Seokjin was tired of waiting. So, so tired. The man was standing right there all alone as if he was just waiting for Seokjin to walk over there. He was just standing there against the wall with that handsome face of his. His tall, lean body pressed against the wall with a red plastic cup clasped between his fingers. He wore a casual, blue button up with a sleek, charcoal grey blazer pulled over it. To top the outfit off, the man was wearing black jeans that hugged his legs and backside in the most perfect, delicious way.

Seokjin quickly his lips before taking a sip from his own red cup of vodka and juice. It helped him loosen up and plus he just enjoyed the burn as it slid down his throat. He hoped the vodka would calm his thoughts because it was fair to say that Jin was having a full blown conflict in his mind at the moment. His usual confidence and his rare insecurities fighting against the other only proving to be a waste of time because time definitely was never on his side when it came to Namjoon. Ever.

He hadn’t noticed Namjoon until his third year of college and the aforementioned ran into their religion class about ten minutes late. He was soaked from the pouring rain outside. All Seokjin remembered about that day is that he thought Namjoon was the cutest guy he’d ever seen. He also developed an immense amount of respect for the latter because if it were pouring rain outside and Jin didn’t have an umbrella, he would’ve probably just skipped. The class was only fifty minutes anyway.

Ever since that day, Jin had been trying to find a way to get Namjoon’s attention. But the farthest he’d ever gotten was making him laugh with a lame, dad joke of his and them waving at each other whenever they saw each other on campus.

Now it was a year later and they were having their college graduation in just two weeks. At the moment, everyone who had enough credits to graduate were at this ‘dance’ or ‘mixer’ of sorts for the seniors. The attire was semi formal so Seokjin was in a simple white button up shirt with his favorite pink tie on because to him there was no other color that complimented him so well. He’d socialized a lot tonight, pretending that he cared about what half of the people in the room were doing after graduation. Being pushed and smushed in between the crowds of tipsy college seniors was the main reason he was growing irritated. In all honesty, Jin wanted to go back home.

But Namjoon was here so he couldn't bring himself to even so much as glance at the door.

“Seokjin, please go talk to him already. Staring isn’t doing you any good,” Jin’s best friend (well a close second best friend) and step brother, Junmyeon, nudged him forward. “You look freaking amazing so please get over there and work your charms. You are ‘Worldwide handsome,’ right?”

Jin rolled his eyes at the obvious question. “Of course I am. But this is different. He’s so hot, Myeon. But then he’s still so… fluffy.”

“You’re calling a grown man fluffy, you know that?”

In the midst of their lighthearted bickering, Seokjin noticed Namjoon push himself off of the wall, throwing his, presumably, now empty cup into the trash can, and heading for the doors. It was like Jin’s body had completely shut down for a second and his already burning airways had closed momentarily. He’d been waiting for this day for so long and he was letting it slip through his fingers once again. Stupid. Stupid. STUPID.

Seokjin had given up completely, the tears already burning the rims of his eyes. But that was before he felt himself being shoved forward harshly, almost falling to the floor if he hadn’t caught ahold of the bar before doing so.

“Kim Seokjin, I swear I will murder you if you don’t go get that man,” Junmyeon growled, squinting his eyes at him and giving a tight faced smile in an attempt at being threatening. That smile was quite intimidating and always has been. It’s what Junmyeon did when he was annoyed. “I believe in you. And if he rejects you then he just won’t be waking up tomorrow because I would’ve killed him,” Junmyeon shrugged. That smile still plastered on his face. Seokjin didn’t take the time to reply or laugh at Junmyeon’s comment because he was already rushing towards the double doors of the college’s auditorium to chase after Namjoon. Junmyeon’s words- and threatening smile- giving him a surge of confidence.

The air was quite humid when he burst through the double doors and it agitated Seokjin’s nose but he didn’t pay much attention to it. Seokjin frantically searched around the parking lot, straining his neck and squinting his eyes in order to hopefully catch a glimpse of that awkward frame and swooped hair of Namjoon. Seokjin was so close to stamping his foot and throwing a tantrum. He was so, so close to doing just that but there was a heavy hand placed suddenly on Jin’s wide shoulder.

“Are you looking for someone? I could probably help you look. A group of people just went that way,” the voice informed. Whipping around, Seokjin stopped breathing for a second as Namjoon talked to him with kind, reassuring eyes, no doubt that he’d noticed Seokjin being upset justs a few seconds ago.

Seokjin glanced behind Namjoon for a second and realized that Namjoon had been sitting on the bench right outside of the auditorium, evidenced by the pen and notebook discarded over there.

“Um… Hi, Namjoon! I was actually looking for you,” Jin chuckled and subconsciously picked at his pink tie. For the first time, Seokjin was questioning how good pink looked on him. He quickly  pondered on whether or not the teal tie would’ve worked better. Jin’s chuckle soon dissolved when he caught a glance of Namjoon’s face twisting up in confusion. It was at the moment that he realized how creepy he sounded. If Seokjin could, he’d probably hurl himself off of a bridge. How embarrassing…

“I-I know we don’t… talk very often,” Jin hurried. “But I’ve been trying to have a conversation with you for… so long. Not because I’m some stalker or anything but because you just look like a really cool person to be friends with, you know. Now I’m making a complete fool of myself. I should’ve approached you differently and-” Seokjin was rambling on and on, his insecurities somehow winning that persistent fight with his confidence, making him sound like a lovestruck teenager instead of twenty two year old about to graduate college.

Namjoon grinned.

Namjoon wasn’t used to this from Seokjin. Even though he’d only talked to him either once or twice, he’d never observed the older act this way. The fantastic singer. The culinary major. The most socially capable and talented person he knew. Kim Seokjin was stumbling and fumbling over his words because of him. Of all people, Kim Namjoon. Awkward. Only known for his 148 IQ and being the cause of almost every incident that resulted in something breaking. Music production major. Not to mention socially inept. He wondered if this was one of those dreams that he usually had; the ones where he woke up as soon as it started getting good. Yeah, those were horrible.

“You’re fine, Jin. I could always use more friends,” Namjoon smiled. Seokjin stopped his rambling completely to mirror the smile almost without a second thought. “You can come sit on the bench with me if you want. Just needed to get out of there. I wasn’t doing anything but writing down some lyrics and all. Nothing important.” Namjoon hunched his shoulders and led Seokjin over to the bench and sat again, moving the notebook and pen so Jin could sit.

“I think it’s very important,” Jin said, his confidence slowly rising once again. The hard part of was over, conversation was easy for Seokjin. “I heard you’re very talented at what you do. Even got an internship at Big Hit last summer. Everybody knew about it.” Seokjin giggled at the smile that spread across Namjoon’s face at the praise.

“Yeah but anybody could do that.”

“No the hell they can’t. If I remember correctly that was the most competitive internship for music majors. In fact, people from this college don’t usually get internships there. And I have great memory, Namjoon, so I remember.”

“I bet you do. I guess that’s why you remembered an easily forgettable face like mine. Can’t even get people to remember my name most of the time,” Namjoon chuckled. His bitterness about it was clear as daylight.

“Trust me, you aren’t forgettable. I saw you in our Buddhism class last year and just couldn’t forget that face of yours.”

Namjoon really laughed at that, almost as if he was dismissing that fact like a funny joke. Seokjin frowned slightly. He only wished that Namjoon would know just how amazing he was to him. “ Your face is unforgettable. I've been called ugly all my life,” Namjoon retorted with a soft smile that Seokjin found quite hard to read. But Jin knew that he was a bit upset. They held each other’s gaze for about five seconds more than normal. While it was just a small gesture that could have easily been a mistake or coincidence, Seokjin was hopeful that it meant something.

Namjoon slowly tore his gaze away from Seokjin’s and looked down at the spiral notebook that was sitting in his lap. Seokjin watched closely as Namjoon’s wide fingers picked up the narrow, ballpoint pen to write something down on the pale blue lines of the paper.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what are you writing?” Jin said, his tone more breathy than he would’ve liked. So much for playing hard to get. Seokjin blinked slowly.

“I’m writing a song. I've been talking to one of the rappers at Big Hit. He's letting me write a song with him. So I'm just writing down whatever comes to mind first and then I'll go through it and pick the best lines later and configure it properly afterwards.”

“That’s actually really cool, Namjoon.” Seokjin didn’t really have to say his name so much. But he hadn’t been able to deny the fact that he loved how it felt like a light waterfall flowing from his mouth when he said Namjoon’s name. “I want to be able to do something like that.”

“Aren’t you a culinary and theatre arts double major?”

“Aren’t you a mathematics and music production double major?” Seokjin responded, using his own words against him with a light giggle, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth. Jin was paying close attention to how loud he laughed so he didn’t make a fool of himself. He’d been told by several people that his laugh sounded like some rusty windshield wipers. Seokjin denied that fact for a long time until one day he was watching some weird comedy show alone in his home. When he had burst into laughter at a lame joke, he had scared himself wondering where the squeak came from before realizing that he was the culprit of the loud squeaking.

“Comparing isn’t good for the mind, body, or soul, Seokjin.”

Seokjin wanted to respond with something witty to make Namjoon laugh but all he could say was “You’re right. You’re you and I’m me.”

Namjoon continued writing, not looking up at Seokjin, but smiled in approval anyway, letting Seokjin know that he’d heard, he absorbed, and he understood.

“It’s best that way, yeah?” Namjoon hummed.

Seokjin noticed Namjoon glance at him in his peripheral vision but didn’t say anything. It was quiet for a few moments. The silence was so comfortable. Seokjin wondered how it would feel to cuddle up to Namjoon, be held in his arms, breathe in his scent. The wind picked up, the sun steadily falling behind the buildings and hills of the city while the waning moon steadily rose to take its rightful place in the darkening night sky.

“Can I have your number, Seokjin?” The question shouldn’t have caught Jin so off guard because Seokjin was the one who initiated both the conversation and the friendship so of course they would exchange numbers. But he allowed himself to be excited at the mentioning of it.. “I have a tendency to forget things so I want to get it now before I forget,” Namjoon explained.

“Yeah, yeah. Of course, no need to explain,” Jin reassured. He slipped his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to Namjoon. With a nod of his head, Namjoon put his pen down.

“Joon?” Seokjin laughed when he saw the contact ID Namjoon put into his phone.

“Yeah. People call me that sometimes,” Namjoon laughed along. For about the fourth time, Namjoon stole a glance at Seokjin before going back to writing in his notebook. As Seokjin began to pocket his phone, it vibrated. It startled Jin. Usually he would’ve scolded himself for being so easily scared by just a simple vibration, but when Namjoon chuckled under his breath, he couldn’t find it within himself to be angry anymore.

Myeonnie (Suho): What happened? Guess it went awesome since you haven’t come back crying yet

Myeonnie (Suho): But we really should go because there’s this girl that can’t seem to understand that just because I’m biual doesn’t mean I’ll cheat on my bf. I wanna get out of here

 

Seokjin groaned loudly, catching Namjoon’s attention.

“Someone being annoying?” Even though Jin wasn’t looking at Namjoon and was focusing on typing back a response to Junmyeon, he’d heard the amused smirk in his words.

“No. Just Junmyeon wanting to go home.”

“Isn’t that your brother?”

“Unfortunately, yes. He’s my step brother. Best friend since elementary school though,” Seokjin said with a hint of pride in his voice. No matter how much Seokjin usually wanted to slap Junmyeon, he was proud to say that he was his best friend. The two had met in elementary school, and during middle school, Junmyeon’s mom and Seokjin’s father began dating and eventually got married. Living together made them more like brothers than best friends. They fought way more than friends were supposed to, but they fought just enough that rightfully made them brothers.

“Is it true that he just partnered with a company for his own clothing line?”

“Yup. Can’t help but say that I’m proud of him.” The tight smile plastered on Seokjin’s face was just for comic relief; he swore he was so proud of Junmyeon. During an internship last summer at a fashion company, Junmyeon had somehow proven his skills to the CEO and landed a deal to codesign his own clothing line. This had been Junmyeon’s dream for a long time despite the fact that he would never admit this because fashion was deemed as a feminine thing and Junmyeon always seen himself as quite the masculine, manly guy.

“Exo!” Junmyeon had blurted when they were having lunch after class. The suddenness of his shout caused Seokjin to choke on his tea, Junmyeon not paying even the smallest amount of attention to him and his struggle. “That’s gonna be the name of the clothing line! Great, right? It’s masculine and not too feminine. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just want to show that men can be fashionable too.”

“Yeah. I like that, Myeonnie. I’d buy that ,” Seokjin said with an approving nod. Junmyeon had only laughed and pulled a pen from his blazer pocket to write down the name idea on a stray napkin on the table

“That’s fantastic, really,” Namjoon marveled. “Tell him I said hello and congratulations on his achievements when you see him.”

“I will… I really don’t want to leave though,” Seokjin admitted, the corners of his lips tilting downward in a light frown. Namjoon set the pen down and fully turned to look at Seokjin this time. Upon seeing Jin’s pout, Namjoon gave a bright, goofy smile. “You have my number, just call or text me. I promise I’ll answer.”

“Mmkay,” Seokjin agreed.. “I’ll hold you to it, Joon.”

That night, Junmyeon dropped Jin off at his apartment where his (absolute first) best friend was waiting for him. Seokjin rambled on and on to his best friend in the entire world about the amazing guy he’d finally gotten a chance to talk to. He gushed, he blushed, and he almost even cried from happiness. His best friend only giggled and giggled at Jin’s excitement before they both fell asleep eating chocolate chip cookies on the sofa, all of their energy spent on excitement.

 

As the months went on, one date turned into two dates and then three and so on and so forth until Seokjin couldn’t even remember the total number of dates they had been on. All he was able to say was that he and Namjoon had been dating for ten months now.

Seokjin hadn’t even expected to get past the first date with Namjoon in all honesty.

Between the three month span of them being just friends, Seokjin had dropped several hints that he had had several boyfriends in the past. Namjoon had only admitted to having one boyfriend in the past and he openly expressed his discomfort in that relationship. Jin still remembers crying to Junmyeon about it who didn’t pity him at all but instead pushed him to not assume anything until Namjoon told him outright that he was uncomfortable.

It had seemed to work because after they had went to the art museum together (Seokjin learned that Namjoon had an artistic mind as well as a logical, inquisitive one) and they decided take a night stroll through the park. Namjoon impressed Seokjin with his seemingly infinite knowledge on insects and flora, only causing Seokjin to fall even harder.

It was an understatement to say that when Namjoon asked if he could kiss Seokjin, he hadn’t almost giggled like a ten year old. But in the midst of all that childlike excitement, Jin didn’t even offer an answer, he just pressed his lips to Namjoon’s, not caring who saw them or made faces. Just kissed Namjoon with everything in him. Of course after Namjoon brough Seokjin home, Jin and Junmyeon drank a few cups of soju to that while his other best friend drank a cup of milk instead.

 

His phone vibrating a few times in his apron pocket caught his attention so with a quick glance at the clock on the wall, he decided to take his break a few minutes early. “I’m gonna go on break early, Jeonghan,” Jin informed. Jeonghan was Seokjin’s coworker at his new job at a nearby restaurant. Jeonghan had only began working there about two months before Seokjin so Jin felt some relief knowing he wasn’t the only new chef on the team.

“I think I’ll take a break too actually. I don’t want to be left alone with all the older chefs. Their egos are too big and I’ll feel like an ant. They’ll crush me with their ego if you aren’t here to save me,” Jeonghan chuckled as he put the cutting board in the dishwasher and slid off his gloves. Seokjin nodded, completely agreeing with him. The older chefs could be arrogant and narcissistic. They usually went out of their way to ensure that Seokjin and Jeonghan knew they were inferior to them.

They opened the back doors of the kitchen and went to stand outside in the back of the restaurant. The wind blew just enough to cool Jin’s and Jeonghan’s skin from the constant heat of the kitchen. Pulling out his phone, he was surprised to see that one of the text messages were from Namjoon.

Joonie: I’m gonna pick u up from work today Got something important to tell you tonight

Seokjin frowned. Namjoon always texted with proper punctuation, grammer, and spelling. So, Jin was naturally worried when there were so many mistakes in the usually perfect text messages.

Jin typed back a quick ‘okay. See you then,’ before leaning back against the cemented walls of the restaurant with a tired huff of breath. “Everything alright?” Jeonghan questioned, taking note of Seokjin’s exhaustion and even seemed to relate.

“Yeah. Just still adjusting to having this job.”

“Oh, I understand, trust me. But I’ve learned something while working here. It gets enjoyable when you have people by your side. Ever since you got here, I’ve enjoyed my job a lot more. You’re a great friend.”

Seokjin smiled as Jeonghan threw an arm around his shoulder. “Thank you, Han. You’re a great friend too. I don’t think I’d still be here if you weren’t.”

***

As soon as 8 o’clock hit, Seokjin walked Jeonghan to his truck, giving him a tight hug before Jeonghan slid into his car. “You sure you don’t need a ride home?”

“Yeah. Someone is coming to pick me up.”

Jeonghan giggled with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows. Seokjin rolled his eyes before backing away so Jeonghan can back out of his parking space.

After Jeonghan turned out of the parking lot, Seokjin noticed Namjoon’s car pull into the parking lot of the restaurant soon after. He secured his bag on his shoulder and waved to Namjoon when the car stopped in front of him.

“Hey!”

“Hey, sweetheart.” Seokjin tried his best not to mention that nervousness in Namjoon’s demeanor while he situated himself in the passenger seat and Namjoon pulled off back onto the road. “So where are we going? I don’t have much free time tonight since this was on such short notice.”

“I know. Me neither. I… just need to tell you something that I’ve been hiding from you,” Namjoon utters, turning the already softly playing music completely off. “I feel really guilty about hiding this from you for so long,” Namjoon sighs wistfully.

Seokjin didn’t say anything, just glared out of the window, pondering on what Namjoon could possibly be going on about. Thinking back on all of their dates while wondering if there was any signs that he missed from being so blindly enamoured by Namjoon and his charm. Should he be angry? Should he be sad? Confused? Worried? He was in the dark right now.

“Seokjin?”

“Namjoon, please…” Jin muttered, still choosing not to look at his boyfriend. It seems as if his heart had chosen to be worried and concerned, and that choice was obvious through his tone of voice. “Please just tell me what you’re talking about. I hate the suspense.”

Namjoon came to a slow stop at a red light and Seokjin vaguely seen him turn to look at him. “I should’ve told you earlier-”

“Namjoon!” Seokjin snapped. “Just say it!”

“I have a son.” The words were all rushed together but Seokjin still caught on.

Seokjin felt tense. He slowly turned to look at Namjoon. “Really?”

“I should’ve said something before. His name is Hoseok. He’s three and about to be four in a few months. You should have the choice of whether or not you want to date a man with a child. So I’m so sorry that-”

“Don’t apologize. That’s your child , Joon. I don’t have any right to be upset with you about this. And if I did have a problem with that, I hope you would have kicked me to the curb by now… You’re child is a million times more important than me.” Namjoon's expression was shocked yet so fond. Filled with endearment and adoration for this man. He'd stared so hard at Seokjin that he hadn't realized when the light turned green until someone beeped their horn at him.

“I love you, Seokjin, you know that,” Namjoon said, the atmosphere in the car gradually turning sweet. “You’re so understanding and level headed even in this situation. I couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend, Hyung. I love you so, so much.”

Despite it being dark, it was obvious when Seokjin’s cheeks flushed red from his words. This was the first time either of them said that. Seokjin had told Namjoon before just how important those words were to him so he knew Namjoon wasn’t just saying it in the spur of the moment. His heart clenched. If Namjoon wasn’t in the middle of driving, he’d most likely jump over there and kiss him with everything he had to offer. Because that’s truly what Namjoon deserved. Everything he had.

“I love you too, Joonie.”

Seokjin inhaled sharply shortly afterwards as if he had an epiphany of sorts. The action all but scared Namjoon into thinking that maybe he’d said those words too early. Namjoon was ready to apologize and take back the words until Seokjin exhaled deeply. “I have something I’ve been hiding too, Joon.”

It was hard to keep his eyes glued to the road. Now the tables were turned, Namjoon was the one in the dark now. Drowning in the suspicion of what Seokjin could possibly want to say. Now he understood why Seokjin had gotten so anxious before.

“You know my best friend that I’m always talking about?” Namjoon furrowed his brow and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Did this have something to do with Junmyeon? Maybe, Seokjin lied about them being brothers. Namjoon’s thoughts went in so many different directions that he himself couldn’t figure out exactly what he was thinking.

Namjoon never worked well under stress. No matter how high his IQ was, stress and anxiousness was just something that he just couldn’t stomach.

“Junmyeon? What about him?” Namjoon’s voice was uncharacteristically low.

“No. The other one. My absolute best friend in the world,” Seokjin reiterated.

Namjoon went quiet for a second in thought. He does remember Seokjin speaking about this best friend that he had that Jin had never put a name to. Namjoon had never bothered with a name because he just remembered being so jealous by the amount of fondness, admiration, and sheer love Seokjin had for this ‘best friend’ of his. Seokjin never went into detail about him but when he was mentioned, Seokjin’s eyes shined and he seemed to grow happier.

Was Seokjin in love with this unnamed best friend of his? Namjoon literally felt the pain of his heart breaking at the thought.

“Y-yeah. You never mentioned his n-name,” Namjoon muttered as he to Seokjin’s street.

“Well… I also have a child, Namjoon. That best friend of mine… Is my son.”

“Wait, what?” Namjoon got the urge to laugh at the craziness of it all, but held it in, knowing that it was most likely the wrong time to laugh and didn’t want to offend Jin.

“His name is Yoongi. He’s four…”

Seokjin stopped for a second, looking for the right words. Seokjin loved Yoongi more than life itself. The little four year old was Seokjin’s best friend, being the perfect listener and even more so, the perfect hugger. All Seokjin wanted to do was tell Namjoon all about Yoongi: his favorite colors, his fickleness with touching people, his toy dog named Holly, his obsession with sleeping on Seokjin’s head like some cat.

Seokjin smiled subconsciously and continued. “He’s a great little boy and my best friend. I never told you about him because I didn't know how. I also wanted to protect him, I guess. He’s so precious to me, not just anyone gets to know about him. I have to trust someone before they know about Yoongi.”

Namjoon couldn’t help but mirror the smile that spread across Seokjin’s face when he mentioned Yoongi. Namjoon’s jealousy quickly shifted to something more sweet and fond. The warmth spread through him, originating from his heart and ending at his fingertips and toes. Namjoon could definitely relate to that feeling. The feeling of one’s child being their best friend.

Hoseok was Namjoon’s light when everything got darker. Hobi loved giving kisses to his dad when he had a bad day. He listened to Namjoon’s songs and gave (sometimes brutally) honest opinions when Namjoon sung or rapped the lyrics. Simply put, Hoseok was Namjoon’s sunshine on a stressful day.

“Do you trust me enough to allow me to meet him?” Namjoon uttered, coming to a smooth stop in front of Seokjin’s apartment complex. He expected Seokjin to deny him almost immediately, so he was surprised when Jin seemed to start thinking, his gaze fixed towards the side view mirror. He always looked off towards nothing in particular when he was thinking.

“Yeah. What about this Saturday, we take both of the kids to the zoo?” Seokjin offered, finally turning to look at Namjoon. Seokjin’s eyes were sparking it seemed, or maybe Namjoon was just so deep in love with this man that he was seeing things.

“Hobi hates animals,” Namjoon warned with an apprehensive chuckle. Seokjin giggled softly at the adorable nickname that Namjoon probably hadn’t even realized he used.

“Oh well we can go somewhere else if-”

“No. We can go to the zoo. As long as the animals can’t get to him, he’ll be fine,” Namjoon chuckled reminiscently.

“You sure?”

“Yes, Jinnie. Now get upstairs, I’m sure Yoongi misses you.”

“He’s upstairs with Junmyeon and Kris, I think he likes them more than he likes me sometimes,” Seokjin laughed, shrugging out of his seatbelt and reaching behind him to grab his bag from the backseat.

“I’ll see you Saturday, Joonie.” Jin pushed the door open before looking back at Namjoon once more. “1 o’clock?”

“Perfect, baby. I’ll see you then.”

With one last kiss, Jin exited the car and made his way up the concrete path leading to the entrance of the complex. It wasn’t until Jin was completely out of his sight that Namjoon drove off to get home to his little boy that was most likely refusing to let the babysitter put him to sleep just so he could greet his dad when he walked through the door.

 

“I wanna wear my yellow shirt with the smiley face sun!” Hoseok whined, folding his arms tight around his chest. He didn’t stamp his foot unless Namjoon told him ‘no’ at least twice. He growled when Namjoon denied him three times.

“I told you already that it’s dirty,” Namjoon reasoned, brushing his own hair back one last time, looking at Hoseok in the reflection of the bathroom mirror. “You don’t want to be wearing dirty clothes when you’re about to meet a new friend, do you?”

Hoseok sighed dramatically, letting his arms fall from his chest. “Noooo. Can you brush my hair too, Daddy? I wanna look good too.” Namjoon grabbed the brush and hauled Hoseok up onto the sink. “You always look good, Hobi. Don’t ever forget that,” Namjoon whispered into his hair before kissing the crown of his head. Hoseok giggled. He loved kisses so much, especially from his Daddy.

Namjoon only had to run the brush through his hair a few times before it fell into place.

“There you go. All done,” Namjoon exclaimed dramatically. That’s probably where Hoseok learned to be so dramatic. “Let’s go pick up Jinnie and Yoongi now so we can go to the zoo. You wanna go to the zoo?!”

“No.”

“There’s ice cream at the zoo.”

Hoseok’s face lit up. “Yeah! Let’s go get them so we can have some ice cream. But the animals can’t have any.”

 

It took approximately fifteen minutes to get from Namjoon’s house to Seokjin’s apartment complex. When they pulled up, Seokjin was sitting cross legged in the grass while a small little boy, Namjoon assumed was Yoongi, played in his hair. Seokjin noticed Namjoon immediately and moved to carry little Yoongi to the car.

As soon as Seokjin opened the back door, Hoseok shouted, “Hello! I’m Hoseok!”

“Hi, Hoseok. I’m Seokjin, and this is Yoongi,” Seokjin giggled. Yoongi, with obvious reluctance judging by the heavy frown on his lips, climbed into the car and allowed Seokjin to buckle his seatbelt. Jin looked at Yoongi, silently urging him to at least greet Hoseok. But with a soft ‘hmph’ and a defiant turn of his head, he silently told Seokjin that there was no way he wasn’t going to. Usually Jin would've scolded him for being so mean but chose not to in the end.

“Yoongi is a little shy. I’m sorry, Hoseok.”

“That’s okay!” Hoseok exclaimed. With another smile, Jin closed the back door and entered the passenger seat. Despite seeing that the boy obviously didn’t want to be bothered, Namjoon introduced himself to Yoongi.

“Hey, Yoongi. I’m Namjoon. It’s so nice to meet you.” Namjoon had put on his friendliest smile as he turned to look at Yoongi.

“...Hi.” It was only a whisper, but it wasn’t something and it made Namjoon feel quite accomplished. Pulling off down the road, Hoseok had immediately filled the car with conversation. Seokjin and Namjoon always responded with over exaggerated responses and noises because it always made Hoseok burst into a fit of loud giggles as he kicked around in his little booster seat. The boy was full of extra energy.

However, it wasn’t only to make Hoseok laugh. Namjoon and Seokjin noticed that whenever Hoseok laughed, adding his own little over dramatic flare to it, they would hear Yoongi laughing at Hoseok’s reaction. He would try to be quiet about it but sometimes he couldn't hide his amusement.

“We’re here, sweethearts,” Seokjin called, quickly undoing his seatbelt and turning to look back at the two little boys who were wearing two opposite expressions. Hoseok looked absolutely terrified while Yoongi looked incredibly excited for the day. When Namjoon opened the door to get Hoseok from the seat, Seokjin wasn’t sure if Hoseok was going to throw up or not. It was fair to say that Yoongi and Hoseok were polar opposites.

Seokjin followed Namjoon’s actions and moved to take Yoongi out of his seatbelt and set him on the ground.

“What’s wrong with Hoseok, Appa? Is he sick?” Yoongi pouted.

“I think Hoseok is afraid of animals, sweetheart,” Seokjin explained, patting his little head twice. “I’m not sure why his daddy let him come here anyway.” That comment was more for Seokjin himself and not Yoongi, but oh well.

“Can I go give him a hug?”

“Of course you can. But make sure you ask first.” Yoongi was running towards Namjoon who was cradling a worried Hoseok against his chest before Jin even finished what he was saying.

“Namjoon, can I give Hoseok a hug?”

Namjoon threw a surprised look Jin’s way. “Only if Hoseokkie wants a hug. You want Yoongi to hug you, Hobi?”

Raising his head from Namjoon’s neck and rubbing at his reddened eyes, Hobi looked down at Yoongi. “Yes, please.”

Namjoon didn’t hesitate to let the boy down and as soon as his feet hit the ground, Yoongi pulled him into his arms. Even though Yoongi was about to be five, he was small for his age. Hoseok was about the same height and probably weighed the same amount as Yoongi. Maybe even more. Seokjin made a mental note to take Yoongi to a pediatrician soon.

Namjoon moved to stand next to Seokjin, both smiling fondly as they watched the two interact. “You don’t have to be scared. When Appa takes me here, the animals are always nice to me.” Hoseok only sniffled a few more times in response to Yoongi’s assurance, on the verge of fully sobbing. “Don’t cry!” Yoongi hugged Hoseok again but tighter this time.

“Okay. But you have to stay close to me. Promise.” Hoseok said.

“I promise.” Yoongi grabbed Hoseok’s hand. “Let’s go Appa and Namjoon. The animals are waiting for us.”

Yoongi and Hoseok rushed ahead to the booth with Namjoon and Seokjin just a few steps behind them. “I have never seen Yoongi be so nice to anybody. He can be a bit… Yoongi-like,” Seokjin laughed, extracting a loud chuckle from Namjoon.

“Hoseok’s a sweetheart. He has those charms on people,” Namjoon said as they walked up to the ticket booth where a woman was tapping away at her phone. Noticing Hoseok and Yoongi’s presence, she stood and smiled brightly. Either this woman loved her job more than anything or she was just really good at feigning happiness and excitement. Maybe she had children of her own.

“Welcome!”

“Hello! Two adults and two children please,” Seokjin smiled, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. “You can pay for the ice cream,” Seokjin said before Namjoon could protest about paying.

Namjoon had indeed opened his mouth to do just that but proceeded to slowly shut it along with a childish pout when Seokjin cut him off. Jin handed the card to the woman. As she returned the card and handed four wristbands to Jin, she gave a questioning look at the kids then at Namjoon and Seokjin.

“Is there a problem?” Seokjin asked a bit too harshly. He would’ve apologized for his aggressiveness but he simply didn’t like the way she was looking at them as if they were something akin to foul smelling garbage.

“No… I was just wondering if they were you guys’ sons.” Seokjin wanted to exclaim ‘Yes!” just to spite her but he didn’t. He didn’t want to make that decision without Namjoon.

“N-no.”

Jin was horrible at lying.

“I didn’t mean to offend you, sir. I just wanted to say that you had a very beautiful family… Hopefully, one day, Korea can recognize how beautiful it is. Two mothers. Two fathers. It doesn’t really matter. It’s still a family...”

Seokjin definitely was ready to apologize now. “T-thank you.” Seokjin bowed quickly in gratitude and as an apology. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

“No need to thank me. Have a good day,” the woman waved as they made their way into the zoo after Seokjin and Namjoon wrapped the paper bands around the kids’ wrists.

“Did she have something nasty to say because she thought we were gay dads somehow corrupting our kids or some like that?” Namjoon uttered quietly so Hoseok and Yoongi who were chattering away didn’t hear his profanity.

“No,” Seokjin sighed, grabbing Namjoon’s hand and interlocking their fingers. Namjoon was obviously shocked by the gesture, flinching as if Jin’s hand had burned him. “She was supporting us.” Jin bought Namjoon’s hand up to his lips to kiss it softly.

“Y-you sure you w-want to hold hands here?” Namjoon sputtered. “There’s a lot of people around. We can’t forget we’re in Korea, love.”

Seokjin chuckled and let go of Namjoon’s hand. “I know, sweetheart. I just wanted to hold your hand for a bit.”

“Daddy!”

“Appa!”

The sound of Yoongi and Hoseok yelling scared both Namjoon and Seokjin, wondering if something had happened in the five seconds they had taken their eyes off of them. Seokjin learned the hard way that children only need about two seconds to do something they weren’t supposed to do. But when they found the two snickering under their breaths, they relaxed.

“Sorry,” Hoseok smiled innocently. “But I wanted you to see the elephants.”

“I see them! So big, right?” Namjoon quipped.

“Mhmm!” Yoongi agreed, grabbing Namjoon’s finger to pull him closer to the gates. “Let’s get closer.”

Hoseok didn’t follow, instead he stayed a fair distance away from the gates with Seokjin. Understanding the boy’s fear, Seokjin held out his palm. Hoseok hesitantly took Jin’s finger and looked up at the elephants.

“They’re so big, Jinnie. They might step on Daddy and Yoongi,” Hoseok said in a soft voice.

“They are really big but I’m sure they won’t hurt Daddy and Yoongi. They’re all behind the gates so they won’t hurt anyone.” To take his mind away from his fears, Seokjin simply kneeled down and whispered, “Can you tell me what color it is?”

“Grey,” Hoseok chuckled as if that was the easiest question he’d ever been asked.

“That’s right! You’re so smart, Hoseokkie.”

 

It took them about two hours to get through the entire zoo. Of course, there were questioning looks at the four of them, more often than not, the looks were definitely of disgust. But Seokjin and Namjoon did their best to focus on Hoseok and Yoongi and nothing more.

They all had not one but two ice cream cones because Hoseok was brave enough to pet the little animals in the petting zoo and Namjoon felt he deserved a reward. Yoongi laughed at Hoseok’s fear the entire time but stayed by the younger’s side just as he promised.

“Okay! The last thing is the snake exhibit. You wanna see the snakes?” Namjoon gasped, folding the little map of the zoo away. Yoongi was already bouncing on his toes while Hoseok stood there expressionless, not giving any verbal response.

“Hoseok, do you want to skip this part?” Namjoon questioned, kneeling down to his height.

“But Yoongi really wants to go… I hate snake.”

“That’s okay,” Seokjin reassured. Me and you can just stand towards the back so we can just look.” Namjoon mouthed his thanks to Seokjin who only waved it off. Namjoon liked snakes and Jin knew this, so of course he’d stay back with Hobi.

“Okay.”

Five minutes later, Hoseok was on the verge of tears, begging for Yoongi and Namjoon not to go touch the snake one of the employees were holding towards the front of the exhibit, afraid that they would get eaten. “They won’t get eaten, Hoseokkie. The snake is so small and friendly.”

“I-I w-want m-my-” Hoseok hiccuped. Without even finishing his sentence, Hoseok began to sob loudly, catching the attention  other parents and children around them.

“Come on, Hobi, let’s go outside and wait for them.” Seokjin tried to pull Hoseok along but he jerked away. He knew it wasn’t personal and that Hoseok was just scared, but it hurt Seokjin. Yoongi had never refused his comfort before.

“I want my Daddy! I want my Daddy!” Hoseok balled his little fists in anger.  

“He should be coming back, love.” Looking around, Jin was relieved to see Namjoon and Yoongi both rushing to the two of them. Of course, Namjoon recognized his own son’s crying and was rushing to put to soothe his sunshine.

“I’m right here, sweetheart. I’m right here.” Namjoon pushed through a few more parents with Yoongi hauled up on his hip, rushing to get to them. He set Yoongi on his feet and pulled Hoseok into his chest instead. “I’m sorry I scared you. Daddy is so sorry. I’m here, and I’ll never leave you alone, alright, Sunshine.”

“How was the snake?” Seokjin asked Yoongi, running his fingers through Yoongi’s messy hair letting Namjoon calm a distraught Hobi.

“Smooth,” Yoongi simply said.. They both nodded.

“Let’s get home, yeah?” Namjoon suggested once he calmed Hoseok down, the latter clinging to his leg.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

 

Checking the time, Seokjin noted that it was around six o’clock and they should probably eat dinner. “Joonie, we should get the kids something to eat. They’re probably starving,” Seokjin sighed, turning to look at Namjoon.

“I have leftover bibimbap at my house that a friend made for me. I’m sure there’s enough for all of us to have some,” Namjoon shrugged, his eyes staying on the road.

“Are you sure a friend made it? You know you at cooking.”

Namjoon gasped in mock hurt. “The lack of faith you have in me is so hurtful.”

“Answer the question,” Seokjin chuckled.

“Yes, a friend actually made it and it’s very delicious, mind you.”

“Okay. Do you guys want some bibimbap?” Seokjin called to the two kids in the back seat.. Hoseok and Yoongi’s little conversation halted abruptly at the mentioning of food.

“I want some,” Yoongi said. “Please.”

“We had bibimbap yesterday, Daddy,” Hoseok complained with a high pitched whine.

“Well we’re gonna have it again today,” Namjoon dismissed, turning a corner into a neighborhood. Hoseok grimaced, kicking at the back of Namjoon’s seat.

“What’d I tell you about being picky?”

Hoseok frowned even harder. Seokjin worried his lip in fear that the boy might cry.  That was the last thing he wanted.

“You said don’t do it,” Hoseok grumbled.

“Okay then that means don’t do it.”

The car was silent for a moment, the tension from Hoseok’s light scolding still lingering in the atmosphere. Despite not being good at comfort or emotions in general, or so Seokjin thought, Yoongi whispered, “Hobi. Appa packed some cookies in the my bag. We can eat it before we eat the bibimbap. So you’ll have bibimbap and cookies today.”

The two whispered in the backseat as if Namjoon and Seokjin couldn’t hear them. In his peripheral, he watched Namjoon smirk, glancing at the rearview mirror a few times to look at Yoongi and Hoseok as they both pretended not to hear the two. Seokjin smiled.

The hushed conversation between the two lasted until Namjoon pulled up in front of his house. “Where are we, Appa?” Yoongi questioned, his voice low in anxiousness.

“We’re at Hoseok and Namjoon’s house.”

“Really?! Are we having a sleepover?”

“Sleepover! Really, Daddy? We’re having a sleepover?” Hoseok followed after with his own loud shout of excitement. Seokjin turned to look at Namjoon who was laughing under his breath, obviously not wanting to burst Hoseok and Yoongi’s bubble.

“Hoseok has a bunk bed. Yoongi could sleep there,” Namjoon offered.

“Why does he have a bunk bed?”

“I lost a game of rock, paper, scissors while he was picking a bed a few months ago,” Namjoon uttered. “I was going to get him a toddler bed but he beat me so he got the bunk bed.” With a roll of his eyes, Seokjin unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the car door. “It looks like we are having a sleepover actually.”

Two bowls of bibimbap, one spilled cup of milk, and five chocolate chip cookies later, Hoseok and Yoongi were passed out in the bottom bunk of Hoseok’s bed. Namjoon and Seokjin did the work of cleaning up the kitchen and washing the few dishes that they used froom dinner.

Now the two were relaxing in a bubble bath, Seokjin’s back pressed against Namjoon’s firm chest as they unwinded from the day’s events. It was exhausting but Seokjin wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Honey?”

“Yes, Joonie?”

“How’d you get Yoongi? Is he your actual child?”

Seokjin exhaled deeply and almost cried instantly while reminiscing on when he first had gotten the boy at just the ripe age of one. He shifted around a bit, uncomfortable with the topic. Feeling Jin’s body tense, Namjoon pressed his lips into Seokjin’s wet hair to calm him. “You don’t have to talk about it if you’re uncomfortable with it.”

“No, I’m fine…” Seokjin said quickly, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. “Yoongi isn’t my child actually. During my freshman year, a friend of mine got pregnant from a one night stand she had. I never knew where the father was and never really asked either. But because we cared about her, our friend group were always open to helping out. We went to the grocery for her, babysat him while she went to class, and even gave her money when she needed it most. But during the second year of college… She disappeared. I hadn’t heard from her for about three days so I went to her apartment… I had a key to her apartment fortunately. When I opened the door, it was quiet and clean almost as if no one had lived there in the first place. I called for her, wondering where the hell she could be. When I went into her room… Namjoon… Yoongi was in there all alone in his crib.”

The constant breaking and cracking of his voice let Namjoon know that Seokjin was crying. He held him tighter and ran his hand down Seokjin’s right arm to grab his hand that was submerged in the water. “It’s okay.”

Jin shook his head. That wasn’t okay and it never was going to be okay. If Seokjin hadn’t been given a key or if he hadn’t decided to go check up on her in person… Who knows what could’ve happened to Yoongi? The thought was too much to bear, a surging pain throbbed in his heart.

“No… It wasn’t. I don’t know how long he had been in there. He looked so miserable. So sad. So neglected. And even for a one year old, Yoongi knew that something was wrong… Someone wasn’t there to give him love… and he was stuck in that prison of a crib. After that, I took him home with me. My mom was so against me keeping him, saying I should give him up for adoption instead so I can finish my college education. But… I refused. I did all I could to care for Yoongi after that. Sunmi showed up about a month later but only signed all her parental rights over to me before leaving again. I don’t know where she is and honestly… I don’t care. Because if I were to see her again, I would… I don’t even know.”

Seokjin seemed to sink even further into the lukewarm water as he exhaled again.

“I’m sorry, Jinnie. That had to be frustrating and emotionally draining.”

“It was.”

It was quiet again for a few moments. “How’d you get Hoseok?”

Namjoon chuckled, a hint of bitterness laced through it. The mere thought of what happened three years ago just made Namjoon want to punch something. “He’s mine actually. I had a girlfriend during my second year and something was off with her birth control and she ended up getting pregnant. Of course I was scared. I wanted my degree more than anything in the world. But I was determined to give Hoseok the best life I could. I fell in love with him the first time I held him. I thought everything was going fine… But when Hoseok was about one year old, she had sent me a text message while I was in class. She said that she needed me to get home as fast as possible. That it was an emergency.”

Namjoon stopped. Seokjin maneuvered to sit up, turn around, and look at Namjoon, instantly assuming the worst. Did his past girlfriend die?

It hurt him to see his boyfriend this way. His eyebrows knitted tight and his jaw clenched in anger. Seokjin moved around slowly in the water, careful not to spill any onto the floor, so he could straddle Namjoon's waist and hold his face in his hands. “What happened to her, Joonie?” Seokjin could tell that Namjoon had been burying what happened under so many other things and chose not to think about it. In this year that they’ve known each other, Seokjin knew that Namjoon did this quite often. Burying his worries until they chew at his heart to the point it’s unbearable.

“I… I got up in the middle of class and…” Namjoon suddenly scoffed. “Actually, we were in that Buddhism class… I rushed out of the class as soon as I got that text, hoping that nothing happened to my boy or her.”

Seokjin tensed a bit at the mentioning of that. He remembered that day. Namjoon usually sat towards the back of class. One day, mid lecture, Seokjin remembered Namjoon almost knocking over his entire desk trying to gather his things I get out of the class. The professor wore an expression that was a mix of worry and irritation from being interrupted. ‘Emergency!’ was the only explanation Namjoon offered before bursting out of the door.

“I got to our apartment and there was nothing but Hoseok playing on the floor and a note on the dining room table. It was some stupid sob story about how she couldn’t do it anymore and was truly unhappy with me and Hoseok. What angered me so much was the fact that I was also unhappy and overwhelmed but I cared too much about Hoseok to worry about my feelings. I didn’t hear from her again after that. All I know is that ever since she left, an envelope of cash has appeared in the mailbox every month. I don’t deny the fact that I need the extra money to take care of Hoseok… but what I truly needed was for her to be here and be a mother more than I need that stupid money.”

Seokjin felt Namjoon’s fingers curl into tight fists against his thighs. He held Namjoon’s face a little tighter and brought his lips closer to his so their lips were just barely brushing each other. Jin didn’t know what to say so he just pressed a soft, open mouthed kiss to his lips. While the kiss deepened and gradually turned a bit heated, the softness never left the kiss.

“I love you so, so much, Joonie bear.”

“I love you more, Jinnie bug,” Namjoon kissed Jin once more. “Now I think we should get to bed. We had a long day.”