JIMIN POV:

I carefully cradle Hae Kyungie, shifting so slowly and carefully so she doesn't stir, hands brushing over her soft playsuit. Her cheek rests against my chest, hands curled into fists on either side of her head.

A pair of lips press to my forehead.

"Morning Minnie." A soft quiet murmur.

Fingers carding through my hair and trailing down the side of my face to tickle at my neck before trailing down bare skin.

"Morning sweet girl." I whisper, turning my head to face (Y/N), smiling when her face hovers over me, propped up by an arm as she smiles at me, hair tumbling down a bare shoulder, top having not settled properly after she'd gotten up to feed Hae Kyungie, having tugged it down afterwards and wriggling back under the covers.

"Is Hae Kyungie still asleep?" voice light even as her fingers brush across our baby's back, pressing a kiss to the back of her head.

I nod.

"Settled properly after feeding. Did you sleep well love?" I ask. Eyes scanning her face for fatigue or lingering exhaustion.

The shadows under her eyes are faint. Much less noticeable now that Hae Kyungie was a few months old, now that we'd managed to find our rhythm, a pace that worked for us.

Now that we'd figured that most times (Y/N) didn't need to be stirred whenever Hae Kyungie woke up in the night. More often than not all she wanted was settling or soothing. Some times she just wanted to sleepily gurgle and fuss, wriggling about in a pair of arms or squirming under kisses.

"I did. Because my husband made sure I slept whilst he settled our daughter." She says softly, tapping my nose lightly before drawing the covers away from her.

I turn my head to watch her sit up, see the way the top settles on her curvier hips, outlining the silhouette of them where fabric settles.

Smile when she senses my gaze and turns her head over her shoulder to blow a kiss at me. Her hand draws away her hair from behind her back to tumble off one shoulder and her smile is nothing short of wicked tease when she arches her neck. Fingers lazy and trailing over Joon hyung's mating mark.

"I'm going to go shower and head down then Minnie. Rest up some more...cuddle with our baby girl." She says as she stands.

There's the sound of the bedroom door opening and two heads peek through the doorway. Ruffled bed heads and grins as they look in.

"Morning~" Tae croons happily, eyes alighting on me, bounding in to press a smatter of soft kisses to Hae Kyung's head and the side of her face visible. Eyes shining with love when she shifts slightly, tiny fist moving before coming to still. Cooing over her.

And then his eyes meet mine from under messy curls, leaning in to peck my forehead before darting away, hands sliding around (Y/N)'s waist as he draws her up against him. Swaying with her in his arms as he continues to look at me.

"Are you going to rub that in my face?" I ask after a while, watching as Tae shoots me a grin over (Y/N)'s head, nuzzling against her temple.

Tae's face is reflective and contemplating.

Drawing it out as he thinks over it.

"Mhm...whilst there's fun in that....I think I'll steal our beautiful wife away to shower. She can join me and Kookie." He says.

Tugging her away.

Devious and teasing.

Eyes glinting playfully with red as he presses his mouth to her bare shoulder, lazily pressing kisses there. All the whilst his reddened gaze keeps its hold with me.

Challenging and daring.

Playful.

And it's intentional, I know it, when he noses at the same mark on the slender column of her neck that she'd been toying with.

He must know. Somehow he knows.

And though Kookie is sweetly apologetic as he waves from the door, he doesn't offer to stay behind, latching onto (Y/N) as she reaches the doorway, murmuring good morning to her.

Leaving me alone. Curled up with our baby daughter.

Alone and unwanted until...mere moments later Joon hyung and Jin hyung step through instead.

Smiling as they eagerly join me on the bed.

And though Joon hyung has no idea what's transpired before they enter, I still find myself leaning against Jin hyung's side, huffing when he presses a greeting kiss to my shoulder.

"What's wrong Min-ah?" when I mumble and grouse, letting Joon hyung scoop up Hae Kyungie to carefully draw against him. Looking so unbearably fond and doting as he cradles her close.

Blinking wide eyed at me.

I huff and lean against Jin hyung, tucking myself up against his broad frame.

"S all your fault hyung. You and your mating marks." I grumble.

And his eyes widen. Confusion seeping onto his perfectly adorable, handsome face.

"What about them?"

------

"Did I do something wrong? Minnie keeps glaring at my mouth ever since we went to him." Joon hyung asks at the breakfast table, looking pouty and put-out even as Hobi hyung laughs and darts close to wrap arms around him and press an enthusiastic kiss to his lips. Scoops up Hae Kyungie from his arms and coos over her sleepy eyes blinking up at him.

"Just jealous of those dimples I'm sure." Hobi hyung says enthusiastically, pressing a kiss to either side of his mouth. Gaze slowly tearing away from our little girl.

No doubt there.

But my gaze goes to a trio curled together at the counter, watch as Kookie leans against (Y/N), hands on her waist and presses kisses to her jaw and neck, smiling when she giggles, her own hands busy playing with his longer hair, fingers sinking into loose waves. Watch as Tae watches them, curving around Kookie from the back and pressing teasing nips to his neck and ears.

And then (Y/N)'s gaze flits to me, brightening. One hand slipping free to reach out for me.

That huffiness vanishes in an instant, my hand sliding to curl around hers.

Heart clenching when she lifts it to brush a series of kisses across my knuckles.

"Huffy my sweet husband?" she asks with a teasing lilt to her lips.

I grumble, crowding into her space to kiss her.

Taking my time to draw her face towards mine, lips unhurried against hers.

"Very. I was abandoned by three mates. By people meant to be of the same tethered soul." I say as I lean away.

Her hands capture my cheeks, leaning in to press a dozen small kisses to my lips.

"You looked too content with Hae Kyungie... you weren't going to move. Jinnie told me last night." She says softly.

Beaming when said mate appears and draws me against him.

That explained the wide arms drawing me close in bed. Explained why he'd been content to let me grumble at Joon hyung with an easy grin on his lips, drawing the covers over the two of us for some more cuddles, bodies pressed close.

"Just your mating mark caused... quite the stir." Tae says, fangy boxy smile as he speaks. Nipping my ear in part apology, part tease still before he bounds over to Yoongi hyung, laughing when hyung fails to dislodge him from his back as he cooks.

"Tae...breakfast! Work won't wait!" he chides as he nudges him back, hand carefully settling on the hob even as the flames splutter low themselves.

The house had been on a sort of high alert since the birth. Silently acting to take care of everyone. Lowering the flames whenever there was a commotion or fuss wasn't the only thing.

Though Hae Kyungie was far too young to be able to crawl around herself, the house had turned the sharp corners to soften and round out, would move things that Joon hyung would easily trip over, would keep the house at a steady constant warm temperature; sensing that (Y/N) still relied on that human need for warmth, knowing somehow that our baby needed it too.

"Work can wait. My cuddles won't." Tae protests as he drags Yoongi hyung away from the stove insistently. The pan slides to the back stove automatically.

The house knowing that Tae isn't going to let go.

"I'll finish up. So just give in Yoongi oppa." (Y/N) says, moving to hop down when the counter lowers for her, stopping her from doing so.

(Y/N)'s gaze turns fond and soft as she gives a small pat of thanks to the counter, disengaging herself from us to move to get to the counter.

A warning look on her face that she shoots over her shoulder when I make a sound of protest and move to get to her.

"Sit down Minnie, let me finish this first. Where's Hae Kyungie?" she asks, gaze searching the kitchen. Eyes flickering red with that maternal instinct.

And then softens when they land on Hobi hyung who raises a swaddled-up bundle.

"Right here with her favourite dada~" he trills looking delighted.

Completely unrepentant of the chaos of sound it causes as everyone sits down to breakfast.

Normal.

This chaotic jumbled mess was normal.

And I adored it.

(SO THESE CHAPTERS ARE GOING TO BE SHORTER AT TIMES AND LONGER AT OTHERS DEPENDANT ON THE SORT OF STUFF THE CHAPTER WILL HOLD! SO THIS IS TO SAY THAT THIS CHAPTER IS SHORTER...AND SOME WILL BE LONGER! AND AS MUCH AS I HATE TO SAY IT, HAE KYUNGIE THE BABIEST BABY WILL BEGIN TO GROW WITHIN EACH CHAPTER BUT I CAN'T WAIT TO WRITE HER CHILDHOOD! AT TIMES THERE'LL BE SNIPPETS OF MEMORIES AND BLURS OF HER CHILDHOOD ALL WITHIN ONE CHAPTER TOO! SO I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY SEEING HER GROW! LET ME KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'D LOOK FORWARD TO OR NOT! HOPE THIS SHORT CHAPTER WAS STILL WORTH THE WAIT! TAKE CARE AND STAY SAFE LOVES!)

Sometimes it's the short fleeting moments in life that burn across our souls and become immortalised.

Borahae! 💜💜💜

PurpleQueenie <3