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Jimin hovers in the entryway of their tiny apartment, jacket half-on and struggling to take off his shoes.
That’s something they don’t warn you about being pregnant. He’d heard plenty of morning sickness this, morning sickness that, kicking babies, emotions all over the place. Everyone knows about all that. But he really wishes someone had told him how much of a hassle shoes would become.
The stool he’d placed by the door for this purpose is missing. He leans a hand against the wall and tries to bend his leg up, but he can’t reach. Even though he knows it won’t work, he tries bending over, too, but of course that’s useless. He can’t even see his feet over his belly, let alone reach them.
He can hear Jungkook in the kitchen, pots and pans clattering, water running. Jungkook’s singing like he always does when he’s focused. Jimin stands there, back aching and feeling absurdly helpless, like he might cry at any second, before he inhales.
“Jungkook?” he calls. “Baby, can you help me with my shoes?”
He hears Jungkook’s footsteps before he sees him round the corner. He’s wearing an apron. Seokjin had bought it for him as a joke, laughing himself to tears when he’d given it to him, but Jungkook wears it all the time anyway. This is fucking embarrassing , he’d said when he’d first gotten it, glaring at the obnoxious ‘hot stuff coming through’, a warning sign underneath the text. Jimin thinks he secretly loves it.
“Hey, baby,” Jungkook says, his face lighting up with a smile. Some of Jimin’s tension eases at the sight of his face, sweet and cheerful, and the rest of it ebbs away when Jungkook comes to scent him.
Jimin leans into him, sighing as he presses his nose into Jungkook’s neck, his crisp, minty scent soothing him immediately. “Missed you,” he mumbles, and Jungkook rubs his back gently.
“Hard day?” he asks, and Jimin nods, finally pulling away.
“‘M tired.”
Jungkook kisses his forehead before he crouches down to eye-level with Jimin’s belly and gives that a kiss, too. “And how was your day, little one?”
The baby kicks in response, and Jimin winces. Jungkook looks pleased, grin spreading across his cheeks, his eyes sparkling when he looks back up. Jimin runs a fond hand through Jungkook’s hair.
“Can you help me with my shoes now?”
“Sure thing, princess,” Jungkook teases, bending to unlace Jimin’s boots and remove them carefully from his feet.
“Shut up,” Jimin whines. “You’re the one who moved the stool. Why’d you move the stool?”
“You moved it this morning,” Jungkook says patiently, rising and helping Jimin to the kitchen. “You put it in the tub.”
“No, I didn’t. Why would I do something so stupid?”
“Because you were having trouble standing in the shower, babe.” Jungkook sits him down at the table and returns to the stove.
“Well you should have put it back.”
"You're right," Jungkook says easily. He ladles rice from the cooker into a bowl and sets it on the table before fetching everything else. "My bad."
He's using that voice of his that he uses quite frequently these days, the one where he's very obviously just humoring Jimin and not really admitting to his mistake. Jimin huffs and rests his arms on his belly, glaring at him until Jungkook leans in to kiss his forehead again.
"You wanna stop pouting and eat some food?"
Jimin acquiesces, but only because he's hungry. His mood improves as soon as he starts eating. The first months of his pregnancy had been brutal; he'd been nauseous all day, barely able to keep anything down without promptly throwing it up. But that had turned into an intense hunger, and now he's hungry all the time. That doesn't help with his weight, though he's tried to stay diligent with the gym, and generally adds to how miserable he's always feeling.
"How was work?" he asks Jungkook, who's eating in contented silence.
"Not bad."
Jungkook doesn't express himself the way Jimin does. That's something they'd had trouble with in the early days of their relationship, when Jimin had been so insecure without verbal affirmation from Jungkook, who preferred showing his love through his actions. When Jungkook asks for Jimin's day, Jimin doesn't spare a detail. But Jimin has to pry to get things out of Jungkook. He doesn't mind anymore, though. They've worked it out.
"Did the kids give you trouble?" Jimin presses, and Jungkook shakes his head.
"Nah, today was pretty calm."
"What about the little rowdy one you're always talking about, Minhyuk, right?"
"Oh, he's a little brat. But he's cute. You know he brought me a bag of cookies today? Said he asked his eomma to pack an extra one just for me, because I'm his favorite." Jungkook's face lights up as soon as he starts talking. After that, Jimin just rests his chin in his hand and listens to him fondly.
By the time dinner's over, Jimin's ready for bed. Sleep isn't much of a respite anymore, though, since he can’t get comfortable in any position and the back pain makes it hard to fall asleep. Not to mention how many times he has to get up to pee. Jungkook's a rock when he sleeps, barely notices a thing. While mostly Jimin is happy he isn't disrupting his sleep, a tiny part of him is bitter that Jungkook gets to sleep so much when he can barely manage anything these days.
Jimin gets up from his chair with difficulty, wincing on his way to carry his dishes to the sink. His back hurts and his feet hurts and he really, really just wants the baby out of him already.
"Hey, sit down," Jungkook says, at his side in an instant. "I've got it."
"I can do it," Jimin mumbles, but he lets Jungkook wrest the dishes from his hands.
"Go sit."
"But you did everything else," he protests, waddling tiredly over to the living room.
"What's your alpha for, huh?" The grin Jungkook shoots him over his shoulder is a cheeky one.
"Being annoying," Jimin shoots back, sinking into the couch with an oof .
"Your fault for mating an annoying alpha like me."
"Shut up."
Jimin leans his head back and closes his eyes, listening to the rattle of dishes as Jungkook washes up. He hates that he's so tired and cranky all the time, doesn't get to spend time with Jungkook like he used to. He's sleepy as hell, but he thinks he'll suggest a movie. At least if he falls asleep in the middle of it, they'll have gotten some time together.
"Your feet are swollen," Jungkook says, and Jimin's eyes shoot open. He hadn't even realized he was done. Jungkook stands before him with his head tilted, dark hair falling over his forehead. Even in sweats, bare feet, and a t-shirt, Jungkook's so handsome. They've been together for six years, and he still makes Jimin's heart stutter.
"I noticed," Jimin says dryly.
"Lemme get you a soak, yeah? I'll massage them after."
He's already done so much. He always does. Jimin feels bad for it, even though he knows it's okay, knows Jungkook should be taking care of him. He frowns at him. "Okay," he says quietly, and Jungkook leans in to kiss him sweetly before leaving.
He returns with a tub of warm water and places it under Jimin's feet. Jimin sniffs but doesn't catch a trace of anything other than epsom salt.
"You forgot the oils," he whines.
"Ah, shit. One sec."
He disappears and comes back to mix in the grapefruit and rosemary oils Jimin had bought when the nice omega at the store had sworn they'd help with swollen feet. Jimin dips his feet in the water and sighs. Jungkook comes to sit next to him, tucking in close, slipping an arm around Jimin's waist.
Jimin curls into him. "You wanna watch a movie?" he mumbles.
"You look a little tired for that, baby." Jungkook strokes his hair back from his forehead.
"No, I'm not."
"Liar."
"I'm not lying, asshole."
"Your nose is doing that scrunchy thing it does when you're lying."
"Shut up." Jimin bats at his arm lightly. Jungkook catches his hand and threads their fingers together.
"What are you so mean to your alpha for, Jiminie?"
"That's 'hyung' to you."
"You never seemed to mind before," Jungkook says, his voice dropped in pitch as he leans in and kisses Jimin's neck.
Jimin doesn't miss the suggestiveness. He nudges him, flustered. Six years and Jungkook still manages to fluster him, too. They sit quietly for a while, letting go of the tension of the day, breathing in each other's familiar scents. The baby tends to be calmer when they're together, too. They're a rambunctious one; Jimin thinks it's exciting, but mostly the kicking gets exhausting.
"Lemme go grab some lotion, okay?"
Jimin nods, leaning in for a kiss before Jungkook pulls away. He brings him a towel and a bottle of massage lotion, settling on the ground with his legs crossed. He moves the tub away and towels Jimin's feet dry before rubbing the lotion between his palms to warm it up. Then he starts to gently massage his feet.
Jimin watches him as he works, humming under his breath, looking calm and content. Suddenly there's a lump in his throat. He sniffles, eyes burning, and tries to blink them away. But it's no use; the tears are already dripping down his cheeks.
Jungkook glances up, alarmed. "Why are you crying, Jimin - "
"How come you're the best," he hiccups, feeling like an idiot but unable to stop himself.
Jungkook stares at him for a second, slack-jawed, before he bursts into laughter. His eyes crinkle and his nose scrunches up, laugh ringing through the quiet apartment.
"Stop laughing at me!" Jimin rubs furiously at his eyes.
Jungkook doesn't stop. He laughs himself to tears, resting his head on Jimin's knees until he can gather himself enough to talk. "You're crying because I'm the best."
"I take it back, you're the worst."
"You're so cute," Jungkook croons, wrapping his arms around Jimin's legs and kissing both his knees.
"Thanks," Jimin sniffles, wiping the last of the tears away. "For always being the best."
Jungkook wipes his hands off and returns to the couch, tugging Jimin into his arms and peppering kisses over his face.
"I love you."
"I love you, too," Jungkook murmurs. He gives him one last kiss before helping Jimin up. "Let's get you to bed."
Jimin takes his hand and follows.