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Seokjin almost didn’t register the footsteps at his door. It was faint, a dull tapping of heels, boots probably, hitting the creaky wooden planks of his porch. He knew they were creaky and he knew they needed a replacement soon, as the rain kept watering down the material. In his defense, as he blinked blearily and looked toward his front door, he’s been working on a batch of spells nonstop. It explains why he doesn’t immediately take a fighting stance, magic that wisped around his fingers still swirling slowly into the concoction boiling inside his cauldron.
He was working on spells to bring better quality-crops to the coven’s garden. Usually, it would be easy to make such a spell, as Seokjin has worked under many witches from far and wide. But after an accident with one of the younger coven witches, which involved a crucial ingredient, Seokjin had to start from scratch. This is where Seokjin struggled. They could have waited for the ingredient to grow again, but the harvest was close. It couldn’t wait, no matter what. So, Seokjin volunteered to make a new spell with the same results. This resulted in him losing sleep for three days straight, only taking small naps in between. Any other day and he would be at peak form, with more magic brimming in him than usual.
And usually, Seokjin is perceptive. Seokjin was observant of his surroundings, he would be fast and set up a cloaking spell before the person even stepped foot around his residence. Cloaking spells take little work for something so useful. It’s the many perks of being a witch in the middle of nowhere, his humble cottage ignored as long as he remembered to spell it away. But, with Seokjin usually in bed by now, he made little effort to try and trap the person who left...something at his doorstep. He heard the footsteps retreat into the night, running away until he could not hear anything anymore.
Seokjin yawned, blinking vigorously one more time before he stood up straighter. His back creaked as he reached for his ceiling, yelling out in pain at one bad creak. He grabbed his hip, adamantly ignoring the familiar comments of his coven saying he’s turning into an old man in his head before making his way to the door. His hat was nowhere to be seen, as he had taken it off, but he wasn’t quite ready to look presentable. Who knows, maybe they left a nice fruit basket. Maybe it was a villager who was trying to dispose of a murder and dumped the contents on his porch in an attempt to frame him. Seokjin’s nose wrinkled, not really in the mood to deal with body parts or blood. His sleep-deprived brain reminded him that really, he would never want to deal with that because that would be bad.
Seokjin opens the door, the scent of rain high in the air. Rain drips from the edges of his roof, the darkness and fog providing minimal sight in the area. Everything was clouded, hazy. The trees couldn’t even be seen from his spot, something that was so common to see the moment he opened his door. The wind was harsh, whizzing past his ears and trying to trickle through the open door. Seokjin could see the muddy footsteps that went up to his door, his eyes looking from side to side before he looked down. He blinked, his mind taking a moment to catch up with the fact that there was a basket on the mat in front of his doorstep. It was a pretty woven basket, covered by a small, white cloth. There was a yellow, matted ribbon attached to the handle of the basket.
A basket. Seokjin grabbed at the handle, grunting in surprise when he realized it was heavier than it looked. He grabbed it with two hands, pulling it up and closing the door with his foot. He set it in front of his door, locking it and crouching to get a better look at his “present.” There wasn’t much to it, just the yellow ribbon and the white cloth. He hesitated opening it, his imagination running rampant at the thought of bugs in the basket. What if it was a sick joke and someone was trying to spell him, putting him into a deep sleep that could only be broken with a true love’s kiss? What if it was a deadly spell that would take away his beauty and give it to some hag that saw him and immediately grew jealous? Seokjin knew he was beautiful, but such a thing would have to be combated!
He stood up and walked over to his table, cluttered with books open to various pages. There were herbs in bottles, the boiling cauldron right next to his table. He was sure he left his wand somewhere, scouring for the thin piece of wood and procuring it out from between pages of his workbook, using it as the bookmark. If Seokjin were still an apprentice, the witch above him surely would’ve given him a lecture for using something so precious as a bookmark. As it is, though, Seokjin is an adult and does whatever he wants. And that means using the tip of his wand to push the white cloth out of the way. He held his breath as he did so, expecting the worst, only to blink at the card on top of a sky blue blanket.
In fact, the card is more of a tag. It reads, “I am a little bear. Please take care of me.” Seokjin frowns, confused, as he stares at the blue blanket. There is no bear, nothing he can see. His brain tells him maybe he should move the blanket. On autopilot he does, his wand catching a part of the blanket and peeling it back. His jump is delayed when he sees bear ears suddenly poke out. The bear from the tag is laying in a little basket, cocooned with a blue, fuzzy blanket. He can see cute, furry bear ears peeping out from the blanket, wiggling and very much alive. They’re brown and look incredibly soft. Seokjin doesn’t even think twice when he reaches over to touch them, pulling his hand back almost immediately after he hears a soft groan.
Oh heavens above, it’s a baby. Seokjin is wide awake now, shocked, as he watches the cute blanket and tag fall away. The bear's ears wiggle more and suddenly, he’s met with a...baby. Well, no, a toddler. A cute toddler with the cutest button nose he’s ever seen. His eyes are half-lidded, a small hand coming up to rub the sleep out of his eyes. He’s not wearing anything, only some cotton undergarments. Seokjin stares, falling back on his ass when the toddler seems to realize that he’s somewhere unknown. He makes eye contact with Seokjin, bear ears still wiggling on a mop of curly brown hair. He’s so cute, Seokjin can’t contain himself.
“Hi.” The witch says, trying to break the silence. It’s not much, since the cauldron is still bubbling and you can hear the pitter-patter of the rain still, but it’s enough. It’s enough for the baby bear to blink and smile. It’s such a cute little smile, Seokjin’s heart melts.
“Hi! Are you papa?” Oh. Ohhh. Oh no . Seokjin’s sleep-addled brain goes haywire. Is he going to become a dad now? Is this his purpose in life? Is he going to be one of those witches that has a familiar? Instead of a familiar, though, it’s just a regular old baby? Oh, he’s going to have to make the toddler his apprentice. His legacy will keep going with this fuzzy little toddler. He watches as the bear stands up, small even when standing. The bear wiggles out of the basket, turning around and Seokjin sees the fuzzy bear tail poking out of his underwear. He wants to squeal at how cute the bear is, but he suddenly freezes up when the bear takes slow steps towards him. His breath catches his throat when he sees the little toddler stop in front of him, hand coming up to touch his knee.
The impulse that runs in his veins answers the question for Seokjin, no longer second-guessing himself. “Yes. I’m papa. Hi, cutie. What’s your name?” The bear lights up, giggling and his yellow eyes seem to sparkle. It reminds Seokjin of honey, something very fitting for the baby bear that has captured his heart.
“‘M Namjoon! Namjoonie! Joonie! Right, Papa?” Joonie scrambles up into Seokjin’s arms, asking for a hug. Seokjin doesn’t stop to think, only returns the hug as tightly as he can. Yes, he hasn’t had a proper sleep in a while, but he’s sure this isn’t a dream. Joonie feels real, he feels like he fits so well into the crook of Seokjin’s neck. He pats the bear’s head, fingers tickling at the bear's ears. This is a real child, the body small and tiny in his arms. His brain already makes the decision to protect this child with all he has, for nothing can quite top the feeling of...parental instinct. He wonders what kind of person would leave Joonie in his care.
“Yes, yes, you’re Namjoonie. What a cute name.” Seokjin coos, holding the toddler close. He pets the kid, rocking him back and forth. Joonie is quiet, cuddling into Seokjin’s warmth. It must have been cold for him, even with the blanket. His cabin is warm, with the lights on and the heat of magic thrumming through the air, but it’s not enough. Seokjin knows it’s not enough. He should have had fire crackling, but it turned to ashes hours ago, Seokjin too caught up with his spell-making to notice.
“Yes, cute name! I’m Joonie!” The bear repeats, sitting up to bring his hands up and squish both of Seokjin’s cheeks. He makes the witch look like a fish, a peel of laughter escaping him. “Papa looks funny!” Joonie cries, happy and beaming. He’s a ray of sunshine, even with the shock that is still running through Seokjin’s veins. He’s fine now, but he knows that it’ll wear off soon, this adrenaline that comes with finding a cute kid that calls you his father in a basket. He opens his mouth to say something, probably suggest a bath because it would do the kid some good, only to be interrupted by a loud growl coming from the bear’s tummy.
Joonie grows pink, blush high as he whispers, “Joonie hungry, papa!” Seokjin nods, holding onto Joonie tight as he carries him over to his kitchen.
The kitchen looks like a mess. There are still plates in the sink, a mountain of cups and mugs that Seokjin keeps using to keep the caffeine running through his blood. The table, usually clean with a nice vase of flowers, is now overrun with half-opened jars and spell potions. The vase of flowers is empty because Seokjin used the dried petals for a different spell idea in the morning. Otherwise, everything else was draped with gaudy little clothes and fine china that Seokjin found from seedy bazaars, his most prized possession a tea set of a late King from the North. Except, the King was dressed up as a clown and Seokjin despised said King.
He doesn’t really have a place to sit Joonie, but he uses the wand he has on himself to turn one of his chairs into a high chair for the toddler, strapping him in and sighing. He scratched his head, wondering what kids like. An idea pops into his head after a few deep seconds of thought, Seokjin moving around his quaint little kitchen to search for a bowl and ingredients. The window above the sink gave a clear view of the foggy terrain outside. It didn’t look like it was stopping anytime soon, the early morning reflected by the dark sky. He figured he could make Joonie a quick snack, pulling at a few apples from the basket and oranges, peeling them, and slowly giving them to Joonie. Joonie took them with a thank you leaving his lips every time, a polite boy. Seokjin patted his head as he sat next to the boy, eating his own apple as he watched the bear dip his apple slices in the peanut butter Seokjin provided him with. He tried feeding Seokjin too, but Seokjin gently declined him.
As Namjoon ate, Seokjin decided to busy himself with his leftover dishes. He almost forgot to give Namjoon a drink, turning around with a glass of orange juice. Namjoon accepted it graciously, babbling to himself. Seokjin, as he finished washing his dishes, wondered where Namjoon came from. Hybrids were a rare species, sticking to their own regions and never letting humans get too close. It’s not that they had small populations; they just maintained their distance. Much of the culture was under a thick veil of mystery, as not many ventured off to become adventurers. And the ones that did were fiercely loyal, never revealing too much. Seokjin never tried to pry, but he knew that others could not help themselves.
Seokjin knew, however, that the kids of said hybrids usually never leave their kids alone. They’re very protective no matter what. So, as Joonie asked Seokjin to pick him up, Seokjin wondered if some despicable human tore Namjoon away from his real family. A churning feeling of guilt and shame bubbled in Seokjin’s gut, the witch guiding the two of them toward his bathroom. Even if that were true, Seokjin would not have a way to track his real parents. The chances were slim to none, so the best Seokjin could do now was care for the child until someone found him.
The bathroom was pretty big, clean because while Seokjin waited for the potion to cook, he went into his bathroom and did a deep clean in the morning. He heard Namjoon gasp, setting the kid down to watch him waddle toward the tub. The tub was beautiful; she gleamed with vines wrapped around the body. The scents, bath bombs, scrubs, and shampoo were all stacked in a pretty cupboard right next to the bath for easy reach. He watched as Joonie jumped up and down, asking for a bath. Seokjin obliged, pushing his sleeves up to turn the water on. He plugged the tub once he got the right temperature, adding soaps and a bath bomb that glittered the moment it hit the water. Joonie gasped, eyes wide.
Seokjin helped him get out of his underwear and he set Namjoon gently in the tub. With a bit of magic, he made the tub feel smaller to accommodate Namjoon’s height. He dumped a few of his own duckies into the tub, watching as Joonie played. He went through the motions, the need to sleep creeping back into him as he rubbed shampoo into the toddler’s hair. He was gentle, making sure to be careful with Namjoon’s ears. Namjoon was very obedient, raising his arms and letting the witch soap his body.
Once the bathroom smelled like roses and honey, Namjoon was deemed as clean. Seokjin let him play a little more as he made his way into his bedroom. The bed was left a mess from three days ago, his head missing the mass of pillows that he usually slept on. He rummaged through his wardrobe, the roses and stars carved into the wood. Again, as a magic-user, he only needed one closet to fit all of his clothes, using magic to amplify the storage space as necessary. He rummaged toward the back, almost climbing into the wardrobe to find the outfit he’s looking for. With a triumphant yell, he pulls out a box labeled as kid clothes.
Seokjin likes to think he’s not a hoarder. But that falls through the window as he realizes that he has almost everything of importance from his childhood. He’s saved blurry pictures of himself, baby clothes, and even wands that don’t work as well anymore. He keeps them all in different boxes, labeled and all. It makes him feel like he has control, unlike some of the displeasing memories of the past.
The witch opens the box and finds much of the clothes is from when he was around 12 summers old. They wouldn’t fit Namjoon, but he finds a pair of pajamas with blue dots all over them. With a flick of his wrist, the pajamas shrink to something close to Namjoon’s size. Seokjin smiles at his work and practically skips back into the bathroom, finding Namjoon still playing with the ducks.
“Alright, Joonie, time to get dry!” He pulls a white towel from the cart next to the sink, fluffy enough for Namjoon’s eyes to widen and scream excitedly. He scoops the toddler out of the water, wrapping him in the towel and setting him down to sit on the closed toilet. He spends some time unplugging the water and hurriedly cleaning the toys, setting them aside.
“Papa, Joonie sleepy…” Namjoonie mumbles after he’s done, hugging the towel closer to his body. Seokjin coos, picking up the poor kid and carrying him to his room. He doesn’t feel bad about the unkempt bed and the clothes that are thrown around, knowing full well he’ll pick them up later. He makes quick work of drying Joon, pulling his pajamas on him and observing the way his nose scrunches up, eyelids drooping. He smells of honey, his hair sticking at all sorts of odd angles. The sight makes Seokjin’s heart ache, ruffling the boy’s hair before slowly gliding him to lie down.
“You can go sleep Joonie, okay? Papa has to do a few things.” Seokjin starts, tucking the child in and clapping his hands twice. The lamp turns on and the overhead lights blink on, shaped like stars. Seokjin stuck them to his ceiling a long time ago, a simple spell that lets him observe the night sky. An optimal night light. He makes sure to peck the boy’s forehead, whispering a simple good night. He turns to leave, but he feels something grab at his robe.
“Papa, don’t go.” The small voice whispers as if Namjoon was scared to startle the stars away. Seokjin blinks, unsure of what to say. “I wanna sleep with Papa...Papa looks tired too.” And it’s true. Seokjin feels like gravity doubled on his body, wanting nothing more than to collapse next to Joon and hold him close. The shock was long gone, replaced with the depravity of sleep and Seokjin’s stubbornness unwilling to let him sleep.
But he can’t leave Namjoon alone. He thinks of the spells, the coven, the little basket on his doorstep that gave him Namjoon. He makes his mind up immediately.
“Let Papa do one thing first, okay? I’ll come back soon!” Seokjin promises, to which Namjoon hesitates slightly. But he nods. He lets go of Seokjin, watching the witch hop around his clothes and out into the hallway.
Seokjin, the moment he hits his living room, runs toward the cauldron and turns it off. He makes sure to cover the cooling liquid, back crying as he lugs the lid over the top. He makes sure the kitchen lights are turned off and more, walking around and double-checking to make sure he locked the front door (he did). He finally heaves a sigh and scrawls a quick note to his coven on paper, ink drying quickly and his breath ghosting over the paper. The paper disappears, catching fire with his breath. It’ll appear again on the head witch’s table, words short but enough to let them know that Seokjin stopped to deal with an unforeseen emergency. They won’t mind. And if they do, they’ll figure out their own potion-making. They’re old enough.
Seokjin makes his way back to his bedroom. The door creaks open and he can see Namjoon’s glimmering eyes, still open. He was still waiting for him. He doesn’t let the toddler wait any longer, shedding his witch garb and opting for a comfy pair of pants and a sweater. He climbs into bed, almost groaning at how soft it felt. He took his naps on his couch lately, naps that always involved him waking up with pain in his neck and back.
Seokjin settled under the covers, smiling as Namjoon turned around. The toddler’s ears were wiggling, the witch finally realizing it meant he was happy. Namjoon crawled closer, Seokjin pulling the kid closer to him. He pressed one last kiss on the top of Joonie’s head, whispering a good night. Joonie grumbled, already falling asleep.
It took longer for the witch to sleep. Joonie’s breathing was even, breath hitting Seokjin’s neck. Usually, any form of physical affection wore him thin, but this was a child. A child that immediately thought he was a father figure. A child that Seokjin would lay his life for. A child that Seokjin couldn’t help but want to keep forever. He never was one that truly liked kids. If anything, they scared him. They made Seokjin feel old, the timer ticking. It reminded him of an older witch that he worked under, always asking Seokjin when he would find a nice girl and settle down to start a family.
Seokjin didn’t need to get anyone pregnant to start a family. He could start one with Joonie. Joonie, who already felt like home.
Eyes drooping, sleep calling his name, Seokjin made a promise to himself. His consciousness flitted away, lulled to sleep by Joonie’s soft breathing.
Seokjin was going to become the best dad ever.