His Missing Model: TaeKook

Chapter 2

"Have you thought of any names yet?"

Hoseok and Taehyung are sitting in the former's office, the latter having stopped by for lunch.

"Not really. I'm supposed to find out whether it's a boy or a girl at my next appointment. Maybe I'll be able to think about it better once I know what I'm carrying." Taehyung toys with the noodle dish in front of him as he talks. He was nearly 5 months along now, and had hoped the nausea would have abated by now. Sadly, his obstetrician had advised him that mpregs tended to have worse symptoms during their pregnancies. His "morning sickness" actually lasted all day, and nearly overwhelming fatigue left him constantly drained.

Hoseoks nodded before seeming to remember something, "How's your grandmother doing?"

The younger gave a genuine smile, "She's excited to meet her great grandbaby. I visit her twice a week. Her nurse is wonderful and takes such good care of her." His grandma was the only biological family he had left, having been orphaned when he was a child. She'd stepped in and raised him after his parents were gone, and he was determined to provide for her. When her health had become more fragile, he couldn't stand the thought of sending her to live in a nursing home. Instead, he'd hired a private nurse who was a constant companion for the woman.

"That's great Tae, " Hoseok cheerily smiled, before his eyes drifted away and he shifted uncomfortably. "Have you talked to...him?"

Immediately, the younger's expression drops, his throat working as he swallows anxiously. "Um, no. I haven't seen him since I left "V" behind."

The older bites back a sigh as he takes in the figure of his younger friend. Nobody would look at the pregnant man in front of him and think he was the world-famous supermodel V. It wasn't that he was unattractive, he doubted it was possible for Taehyung to look that way. But the striking and intimidating beauty of V had been replaced by the warm prettiness of Taehyung. His formerly platinum curls had been replaced by silky straight brown strands; his ice blue eyes were now a deep chocolate and partially concealed by his thick-framed glasses, his willowy thin frame now sported an obvious football-sized belly, and whereas before he'd been pressured to avoid the sun and use makeup to maintain a porcelain complexion, he now was free to enjoy the L.A. sun-a fact made evident by his golden tan.

Still, despite his good looks, his friends could see the circles under his eyes. His pregnancy was already very challenging for him, made all the more difficult by his heartbreak. Not wanting to upset the younger, Hobi's voice was gentle as he continued, "Tae...maybe it would be best if you reached out to him. I know he was an ass- frankly I'm likely to punch the jerk if I ever see him. But, he's still the father. Maybe now that he's had time to think about everything he's changed his mind? You didn't leave any way for him to get in contact with you if he did."

Taehyung stared down at the noodles still on his plate, his nausea made worse by the subject. "Hobi, I waited for him for two weeks. He had me evicted from his apartment, and his life, like I was a bad tenant. He accused me of cheating on him and insisted my baby couldn't possibly be his." His eyes watered at the memory, "He was the first and only person I'd ever been with, and he thought I'd do something like that. Then he walked away from me so he could marry someone more suitable." Shaking his head, his voice cracked as he raised sad eyes to the older and continued, "Please don't ask me to go through that again."

Regret filled Hoseok as he saw the unmasked pain on the younger's face. Rushing around the desk, he wrapped his arms around the other's shoulders, "I'm sorry Tae, of course I wouldn't want you to go through that. Just forget I brought it up. Your baby will have three proud uncles plus an amazing mom and a doting great-grandma. Who needs that asshole?"

Sniffing, Tae gives a weak smile at the older. Yeah, sure. Who needs Jeon Jungkook?

Elsewhere

"Come in," came a terse response to the short knock on the door. Entering, Namjoon immediately notices Jungkook's tie is loosened, his hair is mussed- as if he's been shoving anxious fingers through the raven strands, and he has visible shadows beneath his eyes.

Shaking his head in disapproval and sighing, he sits across from the younger. "You look like you haven't slept in weeks."

Raising tired eyes to his old friend, Kook snorts, "Try months. Any luck?"

"No, Min Vante disappeared into thin air once he arrived in Tokyo. I've spoken with his manager and agency, no one's been in contact with V since he bought out his contracts the same day he left. His bank accounts were closed. There's no family, and he doesn't appear to have had any close friends in his circle. He has no social media presence at all. I can't find any education records either." Taking a deep breath, he leans forward, "Kook, there are a lot of missing pieces. It looks very suspicious to me. I did some digging, and it's as if Min Vante just showed up out of nowhere seven years ago. Prior to that, it's like he didn't exist."

Pushing to his feet, Jungkook strides to the window to look out over the city. Giving an unamused chuckle, he shoves his hands into his pockets. "He told me I would never see him again. I guess I thought he meant he'd refuse to see me again. I didn't expect he would literally vanish. How could one of the world's most famous models just disappear?"

Hesitating, the elder stands as well and walks up behind the CEO. "I suspect Min Vante was just an alias. It was a well-crafted one too, not to arouse any suspicion from the media."

Staring out at the sunset, the younger ponders the information. His thoughts drift back to the sunny, boxy smile V would give him every time they saw each other. He remembers the late-night talks and the mornings he'd wake up with the younger still in his arms. If not Min Vante, who was that person?

"Hyung, please, I need to find him. You heard what Seokjin-hyung said: male pregnancies are higher risk. I don't know if he's alright, or...if he's even still pregnant. He's all alone, and was pregnant with my baby." He leaves the fact this is all his fault unspoken. He's already been thoroughly chewed out by Namjoon's husband Jin.

Placing a sympathetic hand on his dongsaeng's shoulder, he gives a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Kook-ah. If V managed to carry such a high-pressure career all while hiding a private identity, he's clearly strong, smart, and resourceful. I'm sure he'll be alright. And don't give up hope."

AN: A quick explanation on the mpreg aspect of this story. In this universe, some men can get pregnant: they're referred to as mpregs. Their pregnancies are very similar to female pregnancies, except they are more prone to complications. I'm going to leave some details regarding delivery vague, so you can imagine that part the way you prefer. If you want to think they have a vagina, fine, if you prefer to think they deliver out the anus, that's fine too. Maybe you want to imagine there's a third exit, and that's fine too. They also don't develop large breasts, but are still capable of breastfeeding. People in this universe who deliver the babies are called "moms", regardless of gender or sex. Trying to craft a story where men can get pregnant while not totally feminizing them takes some work. I'm sure that some people will at times wish I'd done some parts differently, but this is how I prefer to do it.