HERMAPHRODITE

▪️▪️▪️CH. 40▪️▪️▪️

Jungkook and Tae spent the next few days practicing their new found skills at bathing and changing the baby. Once they got the hang of things it wasn't all that hard.

He was taking a break and sitting in one of the rocking chairs that they'd received as a wedding gift. He'd spent the morning sorting through his and the baby's clothing, getting things organized and packed into a small bag as Jimin and Hoseok had suggested be ready for his eventual trip to the hospital for the birth.

Now that he was getting closer to his due date he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. The lessons they'd had in baby care had prepared him somewhat for the baby but it was the birth process that concerned him more at the moment.

He sighed softly as he rocked in the chair, hand caressing the swell of the baby as he rocked. Taekookie hadn't been quite so active of late but Jimin had said that it was normal; as the baby began to settle into position for the birth so the activity would lessen. Also there wasn't all that much room now for the child to 'play' as the fetus would be doing the last of its growing and thus taking up whatever minute space was left.

Kookie was amazed at the way his body had managed to cope with the added 'extra'. Yes, he'd been uncomfortable at times, his internal organs had protested at being squashed and used for 'target' practice on more than one occasion but he was still here, still pregnant and so far all his organs were intact. To him that was a bonus. He looked up as Tae entered the room.

"Thought I'd find you in here," said Tae softly as he walked over to where his husband was sitting and placed a gentle kiss on Jungkook's forehead.

Kookie smiled. "What's up?"

"Hoseok hyung sent me to fetch you."

"Uh oh."

"He said it's time for us to learn how to make formula, feed the baby and sterilize the equipment."

Jungkook sighed.

Tae chuckled. "You can always breastfeed if you don't want to go through any more training," he teased.

Jungkook's eyes widened and he practically leapt from the rocker, quickly waddling from the room, "Come on hyungie, we can't keep Hoseok hyung waiting."

Tae just chuckled.

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The little fetus yawned and blinked. It couldn't see much in its watery world though, mostly light and dark shadings. It tried to stretch out its legs a little, they were feeling a bit cramped from the curled up position the fetus had adopted to sleep. Trying to stretch those limbs was proving to be quite a task in itself. There wasn't much room at all. Annoyed, the fetus pushed harder with its legs, only to be brought up short by a barrier. It tried a couple of kicks with the same result. Frustrated, the fetus attempted to move its arms instead. It had a little more luck with those appendages, managing to straighten them a little more before being halted by another, invisible barrier. The feet found a reasonably solid surface and the fetus pushed hard against it, propelling itself through the amniotic fluid only to be stopped rather suddenly when its head hit another barrier.

In a fit of temper the fetus struck out with its tiny fists, pummeling whatever it was that was stopping it from moving the way it wanted to. It rolled inside the protective uterus, turning around and trying a different way to see if it could stretch out its limbs but it was fruitless; there simply wasn't enough room for it to 'play' like it had before.

The mouth opened in a silent growl of protest, the fists and feet had a few more kicks and pummels before the fetus gave up, exhausted from its attempts and curled up again into a ball. The thumb found its way to the tiny mouth and the fetus sucked on it. The eyes closed and the small baby drifted back off into slumber completely unaware of the pain and discomfort it had just caused to its *mother*.