Archive of Our Own

At the end of February, Jimin graduated. He was dating Yoongi for three months and one week now, so naturally Jimin had invited him to the ceremony, as well as his parents. Jimin had introduced them to each other, Yoongi nervously squeezing Jimin’s hand while he answered all of the questions Jimin’s parents asked.

Everything went well overall. Both he and Taehyung received their degrees in front of their parents and friends, smiling brightly while proudly holding up their diplomas. Jimin could see his parents in the crowd – his mother was crying and his dad was clearly trying not to laugh at her, instead choosing to hold his big camera up so he could take pictures of Jimin.

After the ceremony, Jimin had dinner with his parents and Yoongi. They went to a nice restaurant in the city centre, famous for their spareribs. They talked over dinner, Yoongi entertaining Jimin’s parents with stories of his own time at university and making Jimin laugh all over again, despite having heard these stories a couple of times already.

They parted with hugs and kisses, promising to come over to Jimin’s parents’ house for dinner soon. His mum had whispered in his ear that Yoongi was a catch and to not let him go, which promptly caused Jimin to blush – at least in the dark no one noticed, he hoped.

Yoongi led Jimin to his car, hand in hand as usual, and opened the door for him. Jimin slipped into the car, smiling brightly when Yoongi leaned down to fasten Jimin’s seatbelt.

“Thank you,” Jimin said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You’re welcome, baby,” Yoongi replied, equally as quiet. He pressed a kiss against Jimin’s forehead before closing the car door and stepping around the car to get into the driver’s seat. They drove home in comfortable silence, the only sound being Jimin’s Strawberry Milk CD softly playing. Jimin closed his eyes for only a second but he must have fallen asleep, because when he woke up, they were already outside of Yoongi’s apartment.

“Let’s go inside, angel.”

Jimin whined loudly. He looked at Yoongi with his best puppy dog eyes and asked: “Carry me?”

Yoongi sighed, shaking his head with a fond smile on his face. “You’re spoiled.”

“That’s not my fault, now is it?”

His boyfriend just laughed at that, but he didn’t deny it. He stepped out of the car and walked to Jimin’s side, opening the car door and unbuckling his seatbelt. “Come on, you big baby.”

“Your baby,” Jimin said, big smile plastered onto his face. He stretched his arms and Yoongi bent down to pick him up, groaning loudly while doing so. Jimin slapped his arm. “Stop exaggerating!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Yoongi muttered, placing a kiss on Jimin’s cheek to pacify him. Jimin wrapped his legs around Yoongi’s waist, arms tightening around his neck to make it a little easier for Yoongi to carry him. Yoongi’s hands were under his bum, lifting him up. He carried Jimin to his apartment, not really caring about his neighbours – they had definitely seen stranger things than a grown adult being carried inside.

The lift took them to the fourth floor, where Yoongi had a little trouble grabbing his keys with his hands full of Jimin. “Baby, can you get my keys? They’re in my back pocket.”

Jimin hummed and let his left hand slide down, over Yoongi’s back and to his back pocket. He took the keys out and couldn’t help but comment: “Nice ass.”

Yoongi snorted. “Thanks.”

He turned around so Jimin could unlock the door, bending his knees to make it easier for Jimin to reach the keyhole. When the door finally unlocked, Yoongi stepped inside and closed the door with his foot. “So how am I supposed to take my shoes off while I’m holding you?”

Jimin huffed. “Use your imagination.”

“Baby.”

“Okay, okay,” Jimin complied, only pouting a little when Yoongi put him down. They took off their shoes and coats quickly. Jimin was ready to cuddle in bed and maybe watch a movie, but Yoongi reminded him they had to change into pyjamas and brush their teeth first. Yoongi led them the bathroom, where they brushed their teeth standing side by side. Jimin loved the domesticity of it, loved how comfortable and safe he felt around his boyfriend. Yoongi always helped him with small things, even when he wasn’t feeling little. This natural urge to take care of him was what Jimin loved the most about his boyfriend.

They ended up cuddling in bed, Yoongi softly carding his fingers through Jimin’s hair while he definitely didn’t fall asleep or drool on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Not at all.

♡♡♡

A week before Yoongi’s birthday, Jimin met up with Namjoon to plan a surprise party. Yoongi was at work and Namjoon had taken the afternoon off to meet up with Jimin. Together they would plan out the when and where of the party, Jungkook and Seokjin would prepare food and drinks, and Taehyung and Hoseok would make a playlist and go out for decorations.

So now here Jimin was, sitting in a coffee shop with a latte with too much sugar, waiting for Namjoon to show up. To say he was nervous to be alone with Namjoon was an understatement: it was the first time ever of being alone with Yoongi’s best friend and Jimin suspected him of knowing something about his little space. Namjoon still hadn’t talked to either him or Yoongi about it, but Jimin was sure he had heard Jimin call Yoongi ‘daddy’ at the first movie night.

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor brought Jimin out of his thoughts. Namjoon sat in front of him, dimply smile on display and hands around a steaming cup of black coffee. “Hi, Jimin-ah.”

“Namjoon-hyung,” Jimin greeted him, smiling politely. He wasn’t really sure on how to act yet, nerves clouding his common sense. He’d met Namjoon about three months ago – he should be able to act normal around him, right?

“So about the party,” Namjoon started, kindly ignoring the way Jimin jumped a little when he started talking, “I was thinking a small get-together with the seven of us, his closest friends and boyfriend.” Namjoon winked at him and Jimin couldn’t help but smile. “What do you think about that?”

“That sounds great! Hyung doesn’t like surprises too much so if we keep it small, he’ll enjoy himself.”

“Pretty sure he’s going to complain for the first thirty minutes,” Namjoon said, chuckling.

Jimin grinned. “Like a grumpy cat!”

Namjoon smiled at him again, dimples appearing once more. He had noticed the slight change of tone just now, the sparkle in Jimin’s eyes, but decided to not let Jimin in on it – no need for making him panic over nothing. And it wasn't like Namjoon was a hundred per cent sure about this: just because Yoongi had been a caregiver before, didn’t mean he was Jimin’s caregiver. But he still had his suspicions and right now was the ideal moment to test his little theory.

“Exactly. The grumpiest cat in cat-history,” Namjoon agreed, nodding solemnly. He leaned in closer then and whispered, like he was telling Jimin a big secret: “Did you know that he’s never grumpy around a certain little boy?”

Jimin couldn’t stop himself – he gasped, loudly, eyes widening. “Who?” he asked, staring intently into Namjoon’s eyes.

Namjoon motioned for him to get closer, crooking his index finger. When he deemed Jimin to be close enough, he whispered: “I heard his name is Park Jimin.”

“That’s my name!” Jimin looked shocked, mouth wide open. It only took him a second, but then– “Wait, it’s me?”

Namjoon winked again. “But you didn’t hear it from me, okay?”

“Okay!” Jimin giggled, pleased to know this big secret about his daddy. He totally wasn’t going to use it to his advantage. No no. Not at all.

Jimin took a sip from his drink, instantly making a face. Namjoon noticed and hummed in sympathy. “Is the drink too bitter, Jiminie?”

Jimin nodded, gulping down the yucky liquid. “Can I…” He hesitated then, not used to asking for things to people other than his daddy and Taetae.

“Go ahead, Min,” Namjoon encouraged him after seeing Jimin’s inner turmoil. He had been staring at his drink with a frown on his face.

Jimin looked up then, big puppy eyes on display. “Can Minnie have another drink?”

Namjoon smiled, suspicions confirmed. Why else would Jimin talk in third person if he wasn’t feeling small? His mannerisms had changed too – he somehow seemed more timid, physically trying to make himself small by hunching his shoulder and keeping his arms around his stomach. Namjoon just hoped he could bring him out of his shell enough to feel comfortable around him. “Of course. What would you like to drink?”

Jimin hummed, looking around with his index finger between his lips. “Strawberry milk?”

“I don’t think they serve that drink here, petal. But they have milkshakes. Do you want one of those?”

Jimin nodded his head enthusiastically, big smile appearing. “Yes, please!”

“You sit here tight, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Namjoon got up, walking towards the girl behind the counter and ordering the drink. He kept glancing back every couple of seconds, making sure Jimin was still there. He was staring out of the window, now not only his index but also his middle finger in his mouth. Namjoon cringed a little – he should have brought a spare pacifier with him, but he didn’t think Jimin would feel comfortable or anxious enough to regress – he hoped it was the former, because the thought of making Jimin so anxious that he became little made his stomach churn in guilt.

The employee poked Namjoon’s shoulder and he turned around swiftly. He smiled at her, thanking her for the drink, and paid, then walked back towards Jimin. “One strawberry milkshake for Minnie.”

Jimin cheered, sticking both hands in the air. Then he grabbed the glass and eagerly drank from it. Luckily, it came with a straw – Namjoon wasn’t sure how well Jimin’s coordination was in little space and he didn’t want to the strawberry milkshake to end up all over the table. Jimin was excited but careful while drinking, making little happy sounds while sipping from the straw. He was kicking his legs back and forth, hitting Namjoon’s legs occasionally, but he didn’t mind if Jimin looked this happy and relaxed.

“Okay Minnie, you remember why we’re meeting up, right?”

Jimin nodded, looking Namjoon in the eyes while he did, then focused back on his milkshake.

“So, the surprise party. Do you want to do it at my place of Yoongi-hyung’s apartment? Where would you feel most comfortable?”

“Da– Hyung’s place,” Jimin stuttered, suddenly blinking heavily like he woke up from a bad dream. Namjoon noticed his panic immediately and realised Jimin had pushed himself out of his headspace again. Before he could reassure him, Jimin stood up and said: “Sorry, I need the toilet for a second.”

Namjoon stared at Jimin’s retreating figure, stumbling to the toilet and bumping into two people. He sighed – so much for feeling comfortable around him.

When Jimin didn’t return for the next ten minutes, Namjoon decided to go check up on him. There was always the possibility that he had snuck out without Namjoon noticing, but he really hoped that wasn’t the case. It was time to be upfront about his knowledge on little space so Jimin wouldn’t have to hide it anymore – Namjoon didn’t want Jimin to feel uncomfortable with regressing around him.

The toilet seemed empty at first glance, so Namjoon knocked on the door of the only occupied stall. A soft “occupied” confirmed that it was Jimin hiding in there. Namjoon sighed, mentally preparing himself to coax Jimin out. “Jimin-ah? It’s Namjoon.”

A little squeak escaped Jimin’s mouth, echoing in the small room. Namjoon pushed down the urge to laugh – if they were in any other situation, the way Jimin was behaving would be funny. But as it was now, Namjoon had to stay composed. “Do you want to come out and talk about it?”

“I’d rather stay here,” Jimin replied. His voice was almost a whisper but Namjoon could still hear the insecurity, the fear of how Namjoon would react to knowing about his age regression.

“That’s okay, Jimin-ah. We can talk like this, hm?” When Jimin didn’t respond, Namjoon continued: “I’ll be upfront with you to make this easier. I have noticed that sometimes you act a little… smaller, let’s say. And I have my suspicions, considering I’ve known Yoongi for years and I know him inside and out.”

Namjoon stopped there, seeing if Jimin would say something. He stayed quiet, so Namjoon inhaled deeply and just went for it: “If you’re scared of my reaction to age regression, you shouldn’t be. I know about it. I know Yoongi is a caregiver. And I’m a hundred per cent okay with it.”

The stall door opened then, revealing a teary-eyed Jimin. “Are you joking?”

Namjoon gulped. “I’m not.”

Jimin stared at him for what felt like an eternity, assessing him. Then, out of nowhere, he rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s neck, hugging him tightly. Namjoon exhaled loudly, relieved. “So you believe me?”

Jimin nodded.

“And you’re okay with me knowing?”

Jimin nodded again, then pulled him a little closer, holding him tightly.

♡♡♡

They finished the preparations for Yoongi’s surprise party about ten minutes before the birthday boy would arrive home. Namjoon had stalled him at work, giving the others more time to decorate the apartment, bring out the snacks and drinks and set up the music. Taehyung and Jimin were hiding behind the couch, Jungkook behind the curtains, and Hoseok and Seokjin had chosen the kitchen counter as their hiding spot. Jimin was buzzing with excitement, trying hard to sit still but he had too much energy. Taehyung squeezed his hand, an obvious attempt at reminding Jimin to sit still. His legs were starting to cramp from crouching for too long, but Yoongi would be home any minute now and he didn’t dare move and possibly ruin the surprise.

Finally Jimin heard the familiar sound of Yoongi unlocking the door. He sat still, squeezing Taehyung’s hand so hard he was afraid he might be cutting off his blood flow. They all waited until Yoongi had pulled of his shoes and walked towards the living room to jump up, yelling “surprise” as loud as they could. Yoongi’s eyes widened and he dropped the bag he was holding to cover his mouth.

“Yah! What’s all this?” he asked, looking around to take in his friends and boyfriend. Jimin was giggling and jumping up and down excitedly while Taehyung tried to hold him down with a fond smile. Jungkook was struggling to escape from behind the curtains, getting more and more tangled up the longer he tried, and Hoseok and Seokjin stood behind the kitchen counter filming everything.

“Happy birthday, hyung!” Hoseok yelled, smiling brightly.

Jimin couldn’t handle being so far from Yoongi anymore and escaped from Taehyung’s grip, jumping over the couch to run up to his boyfriend. “Happy birthday!” he screamed right before jumping in Yoongi’s arms, who caught up with a loud “oof”.

“Thank you, baby.” Yoongi held Jimin up with one arm around his waist and the other beneath his bum, supporting him. He squeezed the arm that was around his waist and earned airy giggles.

Jimin turned his head so he could whisper in Yoongi’s ear. “Did we surprise you, daddy?”

“You sure did, petal. Did you organise all this by yourself?” Yoongi asked, exaggerating his surprise a little but Jimin didn’t notice – he was thrilled to see his daddy act so shocked.

“Hyungies helped me!”

“Well done, angel.” Yoongi kissed his forehead and Jimin beamed at him, loving the praise he was receiving. “Now let’s get this party started, hm?”

They ended up mostly drinking and eating the food Seokjin and Jungkook had prepared. Music played in the background as they told each other stories and jokes, Seokjin and Namjoon laughing a little louder than usual because of how much they had drunk already. Jimin stayed sober throughout the night – he was dangling between his normal and his little headspace, so he didn’t want to end up drunk while feeling little.

Yoongi and Taehyung weren’t drinking either – Jimin knew Taehyung didn’t like the taste of alcohol very much, so that was to be expected, but he didn’t know why his boyfriend wasn’t drinking on his own birthday party. He was sitting between Yoongi’s leg on the floor, back against his chest, so Jimin only had to turn his head to whisper: “Daddy isn’t drinking?”

Yoongi looked at him in surprise. “Daddy has to look out for his angel, doesn’t he? He can’t do that when he’s drunk,” he said, voice incredulous, as if he didn’t believe Jimin wouldn’t know something so obvious.

“Taetae isn’t drinking so he could look after me,” Jimin countered, pouting. He wanted his daddy to enjoy himself and grown-ups liked drinking, so why wasn’t he?

Yoongi shook his head and sighed, but he was smiling so Jimin knew he wasn’t upset. “What kind of daddy would I be if I didn’t take care of my baby? Don’t worry, Minnie, I’m having fun without alcohol too.”

“Promise?”

“Pinkie promise.” He kissed Jimin on both cheeks to make him giggle again.

By the end of the night, Namjoon was passed out on the couch, Hoseok was staring into the void, Jungkook and Taehyung were arguing about what video game was better and Seokjin was singing karaoke by himself. Jimin looked at all their friends and smiled, endeared by their shenanigans. He felt the arms around his waist tighten and turned around to look at his boyfriend. Yoongi was smiling at him, pure adoration in his eyes.

“Thank you for today, baby,” he said, “I had a lot of fun.”

Jimin grinned, feeling all warm inside because of Yoongi’s words. “I’m glad. I hope it wasn’t too overwhelming?”

“It was perfect.” Yoongi kissed Jimin’s nose and added: “Just like my baby.”

“Hyung,” Jimin whined, trying to get away to hide in embarrassment but Yoongi only held onto him tighter.

“No escaping,” he said, laughing. “You stay right here where you should be.”

Jimin huffed, pretending to be annoyed. “Can you at least feed me while I’m in this prison?”

Yoongi chuckled and Jimin leaned a little closer, wanting to hear all of it. “Sure, I think there’s some popcorn left.”

Eventually, everyone but Namjoon left – no one was able to wake him up, so Yoongi decided to just keep him on the couch. They said their goodbyes with hugs and promises of meeting up soon. Jimin was mostly leaning against Yoongi during all of it, trying to keep his eyes open but mostly failing. When at last everyone was gone, Yoongi picked him up bridal style and carried him to the bedroom, Jimin’s giggles trailing behind them.

♡♡♡

The next morning, Jimin woke up feeling drowsy and fuzzy. The spot next to him was empty but still warm, which meant Yoongi had woken up not too long ago. Whining loudly, Jimin got up and dragged his feet towards the kitchen.

“Daddy!”

Jimin heard clanging pots and the humming of voices. He was too out of it to actually distinguish the words and when he walked around the corner, he saw Namjoon and Yoongi standing in the kitchen. Namjoon was leaning against the fridge while Yoongi stood behind the stove, preparing breakfast. Jimin stopped walking and stood there rubbing his eyes, trying to wake himself up. When he dropped his hands, both Namjoon and Yoongi were looking at him, smiling.

“Good morning, baby,” Yoongi greeted.

“Morning, daddy,” Jimin replied, walking up to him to get a hug.

Yoongi looked a little tense, staring between Namjoon and Jimin nervously. “Baby? You know Namjoon is still here?”

“Hm-mm,” Jimin confirmed, nodding against Yoongi’s chest.

Namjoon laughed, dimples appearing. Jimin wanted to poke them. “We talked about his age regression last week, hyung. He’s okay with me knowing.”

“Does he know about you and Kookie?”

Jimin looked up at that. Jungkook? What about him? “Kookie?” he asked, looking from Yoongi to Namjoon and back, pouting when he didn’t get an answer right away. Both men were exchanging glances, having a silent conversation.

Jimin looked at Namjoon when he spoke up: “I didn’t tell you before because it wasn’t my place to tell, but I talked to Jungkook about it and he was okay with it.” Namjoon breathed in deeply then, seemingly preparing himself for Jimin’s reaction. “Kookie age regresses like you, Jimin-ah. And I’m his caregiver. That’s how I knew about little space in the first place.” He smiled, a brittle, nervous smile.

Jimin gasped, eyes sparkling. “Kookie playfriend?”

Namjoon laughed at that, his nervous look replaced by a relieved one. “I think he’d love that.”

“We can set something up at your place, if that’s okay with you, Joon? I know you turn the spare bedroom in a playroom whenever you have a little.”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Namjoon nodded. “Jungkook will feel less nervous since he’s used to the room and Jimin has been there before too, so they’ll be fine there.”

 “When? When?” Jimin asked, jumping up and down excitedly and nearly headbutting Yoongi in the progress.

“How about Friday afternoon? You can have a sleepover,” Namjoon suggested.

“Yes!” Jimin yelled, at the same time that Yoongi muttered: “But those are date days…”

“We can go on our date at noon,” Jimin offered. “Pretty please, daddy, I want a playdate with Kookie!”

Yoongi sighed but Jimin already knew he had won. “I guess we can go on a picnic now that the weather is getting better,” Yoongi said, faking reluctance. “And after we can go to Joon’s place and have that playdate.”

Jimin cheered loudly, hugging Yoongi tightly. “Thank you, daddy!”

“All right, all right,” Yoongi said, petting Jimin’s head. “Now let’s have breakfast before it gets cold.”

♡♡♡

Friday couldn’t come soon enough. Jimin spent the entire week giddy and energetic, beaming at the prospect of meeting Jungkook in little space. He didn’t know how old Jungkook’s headspace was – if he would remain a hyung or become “younger” than Jungkook – but he was thrilled either way. His own headspace varied greatly – his mental age ranged from anywhere between two and six and he’d even been in baby space before, so his dynamic with Jungkook could change with every play date they organised. The thought of meeting up regularly with little Kookie, of making a little space friend who really understood, was enough to put a smile on Jimin’s face. Yoongi noticed his happy mood, especially considering Jimin was more at his boyfriend’s apartment than at his shared apartment with Taehyung lately.

On Friday, they went on their picnic as promised. Yoongi had made all kinds of small sandwiches and cut-up fruit. He had also brought a plate of cookies and different types of juice – he knew Jimin’s favourite juice changed with his headspace and mental age and obviously wanted to be prepared. They ate in the park, enjoying the sun shining on their faces. It was still a little chilly, so they kept their coats on as they sat down and enjoyed the food. They spent most of their time together talking about new tracks Yoongi had composed, the jobs Jimin was looking into and movies they wanted to watch during movie night. After a while they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jimin was lying down, head in Yoongi’s lap while his boyfriend played with Jimin’s hair.

When Jimin started to get cold, Yoongi suggested packing their stuff and leaving for Jimin’s playdate. It was a little past two now, so they’d be at Namjoon’s just in time – Jungkook took naps after lunch, Namjoon had helpfully provided, usually between one and two pm. So Jungkook would have more than enough time to wake up and prepare for Jimin’s arrival.

During the ride there Jimin was bouncing in his seat, all the excitement that had been subdued during his picnic rushing back in. Yoongi noticed and put his right hand on Jimin’s thigh, trying to calm him down. “Baby, be careful or you’ll jump right out the window.”

“I won’t!” Jimin retorted. “You’re silly, daddy.”

“I’m careful,” Yoongi corrected, but he smiled at him.

They arrived after a seemingly endless ride. The moment Yoongi parked the car, Jimin fumbled with his seatbelt, desperately trying to get it off. Yoongi sighed, then tutted. “Why is my baby so impatient, huh?”

Jimin blushed and instantly calmed down, slumping in his seat. “Sorry, daddy.”

“Thank you, baby. There, you’re free now. But don’t run away, yeah?”

Jimin nodded and waited for Yoongi to open the door for him. They walked to the front door hand in hand and Yoongi rewarded his patience with a kiss on the forehead and a soft “good job, Minnie”. Then he rang the doorbell.

Jimin could hear a muffled scream, then loud, running footsteps. The front door opened and revealed Jungkook, standing there in cute jeans overalls, a striped black and white sweater, and glasses. His black hair was unkempt and sticking out in different directions.

“Kookie, I still have to brush your hair!” Namjoon appeared in the hallway, looking exasperated and out of breath. Jimin heard Yoongi laugh right before Jungkook dove towards him to pull him into a tight hug.

“Minnie is here!”

Jimin suddenly got shy. He had been so excited to have a playdate that he totally forgot that also meant meeting him. Big Jimin knew big Jungkook, but little Jimin did not know little Jungkook. “H-hello,” he stuttered, because he may be shy but he was still polite.

Jungkook giggled. “You’re a shy baby! How old are you, Minnie? I’m six! I’m a big boy!”

“A big boy who doesn’t like to brush his hair,” Namjoon mumbled from behind him, but Jungkook ignored him and kept staring at Jimin expectedly.

Jimin thought for a second, assessing his headspace. “Four?” he said, but it ended up sounding more like a question. He looked at Yoongi for help.

“You’ve been acting around six near the end of our picnic,” Yoongi clarified, “but I think you regressed a little further on the drive here. Four sounds about right.”

“So I’m your hyungie,” Jungkook gasped, then he straightened and put his right hand on his heart. “I hereby swear to protect you, Minnie, like a good hyung.”

Jimin giggled. “Thank you, hyung!”

Jungkook let go of Jimin so they could finally enter the house. Yoongi helped Jimin with taking off his coat and shoes. “Do you want to change into comfier clothes, baby?”

Jimin looked down at his current outfit – black ripped jeans and a baby blue sweater. He thought for a while, then got an idea. He blushed furiously as he asked: “Can… Can Minnie try on his new skirt?”

A while ago, Yoongi and Jimin went on an online shopping spree. They had bought new plushies and all kinds of toys – puzzles, cars, dolls – but Jimin had wanted new clothes too. When he noticed the skirts section, he had shyly pointed out how he would like to try one on. Yoongi had agreed easily and helped him pick out the prettiest ones, but up until now Jimin hadn’t dared wear one.

At his suggestion, Yoongi smiled endeared while Jungkook gasped. “Minnie has skirts?” He turned to Namjoon, doe eyes wide. “Can Kookie have skirts too? Pretty please?”

Jimin exhaled deeply at the words of his friend – he’d been a little scared of receiving negative reactions, so this was way better than what he had expected.

Namjoon groaned. “You brat! I bought you these overalls yesterday.”

Jungkook pressed his index fingers together, bringing out his best puppy eyes. “But I’d look cute, wouldn’t I?”

“You would,” Namjoon sighed, admitting defeat. “Fine. You can choose one skirt tomorrow after Jiminie leaves. Got it?”

“Thank you, daddy!” Jungkook cheered, both arms up the air.

“Let’s go change your outfit, baby,” Yoongi said, making Jimin tear his gaze away from the amusing scene in front of him.

“Okay, daddy.”

“Joon, I’ll go change him in your room, is that okay?”

“Go ahead, hyung. We’ll be in the playroom waiting, right bunny?”

“Yes!” Jungkook confirmed, then he dragged Namjoon towards the spare bedroom.

Yoongi and Jimin walked to Namjoon’s bedroom, which was opposite the spare bedroom. Yoongi helped Jimin out of his jeans, then opened his duffle bag with some of Jimin’s clothes, his favourite bunny plushie and some essentials like his sippy cup, pacifier and blanket. Luckily, Yoongi was prepared and had brought one of the skirts – a black skater skirt, loose and ending a little above Jimin’s knee. Yoongi helped Jimin put on the skirt, bending down so Jimin could support himself on his boyfriend’s shoulders. When he was fully changed, he turned towards the mirror.

“You look so cute, baby. I could eat you up,” Yoongi said, walking until he stood behind Jimin so he could press a kiss on his shoulder. Jimin smiled and twirled slowly, making the skirt swish around.

“Minnie doesn’t look weird?”

“Minnie looks beautiful,” Yoongi said. “And anyone who thinks differently is a big meanie.”

Jimin giggled at that, hiding his face behind his hands. “Daddy!”

“What? I mean it!” Yoongi said, faking offence. “Daddy would never lie to you.”

“I know.” Jimin nodded, smiling. “Thank you, daddy.”

“You don’t have to thank me, little prince. Now let’s go to Kookie, hm?”

They left Namjoon’s bedroom and went straight into the spare bedroom. Namjoon hadn’t lied – it was transformed into the perfect playroom. The bed was shoved completely to the side against the wall, making room for a big playmat with roads and buildings drawn on it. There were different cars and trucks spread on top of it. Jungkook didn’t seem to own any dolls but Jimin had brought two of his favourites so maybe Kookie would want to play with them. He regretted not bringing his dollhouse though.

“Minnie!” Jungkook looked up at him and gasped. “You look pretty!”

Jimin took the hem of his skirt in between his fingers, shyly playing with it. “Thanks, Kookie.”

“You can call me hyung if you want to,” Jungkook said, but he seemed to say it more out of desire to be the eldest than as an actual option. Jimin smiled, finding it cute how badly Jungkook wanted to seem older than him.

“Okay, Kookie-hyung.”

Jungkook giggled at that, satisfied. “Come join me! I was preparing a car race. Do you like cars?”

Jimin sat down on the playmat, engaging in the conversation with Jungkook. He didn’t notice Namjoon putting on the baby monitor, nor did he see him and his daddy quietly leave the room. He was too caught up in racing against Jungkook, who seemed to win most times but let Jimin win a couple of times too – he had learned the hard way that when you won too much, most people didn’t want to play with you anymore. Jimin didn’t notice that his wins were rigged, too excited to have won.

At one point, Jimin was done with the cars and he told Jungkook so.

“What do you want to play, Minnie?”

Jimin hesitated. Jungkook liked his skirt but that didn’t necessarily mean he liked dolls too – just because he liked one thing that was considered girly, didn’t mean he liked all of the “girly” things. “Well…”

“Tell me!” Jungkook begged, doe eyes wide. He crawled towards Jimin so he could and squeeze his hands softly. “Tell hyung!”

“O-okay,” Jimin whispered. “I brought… dolls.”

Jungkook nodded excitedly, quietly pushing Jimin to really ask.

“Can we… play with them?”

“Of course!” Jungkook beamed. “I have some action figures so we can play with all of them.”

Jimin smiled. “Really?”

“Of course, Minnie!”

Giggling, Jimin turned around to ask his daddy for his dolls. It was then that he noticed he had disappeared. “Daddy?” he asked, feeling unsure. Where did he go? He felt his throat constrict, tears ready to spill over. “D-daddy?”

“I’ll call him for you,” Jungkook said, rushing towards the baby monitor. The last thing he wanted was to make the baby cry. “Daddy? Hello?”

After a few seconds, a static-sounding Namjoon replied. “Yes, bunny?”

“Is Yoongi-hyung there?”

“I’m here.”

At hearing his daddy’s voice, Jimin cried out: “Daddy!”

“Oh shit.”

“Bad word!” Jungkook immediately scolded, but his voice was drown out by the sound of running footsteps. The door to the playroom opened and Yoongi walked in, looking frantically for Jimin. When he noticed him on the playmat, sniffling with tears in his eyes, he sat down in front of him.

“Oh baby, daddy was just downstairs talking to Joonie. I wouldn’t leave you.”

“Minnie got scared,” Jimin admitted, crawling forward to hide his face in Yoongi’s t-shirt.

“That’s okay, little one. But Kookie was here with you and I was only five seconds away. No need to be scared anymore, hm? Daddy should have told you when he left the room. I won’t make that mistake again, all right?”

Jimin nodded, pulling back to wipe his tears. “Okay, daddy. Thank you.”

Yoongi smiled at him. “My little angel. Always so strong for daddy. Are you having fun with Kookie?”

Jimin nodded, tears forgotten. “We played with cars! We wanted to play with my dolls, which is why I needed you…” He trailed off then, staring at Yoongi.

“I got you, baby.” Yoongi got up and ruffled Jimin’s hair. “I’ll go get your dolls now,” he announced before leaving the room. Jimin smiled, glad that his daddy was always true to his word. He turned to Jungkook then, who was smiling now that his panic over a crying Jimin had disappeared.

“I’ll show you my action dolls,” he said, snapping his fingers and crawling towards a small chest. Jimin followed after him and looked as Jungkook opened the chest, revealing all different kinds of toys. It contained mainly action figures, but there were also some puzzles, building blocks – which Jimin found a little odd, considering Jungkook’s age when he regressed, but who was he to judge – and colouring utensils. Jungkook took out the action figures one by one. There were four in total and Jungkook introduced them all: “This is Spiderman. And this is Iron Man, he’s my favourite,” he whispered, trying to not let the other action figures hear it. He continued in his regular volume then: “This is Batman. And this is Thor. I like all of them equally,” he added the last sentence loudly, winking at Jimin and making him giggle.

Yoongi returned to the room then, holding the two dolls Jimin had brought. He gave them to Jimin, added a kiss on the top of his head, then said: “I’m going downstairs again. Kookie can call me when you need me, okay? He’s a big boy.” He winked at Jungkook, who beamed at him.

“Okay, thank you daddy,” Jimin said, smiling and waving as his daddy left the room again. He turned to Jungkook then. “These are Minnie’s favourite dolls,” he began. “This is my mermaid doll and this is my princess doll. They don’t have names, because Minnie picks a name every time I play.”

“Can I pick a name for one of them?” Jungkook asked, hands in front of him in a begging motion.

Jimin laughed. “Okay, Kookie!”

Jungkook thought for a moment, brow creased. Then his eyes widened and he smiled brightly. “My doll is Elsa!”

“From Frozen?”

“Yes,” Jungkook confirmed, happy that Jimin had understood the reference.

Jimin stuck out the princess doll. “This is yours then. Minnie’s doll is Bubbles.”

“Like water bubbles?”

“Yes!”

The two littles giggled at that. They started playing with their dolls and created a whole storyline: Batman and Thor had taken Elsa hostage, because they found her really pretty. But mermaid Bubbles was smart and helped Elsa escape and together they lived happily ever after in the mermaid world.

Downstairs, Namjoon and Yoongi were listening amusedly at the sounds their littles were making. They left the baby monitor on in case of another emergency, but everything seemed to be going great.

“We should do this more often,” Namjoon said. “That way we can also get some work done while they have their playtime.”

Yoongi chuckled. “If they don’t call for us every ten minutes.”

“I’m sure they won’t,” Namjoon said, dismissing the idea. “Kookie is a big boy, like you said, and they seem to get along well. They’ll entertain each other for a couple of hours until one of them wants the potty or some food.”

Yoongi had to agree. Jimin was pretty dependent in his little space, but having a playmate seemed like a good idea to help open him up a little more. He listened to the sound of Jimin’s giggles for a bit longer before he opened his laptop and started doing some work. He kept the volume low though, just in case his baby needed him again. Yoongi smiled at the thought – taking care of Jimin, big or little, was so fulfilling. He adored his boyfriend, couldn’t get enough of all the love he received in return. Finding Jimin on that stupid dating app had been the best thing in his life and he’d never stop being thankful for it.