"San," Seonghwa pressed out. Despite preparing for so long, he was scared. It was painful, and he feared something might go wrong and hurt his little one.

The seraph lowered Seonghwa onto the bed in the sick ward, shrouding him in comfort. Two nurses already flitted about to prepare bowls and rags.

When Seonghwa's hand clutched to San's sleeve, unwilling to part, the seraph took it to cradle it in his.

"Don't be afraid, my peerless paramour. You will do so well," San assured him. He sat by Seonghwa's side to press a kiss to his forehead. As Seonghwa's anchor to hold on to, he watched as the nurses set up their equipment.

A moment later, the healer came striding in. She flashed Seonghwa a smile.

"Is it time, Your Highness?"

Seonghwa nodded with a huff.

"His water already doused my thighs."

"Then it's starting. Try to relax. This will take a moment." She hurried with the rest as Seonghwa clutched to San, terrified even when he knew he was in excellent hands. The seraph soothed him with never-ending caresses.

One by one, his other husbands filtered inside. Yunho struggled to keep Buddy in the corridor so he wouldn't knock into anything important and Wooyoung's cheeks were flushed from running around. Ultimately, Seungyoun kept Buddy by his side and Mingi walked into a desk instead when he fumbled his way to the bed.

Seonghwa's heart swelled at the sight of their anxious faces. Hongjoong had arrived in a hurry but bore a satchel with potions. One of them, he fed Seonghwa right away to ease the cramps.

At ease now that they were with him, Seonghwa smiled at them. Yunho fretted as he was supposed to help somehow, but the nurses took everything from him.

"So, the baby wants out now," Jongho contemplated as he studied Seonghwa's round belly. "I knew this would become a problem."

"It's not a problem," Seonghwa snickered, blissfully distracted by them. The potion worked and spread serenity through his limbs.

"Humans carry their children the same way. Once they want out, the mothers suffer pain for long hours. I don't want to see you like that. I heard you can get hurt really badly," Yunho whimpered. He hovered by Seonghwa's other flank now, holding his hand, since there wasn't much else to do. By Seonghwa's head, Yeosang plucked the pins from his hair so he could settle. He gathered them in trembling hands, nervous like the rest.

"I didn't know there would be that much pain involved... Now I understand why San didn't want it to happen," Jongho commented. He tried to fit against the wall, broad mass in the way of everyone else.

Seonghwa shook his head.

"This pain is endurable, and life gets born from it. Don't worry, Yunho. Elves don't suffer as much, and men are more flexible down there."

Apprehensive, Yunho watched as the nurses levered Seonghwa's body, propping his legs up on a wooden stand and hiking his dress over his stomach. He was bare to the room but unashamed and, with his eternal beauty, there was no reason to.

"Give him some water, please," a nurse asked the assembled husbands. Wooyoung was the quickest, feeding it to Seonghwa. He groaned at a throb in his lower back and his baby wriggled as if in response.

Soon, he promised through the link of their souls. Soon they could meet.

Seonghwa gulped down some water and Mingi's warm hands kneaded into his sides and back as he relaxed into the sheets. He could feel his body changing with the cramps, opening to accommodate his son in his search for light. Though the tugs were unpleasant, he didn't feel as if he were dying.

The midwives and the healer examined Seonghwa together, making sure he wasn't bleeding and none of his labour pains were out of the ordinary. Once they were done, they smiled at him, enamoured.

"Even your pregnancy is full of elegance, Your Highness. While the potions help you relax, let us wait a few more moments, then we will help him out."

So curious about the imp, Mingi listened to the sound of their souls mingling through Seonghwa's stomach. Wooyoung gnawed on his fingernails and Yunho had to sit down, pale when he feared the process.

Seonghwa was at ease. He did some breathing exercises with them that helped calm them down and smiled when San dipped for a moment, only to return with his sheep. He tucked it close to Seonghwa's chest to cuddle and support him.

"Do you wish to wait for His Majesty and your mother to arrive, Your Highness?" The healer asked as she centred her magic, introducing it to his son before he would retaliate for feeling threatened. Its coldness was refreshing, mild, like the touch of grass. Thankfully, the baby was too overwhelmed with coming out to think about zapping Seonghwa.

"No, it's fine. Let us free him from the darkness. Someone might go mad otherwise," he chuckled. Jongho stared, face vacant and eyes eager in their learning. He couldn't fathom how this was supposed to work.

"My magic will have to enter you and draw him out," the healer explained what Seonghwa had long since known. Her nimble fingers spread additional lubricant around his softened entrance, making sure it would be plenty. "As the flow will carry him, you are encouraged to push along but don't clamp up. Please keep the entrance to your womb open at all times. If you startle and clench it shut, the baby might get hurt."

Seonghwa nodded along. It was his body's instinct to be open and accessible, but sudden pain could make him panic.

Yunho didn't look convinced. He fretted by Seonghwa's side, unsure whether he wanted to meet his son sooner or know Seonghwa safe.

Ready to soothe the gleam in his eyes, Seonghwa lowered his head, making inky hair sprawl on the pillows. He smiled at each of his husbands, reassuring them as he held on to them.

Hongjoong monitored, keeping the little one's magic in check.

"We are ready whenever you are."

The team of nurses and healers supported Seonghwa with patience in their eyes. Their basins of fresh water and towels awaited their moment. Hongjoong brought a momentary seal from the Spire of Magic that they used during childbirth so the newborn's magic wouldn't go to mayhem. No magic did well when sealed, but it was a painless and temporary solution until Seonghwa was in no danger anymore.

Seonghwa echoed into his body. He checked on his baby and his wriggles, the impatience to break free. He knew how to turn, how to press against Seonghwa's hips with his head to ease them open.

"Let's do it, little one. Have some patience with me since this is a first," Seonghwa purred. When he looked up, he met Yeosang's eyes. As always, they calmed Seonghwa. Reminded him how they could go to the end of the world together and Yeosang would still be by his side.

"You're the only person I know who could be this calm and dignified for their first child," the dryad chuckled. He spread the soothing scent of the earth and woodruff through the room, refreshing Seonghwa's senses.

If he were anyone else, he would want to receive his child out in the cradle of nature and the stars, where its soothing energies would alleviate all pain. But Seonghwa was vulnerable in this state and even with Yongguk gone, enough people posed a risk to his life.

In here, he had his husbands and the guiding hands of the nurses. Seonghwa knew he would be fine, so he didn't despair.

With a dazzling smile at the worried faces hovering around him, Seonghwa nodded at the nurses.

"We are ready."

The healer knelt between his open legs, with the other midwives hovering around her. One of them took Seonghwa's hand to link with his soul and checked for dissonances and fear. They spread a towel below him and made sure his legs were propped up cramp-free. Then, the healer put light hands on the sides of Seonghwa's stomach. This time, when she reached out her magic to his child, the baby knew what to expect. He humoured her, listened to her coaxing.

Seonghwa exhaled. He closed his eyes to concentrate, but the presence of his many husbands soothed him. Though they stood still as pillars with their nervosity to interrupt, they gave him strength.

His son twitched, nosy about the playful and sweet call of the healer's magic. It promised light and meadows to play on, freedom to scream and move. Tucked into Seonghwa's body as he was, his son was eager to explore that new world.

Seonghwa's teeth sunk into his lip when the little one moved along with the flow of her magic. Like a river, it carried him in invisible hands. When the pressure against his inner entrance increased, Seonghwa strained his muscles, encouraging his child with a push. Though the baby was hesitant, unclear what expected him despite his instincts, the promise of his father that everything would be fine gave him the necessary confidence.

Black hair spilt over the mattress when Seonghwa threw his head back. The stretch around the head was extreme, painful despite the smooth passing. Since his son was half-human, he might be bigger than regular elven children.

But alas - and that was what made elves such desired breeding matches - the stinging passed quickly. Seonghwa didn't push for agonising hours and his body conformed for easy passage.

"You are doing marvellous, Your Highness. A bit more," the healer hummed. She drew the child along, persuading him gradually.

Seonghwa's hand tightened, and he didn't even know who he was holding on to any longer. He huffed a groan, almost needing a break when the head moved past the strained inner entrance. The rest of the body slid smoother, drawn by the magic that washed over Seonghwa's insides like healing water.

"There he is. I can see him now," the healer whispered. The midwife to her left stood at the ready, hands looming as Seonghwa's body made way for the child. This stretch was less exhausting, perhaps because he was more used to it. Seonghwa's brows drew together as he concentrated on pushing, guided by the cautious magic of the healer.

"Here he comes," she warned, and then, at once, the slide was all too easy. Wet and covered in various glimmering fluids, the newborn pushed through and Seonghwa gasped at the sudden loss. His body deflated in surprise, though the leftovers of caring fluids still trickled from him.

The room was bathed in tense silence. When Seonghwa squinted his eyes open, he saw the midwife cradling the little bundle in a white cloth. Fists flailed and jerked as the baby adjusted to the sudden coldness and room around him. She cleaned him off, freeing his mouth and face from mucus.

The first noise Seonghwa heard from his child was a hiccough. His son was confused yet soothed by the familiar magic of Seonghwa, the healer, and Hongjoong nearby. He made a warbled little sound, and the midwife chuckled as she washed his little limbs and rid him of all the residue connection to Seonghwa's insides.

"He's a healthy little boy, Your Highness. Congratulations," she beamed and Seonghwa deflated impossibly more. He pressed a hand to his lips, willing back the tears as his grip on Wooyoung lost its tension.

A shared sigh of relief went through his husbands. They offered him water and tucked the hair behind his tall ears. At the same time, they couldn't stop glancing at the wonder of new life. Whenever the unfamiliar voice, soft and sweet with youth, cooed between them, they looked up in marvel.

Yunho didn't quite dare go over yet. He held on to Mingi with a nervous hand while Hongjoong provided his magic for Seonghwa to find shelter in.

"Well done, Damiana. You did so well," Hongjoong purred at him. He caressed Seonghwa's wild hair, the few tears dripping from him despite his efforts.

"We are almost done, Your Highness. Let's drive out all leftovers, then you can rest and meet your son," the healer smiled.

After a sip of water, Seonghwa nodded. He was lethargic and exhausted, but so, so proud to have created something entirely new. And though his husbands stood like rocks in a forest, the same wonder reflected in their eyes.