Title: Expectant Problems

Author: Digimon Empress Yaten (de yaten)

Notes: Written for the springkink community. Pregnant!Minnie, some fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. I don't claim to own them.

Mickey sighed and made his way through the bustling day-market of Agrabah. It was hot, he was sweaty, and there were several not-so-nice looking men in a nearby alleyway that were probably planning to rob him. (He could hold his own, if it came to that, but his day was tiring enough without having to fend off would-be robbers.)

Needless to say, this was not how he wanted to be spending his day - well, now evening, if he went by his own World's time.

Minnie had woken him up in the wee hours of the morning, and at first he worried that something was wrong with the baby. Minnie usually slept through the night, at least once she got to bed, and aside from occasional morning sickness and fatigue, her pregnancy had been an easy one. (At least, compared to Daisy's - and Mickey thought Donald had a temper...)

Minnie's only "trouble" with her pregnancy was the strange, almost-daily urge for the oddest foods and combinations imaginable. Mickey had joked about getting her pickles and ice cream, but when she asked for it, and actually topped her vanilla sundae with pickle juice... let's just say he no longer considered her most off-the-wall requests as jokes.

And her latest desire was proving a thousand times more elusive than pickles and ice cream.

Mickey leaned against one of the many empty crates scattered throughout the market, taking a break from the constant walking.

He had been to three different Worlds so far, and none of them had even heard of the food Minnie asked for - much less actually have some on hand to sell. Heck, Mickey wasn't exactly sure what Minnie wanted...but she wanted it, and she wanted it Inow/I, and if she didn't get it now, then she was sure the baby would grow up with missing or extra limbs, and if that's what Mickey wanted, then fine, he didn't need to buy her the food. But he would be sleeping in one of the guest bedrooms until the baby came, but maybe that's what he wanted since she was fat and ugly and unwanted and -- well, Mickey got the idea.

So, of course, he set off to visit Yen Sid right away. But upon telling the trusted wizard of Minnie's desire, the old man simply raised an eyebrow and ushered him out of the door without a word.

That was the first clue that this task would be no easy one.

The second clue was his trip to Traverse Town. It was known for carrying foods from various Worlds, probably due to the tendency of lost-World inhabitants to drop from the sky. But even the most obscure shops, the ones with the questionable hygiene and strange looking meats and vegetables that snapped at your hands, hadn't heard of the food. He did pick up some of those snapping vegetables, because Minnie seemed to like them and it was only a matter of time for she had "that ol' hankering" for them again.

He traveled to Atlantica, thinking perhaps it was an underwater plant, or maybe a sort of fish, but to no avail - the King offered him some seaweed instead, but giving Minnie the wrong food was worse than giving her no food at all. Mickey learned that the hard away, even if Minnie did apologize the next day for throwing his favorite books from the castle terrace.

His next stop was Neverland - or, more specifically, London. That particular World was known for a wide variety of foods - heck, people even ate cats in some parts, although he never revealed that fact to Minnie. She might remember her natural-instinct grudge against the creatures and decide she wanted a taste. But again, no luck - although the fact that he was forced to shop in the guise of the hooded Organization cloak probably didn't do much to increase his chances of getting help.

And now, finally he was forced to try the dry, rough streets of Agrabah. It wasn't a terrible place, but the further you got from the palace, the more likely you were to be robbed, or attacked, or sometimes worse. Mickey could take care of himself - and others, if he needed to - but it was more than a little worrying to see a woman alone on a dimly lit street, or a children wandering just a little too far from his parents. Of course, he always worried around children, always wanted to make sure they were no less than a foot from their parent - and heaven forbid if they went out unsupervised! So many things could happen to them...

He was already overprotective, Minnie told him, of a child that was yet to be born. Too overprotective, she told him, and it was beginning to grate on her nerves - and when her nerves were grated, Mickey headed for the hills. But he wasn't being overprotective, really! So, he refused to let her leave the World - too dangerous, he said, the baby probably wouldn't take well to being exposed to the shock of shifting Worlds and Darkness and Light and In-Betweens. He rarely approved of her leaving the Castle, and when he did, it was with heavily armed guards and a promise to come home if she felt tired and just take it easy, Minnie. If they had any available servants that day, he would have them carry her out on a well-padded chair - just to be safe. You could never be too safe, better safe than sorry, might as well be prepared just in case.

She never failed to let him know just what the thought of the treatment - she was pregnant, she said, not immobile, and it would not kill her to go for a walk in the gardens alone, or take a trip to visit friends.

Maybe this was a sick sort of punishment, he thought, for being so protective of her, for not letting her go where she wanted. Give him an impossible task that would eat up his entire day - maybe in response to his refusal to let her visit her Granny in the Timeless River? Or no, maybe for when he made her take a day of bed rest when she was set on visiting some of the local peasant's farms. (They were a little less productive in these past few months, but what could Mickey do? He was so focused on making sure everything was just perfect for Minnie and the baby that he had begun to get behind on matters of the kingdom.)

He sighed.

It wasn't like he wanted her to feel miserable or upset with him. It was probably miserable enough being pregnant, without being treated like you were a sick child that needed constant care and supervision. But there was a baby growing inside her, and babies were fragile, delicate - what would happen if she was attacked in another World? If she got stuck in the Darkness and couldn't use her Magic? What would happen if she was strolling in the garden, alone, and she fell? Or the baby started coming with no one around to help her?

What if, what if, what if?

He just couldn't risk it, and if that meant that she was going to be mad at him, exact this petty revenge on him, and possibly hate him for a while then, well, it was completely...

... Oh, he thought. Oh, no. That wasn't worth it, this wasn't worth it. The baby needed parents that supported each other, loved each other, talked their problems out even if one of them was overloaded with hormones and the other was riddled with worry and a possible developing ulcer.

Maybe... maybe she could visit her Granny. But Daisy could go with her, as a friend - or he could even go, if she wanted him to. Maybe they could take walks in the garden together without guards. He was a strong fighter and a pregnant, angry motherly Minnie was as good a security measure as any knight.

He would talk to her, and maybe they could work this out. Or at least put an end to the negative tension that seemed to constantly be between them lately. Maybe he would bring her some flowers, kiss her head and rub her stomach, and take her for a nighttime walk through the flowers.

Of course, he would also have to tell her that he couldn't find the food she wanted - just what was rapunzel, anyway?