Chapter Text
“I think I might be pregnant.” Taehyung’s eyes widen as he whips his head around so violently Jimin can hear the ‘crack’ all the way from the other side of the room. His eyes are big and his mouth is forming an ‘o’. The room falls into a silence so thick a knife wouldn’t stand a chance to slash through it. Then, Taehyung is literally sprinting towards the omega, who squeals as he gets lifted up by warm, familiar arms.
“Are you for real?!” Taehyung’s booming voice pierces the silent atmosphere in their shared room. The switch console the alpha had been playing with moments ago was discarded on the floor, unimportant to the younger as he continues to hoist Jimin up. The brilliant smile Jimin loves so much is on full display - the square-shaped lips and pearly white teeth. Dark mocha eyes are gazing upon him from below, the sparkle in them clear as day. So is the mistiness that’s started to gather at the corners.
Jimin nods in response, his voice unable to cooperate, his bravery abandoning him as he watches his mate’s eyes become misty with unshed tears. His throat feels clogged, and the omega knows that his own eyes are just as moist as his soulmate’s. Jimin sniffs, and then it’s like the floodgates have been opened, for one sniffle turns into two, then three. Tears start falling from his eyes and down his face, which he makes no attempt to remove — he has since learned that showing vulnerability isn’t a bad thing. And this news, it's everything they have been waiting for since they started this journey together.
Taehyung cradles the smaller male close and they end up sitting on the king-sized bed, Jimin seated on Taehyung’s lap with his arms wrapped around him. His head is resting by his mate’s clavicle, and Jimin is most definitely getting Taehyung’s shirt wet with his tears. There are fingers in his hair, gently scraping at his scalp and behind his ears, making them twitch in response. The alpha make no move to shush him, just holds him tight, an occasional sniffle emerging from him as well, letting the omega know he’s also very emotional at the moment. They sit like this for a while, in silence, yet in the comfort of one another. The omega has no idea how long exactly they sit like this, but finally, Jimin gets the strength to lift his head from his earlier position. He looks into Taehyung’s dark eyes, no longer filled with tears, though his cheeks are stained with tear streaks. His smile hasn’t faded though, and Jimin retaliates with a smile of his own.
“We’re gonna be parents,” his voice is hoarse, but it rings clear in the silent bedroom. Taehyung chuckles wetly, nodding along. Jimin sniffles once more before he takes one of Taehyung’s hands, and leads it to his stomach. It’s still too early for him to be showing, but with the knowledge that there is a little creature in there that is going to be growing inside of him for the next few months makes him all giddy. The alpha’s hand gently settles onto the omega’s stomach. With Jimin’s own over his, the size difference between their hands are so much more notable — his mate’s hand is larger, and warm to the touch. His long fingers are almost twice the size of his own stubby ones, and they expand over the majority of his belly. When Jimin gazes up at the other, Taehyung’s eyes are on their hands, with one of the fondest looks he has ever seen, eyes filled to the brim with such tenderness it makes the older male insides flutter with a warmth so strong it makes him release a small purr from the back of his throat.
His purr is met with a warble of his mate as he looks back up at his soulmate. The tenderness doesn’t dissipate when the focus is shifted, and it makes the older man widen his smile even further. His tail swishes in a few rapid movements, before it settles around one of taehyung’s thigh, worming its way around. He can hear a faint thump, thump, thump from the other’s tail hitting the bed underneath them.
“Can you tell how excited I am, Jiminie?” The deep tenor voice that is so recognizable as Taehyung’s cuts through the silence once more. He continues on when Jimin gives no immediate response. “There is gonna be a little mini version of us growing inside your stomach, babe. I am so freaking happy, I could scream from a rooftop— that’s how happy I am!” Jimin giggles at the visual of his mate standing on the rooftop yelling, but also knowing that it’s a very likely scenario.
“Let’s not go that far. I think telling our pack is a good place to start.” Taehyung’s eyes light up and Jimin squawks as the sudden movement underneath him makes him lose his balance.
“Tae!” he reprimands between the giggles as his idiot mate starts walking him towards the door, holding him bridal-style. The omega kicks his feet in order to be put down, which earns him a pout from the younger male. The puppy-dog eyes are so dangerous that he almost gives in, but Jimin remains firm and stares the other down. In the end, he is indeed put down onto the ground again, only to feel a tail wrap it way around his waist. He looks at the tiger-striped tail and then back at his partner, who is blinking, oh so innocently, at him. Sighing, the smaller hybrid doesn’t fight his younger lover. At least he wasn’t being carried around like a reluctant house cat, which he counted as a win. And yet, as he watches the alpha excitedly prance around the room in utter glee about their upcoming new member of their little family unit, Jimin can’t help the giddiness that spreads throughout his being.
Their journey starts here.
Despite Taehyung’s eager insistence that they reveal it then and there, Jimin convinced him to wait a couple of days so that they can plan their reveal a little better. He wanted to be able to have fond memories of the first pregnancy announcement, after all, it wasn’t every day they got the chance to be first-time parents. In fact, the name stated it all: first time parents.
The omega had been dreaming of how his announcement would go, even before he got together with his lover and even before he joined their little pack. It involved his whole family, gathered around and a creative way of announcing the pregnancy; sometimes he imagined an elaborate surprise with balloons that said “It’s a baby!” on them, or a pregnancy test wrapped into a box filled with an ultrasound picture and a small little card that would say “expected arrival XX/XX/XX” — something that was creative and fun, but meaningful. In his imagination, he had pictured his mom being overjoyed at the news, hugs from his dad and brother, cheers and congratulations from extended family. As he had gotten older, he had realised that that dream was never going to come true; his family wasn’t going to be around for his baby or his pregnancy, not after they threw him out of the house when he started university. But, that didn’t mean he didn’t have a family he could rely on and share this news with! Bangtan pack had always been there for him since Hoseok introduced him to them a few years back - they had become his family when he had needed that most. So, it was only fair in his mind that they be given the same treatment he would’ve given his blood family. And he knew just how to surprise them!
It’s with this in mind that Jimin walks up to the cashier with his inventory — a pack of blank miniature cards, a brown teddy bear with a pretty purple ribbon tied around its neck, and a pack of calligraphy pens. Once it’s been paid for, Jimin hurriedly puts them into the bag offered by the cashier and walks out of the store, glancing around like he’s a spy on a secret mission. When he doesn’t see any potential danger around, the omega speed walks to a bench, where he proceeds to take off both his outer jacket and his cardigan and drapes said cardigan around the contents in the bag, trying to make it seem like he’s not hiding something — which he obviously is — at the same time. Just as he thinks it looks good enough, he puts his jacket over his simple long-sleeved shirt just as he spots his companion. He puts an arm up to wave, but seems he needn’t have bothered, for the other male quickly scans the area before he zeroes in on Jimin, and walks with determined steps. Jimin can’t help but snort as he watches the other man stride towards him.
“You know, there is no need to be this frantic, Namjoon-hyung. We were separated for like, five minutes tops.”
“Jimin-ah, you can never be too careful!” Namjoon justifies, doing a quick scan up and down the omega’s petite body, like he could have spontaneously gotten injured in the five minutes they were apart. Jimin snorts, for which he receives an eyebrow lift and a dry expression. Jimin claps his hands together in a silent apology, which the other seems to accept as he reaches out and ruffles his hair.
“You got what you needed?” The alpha asks as he looks curiously at the bag that’s still sitting innocently on the bench. Jimin nods and takes the bag before the older man can offer to take it for him, giving innocent eyes when Namjoon narrows his own in suspicion. Maybe he picked that bag up a bit too quickly…
“What’s in there? You were awfully vague when you said you needed to buy something today.” Jimin can feel his heart skip a beat, and quickly tries to disguise his own nervousness by ---
“Oh, I just needed a few things from the shop, it’s nothing major,” he tries to play it off, but Namjoon is a smart cookie, and he keeps his trained eye on his younger packmate.
“You’re aware I can smell bullshit a mile away, right?” Namjoon reminds him, analysing the omega as they continue their walk to the car park. Jimin gasps in mock offence. “I am appalled that you would even think I would be bullshitting you!” Jimin laments as he tries his best to act the part of an innocent man being framed for something he didn’t do. Namjoon just stares blankly at him, all too used to the theatrics of the younger members.
“If you don’t want to share, that’s fine, Jimin-ah. Just… Don’t hesitate to tell me if you’re in trouble, yeah?” Jimin stops his dramatical enactment to look at the packleader. He smiles and nods.
“I know, hyung. I promise, it’s nothing bad. It's more like a… surprise, and it has to remain secret until it’s complete!” Namjoon ‘ahh’s and nods thoughtfully.
The lion hybrid doesn’t ask Jimin anymore about the contents of his bag, and instead he takes him out to McDonalds and they order some McFlurries for themselves and the members as they drive home. Jimin feels eternally grateful that of all the members he brought with him today, he decided to bring Namjoon. The alpha always knows when to pry, and when to leave things be, and that’s always been one of the reasons why Jimin has always felt extremely safe with him. He very much has taken the role of being Jimin’s big brother, especially after Jimin started dating his cousin.
Namjoon doesn’t mention their conversation to anyone after they get home, and Jimin is able to sneak past everyone with his bag when Taehyung decides to make a huge spectacle of the McFlurries that have been brought home, inciting a playful tug-of-war with Jungkook that results in them both getting scolded by Seokjin when they almost throw all of the ice cream on the floor— which he only knows because Seokjin is very loud when he’s annoyed. And when Jimin emerges from his bedroom and spots Taehyung and Jungkook getting scolded, he knows it was a purposeful distraction from Taehyung’s part when he flickers his eyes towards his mate and quickly throws him a wink before turning his eyes downwards; playing the part of a scolded little cub. Jimin can’t help his fond smile towards his mate, knowing he had willingly put himself into that situation just so Jimin could drop off his purchases without getting noticed.
He truly did have the best mate one could ever ask for.
Two weeks later, Jimin has his first ultrasound appointment. The waiting room isn’t cramped full, though it’s barely 8 AM on a Wednesday, so perhaps that’s not so unsurprising. There are two other omegas in the waiting room with him, one of whom is clearly pregnant, judging by the swollen stomach and the hands folded delicately over the bump. He recalls his aunt having done that when she was pregnant with his cousin when he was smaller, so it must be a pregnant-thing all expecting mothers do then, Jimin muses to himself. The other omega is not showing as clearly as the woman seated across Jimin, though that doesn’t necessarily mean that he isn’t with child.
There’s a sterile-like smell hanging in the room, though hints of a sickly-sweet scent is caught in Jimin’s nostrils, most likely the pheromones of one of the other omegas, as this isn’t his own orange and grapefruit scent, currently muted by scent blockers — as instructed by the clinic prior to coming in. The omega wonders if his scent will change as well when he gets further into his pregnancy. Will it become sweeter, like the scent currently invading his nose, or maybe it will be more musky? There have been so many things he was wondering about these days, all of them related to his pregnancy. Most of them had to do with how much he would change during these next few months. He had friends with children who had all told him vastly different stories about their pregnancies, so he wasn’t sure what to expect anymore.
“Park Jimin-ssi?” At the mention of his name, Jimin is torn from his own thoughts and plopped right into the real world again, and he looks around for the culprit. He finds an older lady, who must be in her late forties if one goes by the wrinkles that are starting to appear around her eyes and mouth, and a gentle smile directed at him. Jimin nods and stands up, feeling his heart skip a beat — in excitement, nervousness, Jimin had no clue. It could easily be both as well.
The lady gestures for him to follow her, and Jimin hurries his steps slightly so that he is directly behind her. She guides him through a hallway with doors on both sides, before she stops at an opened door. She stands outside, and holds out a hand towards the door, a physical invitation to enter. Jimin smiles politely at the woman as he passes her to enter the doorframe and enters the room. There is some equipment on one side of the room, partially hidden by a plain, white curtain — which Jimin realises are there for privacy purposes. On the other side is a screen, not unlike the ones Yoongi has in his home-office, which is black, right next to it a external keyboard, also black in colour.
“Please take a seat right there,” she points towards the area close to the desk, where a mini couch is pressed into the corner, and a chair right next to the desk. “The gynaecologist will be here momentarily,” and with that, she leaves the room and gently closes the door behind her. The cat hybrid sits down at the chair, which feels slightly uncomfortable, and flits his eyes around the small room. Jimin doesn’t wait long, mayhaps five minutes or so, before the door opens again and another woman enters, her earthy scent indicating her as a beta. She smiles warmly at the omega, who smiles back politely as she seats herself right at the desk, clicking a button and the black screen whirs to life with a small hum. Jimin focuses his attention on the woman in front of him, as she clicks a couple of times on the mouse before she turns towards the hybrid.
“So, Park Jimin-ssi? Is that correct?” Jimin nods, and the gynaecologist clicks one more time on her computer mouse.
“Alright. So, I see that you have come for a sonogram today, dear?” Her maternal tone makes Jimin feel more at home, yet also uncomfortable as it reminds him of the mother figure he lost a while back, a wound that’s still sore. Still saying nothing, Jimin nods in response. Click, click, click.
“Okay, let’s do some bloodwork on you and make sure that everything is in working order. I’m going to ask you some basic questions about your health, and you just answer them honestly, does that work for you, Jimin-ssi?”
“Y-Yes, of course!”
The questioning lasts for about ten minutes, including the time it took to take some blood for some preliminary blood work. The gynaecologist also took his blood pressure and general measurements to make sure his medical history is up to date. Soon enough, Jimin is hiking his trousers down, exposing his stomach to the slightly chilly air in the room. He lays down on the table previously hidden by the white curtain, and bundles his white t-shirt just up to his pectorals, where he’s clenching his fists into the fabric nervously. The cat hybrid takes a calming breath to steady himself as he eyes the gynaecologist fiddle around with the apparatus that will be used to perform the sonogram. She then turns towards the omega with a microphone-looking device in one hand, and a bottle of some sort of lubrication.
“Okay, so Jimin-ssi, I understand your generosity coming here, so I’m going to explain every step through this procedure. Sounds good?” She makes eye-contact with Jimin, who smiles gratefully and nods. The beta smiles in return and holds up the bottle. “This is a special type of lubrication that I’m going to use on your belly before I use the transducer and start examining your abdomen. We use this to prevent friction when we move the transducer around, and it also helps transmit the sound waves. Now, when I apply this to you, it will probably feel cool to the touch.”
Jimin jumps at the cold sensation, flushing scarlet when the gynaecologist gives an amused huff, seemingly trying not to laugh at his reaction. Then, the woman holds up the microphone-looking device for Jimin to examine with his eyes for a moment as she turns on the machine it's attached to. “This is the transducer, and what I will use on your belly in order to see what's in there and if the baby is progressing normally. You might feel that when I move this around, there could be pressure, maybe even a little sore if we come across some sensitive spots. Are you ready to meet your little one, Jimin-ssi?”
The butterflies that emerge when the gynaecologist mentions his little passenger makes the blond smile, yet there is an anxious nag at the back of his head that he refuses to listen to as he nods his head determinedly.
“Yes, I’m ready.” There is slight pressure, just as the older woman warned, but it’s not horribly uncomfortable — just a bit unfamiliar. As she moves the wand around, Jimin battles with his inner demons, refusing to listen to them in a moment such as this. This is supposed to be a happy occasion, so why was his body wound tight like a spring ready to fling itself up at the slightest wrong pressure? He was going to find out about his baby after weeks of waiting and countless home pregnancy tests, but it seemed at this specific moment, everything was culminating towards this. Whether or not it would be a viable pregnancy, or if he was even pregnant or not — it all hung on the line with this sonogram.
“Park Jimin-ssi?” The voice and earthy scent of the beta takes Jimin out of his head and into the present moment. Chocolate coloured eyes meet the dark, almost black eyes of the gynaecologist, who raises her eyebrows at him, her eyes flickering to the side, as though he wants him to follow her gaze. So, that’s what the cat hybrid does, and looks to his right. A barely audible gasp escapes his throat as he looks at the grainy grey and black picture presented to him on the monitor. On the screen is a grey little blob, not necessarily what he had imagined his little one to look like, but the visualisation is enough to make his eyes misty all the same.
“If you see here, this is their nose, and there are their little fingers, wriggling at you, looks like they want to say hello!” The gynaecologist’s tone is light and warm, but Jimin has no time to dwell on her, he’s hyper focused on his little baby on the monitor. The tiny hand on the monitor makes him chuckle wetly, sniffling in order to not just outright start bawling his eyes out in the gynaecologist’s office. He wishes the baby could see him so he could wave back, he wonders if the baby knows how much they’re loved already?
“So, this is a very healthy baby, so congratulations on that! Now, let's hear if his heartbeat is developing just well.” The cat hybrid’s heart skips a beat as the older beta fiddles with the instruments on the machine, and moments later there is a swooshing sound emitting from it. It makes his heart sink for a second, thoughts flooding in about his baby not having a heartbeat, what if — ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump. The worries that had been infiltrating his mind vanishes without a trace, leaving behind a feeling of relief, quickly followed by euphoria.
“I-Is the heartbeat supposed to be this fast?” He asks, and the gynaecologist nods reassuringly.
“Yes, it’s completely normal, don’t worry. The heartbeat sounds strong, and I’d reckon since it's this clear, you’re about between 8 to 10 weeks along.” The reassuring tone makes Jimin release a breath he didn’t even realise he was holding. A tear sneakily makes its way down his cheek, and the small male quickly wipes it away and sniffles once more. He locks his eyes on the monitor, which is still displaying the tiny little foetus.
“Now, would you like me to print out some copies for you to give to your partner or family?” The older woman asks nicely.
“Yes, please,” Jimin answers as he imagines the look on Taehyung’s face when he shows him the sonogram picture later that night. Just as the woman is about to leave, Jimin remembers something and rapidly catches her attention before she leaves to print his pictures.
“I’m sorry, but is there a possibility you could give me a recording of the heartbeat as well?” The beta cocks her head slightly to the side, before she nods.
“It is possible, yes. I’ll get one of the techs here to do so as I print out your sonograms. Please get dressed and wait here, please.” With that, she leaves, giving Jimin time to wipe the jelly-like substance off with a paper towel placed on the table right next to him. He then pulls up his trousers once more, buttons them and lets his t-shirt sit over top instead of tucking them into his pant line. The omega then leaves the curtained area and sits down on the chair he was sitting in at the start of the appointment. As he’s waiting, his hands wander down to his stomach, cradling the non-existent bump there. He hopes the foetus knows how much he loves them already, how much it had become love-at-first-sight. He hoped they knew how much he was going to cherish and protect them until his dying breath.
He would make sure of it.
“Sooo, you all must be wondering why we’ve gathered you all here today.” Taehyung’s velvety smooth voice cuts through the chattering of their packmates, who are all scattered around their spacious outdoor patio — Yoongi and Hoseok have occupied one of the two sofas at the centre of the patio, one on each end with their feet intermingling in the middle. By their feet, laying on a blanket is Seokjin, who had opted to bask in the sun and fresh air on the ground, and had unceremoniously thrown almost every outdoor pillow and blanket on the floor to accommodate himself. Jimin had no idea how he ever would find that option more comfortable than their very soft outdoor furniture, but had since long ago decided against questioning his eldest packmember about his habits.
“You didn’t though. We were already here when you arrived,” Yoongi’s monotone voice comes out as he doesn’t even spare a glance at Taehyung, scrolling on his phone.
“Hyuuung,” Taehyung complains as he pouts in Yoongi’s direction , though it’s a futile effort since the older wolf hybrid doesn’t even raise his eyes once from his phone. Jungkook’s snort can be heard from the other sofa, where he has claimed ownership of half of the furniture, switch in hand and headphones resting on his neck, with one headphone on his ear and the other ear free. He glances up at Taehyung and cackles when he sees the glare directed at him from the tiger hybrid.
“You look dumb when you pout,” he comments, which makes Taehyung growl in response. The doberman hybrid snaps his teeth at the other, which makes Taehyung’s eye twitch at the insinuated slight of authority between the two.
“Kids,” comes the stern tone from just inside the open porch doors, and Jimin turns his head slightly to look at their leader. Namjoon is perched just on the edge of the living room sofa, one foot under his other thigh and the other leg dangling off the sofa. A laptop is placed on his lap, and the lion hybrid is wearing his reading glasses, which means he’s still in work-mode, even on a Saturday afternoon. His eyes flicker momentarily from his screen to stare down the younger alphas, who both hang their heads in embarrassment from the reprimanding look. Jimin hides his smile with his hand, his oversized cotton sweater — definitely not a sweater he stole from Taehyung’s closet. Nope, definitely not — giving him sweater paws, which works wonders in hiding his amused expression from his mate and his packleader.
“Tae, you were saying something?” Hoseok asks as he looks at the younger with a friendly expression, leaning towards them both with a curious glint in his eyes. Taehyung nods, puffing his chest out, not unlike a preening cub awaiting praise from their mother. Jimin bites his lip to avoid laughing, and from the corner of his eyes, the omega sees Seokjin’s shoulders shake in mirth, holding a hand over his mouth. Their eyes meet for a second, and the two omegas share eye-smiles and a secret smile before directing their attention towards the tiger hybrid.
“Yeah! I— We,” Taehyung’s strong hand grasps gently onto Jimin’s own petite one. “—have a gift for you!”
“A gift?” Jungkook’s attention is piqued and he turns towards the couple with doe eyes, scanning them from top to toe, as though he has suddenly gained the ability of x-ray vision in hopes of being able to scope out what this mysterious gift could be. His eyes narrow when he cannot spot an obvious present-shaped object, and this time Jimin is too slow to stop his snort from making an appearance. The doberman hybrid wrinkles his nose at Jimin in retaliation, which makes the omega scrunch his nose back at him in return.
“It’s hidden, so that you wouldn’t go snooping!” Jimin states as-a-matter-factly as he swallows his own generosity, squeezing his lover’s hand. He receives a squeeze in return, and Jimin is reassured with his firm grip on his own.
“Well, colour me intrigued,” Namjoon’s voice appears from Jimin’s right, and when he glances over, Namjoon has abandoned his laptop on the couch, and is currently leaning on the doorframe of the porch doors. His expression is unreadable, his eyes continuously flickering between him and his younger cousin. “Pray tell, what kind of gist are we talking about here?”
Jimin takes this as his cue, and stands up to walk past Namjoon, not stopping when he hears questioning sounds coming from behind him, he’s trusting his mate to handle the confusion in his short absence. The cat hybrid walks back towards the hallway where their bedroom is located, and enters his and Taehyung’s shared bedroom. From there, he walks to their closet, opening the door and moving stuff around until he comes across his goal; a medium sized box with the words “Bangtan Pack” in beautiful, elegant calligraphy, the words glittering in a gold shimmer when the bedroom lights hit the lettering.
Having secured the package, Jimin walks out of the bedroom, switching off the light and closing the door on his way out. The closer to the porch he gets, the more his hands start to sweat and his heartbeat rises in tune. As excited as he is to reveal the big announcement, he’s also deathly afraid of rejection. What if the pack won’t be happy about this development after all? It was just a couple of months ago that they first announced that they wanted to start trying for a baby, but it could be that they haven’t adjusted to the idea yet. The whole ordeal makes Jimin want to hide under the covers; hide from the judgement of the world. Besides, he needs to have more faith in his pack — if they truly had an issue with him and Taehyung starting a family, they would have stated such. With that in mind, Jimin appears in the entrance to the patio, only to see everyone except Taehyung sit on one of the couches, and they’re all looking at the youngest omega with varying degrees of curiosity and excitement. Taehyung is standing close to the entrance, and when Jimin appears, he closes the distance between them in two simple strides, moving to take the box from his hands, only to stop when Jimin shakes his head gently. Dark mocha meets chocolate, and mere moments pass before Taehyung’s expression melts into a reassuring one, sparkling white teeth peeking underneath a square smile.
“Okay lovebirds, get on with it, would you?” Jimin sticks his tongue at the offender, Yoongi simply retaliates with an eye-roll, which turns into a pout when his thich gets smacked by his beta mate. Hoseok huffs at him good-naturedly, letting his displeasure be known by ‘tsk’-ing at the older alpha.
“Oh, don’t be such a grouch, we’re no better than them and you know it.” Yoongi grumbles in response, but doesn’t voice out his thoughts after that, sighing heavily and crossing his hands over his broad chest, raising his eyebrows at the younger couple, as though to say ‘what are you waiting for?’. Taehyung takes it as his cue and worms his arm around Jimin’s petite waist, guiding them towards the middle of the patio, at the centre of the pack. Everyone’s eyes are glued on them and the package Jimin is still holding.
Jimin subtly takes a deep breath, and when he releases it, he puts on a smile to hide any clues that may or may not be visible on his face and give away the element of surprise. He grasps the package a little tighter than previously, before he makes deliberate eye-contact with Namjoon, and then Seokjin.
“I’d like it if the two of you opened the package,” the omega states, and watches as surprise flickers over their faces, before makes to move from his seat.
“Please remain seated, hyung. I’ll come to you!” Jimin hurries over to Seokjin, who stops in his tracks for a split-second before he leans back on the couch and watches Jimin attentively make his way to the oldest.Once he’s standing right in front of the older omega, the cat hybrid turns to their leader.
“Hyung, could you—” The blond doesn’t get to finish his sentence before there is movement happening around him, and Jungkook gives up his seat so Namjoon can take a seat there. Jungkook in turn sits his ass on the patio ground right next to the couch, hugging a pillow close to his chest and looking up at the three of them. Once the lion hybrid is seated, he too looks up at Jimin with calculating eyes that makes the younger man want to hide beneath the box he’s holding. Anything to avoid The Look™.
“Jimin-ah, what’s all this about?” Surprisingly, it’s Seokjin who asks, trying to catch the blond’s eyes. Jimin only shyly holds out the box for the pair to take, trying not to show off how sweaty his palms currently are. Namjoon grabs the box from his hands, placing it in the middle of himself and Seokjin, who is still trying to gauge Jimin’s reactions. Once the box is free from his grasp, Jimin takes a couple of steps back towards his mate, who meets him halfway and wraps his muscular arms around his little lover. The embrace is comforting, and the strong cinnamon scent emitting from the alpha burns in his nostrils, but in a good way. It’s a safe scent, as is the person the scent belongs to. Taehyung will always be by his side, no matter what the outcome may be.
The cat hybrid is occupied, he doesn’t notice right away when Taehyung gives his cousins the go-ahead to open the box. It’s the sound of tissue paper being moved around that brings him out of his musings, and he focuses his attention at the brothers taking out a teddy bear. It startles out a squawk from Hoseok, who looks extremely puzzled. Jungkook’s expression is similar, but extended further by his big doe eyes, which is flickering between him and Taehyung and the bear. Seokjin grabs the teddy and examines it, furrowing his brows as he does. Then he flickers his eyes down at the mini-envelope the bear is holding.
“A teddy bear?” Namjoon questions, gazing at his younger cousin with a quizzical look. Taehyung gives a secretive smile in turn. “It’s a clue to the big puzzle,” he announces. Namjoon narrows his eyes at him with his signature ‘What-Are-You-Plotting’ look. However, Taehyung has grown mostly immune to the look over the years, probably due to all of the crazy stuff he’s pulled off over the years.
As the cousins go back and forth, Seokjin removes from the teddy bear, which was attached with two small magnets — one on the left paw and the other on the back of the envelope so that the letter won’t be lost. Jimin made sure the small note can also be attached by the small magnets too. Seokjin opens the envelope and takes the small card out, and promptly gasps when he sees the contents. The gasp gathers the others’ attention, and they all crowd around the oldest omega. “What’s wrong?!” Jungkook interrogates, practically throwing himself over his lover’s lap in order to assess the ‘danger’. Then he peers at the card, and his jaw falls open, eyes growing impossibly wider. The action gets Seokij out of his stupor and he snaps his head and stares right at Jimin.
“Are you for real?” He inquires, expression serious and eyes demanding the honest truth; Jimin nods, holding eye contact with him as he does.
“Yeah.”
“We’re gonna be uncles!” Unbeknownst to the omegas, during their interaction, Hoseok and Yoongi had rounded the couch and had gotten to look at the card’s contents. Hoseok starts squealing and runs towards Taehyung and Jimin, arms wide out — his intentions are clear, and they allow themselves to be crowded by the beta as he gathers them into a surprisingly firm hug.
“Our Jiminie is pregnant! Oh my god, we’re going to have a baby here in—” he stops mid-rant, and leans back to look at Jimin. “When is there going to be a baby here?” His brown eyes are sparkling with uncontained joy, which makes the cat hybrid grin.
“I’m 16 weeks along—”
“Three months!”
Jimin turns his head up to look dryly at his interrupter, and Taehyung chuckles in embarrassment as he apologises by kissing his mate’s forehead lovingly. Jimin lets it slide this time, because the tiger hybrid is just so darned cute when he does that.
“So, as I was saying,” the cat hybrid continues on. “I’m three months along, approximately, so I have 6 more to go.” Hoseok squeals some more, then he promptly steals Jimin from Taehyung’s hands in order to coddle him up in his own embrace, smothering him in his chest.
“I’m so freaking excited for you!!! You’re going to be amazing parents!” The enthusiasm is shared by Jungkook, as he joins in on the hug as well.
“Congrats, hyung.” Jimin’s heart melts at the earnest expression adoring his baby alpha’s face, and his cheeks hurt from smiling too widely for too long. “Thank you, Jungkookie. And you too, Hoseok-ah.”
“That’s ‘hyung’ to you, Jimin-ah.” Yoongi’s drawl is close, and when Jimin pops his head out from the group hug he’s currently trapped inside, he sees the oldest alpha standing right next to Taehyung, one hand on the other’s shoulder. His tone may suggest displeasure, but his eyes are twinkling with pride, and his signature gummy smile is present, ruining the effect of the scolding.
“This is great news, Jimin-ah. We’re so happy for you.” Seokjin calming voice sounds to his left, and Jimin gets released from Hoseok and Jungkook’s grips, only to be enveloped by the soothing scent of sweet apples and caramel as the oldest wraps him in a hug. Jimin can’t help the tears that are starting to form at the edges of his eyes, and the subsequent sniffle that he tries valiantly to hide in Seokjin’s broad shoulders.
“Thank you, hyungie.” Though he receives no verbal response, the blond feels the other omegas arms tighten around him, and the caramel takes on an even sweeter note than previously. When he sniffles once more, the cheetah hybrid shushes him gently, rocking them both ever-so-slightly from side to side in a calming, soothing motion. It reminds Jimin of how his mother used to do the same when he was younger, and the sense of nostalgia makes it even more emotional.
Before Jimin can get a hold of himself, Seokjin's hand finds its way into his hair and starts scratching at his scalp, and the omega starts crying for real. The shushing returns, and the scent of sweet apples gets mixed with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla bourbon and sage. All the other scents of their pack is surrounding him, almost making him nauseous with the overwhelming smells burning in his nose. The notion that they’re all gathering around him, even Yoongi who normally prefers his own personal space, makes the hurt in his heart lessen, and instead it's slowly replaced by the warmth of acceptance and love.
“Don’t worry Jiminie, we’re all here for you, hm? It’s okay, sweetheart.” Seokjin had taken the role of becoming Jimin’s maternal figure very seriously when they had first become acquainted, and the feeling had only solidified when the pack had learned of how his own mother had kicked him out of the house just before the start of his university degree. Since then, Jimin had exclusively become Seokjin’s ‘sweetheart’; his little one to protect and cherish. That was why Jimin had been adamant that he was the one to open the box first — of all the pack members, Jimin had wanted Seokjin to know of his pregnancy first. It was only fair, considering how much the elder had taken him under his wing.
It takes a couple of minutes, but Jimin is finally able to calm himself down enough to let go of Seokjin and face the rest of the pack. He catches Taehyung’s eyes first, who leans down so he can stare into his mate’s eyes, his eyes gleaming with tenderness and love to the point it almost hurts Jimin to look into, but he holds his gaze. Taehyung leans in, and Jimin closes his eyes just in time to feel the familiar sensation of lips grazing his own in a loving peck, that turns into two, then three. On the fourth, Taehyung gets pushed out of the way by none other than Namjoon, whose cardamom and ginger scent never fails to remind Jimin of chai tea, who then smiles at Jimin.
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that this was the ‘surprise’ you were talking about that day at the mall?” Jimin nods.
“Guilty as charged, hyung.” Namjoon huffs a laugh as he places a large hand over his shoulder, bringing him closer.
“Thank you for telling us. And especially thank you for allowing me and Jin to be the first ones to know. It means a lot.”
“The card was a nice touch!” Hoseok adds in, which makes the group laugh in unison as Yoongi collects the stuffed bear over to the rest of the group. He gets close to Namjoon and Jimin, and then presents the bear to the blond.
“‘You’re going to be uncles’, I suppose it gets the message across. A little tacky though.” Yoongi smirks as the cat hybrid sticks his tongue out.
“Hey!” Taehyung growls, in which Yoongi playfully growls back at the younger alpha.
“Stop provoking him, Yoongs.” Seokjin reprimands as he steps in between them, before they get the idea to pounce at one another. Last time those two started to brawl, they had to get a new outdoor couch.
“That’s not the entire surprise though,” Jimin admits as he gazes fondly at the teddy bear, righting the purple ribbon that’s become askew when it was unceremoniously thrown on the couch earlier.
“It’s not?” Namjoon questions, tilting his head sideways in an inquisitive manner. Jimin shakes his head and gestures to the teddy bear.
“Grab the paw not holding the card,” he instructs, waiting for Namjoon to follow through. Once he grabs the paw, he looks at Jimin for further guidance. “Now, squeeze it.” The alpha does as ordered, and when he hears the sounds of rapid heartbeats, he stills and looks at the bear with wide eyes. The others surrounding them has also lapsed into silence as they listen to the recording.
“Is that—”
“The sound of the babies’ heartbeats?” Jimin smiles indulgently. “Yes.” There are cooing sounds as the bear gets passed around, everyone eager to hear the heartbeats of the soon-to-be newest arrival to the pack. Taehyung, who has already heard the recording over and over at least a million times since Jimin’s appointment four weeks ago, crowds Jimin’s personal bubble instead as his eyes burn with unsaid questions.
“Babies?” The alpha homes in further. “Babies, as in plural?” His expression if intense as he demands answers. Jimin bites his lip as he nods shyly. “Yeah,” he confirms, looking into Taehyung’s dark eyes. “I didn’t tell you right away because I wanted it to be a surprise, but during the last ultrasound, the gynaecologist caught something— or rather, someone at the scan. Another baby.” There are sounds of shock and wonder being let out around them, but Jimin ignores them in favour of looking at his mate. He grabs his hands and holds them tightly.
“Tae, we’re having twins.”