buys are of good quality is a sweet gesture, it ended up being more footwork than Venti wanted to do.
“A bench, finally,” Venti sighed, hurrying over to the snow-covered bench he spotted just outside a small shop. Xiao laid his head on his shoulder as soon as he could sit back, the pup strapped to his chest in a carrier to make the trip easier.
“If he’s getting too heavy for you, I have no issue holding him for a while.” Zhongli stood in front of Venti, holding out his gloved hands. “I told you before we left that I could, seeing as I’m the one that planned this trip.”
Venti snorted. “And let you get all the cuddles at home and out and about? Fat chance. We need this bonding time. Xiao only ever wants to lay on you because you’re nice and warm. I only get attention from him when it’s time to eat.” He reached up to make sure the small, blue hat stayed over his pup’s ears. “I just need a bit of a break. I can sit here while you go into the last few shops. If I need you, get too cold, or feel like walking again, I’ll join you. Otherwise, I’ll just stay here and be on my phone for a bit.”
Zhongli looked to his left, then to his right, making a sour face at the crowd. “It would be against my better judgement to leave my omega and pup alone out here in the cold. There are too many other alphas here. I can smell them.” To make his point, Zhongli inhaled through his nose, which immediately crinkled from the bitter smell of other alphas. “I don’t want them bothering you.”
“My darling alpha, no one wants to stand around and bother anyone else in this weather while also trying to do their shopping. Everyone just wants to get what they need then go home.” He reached up and grabbed the alpha’s hand, tugging it to his face. “I know alphas can get aggressive when they smell a new pup, but we’re bundled up so well that our scents aren’t going anywhere for a while. No one passing by will be able to tell that he’s so little.” He patted the over-stuffed coat wrapped around Xiao with Zhongli’s hand. “See? His outfit is too thick. We’ll stay plenty warm, and our scents will stay hidden.”
The alpha hummed, keeping his hand against Xiao’s back. “I don’t have much more to get. Just a few things for some work colleagues. I believe I can get them all at the same store. If…” Zhongli paused to sigh. “If you see any sign of trouble, you’ll come running to get me? It’s two stores down, so I won’t be far.”
Venti lit up, wrapping his arms tightly around Xiao. The pup didn’t seem the least bit bothered by any of what was going on, simply leaning into the hug so that he didn’t have to try to hold his head up. “If anyone even looks at us funny, I’ll come get you. Just go get your shopping done, then we can go home and take a warm bath with Xiao.”
After a minute of hesitation, Zhongli finally stepped back from them with a nod. “Alright, then. I will be quick.” He took a few steps back, still watching over them until he had to turn away to head to the shop.
“Papa will be right back,” Venti said to Xiao while patting his back. He still wasn’t interested in anything other than starting to settle against Venti for a nap. Which was perfectly fine, because Venti wanted to relax and play on his phone while he waited.
Being a new parent meant extraordinarily long nights, so Venti had downloaded plenty of mindless apps to either scroll through or play on while he stayed up with Xiao. Zhongli helped as often as he could, but the alpha had to get up for work in the mornings, and even though he often insisted on helping, Venti didn’t let him most nights. It just seemed cruel to ask his alpha to be working on little to no sleep.
As much as getting no shut-eye bothered Venti and left him a bit grumpy without an afternoon nap, he didn’t mind finding new, easy hobbies to busy himself with. One of which happened to be puzzles. There were a million apps that allowed him to space out and sort through the digital pieces, and once he found one that had everything he liked, Venti threw himself into them. If he had only thought to bring his headphones, then he could also listen to some soothing music while he waited.
“It’s cold as fuck today, I won’t be out long. Want to meet at the bar down the road from your place?” An alpha plopped down on the other side of the bench. He had his phone tucked between his shoulder and face, his hands busy going through the bag he had been carrying.
Venti couldn’t see what was in it, and he had no desire to draw any attention to himself, so he looked back at his phone and tried to ignore what the man went on about.
“Or I could buy a bottle, and we could stay in and invite a few people over to my place. Whatever works. I just need something to get my mind off of work.” The alpha leaned back on the bench, setting the bag between him and Venti. “Do you know any omegas that’d want to come out, or is it going to be a sausage fest?”
Normally, Venti would chuckle at such a conversation. But the possibility of the alpha hanging up his phone and acknowledging his presence made him stifle the laugh. Hiding his amusement ended up being in vain, however, because not a moment later, Xiao opened his eyes and began to fuss.
Venti quickly wrapped his arms around his pup, hushing him and lightly bouncing in hopes that it would put him back to sleep.
“I’ll text you later,” the alpha grumbled into his phone. After tucking it into his pocket, the alpha stood.
In a hopeful, brief moment, Venti believed he would walk away. People never like sitting by crying pups. Surely he wouldn’t want to stay for Xiao to show his anger over being woken up.
“Cute pup.” The alpha stood in front of Venti, his posture stiff.
“Thanks.” Venti stared back up at the alpha with a stern, yet careful glare. He didn’t want to challenge the alpha, but he wasn’t about to show an ounce of submission while protecting his pup.
The alpha huffed. “Where’s the alpha, anyway? Little shitty of him to leave you two alone in the cold like this. Or did you wander outside by yourself?” He leaned forward, his metallic and dusty scent making Venti’s nose crinkle. “Not the best idea coming out here just to piss off alphas. It’s like you want to upset one of us. Or maybe you’re the type that wants to make their alpha jealous. I can get you nice and covered in my scent, then send you back to them.”
Venti lifted his wet winter boot up to the alpha’s chest. “I just wanted to sit and relax, you jerk. Back off!” He kicked as hard as he could, sending the alpha back a few feet.
He could hear him snarling, but Venti was already on his feet and walking with hurried steps in the direction Zhongli had gone.
“Get back here, you stupid bit-”
The man’s words were muffled as Venti ran right into his mate’s chest. Thankfully, he caught him before poor Xiao could be squished between them.
“This your alpha, huh? Well, your whore of an omega just-”
A teeth-chattering, gut-twisting snarl cut the alpha off.
Zhongli slid Venti behind him. “If I were you, I would turn around and pretend none of this ever happened,” he said calmly, despite the feral growl he had let out moments ago.
“You think you can scare me off? An alpha that just left his pup and mate out in the cold like that? A mouthy thing like that is asking for another alpha to mess with him!”
A few people had paused their walks and turned their heads at the display. The other alpha had started to posture, his chest puffed up, and his hands clenched at his side.
“This is your last chance to shut your mouth and walk away,” Zhongli said, his voice still even.
Most alphas would do the same as the aggressive one, trying to look big, mean, and angry. Venti's mate, however, stood in front of him like a stone wall, unmoving and stiff.
“You think you can take me? Fine, I'll show your little omega what a real alpha looks like!” The man took a step forward, his arm swinging forward with him. It looked as though the hit would land, a few of the onlookers flinching in anticipation for the fight that would ensue.
Zhongli casually lifted his arm, deflecting the punch as if he were swatting away an annoying fly. “I believe I gave you fair warning, and now you've scared my omega and ignored it.” Almost too quickly for most to see, he threw his own punch, though he didn't have to move much to have plenty of force behind it.
The rude alpha's jaw cracked, not breaking, but surely getting knocked hard enough to feel as though it had. He stumbled back, and even though Venti didn't care for violence, he couldn't help the warm satisfaction he got from seeing the man slip on the ice and land on his ass.
Venti gave Xiao a few pats on the back, glad that the pup started to quiet down. Having Zhongli around meant that there was nothing for either of them to worry about, so Venti didn't mind turning his attention away from the two alphas to keep Xiao from getting upset again.
“You think you're some big shot, huh?” The alpha stood again, and while Venti could hear him growling, he still didn't turn around and give him any more of his attention.
“I have no such opinion of myself. However, I know I'm a better alpha than you.” Venti could hear Zhongli shuffling around again, then the other alpha fell to the ground again with a loud huff. “We will be leaving now. If you attempt to pursue, I will do more than put you on the wet ground.”
Venti finally turned around when Zhongli placed his hand on his shoulder, bringing him to his side. “That warm bath sounds good about now. Did you finish your shopping?”
“I did,” Zhongli hummed, ushering them away from the growling, swearing alpha. “I finished quickly because I found something for you that I'm excited to give you.”
“A gift? For me? You spoil me, Zhongli,” Venti said with a laugh.
“Of course. I’m a proper alpha, therefore I spoil my omega.” Xiao began to fuss again, and Zhongli reached over to grab him from the carrier with ease. “And my pup, too.” He kissed the top of Xiao’s head and, to no one's surprise, the pup reached out with a whine to get close again the second he pulled away. “I'm sorry, you must be cold out of your carrier.”
With Xiao pressed against his chest, his shopping bags expertly held in his free hand, Zhongli led them to the car. He refused to let Venti help with getting settled, telling him to sit and relax while he got Xiao strapped in and his bags put into the trunk.
They rode home in mostly silence, only soft music playing on the radio in hopes of helping Xiao go down for a nap. It didn't work, though, and each time Venti looked back to check on him, he could see the pup staring wide-eyed out the window. While it was strange, it was better than a tantrum, so Venti enjoyed the peaceful ride.
At home, they unpacked their things, Venti trying and failing to help carry anything into the house thanks to his alpha's insistence to do it all himself. Venti agreed to let him handle carrying everything except for Xiao, who had started to fuss and was likely ready for a bottle, bath, then a nap.
“Do you think he'll start sleeping through the night soon?” Venti hummed as he grabbed the bottle from the diaper bag Zhongli had just set on the couch.
“We can hope,” Zhongli chuckled. “For now, we should just enjoy it when he's ready for a nap.” The alpha gave their pup a gentle head pat, then began to undo his coat. “I can assist with getting Xiao ready for his nap, if you'd like?”
Venti shook his head. “No, it's alright. Go through all the stuff you bought and I'll get him ready. Then you and I can lay down as well before figuring out what we're doing for food.” With the bottle in hand and Xiao more than happy to eat, Venti took the pup to take his quick, warm bath, then went to his room so that he could sit in the rocking chair and wait for him to finish his food.
It never took long for him to eat, and since their day had been so busy, Xiao knocked out for his nap as soon as he was done being burped. Venti had grown used to easing the pup down into his crib without jostling him too much, even though his short arms made it so he had to lean pretty far over to gently place Xiao down.
“There you go, sleepy little fella. Mama will be back later.” Quietly, Venti snuck out of the room, closing the door with a sigh.
Having a strange, aggressive alpha get in his space, especially while he was holding Xiao, had fried his nerves in a way that Venti wasn't used to. Zhongli rarely left them alone, and of course the one time he did, an alpha had to be a dick about it. It wasn't something that would stick with him forever, but it was enough to put him on edge while he snuck out of the room.
Zhongli had finished putting all of his things away, and rather than get comfortable for the night, the alpha stood at the edge of their bed, staring expectantly at the door.
“Are you waiting for me?” Venti laughed as he tossed his coat aside to pick up later. He stepped closer to the bed, expecting to be able to hug Zhongli and rub his face against the alpha’s chest to soak up his scent.
His alpha had other plans, however. The second Venti was within arms reach, Zhongli yanked him against his and gave a firm squeeze. His face was immediately jammed into the crook of Venti’s neck, heavy breaths coating his neck in a mist of his drool.
“That worthless alpha’s scent is still stuck on you,” he huffed. “I wish I had been able to hurt him more. If you and Xiao weren’t there-”
“I know,” Venti said, gently brushing his hands over his alpha’s back. “You did an amazing job protecting us, though. No alpha is as big and strong as you are.”
Zhongli grumbled something against his neck, then easily picked Venti up and tossed him onto the bed. “If you like the clothes you’re wearing, I would take them off quickly, or I will be unable to keep myself from ripping them off. Toss them somewhere we cannot smell them, please. I will undress as well.”
The clinical way he spoke, his struggle to not pounce on Venti evident through the strained words, made Venti chuckle as he quickly fumbled with his clothes. Thankfully, all of them were easy to peel off and toss in the hamper near the door because Zhongli had stripped just as quickly, the alpha already crawling over him before Venti could get comfortable on the bed again.
“You’re so beautiful,” he breathed, his hands finding Venti’s hips to keep them right where he wanted them. “I loved seeing you so ready to hurt that other alpha and protect our pup. Such a wonderful mother you are.” He began licking Venti’s throat, spreading his scent over the marked gland there.
Skin to skin contact always gave Venti the chills, no matter how many times they had spent their nights without clothes. Having his warm tongue swipe over such a sensitive spot left him wiggling as well, his body eager to please his alpha and show just how much he likes having the mark there.
Venti let out a trill and began to purr, laying back so that he didn’t interrupt Zhongli’s hands and their determination to wander from his hips to any other part of his body they could roam to. “You’re too modest, my love. You did all the protecting. I was only running to go and find you.”
Zhongli chuckled and lightly nipped the side of Venti’s neck, eliciting a small, pleased grunt from him. “We can simply agree that we both did well with handling the situation. Having said that, I believe we both deserve a pleasant evening. Then we can also take a warm bath and get some sleep.”
“That sounds like a wonderful plan to me.” Venti reached up to run his hand through his alpha’s long hair, still purring and kept his body lax so that Zhongli could move him as he needed.
Even while possessed with the need to soak Venti in his scent, Zhongli remained gentle and careful with his touches, his sharp nails scraping over his pale flesh in a practiced way that wouldn’t draw blood. He took his time feeling every inch of skin he could, rubbing Venti’s hips and torso while he rubbed and licked both scent glands in his neck.
Warmth filled Venti’s chest and a familiar feeling in his gut began to stir. Zhongli no doubt smelled his building arousal, and Venti had no shame in purring even louder for him as the alpha worked.
When he seemed satisfied enough with covering his scent glands, the alpha sat up and raked his eyes over Venti. He moved in a flash, sitting further down on their bed and lifting Venti’s legs over his shoulders.
Venti looked down, a bit surprised that Zhongli would want to service him first in such a way when his body was likely dying to fill him up to ensure his scent would overpower any other smell. He was about to make a comment on it and praise the alpha for his self control, only for Zhongli to dive right into him like a starved man.
He gasped and grabbed the sheets to ground himself, shivering from having a pleasant, warmth licking his pussy with such a sudden vigor. Venti tried to relax against the mattress to let his alpha work, but staying still when he began to dig his tongue into him became impossible very quickly.
“Ah! Zhongli, I- Oh, fuck!” Venti tightened his legs around the alpha’s head and gently grabbed his hair so that he could start grinding against the alpha’s face. He never minded Venti getting rough with him, and had even expressed in his own kind of roundabout way that he wanted to try it more often, but Venti didn’t want to try pushing the alpha when he was already in a territorial mood.
Instead of being too quick and harsh with it, Venti worked on moving his hips in just the right way to get himself off. It didn’t take long, considering they both knew exactly how to please each other at that point in their marriage.
Slick poured out of him and onto Zhongli’s tongue as his body tensed through his orgasm, the alpha licking it up sloppily. He left some of it to help Venti for what would come next and pulled away, his lips glossed with the mess.
Venti didn’t need to brace himself for the alpha’s enormous size, already pretty used to taking it most days, since they were both insatiable for getting enough of one another. Zhongli would have given him the time to adjust if he needed it, but it seemed he was all too aware of how ready Venti was already for him, and Venti wasn’t about to deny his alpha when the other had been nice enough to put aside his urges a little longer for his sake.
Zhongli’s body didn’t seem like it had much more patience to give, anyway. The alpha’s thrusts were so sloppy and quick, hardly seeking pleasure for himself and only interested in making sure Venti had his scent inside and out.
“I… I don’t think I’ll last long tonight, love,” Zhongli forced through clenched teeth.
“That’s perfectly fine,” Venti purred. “It might be quick, but that just means we can cuddle more after.”
Zhongli let out a pleased whine and buried his face against Venti’s neck again, his thrusts growing in pace. Just as he said, the alpha only lasted a few moments longer, and even though they hadn’t done so in a while, he shoved forward hard enough to slide his knot in.
A gasp escaped Venti, and thankfully his body had still been coming down from his orgasm earlier, so he didn’t get pushed into another one to make things too tense to be comfortable.
They took a moment to catch their breath, Zhongli still resting against his shoulder. A peaceful silence fell over them, the late evening bringing with it the settling of the usual outside noises.
“I didn’t think I would be so eager. I apologize. Being stuck together isn’t ideal, so I will do what I can to focus on-”
Venti turned his head and grabbed Zhongli to move him closer, mashing their lips together to silence his mate. “You’re fine, my love. I like this. And we were quick, so nap time will last long enough for us to get sorted out.” He pressed their foreheads together and hummed. “Plus… I knew you were going to save us, and that it would be fine, but… Well, having that alpha so close to Xiao- I’m glad I can’t smell him anymore.”
Zhongli cooed, bringing a hand up to hold Venti’s face. There was no doubt a hint of distress had started to waft off of Venti from reliving the moment, and he knew that his alpha despised the scent. “I know, darling. It was a less than ideal situation. But we’re all home safe now, and thanks to you, Xiao wasn’t harmed.” He leaned in closer for another kiss. “You’re both safe, and that’s what matters.”
“Thanks to us both,” Venti snorted. “We make a fantastic team.” He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, Zhongli’s strong musk filling his lungs like a weighted blanket. “Could we make a fantastic napping team? I think I need one after today.” A yawn forced its way out, proving his point while being followed by a chuckle from them both.
“Of course. Sleep well, and I will make sure anything that needs to gets sorted.”
Venti hummed, his body already too close to sleep to give a proper response. He couldn’t help knocking out so quickly, not when he knew the safest place in the world was right there in Zhongli’s
arms.