JIMIN’S POV

A couple of weeks later, we found ourselves in Seoul in our little two-bedroom apartment that had been our home for four years. We were packing up for our big move in two days, and things had become a little emotional.

My wife was crying over a baby shoe of Haru’s while Bigbang’s Haru Haru played in the background. Haru pranced happily around her room in a pink tulle skirt, haphazardly singing along to the song. She knew two, maybe three, lyrics?

“Jimin.” My wife turned her tear-stained face towards me, the very picture of pathetic. “Do you re-remember when Haru fi-fit into these shoes?”

“I do, indeed.” I shifted the heavy cardboard box in my arms and stole a glance at Haru. She definitely couldn’t fit into those shoes now.

Haru turned her attention to us, paying no mind to her mother’s tears. My wife had been crying on and off the whole day. Packing was an emotional experience for her when she wasn’t pregnant, even without the pregnancy hormones. Still, I’d never seen her this bad. I’d had to stifle many laughs and eye-rolls. The drama.

“Mama, I don’t even like those shoes.” Haru said heartlessly. “They’re baby shoes, and I’m not a baby.”

“Yes, you are.” My wife moaned, stretching her arms out towards Haru. “You’re my baby.”

“No!” Haru shouted, sassily stomping a foot. “I’m not a baby!” She turned her indignant face to me, looking for justice.

“Please be nice to Mama.” I said gently. “She’s having a tough time right now, and you’re not making it any better.”

Haru pouted at me. My wife had been reduced to a sobbing mess on the floor. Yukon barked spastically from our bedroom, where he’d probably trapped himself in a cardboard box for the millionth time this morning.

“I need a drink.” I mumbled to myself, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

I added my cardboard box to the stack in the living room and placed a quick, desperate group text to Namjoon and Ji Eun.

“Packing. Please help. Will pay you and will also provide alcohol.”

“Pizza, too.” Namjoon texted back in a separate chat. Ji Eun never responded and I wondered if something had gone down between the two of them.

“Baby!” I called. “Are Namjoonie and Ji Eun still dating?”

“Oh my god, do you remember when they started dating?” She asked dramatically, practically sobbing. “It was when we moved into our first Seoul apartment, me and Ji Eun. Oh my god, Jimin. I’m so old. I’m married and I have kids and I’m going to be twenty-nine.”

I rolled my eyes and marched into Haru’s bedroom. My wife blinked up at me as I stood sternly over her, my arms crossed and a frown on my face.

“Go take a ing nap before I rip out all of my goddamn hair.” I hissed, too low for Haru’s hearing.

My wife’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “Are you…are you mad at me?”

“Oh, my god.” I sighed. “Babe, you’re a mess. You need like, a bath and a nap, or maybe less hormones, but you’re driving me up the ing wall and I can’t deal with it right now. Please. If you love me, please, stop crying.”

“I’m pregnant!” She cried, curls falling indignantly into her face. “I can’t help how many hormones I have, Jimin.”

“Jimin!” Haru echoed sassily, hands on her hips.

“That’s Daddy to you.” I pointed warningly at her. “And you can take a nap, too.”

“Nooooo.” She whined, arms falling dramatically to her sides. “No, Daddy, nooo. I don’t wanna take a nap. I already taked a nap today!”

I scoffed. “No, you didn’t. Don’t try those fake tears with me, drama queen. Get your little booty in bed.”

“No, no! No!” She threw herself onto the floor and cried into her pink Hello Kitty carpet.

I rolled my eyes and huffily made my dramatic exit from the room.

I started to pack up the living room while my wife and Haru got themselves together. My wife’s soothing voice drifted in while she coaxed Haru to sleep. I felt myself getting tired as I stacked our DVDs into a box. My Sassy Girl and The Godfather stared up at me from the thin brown confines of their new cardboard home. Despite my best efforts, sentimental memories crept in and I found myself remembering our early dating days.

By the time my wife came out of Haru’s bedroom, I’d taken a seat on the couch and started sifting through our collection of movies.

“Oh my god, do you remember when Haru was obsessed with this movie?” I handed her Cars.

“How could I forget? Every red car we ever saw was Lightning McQueen for, like, two years.”

“I love her so much.” I leaned back against the cushions, a sad little smile on my face. “God, I miss when she was little. It’s so nice that she’s growing up well, but I miss little Haru.”

“She was far less sassy.” My wife commented. She took a seat next to me and I took her hand, intertwining our fingers.

“Girl, don’t even play. That child has been sassy since she came out of your womb.” I pointed to her pregnant belly. “And that one probably will be, too. I’m ing cursed.”

She shrugged, then leaned her head on my shoulder. “That’s what you get for procreating with me.”

I turned my face and kissed her unruly curls. “I wouldn’t want to procreate with anyone else.”

The doorbell rang, ruining our cozy little family moment. I kissed my wife once before lazily going to answer it.

A disheveled looking Namjoon stood in front of me, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot on our welcome mat.

“Hey.” He waved nonchalantly.

“Hey.” I greeted him, eyes still taking in his appearance. His hair stood up in seven different directions and his socks didn’t match. Not to mention he hadn’t tucked his shirt in all the way and one of his suspenders dangled off of his shoulder. “Why do you look like this?”

“Like what?” He asked, looking down at himself. A light pink flush spread across his cheeks as he realized his state of dress. He hastened to tuck his shirt in and fix his suspender, but there wasn’t much he could do about his socks. His fault for wearing highwaters, to be honest.

“Where’s Ji Eun?” I looked behind him to the hallway, wondering if she would suddenly appear.

Namjoon’s face darkened. “With Taehyung.” He said shortly. “They’re sorting out their stuff today.”

“Oh.” I stepped back to let him inside, and he slammed the door shut behind himself.

Great. Now I had a moody Namjoon on top of an emotionally unstable wife and an anxious dog. At least Haru was asleep.

Yukon ran to greet Namjoon, then hopped up onto my wife’s lap, where he whined and rubbed his face against her hand. Moving made him nervous, he had been like this with every move my wife had ever made except for his first one.

“Oh, it’s okay, baby.” My wife cooed as she scratched behind his ears. “We won’t leave you, no. You’re ours forever.”

I wondered what Namjoon meant by “sorting out their stuff.” Was it like they were sorting out their personal belongings that the other one had, or was it that they were sorting out their relationship issues? I wanted to know, but I didn’t want to ask.

“Namjoonie.” My wife patted the seat next to her. “What are you doing here?”

“Jimin asked me to come help you guys pack.” He plopped down next to her and patted Yukon’s head.

“You look cute today.” She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair. “Did Ji Eun like your outfit?”

“I wasn’t wearing it when I saw her this morning.” He sighed and leaned his head back against the couch. “Sunshine, don’t ever be in love.”

“Excuse you.” I tossed a throw pillow at him. My wife giggled.

“It’s ty.” He continued, undeterred. “Being in love is ty.”

“The melodrama begins again.” I took a seat next to my wife and pulled her into my embrace. She let out a gentle sigh and curled herself against me. Namjoon glanced at us before sighing again and checking his phone.

“I love you.” I murmured in my wife’s ear. She hummed in assent, fingers curling around my collar as she gently tugged me down for a kiss.

“Does Ji Eun talk about me?” Namjoon anxiously interrupted. I glared at him from over my wife’s head, but he took no notice. “Do you think she loves me? You think she wants to get back together with Taehyung?”

I ignored him in favor of kissing my wife again. She smelled really good. Was she wearing that new perfume I brought back for her from the States?

“I’m not gonna help you s pack.” Namjoon grumbled. “Bunch of jerks.”

She giggled and broke away from me. “Namjoon, would you relax? She’s just going to get her stuff, it’s not a big deal.”

“Mmm, I don’t know.” I disagreed. “When we broke up the first time, I just used getting my stuff back as an excuse to see you. And it brought up all the memories we had together and I just honestly wanted to kiss you, like, the entire time I was there.”

My wife kissed me once more, lingering a little.

Namjoon slumped morosely down into his seat, looking like a depressed praying mantis. The boy was so lanky.

“Do you guys want this?”

An hour later, we had started to pack. I wanted to get as much done as possible before Haru woke up and made a mess of things.

I glanced up at the sound of Namjoon’s voice. He held a large punch bowl in his hands.

“What even is that?” My wife asked, mystified.

“A punch bowl. Someone gave it to us as a wedding present.” I my lips and squinted at the immense thing.

“We don’t even drink punch.” She shook her head slowly. “What a strange gift.”

“Probably from one of your strange relatives.”

“So…keeping it or no?” Namjoon asked again.

“Nah.” She waved it away. “We’ve never used it in the four years we’ve been married.”

“Hey, isn’t your wedding anniversary coming up?” Namjoon tossed the bowl into a garbage bag, where a tinkling sound was heard.

“Uhh, yeah, sometime.” My wife replied vaguely. She sat cross-legged on the floor with yet another photo album in her lap. The woman was obsessed.

“I think it’s in like, two days?” I scratched my head. “What’s today?”

Namjoon told me the date and I stared at him in surprise. My wife had no reaction. I doubted she even heard what he had said, judging from the dreamy look on her face as she the corner of a picture of the two of us. I peered closer to see the picture; it was taken by Jungkook when we’d moved into our first apartment together. I’m pretty sure both of us were drunk; I looked like I was trying to eat her ear off. She’d always found ear nibbling y, but I looked so far from y in that picture.

“Baby!” I clapped my hands to get her attention. She looked up with a start.

“Yeah?” She rubbed her eyes in an effort to bring herself back from her daydream.

“We missed our wedding anniversary.”

“Whaaaaat?” She looked at me in disbelief.

“Yeah, we did.” I laughed and plopped down next to her. “Happy belated four years of being officially married to me.”

“Officially?” Namjoon asked quizzically. I flushed under his enquiring gaze. Keeping our elopement a secret from all our friends and family had turned out to be such a hassle sometimes. “What do you mean, officially?”

“Like the day we officially got married, duh.” My wife rolled her eyes at him. “Did you get us a present?”

Namjoon muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “, please.”

“What should we do to celebrate?” I leaned my head on her shoulder, blowing my bangs out of my face.

“I wanna eat sushi.” She whined. “And drink wine. I wanna get drunk, baby, I wanna get so drunk.”

“You’re pregnant.” I laughed and dipped down to kiss her collarbone. “You can’t have any of those things.”

“Can I have pizza?”

“Lactose intolerant.”

“Can I have…” She threw me a sly glance, “you?”

Namjoon gagged in the background as I a hickey next to her earlobe.

“Oh, my little devil,” I curved a hand around the back of her neck as I continued a line of hickeys across her skin. “My little demon. My y little hellcat, you can have me all night long.”

She giggled delightedly as Namjoon covered his ears and groaned.

“Let’s have everyone over to celebrate.”

“Everyone?” I murmured against her neck. “Are you sure you want everyone?”

“Yeah, everyone.”

Jungkook arrived first, his arms laden down with chocolate covered strawberries and a bouquet of roses. He handed these to my enchanted wife.

“Happy anniversary to the best couple I know. Love you guys.” He kissed my wife on the cheek and then gave me a huge hug. “Feel like you’re my parents sometimes.”

“I am not that much older than you.” My wife tsked. Jungkook laughed and offered her a chocolate covered strawberry, which she happily accepted.

Yoongi and Hoseok couldn’t come at the last minute; apparently they were going on a group date with some friends. Jin had made previous plans with Anjali, but he said maybe he’d stop by later.

“Do you think they’re getting serious?” Namjoon asked as he took a seat on the couch. He reached over and plucked a strawberry from the box in my wife’s lap. She hissed at him, but he laughed and took another.

“Yeah, Seokjin’s finally found his equal.” Jungkook nodded sagely. “She’s gorgeous, she’s rich, and she’s well-educated. And stylish as hell. They’re perfect for each other.”

“Can she cook?” My wife asked through a mouthful of fruit.

“That, I don’t know.” Jungkook tapped his chin. “I would assume so. He’s all about girls who can cook.”

“He told me his first love couldn’t cook at all.” She replied thoughtfully. “You guys know who she is?”

Jungkook and Namjoon exchanged glances, while I leaned against the couch. I’d heard a few stories about Jin’s first love, but he never said much about her.

“He’s kind of secretive about it.” Namjoon said finally. “Isn’t he?”

“Yeah, definitely.” I agreed. “But does it matter? If he likes this new girl, why dwell on the past?”

“True.” My wife handed me a strawberry, the first she had deigned to share.

“Ji Eun’s bringing pizza.” Namjoon announced. “And a couple of burritos for the blushing bride.”

She laughed and popped another strawberry in . “Cute.”

Yukon barked excitedly, which probably meant that someone was at the door. I ran over to open it and surprised Taehyung and Ji Eun, both of whom were carrying pizza boxes. Ji Eun had a paper bag, presumably stuffed with burritos, on top of her pizza box.

“Hey…you guys came together?” I stepped aside to let them in.

“No, I met her on the way in and helped her carry in the food.” Taehyung met my eyes and raised his brows. I shrugged my shoulders in response.

“Cool. Thanks for bringing food.”

“Happy anniversary!” Ji Eun tilted forward and kissed my cheek. “So happy for you two to have made it this long.”

“, what’s that supposed to mean?!” My wife shouted from the living room.

“Well, you guys kind of have a track record for dramatic breakups. I’ve been biding my time and raising the stakes on my bet as the years pass.”

“Bet? What bet?” I demanded indignantly.

“To see if you guys get divorced.” Jungkook casually explained. I gaped at him.

“Are you ing kidding me?!” I snapped, very offended.

“I have no part in it!” He held up his hands. “You guys are like my parents.”

“Stop saying that.” My wife chided. She ran her fingers through Jungkook’s thick black hair and he looked up at her with a gaze full of adoration. “I can be like your slightly older sister.”

“I don’t want to be related to you.” He whispered, almost reverently. I scoffed as a smile graced my wife’s face and she dug her fingers deeper into his hair.

“Babe, stop.” I whined and plopped down at her feet. I looked up at her with a doleful expression and removed her hand from Jungkook’s hair and placed it in mine. “Only play with my hair.”

Jungkook snorted. “Four years of marriage and you’re still hella clingy, Jimin.”

“Right?” My wife laughed and the two shared a joke at my expense. I didn’t care, though, because she petted my hair, nice and soft, the way I liked.

She stopped suddenly as our attention was turned to the sound of Ji Eun and Taehyung arguing in the kitchen.

“Taehyung! I told you not to feed Yukon cheese! He throws up everywhere.”

“Ji Eun, I was not the one to feed Yukon cheese, but Yukon was the one to feed himself cheese from my hand. I merely held it in front of him. Is it my fault that he leapt up and snatched it from me? No. I’m innocent in this matter.” I could just imagine Tae holding his hands up in front of him, a teasing little smile on his face.

Ji Eun let out a slightly exasperated sigh. “There’s no arguing with you, is there?”

“As you well know.” Taehyung laughed. “That’s what makes me so loveable, right?”

“Something like that.” She grumbled good-naturedly.

They came out into the living room, both with smiles on their faces. Taehyung looked positively joyful, and his eyes were filled with a warmth I hadn’t seen in a while.

Ji Eun took the empty seat next to Namjoon and he immediately leaned into her, enveloping her body in his arms. Taehyung cleared his throat and looked away, while I’m sure the rest of us felt nothing but uncomfortable. It was like déjà vu, but this time Taehyung was on the outside watching enviously instead of Namjoon.

“Taehyung, Gemma was asking about you.” My wife said suddenly. I turned to stare at her in shock, but her eyes were trained carefully on his reaction. He barely gave her one, just a small, uninterested raise of his eyebrows.

Ji Eun, on the other hand, immediately snapped her gaze to my wife, eyes narrowing into a glare. Namjoon didn’t notice, too busy humming happily to himself while he played with her hair.

“Cool.” Taehyung said coldly.

“Did she ever call you again?” I asked as I leaned back against my wife’s calves. She had on these velvet leggings and they felt very soft against my cheek. I probably could have fallen asleep against her like that, with her hand in my hair.

“Yeah.” He shrugged and sat down at Ji Eun’s feet. Honestly, there was really no other place for him, but he probably could have squeezed himself into a seat next to my wife. He didn’t need to sit near Ji Eun.

“How’d it go?” Jungkook asked quietly. He’d been there for Taehyung during the worst parts of his breakup, had talked him out of booking several flights to France, and had comforted him after every random phone call from Gemma.

“She wanted to know how I was doing.” His reticence on the subject made me wonder if there was more to their conversation. Or maybe he really had gotten over her.

Ji Eun scoffed. “She cares now? After putting you through that horrendous breakup, now she acts like she cares about how you’re doing?”

I thought that was a bit rich coming from Ji Eun, Taehyung’s most recent heartbreak, and apparently he thought so, too.

“You’re one to talk.” He commented quietly, looking up at her with his deep brown eyes from his spot on the floor. She immediately flushed and Namjoon stopped his happy humming.

An uncomfortable silence settled on all of us.

“I just don’t think she cares about you, that’s all.” Ji Eun broke the stillness, her voice coming out small and chagrined. It was a tone I hadn’t heard from the bold, often brash, girl.

Namjoon smoothed her hair back from her forehead and whispered something in her ear. Taehyung turned away with a sad little face, so I reached out and ruffled his hair between my fingers. He smiled gratefully at me.

“Pizza?” I offered.

My wife put a movie on while Taehyung and I served the pizza (and burritos for my wife). I set out quite a few bottles of beer and we all helped ourselves, except my wife, who pouted and stared longingly at my bottle.

“I thought we were supposed to be packing.” I complained after my second slice and third beer. I was starting to feel a little buzzed. “We’re all gonna fall asleep in front of the tv at this rate.”

“Shh, this is a good part.” Ji Eun shushed me. I continued to grumble under my breath, but my wife smacked the back of my head.

“Jimin, shut the up.” She hissed, eyes still riveted to the screen. We were watching some weird French film about seventeen girls who made a pregnancy pact. I was half-heartedly paying attention, distracted by the way Jungkook had his arm around my wife’s waist.

I knew I could be stupidly jealous at times. I understood that about myself, really, but Jungkook ing liked to get on my nerves with that . It didn’t help that my wife encouraged it and continually goaded me on by glancing at me with a wicked glint in her deep, dark eyes. Little s. They were both little s.

Why had I become such a jealous person after meeting my wife? I wasn’t sure, but a part of it was because she seemed so spectacular to me, so bright and shining and beautiful like a ing jewel, and I was so sure that everyone else could see it. Which was good, I wanted everyone else to see it, but I also wanted her to keep loving me. And I wasn’t a spectacular, jewel-like guy.

“Jimin…” She drawled, lazily extending a hand to card it through my hair. “Would you be a doll and get me a slice of pizza?”

“You’re not eating any pizza. You’re gassy enough from being pregnant without adding cheese into the mix. Farts aren’t y at all.” I rubbed my cheek into the curve of her palm. I looked up at her with wide eyes, appearing to be the very picture of innocence.

Jungkook snickered under his breath while Ji Eun full-out cackled.

“Sunshine! Your husband just put you on blast while we’re celebrating your wedding anniversary!” She taunted in between laughs. “God, Jimin, you’ve gotten so damn sassy after being married to this prickly little ray of sunshine, huh?”

“Jimin’s always been sassy.” Jungkook corrected with an amused smile. “He’s a firecracker, you know? A tough little shortie.”

“You can mock my height all you want, but even with your towering body, I can still get more girls than you.” I gestured towards my wife, who had the decency to look offended at the suggestion of me picking up other girls. “Case in point.”

“One girl, Jimin. You’ve managed to get one girl. Congrats.” He clapped sarcastically, but I could see the flush start to rise on his cheeks.

“More than you.” I pushed my hair back from my forehead. “When’s the last time you kissed a girl?”

“Yesterday.” Jungkook spat.

Namjoon and Taehyung laughed in the background, clearly amused by the lie.

“Have you ever kissed a girl, Jungkookie?” I teased. I reached out to fluff his hair, but he dodged me with an angry expression. Ah, I loved winding Jungkook up. He got pissed off so easily, unlike Yoongi. I had to really work to piss off Yoongi, but the payoff was better with him.

“Jungkook’s really hot, Jimin. I’m sure he’s kissed a girl.” My wife spoke suddenly. I glanced over at her and noticed the way she thoughtfully studied his profile. “Yeah, I’ve never really looked before, but he’s got really nice eyebrows.” She slowly leaned in and traced one of his brows with her thumb.

“My fans tell me I’ve got really nice thighs.” He caught her hand and placed it on his leg. She giggled and glanced at me.

“Eh, they’re alright. Not as good as Jimin’s.” She winked at me.

“Nice save, babe. I know you’re enjoying feeling up Kookie’s thighs right now.” I leaned back against her calves, enveloping myself in her warmth. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed drinking.

“Sunshine, if you had to be with somebody from Bangtan who wasn’t Jimin, who would it be?” Taehyung asked from his spot at Ji Eun’s feet.

“I’m only allowing her to be with Seokjin.” I took a sip of my beer, glowering over the bottle rim at Namjoon.

“I don’t want to be with your wife, so stop glaring at me.” Namjoon stated plainly. “.”

“You guys have talked about this before?” Ji Eun asked. “That’s a little weird.”

“It’s a little weird that you’ve dated half of Bangtan.” Jungkook snickered. Taehyung and Namjoon turned to glare at him. But it was weird.

“Well, my options are limited.” My wife began thoughtfully. “Jungkook is too much of a baby himself to be able to take care of my babies.”

“Hey!” He interjected. “That’s not true! Haru loves me.”

“You’re a good uncle, but I feel like you’d be lacking as a father. No offense. Sorry, I’m so rude.” She patted his knee before continuing. “Namjoon and Tae have both dated my best friend, so that’s weird. I’m not even sure if Yoongi likes me and Hoseok and I don’t really hit it off. So, who else is left but Jin?”

The company hummed in agreement.

“Besides,” she continued, “he’s got basically everything I require in a husband. Good looks, money, excellent cooking skills, shoulders you could land a plane on, and he’s great with Haru. All good things.”

“Let me hurry up and die so you can marry him.” I turned my head and kissed her velvet-covered calf.

“Seriously.” Namjoon agreed. “Sounds like you’ve got your future life planned out. Jimin, I would check her cooking for poison before I eat it.”

“I don’t eat her cooking. She .” I cuddled up to her as she tried to pinch me with her toes.

“Jimin’s perfect. I don’t want to be with anyone else but him.” She reached down and ran her fingers through my hair.

“Who does Jimin get to marry if you die?” Ji Eun shifted her position on the couch so that her legs dangled over Namjoon’s, effectively cutting off all physical contact with Taehyung.

My wife and I exchanged glances.

“We haven’t talked about it.” I said quietly. “Somehow, it’s not funny to think about who I’ll marry next in the same way. You know what I mean?”

“Oh, because you love her more than she loves you?” Jungkook blurted out, then covered his mouth with his hand in shock. “, I didn’t mean that.”

“It’s fine, I know that’s the impression I give off.” She waved away his callous comment.

“Yeah, but that’s only because you guys don’t hear the things she whispers to me at night.” I giggled and dodged the smack that came my way. I mimicked her late night affectionate voice. “’Jimin, you’re so y. I just wanna kiss your thighs forever. Jimin, you’re such a good dad, I wanna have all your babies.’”

“Jimin! Shut the up! That’s private , you douche.” She pulled my hair as her face lit up like a red neon sign. I dissolved into laughter as she smacked at me, using violence to cover up her embarrassment.

“You can see why you give off that impression, though.” Jungkook laughed.

“Mama, I’m awake! I’m awake! Can I come out?” Haru called plaintively from her room. My wife slipped away from me and across the room in a heartbeat.

“I’m coming, baby.” She called back.

She opened Haru’s bedroom door and I could hear her sleepy little exclamations of delight upon seeing her mother’s face.

“Mama, you’re just perfect.” She said softly.

“Oh, thank you, Haru. I didn’t feel very perfect today.”

The two of them stepped out into the hallway. Haru cupped her mother’s face in her hands.

“Why did you not feel perfect, Mama? You’re perfect.”

“You’re perfect.” My wife whispered, kissing Haru’s nose. “I love you so much.”

“I love you so much.” Haru threw her arms around her mother’s neck and kissed her.

“We have some company.” She informed Haru.

Haru immediately perked up. “Uncle Jin?”

“Nope. Guess again.”

“Suga Suga?”

“Not quite.”

“Uncle Seokie!” Haru cried.

“No. You’re not very good at this game, are you?” My wife teasingly tweaked Haru’s nose.

Haru pouted. “Who’s here, Mama?”

“Uncle TaeTae, Uncle Joonie, and Aunt Ji Eun.”

“Hey!” Jungkook exclaimed indignantly. “Don’t forget about me!”

“Uncle Kookie!” Haru shrieked. She wriggled to get out of her mom’s arms, then shot across the room and into Jungkook’s embrace.

“Oh my goodness! What a greeting!” Jungkook wrapped his arms around Haru and she peppered his face in kisses.

“Hey, what about your poor old Dad?” I leaned my head against the couch, pouting a little bit.

“I don’t wanna.” She stuck her tongue out at me.

“Haru, that’s not nice.” My wife chided. “Go give your father a hug.”

“Nooo.” She whined, hurting my feelings a little bit. “I wanna hug Uncle Kookie.”

Jungkook laughed and set his beer down on the table. “Haru, you’re so precious. I love you.”

“I love you, too.” Haru kissed Jungkook’s cheek. “Is Uncle Jin coming?”

“No, not today. He’s got a date.” I told her. She pouted down at me.

HER POV

I heard a key in the front door and then Jin came in with a plate of sandwiches.

“Baby, come in.” He said with a smile to someone out in the hallway. Anjali followed in shyly, jumping back slightly when Yukon barked at her.

“Ah, sorry…I don’t like dogs.” Anjali said quietly. “Sorry.”

Jimin whistled. “Yukon!”

The fluffy white dog bounded over and nuzzled his nose against Jimin’s palm. Jimin looked at me with a grin. “Babe, I’m gonna shut him in the bedroom, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” I smiled back as Jin came up and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Happy anniversary, sunshine. I made your favorite.” Jin gestured to the platter.

“Chicken salad? With red peppers?” I beamed at him.

“And pickles on the side.” Jin patted my hair and went into the kitchen.

“Coleslaw, too.” Anjali added. I smiled at her as she flicked her gaze over my body. Was it me or did I sense some hostility?

“I thought you two were on a date.” I dropped casually, wondering if mine and Jimin’s anniversary celebration was the cause of this hostility.

“We were.” She gave me a tight-lipped smile. “Yeah, but Seokjin said his closest friends were having an impromptu anniversary celebration and he couldn’t miss it.”

“Well…Jin is a very good friend of ours.” I said slowly. “But if you didn’t want to come here, you should have just told him. He’s pretty understanding about stuff like that.”

“Yeah.” Anjali flipped her hair. It fell back like a long, straight curtain against her back. “You’d think so, right?”

Damn, Jin’s girlfriend was giving me a lot of sass. “Uh, yeah. I do think so.”

Jimin jogged over and s an arm around my waist. “Hi, Anjali. Long time no see.” He flashed his signature winning smile at her. She smiled back nicely, of course. No thin-lipped smile for my charming, handsome husband.

“Uncle Jinnie!” Haru screeched from the couch. She pushed out of Jungkook’s grasp and ran across the room into Jin’s legs. He started to laugh and lifted her into his arms.

“How’s my favorite girl?” Jin kissed her cheek and Haru ducked her head down, hiding a shy smile.

“Good.” She mumbled, playing with his fingers.

“No kiss for your godfather?” Jin tilted her chin up so he could see her face. He had a light, teasing smile on his face. “Hmm? Or do I need to tickle you?”

“Don’t tickle me!” Haru giggled. “Don’t tickle meee.”

“I’m gonna tickle you.” He sang, fingers crooked and at the ready. “Unless you give me a kiss.”

“Extortion.” Jimin grumbled under his breath. I laughed and took his hand, our fingers loosely intertwined.

“You’re just jealous because Haru has somebody she loves more than you.” I whispered in his ear.

“Bite your tongue.” He snapped. “Little devil.”

Anjali gently brushed past us into the kitchen, where she set down the coleslaw and snagged a chicken salad sandwich.

“Anjali!” Jin turned to her with a bright smile. “Meet my goddaughter, Haru. She’s possibly my favorite person, after my mother.”

She rolled her eyes with a smile. “Such a mama’s boy.”

Haru stared at Anjali for a drawn-out, tense moment. Then, she turned and wrapped her arms possessively around Jin’s neck.

“Uncle Jin, who’s that lady?” She asked in her little three year old lisp. I smirked to myself. Baby girl had her father’s jealous streak, huh?

“That’s my girlfriend, Haru. Her name’s Anjali and she’s very nice. Can you say hi?” Jin sweetly kissed her hair. “She’s very special to me, so I’d like you to be nice to her.”

Haru jutted out her lower lip in a pout. “Don’t wanna.”

“Haru.” Jimin admonished. “Say hello to Anjali.”

“No!” She shrieked. “I won’t.”

“Haru.” I said sharply and she let out a squeak. “Say hello.”

She huffed and tossed her curls. “Hello.”

“Hi, Haru.” Anjali smiled warmly. “How are you?”

“Not good.” Haru sassed with a roll of her eyes. I wanted to laugh so badly. Jimin squeezed my hand, but I knew if I looked at him, we would both start giggling. God, we were terrible parents.

“Little love, be nice.” Jin scolded, albeit kindly. Haru’s lip trembled.

“Uncle Jin…you mad at me?” She whispered, on the verge of tears.

“No, I’m not mad.” He laughed. “I just want you to be polite. And apparently I’m the only one who’s concerned in the matter.” He shot Jimin and me a dirty look, and we both burst out laughing.

“Oh, , I’m so sorry.” Jimin giggled, wiping tears from his eyes. “My sincere apologies to you, Anjali, but God, she’s just like her mother.”

“I was thinking she was like you!” I cried. “All jealous of Anjali and possessive of Jin. Too hilarious.”

Haru started giggling, unaware of what we were saying. Little kids just liked to join in on the laughter sometimes.

“Come here, you’ve got boogies.” Jin grabbed a tissue and swiped at her nose. Haru sneezed onto his fingers, then laughed. “Ew, Haru, you got snot all over me.”

She threw her head back and let out an evil giggle. Anjali laughed along with her, passing tissues to Jin.

“Seokjin, are you sure you still want kids?” Jimin asked, taking Haru from his arms. She pouted, but leaned her head on Jimin’s shoulder.

“Yeah. I want a bunch of kids.”

“A bunch of kids?” Anjali asked, eyebrows raised.

Jin leaned over and kissed her, smiling into the kiss.

“Yeah, like four or five. What do you think?” He took her into his arms and leaned his forehead against hers.

“I think you’ll be having those kids with somebody else.” Anjali patted his broad shoulders, then kissed his cheek.

“You’d have really beautiful children.” I supplied helpfully. “Since you both are gorgeous.”

Jin laughed, then kissed Anjali once more. “We are gorgeous, aren’t we?” He murmured, staring into her eyes.

I let them have some privacy and went back into the living room.

“Jin’s in love.” I quietly announced to the rest of the company.

“Ah, knew it.” Jungkook clapped his hands together. “Haru, looks like it’s me and you now.”

“ off.” Jimin hissed, clutching Haru tightly to him. “She’s mine.”

I tousled his hair and sat next to Jungkook on the couch, who promptly slung his arm around my shoulders, a cocky smirk on his face.

“You’re being an .” Jimin snapped at him. “And stop touching my family.”

I shrugged. “I don’t mind if Kookie touches me.”

Jimin gave me a look that clearly said he was fed up with my . “I know you don’t.”

“What’s Jin look like in love?” Taehyung asked as he flung his arm around the back of the couch. His fingers dangled precariously close to the nape of Ji Eun’s neck. Namjoon shot him a look, but he just smiled back cheekily.

“Cute. He looks absolutely adorable.”

“Smitten.” Namjoon commented, pointing behind me. “Jin, you look absolutely smitten.”

“Do I?” Jin’s voice dipped low and smooth.

I turned to look at him. Jin had his arms around Anjali’s side as he slowly rocked her back and forth, a smile on his lips.

 When I glanced away, I noticed Jimin watching me. I grinned at him and he winked back.

“Aww.” I cooed, leaning against the couch. “Were Jimin and I ever that cute?”

“No.” Ji Eun told me bluntly. “You guys were nothing but drama.”

“They were cute sometimes.” Taehyung disagreed. “Jimin was cute, on our end. He was so far gone for her, oh my god. It was embarrassing for all of us.”

Jin laughed. “Yeah, he got all moody and brooding when they would fight. Super overdramatic, too.”

I cast a glance at Jimin, who ignored the talk and sat down on the floor with Haru. He picked up a comb and attempted to tie her unruly curls back into two pigtails.

“Sunshine was the same way!” Ji Eun exclaimed, sitting up in Namjoon’s lap to point excitedly at me. “Every time they fought, she would hole herself up in her room and cry. I rarely saw the girl cry before, but damn, she let out waterfalls over Jimin.” She paused, then continued thoughtfully, “But, you know, I never saw her happier than when she with Jimin. She would get this sweet little shy smile on her face whenever he came around and like, whispered in her ear while holding her waist. It was really cute.”

I folded my hands over my protruding stomach. “And now I’m pregnant with his second kid. Isn’t that weird?”

“Yeah, we were babies when we fell in love.” Jimin leaned back on his hands, palms splayed out flat against the carpet. “Just kids.”

“We were, weren’t we?” I smiled down at him. “Babies having babies.”

“Jimin’s still a ing baby.” Jin snorted, then looked scandalized at himself when he remembered Haru’s presence.

“So’s his wife.” Namjoon winked at me. I scowled back at him.

“I’m older than you, Namjoon. And Ji Eun’s older than me.”

“I don’t mind being called a baby.” Ji Eun poked one of Namjoon’s dimples. “Twenty-nine is not going to look good on me and I appreciate all the youthful compliments thrown my way.”

“Ugh, me neither.” I grumbled. “Twenty-nine and having my last baby. Didn’t think I would be having my first baby at twenty-nine. Life is weird.”

Jimin lifted his head to meet my gaze. “Last baby?” He asked quietly. “What do you mean, last baby?”

“Ooh.” Jungkook nudged Namjoon. “Better up the stakes, I see a fight brewing.”

Ji Eun shushed him, but I ignored them both in favor of Jimin. He looked pissed, and not like in a “Baby, can’t you take out the ing trash for once in your life?” kind of way, but in a “What the did you just say, ?” kind of way. Except Jimin would never call me a . Think it, maybe, but never say it out loud.

“Hmm?” I played dumb and blinked at him.

“What do you mean, you’re having your last baby?” He repeated in a measured tone. , he was incredibly angry. I’d only heard that voice a few times in my life and each time had ended in a huge fight and me crying in the bathtub while Jimin stormed off to the practice room. But each time we fought like that was before we had Haru.

“Let’s talk about this later.” I murmured, ducking my head down to stare at my rather large stomach.

Jimin coolly raised one eyebrow, then shook his head and continued styling Haru’s hair.

“We can go.” Taehyung said awkwardly. He ran a hand through his hair and shrugged at Ji Eun when she looked at him. “If…if you want.”

“No, it’s fine.” Jimin brushed him off. “I just need a drink, that’s all. TaeTae, can you make me one of your martinis?”

“Ooh, I want one of those.” Ji Eun raised her hand. “Taehyung’s martinis are excellent.”

“Can you help me, actually?” He asked her. She nodded and disentangled herself from Namjoon, who seemed reluctant to let her go.

Haru clambered after them, pigtails bouncing behind her. Jin and Anjali sat down in one armchair, her tall form squished on his lap. They looked really beautiful together.

Jin caught me staring and smiled at me, his face flushed. Anjali brushed her lips against his cheek and his smile widened as his arms curved around her, tightly latching her body to his.

I caught Jimin staring at me over the rim of his martini glass. His eyes narrowed as he threw back his drink, then wiped his lips with the back of his hand and slammed the glass down on the coffee table.

I crossed my eyes at Jimin and Haru giggled at me.

“Mama, do that thing wi’ your eyes again.” She widened her eyes in an attempt to cross them.

Jimin pinched her nose and she his fingers.

“Don’t me.” He reprimanded absentmindedly. She ignored him and turned to a stripe across his cheek.

“Haru, stop your father.”

“Daddy’s not my father. Daddy’s my daddy.” Haru corrected me, then Jimin’s ear.

“Stop me.” Jimin plucked her up out of his lap and placed her next to me. “It’s gross.”

“You’re gross.” Haru giggled.

“She’s your daughter.” Jimin said to me.

“And yet you want more with me.” I made a face at him.

He tugged on a lock of my curl, a little too fiercely to be playful.

“Love yoooou.” I crooned. He flipped his middle finger up at me, so I covered Haru’s eyes.

“What’s cooking, good-looking?” Jimin clapped his hands on Taehyung’s shoulders and started giving him a massage. “You’re so pretty when you’re making drinks for me, TaeTae.”

“Are you flirting with me, Park?” Taehyung turned his head and grinned at my husband. Ji Eun looked up from the drink she was mixing and smiled.

“You two make a lovely couple.” She sliced a strawberry and wedged it onto the edge of the glass.

“What are you making, babe?” Taehyung asked her, seemingly unaware of the pet name that dropped from his lips.

“Pimm’s cup.” Ji Eun replied. She didn’t even seem to notice, but Namjoon stiffened from his spot on the couch. Jungkook laughed and nudged Namjoon with his foot.

“Oh, are you following my Nana’s super-secret recipe?”

“Tae! You never told me any of your Nana’s super-secret recipes!” Jimin exclaimed indignantly. “What the hell? I begged you for her recipe for kimchi jjigae and you never, ever gave it to me. We’re best friends, TaeTae. Best friends.” Jimin repeated emphatically and gave Taehyung’s shoulders an extra tight squeeze.

“Ah, but we never slept together.” Taehyung affectionately tapped Jimin’s nose. “But here’s another martini for you.”

Jimin huffed and took a sip of his drink. “Unfair. I can’t offer you in exchange for recipes.”

“Oh, but you could, Jimin. You could.” Taehyung winked. Ji Eun laughed at the appalled expression on Jimin’s face.

“Just kidding.” Taehyung nuzzled his face against Jimin’s shoulder.

“Get out of here.” He laughed and pushed Taehyung away. “You’re all fine to snuggle with me when we’re on the road, but as soon as we’re home, you don’t care about me.”

“You guys snuggle together?” Ji Eun asked interestedly. “That’s cute.”

I scoffed. “Jimin would snuggle with anything that breathed. He and Yukon snuggle on the couch all the time, snuggle in our bed all the time, snuggle with Haru all the time. It’s a wonder he has any snuggles left in him to spare for Taehyung. Wonder he doesn’t die without Yukon attached to his lap.”

Jimin shrugged. “He’s cute. I love him.”

“You love Yukon more than you love me.” I accused.

“You love Yukon more than you love me.” Jimin grumbled back, then took another sip of his drink.

I flashed him a winning smile. “He’s adorable and he never gets mad at me.”

“Does, too. Growls at you when you scold him for drinking out of the toilet.”

“He does that?” Jin asked in disbelief. “Ew.”

“He’s a dog, what do you expect? That’s like the most stereotypical dog thing a dog could ever do.” Jimin traced his finger around the rim of his glass.

Namjoon changed the subject. “Jimin, have you thought about that tour idea? You and Jin and Taehyung? You only got a week more to think about it.”

Jimin glanced at me before throwing back the rest of his drink. I just looked away and snuggled up next to Haru. She crawled into my lap and rested her head against my chest.

I still thought about that day, sometimes. That day when I got into a car accident and our baby was potentially in danger. And Jimin left.

I still thought about it sometimes. Wondered if Jimin would do it again.

“Mama, when’s the baby coming?” Haru lifted up my shirt in front of all my friends and kissed my stomach. I let it go and pushed her bangs back from her face. She squinched her nose as I kissed her forehead.

“I don’t know, baby. When do you think your little brother’s coming?”

“On a Tuesday!” Haru’s favorite day of the week was Tuesday. She didn’t understand the days of the week or how a calendar worked, but her favorite day of the week was Tuesday.

“Jimin?” Namjoon prodded. “What are you thinking?”

I stifled a sigh. Another tour. Another ing tour, when I was near the end of my pregnancy.

“It sounds fun, but with the new album and a new baby, I’m going to have to say no.” Jimin sat down at my feet and rested his head against my knees. “I wanna spend time with my family.”

“Okay.” Namjoon easily let the subject drop.

Later, after everyone had gone home and Haru was safely tucked up in bed for the night, Jimin and I lay in our bed together, fingers intertwined. Yukon lay in between us, his fluffy little white tail wagging happily as Jimin laid a hand on his head.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” I whispered. Jimin let a gentle sigh escape as I stared up at the ceiling and willed myself not to cry.

“Do what?”

“Not go on tour.” I blinked and a tear trickled down onto my nose, where it pooled uncomfortably on top of my nose ring. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

Jimin turned his head so his chin rested on top of my curls. “I did it for us, babe. I did it so we can be happy.”

“I’m happy.” I curved my fingers around his shirt and kissed his collarbone. “I’m happy with you.”

He kissed my forehead, then reached past me to switch off the bedside lamp.

As we settled into sleep, Jimin’s grip on my fingers loosened. Gentle snores replaced the light breathing of wakefulness. I laid my head on his chest and listened contentedly to the steady sound of his heartbeat. Soon, I was lulled to sleep by the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and the comforting feeling of his warm body next to mine.

“I’m happiest like this.” I whispered to him. “Just being with you. I’ve always been happiest like this.”