#also i promise ill get on byeol soon

[tulipsnflowers]

Per @zscyber 's forced request, cat cat cat cat cat-

More lynx like actually, but still. I will forever make him the shortest :)

[shining-red-diamond]

Ch. 26: Goat Island

Cast of Characters//Ch. 1//Ch. 2//Ch. 3//Ch. 4//Ch. 5//Ch. 6//Ch. 7//Ch. 8//Ch. 9//Ch. 10//Ch. 11//Ch. 12//Ch. 13//Ch. 14//Ch. 15//Ch. 16//Ch. 17//Ch. 18//Ch. 19//Ch. 20//Ch. 21//Ch. 22//Ch. 23//Ch. 24//Ch. 25//Ch. 26//Ch. 27//Ch. 28 (coming soon)

Words: 1.5k

Genre: Fluff, some angst

Pairing: ATEEZ OT8 x OCs

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: plans of sabotage, labor pains, mentions of injury and illness

A/N: I thought I’d treat y’all and post a day early.

“I overheard the professor talking on the phone with someone,” Dalia explained her story in the boardroom, “he’s been following you ever since you left London. When he went to bed that night, that’s when I sneaked into his desk to find out what was happening, and that’s when I found all of the maps and notes in the envelope.”

“I knew it!” Taeran shouted. “I knew we shouldn’t have trusted him.”

“What exactly is he wanting to do with us?” Hongjoong asked.

“I’m not sure,” Dalia shrugged. “But I know for a fact that he wants Celestia’s necklace. He believes it’s the last missing piece of the diamond.”

“From the way he was staring at her neck at lunch that day,” San’s remembered, hints of anger in his voice, “I don’t doubt it.”

Dinah put a hand on his shoulder to try to calm him, and he gave her a nod in acknowledgement.

“He’s also been following you,” Dalia continued. “He was planning on more ways to stop you, but his ship got stuck in Rome. A part of his ship was damaged from the explosion.”

Everything began to make sense now. The bombs and arrows in Italy confirmed the captain’s suspicions of someone following them. Hongjoong felt trust in a family friend get thrown out the window. The articles Jongho found began to tie together as well. Steinbeck had murdered his colleagues and figured out how to get away with it. How could Steinbeck do this? Status? Money? Fame? He had most of it. It didn’t make sense.

“Is he still there?” he asked.

“No,” Dalia shook her head. “He would call me and keep me up to date of where he was. Last I heard from him was when he got his ship fixed, so I don’t know if he’s following you or not.”

“I checked the radar,” San said, “and no other ship was detected.”

“Well, I would stay alert,” Dalia warned.

“We will,” the captain promised. “For now, let’s find a place for you to sleep while you’re with us.”

After some discussion, it was decided that Dalia would bunk with Yunho for the time being, and of course the mechanic couldn’t stop blushing. The crew then reviewed their findings and what they needed to prepare for Niagara Falls and how to stay wary if the professor followed them there. Taeran acted as the translator for Dalia as she was now possibly taking Celestia’s role as the archaeologist and historian.

“There’s a park nearby called Goat Island,” Hongjoong concluded. “We’ll land and shield the ship in the center. There might be cars or pedestrians walking by, but it’ll be early in the morning when we land.”

“And there’s a hospital nearby,” Yeosang piped up. “Climbing the rocks will be tricky, so if we need medical attention too big for the medical wing, we can go there.”

WIth one last note to be cautious, the meeting was adjourned. Yunho didn’t hesitate to take Dalia by the hand and lead her to his bedchambers, but not without a “Don’t get crazy” warning from Seonghwa. Hongjoong went back to try to rest some more as his illness was still going away, Dinah and Wooyoung went with Yeosang and Phoebe to the dining area for a few rounds of Poker, and everyone else headed to their rooms for the night. Mingi and San were the last two to leave as they had to set the course for Niagara Falls, New York.

“San,” Dahae pulled the navigator aside. “Where was your wife? Is she okay?”

“She isn’t feeling well,” he replied. “So I let her stay in the room. I think she’s just tired, and her pregnancy mixed with the stress of this quest hasn't been good on her.”

“I see. Well, I’m next to watch her when we land next. I’ll make sure she’s getting plenty of rest.”

-

Celestia sat up straight at the edge of the bed, facing the window. Moonlight beamed in and illuminated the room in a pale blue glow. Byeol was sitting on Celestia’s pillow, and the mom-to-be was listening to Baby Choi’s heartbeats with the doppler. Earlier, she felt that she was having contractions, however, she wasn’t crying out in pain. She still preferred to monitor her body and how the unborn infant was doing.

The bedroom door opened, and San had returned from the meeting.

“You okay, angel?” he asked once he had circled the bed to her side. “How’s our little princess?”

“Which one?” Celestia giggled slightly as she put the doppler away in the nightstand. “The cat? Or the one you made with me? But, they’re fine.”

San chuckled at his wife’s sense of humor. His hand went to her watermelon belly and gently rubbed it.

“As for me,” she continued, “I think I’m just having Braxton Hicks.”

“Braxton what?” San’s brow furrowed. He had heard the term before, but he never really knew what it meant.

“Hicks. I’m having contractions; I’m just not in labor. They’re painful, but I’m able to talk through them.”

“Do we need to get Dahae or have Mingi land somewhere? We left Egypt hours ago, and we won’t be in New York until morning.”

Celestia shook her head. “I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

San sighed and combed his fingers through her voluminous curls. “Okay, but if anything changes, you tell me, yeah?”

“You know I will, honey,” Celestia promised. She cupped his face into her hands and gave him a loving kiss on his lips.

San then excused himself to go change into his boxers before sliding into bed with his wife and kissing her good night. Byeol jumped off the bed and trotted back to her little stack of towels to sleep.

Throughout the night, Celestia kept having contractions on and off. She would sleep a few hours, but sharp pains would wake her up. Her knowledge from online birthing classes allowed her to stay calm and breathe through each one before falling back asleep again. The more this continued, the less she thought it was contractions. Each one was more intense and sharp than the last.

Around three-thirty in the morning, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“San,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

Her husband’s eyes opened at the sound of her voice. “What is it?” he groggily answered.

“Please, get Dahae. I think it’s time.”

San’s ears picked up on her labored breathing and the pleading in her voice. He sat up and turned on the lamp.

“Will you be okay?” he asked, his heart racing.

She quickly nodded. She now knew it was real labor as this new contraction constricted her from speaking.

With a quick kiss and a promise to return, San grabbed a shirt and raced out of the room. Once he had his torso covered, he rapidly knocked on the door to the captain’s quarters.

“Dahae!” he half-yelled. “Please, wake up. I think the baby’s coming!”

Quick little footsteps approached the door, and the captain’s fiancée opened it. Dahae’s black hair was tied in a messy bun, and a thick robe covered her small frame. Although she was half-asleep, the concern on her face was ever present.

“Is she okay?” she asked, even though it was probably a dumb question.

“I don’t know,” San panicked. “But she thinks it’s time. She’s been having contractions, but she thought it was Braxton Hicks at first. Now, she can’t even speak.”

Dahae didn’t hesitate to sprint to the Choi’s bedchambers where Celestia was now leaning over the bed and trying to steady her breathing.

“I’m here, Celestia,” Dahae reassured her. “It’s going to be okay. Just keep breathing.”

San was then instructed to fill the tub with warm water to help ease his wife’s pain as Dahae got whatever supplies she needed: doppler, gloves, all of it. Celestia eased herself into the water and sat against the bath cushion as her husband stayed right by her. Over the next four hours, Dahae would check her dilations and time each contraction. Dahae kept one light on to try to keep the sleep horse active. Celestia tried to sleep some, but only dozed as the pain kept her awake.

San hated seeing his wife in such horrible pain. He would never know what pregnancy, labor, childbirth, or even periods would feel like. He wished he could take away her pain somehow. He wanted the baby’s delivery to not be so stressful, but he knew that wouldn't happen. However, he trusted that Celestia’s body knew what it was doing in order to bring Baby Choi into the world. All he could do was be comfort for her and encourage her whenever it would be time for her to deliver.

“San,” Dahae whispered to him. “Hongjoong is calling for the crew to have the morning meeting.”

Glancing over at his wife, he saw that she was snoozing a little. He didn’t want to leave her if anything happened, but the captain needed him as well.

“I’ll stay with her,” Dahae promised. “Grace-Anne is coming to assist.”

“Okay,” he nodded.

Kissing his wife’s forehead, San rose to his feet, his joints stiff from sitting in the bathroom all night. He quickly changed into something for the day ahead and left the room, his mind filled with worry about his wife.

-

Tagging: @ateezlovenet​ @treasure-hwa​ (Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed)