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Jungkook vaguely remembered his high school appointment with the careers officer, and he’s fairly sure that the guidance hadn’t covered this.

He looked down at the 16 oddly shaped cookies that he had tried to transfer from the baking sheet to the plate and sighed. 

“Daddy! Are they done? Can I see?” an excited voice came from behind him. Jungkook turned and lifted his 4 year old daughter Sunni onto his hip so she could assess his efforts.

“Oh.” she said. “They don’t look like the picture.” she turned in his arms, grabbed his cheeks with her little hands and squeezed so he looked like a fish.

“Never mind daddy, I’m sure they are yummy.” 

Jungkook laughed the weary sigh of tired parents everywhere and kissed her on the forehead. 

“I hope so, Sunshine.” 

He put her down and untied his apron. It was green with a picture of Snoopy on the front and the slogan “Daddy Cool”. It had been a gift from his cousin Jin when they had finally moved to their own apartment last year. Sunni loved it, so he wore it, despite his initial embarrassment. 

“Come on, we need to get ready. Uncle Jin is picking us up in half an hour.” 

He took her hand and they headed into her little room, so Jungkook could check the outfit she had chosen. Once he had checked she’d remembered to include appropriate shoes and tights, he left her to it so he could perform his special trick of getting showered, shaved and dressed in ten minutes. 

It was a warm Saturday in June and Sunni’s kindergarten was having a summer fete to raise money for the school library. The parents had been asked to donate home baked goods to sell and also come armed with plenty of change to spend on the various stalls and games that would be set up. Jungkook had been dreading it ever since Sunni had brought the letter home in her book bag. 

He worked full time as a customer service agent which was not the greatest paid job in the world. After he paid their rent and bills and bought food, he wasn’t left with a great deal, but what he had he mostly spent on his daughter. She was the love of his short life. 

Sunni had told Uncle Jin about the fete and he had insisted on attending as well. Even though he was busy with his acting and modelling, he always made an effort to make time for Sunni and Jungkook.

“It’s my duty as her Godfather Jungkookie, I have responsibilities” He’d said as he blocked out his calendar for the day of the fete. Jin had offered to take Sunni so that Jungkook could rest, but he refused immediately. 

“No, she needs me there. That’s my duty Jin.” 

So here they were, Sunni dressed as Princess Jasmine from Aladdin, Jungkook dressed as a single father who hasn’t had time for a haircut and takes comfort in his oversized hoodie, holding a plate of cookies and waiting for their ride.

Jin arrived on time, in his massive 4x4 that had the specially fitted Sunni sized carseat in the back and a hitherto unmentioned person in the passenger seat.

“Uncle Joonie!!” Sunni clapped with happiness as she spotted her other godfather in the car.

“I didn’t know you were coming!”

Namjoon got out of the car to help Sunni into her seat. Getting into the back at the other side of the car, Jungkook spotted a pile of tupperware boxes on the seat, filled with cakes. 

“What is this?” he asked, balancing them on his lap as they set off.

“I couldn’t come empty handed.” Jin waved a carefree hand in his direction. “You know I bake to relax. These are just an after-effect of my decompression after yesterday’s shoot.”

“Hyung, there are profiteroles in here!” Jungkook said in disbelief. 

“Don’t feel bad Jungkookie,” Namjoon lifted a bag of individually wrapped gluten free mini muffins from his lap, “I bought ready made.”

“That could be considered a mercy on whoever eats them.” Jin quipped with a cheeky smile. Namjoon didn’t argue. He had missed out on the cooking gene, and replaced it with enormous brains and heart instead.

After a 15 minute journey of Jungkook telling his hyungs that they shouldn’t have put themselves out and the older men telling him that it was their pleasure and duty, they arrived at the school.

They parked up and followed the stream of families that were making their way into the school building. Jungkook held tightly onto Sunni’s hand, not because she needed him to, she was itching to run off and find her friends. It was more that he could feel the stares of all the super mums with their perfect children and perfect baked goods, judging him.

“Daddy?” Sunni tugged at his hand. “We have to take the cookies over there.” She pointed to a table covered in a bright cloth, with several plates of cakes on it already.

They walked over to the trestle table and Sunni shamelessly moved some other plates out of the way to make way for their cookies, front and centre.

“Sunni princess, I think they would be better at the back, behind the pretty cupcakes.” 

“Don’t hide your light under the bushel.” came a deep voice from nowhere. Jungkook jumped and parts of some of his cookies slid off the plate onto the tablecloth.

“Mr Jeon I’m guessing?” the voice asked. Jungkook turned and came face to face with the most breathtaking face he had ever seen in his life. His breath was taken. He choked.

“Mr Kim!” Sunni stepped in, ever the beacon of rescue in his most awkward moments.

“Daddy this is my teacher Mr Kim. Mr Kim, this is my daddy!”

“I thought that Mrs Choi was your teacher?” He was so confused. The lady who had sat down with him on tiny chairs to review Sunni’s progress had definitely not been this vision of loveliness.

“Mrs Choi went to get a baby.” Sunni explained as if this was obvious, “So Mr Kim came instead.”

“Pretty.” Jungkook said and then realised he must have said it outloud as Mr Kim blushed and looked in amusement at the as yet, unshaken hand he was holding out to Jungkook.

“Yes they are rather.” The teacher rescued him by taking the plate from him and picking the ugliest of all the cookies to take a bit out of.

“Delicious too!” He gave Sunni a thumbs up and she grinned up at her dad.

“My daddy made them all by himself.” she said proudly, as if she were the parent and he was the child on show. 

“You’ve raised him well.” Mr Kim said, with a slight twitch of his lips, as the little girl patted her dad’s arm with pride.

“Daddy, will you be ok here with Mr Kim? I have to go and see my friends.” and with that she dropped his hand and ditched him. 

He stared after her as she ran over to a group of children at the other end of the hall. Turning back, he was met with the kind of grin that, had it been on the face of his cousin, he would have shoved him and told him to get lost. This grin, however, was on the aforementioned breath stealing face, atop, an equally attractive body. 

“She’s a great kid Mr Jeon, you should be very proud of her.” Mr Kim said, “Her confidence has come on leaps and bounds this year.”

“Jungkook.” said Jungkook. 

“I’m sorry?”

“Call me Jungkook. Mr Jeon sounds too much like my dad. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet.”

“But you are already a dad.” Mr Kim said with a smile, “And a great one at that, if I am to believe everything Sunni tells me.”

Jungkook blushed and waved his hands as if to deny the complement and hopefully disappear, but the handsome teacher was undeterred and held out his hand.

“Ok then Jungkook, I insist you call me Taehyung.” Taehyung took his hand and shook it firmly, but without the bone breaking power grip that some men liked to show in silent display of their masculinity.   Jungkook almost forgot to let go.

“Taehyung.” he said, testing the name on his tongue. “OK, very nice to meet you Taehyung.”

Of course, Seokjin and Namjoon chose that moment to appear, looking like they just stepped out of a GQ shoot and laden with cakes and bakes that could have been on the cover of Good Housekeeping magazine.

“Well Helloooo!” Seokjin shoved the boxes into his cousin’s arm and flashed a smile at the teacher.

“I am Sunni’s Godfather, Kim Seokjin, and you are?”

Taehyung gave a polite little bow and offered a handshake.

“Mr Kim. Sunni’s teacher.” he pointed at the teetering pile of tupperware in Jungkook’s hands.

“Are these for our bake sale?”

Seokjin helped him unload all the cakes and then set about rearranging the whole table. Namjoon spotted an opportunity and offered his bag of muffins.

“I can’t cook, but I thought these might cater for anyone with allergies.” Taehyung took the bag and beamed at him.

“That’s really thoughtful of you, thank you. And you are?”

“Kim Namjoon, no relation. Sunni’s other Godfather.” They shook hands and Taehyung looked at all three men and whistled under his breath.

“Sunni is a very lucky little girl. All these handsome protectors around her, attending her school fair. It’s really nice to see.”

“You don’t see it often?” Seokjin asked, tweaking a plate of tiny pastries.

“We don’t see as many dads and male family members as we could. It’s a shame.” Taehyung said diplomatically.

Sunni ran up then and dragged Jungkook off by the hand to go look at a stall where he could win her a soft toy.

The other three men watched with smiles and the two godfathers were just about to wander after them, when Mr Kim stopped them.

“I don’t want to overstep, but I wonder if I could ask about Sunni’s mother?”

Seokjin and Namjoon both paused mid-step and turned back.  

“Sunni talks about her, but I think she doesn’t live with them, is that correct?”

Namjoon looked over to where Jungkook appeared to be trying to hook a duck on the end of a long pole. Sunni was bouncing up and down on her toes, clapping and cheering him on. 

Seeing that they were occupied for now, he exchanged glances with Seokjin and gestured to the chairs behind the cake stand.

“Seokjin can watch the table for a minute if you want to sit?”

Mr Kim nodded. 

“If that's ok with you?”

“Absolutely. It’s important that you know Sunni’s circumstances.”

They sat and Namjoon explained.

“Sunni’s mother, Yoonah, has severe Multiple Sclerosis. She lives in a residential home. Jungkook has raised Sunni by himself since she was born. 

“I was Yoonah’s physical therapist from when she started university, right through her falling pregnant and throughout the pregnancy. By the time Sunni was delivered, Yoonah’s disease had progressed so much that she could no longer look after herself. 

“The pregnancy was unplanned, the result of a hookup at a college party.” Namjoon paused as Taehyung raised a hand.

“This is none of my business, I don’t want to pry more than necessary to make sure Sunni is well looked after in school.” but Namjoon shook his head.

“No, it’s part of her story. I want you to understand. Yoonah told me she was pregnant before she told anyone else. She had fought her parents to be allowed to go to college and then for permission to live some semblance of a normal student life. They were very protective of her. So to find out that she had fallen pregnant the first time she went out to a party and hooked up was like the universe laughing at her. Her parents weren’t happy as you can imagine and pressured her to have a termination, but she refused. 

“I helped her contact Jungkook and was with them in my clinic when she told him. This is why I wanted to tell you this. That boy, in his 3rd year at uni, having known Yoonah for no longer than the conversation they had at the party, sat there and took responsibility. 

He went home and spoke to Seokjin, they are cousins, and asked for his help.

He stood by her when she told her parents she wanted to keep the baby, he attended every single appointment and checkup and he was there when she was rushed in for an emergency C-section. 

“They both knew from around 6 months in that she wouldn’t be able to care for the baby. She was bed bound and had moved into the residential home because her parents couldn’t care for her.

Jungkook moved out of his student house and in with Seokjin, took the baby home and graduated with her strapped to his chest in a baby carrier. 

They visit Yoonah at least twice a week, she is very much part of Sunni’s life.”

“Wow!” The teacher had a look of awe on his face. “What a special family they are.”

“Yep. They asked Jin and I to be the godparents and it was the easiest thing I ever agreed to. I inherited a sister, a brother and a gorgeous little niece. Not to mention Seokjin could rival any Michelin starred chef for cooking talent.”

“You’d starve without me.” Seokjin quipped from where he stood at the trestle table, building a pyramid out of profiteroles.

Just then, Sunni came running back clutching a sizable stuffed pink bunny toy. 

“Uncle Joonie, look what daddy won for me! I want to give it to Mumma. It’s soft for her poorly fingers.”

Namjoon stood up and swung the little girl up into his arms. She rubbed the toy on his face.

“It’s really soft.”

Namjoon laughed, picked a stray bit of pink fluff out of his mouth and nodded.

“I think she will love it. What a kind clever girl you are.” he tickled her belly and she giggled, wriggling out of his grasp and slithered back to the ground. She grabbed his hand and dragged him back towards the other stalls. 

“Come on, there’s a Llama I want you to win for Uncle Jinnie.”

Jungkook watched her go and laughed.

“I think Sunni will single handedly reach your fundraising target today.” 

“Between her power over her family and your cousin’s excellent baking skills, we could probably fund a new wing to the school.” Mr Kim agreed. 

Seokjin joined them then. The teacher thanked him for watching the table and went back to attend to some other visitors looking at the cakes. Jungkook walked with his cousin, back to where Sunni and Namjoon were.

“What was Joon telling the teacher before?” he asked. He had seen them speaking intently while Sunni was deciding which toy she wanted.

“He asked about Yoonah. Sunni has been talking about her in class.” Jin nudged him gently with his elbow. “Joon told him what a great dad you are.”

Jungkook scoffed

“I couldn’t do any of it without you and Joon.”

Seokjin stopped and took him by the shoulder.

“Yes you absolutely could, it’s just that you don’t have to.  Come on, I need to rescue that fishing pole from Namjoon.”

Jungkook followed, just looking back once at the teacher who was watching him with a curious smile on his face.

That evening, Sunni lay curled up on her daddy’s lap in a sugar coma after eating the surplus of Uncle Jin’s cakes. Jungkook threaded his fingers through her silky hair gently, half watching the Saturday night variety show. He should really have put her in bed, but he cherished these quiet moments when she snuggled up and let him cuddle her. She was becoming so independent and perky, that sometimes he would get a little sad about how fast time was flying.

He had his phone in his free hand, looking at his banking app and thinking about how he was going to afford both the new school shoes she needed and the suit jacket he wanted for the interview he was hoping to be invited to at work.  If he got the job, it would come with a pay rise that meant they could have a little bit more freedom each month. But Sunni had come home yesterday complaining her feet hurt and when he looked, her toes were poking up making little bumps in the leather of her shoes.

Jungkook knew that if he asked Jin, he would lend him money in a heartbeat. Not lend, give. But Jungkook didn’t want to ask. Sunni was his daughter and his responsibility. 

After graduation, he had found a job as a supervisor in a call centre and made enough to rent a small apartment. After saving enough for his deposit, he and Sunni had moved from Seokjin’s spacious apartment to somewhere a little more cramped, and a little less salubrious, but it was just theirs. 

Jungkook hadn’t been able to completely ban Seokjin from the place, and there were small evidences of his love and kindness in the soft bed and pretty decorations that made the single bedroom in the apartment a haven for their little Princess.

He had given Jungkook his ‘old’ (less than a year) sofabed as he wanted a new one and “there was no point Jungkook moving out if he was just going to cripple his back on a ratty old sofa”

Jungkook hated accepting things for himself, but he could never bring himself to deny gifts for his baby girl. 

And so they had settled into an unspoken agreement that Jungkook would never ever ask for ‘charity’ and Seokjin would treat Sunni like the Princess of the Land.  (“That’s because I am the Princess daddy, you told me already.”)

As if by magic, serendipity or knowing his cousin, the inability not to notice everything, Seokjin sent him a text at that moment declaring that he needed to borrow his niece tomorrow for some bonding and shopping.

Jungkook had started to type a reply along the lines of ‘what about the visit to see Yoonah’ when a second message appeared, saying that Seokjin would collect Sunni at 10am, they would visit Yoonah during the day, but that Jungkook needn’t worry and please could he just try and rest.

Jungkook tried to come up with some good arguments but he sighed, knowing that however he protested, Jin would have a better rebuttal.

So he simply texted back “Ok. See you at 10.” and decided it was a good time to put the princess in her bed.

Taehyung finished counting up the money from the fete and entered it all into the school accounting spreadsheet, before locking the cash up in the safe and leaving the school building. There were some cleaners still there, so he let them know he was leaving and one locked the door behind him.

It was still light outside, he checked his watch, it was 8pm. It had been a very long and busy day. He’d only been at the school since January, but the PTA had latched onto him immediately and he’d somehow been nominated at the teacher contact for the school fete. 

He suspected this was as much to do with the other members of the teaching staff letting the new guy do the tiresome work as it was how he’d managed to charm half the parents in the playground.

Whatever the reason was, he decided that he very much deserved a decent dinner and good bottle of wine.  He carefully packed his messenger bag and walked out of the school grounds, heading for the bus stop. There was a bus that would take him into the city centre, stopping a short walk away from his favourite family run restaurant. 

He called them as he waited, placing an order to take away and then chatting good naturedly to the lady on the phone. 

He had been going there since he was in university, initially saving up his pennies so he could afford a reward dinner as a treat at the end of each term, but after his third visit, they’d asked why he only came every 12 weeks and then offered him a job waiting tables. The hours had fitted in with his studies and joy of joys, they fed him at the end of every shift.

He’d been practically adopted by the owners by the time he graduated and they had thrown a party to celebrate for him in the restaurant. 

Now a fully qualified and employed teacher, he had reluctantly given up his shifts, but still visited whenever he could. 

He was embraced by the maitre’d as soon as he walked in and ushered to a little table in a corner of the restaurant. 

“I ordered for takeaway!” he laughed as he was seated and his scarf removed. 

“It’s not ready yet son,” the older lady said affectionately, “Just sit and have a drink for a minute. We haven’t seen you for so long.”

“Aunty, it’s been three weeks!” he protested but she just tutted and waved away his protests. 

“Three weeks too long Taetae.” and ruffled his hair as if he were one of his kindergarten students.

A glass of his favourite sauvignon blanc was placed in front of him, along with a dish of olives and some warm bread. 

He gave up trying to resist and dipped a piece of bread into the oil. He couldn’t deny that he loved being looked after. After a financially privileged but affection starved childhood, he had found some kind of family when he’d worked there. The owners were in their 50s and had no children of their own, not through choice, it had just never happened. They had a habit of spotting lost souls and offering them employment, which was always followed by support and affection. 

The Maitre’d herself was a single parent in her 40s, who had walked in and asked for a part time job doing anything. They’d offered her a two week trial and she was still there 15 years later running the front of house. The other two front of house staff had similar stories. 

As Taehyung nibbled on the bread, his thoughts went back to that morning and the doe eyed, pretty smile of his favourite student’s father. He had suspected that Sunni’s mother wasn’t in the picture in the usual sense when she had mentioned visiting her and hints of her not being very well, so he wasn’t surprised when Sunni had turned up with her dad. What had surprised him was the jolt he’d felt when their eyes had met and he’d felt the need to make a cheesy joke as if he were hitting on a hot guy in the student union again. 

There was an unspoken rule, no scratch that, he was sure it was well spoken and firmly printed in his contract, that there would be no hitting on the parents of students under his care.  So as suddenly as the urge to wink and smoothly drop a line, the instinct to preserve his employment and career had squashed it and he’d simply focused on the child and the cookies instead. The cookies. Oh dear. They had been a disaster. He’d bought the whole plate himself after seeing them go untouched for a few hours. He didn’t want to see even a hint of sadness in those huge eyes. Or Sunni’s of course. So he’d bagged them up, slipped a crisp note into the cash box and the cookies into his coat pocket. He patted it absentmindedly and smiled to himself.

“I know that smile.” Jimin grinned as he invited himself to sit across from his friend.

“What are you doing here?” Taehyung didn’t remember arranging to meet his best friend of ten years. “Did I forget a date?”

“Nope.” Jimin popped the consonant loudly as he leaned forward to steal a piece of bread. “I came with Yoongi and Hobi for dinner and Jasmine told me you were waiting for takeout.”

“Yoongi AND Hobi?” Taehyung raised an eyebrow, “Together at the same time?” 

“I don’t know what you are suggesting Mr Kim, but may I remind you that this is a family restaurant? Anyway, don’t avoid my question.”

“You haven’t asked me a question.” 

Jimin rolled his eyes in such a way, you could tell he did it often.

“The question was implied. Why are you sitting here on your own on a Saturday night, grinning into space while holding a piece of bread in mid air, as if you just saw the love of your life and heard bells ring?”

“I didn’t get any of that from your opening greeting. Your implication skills need work.”

“Stop trying to deflect! Who was that smile for?” Jimin hissed and batted at Taehyung’s hand in the affectionate way one’s cat does when you don’t stroke it in the precise way it requires.

“I was just remembering something that happened at the school fete today.” He patted his pocket again and his eagle eyed friend noticed immediately. 

“What is in your pocket?” 

“Cookies.” He smiled. Jimin pointed with his mouth open in delight

“There it is again! You never get this sentimental about cookies. Who made them?”

“My favourite student’s dad. They are a disaster.” Taehyung grinned and pulled out the bag. Jimin peered at them in curious horror. 

“He must be one hot dad.” Jimin whistled.

“Yeah, quite delicious.” Taehyung sighed dramatically, because he knew Jimin would enjoy it. “However parents of my students are off limits, so I will just have to admire him from afar.”

“Or until the child moves on to the next class.” Jimin quipped and Taehyung looked at him as if he’d just discovered the answer to world poverty.

“Jiminie, you are a genius!”

Jimin threw his head back and cackled, 

“I can’t believe you didn’t think of that you donut.” 

One of the waiting staff approached holding a well packed bag.

“Here’s your dinner TaeTae. Come eat in next time, ok?” She handed it over with a smile and patted him affectionately on the head as if he were still the 18 year old who first came looking for work all those years ago. 

“And Jimin, your friends are seated already and waiting for you to order.” she winked at him. He stood up and thanked her.

They parted at the door, Jimin heading back to his dinner for three and Taehyung to catch the bus back home. 

The doorbell rang at 9.30am on Sunday. Jungkook was still brushing his teeth while Sunni sang baby shark again for the 11th time that morning. She was using her toothbrush as a microphone, foam smeared on her face. Jungkook was now immune to the tune and wiggled his bum in time with her singing. 

As soon as the bell rang, she disappeared out of the bathroom and had opened the door before Jungkook could stop her. 

“Sunni! I told you not to open the door without me!” he called as he scrambled to pull a shirt on before their visitor saw him in his half dressed state.

“It’s only Uncle Jinnie!” she said happily, swinging the door wide open to the visitor, who it turned out, was definitely NOT Uncle Jinnie.

“Hello Sunni. Is your dad….??” Mr Kim, Sunni’s teacher, standing at their front door holding a plate, stopped mid sentence as he caught sight of Jungkook struggling with a shirt, stuck over his head and one arm. He could see at least 5 of an apparent 6 pack. 

“Mr Kim!” Sunni said happily, “Why are you at my house?”

“Well I came to return the plate.”  Even to Taehyung’s own ears, he knew it was a weak excuse. But true to her name and nature, Sunni smiled brightly, accepted the plate and invited him in.

If she heard her father’s choked mutterings behind her, she chose to ignore them.

Later that evening, when Jin was recounting his day to Namjoon over a vast array of barbeque, he had to stop several times, laughing so hard he couldn’t get his words out. 

“I walked in the front door and saw Jungkook tangled up in his shirt, trying to put his arm through the neck hole. Taehyung was just standing there staring at his bare chest and Sunni was skipping around in her Moana costume singing ‘Baby shark’.”  He wiped tears of joy from his eyes,

“Joon, you should have seen it. Jungkookie ran into the bathroom, hitting the post on the way because he couldn’t see where he was going. I thought he would never come out.” 

Jin bent over the table and laughed helplessly into his rice bowl. 

Taehyung had said hello to Jin, given a muddled explanation about a plate and fled the apartment. Jungkook hadn’t emerged from the bathroom until long after Jin had managed to stop laughing briefly enough to tell him that Taehyung had gone.

Taehyung couldn’t remember why he thought it would be a good idea to turn up at his student’s house with their plate, a mere day before he would have seen Sunni at school anyway.  It had just been there, gently clinking against the bottle of wine in his bag as he had walked home the night before with his dinner.

He had taken the plate out carefully and left it on the table next to his bottle of wine while he ate. After two glasses of wine, it was not only a brief flicker of a thought, but an imperative mission that he get the plate back to Sunni’s cute father the next day. They would be worried, there’s no way it could wait until Monday at school.

Even in the morning, as he’d left the house, cradling the plate carefully in his hands, his ever so slightly hung over brain hadn’t registered that this may not be the vital time-sensitive mission that he had once thought it was. 

The fog didn’t clear until he’d looked up from Sunni’s smiling face and seen the very toned bare chest belonging to her father, exposed right in front of him. It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

He’d thrust the plate into the little girl’s hands, stumbled backwards and hurried out blushing furiously just as one of Sunni’s godfather’s had arrived. He could still hear him hooting with laughter as he ran down the stairs.

Taehyung wandered around the supermarket in a panic, grabbing his usual groceries robotically as his brain ran through all the worst case scenarios that could happen as a result of his actions. What if Sunni’s dad complained to the school? What if he got fired??

His hand shook a little as he held his credit card to the contactless machine and suddenly had the urgent need to find Jimin for hugs and reassurance.

Jungkook shut the door on Seokjin and Sunni and fell face forward on his sofa with a groan. He could still hear Seokjin’s laughter as they walked away down the hall.

The plate taunted him from the coffee table where Sunni had left it. He hadn’t even remembered leaving it behind. He was glad to have it back though, it was one that he and Sunni had painted in a pottery shop last year, it was covered in daisies and little bunnies and sunshines. 

The whole morning had him puzzled. If it wasn’t for Seokjin’s incessant teasing, he would have sworn that he dreamed Mr Kim up. He heard his voice, but didn’t actually catch sight of the man, because by the time he’d managed to untangle himself from his t-shirt and be presentable, the teacher had disappeared. 

According to Seokjin, “He was struck dumb by your abs and fled.”

“Oh really?” Jungkook allowed himself a small amount of smug pride. He did like to work out, and since Sunni had come into his life, expensive gym membership had been replaced by crunches and push ups on the livingroom floor and weight lifting the little girl above his head. 

Mr Kim had been objectively the most beautiful human Jungkook could remember laying his eyes on. Sure, he had seen Seokjin, but he was his cousin and that immediately nullified any power his handsomeness may have had. 

Jungkook had seen Seokjin stutter over his words once, when Namjoon had decided to remove his hoodie and managed to pull off his undershirt with it. They were both blessed with the sight of that beautiful big strong man, and Jungkook himself had stared for longer than would be considered polite, but the effect on his usually vivacious and loud cousin had been unusual enough to distract him from the sculpted chest of the physician and cackle in delight as his open mouthed cousin slowly went red all over, starting from his ears and spreading down his neck.

Smiling to himself, Jungkook imagined Mr Kim doing the same, staring at his abs, unable to speak. It made him feel better, after his own stuttering blushing mess the day before. Maybe, very tentatively, he thought to himself, he could get to know Mr Kim a little better. 

Monday arrived with it’s usual rudeness, far too soon to be appreciated. Taehyung repeated Jimin’s words like a mantra under his breath as he rode the bus to school that morning.

Jimin had welcomed him with open arms the day before, making him hot chocolate and hugging him while he listened to Taehyung’s worries. Jimin had been very gracious and held back his laughter as his best friend recounted the tale of that morning’s encounter. 

“It’s fine, you didn’t do anything wrong. If you are worried, just ask to speak to him when he picks up the kid!”  

He didn’t catch sight of Jungkook in the morning, Sunni ran into the classroom having already said goodbye at the gate. 

The little girl seemed to be her usual happy self all day, not giving her teacher a side eye or asking any awkward questions. In fact when each child had to tell the class about what they’d done at the weekend, she’d only mentioned the Minnie Mouse toy that Uncle Jin had bought her on Sunday afternoon after they visited her mother in the nursing home. 

Taehyung hadn’t been sure whether he was relieved or more worried. If the four year old had given some inkling of the aftermath of his ill planned surprise visit, he would have least had a clue, but she gave nothing away.

At 3pm, the final bell sounded and the children all clattered happily out of their seats to put on their coats. 

“Sunni.” Taehyung came over to the little girl and handed her an envelope.

“Please can you give this to your father?”

Sunni nodded and skipped off into the playground. Taehyung was just saying goodbye to the last few of his class when Sunni reappeared, dragging her daddy behind her.

“Mr Kim I found him!” she called happily and the two men locked eyes. Jungkook smiled warmly and Taehyung froze, his embarrassment of the previous day flooding back.

Jungkook held out his hand to shake and Taehyung’s reflexes overrode his brain, taking the offering and grasping the hand. It was warm, dry and soft. Taehyung noticed this first, as he had endured some clammy limp handshakes in his time. Next he noticed that Jungkook was holding onto his hand firmly, not trying to crush him in a macho power move. Finally he realised that a good 10 seconds had passed and he was still holding his hand. 

He dropped it as if it had shocked him and took a step back.

“I wanted to apologise!” he said hurriedly, at the same time as Jungkook said

“Would you like to come for a milkshake with me and Sunni?”

“What?”

“Why?”

Jungkook gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile and said

“Please, you go first.” The teacher looked anxious and Jungkook guessed it had to do with the day before.

Taehyung gave a tight smile and wrung his hands together.

“I must apologise for coming to your home uninvited yesterday. It was completely inappropriate and if you want to make a complaint to the Headmaster, I completely understand.”  

He looked like he wanted to throw up. Jungkook took pity on him, knowing full well how an anxious mind can run away and tangle you into Gordian knots.

“You have nothing to apologise for Mr Kim. It was very kind of you to bring the plate to us.  As you could probably tell, it is a Sunni original art piece and I would have been sorry to lose it. In fact, I must apologise for my half dressed state. We thought you were Seokjin, come to collect Sunni.” 

“No! Not at all, I shouldn’t have barged in. You were fine, very...!”

“Very?”

“Fine. Very Fine, It’s perfectly fine to be shirtless in your own home Mr Jeon.”

Grinning, Jungkook decided to put the teacher out of his misery.

“Please, call me Jungkook. Now, are you free for that Ice Cream?”

Taehyung decided that enjoying a snack with a student and her father in a public place would be perfectly respectable behaviour and told his inner worry wart to be quiet.

The following week was busy, Jungkook had his interview for the assistant manager position in his team and had to prepare a 5 minute presentation about what he could bring to the management team as part of his interview. Seokjin paid for Sunni to stay in the after school club until 6pm every day and then collected her himself, so that Jungkook could prepare his slides in peace. He protested at first, but Jin had already paid the school - he was listed as an emergency contact for the little girl, so he was able to make the arrangement. 

“I know you hate me paying for things, “Jin had said to his cousin, “But if you get this job, then you will be able to pay for more yourself, so please let me do this.”

Inadvertently, this meant that Mr Kim had spent more time with Sunni as he was looking after the after school club that week. Sunni had been overjoyed when her teacher had agreed to come with them for ice cream the previous week and kept asking both her dad and Taehyung when they could go again.

Jungkook had said “we’ll see.” which, as every child knows, means no.  Uncle Jinnie had explained that daddy was a bit busy with his job this week, so Sunni should not be sad and just wait like a good girl until he had finished what he was working on. Sunni was a good girl, she knew she was because Daddy and Uncle Joonie and Mummy and Uncle Jinnie all told her she was. But still she thought that this week was going very slowly and it was very vexing.

This was why she decided to corner Mr Kim in the after school club and ask him directly. 

“Mr Kim. Am I a good girl?” She stood with her hands on her hips like a tiny superhero. He smiled at her, resisting the temptation to tickle her chin.

“Yes Sunni, I think you are a good girl.”

“Is my daddy a good boy?” This one made Mr Kim cough a bit. Sunni wasn’t sure why, it was an easy question.

“What do you mean?” Mr Kim asked her. She scrunched up her nose in such a way that she looked just like her father.

“I mean, do you think he’s a good boy?”

“Er, yes, as far as I know, he is a very nice man.” Taehyung usually didn’t feel intimidated by his 4 and 5 year old students, but right now, he felt like the power dynamic had shifted. 

“So will you come with us for ice cream again? I’m a good girl, daddy is a good boy, daddy likes you, I like you and ice cream.” she held both palms up and shrugged as if to convey what a no brainer this was.

“Your daddy likes me?” Taehyung squeaked at a pitch previously unheard by his class.

“Yeah?” Sunni said, in perfect imitation of her dad’s slang. “When can we go?”

Taehyung pulled up a tiny chair and sat down, so he was eye level with Sunni. 

“We had a very nice time last week, but teachers don’t usually go out with students and their parents outside of school.”

“Why not?” The pout was strong in this one.

“Because teachers have to look after all the children in their care and not have favourites.”

“That’s ok, I don’t have to be your favourite.” Sunni smiled cheekily. “Daddy isn’t in your class, so he can be your favourite instead.”

“Sunni!” The other teacher on duty called her. “Your uncle is here.”

Sunni saw Seokjin standing at the door to the classroom and waved. Turning back to Taehyung, Sunni gave him a wink.. A WINK!.. and said, 

“See you tomorrow Mr Kim, don’t forget about ice cream!”

She said it every evening that week.

“See you tomorrow Mr Kim, don’t forget about the ice cream!”

By the fourth time, Taehyung was resigned to chuckling and telling her that he wouldn’t forget.

On Friday, instead of the now familiar face of Sunni’s handsome godfather, it was Jungkook that peeked his head around the classroom door at 6pm.

“DADDY!!” Sunni dropped her paintbrush and ran across the room, ignoring the calls for caution from Taehyung.  She had almost reached him when her foot caught against a stray chair leg and she went flying, skidding across the floor and landing in a crumpled heap at her father’s feet.

“Sunni!” Jungkook crouched and scooped her up into his arms as the teacher hurried over and placed a hand on her head, checking for injuries. The little girl opened her teary eyes and looked up at both the worried faces looking down at her. She gave a sniff and her bottom lip wobbled a little bit. 

“What is it Sunshine?” Jungkook whispered. She lifted her little hand and patted where Taehyung was gently prodding her scalp. 

“It hurts.”  A single fat tear escaped her left eye and rolled down her chubby cheek.

“This is why we don’t run in the classroom Sunni.” Taehyung chided gently. “Shall we go to the medical room and get a cold compress?”

“I’m sorry Mr Kim.” Sunni turned her doe eyed gaze on him, tears brimming and lips wobbling. “Can Daddy come with us?”

“Of course he can.”   Taehyung checked that the other teacher had the remaining few students under control and then led the way through to the little medical room.

Jungkook sat down, Sunni on his lap, while Taehyung quickly washed his hands and got a cold compress out of the mini fridge. 

Sunni hissed in pain as Taehyung placed the cool gel pad on the burgeoning bump on her forehead. Jungkook held her a little more tightly, murmuring quiet reassurances into her ear.

“Don’t cry Sunshine, what can Daddy do to make it better?”

“Mifefeerb” she mumbled into his shoulder. He pulled her upright gently, trying not to jolt the cold compress.

“Sunni, I couldn’t understand you. Tell me again please?”

“Wanna get Ice cream.” she sniffled. “With Daddy and Mr Kim.”

There was a moment of silence as both men’s minds processed what she had asked.

“I’m sure your daddy is very busy.” Taehyung said in a brave attempt to not give in to the deadliest set of pout and baby eyes that he had ever encountered.  Just as he thought he was winning, an equally devastating set of doe eyes was also turned on him, accompanied by a smile that would make the sun break through the clouds.

“I’m not busy.” Jungkook grinned. “In fact, I’d love some ice cream. I have reason to celebrate.”

“Oh?” Taehyung said eloquently.

Sunni sat upright, seemingly miraculously recovered and clasped her little hands together in excitement.

“Daddy, did you get the job?!”

“Yes! I got the job!” He kissed her very carefully on the opposite cheek to her bump and then turned back to the teacher who was watching them with a gentle smile as he fiddled with the forgotten gel pack.

“Please come Mr Kim!” Sunni pleaded. Taehyung tried to remind himself of all the reasons why teachers shouldn’t go out on ice cream dates with their students' parents. 

“I shouldn’t intrude, it's your celebration.”

“Taehyung.” Jungkook reached one hand out and gently touched the teacher on the arm.

“Sunni and I would be delighted if you would join us for ice cream.”

There was a knock at the door and the other teacher popped her head in.

“All the children have been collected now Mr Kim. How is Sunni? Are you ok to lock up if I go?”

Taehyung stood away from the little family and exchanged a few words with his colleague. 

Sunni whispered to her dad,

“Do you think he will say yes?”

“I hope so.”

The door closed behind the other teacher and Taehyung turned to them both.

“If you don’t mind waiting for 10 minutes while I lock up, I’m all yours.” he smiled shyly. Sunni cheered.

They ended up in a booth in a little retro diner in the town centre. Ice cream became fries which then turned into dinner because, “It’s dinner time, will you eat with us?” and before they knew it, the two men were sitting talking quietly for hours, Sunni asleep laid out on the bench, head on her dad’s lap.

“I really like talking to you.” Jungkook leaned back, adjusting the sleeping child on his lap, so the bump on her forehead wasn’t pressing anything. 

“Likewise.” Taehyung smiled. “I’m always afraid I’ll bore my friends with my school anecdotes, but you.. “

“Me?”

“You have as many anecdotes as me.” They both chuckled quietly. 

“It’s been really nice. Thank you for coming with us tonight. I’d better get this one home.”

Jungkook called for the bill and there was the inevitable tussle over who would pay. In the end, Taehyung won because he ran off with the receipt while Jungkook was still trapped by Sunni’s sleeping dead-weight. 

“Accept it as my congratulations on your promotion.” Taehyung came back to the table and helped Jungkook with his jacket, one arm at a time, while he held his daughter in the other.

“Only on one condition.” Jungkook said. “Let me take you out to dinner in return.”

They walked out to the street and towards the bus stop. Both their buses were due within the next 10 minutes. Taehyung didn’t speak until they settled on the bench in the shelter.

“I wish I could,”  he said, staring at the floor between his knees. “But I don’t know how appropriate it is for me to date the parent of one of my students.”

There was a moment’s silence and Taehyung’s heart sank. The last thing he had wanted was to upset Jungkook. He heard some shuffling and looked up. Jungkook was trying to reach into his back pocket without dropping Sunni.

“Do you need some help?” 

“Can you reach my phone for me please? I can’t get it from this angle.”

Taehyung reached round carefully, trying his hardest not to grope the man, gingerly retrieving the phone with two fingers. 

“Here.” he handed it over with a sad smile, wishing he knew what Jungkook was thinking about his refusal.  Jungkook unlocked his phone with his thumb and swiped through to his calendar app.  Taehyung couldn’t help watching how the screen lit up his profile in the twilight.

He was almost caught staring when Jungkook looked up and showed him something on the screen.

“This is the end of term, right?”  He was pointing to the Friday of the third week in July. Taehyung checked his own phone calendar to be sure and then nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. We break up that Friday for the summer holidays.”

“Great.” Jungkook grinned at him, and opened up a new event on the Saturday after the end of term. He handed his phone to the puzzled teacher and tipped his head cutely.

“Can you type your number in there please and select a time preferable to you? I’m guessing you’ll probably want to lie in on the day after the end of term.”

“Pardon?” 

“On Friday 23rd, at 3pm, Sunni will stop being your student. So, if it’s ok, I’d like to call you on Saturday the 24th and take you out on a date.”

“You’d do that for me? You’d wait?”

Jungkook giggled. GIGGLED!

“You do realise that the end of term is only 2 weeks away? That gives me just about enough time to work out what to say when I call you.”  

Taehyung looked at him, mouth slightly open in astonishment. The phone was pushed towards him again and he found himself typing his number into the calendar event, with the preferred time of midday and a 20 minute reminder.

“Thank you.” he said shyly, “I’ve set you a reminder, so you don’t forget.”

“I promise I won’t, and even if I did, Sunni wouldn’t let me.”

They both rode their buses home, smiling all the way. Jungkook didn’t even frown when Sunni woke up after he’d carried her up the two flights of stairs to their apartment. 

She smiled blearily up at him and he beamed back at her, kissing her gently on the forehead. 

“Time for bed, my little sunbeam.”

“But I just woke up Daddy.”

“I mean me. I’ve carried you for miles and miles! I’m exhausted!”

They got ready for bed and then snuggled up in Sunni’s little pink bed, reading stories until Jungkook dropped the book as his eyes drooped. Sunni put the book on the floor, pulled up the fluffy pink blanket over her daddy and then snuggled down next to him. His feet were poking out of the end, but he was fast asleep.  

She gave a contented little sigh and turned out the light.

Never before had two weeks felt like two years. This was the third school year that Taehyung had been a qualified teacher, but so far he’d only worked temporary contracts. Usually he found that time flew by. He would just get to know all the names of the staff and students when it would be time to move on again. However this fortnight had been full of surprises.

Sunni had winked at him every single morning, which was simultaneously cute and unnerving coming from a four year old.

Jungkook hadn’t collected Sunni since that last Friday, and instead, Taehyung had been subjected to the knowing smiles of Namjoon, and the waggling eyebrows and suggestive winks of Seokjin at every pick up.  Neither of them said anything other than polite greetings, but he knew that they knew something. And they knew that he knew that they knew.

The teacher who Taehyung was doing maternity cover for had informed the school that she would be taking extended leave, so the head teacher had offered Taehyung a permanent position. He had wanted to call his parents, but they would tell him to stop wasting time on a fruitless career, so he ended up spending a night with Jimin, Hobi and Yoongi talking everything through. Where Jimin was his best friend, Yoongi had become a surrogate older brother. He was the one, who long after Jimin and Hobi fell asleep curled up together on one sofa, had listened to Taehyung and shared his wise thoughts. 

“Have you been happy these last 6 months?” Yoongi’s low gravelly voice was very calm and helped Taehyung sort his thoughts.

“Yes, very happy. But I just know that my parents are waiting for the day that I have to go to them for help because I can’t support myself on my “pitiful salary”.”

“Do you earn a pitiful salary”

“No, I mean, it’s modest, but I can live on it, they just see me in my one bedroom flat and taking the bus and think I’m in poverty. My father can’t understand why I would turn down a salary 5 times as much working for him. But I would be miserable. The company values profit over ethics and I’ve seen my father make people cry in his office. The whole environment is toxic.”

“Do your parents know how you feel?”

“Yes, we’ve argued about it enough. Well, they shouted and I listened.” Taehyung’s expression was so sad that Yoongi put down his glass and slung an arm around the younger in a rare show of affection.

“Taehyung. If your parents would rather you be rich and miserable than happy and humble, then they are not people you should be seeking approval from.  The people who truly love you only want you to be happy. 

Jiminie has told me so much about your childhood antics and you know, you mean more to him than anyone. More than me and Hoba combined. He once cried telling us the story of how you moved out with only the clothes on your back so you could do your degree. He makes us eat at that restaurant at least once a week because in his words, ‘they saved you’.”

“They did.” Taehyung sniffled. The comfort and support of his friend had made the emotion well up and he couldn’t hold back the tears.

Yoongi gave him a little squeeze and sipped his drink quietly, letting Taehyung have the time he needed to gather his thoughts.

“I want to be happy.” he whispered.

“We want you to be happy too.” a little voice came from the other sofa. Jimin and Hobi were awake, wide eyes staring at them, Jimin’s face crumpling as he saw his best friend in tears.  In a moment they were up and bundling themselves over Taehyung and Yoongi in a group hug.

So, the next day, after having been cooked an enormous breakfast by Yoongi and dressed like a model by Hobi and kissed on the cheek several times by Jimin, Taehyung set off for school, met the head teacher and accepted her offer of a permanent position.

Meanwhile Jungkook was trying very very very hard not to keep checking the calendar event on his phone every hour to make sure that Taehyung’s number was still in it. 

Every day he asked Sunni to tell him very detailed accounts of her day, to the extent that when they visited Yoonah, she got Sunni to climb up on her lap and demanded that Jungkook tell her everything.

“I can’t believe you have a hottie for a teacher Sunni!” Yoonah cuddled her daughter close. Sunni was always very gentle with her mummy, knowing that she didn’t have the same strength in her body as Daddy. She made sure to cuddle back softly, not wiggling too much.

“What does hottie mean?” Sunni asked. “Daddy, Is Mr Kim a hottie?”

Jungkook dropped his face into his hands and groaned. 

“Thank you very much for teaching her that.” 

Yoonah just twinkled at him.

“Well I can’t let you do all the parenting Kookie.” Yoonah reached out a trembling hand and patted him on the head.

“You deserve this. You’ve looked after me and Sunni so well for so long. You deserve to be loved.”

“I am loved.”

“You know what I mean doofus. Someone to hold you tight and keep you warm at night.”

“We haven’t even gone on a first date yet Yoonah. Calm down.”

She smacked him on the shoulder. But he barely felt it, it was like being punched by a butterfly.

“I can see your face when you talk about him. It’s the same look you have when you talk about Iron Man and Seokjin’s cooking. You like him.”

Don’t I look at you and Sunni that way?” He asked softly, looking at his friend with gentle eyes.

“No, the way you look at us is full of care and the love that means home and family. That is all we need.” She took his hand and squeezed it,

“But the way you look when you talk about him? Something in between adoration and hunger.”

She dissolved into giggles as Jungkook gasped in mock offence and started to tickle her and Sunni.

On the last Friday of term, Sunni woke up very early, choosing her favourite yellow hair clips and carefully packing the picture she had drawn for Mr Kim.  Then she climbed up onto her dad’s bed and sat on him, patting his face until he woke up.

“Wake up Daddy, today is the day!” she clapped in excitement. Jungkook opened one eye carefully, and checked the clock.

“Sunshine, it’s 6am.” he groaned, “I don’t need to get up for a whole hour.”

“But Daddy! You have to dress up special. We need to make sure Mr Kim answers the phone when you call him tomorrow. You should wear your pretty shirt that Uncle Jinnie got you.”

“Sunni, I have to go to work after I drop you off.”

His tiny four year old drew herself up straight and put her hands on her hips. 

“Does that mean you can’t be pretty? Don’t be silly Daddy.”

He gave in. Groaning dramatically, he rolled out of bed and let her lead him by the hand to the bathroom, where she supervised him brushing their teeth and then putting her yellow clips in precisely as she liked.

Finally she reached up on her tippy toes and pulled out the blue silk shirt that she wanted him to wear, pointing him to the shower and telling him to “scrub up good Daddy”.

Seokjin got a mysterious text at around 6.45 simply saying,

“You have turned my daughter into a tyrant.”

While Seokjin wasn’t specifically sure what his cousin was referring to, he couldn’t argue, certainly not before his coffee, so he simply smiled and went back to sleep.

They arrived at school bright and early, Sunni was the first child in the playground. She held onto her dad tightly, refusing to let him leave until she had seen Mr Kim. He emerged after a few minutes, looking delightfully dishevelled in a pale green shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a beautifully knotted sage green tie. He had light brown slacks on and brown leather shoes. A pair of gold framed glasses sat on his nose and Jungkook thought he looked like a supernaturally beautiful librarian, or ya know, sexy teacher.

Taehyung was looking round the playground and when he caught sight of them, his face broke into a beautiful smile. Jungkook felt his own smile emerge and they held gazes for a swollen moment.  Sunni finally let go of his hand and ran over to her teacher. She said something to him that made him laugh and then he looked back up and looked Jungkook up and down, pushed his glasses up his nose and bit his lip. Jungkook felt his face flush, wondered about the propriety of cross playground flirting, waved a bit too enthusiastically and walked away, heading for work. 

His team were very impressed with his outfit, all asking him what the special occasion was. He just told them that his daughter had chosen it and they all thought that he was a very cute dad. If they noticed that he was a little bit extra smilie and antsy that day, they were too kind to mention it.

In the classroom, most of the day was spent rounding up the school year, handing out certificates and little prizes. Taehyung had bought little gifts for each of his class and many of them had brought something for him.

Sunni presented him with her drawing and he couldn’t help but blush. It was a picture of Taehyung on one side with a big smile on his face and Sunni and her dad on the other side, holding a black rectangle that she explained was a mobile phone. There was grass and flowers and sunshine.  She had written her name very carefully at the bottom.

“Don’t forget to answer the phone tomorrow!” she had told him and then skipped off with her little gift bag to see what goodies she had been given.

It was one of the most enjoyable last days of school that Taehyung had ever had, and that was because it wasn’t his last day at this school. He would be coming back in September with a new class of students that were all his to teach and nurture. Not to mention the promise of a new friendship with a very handsome dad in a silk shirt. That silk shirt was sinful and should not be allowed on school property. He felt his cheeks redden as he thought back to that morning and the jolt of attraction he’d felt when they locked eyes. 

Needless to say, Taehyung was buzzing with excitement all day.

6pm Friday

TaeTae

“Jiminah I have nothing to wear.”

Jiminie

“Well we both know that’s a lie.

Where are we going?”

TaeTae

“Nowhere, today was the last day of term, so tomorrow is...”

Jiminie

“Hot Daddy Call Appointment day?

Why not wear your sexy silk pyjamas.”

TaeTae

“Jimin! Be serious, it’s a first date.”

Jiminie

“That he won’t be able to see you on, because you are on the phone.”

“Unless you video call. Ooh, from bed, in your silk pjs and messy hair…”

TaeTae

“You are absolutely no help. Goodbye.”

Meanwhile, across town...

Sunni’s Slaves Group Chat

Jin

Good luck on your phone sex date tomorrow

Joon

Good luck on your phone date. Don’t forget to lock your bedroom door. Oh you don't have a bedroom. Will you do it in the bathroom?

Yoonah

Please don’t subject my daughter to your dirty phone calls.  @jin @joon You should bring her here. Leave Kookie to work his magic without an audience.

Jungkook

I hate all of you.

But you can pick her up at 9.

Jungkook had promised to call around midday on Saturday, so that Taehyung could enjoy the first lie in of the summer holidays. So obviously, both men found themselves  wide awake and pacing round their respective flats at 6am.

Jungkook decided to go for a run. Sunni had ended up stayed over at Uncle Jin’s house, insisting herself, so that “Daddy can have his phone call.”.

He didn’t often have the freedom to run, so he pushed himself, pounding the empty streets as the birds sang their morning chorus to the waking world.

Taehyung on the other hand, spent the morning flitting between bathroom, bedroom and kitchen, shaving, scrubbing, polishing, brushing, sweating, drinking, rewashing, redrying, rebrushing and finally laying very still on his bed, looking at the ceiling, forcing himself to breathe slowly.

His deep breathing was so effective, he drifted off, not knowing he was asleep until he was startled awake by his very loud ringtone.  He maxed the volume at 8am, in fear he would miss the call.

He fumbled to answer with sleepy fingers.

“Hello?”

“Taehyung? Is this the right number, oh god sorry. I must have misdialed.” Jungkook almost hung up the call before Taehyung’s sleepy brain caught up.

“Jungkook, wait. It's me.”

“Taehyung?”

“Yes, sorry, I dozed off and the call woke me up. Sorry. I’m your ears. I mean all yours, all ears, All yours.” He slapped his hand over his mouth. He should probably just stop talking.

He heard a soft chuckle on the end of the line. 

“Do you want me to call back in 20 minutes?” Jungkook offered but Taehyung started giggling as well and said no and they both just listened to each other trying to compose themselves for a couple of minutes.

“I wondered if you wanted to come out this afternoon?” Jungkook said, pacing a line up and down his hallway as he spoke.

“There is a nice trail in the woods along the river, and I thought we could have a wander and chat some more.”

“Yeah?” Taehyung said shyly.

“Yeah.” Jungkook confirmed, smiling into the phone. “There’s a little cafe at the end of the path, we could have some cake.”

“You’ve persuaded me.” Taehyung said solemnly and then grinned, unable to contain his pleasure. “When and where shall we meet?”

An hour later, Taehyung stepped off the bus and walked the short way to the park entrance. Jungkook was leaning against the gate post with a backpack on one shoulder. He was wearing tight stonewashed jeans and a white t-shirt that clung to him in places Taehyung hadn’t noticed before.  The sun shone through the leaves of the trees and dappled lights all over his shoulders and face. He was beautiful, Taehyung’s fingers itched to sketch him. 

Jungkook stood up off the wall and stepped forward smiling when he spotted Taehyung approaching.  It was the first time he’d seen him in casual clothes and he looked beautiful. Loose cream linen slacks, a floral silk shirt with the top 3 buttons open and a long sleeved fine knit sage green cardigan. He had a beret on his head and round framed sunglasses perched on his nose. Jungkook had an urge to touch him to see if he felt as soft as he looked. 

“Hi.” Jungkook smiled.

“Hello.” Taehyung replied, a shy smile creeping over his face. “It’s very pretty here. Thank you for asking me.”

“Thank you for coming.” Jungkook gestured behind him to the woods. “Let me show you the way.”

They strolled along a winding path that took them through the trees and down to the river. The soft ground littered with twigs and leaves crunched under foot, birds sang and the water gurgled gently as it flowed through the park. 

“Are you looking forward to the summer break?” Jungkook asked. Taehyung nodded,

“Yes, I am planning to have lots of lie ins.” he chuckled. “But I’ll miss the children, they make every day fun, you know?”

“I know. Sunni fills all my spaces. It is often exhausting, but never boring.” 

They fell into a comfortable pace, enjoying the peaceful surroundings and each other’s company. 

It was nice to walk and talk when they felt like it and quietly look at the birds and take photos. Taehyung pointed out the names of trees and plants that they came across, having taught the same to his classes on nature walks and school trips. Jungkook asked questions and stopped every so often to take pictures when things caught his eye. 

“Tae, can you stand there please? Look across the water.”  Jungkook stood back, adjusting the settings on his camera phone to capture how the light reflected across Taehyung’s face. He took a few shots and then stepped forward to show his companion.

“That’s a really nice picture.” Taehyung murmured, embarrassed at how focused the camera was on him and not the river or the trees. 

“I had a really nice view.” Jungkook winked at him and put his phone away. Come on, we are halfway to the cafe. We have to cross the bridge now and go up that little hill.” He held out his hand by habit, usually it was Sunni he was walking with, and to his surprise and delight, Taehyung took it.  They entwined their fingers together and headed over the bridge.  This was nice, it was really nice.

They reached the cafe, set in a little clearing, just as the lady was turning the closed sign in the door. They both stared for a minute before bursting into laughter. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know it closed at 4 today.” Jungkook dropped his face into his hands and groaned. Taehyung patted his back reassuringly,

“It’s ok, I’m sad about the cake, but I think I’ll survive the walk back. What time do you have to get Sunni?”

Jungkook checked his phone and scrolled through all the notifications of his friends asking him how the date was going, to see one from Namjoon, saying they would keep her overnight, and for him not to rush back.

“Apparently, not until tomorrow!” he sighed, “Do you want to get dinner instead of cake?”

“I know just the place.” Taehyung grinned.

Taehyung took Jungkook to the restaurant where he had worked through university. He explained on the way how he had basically been adopted by the family who owned it and that they were the reason he survived university and got into the career he dreamed of.

Jungkook listened carefully and offered his own experiences.

“My parents weren’t happy when I told them about Yoonah. They are really religious, so they didn’t pressure us to have an abortion, but they also couldn’t condone my “immoral behaviour”.” He did the inverted commas with his fingers. 

“I told them I was going to stand by her and raise my child, so I was on my own from that point.” 

Taehyung had squeezed his hand then, they had both been told they’d let their parents down, when in reality, it was their parents who let them down.

“You’ve done amazingly with her.” Taehyung had told him. “I can say this now we’ve finished the school year, Sunni is my favourite student ever. I love her. And the more I get to know you, the more I see how much of her is because of you.”

They were just outside the restaurant. Jungkook stopped walking at Taehyung’s words and pulled him closer.

“That was..” he stared into the teacher’s beautiful eyes and forgot how to speak. Lost for words, he showed him how he felt with a kiss.  

It was a simple press of lips, a quick peck, conveying the feeling that he couldn’t find the words for. Taehyung had frozen for a split second, relaxing into the embrace. Jungkook didn’t pull away completely, resting his forehead against Tae’s for a few seconds, breathing together. Then, when he wasn’t sure what to say, worried he’d overstepped, Taehyung simply squeezed his hand and asked him was he ready to eat? They walked into the restaurant hand in hand, Jungkook unable to wipe the smile off his face.

Neither man noticed the gleeful faces of the maitre’d and the waitress who were watching from the window. On entering, they were greeted with such effusive expressions of delight, even Taehyung was surprised at the excitement. Usually whoever was on the floor would give him a hug and ask how he was doing, but this was like he’d just come home from the war.

They were shown to a secluded table for two in the corner of the room, Jungkook giggling as he watched Taehyung blush redder and redder under all the attention.

“Auntie!” he exclaimed, as she ruffled his hair and pinched his cheeks, “What are you doing?”

“I missed you.” she said, patting his cheek, “Now introduce me to your handsome friend.”

“This is Jungkook, my..” he looked at him, wondering what was ok to say. Jungkook rescued him, he shook hands with the maitre’d and gave her the dazzling smile that made Taehyung feel a little bit wobbly around the knees.

“I’m his date.” he put an arm across the table and covered Taehyung’s hand with his own. “Hopefully the first of many.”  

The waitress and maitre‘d cooed, Taehyung blushed and Jungkook winked at him. He was slightly stunned at his own confidence, but thanked whatever angel was looking down on him.

They weren’t allowed to order. Once the chef found out that Taetae was there with his handsome date, they were brought out dish after dish of house specials. Both men quickly overcame their surprise and dug in. They discovered a shared love of food and spent hours happily eating and chatting together, trying various dishes and being plied with wines to match each course.

Around 8pm, they sat back in their chairs, stuffed full of good food and happy feelings. They split the bill, which was suspiciously low, and after thanking and saying goodbye to the staff, ended up outside. Neither wanting to end the day yet.

“Would it be too forward to ask you to come back to my apartment for a drink?” Jungkook asked. He didn’t want to push his luck, but also, he didn’t want to let go just yet.

Taehyung looked up through his hair, smiling shyly, but not as timid as he’d felt earlier. The whole afternoon he’d felt comfortable and at ease, as if he’d know Jungkook for years, not just weeks. 

“I’d like that a lot.”

Jungkook let them into the flat and told Taehyung to make himself at home, while he went to check what he had in the way of drinks.

“I have some soju or red wine.” he walked out of the kitchen with a bottle in each hand to find Taehyung laying back on the sofa, a peaceful look on his face. He opened his eyes as Jungkook spoke and looked at him upside down.

“Mm, wine please.” he said. 

“Are you sleepy?”

“A little, but mostly just relaxed.”

Jungkook poured them a drink each and sat down on the sofa next to his guest.

“Do you want to watch a movie? I have Netflix.”

“Sure.” Taehyung pulled the blanket that was folded over the back across his legs. “Is this ok?” he asked. 

“Are you cold?” Jungkook was worried momentarily, even though it was July and still warm outside.

“No, not at all, I just like to get comfy when I watch movies. Want to share?” Taehyung lifted the edge of the blanket and Jungkook moved closer so their legs pressed against each other and the blanket was tucked over both their laps.

They picked The Godfather. It was Taehyung’s favourite movie and Jungkook enjoyed watching him as much as watching the movie. His hands flew as he explained his favourite scenes, eyes lit up with excitement.

At one particularly tense scene, Taehyung grabbed Jungkook’s hand and held it close to his chest, breath baited. And then he never really let it go.

By the end of the movie, Jungkook had one arm around Taehyung’s shoulders, Tae’s head nestled comfortably on his chest and both hands clasped around his own.

He had taken a few furtive sniffs of Taehyung’s hair and found that he smelled sweet and warm like summer flowers. Somehow, now Jungkook’s right cheek was resting on his head and he was so comfortable, his eyes kept blinking slower and slower towards sleep.

Taehyung shifted underneath him and they turned to face each other.

“I’m so sorry, I think I fell asleep.” Taehyung yawned and looked at his watch. “I should go, I think the last bus is in about 20 minutes.”

“Or you could stay.” Jungkook offered, tipping his head in question. “If you like.”

Their faces were mere centimetres apart and it took nothing more than a nod to tip their lips together.

It was their first date, and they were both gentlemen and were feeling the effects of the wine, so that night they trudged hand in hand to the bathroom, where Jungkook gave Taehyung a spare toothbrush and clean towel, while he went and pulled out the sofabed and made it up. He borrowed Sunni’s pillow from her room and got glasses of water for them both.

Then he grabbed a spare shirt and shorts for Taehyung to wear in bed and handed them over as they crossed paths by the bathroom door.

He washed up quickly, brushing his teeth thoroughly and pulling on his own pyjama shorts before turning out the lights and creeping back to the bed.

“Hey.” Taehyung said as he slipped underneath the covers and lay on his side to face him.

“Hey,” Jungkook replied, reaching out and touching his face gently. “I had a good day today.”

“Me too.” Taehyung leaned into the caress, which encouraged Jungkook to move closer and pull him to his chest.

“Is this ok?” Jungkook whispered. Taehyung nodded, tangling their legs together and slipping an arm around Jungkook's waist.

“I think you should kiss me now.” he replied and then nothing much was said after that.

Jungkook awoke to the feeling of arms wrapped around his waist, a warm body pressed to his bare back and the sound of giggling coming from the doorway.

“I’m so sorry,” Jin said through his laughter. He didn’t sound very sorry. “I have to go for a shoot at 9, so I couldn’t keep her any later.” He pushed the equally giddy Sunni through the door and dropped her little Moana suitcase on the floor just inside the front door.

“I won’t disturb you, call me later, bye!” Jin shut the door and Jungkook could hear him laughing all the way to the stairs.

Sunni kicked off her brand new sparkly pink converse (thank you Uncle Jin) and crawled very carefully up the sofabed, over the set of legs she was not yet familiar with, onto her father's pillow. Squishing down under the cover and pressing her face so close to his face that he went boss eyed. 

“Daddy.” she whispered.

“Sunni.” he whispered back.

“Did you have a sleepover as well?” she beamed at him, showing all of her tiny teeth. He nodded and kissed her nose. 

“Did Uncle Jinnie give you breakfast yet?” he asked. She shook her head.

“I was too sleepy, so he said I could have it when I got home.”

“Are you hungry now?”

“Yes. Please can I have toast and jam?”

“Ok. Let me out on your side. And be quiet, Tae..Mr Kim is still asleep.”

“Ok Daddy.” another giggle. “I’ll be quiet as a mouse!”

“A very giggly mouse.” came a deep voice from under the cover. Jungkook turned round and Sunni peeped over his shoulder to look at the recently woken beauty in the bed.

“Hello Mr Kim.” Sunni giggled.

“Hello Sunni.” Mr Kim smiled. 

4 weeks later

“What if she doesn’t like me?” Taehyung was sitting next to Jungkook on the bus, Sunni on his lap, nervously fiddling with her ponytail.

“She already loves you.” Sunni said very matter of fact. “I told her how much you love me and Daddy and that me and Daddy love you, so she has to love you too.”

Behind her Taehyung and Jungkook both froze momentarily. In the 4 weeks they’d been dating, they’d both fallen hard, finding mutual understanding, care and passion in each other. But neither had said the L word yet. And now, it seemed, Sunni had said it for them.

Jungkook took his hand and squeezed.

“Don’t worry, Yoonah’s harmless. Literally.” and snorted. 

“You are a terrible person.” Taehyung said, but the look in his eyes said something else.

They walked into Yoonah’s private room, Sunni skipping ahead, holding a helium bunny balloon she’d spotted on the way there and wanted to buy for her mum.

Taehyung let Jungkook go in ahead, clasping a pinch of his shirt to keep him close.

“Hello Mummy!” Sunni handed over the balloon before clambering up onto the bed and wiggling her way under the blanket so she sat flush next to her mother.

“That’s Taetae. He used to be my Mr Kim, but he’s our Taetae now.”  Sunni was very pleased with herself. Introductions made, she wrapped her chubby little arms around her mum’s frail one and snuggled down.

Yoonah was frail. There were no two ways about it. She was sat up in bed today, propped up by pillows and there was a drip in one hand and her face was pale and drawn.

“Hey Yoon, not a good day?” Jungkook asked gently, walking up and taking her hand carefully. He made sure Sunni wasn’t hurting her and then leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

Yoonah smiled at him and shook her head. She’d had a flare up of symptoms and was on lots of medications.

“Same old same old.” she said wearily, her voice croaking with the effort. She flicked her gaze to Taehyung, still hovering at the end of the bed, and smiled.

“Hello, I’ve been waiting to meet you.” Jungkook stood and reached out to pull Taehyung closer so Yoonah could touch him. She reached out and he took her hand.

“So you are the magnificent Mr Kim that I keep hearing about.” She winked and Taehyung couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He was more nervous about meeting Yoonah than he had been anyone else so far. She was such an important person in Sunni and Jungkook’s life, he was terrified she wouldn’t like him. Her teasing helped him finally exhale the breath he’d been holding all morning.

“And you are the centre of these two’s universe. A Yoonahverse if you will.”  Taehyung regretted the pun as soon as he said it, but Yoonah loved it and grinned widely.

“I like him, we are keeping him.” she patted Taehyung’s hand. 

Ice broken, they chatted for about an hour. Yoonah asked a lot about Taehyung’s background and his teaching work. She told him about how they’d managed to raise Sunni in their unconventional way and how amazing Jungkook was.

“I know he is.” Taehyung said. “I could tell that he was an extraordinary parent from the first moment I met him. In fact even before then, because Sunni was so special, I knew her parents had to be pretty decent.”

Sunni was fast asleep, drooling on Jungkook’s shoulder. She had become too heavy for Yoonah and he’d taken her so that the other two could chat comfortably.  He sat in the corner of the room quietly, watching them get to know each other, laughing and holding hands, and something big and bright blossomed in his heart.

That night, after Sunni was in bed, Jungkook laid Taehyung out over their freshly made sofa bed and showed him with touches and kisses all the things he wanted to say. He kissed expressions of love along his jaw and down his delicate neck and collar bones. He traced reverent fingertips over Taehyung’s chest, leaving peachy blooms as he kissed his way down his ribs and around his navel.

Careful hands stripped every vestige of clothing from them both, skin on skin, heat and friction rising. They were quiet, so as not to wake the sleeping princess next door, but what he couldn't shout out, Taehyung communicated with his eyes, lips and hands. For every bite and kiss received, he gave a squeeze and a scratch of nails down Jungkook's muscled back. 

When they were finally joined, they moved together in such harmony, it was as if they had been dancing to this tune for years instead of weeks. Jungkook kept his face pressed into Tae's neck, trying to make himself as close as physically possible. Taehyung clung to him, hands grabbing and pulling him into the rhythm, legs wrapped around his waist.

"Never let me go," he panted, tears brimming over as the ecstasy and emotion merged to fill him to overflowing. "never let me go." Jungkook lifted his face and kissed him deeply.

"I won't, I can't." They moved faster and faster, reaching their peak together, swallowing each other's cry of climax in a kiss that betrayed the love that each felt for the other.

Panting, clinging onto him still, Jungkook kissed Taehyung's temple, forehead, jaw and then rolled off him, collapsing onto the mattress.

"That was.."

"Incredible." Taehyung panted.

Jungkook entwined their fingers and kissed his knuckles.

"I realised something today."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Watching you with Yoonah. I suddenly realised that my life is complete now. I did everything back to front. Had the baby without the partner. Got the adult job while I still felt like a kid myself."

"Don't be mean to yourself. You are amazing, Sunni and Yoonah are lucky to have you."

Jungkook got up on one elbow and placed his palm flat on Taehyung’s golden chest.

"And I am lucky to have you. You are the part that has been missing. I had all those adult responsibilities, but I didn't have true love. I don't mean my love for Sunni and the others, I mean this."

He leaned down and kissed above Taehyung's heart. 

"You. I have you now. I love you Tae."

Taehyung clung to his hand and put the other arm over his eyes, hiding the tears that sprung up.

"Why are you crying?" Concern flashed across Jungkook's face, worried that he had declared his heart too soon, but Tae shook his head and sniffed.

"I was so scared." he whispered, "That there would be no space for me. Your family is so full and perfect and I wanted to be part of your life so badly."

He was embraced in strong arms, kisses peppered on his face, wiping the tears away.

"I didn't have to make space, you made my heart bigger and filled it to overflow."

"I love you too. I love you so much." Taehyung’s declaration was muffled with a kiss that carried on well into the early hours.

Three Years Later.

It was the beginning of the summer holidays again. Taehyung had been asked to look after the Year 3 students from September and he was looking forward to the new challenge. There would be more structured learning and he had lots of ideas for fun class projects.

He had just one tiny niggle of a worry. He hadn’t mentioned it because it was silly really. He and Jungkook had been in a loving committed relationship for three years now. They’d moved in together about 6 months after they started dating.

It had been shortly after the winter holidays and Taehyung had stayed with Jungkook and Sunni all over the break. Over the previous few months, he had stayed often, evidence of his presence popping up all over the apartment. His socks and underpants were in Jungkook's drawers, his toothbrush in the bathroom. There was his favourite tea in the cupboard and his DVDs on the shelf under the TV. 

One evening, he’d got up from the sofa and instead of helping Jungkook pull it out to make up the bed, he’d started putting his shoes on.

“Where are you going TaeTae?” Sunni had asked with the trademarked massive eyes and pouty lips. 

“I have to go home sweetheart. We go back to school tomorrow and I have to get the things I need from my flat.”  Taehyung was loathe to leave them. He had felt more contentment and happiness in that fortnight than he had for years. But there was no getting away from work and responsibilities. He stopped tying his laces when he heard a little sniffle.

“Baby what’s the matter?” Jungkook had pulled her up onto his hip as fat tears started to spill down his daughter’s cheeks.

“I don’t want TaeTae to go.” she’d cried, “Why does he need to get other things. Everything he needs is here.”

Taehyung had pulled them both into his arms then and they’d hugged as he whispered reassurances to her and kissed her on her head.

He’d promised her that they were all he needed and only left when Jungkook had kissed him and told him she would be fine.

As he walked into his dark cold flat, the feeling of loneliness was overwhelming. This may be the house he rented where most of his stuff was stored, but it was no longer his home.

That night he made a decision, packed his suit, shirts and ties and walked back out the house to catch the bus again.

Logistically, he had to give his landlord one month’s notice, so they took that time to pack up his stuff, take it case by bag by box on the bus back to Jungkook’s apartment. He had contemplated selling some of his books because there was simply not enough room, but Seokjin had come to the rescue. He and Namjoon had recently moved into a 2 bedroom flat together and offered their spare room as storage until Jungkook and Tae could find somewhere bigger. 

Sunni had been overjoyed. She had offered for Taehyung to share her room if he liked, but he had graciously declined, explaining that he was too tall for her pretty pink bed. 

After another 6 months, they had moved all together into a little 3 bedroomed house with a yard and enough room for all of their books to be lovingly placed on new shelves. 

Life was wonderful. Yoonah had some really bad days, but some good days too. They’d been able to bring her home for occasional visits and in the summers, often had barbeques with the two godfathers, as well as Jimin, Hobi and Yoongi who had all met and become good friends. Sunni and Yoonah’s band of protectors. 

So here they were. The morning after a great family barbeque. Yoonah was still asleep in Sunni’s room. Jungkook and Sunni had gone out for fresh croissants and Taehyung was sitting at the kitchen table looking at his upcoming school classlist.

Halfway down the list of enrolled students was a familiar name: Jeon Sunni. 

The school board was aware that he and Jungkook were partners. They had no problem with it obviously, having placed Sunni in his class, but still he was nervous. He viewed her as his daughter, she’d started calling him Papa Taetae soon after he moved in with them. But she wasn’t officially his child. She was seven and very bright, but what if she slipped up in class and called him Papa? Was it appropriate? Would the parents find it concerning that he was so close to a child to whom he was not related?

His thoughts started to build into a panic as he typed questions into the search engine, trying to find out if it was ok to be in the same class as your boyfriend’s daughter.

He wasnt sure how long had passed when warm arms looped around his neck and he was kissed softly on the ear.

“Watcha doing Boo?” Jungkook purred into his ear. He read the screen over Tae's shoulder and pulled him closer for a proper kiss.

“Baby, are you worried?”

“I just don’t want to put you or Sunni into an inappropriate situation.” he mumbled, leaning his head against his boyfriend’s shoulder and breathing in his clean smell. It smelled like home.

“I think I know a way to make it right, leave it with me.”

“What? How?” Taehyung got up and quickly walked after Jungkook who had jogged out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

He was met by Sunni at the top of the stairs. She was holding a banana thoughtfully.

“Are you ok sweetheart?” he asked her. She nodded.

“Yep, Daddy says wait here.”

“You?”

“No you. Stay here. Can you open this for me please?”

She handed over the banana and he peeled the top half open so she could eat it easily. She stood firmly in the way of his access to the upper hallway, and knowing the Jeons and their hereditary stubbornness, he sat on the top step and waited.

Just a moment later, Jungkook emerged out of their bedroom and thanked Sunni for guarding the stairs.

“Go see if Mummy is awake yet.” he told her and she toddled off down the hall. He sat down on the step next to Tae and slung his arm around him.

“I was going to do this somewhere fancy but I thought, if the time is right then I should just go for it.”

“What are you talking about?” Taehyung was all kinds of confused, Jungkook held out his other hand that was in a closed fist. 

“Mr Kim, Taehyung, Papa Taetae, Boo. Whatever your name is, you belong to us. To me. Sunni loves you and I love you more than anyone’s opinions or thoughts could ever matter. But I know how you worry and that’s a credit to your care and respect for all of your students as well as your family. Us, We are your family.

“When I was at school, one of my friends was the son of two of our teachers. They had moved there because of the job, so it was the nearest school for their son to go to. It was fine because they were an established married couple. The school had no trouble and no one cared if the other parents had a problem. 

“I don’t want you to think that’s why I’m doing this, but also, if it will make it easier for you, then why not? I’d do it tomorrow if you wanted to.”

“Jungkook. Do what?” Taehyung whined.

“Get married. You and me. This summer. If you want?” he opened his fist and there on his palm was a platinum ring studded with diamonds around the centre. Taehyung was stunned. He looked at the ring and then up at Jungkook and back at the ring. He reached out and touched it with a careful finger.

“Is this for me?” he whispered. 

“For you my love. Will you marry me please? I’d really like that.”

Taehyung held out his fingers so Jungkook could slip the ring onto his finger. Tears flooded his sight and he pulled him close so he could sniffle into his shoulder.

“Is that a yes?” Jungkook asked with a laugh. Taehyung nodded into the shirt, getting it soaked with tears. Then he sat up and smacked Jungkook lightly on the arm.

“I can’t believe you asked me on the stairs!” he croaked, wiping his eyes. 

“But you weren’t expecting it, right?” Jungkook pulled him forward again and kissed him deeply.

“I love you, and that's all that matters. So it didn’t matter if we were in a 5 star restaurant or at the top of a tower or on a boat in a pond or in the cupboard under the stairs. I just knew that when the moment was right, I had to ask you.”

“I’m just a boy asking another boy on the stairs, if he’ll marry me and love me and my kid forever.”

“Well it will certainly be convenient for school.” Taehyung sniffed, a little smile creeping into his face. Jungkook tickled him until he begged for mercy and then having slithered most of the way down the stairs, they lay on the floor in their hallway, curled up in each other’s arms kissing lips and eyelids and cheeks and necks. 

“Jeon Jungkook, Jungkookie, baby, love of my life. It would be an honour and pleasure to marry you.”

There was the thud of little footsteps and they looked up the stairs to see Sunni grinning down at them.

“Did he say yes? Papa will you marry Daddy and stay with us forever?”

“Yes sweetheart. I will. Come here.” Sunni skipped down the stairs, making both her dad’s flinch at the speed, and leaped into their waiting arms.

Seven weeks later

“Sunni, you can’t wear those to school, they aren’t part of the uniform.” Jungkook sighed at having to tell his daughter for the 5th time that morning that she had to put on her smart black leather shoes for school, not the pink satin ballet shoes that she had worn with her bridesmaid dress the week before. 

“But Daddy they are so pretty.” she whined. “Papaaaa, can’t you let me wear them pleeeeeease?”

Taehyung walked out of the kitchen, fixing his tie to find the two loves of his life by the front door, still with no shoes on.

He crouched down and took the school shoes from his husband.

“Go get your lunch out of the fridge. We’ll meet you in the car in 5.”  Jungkook ran off thankfully leaving Taehyung to reason with the little girl.

“You know how dirty the playground is Sunni?” she nodded.

“You would get these beautiful slippers ruined with the mud. How about I put them in my bag and then you can wear them after class, when you have to wait for Papa to finish. They will be safe and clean in my bag and you can wear them in the after school club until Daddy comes to collect us, ok?”

Sunni pouted but nodded, allowing Taehyung to help her on with her school shoes and showed her where he put the slippers in his satchel, next to his lunch box.

Five minutes later they were all in the (newish, thanks Uncle Jin) car and pulling out of their driveway. Jungkook dropped them at the school and then headed off to his own office.

“Papa, can I hold your hand?” Sunni said quietly. She was always a little shy on the first day back and today, Taehyung was glad for her little hand to give him courage too. They were earlier than most students and so she was allowed to come into the building with him to drop off their bags in the new classroom. 

As they headed back out to the playground, Taehyung encouraged her to go and find her friends. 

“I’ll be at the door. Go on sweetheart, I think I can see Mina over there.” He pointed out one of her friends who had just arrived and she ran off to meet her.

The bell went, the children all lined up in front of their teachers and they filed into their new classrooms, ready to start the new term.

Taehyung looked out at his students, waited for them to settle and then took the register. He couldn’t help the warm smile that graced his face as he read one of them.

“Jeon-Kim Sunni?”

“Present Papa.” came the little voice. The class giggled and she scrunched up her nose, just like her daddy.

“I mean. Present Mr Kim.”