Renjun sighed deeply and contentedly as he relaxed into the warm water of his bath, letting his aching muscles relax and melt into the lavender-scented bath salts and bubble bath foam he loaded into the tub. He might have added a tad too much this time, but he couldn't be bothered because this was the first bath he'd had to himself in months. Trivial things like too many bubbles weren't enough to ruin his alone time, especially when he had his favorite scented candles lit close by and a bowl of chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds sitting on the tub's edge within arm's reach. The ambiance was absolutely perfect and lulling him into a near coma of pure joy and relaxation. Renjun had needed this so desperately and he felt like he was floating in heaven with this much-needed 'me time'.

He never had the time to be so indulgent in self care, especially not when he was the mother and Jaemin was the father of the two rowdiest and clingiest children known to man. And when he did have the time for a bath, it never lasted long before his bath time turned into 'his and his daughters' bath time'. The little menaces always tried, and always succeeded, to climb in despite Renjun's weak-hearted protests and attempts at keeping them in their clothes while sitting in the tub (it was always such an awkward reach). It was extremely difficult to say no to them and his efforts to keep them out soon turned to helping them both in. Renjun greatly cherished a bath, and while taking baths with his four and three year old daughters Caihong and Huiying was fun, he didn’t always want to take baths with them. 

And Jaemin knew this. He had seen how tired Renjun had been, had noticed the bags that seemed to grow heavier and darker beneath his eyes by the day, and noticed how the glow in his smile had dulled from its previous shine it possessed that morning. He was exhausted as life weighed on him and tonight it seemed finally too much for the older of the two. His body language screamed how broken down he was and how desperately he wanted to not be on his feet. If he could, he would sleep for a week straight uninterrupted. He was just that tired, and Jaemin wanted to do something about it. 

When it came time for Caihong and Huiying’s bedtime routine, the pair fought their parents so hard to stay up longer nightly without fail. They were very receptive to the importance of a bedtime routine and did so well once started, but they weren’t behaved enough to not try and wreak some havoc in an attempt to stay up later than their usual bedtime. Renjun had blamed Jaemin for this many times, seeming all too familiar with his husband’s habits and claiming he passed them on to their children. Jaemin couldn’t even argue because he knew the older was right. Their daughters were reflections of him, but he knew Renjun secretly loved it. 

And even though he adored his daughters, there was simply no ounce of energy left in him to wrangle the two monsters into their pajamas let alone help them brush their hair and teeth. Caihong's long hair needed to be braided to avoid getting tangled and Huiying was sensitive to the sensory feeling of getting her teeth brushed. They both required extra care that took time and the thought of doing so had Renjun’s back hurting already and Jaemin had noticed the tiny grimace he made before he even brought up bedtime. He noticed how Renjun had been watching the clock on his phone, counting down the minutes until he was going to crash into bed and sleep the day’s events off. He was so miserably tired, and it was then that Jaemin decided Renjun wasn’t going to help with the routine tonight and instead get some much-needed rest. 

‘I’ve got them tonight’ Jaemin had claimed with a wide and shining smile. The kind Renjun had fallen in love with all those years ago. ‘You go lay down or take a bath, do something to help you feel better. The girls know you love them, so don’t feel bad for leaving.’ He had placed a tender kiss on Renjun’s cheek, moving slowly to cherish the few seconds the kiss took to make contact. The genuine love in his voice and behind his eyes was all so telling and it would have Renjun nearly swooning if he wasn't so dead on his feet, ‘Go take a break. I’ll join you in a bit.’

And while Renjun would typically be stubborn and argue about Jaemin doing this on his own, this time he wasn't even going to try and was going to take the opportunity. In his mind, he had quickly made plans to take a bath and soak in hot (but not too hot) water before he settled for the night and once his mind was set there was no turning back. The two parted ways shortly after Jaemin gave him another kiss on the cheek and before little Huiying started to notice there wasn't a parent with her. She was nearly three years old and while she was fiercely independent, she still enjoyed the company of her mother and/or father and was one to whine if she noticed their absence. It was always heartbreaking to hear how hurt she was to be alone and her parents were quick to rectify the situation. Renjun had watched Jaemin jog towards their daughters with a smile on his face and it had warmed his heart so greatly. Jaemin was an amazing father, and an amazing husband if you ask him. 

Renjun had quickly made his first solo bath in too long and relaxed into the porcelain, silently thanking whoever built their house for deciding to add in such a large tub in the master bathroom. It was big enough to hold Renjun and his two daughters at once with room to spare, so it was never a big hassle to fit them in when they wanted to join him for bath time. If Jaemin wanted to join, then that would be difficult to maneuver with how broad his build was, but it was still possible. Although, it was much easier to accomplish when Renjun wasn't so pregnant. 

He had entered his third trimester a few weeks ago and that familiar loss of mobility and grace had snuck up on him faster than it had when he was pregnant with his daughters. This little boy, their first son, was proving to be much different from his sisters in many ways, but especially in size. He was a very big baby, nearly a pound heavier than his sisters in utero at this point, and it was taking a toll on Renjun's slight body. He'd lost count of all the times he had found himself stuck in a comfy chair or couch, or stuck on the floor because he still had faith in his abilities to get up on his own only to be proven wrong. Just that morning, Renjun made the mistake of sitting on his oldest daughter's bed which was lower to the ground than he remembered it being. When it came time to move to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, it had taken Renjun a few minutes to awkwardly move his body so he could get up on his own. Jaemin hadn't been home at the time and while he wished he had been to help him move faster, Renjun was also glad that his husband didn't have to see him struggle so badly. Jaemin was aware of his lack of coordination, but Renjun knew that if the younger saw it firsthand he would laugh and it would embarrass him. His pride was too large to let Jaemin see how helpless and clumsy he had become. 

It didn't help conceal the ridiculousness of it all when Caihong, their eldest, had affectionately started calling Renjun 'Turtle' last week. Renjun wasn't sure how he felt about it, not knowing whether to be offended or endeared by his daughter giving him a nickname, but it wasn't the most pleasant thing to hear when he constantly felt like a turtle stuck on its back. Jaemin secretly loved the name, but to save Renjun from further embarrassment and humiliation, he always discouraged calling her mother by that name. Did she listen? Never. It was hard to get Caihong to change her mind on anything once she was dead-set on something. She was a stubborn little girl, and she definitely got that from her mother. 

Thinking about how he was still feeling like a turtle stuck on its back and thinking about how round he was, Renjun let his hand stray from where it was sitting on the tub’s edge to then rest on his comically large bump. With how big he was and the depth of the tub, the water level was unable to cover his entire abdomen, leaving the widest stretch of his waist sticking out of the water exposed and covered in a thin layer of foamy bubbles. It was annoying to have that part exposed and feeling the chill of the open air, but using his palm to warm the skin there was an easy substitute, splashing water on top every now and then if he grew too cold. It was an easy fix.

Settled comfortably in place, Renjun ran the tops of his fingers over one of the many stretch marks that littered his skin. There was such a large collection of them all over his belly from both of his daughters, but the one he happened to be tracing was from his son. It was new, bright red, and angry looking as it crossed over untouched skin and merged with old and silver stretchmarks. Most of his newer stretch marks from his son were higher up on his belly, reaching far past his belly button, which was ridiculously popped out and bulbous. He was greatly familiar with his pregnant body at this point, and while he had greatly struggled with the quick and drastic changes the first time around, he had grown to adore the lasting marks his children left on him and his son was making sure he left his own lasting impression on Renjun’s body. Each stripe of torn skin had a memory and a meaning that meant the world to Renjun. He had endless love for his children and his body was a great example of that. 

But even then, he was enjoying having time to himself and not having to worry about his rambunctious daughters causing trouble. His aching body was proof enough that being a mother was a difficult job and the warm water was loosening up his wound tight body. Renjun grabbed a handful of chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds and shoved the