Healing (KTH, featuring KNJ)

Chapter 57

The next several months were perfect. Well, almost perfect. Things were still quite rocky with Taehyung's parents, but he had decided that he wanted to spend more time enjoying his pregnant wife than fighting with his parents, so for the most part he just kept them apart. He knew he still needed to deal with the issue, but at the moment he didn't have either the willpower, or any ideas, to truly make it better.

Clara's morning sickness had eventually faded. While it hadn't disappeared completely she was able to take a much smaller dose of the medication, which improved her overall energy and offered new opportunities for how she spent her time.

Clara hadn't returned to work, deciding that it would be too complicated to explain twins when the company and her co-workers didn't even know she was in a relationship. And she was enjoying the laziness that came with the extra free time. Between her education and work she'd always exerted so much effort, it was really the first time she allowed herself to just be.

Taehyung had gotten her a nice keyboard she could play at home and she was working through a stack of books she had collected or Namjoon had recommended. She returned to her online drawing class along with an online pregnancy yoga class. And she'd been meeting with her adopted mother at her old apartment, telling stories about Namsoo while they finally sorted through the remaining belongings. Bit by bit she was allowing herself to really move on.

Taehyung was just as busy as ever but he wasn't traveling out of town, so at least they were able to see each other every night. And even with his busy schedule they would try to visit Namjoon's parents every few weeks for dinner and to listen to their loving advice.

Taehyung had introduced Clara to Korean dramas. Sometimes when he was home they would snuggle up close to watch an episode before they got too tired or distracted to continue. It was often a show Taehyung had seen before, so if they didn't make it to the end of the episode Clara would watch the rest the next day so she could keep up.

Clara had always loved Taehyung, but each day she marveled more and more at how lucky she was. He was kind and funny, and also drop dead gorgeous. He took care of her in every way. And his excitement about the babies was almost palpable. She worried that as her belly grew he might find her less attractive but it seemed to be the opposite. He repeatedly told her that he found her more beautiful than ever, and then he'd immediately take her to the bedroom to prove it. He was always a giving and gentle lover, but had found ways to be even more so. Constantly looking out to ensure she was comfortable while avoiding breaking the mood.

Clara found that eventually her hormones evened out a bit and she was less prone to random fits of tears. In exchange her hormones seem to transition to make her crave physical intimacy. She was still too shy to take the lead but was highly responsive to any advances from her husband. And of course, Taehyung was happy to oblige and make sure his wife was extremely satisfied and well taken care of.

Days turned into weeks, which turned into months and her belly felt like it was growing bigger by the day. The doctor told her to expect she would show early and grow quickly, and she did. The twins were definitely a key factor here, but also she was quite petite and was likely to show more than average.

Taehyung loved her growing belly. He'd have his hands on it as often as possible and started to insist that she allow him to shower her since it was easier for him to reach. He particularly focused on her growing stomach, gently rubbing it with his hands before dropping down to smother it with kisses.

The babies had started to move more. And while it wasn't uncomfortable, it was becoming much more noticeable. She loved letting others feel the small kicks and elbows.

And her wardrobe had started to transition. She hardly had to buy anything. Between Taehyung, Namjoon and his parents, and surprisingly gifts from Hobi's girlfriend, it felt she had more maternity clothes than she could wear. Especially because most days she would just slip into Taehyung's sweatpants and tshirts. And they had both abandoned wearing anything to bed so any pajamas remained in a pile with the tags still on, totally untouched. When Clara mentioned to Taehyung that it really wasn't necessary to have so many maternity clothes he just growled back in her ear that she was so sexy pregnant that he'd keep her that way all the time if he could.

Based on her OB's guidance Clara was also getting out a bit more. They lived right next to a large park, and when the weather was nice Clara was able to get out and enjoy a slow walk. The end of summer was fast approaching and she was just starting to see the fall colors burst out on the plants. She loved slowly ambling the paths each day to see how fall would take hold in Seoul. She credited the walks with really helping to stabilize her moods from the crazy hormone swings she started with. And knew she needed to keep her muscles strong considering how much weight she was expected to carry by the time the babies were ready to be born.

Life really was settling into a predictable bliss, and Clara and Taehyung could not have been happier.