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Psychology books litter Jensen’s small desk. He knows about physiology and swimming techniques. Even though he’d had to modify some of Jared’s routines to match with an alpha’s strengths instead of an omega’s, the basic concept of working muscle groups remains the same.
Being fit has never been Jared’s problem. His swimming issues have always been in his head. Jensen knows that. Up until the last race Jensen swam, he used to rejoice in that fact. Jared’s headspace kept his swim times behind Jensen’s.
Now Jared’s mind is Jensen’s personal battlefield. It is both a blessing and a curse having so high profile of a swimmer in his hands. Jared is an aging athlete. He knows the rules and the games that competitors play. Jensen doesn’t need to teach him about the swimming world. But that same world is watching the two of them.
They’re still America’s golden swimmers – a fact that more than one blog has made a joke about more than once. Jensen’s pregnant stomach is ballooning up thanks to the twins taking up residence in it. His publicist has worked their ‘love story’ angle as hard as he can, and public opinion is generally favorable.
But Jensen knows the public. If Jared doesn’t keep winning medals, the blame is going to be solely on his new coach. The respectable press will blame Jensen’s inexperience at coaching. The rest of them will blame it on him being an omega. They’ll say that he led Jared around by his knot and ruined his last chance at mega fame.
It won’t be fair, but Jensen knows fair is just a concept in sports – not a reality.
Besides that, they’d actually be right. Jensen’s status as an omega is too closely tied to Jared’s performance. He used it to get Jared to his Olympic silver medal, and he is inadvertently causing Jared’s recent slowdown in lap times. The irony of the bigots being right for once isn’t lost on Jensen.
Jared has been putting on weight lately. Fat – not muscle. At first, Jensen was annoyed with him. Any coach would be. But the harder Jared tries to lose his weight, the more he puts on. It isn’t much compared to regular people. It is just a couple of pounds, but that extra fat is slowing him in the water.
It is, sadly, all Jensen’s fault.
If he hadn’t kept Jared’s children inside of him, Jared would likely be just fine. If he hadn’t started screwing around with Jared, Jared would also be just fine. But carrying an alpha’s offspring while letting said alpha fuck you? Well, it can cause some interesting side effects in highly instinctual alphas.
“Look,” Jensen begins as he sits Jared down on the sofa, “you’ve got a big race coming up.”
“I know that,” Jared snaps. “I’m not a kid.”
“I know,” Jensen placates gently. “You’ve been working hard. Your turns are really looking good.”
Jared snorts and looks at the floor. “Good for a whale you mean.”
Jensen sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “There is a reason that I wanted to do this here instead of at the pool.”
That gets Jared’s attention. “Why?”
“Because I think your body is trying to prepare for becoming a father, and it is screwing with your swimming instincts,” Jensen blurts out.
Jared looks skeptical. Jensen doesn’t blame him.
“In caveman times,” Jensen begins nervously, “an alpha would have to defend its mate and newborns from others seeking to cause them harm. If they were part of a larger pack system, the alpha would gain muscle to aid fighting. But if they were insular, an alpha would gain weight in anticipation of having to go without. He or she couldn’t be out hunting if there was offspring that needed to be protected.”
“Let me get this straight,” Jared says, “my recent love affair with bacon comes from the fact that I think the whole world is against us, and I have to protect you?”
Jensen bites his lip and looks at the floor. “Not exactly.”
“Then what exactly?” Jared asks.
“I think, I mean, I don’t want to… Look, man, your parents aren’t exactly on board with this whole thing, you know?”
“My parents?” Jared asks, threat rising in his tone.
“Well, they’re not,” Jensen challenges, eyes locking straight onto Jared’s the same as he has done with every alpha he has ever fought with.
“My weight gain is my problem,” Jared shoots back.
“Your weight gain is our problem,” Jensen corrects. “It isn’t just your career on the line here. Mine is out there too if you haven’t noticed.”
Jared’s anger deflates a little. “I know. I know. I’m trying,” he says.
“That is the problem, Jared. You’re trying. You’re trying so hard my arms ache at the end of the day. And it isn’t working because your instincts are fighting against it.”
“Assuming you’re right, what do you expect me to do?” Jared asks.
“I want you to take me home to meet your parents,” Jensen answers flatly.
“You what now?”
“You heard me. I want you to take me home to meet the folks.”
“You already met them,” Jared reminds him.
“Yeah, and it ended with me telling your dad to stick his own knot up his ass. And you still left that restaurant with me. Much as I appreciate your support, I think that we need to get your head in a bit more settled place.”
“You hate my parents,” Jared points out.
Jensen shrugs and looks away. “I don’t hate them. I understand their desire to protect their son. I’m not exactly a proven entity. The only other time they met me was when I was flipping you off and calling you a manatee. I can understand why it would be a shock that I’m carrying their grandchildren.”
“My children,” Jared growls under his breath.
Normally that would make Jensen roll his eyes and remind Jared just whose body was doing all the work, but he lets it slide in favor of digging home his main point. “Yeah, you have no alpha issues at all there.”
Jared frowns. “What if it doesn’t work?”
“What if it does?” Jensen automatically retorts. “Look, if it doesn’t work, we try something else. I’m not going to let my first coaching job go up in flames. But even if it doesn’t work, we should probably try to talk to your parents again anyway. They seem to have done okay raising you, and before me you hardly ever fought, right?”
Jared nods.
“Then I think I need to man up and go see the in-laws.”
“We’re not married,” Jared says.
“Eh. Close enough.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“His father was the same way,” Mrs. Padalecki whispers in Jensen’s ear. She’s had a few drinks, enough that her hand found its way to his belly two minutes ago and hasn’t left. “He put on sympathy pounds overnight. And the bacon that man went through,” she shakes her head. “I swear he killed a whole cow.”
“Pig?” Jensen corrects.
“Whatever,” she agrees amiably, smiling at him with Jared’s dimples, “the point is that he would eat away his worries.”
Jensen glances over at Mr. Padalecki. He is still engrossed in whatever it is he is telling his son. Something about condoms and college funds if Jensen’s not mistaken. The man doesn’t look like he has been overweight a day in his life. Then again, Jared isn’t exactly overweight either.
“So,” he says turning back to Mrs. Padalecki, “what was Jared like as a baby?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I hate you. I hate you and my mother,” Jared says as he stares at his breakfast shake.
“It’s working, isn’t it?” Jensen asks.
“I regret ever taking you home,” Jared mutters as he takes a sip of the kale and tabasco infused juice. Jensen does his best to hide his gag behind his hand. He always hated that particular shake. “I’d rather be reflexively eating, preparing for the birth apocalypse.”
“So your mother talks to me now. Cry me a river,” Jensen says with a shrug.
“She sent me wedding catalogs in the mail! My dad is asking me when I’m going to man up and put a ring on your finger!” Jared protests. “I liked it better when they thought you seduced me to be your baby daddy and one way ticket to coaching fame.”
“Tough,” Jensen says with a shrug. “Your times have improved. You’ve lost your excess weight. You’ll just have to deal with it.”
“You’re a terrible coach,” Jared whines as he finishes his shake.
Jensen throws him his jacket. “You’re just saying that because I didn’t let you out of your extra reps because you’d already exerted yourself with a morning fuck.”
“It’s still exercise,” Jared protests as he lets Jensen shepherd him out the door.
“Yeah, yeah. Get your ass downstairs and start the car,” Jensen orders as he turns around to lock the apartment door. “I’ll waddle down as soon as possible.”
Jared grins and drops to his knees, pressing a quick kiss against Jensen’s stomach before popping up again. “Later kiddos, Daddy has to go to work now,” he calls as he bounds down the stairs.
Jensen sighs and shakes his head. By the time he gets to the car, Jared will be in his professional mode. They’ll both act like Jensen isn’t carrying his spawn around with him. They’ll both pretend that they’re consummate professionals who aren’t consummating things in the bedroom three times a week.
And Jensen will pretend that his babies don’t start kicking harder the instant his nose catches the smell of pool water.