Chapter Sixteen

Namjoon and Jin sat together on the sofa in Jin’s office. It was lunchtime, and as promised Jin had been able to make the two of them lunch with last night leftovers. It had taken Jin an extra fifteen minutes to get Seungjae to school that morning, but he had been able to get him to go. Jin had been a little scared that he would get a call before the day was over. Jin put down his chopsticks sighing, he didn’t have much of an appetite at that moment. Namjoon looked up form his own food.

“You all right?” he asked gently, putting his own chopsticks down.

“Seungjae,” Jin replied, “I know that last night was good for a bit until Mi-So turned up. He was actually happy when he went to bed. Talking excitedly about Cars and seeing you,” he said, a soft smile gracing his handsome face. 

“Then she comes and he hears her and sees her,” he nodded, “I know. There isn’t really much that you can do about it.”

“I know that. He didn’t want to go to school this morning. I’m just glad that the two of us woke before him. I don't think he would have reacted well if he had seen you and I like that,” he murmured softly as he looked down at his hands, clasped in front of him. The two of them had been fallen asleep on the sofa, closely cuddled together.

“We should tell him before that does happen. If it surprises him like that it could make things a lot worse,” he advised, taking hold of one of Jin’s hands and squeezing it, before bringing it up for a light kiss on the back of it, “We’re in this together, so we shouldn’t leave it for too long,” he warned.

Jin nodded in agreement, “Yeah, we should. How about coming over later on tonight and we tell him then?” he suggested softly, a light blush on his face from Namjoons actions.

Namjoon shook his head, “No, we should wait another day or two. Let what happened with Mi-So fade a tiny bit.”

“Okay, we can do that. Friday?” he queried, a little frown on his face, he couldn’t help but bite his lip a little. He was worried about how Seungjae will react to the news of the two of them being together, “Would that be okay to do so. We can tell him after school. And take him out together, as a family, to show him that we both want him?”

Namjoon smiled at the idea, “That, sounds like a better solution. We need to show him that we know he’s scared, and that’s fine. But he also needs to know that we’re both going to be there for him. That he isn’t going to lose you just because I’m around. We’ve been together for a long time, and friends for even longer. So he should know that you won’t leave, but… he may still think it at times.”

“Okay,” he agreed, happier now that there was a plan in place. He was nervous about telling Seungjae about Namjoon being more than just a friend. That he was someone that he had liked and now loved for the past two and a half years.

The two went back to eating, feeling a little better with an idea in their heads on how to tackle the problem with Seungjae.

XxXxX

Seungjae looked at his dad as he sat in the living room. He was acting differently, and the seven-year-old didn’t like it one bit. Something was going on, “Appa?” he called out.

“Hmmm,” Jin replied distractedly as he glanced towards the front door for the fifth time in that last twenty minutes.

“What’s going on Appa?” he asked getting up and standing in front of the consulting surgeon.

Jin blinked and focused on his son, “Yes?” he smiled to him.

“What's going on?” he asked again, almost huffing when his father looked past him again.

“I’m just waiting for someone to come, all right,” he said, being a little cryptic.

Seungjae wasn’t happy with the answer and went back to the sofa and sat down. Watching his father as he once more waited in silence. Almost five minutes later the doorbell rang and Jin jumped up to answer the door. He watched as he opened it and Namjoon walked in. He smiled, wondering why his dad hadn’t told him who it was that was coming.

“Hey Seungjae,” Namjoon greeted as he walked over to the sofa and ruffled the black hair, in his normal greeting of the young kid.

“Namjoon-ajeosshi,” he smiled up at him happily.

“Seungjae,” Jin said as he went over and the two of them knelt down on the floor in front of him. The two had talked for ages trying to think of the best way to break the news that they were seeing each other to the seven-year-old.

“We need to talk to you about something very important, but I want you to remember that your appa loves you and so do I,” Namjoon said, wanting to make sure that was the first thing that they told him.

“Okay,” Seungjae said, frowning and looking at the two of them in turn, “What’s going on appa?” he said, voice beginning to tremble as he thought he was in trouble for something.

“I’ve known Namjoon for a very long time. Since when you were really little, I know you won't remember everything we’ve done together. But over the last couple of years, things between us changed,” he started. No matter how much they had practised this or tried to come up with something, they were still just making it up as they went along.

“Changed?” Seungjae said, dread beginning to fill him as he listened to his dad.

“Yes,” Jin smiled, “changed, a few years ago we started to date one another,” he said reaching a hand out for Namjoon.

“I came to love your Appa deeply,” Namjoon added, taking the offered hand and smiling towards Seungjae.

“NO!” Seungjae yelled, pushing Namjoon away from his dad. “No you can't have him, I need him, I need him!” he cried out. Tears beginning to split from his eyes.

“Of course you need him,” Namjoon said as he settled back down on his knees and looked at Seungjae, “I know you need him, and you will always need him. He’s your appa and that is never going to change,” he said trying to sooth the child as he reached towards him.

Seungjae pushed the hand away, going over to his dad and standing in front of him, trying to block him from Namjoon’s view, “My appa,” he cried, chest heaving.

“Always your appa,” Jin said from behind him as he wrapped his arms around his son and held him, “That isn’t going to change Seungjae, never, no matter what.”

“Then why are you going to leave me alone?” he cried turning in his dad's arms to face him.

Jin wiped away the tears, only for more to fall, “I’m not leaving you. We’re here to tell you that we’re dating and have been for a long time. We wanted you to know because we both love you,” he said, hoping to reassure him, pulling him in for a hug.

“But you’ll leave like eomma,” he said, still sobbing as he clung to his father.

“He won’t, and I won't either,” Namjoon said as he made his way over to the two of them and placed a gentle hand on Sungjae's back.

“You will, he will, everyone wants to leave me,” he sobbed brokenly.

“Seungjae,” Namjoon said firmly, “I want you to look at me,” he waited for the child to obey him.

Seungjae refused, “No.”

“Please Seungjae, look at me,” he pleaded once more.

Seungjae turned tearful eyes towards him, still clinging to Jin, arms around his father holding him as tightly as he could. Scared that he would be taken from him. “Why?” he sniffed.

Namjoon pulled out a pack of tissues and took one from it, wiping away the tears and cleaning his face up, “Seungjae, I’ve been around for a long time haven’t I?” he asked him.

Seungjae gave a tiny nod, “Yeah,” his voice broke as he sniffled and hiccuped.

“I’ve been there for you when your appa was hurt and ill?” he added, getting a nod. “I’ve been there when you hurt your arm on the swings last year, and when you were ill and I came over to sit with you while your appa had to go to work for a meeting. I held you and read stories with you, yes?” he asked him.

“Hmm,” he nodded, giving a hiccuping breath that caught in his throat.

Namjoon pulled the unresisting child from his arms, “That's because I love you appa, and I love you,” he said, holding him. “I love you like your appa loves you.”

“And I love you like my son, and Namjoon thinks of you as his son,” Jin told his son, moving closer and placing his head on Namjoon’s shoulder so he could see his sons face.

Seungjae looked in disbelief at Namjoon, “Me?”

Namjoon nodded, “I do. When I first met you, you were so small and tiny to me. I thought I would break you just by sitting you on my knee, let alone holding you. But your appa, made me do it over and over until I enjoyed the cuddles and the silly cartoons that we would watch and laugh about together. You’re a special little boy, how could I not think of you as my special little boy. Just like your appa thinks of you,” he smiled softly.

The two could see that Seungjae was taking it all in. But there was still an air of insecurity about him. That he was still scared that he would lose his dad even though the two of them tried their best to reassure him that he wouldn’t leave him. Jin got up first, heading towards the kitchen and mentioning about making them all some dinner.

Namjoon was left with Seungjae and got up, swinging the child into his arms and walked over to the sofa. Sitting down, Seungjae ended up on his lap. “I do love you, you know,” he said softly.

Seungjae’s eyes went wide looking at him, “My appa isn’t here so you don't have to say things like that,” he said, eyeing him suspiciously. He had heard something similar from Dae-Bong when he had first started dating his eomma. Saying he loved him, but as soon as his eomma was out of the room he would push him away, calling the young child a nuisance.

“I know he isn’t, but that doesn’t make it any less true for me. You might not be my child in one way, but in another, I think of you as well. And I have done for the last couple of years. Your appa has let me be a part of your life. And it is a privilege to be a part of it,” he told him sincerely, “Now, I know you’re scared, who wouldn’t be. But there is nothing for you to fear.”

Seungjae still didn’t believe him but said nothing as he slid from the doctor's lap and onto the sofa, just staring towards the kitchen door. He wanted nothing more than to be with his dad and away from Namjoon. He no longer trusted the man, he had to be lying to him. Only wanting to get close to his appa before he took him away from Seungjae. Just like Dae-Bong did with his eomma.

The two were soon called into the kitchen, a simple meal laid out on the table before them. Sitting down they began to eat. The atmosphere was a little tense, as the two adults shared a look between each other. There was something else they planned to do. They knew that Seungjae would be angry with them, and he had every right to be. They had been keeping the fact that they were together for a long time.

“Tomorrow there is a dinosaur special at the museum,” Namjoon said, as they had agreed for him to be the one to bring it up. He knew that the seven-year-old loves dinosaurs. “I was thinking that we should go, they have a family day tomorrow,” he added. Making sure that Seungjae heard the word family. Because that is what he and Jin wanted in the end. For the three of them to be a family.

“Dinosaurs?” Seungjae asked him as he looked up from his plate that he had been staring at.

“Yes, they even have some model and machines that look like them,” Namjoon grinned, he had been looking at the event for a while. Thinking that it was something that the three of them could do together. Even if they hadn’t told Suengjae about their relationship he would have still brought it up. He loved the little boy and knew what he liked just as much as Jin did these days. And not only because of what Jin had told him but from what he as he watched and talked to him.

“Really?” his eyes were wide, wondering if he would be able to go. He knew he had been naughty when he had pushed Namjoon away from his dad. He wanted to protect his appa, wanted to stop him from being taken from him.

“Yes, I think we can all go,” Jin said with a smile, “Now finish your dinner.”

“Yes appa,” he nodded a slightly brighter smile on his face as he carried on eating his dinner.

Namjoon and Jin looked at each other a smile on their faces. Though neither of them believed that he would remain this pleasant for long. They were going to have to wait and see how Seungjae was like when things started to become more real to him, and that Namjoon and Jin were dating. Jin had been hoping to talk Namjoon into moving in with them. But Namjoon had told him to hold off for a while longer. Just to make sure that Seungjae was comfortable with the two of them being together before they brought that little bridge up.