Jung Hoseok is in paradise. He’s just managed to get Jimin, the guy he’s been crushing on for 2 months now, to agree to go out with him.

 

“You’re serious, right? You’re not just kidding me…”

 

“No,” Jimin laughs, “I’m not. I really like you, hyung. There’s just one thing…”

 

That’s when everything goes crashing down around Hoseok, because that’s when he finds out that Jimin has a kid.

 

“His name is Jungkook. He’s 2 years old. Isn’t he cute?” Jimin brings up a picture of him on his phone and Hoseok has to admit, the kid is damn cute.

 

So he nods his head in agreement and Jimin beams.

 

“He doesn’t take to strangers well, though. And if he doesn’t like you, well…”

 

Hoseok quickly understands what that means: if the kid doesn’t like him, he doesn’t stand a chance. It makes him nervous, but he can’t help admiring how the younger man seems to have his priorities in check. It’s not like he can fault Jimin in caring for his son more than some random guy who had an interest in him.

 

“When can I meet him?”

 

Jimin smiles brilliantly then, and Hoseok is sure he’s melting.

 

--

 

Meeting Jungkook had been better in theory. When Jimin had said Jungkook doesn’t take to strangers well, it almost seemed like something of an understatement now; not only is the kid shy beyond belief, he’s pretty rude when he does decide to talk. Hoseok can’t help but wonder how Jimin ended up having such a kid; sure Jimin is shy sometimes, but he’s a ball of sunshine when he does open up. Hoseok plays with the thought that maybe Jungkook is the same way, but he has no idea how to go about exposing it.

 

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, okay?” Jimin encourages in a hushed tone after nudging Hoseok in the arm. They’re sitting together on the couch, watching Jungkook color messily outside of the lines of his coloring book.  But despite the positivity of Jimin’s words, Hoseok can see the lack of confidence in his eyes that seems to say “I’m sorry, Hoseok, but we’re going to have to stay as just friends.” That’s the last thing Hoseok wants and only it strengthens his resolve to get Jungkook to like him.

 

“Hey, little buddy, would you like some help?” he asks in a friendly tone as he kneels beside the child; he’d decided to leave the couch to go join Jungkook at his table. The little boy peers up at him in fright, recoiling at the older man’s unexpected closeness and whimpering a bit while he clutching his coloring book and a few crayons to his chest. A few of them snap into pieces and fall to the ground, and Jungkook lets out a wail of sadness. Tears well up in his eyes and Hoseok can feel himself starting to panic because despite his famous charisma, he really hasn’t been around kids enough to know how to make them feel better like he can with adults.

 

“Never fear, Jungkook: J-Hope is here! I’m your hope!” he states proudly after a bit of thinking and reaches for the fallen crayon pieces, picking them up and staring at them intently. Jungkook’s wails have quieted into sniffles as he stares at the older man quizzically. He squints in confusion when Hoseok suddenly stands up and rushes over to his father, the two exchanging some quiet muttering before Jimin walks away and returns with some tape.

 

Soon Hoseok is back at Jungkook’s side, tape in hand, and he has a palm held out expectantly.

 

“I’m going to try to fix your crayons but I’ll need the other pieces,” he explains, and Jungkook nods as he hesitantly hands them over. He watches with piqued curiosity how Hoseok goes to work bounding the crayons with tape at every broken junction. When the work is done, the man hands the crayons over with a large grin and Jungkook takes them with an uncertain smile of his own, but he starts crying again when he uses one just to have it disassemble itself in his hand yet again.

 

“Thanks for trying,” Jimin whispers as he goes to comfort his son but Hoseok frowns, not liking the tears streaming down the kid’s face and his inability to prevent it.

 

--

 

“Jungkook, I have a gift for you!”

 

Hoseok’s smile is so bright that Jungkook is feeling wary even though he doesn’t even really know what feeling wary is. He walks up to Hoseok slowly and inwardly panics when the older male tells him to close his eyes.

 

“It’s okay, Kookie,” his father leans down to whisper comfortingly in his ear after noticing his son’s discomfort, and it’s only then that Jungkook gradually lets himself relax.

 

“Put your hands out like you’re about to hold something!” Hoseok orders excitedly, and Jungkook reluctantly does as he’s told. His face scrunches up with confusion when he feels what seems to be a box placed in his hands, and he’s too curious to keep his eyes closed for much longer. When he opens them he immediately squeals in delight when he sees a brand new box of unbroken crayons with even more colors than his last.

 

“I’m sorry I made you break your other ones when I scared you; please accept these as a token of my apology.”

 

When Jungkook nods his head happily and starts to color with a new sparkle in his eyes, Hoseok feels his heart warming up. He doesn’t notice how Jimin is gazing at him fondly, a rosy flush on his cheeks. All he can concentrate on is the way Jungkook’s face had lit up with joy instead of being covered in tears because of something he did.

 

--

 

“Why won’t he talk to me today?” Hoseok whines in distress after trying and failing to get Jungkook to talk to him for the past five minutes; he’d thought they’d been on pretty good terms since he’d given the boy the new box of crayons. Jimin sends a quick look of amusement down towards his son who’s pouting and sulking in his bean bag chair before turning his attention to Hoseok.

 

“There’s a little boy who keeps picking on Jungkook. His name is Taehyung.”

 

“What!?” Hoseok cries in outrage, not liking the thought of little Jungkook being picked on. “Have you talked to the kid’s parents?”

 

“Yes I have.” Hoseok really can’t understand why Jimin is smiling while talking about his son’s tormentor. “It turns out that Taehyung has a little crush on Kookie. I think it’s cute.”

 

Hoseok’s eyes light up with new understanding but he’s still not pleased; he doesn’t like seeing Jungkook upset. So he thinks hard and grins when he comes up with something, walking over to the little boy confidently.

 

“I hear you’re being picked on by a guy in your class.”

 

“Uh huh!” Jungkook insists quickly. “He’s always picking on me and only me and I don’t even do anything to him! He’s such a jerk!”

 

“Well luckily for you, J-Hope has a solution,” Hoseok continues with conviction as he once again kneels down beside him, “Like I said, Jungkookie, you don’t worry: I’m your hope.”

 

Jungkook is positively beaming at the declaration and Hoseok is all too happy to whisper his idea into Jungkook’s ear.

 

“…I dunno. Are you sure that’ll work?” Jungkook asks unsurely and Hoseok just nods. Jimin looks curious as to what Hoseok had just told his son but decides to just see how things will play out instead of asking any questions for now.

 

--

 

“J-Hobi, J-Hobi! You were right! It worked! Taehyung doesn’t bother me anymore! I still don’t get why but he doesn’t! You’re the best, J-Hobi!” Jungkook cheers when Hoseok comes with Jimin to pick him up from school. Jungkook’s tiny arms wrap around Hoseok’s legs and the older male feels a great sense of pride bubbling within him.

 

While Jungkook is marching proudly beside Hoseok, small fingers clasped firmly around Hoseok’s own, Jimin finally takes the opportunity to ask Hoseok what he’d told Jungkook to do.

 

“I told him to tell Taehyung that if he leaves him alone, he’ll color a picture from his coloring book and give it to him.”

 

“And that worked?” Jimin asks in surprise, sounding just as doubtful as his son had been when receiving the advice. Hoseok puffs out his cheeks, clearly offended by the lack of faith in his problem solving skills.

 

“You heard him say it worked! And I knew it would; if Taehyung likes him, he’ll be really happy to get something from him even if he doesn’t want to admit it,” he boasts, though Jimin still seems unconvinced.

 

“I say you just lucked out.”

 

“So what if I did?” Hoseok replies with an uncaring shrug, taking a moment to send a happy smile down at the merrily singing child still holding on to his hand. “It still worked out, didn’t it?”

 

“Yeah,” Jimin says with admiration is clear in his eyes, “I suppose so.”

 

--

 

“Where’s Jungkook?” Hoseok whips his head around, appearing genuinely upset that the kid is nowhere around. Jimin smiles softly and shakes his head.

 

“He’s going to be with his mother this week. So now it’ll be just the two of us. Alone.” Jimin’s tone is suggestive and his eyes seem to carry a special gleam, but he falters when he realizes that Hoseok isn’t even looking at him.

 

“You mean Jungkook’s going to be gone an entire week? I won’t get to see him?” He sounds so disappointed and Jimin blinks in surprise.

 

“Um, well, no…”

 

“Then can I call him?” Hoseok insists pleadingly and Jimin is completely tongue-tied because he really hadn’t been expecting for the older male to become so attached to his son. It’s never happened before so he’s really not used to it and he’s not even sure what to say.

 

“I don’t think his mother would appreciate it…” Seeing the crestfallen look on Hoseok’s face, Jimin pats his back comfortingly. “Don’t worry; he’ll be back before you know it! In the meantime, I think I can help you take your mind off of it.” His breath tickles Hoseok’s ear invitingly and his eye twitches when he notices that Hoseok still isn’t looking at him.

 

“Sorry, Jimin. I’m just…not in the mood,” Hoseok states somberly. He gets up and makes his way to the door, Jimin watching him go in absolute bewilderment.

 

--

 

“J-Hobi!”

 

“Kookie!”

 

The two run into each other’s arms and the scene is so sickeningly sweet that Jimin swears he can feel the cavities corroding his teeth. He’s happy that Hoseok gets along so well with his son and that they’re so happy to see each other now that he’s back, but now Jimin’s starting to feel like he’s being neglected.

 

He pouts when the rest of the day passes by and the two pay him almost no mind. He whines and complains to try and get their attention, but the two seem to be a lot more focused on having fun with each other. Eventually he gives up and decides to just entertain himself by just watching TV, trying not to think too much on how he’s being replaced in two of his most important people’s lives.

 

--

 

“Daddy’s seemed really sad lately,” Jungkook confesses in a worried tone and Hoseok sends a worried look over to the brooding Jimin sitting alone at the table and sipping on a beverage.

 

“You’re right! What should we do? Why do you think he’s sad?”

 

“Well, I’m not really sure,” Jungkook confesses with shame, “But I think he’d cheer up if you guys went out together. He used to be really happy when you guys would go out all the time.”

 

“He was?” Hoseok asks quietly, in awe when Jungkook nods exuberantly in response; he hadn’t known that Jimin had been so happy to spend time with him that even his son had noticed.

 

“I don’t remember the last time you two have gone out, so that’s probably why he’s sad. Don’t worry, Hobi hyung, I’ll be your hope this time!”

 

Hoseok doesn’t know how Jungkook did it, but he somehow managed to get himself a babysitter so Hoseok and Jimin could go out. And though he’s happy that the two of them are getting this chance to spend some precious alone time together, Jimin seems moody the entire time and Hoseok is adamant about fixing it.

 

“What’s wrong, Minie?” he coaxes sweetly but only receives an irritated huff in response. He wraps his arms around Jimin on the park bench they’re sitting on and pulls him in closer. Jimin doesn’t resist but he doesn’t try to snuggle in closer like he normally would either, and Hoseok frowns.

 

“Please tell me, Jimin. I really hate when you’re upset, especially when I don’t even know why!”

 

“You like spending time with Jungkookie more than me!” Jimin is quick to blab, an angry pout on his face as he finally snuggles deeper into Hoseok’s warm chest. The elder blinks and can’t help feeling confused even as he links their fingers together on his lap.

 

“But I thought you wanted me to bond with Jungkook?”

 

“I did! I do! I just…don’t want you to forget about me in the process,” Jimin remarks solemnly while staring down at their intertwined fingers and brushing over the backs of Hoseok’s with his thumb. “You know he even talks about you more than he talks about me? You’re all I hear about. He wants you to be his second daddy.”

 

Hoseok’s mouth drops in shock because he certainly hadn’t expected that.

 

“I never really thought I would hear him say that about anyone, but he’s always saying it about you. You’ve really managed to worm your way into his heart. You’ve got a high approval rating from him,” Jimin admits with a soft smile and Hoseok is feeling so many things that he can’t seem to pick just one to focus on. The only thing he can do is conjure up a question.

 

“So does that mean…does that mean I pass?”

 

“Wow, do I really need to spell it out for you?” Jimin pulls away from Hoseok’s chest and rolls his eyes at the elder’s slow processing. “Obviously you pass. You went above and beyond my hopes and expectations, to be honest.”

 

“I’m glad,” Hoseok says with a relieved smile before pecking Jimin on the cheek. “And I’m sorry for making you feel neglected. That was never my intention.”

 

“I know.” Jimin’s eyes form crescents as he laughs and squeezes Hoseok’s hand in reassurance. “I can’t really blame you; my Kookie is the best. You’re pretty great too, Jung Hoseok.”

 

Hoseok is beaming, his eyes overfilling with happiness and joy. He makes a mental note to make sure he spends more time with Jimin so he doesn’t feel neglected, and in the meantime he should think of something to do to make things up to him.

 

All the while, Jimin beams back because Hoseok is more than he ever could’ve hoped for and he really is something special.