*third pov*

    Jin’s phone buzzes in his pocket, and he struggles to balance the stack of papers in one arm as he fishes the device from his pocket. He slides his thumb over the screen and brings it to his ear.

    “Hello?”

    “Jin hyung? Uh, I’m here to pick you up, but there’s a slight change in plans. It’s raining currently, and I had wanted to go for a walk in the park, but now we can’t so uh, we can figure something else out?” Namjoon chuckles, shuffling his weight from one foot to another. He stood under the small overhanging on the porch step in front of Jin’s door.

    Jin smiles and hangs up, pulling the door open to Namjoon’s surprise. “A walk in the park still sounds perfect, even if it’s raining. That’s why umbrellas exist, silly.”

    Namjoon is clearly flustered, mouth opening and closing as he struggled to find words. “I-I, heh. You’re right, I suppose.”

    “Come in for a minute, I just have to put these in my room.” Jin turns and walks back to his room, carefully filing the stack of papers away before he grabs a jacket and slips it over his broad shoulders, walking back to where Namjoon was admiring a picture of his roommate’s family on the wall.

    “Are you ready to go, Namjoon?”

    The younger looks up, smiling as he watches Jin grab a large umbrella for them both to share. “Yes, let’s go then.”

    Namjoon opens the car door for Jin and rushes around to the driver’s side, carefully pulling out of the driveway. He decides against small talk during the short drive to the park, letting the hum of the engine and the pounding of his heart fill the air.

    “It’s a shame it’s raining,” Jin sighs, taking Namjoon’s hand as he climbed out of the car upon arrival. “It’s refreshing though.”

    Namjoon chuckles and opens the umbrella, holding it in his right hand while Jin held his left. “How so?”

    Jin shrugs, tearing his gaze from the squirrels running around the grass. “The rain is washing everything off, cleaning it. It’s like taking a shower. Washing off the day’s troubles, the dirt, and grime. Children’s germs.”

    Namjoon laughed at that, head tipping back in amusement. “I suppose you’re right then, it is refreshing. And healthy, the rain is watering the plants and trees.”

    Jin’s eyes met Namjoon’s and he quickly diverted his gaze, his cheeks flaring up with a blush. “So, how is Jungkook? Is he staying with Hoseok and Yoongi?”

    A hum is Namjoon’s reply before he opens his mouth. “Yeah, he’s super excited to be spending the night. I’m hoping Taehyung and Jimin can be gentle with his broken arm. The three of them can be pretty rough.”

    “All four-year-olds play rough, unfortunately. But, the boys have been extremely good with Jungkook. They’re constantly helping him, cleaning up what Jungkook is supposed to.” Jin giggles before continuing. “I swear, they would help him go to the bathroom if they could.”

    A comfortable silence falls between the two, until Jin shivers, subtly pressing himself closer to Namjoon. The younger looked over to see Jin’s nose a cherry red, cheeks red from what he concludes to be the cold, and Jin is grateful that the air is so chilly.

    “Are you cold? Um, here, take my jacket.” Namjoon shrugs his coat off and drapes it around Jin’s shoulders, wrapping his arm around his slim waist instead of taking his hand again.

    “Th-thank you,” Jin stammers, slipping his arms through the sleeves. The jacket was oversized on Namjoon, so it sat perfectly across his broad shoulders.

    “Hey, let’s get some hot chocolate!” He exclaims as he spots a drink kiosk. He gently leads Jin over and they stand in line, Namjoon’s arm keeping Jin pressed close to his side as he orders two hot drinks.

    Jin hums happily as the chocolate liquid warms him from the insides, feeling finally returning to the tips of his fingers. The hot chocolate also helped to settle the butterflies in his stomach, but each time Namjoon’s grip tightened the slightest bit, the butterflies would stir up again.

    The two made small talk while they walked around the park, raindrops pattering against the umbrella. Jin felt comfortable, safe, with Namjoon, but the dark thoughts lingering in the back of his mind were a constant reminder to not get so close, to not let Namjoon in.

    “Oh, I almost forgot. Uh, I have to buy new sheets for Jungkook’s bed, I ordered a new one for him. And he needs new clothes, the kid keeps growing so much. I know this is supposed to be a date, but would you be opposed to shopping?” Namjoon asked, a sheepish look in his eyes.

    Jin brought the cup up to his mouth and swallowed the last of his hot chocolate to hide his smile. “It’s fine Namjoon, we’re not children anymore. And I am not a high maintenance man, we can do anything. So, let’s go shopping for Jungkook.”

    Namjoon feels like he won the lottery an hour later while Jin is looking through children’s clothes on the racks, pulling out what he thinks would look the cutest on Jungkook. The pair had picked out three different sheet and comforter sets for Jungkook’s new bed, as well as a handful of new outfits.

    A gentle warmth settled on Namjoon’s shoulders, and he found himself silently wishing that Jin wouldn’t ever disappear. Shopping for clothes with Jin felt domestic, something Namjoon didn’t much of a chance to feel before his girlfriend was taken from his life.

    Jin’s lips moved as he rambled on about something, but Namjoon couldn’t process the words. He stared at Jin in awe, letting the butterflies in his belly take over his entire body. He was on cloud nine, soaring above all the problems in the world. Nothing could bring him down.

    Nothing, except:

    “Joon? Hey, snap out of it,” Jin frowned as he nudged Namjoon’s shoulder. The younger shook the thoughts out of his head and smiled at Jin.

    “What’s up hyung?”

    Jin sighed, rolling his eyes playfully. “Come on, you look like you’re smoking some stuff. I think we have plenty of clothes for Jungkook, and I’m starting to get hungry.” He grabbed the handle of the cart and started pushing it forward, leaving Namjoon to run after him.

    Jin remained silent, not invading his privacy or his thoughts. He wouldn’t want someone to do it to him, so he didn’t do it to others, but the way Namjoon was staring at him left a weird feeling in his gut.

    “What were you thinking about?” He finally asks as they arrive back at Namjoon’s home. It seemed like a mansion compared to the small house Jin shared with his friend.

    “Oh, just nothing, it’s nothing,” Namjoon blushed, fumbling around with the bags as he put the items away. Jin just nodded and left it at that.

    “I’m going to start dinner, go ahead and make yourself at home, you can watch some TV? Put a movie on?” Namjoon grabbed the remote and turned the television on, but Jin reached over and turned it off.

    “Let me help, it’ll be fun,” Jin smiled, gently taking Namjoon’s hand and tugging him to the kitchen. Jin’s eyes lit up at how much space there was, different kitchen items sitting on the counters and hung on the walls. More were concealed in the cupboards and Jin knew this must have been what his heaven felt like.

    “Okay, I was thinking about Italian tonight? I’m not the best cook, I’ll tell you that right now,” Namjoon chuckles, pulling out a box of spaghetti from the cupboard above the stove. “In the bottom cupboard are some pots and pans, do you mind?”

    Jin hummed and bent down, shuffling around until he found the right size pot. He could feel eyes on his , drinking in the way his jeans hugged his perky bottom and thick thighs perfectly. He stood up quickly and whirled around, catching Namjoon with his eyes still lingering down south.

    “Here you go.” He placed the pot on the counter with a soft thud, snapping Namjoon out of his trance. The younger flushed and took the pot, filling it up with water before placing it on the stove.

    “Um, you know how to make meatballs?” He placed a packet of beef on the counter, pulling out different ingredients and two cutting boards.

    “My grandmother actually spent a few years in Italy, so she taught me how to make the best Italian meatballs,” Jin laughed as he rolled his sleeves up, washing his hands in the sink before he started dicing up a pepper.

    “We had plans to go to Rome for our honeymoon.” Namjoon let out a huff of breath as he peeled the onions, hesitating on which knife to use before he grabbed one and got to work.

    “We?”

    Namjoon nodded, keeping his back turned to Jin as he slowly cut the onions. “Jungkook’s mother and I. She got pregnant with Jungkook before our wedding, but she didn’t make it.”

    A tear rolled down the tip of his nose and landed on the handle of the knife, darkening the wood.

    “Damn, who’s cutting onions in here?” Namjoon chuckled, using his sleeve to dry his tears. He picked up the knife again and continued chopping the onion when Jin quickly appeared by his side.

    “You’re using the wrong side of the knife!” Jin exclaimed. He repositioned the knife in Namjoon’s hand correctly and ignored the fluttering in his belly as he gently showed Namjoon how to properly hold the sharp object. Their hands moved together as Jin guided him through chopping the rest of the onion.

    Namjoon sheepishly blushed and added the onions to the bowl of ingredients sitting next to him on the counter. The two ended up working in near silence, save for the radio playing quietly in the background. An awkward feeling settled in Namjoon’s stomach, but he pushed it off. Jin’s humming distracts Namjoon as he puts the meatballs in the pan to start cooking, eyeing the elder as he puts a pot of water on for some pasta.

    “So, the class is going to be learning about space next month, and we’re planning a trip to the planetarium. We still need a couple of parent chaperones, if you’d be interested? Hoseok said Yoongi might not go, just because Jimin and Taehyung would be too distracted having both parents there, and I’m sure Jungkook would love to have you come along,” Jin spoke up after the radio had cut to commercial.

    Namjoon leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, lip pulled between his teeth as he rolled the question around in his mind.

    “Well, if Yoongi isn’t going to go, he’ll be at the office. And space is one of my favorite topics to learn about.” He let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll have to check my calendar with my secretary, but I’ll let you know. I would really love to, though.”

    Jin smiled up at the younger, brushing a stray lock of hair off Namjoon’s forehead from where it fell. “That’s great, I’ll let Hoseok and the committee know at our meeting on Tuesday night.”

    The younger was about to retaliate when he caught sight of the meatballs burning in the pan, the pasta nearly a lump in the boiling water. He cursed and rushed to open all the windows and turn the fans on, letting Jin turn off the stove and not burn the house down.

    He was flipping through movies on Netflix when Jin came into the living room, joining him on the couch. He tried to focus on the titles, but he could feel the stare burning into the side of his head.

    “I told you, I’m really not a good cook,” he chuckled, turning to face Jin. The elder burst into laughter, hand covering his mouth to try and contain it.

    “You’re really, really not,” Jin laughed, wiping at his eyes. “God, I really hope Jungkook gets actual food to eat.”

    Namjoon frowned at that. He knew he was a bad cook, but he always made sure his boy was well-fed and was getting the right amount of nutrients and foods he needed, even if it meant that they were from the frozen section of the store sometimes. He knew Jungkook was a little small, but the doctor had said it was normal.

    Jin cleared his throat after a moment of silence, distracting Namjoon from his criticizing thoughts. “Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way, you do such a great job raising Jungkook and teaching him right and wrong. You’re an amazing parent.”

    “No, it’s okay. I really do need to learn how to cook better for Kook, and for myself… Um, since I ruined dinner, how do pizza and a movie sound?”

    Jin grinned and happily rattled off what he wanted on his pizza before settling into one side of the couch with a blanket covering his legs, Namjoon settling on the other side after grabbing some cold beer from the fridge.

    The younger had turned a movie on while they ate, but neither of them paid it much attention, choosing to focus on the pizza and continue a lighthearted conversation about work, the children, and themselves until the ending credits began to roll.

    Namjoon let Jin pick out a movie and quickly dismissed himself to relieve his bladder before returning back to the couch, tucking his legs underneath him. He had already seen The Matrix a thousand times, so he let his eyes wander around his living room. Jungkook’s toy bin was overflowing in the corner of the room, some pictures and drawings he made taped up to the wall. Namjoon’s large bookshelf - that took up nearly three-fourths of one wall - was filled with mostly his own chaptered and philosophical readings, but Jungkook had taken up the bottom two rows with children’s books and some art supplies.

    His eyes continued roaming around until they settled on the elder, wrapped up with more of the blanket than he had started with, eyes fixated on the screen. His heart lurched at the sight; Jin’s knees were drawn up to his chin, one hand under his chin while the other was clutching a fist full of the blanket. His eyes flickered around the screen as he watched Keanu Reeves meet with The Oracle, or something, Namjoon really didn’t care for the movie, but he did care deeply for the person sitting on his couch.

    He knew he should stop staring at Jin, but the eldest was too gorgeous in the light of the television for him to even want to focus elsewhere. His parents had impatiently, but quietly, hoped Namjoon would stop working himself to death and be able to settle down again with someone, and he knew Jungkook loved his teacher.

    “Hey, Joon, did you know that-” Jin froze, eyes quickly locking with the chocolate brown that had been aweing over him for the past 20 minutes. Blood rushed to Jin’s cheeks as he ducked his head and turned to grab a small couch pillow, chucking it at the younger. The pillow colliding with his face seemed to snap Namjoon out of the trance he was in, and he cried out as he threw the pillow back.

    Jin tried batting the pillow out of the air but screamed as he missed and bounced off his face instead. “That’s so not cool!”

    Namjoon just laughed and grabbed another pillow, using that one to smack Jin with. The older gasped and lunged for Namjoon, pillow in clutch, as Namjoon jumped off the couch and ran like his life depended on it.

    “That’s not fair! Get back here!” Jin screamed, chasing the younger, who just laughed and threw his pillow behind him, hoping to slow the elder down. It worked, but only for a second, because Jin then had two pillows and was getting closer as they ran through the halls, something Namjoon would surely never let his own child do.

    He spotted another pillow as he jumped over the lounge chair, quickly snatching it and ducking as Jin chucked a pillow at him.

    “You missed!” He teased, letting out a playful growl, that may or may not have stirred something in Jin’s belly, before grabbing the pillow and chasing the other instead.

    Jin screamed and took off towards the stairs, feet pounding the hardwood floors as he scrambled to get away. Namjoon was definitely taller and had longer legs, but he was extremely clumsy, which gave Jin a slight advantage as he stumbled over his awkward limbs.

    It happened almost in slow motion. Namjoon comically slipped on his socks and latched onto Jin, falling not so gracefully into a heap on the floor, the elder let out a groan as Namjoon’s body landed on top of his. Namjoon’s hands caged Jin’s head, keeping most of the body weight off of him.

    The two made eye contact, breaths of warm air that tasted like pizza and beer pooled in the few inches there were separating their faces. Jin’s cheeks tinged pink as Namjoon’s eyes flitted down to his lips. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, which seemed drier than the Sahara.

    Namjoon’s eyes followed the movement as his body worked against his mind and moved closer to Jin’s, closing the distance between their lips. He could feel the tingling and the pounding in his chest, knowing Jin could probably feel it too, where their chests were pressed against each other.

    He could feel Jin’s breath on his lips, taste him on his tongue as their lips brushed ever so slightly.

    His eyes flew open as his back collided with the floor, the air forced past his lips as he groaned in pain. Jin sat up with a panicked look in his eyes, sleeves of his shirt pulled down over his fingertips.

    Jin refused to meet his eyes, only standing up and brushing his clothes off before helping the younger off the floor. He stuttered out an apology and headed back to the couch, wrapping himself up in the blanket again.

    Namjoon just quietly groaned again to himself, rubbing his lower back as he joined Jin again in the living room, this time sitting on the smaller lover’s couch instead of the larger one. He let Jin pick out a movie, fiddling around as he texted Hoseok and Yoongi about Jungkook before plugging his phone into the charger.

    It was nearing 1:30 by the time they had finished Infinity War, and Jin was snoring away softly on the couch, blanket covering his legs and most of the empty space on the floor. Namjoon knew how uncomfortable his couch could be, so he carefully picked Jin up and carried him to his bedroom, letting the elder curl up in his sheets. He whispered an apology and pressed the softest of kisses to Jin’s hair before laying down on the couch, trying to relax his tired muscles to sleep.

    Jin found himself blinking awake slowly, the clock on the nightstand glowing 5:47 AM. He pushed the covers off, rubbing his eyes in confusion as to where he was. He gasped softly as he remembered falling asleep on Namjoon’s couch, and their near-kiss before he pushed him away. The bed was empty, so he quietly tiptoed downstairs where he found Namjoon sleeping on the couch.

    The younger’s face looked tense, and he didn’t look all that comfortable curled up like that, so Jin carefully guided Namjoon onto his back before grabbing a thicker blanket from the corner. He forced the voice in his head to shut up as he climbed on top of the younger, situating the blanket over their bodies as he rested his head on Namjoon’s chest, letting his eyes shut again to try and get a little more sleep as Namjoon’s arm wrapped around Jin’s frame.

a/n

guess who's back to writing? lmao, it's me, maybe. color guard is finally over for the season :( which means my weekends are free, and I can actually get back to writing now. 

sorry, it's such a crappy chapter, I had most of this written months ago and I just wanted to get this chapter done and over with, so I kinda ed it a little.