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Jimin is currently in the kitchen about to make the French toast his mom used to make when he was younger. She makes the best French toast and though Jungkook and Jongin both tell him how delicious his is, he knows it cannot compare. He will admit that his husband and son both fight over eating the first one and fight over who could eat the most, and that does let him know that if his French toast cannot be first, second best most delicious isn't that bad.
He's just grabbed the milk, eggs, cinnamon, and bread when Jongin glides into the kitchen and sits at the island as he watches his dad move about.
"Mornin'," he hears a gruffy voice call behind his back. His heart almost stills from being caught off guard, but it calms when he recognizes the voice of his sixteen year old.
When he turns around he has a bright smile on his face. One reason for Jimin's smile is because his son is a scene right now. His hair is sticking up in odd places and sort of lopped to one side. He has one eye completely closed and the other fighting to stay cracked at least half open. His lightly tanned chest is as bare as the day he was born and though he can't see, he assumes his son is in his boxers and is barefoot because his boy has never liked wearing many clothes. He and Jungkook tried and tried to get him to wear clothes and keep them on when he was younger, but Jongin was stubborn and much too quick. He'd pull off his pants and shirt and socks faster than humanly possible, and by the time they'd get to him he'd be near naked and laughing hysterically because he was free of clothes and his daddies were chasing him around the house with his clothes in their hands. Jongin never outgrew the habit, but at least he only walks around half naked when he's at home.
And the second reason is because of the actual time. "Good morning, Jonginie, but have you actually looked at the time?" He asks the teen as he rest one hand on the counter and the other on his hip waiting for the other to reply.
Jongin shakes his head and drops it like lead on his folded arms before mumbling something that sounds like 'must be around seven' because 'my eyes won't open'.
Jimin laughs at his son's adorability. "Sweetie, it's past 12 already." He clarifies for the boy still sitting with his face buried against his arms that are acting as a surrogate pillow to nurse him back to dreamland.
Upon hearing the time Jongin's head shoots up quickly enough to startle and worry Jimin because his precious baby boy must have whiplash now with the speed he threw his head back.
"12?! How's that possible? The sun just came out. Right?" Now his eyes are large and more awake than before, but they've exchanged sleepiness for confusion as he strains his neck trying to look through the window behind Jimin that faces their backyard.
The older man stares at his son because he must have been up late again if he's this confused and tired. He always stays up late talking to his girlfriend, but Friday's are the worst because neither have school the next day. Jimin remembers going to sleep late talking on the phone with Jungkook when they were younger. He remembers the butterflies that flapped and glided in the pit of his stomach when he would pick up the phone and hear that wonderful voice that made his heart race dangerously fast. He usually let Jongin talk until just after eleven before the threats to take his phone away started when he had school, but Friday's were what Jongin called his 'free-for-all-night' which entailed going to sleep when he wanted because he's 'not a little kid anymore, dad'. Jimin never fails to remind him he's always going to be a kid in his eyes because he's his little boy. Jongin fights the words, but once in a while Jimin sees the crack of a smile threatening to widen and ruin his 'mature adult behavior'.
"Were you on the phone with Krystal again?" Jimin asks with a knowing smile on his large lips, and Jongin mirrors the smile with his own fluffy pair and nods his head. There's a blush tinting his cheeks now and Jimin has to fight the urge to coo and pinch at them.
"She's so great, dad. I know I said you and papa could meet her when it got serious, remember?" Jongin asks him as he stares at him with larger eyes and a darker blush. Jimin does. He and Jungkook had wanted to meet her as soon as they found out Jongin had a girlfriend, but Jongin refused saying that they had only been dating for a week and it was too soon to bring her home. And they respected their son's wishes after he promised to introduce her to them if it became serious and Jongin smiled and agreed instantly.
"Of course I do, sweetie." He admits aloud as he starts getting back to his original task of making a late breakfast by turning on the electric griddle Jungkook's parents got them for Christmas two winters ago. He and Jungkook woke up three hours ago and split a croissant and each nursed a mug of coffee as they waited for Jongin to finally rise from the dead. Jungkook went to shower just over ten minutes ago mumbling 'if that boy is still asleep when I get out, he's getting a cold shower in bed' or else he was 'going to eat Titan'. Jimin laughed at that because Titan is much too tiny to satisfy anybody's hunger, let alone Jungkook's. That man could eat for hours if Jimin ever let him or if Jongin ever left any food unattended long enough for someone else to eat it. Jongin's rabbit had nothing to fear now that Jongin was up and at 'em.
"Well, I think it's time. I mean we’ve been dating for three months already." He says with a little shyness. "And I really want you and papa to meet her. I know you’ll love her!" He says this with more conviction and Jimin wants to wrap his arms around Jongin and kiss his forehead because he's happy that Jongin wants to introduce his girlfriend to them and because he's happy that Jongin has found someone he wants to bring home.
Instead of doing that, he looks at his son and offers a smile, "well, when do you want her to come over?" He asks as he begins dropping in the perfect amount of every ingredient into a bowl for mixing with practiced, rote precision making the action perfunctory.
Jongin mirrors his smile before he answers, "how about this weekend? We could do tonight or maybe tomorrow?" His voice is hopeful and Jimin would never deny that voice anything. He'd give his baby boy the world and the sun and the moon if he could.
"Of course! Decide what you want to eat and we can have dinner tonight." He finishes as he tries to keep his smile somewhat contained and not completely idiotic. He turns to wash his hands and grabs the loaf of bread he's about to soak in a wonderful concoction of delicious liquid.
"Thanks dad!" He hears Jongin cheer behind his back before two long arms wrap around his shoulders and hold him tight enough to force the air out of his chest. He turns his head to the side to meet Jongin's brown eyes. They are of equal height now and Jongin teases his short dad often enough that dodging a kick to the butt has become standard and habitual. But he's not teasing his dad right now; no, right now Jongin is giving him a warm smile full of love and Jimin wants to cry because his son is precious and sweet and wonderful, but he doesn't want to embarrass him, so he smiles back with slightly shinier eyes and grabs a towel to dry off his now clean, soaking hands. Jongin lets his arms fall before he glides back to his usual high chair in the middle between Jimin and Jungook’s.
They have a comfortable silence between them as Jimin begins bathing the bread and placing one after the other on the ready griddle. And it's Jongin that breaks the silence with a question he wasn't expecting to get asked.
"Dad," Jimin hums to acknowledge he heard him, "how did you and papa meet?" Jimin thinks this is the only question he wants answered, but the short silence is nothing but a pause because Jongin opens his mouth again, "and how did you know he was the one for you?"
Jimin doesn't hide the idiotic smile this time and offers it to Jongin at full force as he looks up to meet Jongin.
"Goodness, I didn't think you'd ask this when I woke up this morning. How much time do you have?" He asks with overflowing mirth.
"Hmm, maybe I should have asked papa instead." He teases. And Jimin frowns because he loves sappy questions about him and Jungkook. He's the emotional and talkative one between them. He loves sap and sap loves him. Jungkook is sappy, but only at home and nowhere near as sweet and sticky as himself. And he talks a lot, but no one talks as much as Jimin. He's in a league of his own.
"No can do buckaroo. You already asked me. You did this to yourself, mister. Ask and you shall receive." He lets a chummy smile dance across his mouth and his eyes crinkle at the corners as he playfully dances the top half of his body in giddiness.
"Then can I have a car?" Jongin tries.
"Yeah, when you get a license. Let's work on that first, Jonginie." He clarifies as he snips that bud before getting back to the original questions. "You know you're father and I met in middle school right?" He asks his son and gets a nod in return, so he continues. "Well he moved in to the house next door the summer before we started our seventh year. He was shorter than me! No one was shorter than me when we were that age. I knew I had to befriend him so that I could look taller." He chuckles airily as he flips over a few slices of the French toast and checks a few others.
Jongin clicks his tongue when he hears the confession. "How mean! Does papa know you used him?" He tries to stifle his laugh by hiding his mouth with the back of his hand. Jimin softly glares at his son, "yes he does, so you can forget about using this against me, little man!" He playfully chastises, earning a pout from Jongin.
"He immediately loved me. He followed me around like another shadow. He was always at my house and my parents loved him. They thought he was a good boy. Little did they know he was a wolf in sheep clothing and that in a few years he'd be the one to take my innocence."
"Ew, gross! No! Nonononono. I don't want to hear the rated version of this story. Please keep it G, dad!" He shouts as he covers his ears and has a face full of disgust as he crumples his mouth and leaves it open for more dissent to slip out if need be and his eyes squint as if he could and would close them as not to see the gross words that may leave his dad's mouth.
"Of course I was! You're sixteen now anyway! Quit acting like a baby!" He teases but it's completely contradicting. He treats Jongin like his baby boy even when his son demands to be treated like the man he is – well the man he claims to be – and Jongin is acting like the innocent child he once was. Jimin knows he's not entirely innocent. He's heard him and his best friend Jongdae talking. The jokes they share are way inappropriate, funny, but inappropriate. And he has heard the little detail of a make out session he and Krystal had but once Jimin realized what he was talking about he nearly ran away not wanting to eavesdrop nor taint his naïveté to his son's relationship – smoothie offering be damned.
"No matter how old I get, I will never ever ever want to hear about you and dad kissing or worse. Holding hands or hugging is the limit." He feels the need to clarify.
"Like I'd tell you anyway!" He huffs as he flips over two more pieces. "As I was saying," he says extra loudly to playfully spite his son, "the good boy and I quickly became best friends. And when we went to school, all my friends loved him. Your papa has always been much too cool for his own good. Had girlfriends like no other. I didn't think he'd be so popular, but boy was he. I on the other hand always knew I didn't like girls. Everyone knew; your grandparents, my friends and classmates, and your papa. No one had a problem with it. And I didn't get popular in the dating department until our second year of high school. When I got my first boyfriend, your papa demanded a formal introduction as if he were my father. Said he needed to meet him and keep an eye on him. I found it funny and sweet, but my boyfriend at the time didn't. He thought Jungkook was being nosy and controlling – much too interested in someone else's affairs. That relationship didn't even last two months, but I was heartbroken and your papa wanted to beat him up." He laughs as he recalls the fuming boy that paced his bedroom back and forth with threats being muttered under his breath. It was a funny sight, so funny that Jimin forgot he was supposed to be sad and miserable.
"Papa wanted to beat someone up?! No way. He's way too nice." Jongin spoke with disbelief. And he had the right to. Jungkook really was much too nice. He'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He's always been a kind and gentle person. Never one to really cause trouble.
"He is, but he totally wanted to beat him up." Jimin paused his story to remove four pieces of bread and dip new ones and place them on the griddle.
"Come on dad, keep going!" Jongin encouraged as he sat on the edge of his seat. He wasn't even interested in the ready pieces of French toast.
"Well, I obviously didn't let your papa beat anyone up. Honestly, the guy wasn't even all that. He was just the first boyfriend, so I thought I had to be heartbroken. Anyway, I didn't get my second boyfriend until our third year. This guy was something else. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. I was on cloud nine every time he was around me. Jungkook and our friends all thought I was way too into him, but I didn't care. I only saw him and cared about him. I was your age and in love." He shrugs one shoulder as he removes two more slices off the griddle.
"You were in love with someone that wasn't papa? I can't even imagine that. You guys are gross and always all over each other." He visibly shudders, Jimin thinks it's just him being a butt and not cold or something – though he should be because it's already well into fall.
"Hey, this was before him. I can't be held responsible for my past relationships. Back to my story, this guy was perfect, or so I thought. I actually found out he was cheating on me with some girl from another school. This time I was really heartbroken. I mean, I was the one that caught him with her. The guy was nearly swallowing her face in public. No class." He shakes his head in disdain.
"You and papa do that all the time." Jongin so helpfully points out. And he's right. He and Jungkook kiss all the time in public and hold hands and hug. Really, they can't keep their hands to themselves. They have to be touching at all times. Jongin calls them embarrassing and gross every time they even look at each other for longer than two seconds – sometimes even walking between them to keep them from embarrassing him in public.
"We're different! We are in a loving relationship and not cheating on someone else with each other." He puts the last piece of bread on the griddle and puts the mixing bowl in the sink behind him before continuing his story.
"Like I was saying, this guy is cheating on me and of course I go crying to my best friend. I told your papa about how I saw him cheating and how I wasn't good enough and he went and found some girl to date and blah-blah-blah teenage angst. He calmly reassured me. He told me that I didn't need someone like that jerk. I don't need someone who won't treasure me, respect me, protect me, or love me. That I need someone much better who won't hurt me or make me feel like shit. That I need someone to sweep me off my feet and treat me like the precious diamond I am."
He looks pointedly at Jongin thinking the boy was going to make a face or gagging noises, but he's doing neither. He's sitting there with a soft smile and sparkling eyes waiting for him to continue, so he does. "He told me that I didn't need Sehun - the cheating scumbag" he clarifies as he states the name of his ex for the first time, "that I only needed one guy and that it was him. That he'd protect me and never hurt me. And I'm thrown for a loop. I mean, he'd never had a boyfriend or ever hinted that he'd be okay dating a guy. He'd only had girlfriends, so I was confused. And he said he stopped dating girls because they weren't me. He said he hadn't had a girlfriend all year and it was true. I forgot about him when I was so focused on Sehun. But he hadn't dated anyone and had refused so many confessions your Uncle Hoseok and Uncle Taehyung would tease him about being sick and breaking too many hearts. But he said he did it because he was waiting for me to see him; to notice him and come to him. He also said I failed him in that and he had to come and chase me instead; claiming I ruined his foolproof plan." Jimin rolls his eyes as he lets out a chuckle.
"Then what happened?" Jongin asks as he leans impossibly closer to the counter and dangerously off his seat.
"Well his big confession was a shock, but I quickly got over it. He's never been a liar and I knew from the look in his eyes that he was sincere. I knew he was telling me the truth and that this was his confession. I asked him where do we go from there and he looked me straight in the eye and asked me to be his boyfriend. Of course I said yes. My heart was fluttering like it had never done before. I was sure that I was going to pass out with how fast my blood was pumping through my veins. But when he leaned in and kissed me, it was like time stopped. It was never like that with Sehun or anyone else I had ever kissed. It was new and exciting and addicting. I knew those lips were meant for me to kiss and that he was meant for me."
"Is that how you knew he was the one?" Jongin asks one of his original questions from the beginning.
"No. I didn't know until five months later." He states with a tilt of his head.
"It took you that long to know?" The tone Jongin adopts is incredulous.
"It's different for everyone, sweetie. But it happened when I was sitting out of school because I was sick. My parents had already gone to work and I was home alone. School had already been going on for well over an hour, so it surprised me when Jungkook stepped into my room. He nearly sent me to an early grave. I swear he's part cat with how quietly he can move."
"Tell me about it. I don't even hear him coming up the stairs. You practically bang your ascent. But papa, I just can't hear him and he always catches me awake way past my bedtime." Jongin confesses as he shakes his head in disapproval. Jimin is feeling lots of emotions from the confession. He's offended that Jongin thinks he's not elegant and smooth. He can climb their stairs quietly; he's sure he could if he wanted to. He's upset that Jongin stays up late behind their back probably talking to Krystal. And he wants to laugh because Jongin just admitted that he has a bedtime. But he doesn't point it out because this is a silent win. "Finish the story, dad!"
"Okay, okay. So he comes into my house claiming he used the key we kept under the mat. He wasn't in his uniform, so I figured he never made it to school and then I noticed the pot he had in his hands. Literally a pot. And he said he made me soup. I didn't believe him at first because he can't cook. He never could. He burnt everything he touched with accurate precision." He laughs because just yesterday he had caught Jungkook disposing of burnt toast. The bread was crumbling and dropping black crisps on the way to the trashcan.
"But then he stepped closer and took off the lid and I saw that he really had made me soup. But then I also saw the red, inflamed skin that was smarting because he had burnt himself in three different spots. And he had two band aids on two of his fingers. He probably would have sliced at least one off had he been any less careful." He shakes his head as he wonders how Jungkook has survived this long. "He had hurt himself over and over because he wanted me to have soup and wanted me to get better. He cared enough to keep going and not give up like anyone else would have. He continued to get hurt to make me happy and that's when I knew he was the one. He put me before himself and that was enough for me to know he'd always do that. I knew he was the one and that I'd be an idiot, a miserable one, to ever let him go." The fondness is almost overwhelming as he feels his eyes start to prickle with unshed tears. "He spoon fed me all of the soup he made me and then fell asleep as he held me into his chest. It's one of my top three favorite memories." Jimin jokingly says to keep the tears at bay.
Taking the bait, Jongin asked about the other two.
"Well that's the third. The second is the day your papa and I got married. But the first is the day we brought you home." And this time the tears slip past his invisible barrier behind his faulty resolve of no crying.
Jongin offers him one of the brightest smiles Jimin has ever seen his son make. It warms his heart in the most beautiful way because Jongin is the best thing that ever happened to him and Jungkook. He wipes at the fallen tears and smiles back before grabbing three forks, three plates, and three glasses he fills with their favorite juices – his is apple, Jongin's orange, and Jungkook's pineapple.
It's at this moment when Jungkook steps into the kitchen. It's Jongin's greeting of 'good no longer morning' to his papa that grabs Jimin's attention. He smiles fondly at his husband and leans into the kiss that Jungkook places chastely on Jimin's pouting lips. Their lips spread into smiles before they hear Jongin say something that sounds like ‘hey, I’m still here, you know’.
Jungkook turned to his son with a wide grin as he returned the earlier greeting with a ruffle of Jongin's hair and a quick 'hey squirt! Hear about the new invention called a shirt?'
Jimin laughs as Jongin replies with a flex of his nonexistent muscles, his body is lean from baseball, but he flexes every chance he gets because he's young and thinks he has it going on. And Jimin encourages him by claiming that his papa is just jealous. The comment earns a nod of agreement from Jongin and a dramatic eye roll from Jungkook.
Jongin and Jungkook are both on their second piece of French toast when Jungkook speaks up.
"Hey, Jonginie," he starts and gets a muffled 'hmm?' from said boy before Jungkook continues, "your dad left out a crucial part of the story. Probably the best part, if I’m honest." He states plainly. Jongin doesn't notice the huge fact that his papa heard the story, but Jimin does. He can't help the light blush that settles across his cheeks and down his throat. Jungkook smiles knowingly over Jongin's shoulders and titled head. The boy is still stuffing his face, but that doesn't distract Jungkook.
"He forgot to say how cool I was when I punched Sehun in his pretty little face in the school's cafeteria." He says this as if he is proud, and Jimin knows that he actually is proud that he bruised not only the other's jaw, but also his pride.
"You what?! You punched him in the face?!" He all but screeches out. And Jungkook smiles smugly when Jongin drops his fork against his plate, making the two clack together loudly.
"Yup, totally hit him real good. Like perfectly. I swear he cried. No, I know I saw a tear trickle down his cheek." He says as he's shaking his pointing finger as if he's pointing at a thought bubble somewhere off in the distance that holds the memory.
"Hey, don't go encouraging violence, Kookie!" He feels the need to remind his husband. "And you, don't you even think about getting into a fight with anyone, little man!" He turns his attention to his son.
"I knooooow, dad." He draws out all three words more than necessary, but Jimin just narrows his eyes at his two favorite people before continuing his breakfast.
"You better." He simply says as he watches Jungkook and Jongin begin their usual competition of who can eat the most French toast. And Jimin can't help the smile that spreads across his face at the scene because these two both have changed his life is such different and significant ways. He's not sure how he got so lucky, but he is sure that he loves both of them so much because they are his brilliant lights that shine his path.
Jungkook and Jongin are the two most important people in his life and he's grateful that they allow him to spend every day with a smile on his face. And the real best part of it all is the fact that he gets to do this for the rest of his life.