Chapter Twenty One

It was Friday and three couples were excited for the night out they were going to have. Jin and Namjoon had a date night, but they were going to be taking Seungjae with them. The little boy was still feeling a little odd with Namjoon now in a different role than uncle in his mind. Hoseok, Junghyun, Jungkook and Yoongi were going on a double date. A meal and bowling for all of them. Though they didn’t know that they had planned the same date. The only two not excited about a date were Jimin and Taehyung who were going to be spending a little time with Tae-Hee and Tae-Seok.

“Okay,” Hoseok said as he looked at the couple in the back of his car, hands clasped together on the middle seat. Junghyun was next to him, and there was a slight scowl on his face as he spotted the two of them.

“Tonight should be fun,” Jungkook said with a grin, “I love bowling.”

“Same, don’t go as often as I did,” Yoongi agreed.

Hoseok groaned, “You were horrible to me that time,” he said, pouting as he pulled out into traffic.

“Wasn't my fault that you weren't very good,” Yoongi snorted.

“Hoseok’s good at a lot of things,” Jonghyun defended his boyfriend, the scowl still on his face.

“So’s Yoongi,” Jungkook added, a smile on his face as he gazed towards Yoongi.

Yoongi smiled back at him, “Not as many things as you,” he snorted softly, “You try something for the first time and you usually are able to do it on the first try.”

Hoseok smiled and carried on driving. It didn’t take him long to get to the restaurant that they had chosen. They parked up and went inside, taken straight over to their table. Quickly ordering what they wanted, they settled in to wait for the food to come.

“Yoongi is so nice hyung,” Jungkook said softly, glancing at his brother, though the others were able to hear.

“So is Hoseok, I never knew he could be so funny, he makes me laugh and smile all the time,” Junghyun praised his boyfriend.

“Yoongi can be really sweet as well,” Jungkook said, looking at Yoongi out of the corner of his eyes.

The food arrived and Jungkook and Junghyun did most of the talking, though neither Yoongi or Hoseok could call it talking. Each and every time they said something it was about them. Something to try and one-up each other. The two shared a look, voices quiet as they ate.

“Should we tell them to stop?” Hoseok said softly.

Yoongi sighed, “I don’t even think it will work,” he said, wincing as Jungkook once more said something about him that he believed should be between them and not for Junghyun and Hoseok to know. He pulled a face, “Can you two stop and talk to us as well?” he then said, wondering if it would work.

“Oh sorry Yoongi-hyung,” Jungkook immediately apologised, “How is the food?” he asked, smiling softly.

“It’s good,” he smiled back, he started to relax a little more as Hoseok did the same with Junghyun.

It lasted all of three minutes before Junghyun mentioned something offhand and Jungkook once more had taken to saying something that Yoongi believed was private. Yoongi made a signal for the waiter to being over the check and quickly paid, waving Hoseok off. The two rolled their eyes and got up, walking away from the two brothers as they carried on with their little competition. It took them a moment to realise that their boyfriends were leaving.

Yoongi and Hoseok made it out of the restaurant before the two caught up with them, “Where are you going?” Junghyun asked as he placed a hand on Hoseok's arm.

“I thought Yoongi and I would head home together, since the two of you were too busy trying to one-up each other, and talking about things that should be kept private between each couple, instead of actually talking to us and having a nice time,” hoseok spat out, a little angry with the two brothers.

“I…” Junghyun stopped and then glanced at Jungkook.

Jungkook looked to the ground, “I’m sorry,  Yoongi-hyung,” he said as he went over to his boyfriend, “I didn’t mean to do that. I…”

“I have a feeling why you did it,” Yoongi said, “but it still isn’t nice for you to say some of the things that you did. Some of that was private between us, and some of it was private to me.”

Jungkook looked ashamed of what he had done, he had wanted to show his brother that Yoongi was kind and careful with him. That there was another side to him that the elder didn’t know about. “I’m sorry.”

“I am as well, Hoseok,” Junghyun said softly as he wrapped his arms around the paramedic, “I shouldn’t have done that at all,” he added.

“No, you shouldn’t have. It… it wasn’t nice Junghyun,” he told him, eyes sad and the usual smile had gone from his face.

“I know, I’m sorry, I’ll make it up to you,” he whispered as Hoseok wrapped his arms around him and they held each other for a little bit. Nearby Jungkook and Yoongi were doing the same. 

“Do you still want to go bowling?” Jungkook asked them all. He didn’t want to push Yoongi to do something if he was feeling uncomfortable about being around everyone after talking about him so openly.

“I think we should, we did tell Namjoon-hyung and Jin-Hyung that we would join them,” Junghyun answered as he glanced at Hoseok as he stepped out of his arms, reluctantly letting him go.

“Yeah, we should, it could be fun, and we might recover the night yet,” Hoseok smiled softly.

Yoongi nodded in agreement, “Yeah.”

The four of them headed towards the car park and piled into Hoseok's car and headed towards the bowling alley that they had agreed to meet the others and Seungjae at after they finished their meal.

XxXxX

Namjoon and Jin walked with Seungjae in between the two of them. He had a hold of their hands and every few steps they swung him between them. The seven-year-old was happy and laughing freely. He hadn't mentioned his mother at all over the last two weeks, and neither man knew if they should be sad about that or relieved that he no longer thought of her. Putting him down after another swing they walked through the city to the small restaurant that they had chosen for the day. It was another with a play area if Seungjae wanted to play for a bit while they waited for food.

“It’s going to be so much fun!” Seungjae yelled out and then laughed as he was swung again.

“It is,” Jin agreed with him, “Yoongi, Jungkook, Junghyun and Hoseok are all going to come bowling with us,” he reminded him.

“I know, and Hoseok-ahjussi tells the best jokes,” Seungjae grinned.

“Hey, I thought I was the best joke teller?!” Jin said, faking the hurt on his face as he looked down at his son.

“You tell dad jokes appa,” Seungjae pointed out, “That means they stopped being funny a loooong time ago,” he said, grinning as Namjoon coughed, trying to hide a smile and a laugh.

“Namjoon!” he said, moved away from the two of them, “Traitor!” he yelled out, finger pointed at the man.

“Who me?” Namjoon said as innocently as he could while pointing at himself. “I would never betray you Jinnie,” he pouted, putting on a sad face, wiping a few fake tears away from his eyes.

“Appa, you’re mean,” Seungjae joked as well as he hugged Namjoon around the waist.

“Oh, I see how this is going to go, both of you against me. My own son and partner! How dare you!” he cried dramatically, gaining a little attention from those in the street.

“Appa,” Seungjae drawled, “You’re so embarrassing,” he finished letting Namjoon go and covering his face.

Jin went over to them and picked Seungjae up holding him up high, “Well, I can be even worse if you like?” he grinned.

“Nooo!” Seungjae protested, squealing at how high he was.

“What's brown and Sticky?” Jin asked as he let Seungjae go back to the ground.

“No appa, no!” Seungjae said.

Namjoon couldn't help but call out, “Don’t do it hyung!”

“A stick!” Jin laughed as the other two groaned as though they were in pain.

“Jin-hyung, please no more,” Namjoon begged as he saw Jin start to tell another one. He stopped him the only way he knew how, by kissing him.

“No fair, I have plenty more,” Jin protested when Namjoon let him go.

“Another time, do so with an audience that will appreciate them,” Namjoon suggested.

“But Jiminie isn’t going to be with us,” he complained.

“I know, but maybe we can have a get together with everyone soon,” Namjoon suggested as they started heading towards the restaurant again. They walked in and were soon seated and ordered. Seungjae went to play for a little, with the two of them watching him and talking softly about Jimin and Taehyung and little Tae-Seok that they were adopting.

It was almost the end of the meal when Jin had to leave for the toilet. Excusing himself it left Namjoon alone with Seungjae. “Everything good with the food?” Namjoon asked the little boy.

Seungjae looked up at him and smiled, “Yeah, it’s really nice, is yours?” he asked.

“Want to have a taste?” Namjoon asked, getting together a small forkful.

“Please,” he grinned as he was then fed some of Namjoon’s pasta dish.

“So what do you think?” he asked him, smiling as he saw the thoughtful look on his face.

“It’s okay,” he grinned and then looked at his plate for a little bit, pushing around the few bits of food that was left.

“Are you okay?” he asked, at the sudden change in his mood.

“I was just thinking,” he said softly, glancing up through his bangs, “I’m scared, I'm scared that you’ll take appa away from me.”

“Seungjae, it won't happen,” he told him. It was something he and Jin had told Seungjae a lot of the last few weeks, and he knew that they would be telling him for a while longer before he started to believe it.

“I know you say that all the time, so does appa, but I’m still scared,” he said, “But you take me out, even when it’s just us and not appa,” he began, “I listen to my friends when they talk about their parents when they go out, and you do all the same thing. You and appa both love me,” he said as he looked up from his plate.

Namjoon smiled softly, “We do. I think you are a kind young man, I know that when you grow up you will be very much like your appa, a wonderful and brilliant man,” he told him.

“Appa really likes you, he talks about you a lot when you aren't at home with us,” he added.

“Can I tell you something?” Namjoon said as he leaned a little closer, his voice quieter.

“Yeah,” Seungjae nodded, leaning towards Namjoon.

“I miss it when I’m not with you and your appa. I feel all alone in my little flat. And I can’t wait each time you ask me to come over and spend some time with you both,” he told him truthfully.

“And what are my boys talking about?” Jin asked as he came back to the table.

“Nothing much hyung,” Namjoon smiled at him softly.

“Okay,” he said, “Now, I know I’m finished, but are the two of you?” he asked as he looked from one to the other.

“We’re finished appa,” Seungjae replied brightly.

“Okay then, let's head to the bowling alley, I don’t doubt that the others are all going to be waiting for us,” he chuckled as he left them to quickly paid the bill.

Seungjae nodded and the two stood up, grabbing their coats and putting them on, it didn’t take long for Jin to get back and to put his own coat on. Heading out of the restaurant, Namjoon and Jin held hands as Seungjae skipped ahead of them a little, laughing a bit before he went back to them and walked between them, hands held they swung him up occasionally. Meeting with the others outside the bowling alley they went in and started up the first of three games they would play together that night, only stopping when Seungjae fell asleep against Namjoon.