Chapter Text
Namjoon glanced in the rear-view mirror as his car parked itself in front of his son’s school.
Taehyung bounced up and down in his carseat, babbling excitedly about all of his artwork and posters and playtime and friends and the T-rex he drew and made it both purple and blue…
“Tae, settle down please,” Namjoon said calmly. He unbuckled his seatbelt and turned off the car before getting out to help his son break free of his seatbelt prison.
“But daddy!” whined Taehyung. “You can meet Ms. Lee and all my friends!” He wiggled and bounced and kicked his legs back and forth, not making it easy for Namjoon to unbuckle him.
Namjoon often wondered if there was caffeine running through his five-year-old son’s veins instead of blood. Had he been older, Namjoon would’ve had Taehyung drug tested.
As he lifted him out of the car, Taehyung squirmed so hard that Namjoon dropped him onto his feet on the pavement. Taehyung fell to the ground, but it didn’t phase him - he shot up to his feet and took off running towards the small blue and white building that housed his kindergarten classroom.
“Taehyung!” shouted Namjoon as he slammed the car door shut and ran after his son. “Kim Taehyung, get back here or or I swear I’ll…”
But it was too little, too late. Taehyung was already through the doors, and Namjoon knew his attempt to chase him down would be futile. He stopped running and adjusted his glasses, walking the rest of the way.
It was parent-teacher night at Taehyung’s school. He was a month into his very first year of kindergarten, and the teacher had invited all the parents to come in and see what their children worked on during the day. It also gave them the opportunity to ask the teacher questions, raise any concerns, and meet the other parents.
Honestly, Namjoon might have ridiculed the idea of attending a parent-teacher night before, but after dropping Taehyung off for his first day of school only a month ago, and having his heart broken every day since, he was grateful for the chance to get to know more about this part of his son’s life.
Taehyung was Namjoon’s entire world, sun, moon and stars. As a single dad, he devoted his entire life to making sure his boy was well-adjusted and happy. And smart, who was he kidding. He wanted a smart son. So meeting Taehyung’s first teacher was more important to Namjoon than anything.
He walked through the classroom door and the room was full of children running around and adults trying to tame them. Colourful artwork adorned the walls and the miniature desks were adorable. One wall housed an enormous state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diode screen.
He spotted Taehyung, already stripped of his jacket and shoes, wrapping his arms around a little boy with jet-black hair that Namjoon didn’t recognize.
Namjoon searched the crowd of adults for one or two familiar faces - specifically, his friends Yoongi and Hoseok, whose son Jimin was in this class. He didn’t see them, so he made his way over to Taehyung.
“DAD!” shouted Taehyung as soon as he spotted Namjoon.
“Taehyung, you shouldn’t have ran away. We’ve talked about you staying close to dad before. Right?” he said sternly, but kindly. He didn’t want to seriously reprimand his kid in public.
Taehyung’s face fell. “Right… sorry daddy. I was excited to see Kookie and Chimmy.”
“Oh, is this Kookie then?” Namjoon had heard Taehyung mention the boy before. The little boy was a cutie, with enormous round eyes giving him a very innocent appearance. It was a stark contrast to the feline-like features and huge boxy smile of his own son.
“Jungkook,” said a man standing on the other side of the boys. Namjoon hadn’t noticed the other man before and he turned to look at him.
He was tall and broad shouldered, and his face was, well, perfect. There was no other word to describe it. Soft brown hair fell over his forehead and he had the biggest lips Namjoon had ever seen.
Also, Namjoon had fucked this man six ways from Sunday a little more than month ago.
The both froze as they recognized each other.
Namjoon was immediately transported back to the modern, white hotel room, faint sunlight streaming through the windows illuminating the sweat beading down the omega’s back. The gasps and moans he made as Namjoon pounded into him from behind. The floral scent of his slick...
He quickly shook his head and regained his composure. “Hello, Jungkook,” he said, crouching on his knees. “I’m Taehyung’s dad, Namjoon.” He held out a hand and the boy smiled shyly and shook it. His handshake was so proper for a little guy and it made Namjoon chuckle.
He stood back up and looked over at Jungkook’s dad, unsure of what to do next. But the other man made the decision for him.
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Jungkook’s father, Kim Seokjin. Pleased to meet you.”
Oh, so they were playing the “I-don’t-remember-railing-you-for-five-days-straight” game.
“Kim Namjoon, and this is my son Taehyung.” They shook hands quickly.
Seokjin chuckled kindly. “I’ve just met Taehyung here. Feisty little one, isn’t he?”
“You have no idea,” bemoaned Namjoon. He ruffled Taehyung’s messy brown hair affectionately. “Five-year-olds can be a handful, but I’m sure you know that.”
Seokjin scrunched his nose. “Actually, Jungkook has always been fairly quiet. He’s a shy boy. But since starting school, I’ve noticed him coming out of his shell more. I can’t help but wonder…”
He didn’t need to finish his sentence. Obviously Taehyung was having quite the effect on his new friend.
Taehyung released Jungkook from his grip and latched onto Namjoon’s leg, nearly pulling his pants down. Namjoon had to hold them up before Taehyung tugged them off completely.
“Daddy come see my drawings!” he shouted. “I drewed the T-rex and, and put the red sparkles on it because it breathes fire!”
Namjoon followed Taehyung to a wall on the room where, sure enough, one of the drawings hung there was a blue and purple blob with red sparkles erupting from one side.
“Oh, wow, very nice Tae,” cooed Namjoon. “But why is the T-rex breathing fire? Isn’t that dragons?”
“No,” said Taehyung firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. “My T-rex blows fire ‘cause he’s an alpha. He’s not a dragon. That’s stupid.”
“Hey,” warned Namjoon, raising his eyebrows. “We don’t use that word, remember?”
Taehyung pouted and mumbled an apology under his breath before tugging Namjoon along the wall, pointing out his other drawings.
The kindergarten teacher Ms. Lee came up to them and introduced herself to Namjoon. They chatted for a while about Taehyung’s progress in class and the projects he was working on. She did mention that Taehyung was excitable and easily distracted, but that wasn’t news to Namjoon.
A little body suddenly body-checked into Taehyung and they toppled to the ground. Namjoon recognized the other little boy immediately.
“Chimmy!” shrieked Taehyung, wrapping his arms around his best friend like they hadn’t just seen each other earlier that day.
“Taetae!” shouted Jimin just as loud, and they rolled around together on the floor. Taehyung started sniffing behind Jimin’s ear and dragging his nose along the boy’s throat, and Jimin threw his head back and giggled happily.
“Boys, no scenting in public,” hissed Hoseok, bending down to hoist Jimin to his feet. “Sorry, Joon.”
Namjoon chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. “Please. It’s weird when they don’t scent each other nowadays. Don’t worry about it.”
“Hi Uncle Joonie!” said Jimin excitedly, running forward to hug Namjoon’s legs. Taehyung screeched when he saw Hoseok and Yoongi and ran forward to give both of his uncles hugs as well.
Even though Namjoon had been friends with Yoongi the longest - since college - he couldn’t remember a time when Hoseok wasn’t in his life. Yoongi had met the omega on the dating app MateMatch and the two hit it off so well that they were bonded and pregnant less than a year later.
Coincidentally, it was also around that time that Namjoon impregnated his own mate. They felt it was fate for them to bring their pups into the world at the same time. So the two little ones, Taehyung and Jimin, had been best friends since birth.
“How are you guys doing?” Namjoon asked as the boys let go of them and ran off together.
“Fine, fine,” said Yoongi, distractedly. “Jimin had a meltdown on the way over, so of course, we’re late.”
Namjoon suddenly noticed how tired they both looked and gave a sympathetic look. “I know that feeling, Yoongs.” He squeezed Yoongi’s shoulder reassuringly and smiled.
Taehyung and Jimin ran back up to the three men, each holding one of Jungkook’s hands, dragging him along between them.
“Daddy!” shouted Taehyung at the same time Jimin yelled “Appa! Daddy!”
“Yes?” all three men replied at the same time, and then looked at each other, confused.
“Can Kookie come over for a sleepover this weekend?” asked Taehyung. “And Chimmy too?”
“Pleeeaaasssee?” cried Jimin, staring up at Hoseok with big puppy eyes.
Namjoon and Hoseok chuckled. “Does Kookie want to come over for a sleepover, or are you two deciding for him?” asked Hoseok.
Jimin and Taehyung shook their heads and Jungkook blushed and ducked his head down.
Namjoon got to his knees so he could look at Jungkook on his level. “Jungkook, would you like to have a sleepover with Taehyung and Jimin?”
Jungkook looked up and, without speaking, quickly nodded his head and smiled.
“Well then, we should probably check with your dad -”
Seokjin walked up then, searching for his recently abducted son. He knelt down beside Namjoon to speak to the boys.
“What’s this about a sleepover?” he asked playfully, tilting his head. He looked at the three little boys still holding hands.
“Daddy,” said Jungkook quietly, looking at his feet. “Can I please sleep over at Tae’s house?”
“Of course, puppy. If that’s okay?” He looked over at Namjoon, and received a quick nod in response.
Seokjin, Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi quickly made plans for the boys to sleep over on Friday night. Namjoon would pick all three of them up after school and they’d stay for dinner, and then get picked up the next day at eleven in the morning.
Seokjin exchanged numbers with the three other dads so they could all stay in touch, and thanked them for their kindness before ushering Jungkook away, much to the dismay of Taehyung and Jimin.
Namjoon carried a suddenly-too-tired-to-walk Taehyung out of the school and the Min family left with them, Jimin pulling on Yoongi’s sleeve asking to be carried too.
Yoongi sighed but eventually relented, bending over so Jimin could hop on his back. He snuggled his face into his dad’s neck as soon as he was up.
“Okay, I’ll see you guys on Saturday morning then,” said Namjoon. “Call me later, Yoongs.”
Yoongi and Hoseok said goodbye and headed to their car. Namjoon carefully opened the back door and placed Taehyung into his car seat as if he were the most precious treasure in the universe.
He swept Taehyung’s bangs to the side and kissed his forehead. He was so proud of his little boy for everything he did and everything he was. Even without his other father in the picture, he was growing up to have quite the personality. He seemed so happy, and Namjoon wanted nothing more for him than that.
As much as he tried, Namjoon couldn’t help the niggling voice in the back of his mind, asking how much happier Taehyung could be with another parent. He tried to dismiss the thought as he drove them home, instead focusing on fun games to play at the upcoming sleepover.
—
Namjoon arrived at the school on Friday afternoon, mentally and physically steeling himself. When he’d agreed to the sleepover, he forgot that it meant taking care of three rambunctious five-year-olds all on his own for twenty hours straight.
He could do it. He was strong. He was an alpha, for god’s sake. He could handle three little pups.
And then he saw them running towards him and he regretted every life choice he’d made up until that point.
“Daddy!” screamed Taehyung, running at full speed towards Namjoon, his too-large backpack bouncing hilariously on his back. Hot on his heels were Jimin with a similarly-sized backpack, and Jungkook who, in addition to his bag, was also holding a pillow.
All three boys pounced on Namjoon as soon as they got close enough, knocking him backwards into his black Tesla. He groaned as Taehyung hung onto his waist and Jimin and Jungkook each took a leg.
“Guys, please, get off,” wheezed Namjoon. “I’m happy to see you but I can’t breathe.”
Taehyung giggled and dropped to the ground and the other two laughed and let go of his legs. Namjoon gulped some air and steadied himself.
“Okay, let’s try this again. Hi, guys! How was school today?” asked Namjoon enthusiastically.
All three began to chatter overtop of each other and Namjoon couldn’t make any of it out. He just nodded along, repeating words here and there, pretending like he knew at all what the kids were saying.
“Why don’t you tell me the rest at home? Let’s get in the car now, all of you,” Namjoon said, opening the car door.
Hoseok and Yoongi had dropped off both of Jimin’s car seats the day before so Namjoon would have three whilst looking after the boys. He placed Taehyung in the middle so he could watch him the easiest, and Jimin on the far side and Jungkook directly behind him. He strapped them all in, double-checking the belts, and finally climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Driver’s seat” was a bit of a misnomer nowadays, since cars drove themselves. But having a human operator at the steering wheel was still essential to prevent accidents. The technology had advanced exponentially over the past hundred years and nearly everyone drove autonomous vehicles nowadays. There was still a slight margin of error though, thus the car seats and seat belts and driver’s seat.
Namjoon pressed the “On” button and selected the “Home” icon on the dashboard GPS. The car started up and began to move.
“So, Jimin, tell me what you guys did in school today,” said Namjoon, looking back at them through the mirror.
Jimin looked up and thought hard. “Um, we had story time and art time, and also music class!”
“Oh, you had music class?”
“Yeah!” exclaimed Jimin. “We played on the um… xymalaphones.”
“Xylophones? Wow, that’s a big word! Was it fun?”
“Yeah!” the three boys cheered in unison, and Namjoon grinned widely. They talked the entire ten-minute trip back to Namjoon’s condo, where he made the boys bring their own bags inside.
When they got home, Namjoon fed them a quick snack of almond butter, apples and juice before bringing out the foam mattresses and sheets and blankets he’d collected the night before. They were going to build a blanket fort in the living room for their sleepover.
Even though it would be a hassle, and a huge mess, and take up the entire living room, the blanket fort also provided a very necessary distraction for the three kindergarteners. It kept them busy and, as Namjoon thought hopefully, maybe provided some real-life skills. For building, constructing, problem-solving. Maybe Taehyung would become an architect or engineer one day if he built enough blanket forts.
The kids settled into their blanket fort that only took two hours to build and Namjoon snuck away to sit on the unclaimed living room armchair, watching over their play but not interfering.
A text message popped up in the bottom-left corner of his glasses. He tapped on the arm next his ear to read the entire thing. It was from Seokjin asking how everything was going. Namjoon half-chuckled and half-rolled his eyes. On one hand, he was slightly offended that Seokjin was checking up on him. On the other, he admired the other man’s restraint for waiting this long to text.
He pulled out his phone to type a reply, letting the other dad know that Jungkook was having a blast and that they were playing happily in the blanket fort. He snapped a quick picture of the scene and sent it along with the message.
Seokjin responded right away, thanking Namjoon and saying he’d call before bedtime to say goodnight to his son. Namjoon smiled. He seemed like a really good dad.
He thought about Seokjin, and what he knew about the other man. When they’d been assigned to each other by Lunaphase last month, Namjoon knew nothing about him other than his basic stats: Omega, 30 years old, works in health care, 179 cm, 62 kg, floral (rose) scent. Namjoon had no idea that he had a son who would soon join his own in the same kindergarten class.
That might have been useful information to know, thought Namjoon. He considered writing the company a letter to voice his concerns.
He started scrolling through his emails while keeping one ear out for the boys, who were laughing and talking in the room-sized fort.
“Wanna play a game?” Taehyung asked Jungkook, who nodded. They sat in a circle, giggling and laughing with each other.
“A card game?” asked Jimin hopefully. He loved Go Fish. He always won when he played with his daddies.
“No! Let’s play house!” said Taehyung. “I’ll be the daddy and Kookie can be the mommy.” He smiled brightly and got up to his knees.
“I wanna be the daddy!” whined Jungkook. “I’m stronger than you!”
“Nuh-uh,” said Taehyung. “I’m the daddy and you have to do what I say!”
“What am I?” asked Jimin, tugging on Taehyung’s shirt.
“You can be the baby,” said Taehyung.
“What?” shouted Jimin. His eyes immediately began to water. “I don’t wanna be the baby!”
“Someone has to be the baby or we can’t play house!” reasoned Taehyung, patting Jimin’s shoulder. But it didn’t placate the chubby-cheeked boy. His chin wobbled and tears threatened to leak from his eyes.
“But… but babies don’t do nothing,” whined Jimin. “They aren’t daddies. What do I even do?” He was becoming distressed, and his scent started to change. Jungkook suddenly squinted his eyes and sniffed the air.
“Wha… where is… chocolate?” Jungkook wondered out loud, sniffing noisily. He shuffled closer to the source of the scent - Jimin.
Jungkook tucked his little head under Jimin’s jaw and sniffed him loudly. He inhaled deeply, and exhaled again, repeating the action many times.
Taehyung giggled and shuffled closer towards Jimin. “I’m sorry Jiminie. I didn’t mean to make you sad,” he said with a frown. When Jimin smelled like chocolate it was because he was upset.
Even though Taehyung hated seeing Jimin cry, he “accidentally” provoked him sometimes because he smelled so good. This may or may not have been one of those times.
Taehyung ducked his head into the other side of Jimin’s neck and sniffed. “Mmm... yummy.”
“Like candy bars,” agreed Jungkook. They nosed at Jimin’s neck, who immediately calmed down from the act of being scented. His shoulders slumped and he fell onto his back, laughing, and Taehyung and Jungkook knelt down to continue rubbing their noses under his jaw, inhaling the delicious smell of their favourite treat.
The sheet at the entrance to the fort whipped open and Namjoon’s head appeared. “What’s going on in here? Jimin, are you okay buddy?” The scent had permeated the living room, and Namjoon knew something was wrong.
He saw Taehyung and Jungkook nosing at Jimin, who was laying on his back giggling, and he rolled his eyes. Scenting between non-partners was taboo; the intimate act was usually reserved for mates and parents/children within the privacy of their own homes.
But little kids scenting each other in apology was harmless, he thought. Not to mention Jimin and Taehyung had been scenting each other since they were babies, so it was just normal behaviour for them.
“Dinner’s ready in ten minutes, so go wash your hands and we’ll eat at the kitchen table,” Namjoon ordered. Taehyung and Jungkook popped their heads up, grinning widely. The three of them scrambled up and raced for the washroom, and Namjoon prayed that they would behave themselves during the meal.
Whoever he prayed to must have been listening. For the most part, at least. Jimin and Jungkook were absolutely angels during the meal. They were polite and ate all their food without spilling it everywhere.
The same could not be said for Taehyung.
Whether it was his excitement about the sleepover, or it being the weekend, or his enjoyment of the food, Namjoon didn’t know. What he did know was that half of Taehyung’s plate of spaghetti ended up on the ceiling.
After dinner, Namjoon sent the kids back into the fort and grabbed the mop, considering how to hold it upside down without dripping water and sauce all over his head.
It was going to be a long night.
—
Seokjin made his way over to Namjoon’s condo the next morning to pick up his son. Jungkook seemed fine when they spoke on the phone last night, but of course Seokjin had barely slept a wink, his mind racing at the thought of Jungkook not being at home safe in his own bed.
He looked at the clock on the dashboard and cursed internally to himself. It was only 10:30. He was going to show up half an hour early. Shit.
He didn’t want to take Jungkook away from his sleepover too early. It was important for his son to make friends. He’d been so shy up until only a week or so ago. And when Seokjin had met his new little school friends, his heart nearly exploded with relief.
But of course, there was the whole issue of Namjoon. The odds they would run into each other were astronomically small, yet here they were.
Of all the heat partners that Seokjin had been assigned - three a year for twelve years, so thirty-six partners total - and with the population of Korea more than 35 million*, the chances he’d run into him was literally one in a million.
And yet. Here he was.
The memories of their five days cooped up together in the Lunaphase hotel were a blur, mind you, but they were still so fresh. He hadn’t been able to sit without wincing for a week afterwards. He was so full of Namjoon’s cum by the fifth day that he looked pregnant. Namjoon had been one of the most spectacular heat partners Seokjin had ever been matched with.
He sighed. And yet here he fucking was. Back in his life. This wasn’t supposed to happen. You were assigned a new partner each cycle, unless you both chose to continue with someone. And if you didn’t, you were never supposed to see them again.
Seokjin pulled up to Namjoon’s condo and the petulant thoughts disappeared from his mind as the prospect of seeing his baby boy again immediately put a smile on his face.
Half an hour early. Maybe he could stay and chat for a while. It would take them a while to drag Jungkook away anyways. He got out of the car and walked up to the door, ringing the doorbell.
A screech of little voices erupted from inside the house and Namjoon opened the door a minute later. He was covered in flour and a sticky beige substance, and looked absolutely haggard.
“Oh, hey Seokjin. You’re early. Come in,” he said, stepping aside. “We were just attempting to make pancakes.”
“Attempting?” said Seokjin and then he smelled it - the unmistakable scent of burning food. He held back a laugh and smiled, and took off his shoes and coat. Namjoon looked at him wearily.
“I’ll help you,” chuckled Seokjin, following Namjoon towards the kitchen. When he stepped inside, he saw his son sitting at the kitchen table watching Taehyung stir pancake mix in a large bowl while Jimin poured orange juice all over the table.
Jungkook noticed his dad and shouted loudly at him. “Daddy!” he got up and ran over, hugging Seokjin tight. They greeted each other warmly and Seokjin peppered kisses all over Jungkook’s little face, making him blush and try to push away, embarrassed.
“So… pancakes,” said Namjoon, gesturing towards the chaos of the kitchen. There was batter everywhere and a stack of black round disks that at one point may have been pancakes.
“I’m cooking the batter!” shouted Taehyung, pounding a wooden spoon into the mixing bowl.
“And I’m pouring juice!” added Jimin. The four plastic glasses in front of him were about a third full of juice, the rest dripping off the table onto the floor.
“Oh dear,” breathed Seokjin. He clapped his hands together once, getting everyone’s attention. “First thing’s first. All little boys have to go wash up before breakfast.”
“But we already…” started Jimin.
“Again, then,” interrupted Seokjin. He pointed towards the stairs. “Now. Last one to the washroom is a rotten egg.”
The three boys stared at him with wide eyes and then they all ran up the stairs, climbing on top of each other to be the first one up.
“Namjoon… wipe off the table please.” Seokjin grabbed the plate of burned pancakes and dumped them in the garbage. Then he grabbed the frying pan and ran water over it, making it hiss and sizzle loudly. “Your pan was way too hot. No wonder they burned.”
Namjoon sighed. “Thanks, Seokjin. You’re a lifesaver.” He quickly cleared the table and Seokjin began to heat up the pan, and put the bowl of batter high on the counter out of reach.
The boys raced back downstairs and sat at the table. Taehyung bounced up and down in his seat.
“Daddy, daddy, I wanna help cook!”
“Me too!” said Jimin, getting up and kneeling on the chair.
“Boys,” said Seokjin. “Please just sit for now. You were all so good for Namjoon that you deserve to play!” He moved over to the table and tapped the LED screen embedded in the table top, lighting it up. “Pick a game on here and the pancakes will be ready soon, okay?”
“Okay, daddy!” said Jungkook. He watched Taehyung navigate the menu options and they settled on a multiplayer puzzle game. They played quietly while Seokjin cooked the pancakes and Namjoon made some iced tea to replace the spilled orange juice.
“I don’t know how you do it…” said Namjoon lowly so only Seokjin could hear. “Those three have been driving me up the wall all morning.”
Seokjin chuckled. “It’s a gift,” he said, flipping a perfect golden-brown pancake onto a plate. “Kids need rules and guidance. But it’s all about how you communicate those rules with them.” He shrugged a bit, like this was just common knowledge.
“Well, in any case, I appreciate it,” said Namjoon. He and Seokjin exchanged small smiles and went back to their individual tasks.
Breakfast passed surprisingly smooth with another adult around to help control the wild pups. Seokjin and Jungkook gave everyone hugs before they left to go home. When Jungkook hugged Namjoon, he furrowed his brow and sniffed lightly.
“Uncle Joon,” he said. “I know your scent.” He ducked his head in a little further than what was appropriate, shoving his nose against Namjoon’s throat. Seokjin squawked and grabbed Jungkook, lifting him up into his arms.
“Kookie, what did we talk about scenting other people?” scolded Seokjin. “You have to ask first!”
Jungkook ducked his head. “Sorry Uncle Joon. But you smell like… I know it. Daddy smelled like pine trees before.”
Seokjin swallowed the lump in his throat. “Lots of people smell like pine trees, puppy. It’s a common alpha scent. Now, grab your pillow and we’ll get going.”
He set Jungkook down on his feet and attempted to steer the conversation in another direction. He gave Jimin a hug, and then Taehyung.
Taehyung mirrored Jungkook’s actions. He tilted his head and squinted his eyes as he thought. He sniffed in and out rapidly, taking in Seokjin’s scent.
“You smell like roses,” breathed Taehyung. “Daddy smelled like roses after he went away for adult time.”
He pulled back and looked back and forth between the two adults. Jimin copied his movements, confused.
“Are you brothers?” gasped Taehyung, holding his hands to his mouth in shock.
Namjoon accidentally snorted, but covered it quickly with a cough.
“Oh my gosh! You’re brothers?” shrieked Jimin. “Taetae, are you and Kookie are brothers too?”
Jungkook returned with his pillow and heard Jimin’s last statement. “What? Me and Taetae are brothers?”
Taehyung ran towards Jungkook and wrapped his arms around him and tried to lift him up. “We’re brothers Kookie! Our daddies are brothers ‘cause they smell like each other!”
Seokjin groaned and rubbed his forehead. Namjoon was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing.
“Guys,” said Seokjin, his patience wearing thin. “Namjoon and I aren’t brothers. We aren’t related, and neither are Tae and Jungkook. Sorry to disappoint you.”
Jungkook and Taehyung whined. “Awwwwwwww.”
Seokjin grabbed Jungkook’s hand. “Time to go, puppy. Bye everyone. Thanks again, Namjoon, for having him over. He had a wonderful time.”
Namjoon nodded and thanked them before walking them out. Yoongi and Hoseok arrived shortly after to pick up Jimin. It took them a few minutes to install the car seat back in their vehicle, but were soon on their way home with their precious little boy.
“How was the sleepover, sweetie?” Hoseok asked, turning around in his seat to face Jimin directly.
“It was good…” said Jimin, but his voice trailed off and Hoseok thought he detected a hint of sadness.
“Yeah? It was good?” he prompted Jimin to continue talking.
“Yeah, it was… good…” Jimin sniffed and Hoseok could see tears start to form in his eyes. Shit. Jimin was so emotional. It was too early in the day for his first meltdown.
Yoongi turned around then too, sensing trouble. “What’s the matter, buddy?”
“I wanna be Taetae’s brother,” he cried, tears finally spilling from his eyes. He sobbed loudly and rubbed his eyes with his little fists.
Hoseok’s face crumbled and he reached back to stroke Jimin’s leg. “Honey, why do you want to be Taetae’s brother? You’re already best friends.”
“Because… because… him and Kookie are brothers,” he sobbed, “but I wanna be his brother too.”
Yoongi and Hoseok turned to look at each other, identical looks of confusion on both their faces. Yoongi turned back towards Jimin.
“Buddy, Tae and Kookie aren’t brothers. Uncle Joonie only has one kid.”
“No!” shrieked Jimin, kicking his legs. “Uncle Joonie and Jungkook’s daddy are brothers so… so… Tae and Kookie are brothers!”
Okay, this was getting weird. Yoongi had no idea what the hell his son was going on about.
“Jimin,” he said firmly, which caught the boy’s attention. “Look at me and listen.”
Jimin looked towards his appa but didn’t stop crying.
“Uncle Joon doesn’t have any brothers. He’s an only child. Jungkook’s dad isn't his brother. Why do you think that?”
Jimin stopped crying and squinted his eyes. His cute little mouth turned down into the biggest frown Hoseok had ever seen and he had to stop himself from cooing.
“They… um… smell like each other. So they gotta be brothers.”
Hoseok did actually chuckle at this. “Jiminie, buddy. Just because people smell like each other doesn’t mean they are related. You and Taetae smell a lot like each other, right? And you’re best friends. You basically are brothers at this point. So don’t be sad, okay?”
Jimin sniffled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay.” He turned his head away to look out the window, letting his dads know he was done talking to them. They both rolled their eyes and turned back around to face the front of the vehicle, not without glancing at each other and raising their eyebrows.
What the heck was that all about ?