Archive of Our Own

“Take a ten-minute break, then we’ll take it from the top,” Jimin called out to the group of idols around him, all drenched in sweat.

Jimin had honestly busted his ass to get to where he was. He was a lead choreographer for Ddaeng Enterprises, one of the most prestigious music companies in Seoul. He had graduated from a top university with his dual degrees in dance and athletic training and survived losing both parents during his sophomore year of college, taking on the responsibility of being his younger sister’s primary guardian. Jiseon had been a junior in high school, and he saw her through graduation then beginning classes at a smaller college to get certified in Early Childhood Education.

He’d been scouted when Jung Hoseok, also known as J-Hope, saw him dance in his senior showcase. Hoseok was one of the three CEOs of Ddaeng Enterprises, and was head of the dance and visual department. The other two CEOs, Kim Namjoon (aka RM) and Min Yoongi (Suga) were both heavily involved in the music aspects of the company. While both regularly produced songs and wrote lyrics, Namjoon was more in charge of the business side of things while Yoongi led the creative portion of the company. The three also had made their own names rapping (both together and individually) before establishing the company to promote newer musicians. The main focus at this time was preparing the debut of their new boy group, TXT. They also had a handful of successful solo artists as well.

Jimin sipped from his own water bottle as he watched the five TXT members catch their breath and gulp down water. They’d been repetitively dancing their debut track for the last few hours and were close to getting it all in a synchronized, professional way. Jimin had learned early on with these boys that they were all nearly as perfectionistic as he was, so he had to monitor them to make sure they weren’t overworking themselves. He was just about to call an end to the break when he decided to check his watch. It was almost 7 pm. He really hoped that Jiseon had finished her day already and headed home.

Jiseon had moved out for a short time during her time in college, but had moved back in with Jimin a few weeks ago. She’d gotten pregnant after a drunken night at a party, and was nearing the 35 week point in her pregnancy. After seeing the time, he decided to run the group through the dance one more time and then call it a day.

With the boys called to attention and settled into their starting formation, Jimin clicked play on the track. Instead of dancing along with them this time, he began filming them for this run-through. He could send the video to them so they could watch and see the minute things to tidy up in the next few weeks before their debut performance. Jimin was so focused on his recording of the dancers before him that he was startled a bit when the track stuttered to silence.

“Boys, you’ve worked hard enough today. Head out. Your manager is out front with the van,” Yoongi announced to the room.

Yoongi barely acknowledged the boys bows and murmurs of gratitude with a gentle smile and head dip as he jogged across the room to Jimin.

“Sorry to butt in, Jimin. But I need you to check your phone,” he said quietly upon reaching where the choreographer was standing.

“Oh, yeah. I keep my phone on ‘do not disturb’ during work. What’s going on?”

“You know how the company phone lines re-route to me and Namjoon after hours? Well, we got a call a few minutes ago from someone from Seoul National University Hospital asking for you. They wouldn’t give me any details, but it seemed like an emergency.”

Jimin’s heart stopped in his chest as he dug his phone out of his gym bag in the corner of the room. He’d been using a corporate phone to record TXT. When he opened it up, there were nearly five voice messages on the display. He clicked on the first one immediately.

“Hi, this is Dr. San at Seoul National University Hospital calling for Park Jimin. There has been an emergency with your sister, Park Jiseon, and I need you to call me back immediately. You are down as her emergency contact…”

The voicemail trailed off as Jimin felt his knees starting to buckle.

“Jimin, sit down a second,” Yoongi advised, guiding him down onto a bench lining the edge of the practice room they were in. “Let me just call Namjoon and we’ll drive you. You can call the doctor back while we head over if you need to.”

It only took a few moments for Yoongi to call upstairs and summon the other CEOs down. Hoseok had apparently been helping Namjoon record a demo in his studio. For as large as the company was growing, the CEOs worked as closely as possible with all the staff who were involved with their artists. As such, they had befriended Jimin quite quickly as they were in a similar age range. Namjoon grabbed Jimin’s gym bag and steel water bottle while Hoseok took Jimin’s arm as they locked up the building and climbed into Yoongi’s SUV. They were able to collectively calm Jimin enough for him to reach the hospital emergency room. According to the voicemails, his sister had already been admitted to the hospital, so they had left him the room number as well.

They arrived and parked in the main parking lot since Jiseon had been moved into a proper room. The hospital was large, so the group paused for a moment at the information desk for directions to Jiseon’s unit. Jimin’s heart stuttered again when the volunteer at the emergency desk advised that Jiseon was within the sixth-floor intensive care unit. Hoseok squeezed his hand and they led Jimin into the appropriate elevator up to the floor where Jiseon was. When they arrived, the nurse’s station on the floor was abuzz with activity, but upon learning who he was there for, Jiseon’s primary nurse led him into her room. Only two visitors could be inside at a time, so Hoseok went back with him.

“Once I drop you off here, I’m going to page Dr. San to come up and speak with you. But first, I wanted to warn you. Jiseon-ssi does not look good and there are lots of wires and things around her and connected to her. Feel free to hold her hand, but try not to jostle anything around her. We have her on multiple monitors at the moment, with a few on her vital signs and a couple monitoring the baby,” the nurse advised prior to opening the door.

If it hadn’t been for Hoseok holding his arm, Jimin would almost certainly have hit the floor. His barely 20-year-old baby sister was lying fully unconscious in bed with wires connected willy-nilly around her. He could tell she was on a respirator at the moment and that there was at least one IV and an adult EKG going. There was a self-inflating blood pressure cuff on her arm and a second cord trailing from under her hospital gown, presumably a fetal heart monitor. Jimin allowed Hoseok to guide him to sit down in the chair placed beside the bed, then gently picked up Jiseon’s hand in his. The hand was shockingly cold, and not warm at all like he’d been anticipating. At that moment, a quiet knock on the door announced the doctor just prior to him stepping into the room.

“Hi Jimin-ssi, my name is Dr. San. I hate that we are meeting under such unfortunate circumstances,” the middle-aged man in a lab coat stated. “Jiseon-ssi apparently collapsed in her evening class, just around 5:30 pm. Her professor immediately called for an ambulance, and she has been unconscious since then. Due to her pregnancy, we requested her recent medical records. Were you aware of her heart condition?”

“No, she never mentioned it. What’s wrong with her?”

“Essentially, there is a defect in the mitral valve of her heart. It was a defect that she was more than likely born with, but wasn’t a major problem until she got pregnant. Pregnancy puts a strain on the mother’s heart due to changes in their blood flow, blood pressure, and so forth. In rare cases like your sister’s, the pregnancy essentially worsened the existing dysfunction in her heart. She collapsed earlier because the defect in the valve prolapsed, and blood can’t properly circulate and be oxygenated. We tried as much as we could, but ultimately put her on a respirator. The machine is breathing for her and forcing oxygen through her system. Jiseon-ssi would need a major surgery to repair this heart issue, but it can’t be done until the baby is born. We need your permission to perform an emergency caesarian section. Once the baby is out of the way, we can move forward with potential surgery for Jiseon-ssi. I do want to warn you, though, that there is a high likelihood that she may not survive the caesarian section.”

Jimin sat there in shock for a few moments, just trying to absorb the information. As he considered it, the conversation they’d had a few days prior came back to his mind.

“Oppa, if something crazy happens to me before the baby comes, please don’t try to save me if it’s a choice between me and my child. Just take the baby and raise them as your own. You were a great older brother to me, and then a great parent to me after Eomma and Appa died. So, promise me, yeah?”

Jimin had promised her, thinking that it was just her anxiety over her impending labor in the moment. But now, he understood with horrible clarity that she was trying to prepare him for the worst. It was only because of the memory of Jiseon’s words that allowed him to look Dr. San in the eye and agree to the emergency caesarian section.

From the moment he agreed, there was a flurry of frantic preparation. In a normal caesarian section, a family member or spouse would be allowed to be present in the room. However, due to the complications surrounding Jiseon’s condition, her doctor advised that it would be best if Jimin stayed in the waiting room just down the hall from the operating suite. The plan was to save the baby, and then immediately jump into a heart surgery for Jiseon if she survived the removal of the baby, and Jimin couldn’t be present for that. He was honestly not sure he’d be able to stand on his own for any length of time regardless. Other than Dr. San and a cardiologist, there would be a team of neonatal specialists in the room to sweep in and care for the baby.

Jiseon had been so excited about everything and had been determined for the sex of the child to be a surprise, so Jimin had no idea if he was about to have a niece or a nephew. When they moved to the new room, Yoongi and Namjoon met them there, dinner for all of them in hand. Jimin hadn’t eaten in hours, and honestly was unsure if he’d be able to stomach anything due to worry about Jiseon, but after a bite of the cheeseburger Namjoon offered him, he realized that he actually was hungry. He ate then sipped the comforting mug of hot chocolate that Yoongi had rustled up from somewhere and settled in to wait. They had just finished eating and cleaning up from dinner when a nurse came into the room, interrupting the quiet conversation they’d been engaged in.

“Congratulations, Jimin-ssi! You are the uncle to a gorgeous baby boy. We are taking him into the neonatal ICU for a few days just to make sure he’s okay from the traumatic premature birth, but you can come see him in just a little bit. Dr. San should be out in a while for further details about Jiseon-ssi.”

Jimin accepted the congratulations from both the nurse and the others in the room with a grain of salt. He was still waiting to see about Jiseon. He had just settled in more with his phone in hand when Dr. San came into the room. Jimin could tell by the look on his face that it was bad news.

“I’m so sorry, Jimin-ssi. Jiseon-ssi held out through the birth of the baby. We’d just prepared to begin the heart surgery when she coded. We tried everything we could, but we were unable to revive her.”

With those few words, the last member of Jimin’s immediate family was dead. Instead of becoming a happy uncle, he was now a father to a tiny baby boy.

Jimin sat there in shock for a moment, trying to process that he was fully alone in the world now and suddenly responsible for a tiny, premature infant.

He had begun to spiral a bit when Dr. San asked, “We can keep her in the hospital morgue if you need, or is there a funeral home you’d like to call?”

The mentions of the funeral home sort of brought the reality of the situation into place. He’d had to arrange a funeral one time before, but that had been a double service for both his parents in Busan. He had no idea of the funeral homes even available in Seoul.

“If you don’t mind, I can call my hyung,” Yoongi softly suggested. “His in-laws are funeral directors in Myeongdong.”

“That would be great, hyung. I didn’t even know where to start,” Jimin replied.

Yoongi stepped into the corner of the room to make the call while the doctor softly advised, “We brought her back into the room she was in prior to the procedure if you want to go back in and see her. The nurse cleaned her up a bit, so you can go in and have a moment to say your goodbyes.”

Jimin slowly rose and walked down the hallway, all three of his hyungs surrounding him and keeping him going. When they got to the room, they all crowded in with him, but still gave him the space to be with Jiseon for the last time.

“Seonie, I can’t believe you hid this from me! You were supposed to be the first person to hold your baby. How do I do this without you?” he sobbed, holding her hand pressed to his own cheek.

He couldn’t control the sobs shattering out of him as he sat there and felt the residual warmth drain out of his sister’s body. Hoseok hugged him from behind, offering as much comfort as he could. Jimin could hear Namjoon and Yoongi speaking softly from the corner of the room, but their words simply bounced off the intense grief he’d sunk into.

After a few moments, they approached him. Yoongi knelt down and took his other hand. “Jimin-ah, my hyung’s father-in-law and brother-in-law will come and pick up Jiseon-ah for funeral services. They will take such good care of her and make her memorial beautiful,” he gently said.

Jimin looked at him and nodded. Yoongi gently wiped some of the tears off his cheeks with a tissue he’d pulled off the bedside table. When he did, Jimin could see the tears glistening in Yoongi’s own eyes. “Thank you, hyung,” he whispered.

Namjoon gently rested his hand on Jimin’s shoulder before speaking too. “And don’t worry about the cost, Minnie. Yoongi-hyung and I are paying for everything. Our family takes care of each other, you know?”

“Before you even try to say it’s too much, it’s not,” Hoseok smiled as he interjected. “We paid for the funeral of the mother of one of the managers too. We take care of our own, Jiminie. Besides, what good is having a couple billion won in the bank if we can’t use it to help our family?”

After a few moments had passed, Jimin started to calm down a bit. He’d whispered everything he wanted to say to Jiseon when he first came in the room, and his mind was starting to wander to the innocent baby she’d left behind. He was trying to mentally calculate if he had even a third of what was needed to care for him in their apartment. He’d set up part of the nursery the weekend before, but now he’d have to figure out if he even had diapers at home. Jimin simply couldn’t remember and Jiseon hadn’t wanted a baby shower. She’d said she didn’t have anyone but him to invite and didn’t see the point.

When the gentlemen from the funeral home arrived, Jimin thanked them for their help and gave them his contact information before leaving the room. Hoseok had suggested that Jimin go introduce himself to the baby. Hoseok went with him to the neonatal ICU where the baby had been taken while Yoongi and Namjoon stayed to talk more with the funeral directors and help them as needed. Jimin could feel his hands shaking as he stepped into the unit designated for infants with extra needs, anxiety and grief still crashing through his body. They were greeted by a smiling nurse when they entered the unit. After explaining the situation, she introduced herself as Kaeri and walked him to the nursery proper. They paused for a moment to look through the glass at the rows of incubators in the room.

“Do you see that tiny bundle right there,” Kaeri asked, pointing out a tiny wriggling infant wearing a light green garment in the upper left corner of the room. “That little one is currently named Baby Park. When we enter the door, we’ll be in a tiny antechamber and there will be a second door to go through. Since most of the babies in this room have special needs, we need to pause for you to wash your hands and your arms up to the elbow then put on a gown and a mask over your clothes and some sterile covers over your shoes. I’ll show you both how when we get there.”

Kaeri walked them through the washing then sanitizing of their hands and how to don the required garments more easily. Once they were thoroughly de-germed, she opened the door into the main room. The room was filled with the hum of several machines. At the moment there were nine different incubators in the room, with the more complicated cases closer to the right side of the room nearest the nurses’ station. As he was just there for observation mostly, Baby Park was tucked into the left side of the room. There were several rocking chairs scattered around the room, and Kaeri led Jimin and Hoseok to the one closest to the baby they were there to see.

“Jimin-ssi, you sit down. I’ll bring Baby Park over to you and be able to answer any questions you have,” she said before turning to the incubator. Jimin sat as instructed, trying to settle the crinkly yellow protective gown around him. In just a moment, Kaeri held the tiny bundle out to him, showing him how to hold his arms to support the baby. Just as he settled back into the chair staring down at the tiny life in his arms, a baby across the room cried out.

“I’m going to step over there to help that little one, but just let me know if you need anything,” Kaeri advised, stepping away to let the two bond.

Jimin was captivated, staring down at the tiny body snuggled into his arms. “Hi there. I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you,” he whispered to the baby.

At the whisper, the baby smacked his little lips together a bit before cracking his eyes open and staring at Jimin for a moment before closing them again. The tiny face was so similar to Jiseon in every way, right down to the shape of his eyes that Jimin started to cry again. Hoseok rubbed his back as he wept openly.

“What am I going to do, Hobi-hyung? I don’t know anything about taking care of a baby,” Jimin said softly through his tears.

“I might be able to help with that a little. My step-brother used to be a NICU nurse, so he has a ton of experience with babies. He stopped actively working to go to school to get his Masters and become a Nurse Practitioner. He only works like one day a week now. I can ask him if he’d be willing to help out some?” Hoseok responded.

Jimin paused for a moment to think it over. “Do you think he’d meet with me before I have to bring him home to make sure we have everything we need? Jiseon had 5 weeks of pregnancy left so I don’t know if I have even close to what I need to properly take care of him.”

“It doesn’t hurt to ask. I’m nearly certain he’ll say yes. Seokjinnie-hyung absolutely adores babies, so I’m sure he’d want to help. I’ll call him after we leave here. In the meantime, do you have any ideas about a name for this adorable little bean?”

Jimin looked over the features of the tiny baby’s face and little hands as he thought. Jiseon had really only shared a name she liked for a girl as she was still thinking about a name for a boy. The baby made a tiny squeaky sound and wiggled a bit like he was trying to snuggle closer to Jimin’s body while Jimin pondered over what name might suit this baby. He thought about everything that had happened that day to bring him to making this decision and how this child was the light in the darkness of this day.

“Haeil. Park Haeil,” he finally said. As he spoke the name, the baby opened his eyes and just looked back at Jimin. It felt right and like the baby was affirming his own name.

“Sunlight. That’s a good name, Jiminie. He seems to like it too.”

After a few minutes, the nurse came back over. “Alright, gentlemen. Visiting hours are coming to an end in just a few minutes,” she said with a sad smile. “Need anything before you go?”

“He has a name now,” Jimin replied with a soft smile. “Park Haeil.”

“That’s a perfect name for him. I’ll get the paperwork registered and list you as his guardian.”

Yoongi, Namjoon, and Hoseok dropped Jimin off at the door of his apartment building. They’d all offered to stay, but he’d said he just wanted to have a bit of time alone to try to process everything. They’d told him to take at least the next two weeks off to get the baby settled. Yoongi had already emailed his secretary to request that she start the paperwork for Jimin to have the leave as a paid family leave. It would give him some additional time if needed as well. On the way back to the Ddaeng Enterprises building after dropping him off, they quietly tried to formulate a plan of how best to help Jimin.

“I already texted Seokjinnie-hyung and he’s so gung-ho to help. He said he can’t wait to meet Jimin and Haeil. I sent him Jimin’s contact number and he’s planning to call first thing in the morning,” Hoseok mentioned.

“That’s great, Seok. I know Jimin will have to meet with the funeral directors again soon to plan that too,” Namjoon said. “I just wish there was more we could do.”

“I think there is. When I picked up our dinner, I called Jungkookie. I didn’t want him to worry since I was going to be home later than planned. He offered to help plan Jimin a baby shower. Even though the baby is already born, Jiseon had been buying things a little at a time. We can throw him a shower and invite everyone from the company. If they do anything like they did for Hobeom-hyung, he’ll get everything else he needs and more,” Yoongi expressed thoughtfully.

“Oh, that could work!” Hoseok was beginning to get a little excited about the prospect. “We can have the TXT boys help Jungkook with decorating and have the party in the big practice room in a couple of days. If we plan it right, we can have it the same day he gets to bring the baby home. The nurse said two days of observation, so we can plan for that and just say we need him to come by to sign the leave paperwork. Then bam! Surprise shower!”

With a basic plan in place, the three CEOs left the building to go home.

Yoongi’s husband, Jungkook, was a very empathetic person. At the previous year’s company picnic, Jungkook and Jimin had bonded quickly as they were both Busan boys. Upon hearing about why Yoongi was going to be late, he’d been worried for Jimin but hadn’t wanted to overwhelm him by reaching out that night. He’d come up with the baby shower idea and immediately threw himself into basic planning once he’d learned that the little one was a boy. Yoongi unlocked the door to their flat and paused to toe his shoes off and hang up his coat, but was interrupted by a happy yip and a deeper bark, then an excited squeal. When Yoongi looked up, Jungkook was hopping a bit with excitement just behind their sons, a tiny brown poodle called Holly and an overgrown pup of a Doberman called Bam.

“Hyung, I’ve been planning the shower since we talked, and look how adorable this tiny hoodie is!” Jungkook nearly yelled, shoving his phone in Yoongi’s face.

Yoongi smiled fondly at his husband before looking at the image on the screen. “Very cute, Tokki,” he said before leaning in to give him a soft hello kiss. “I told Namjoon and Hobah your idea for the shower and they are on board. We can have it in the big practice room. Can you get it all together in two days?”

“Yes! I already started the planning and ordered some decorations to be shipped overnight. They’ll be in tomorrow. I’ll call and see if Jisoo-Noona’s café can cater with some light snack type things.”

Jungkook continued to chatter excitedly about the different things needed for the shower as they got ready for bed. Yoongi just knew that this shower could hopefully soften the blow for Jimin in caring for his nephew.

Jimin felt like he’d been hit by a truck when his alarm went off the next morning. He’d broken down again when he walked into the apartment to see traces of Jiseon everywhere. He’d cried himself to sleep, so he was certain he looked as bad as he felt since he could already feel the swelling in his eyelids. He forced himself out of bed and into the bathroom. One glance in the mirror told him how badly he really looked so he grabbed a soothing face mask to smooth on then popped by the kitchen to grab some small frozen eyepacks that Jiseon had insisted they keep on hand just for this sort of situation. Once the mask was soothed into place, he set a timer on his phone for twenty minutes and laid on his back with the icy packs over his eyes. The intense cold instantly started to soothe the ache from his breakdown. He’d been lying there for maybe ten minutes when his phone rang. He lifted one of the eye packs to grab his phone and answer.

“Hello?”

“Hi Jimin-ssi, this is Kim Seokjin. I’m Hoseok’s stepbrother. He let me know about what happened and asked if I could help out with your new little one. I wanted to call as soon as possible.”

The tone of the voice on the line was gentle and slightly musical. It instantly put Jimin at ease enough to smile a bit. “Ah yes! Thank you so much for agreeing to help, Seokjin-ssi. My sister and I thought we would have 5 more weeks to sort things out and learn more, but then there was an emergency and my sister passed away. I don’t even know if I have everything I need to bring him home. And I have two days to get anything major I might need. Would you mind to come over to my apartment and look through the things we have and help me fill in the blanks?”

“Of course! I realize it’s a little early, but I can head over now if you’d like. I can bring breakfast and some coffee with me so we can eat and get to know one another a bit too,” Seokjin suggested.

“That would be lovely. I’ll text you my address.”

Once the phone call was over, Jimin cut his mask pack time short to get dressed and brush his teeth. He’d showered the night before to slow his breakdown a bit and scrub the dried sweat from his skin leftover from the day of dancing. He tamed his hair as much as possible and patted a bit of concealer under his eyes to lessen the redness leftover, then curled up on the sofa to wait. It was only a few more minutes before a quick series of knocks clicked against his door. He rose and answered the door, then felt his jaw drop a bit. The man on the other side of the door was godlike—tall with wide shoulders draped in a blue sweater with a white whale in the middle. He had a soft smile on his face, lifting his cheeks into a slight squish against bright eyes.

“Kim Seokjin, at your service,” he said, bowing slightly around the carrying tray in his hands filled with large cups of iced coffee and a to-go bag.

Jimin introduced himself quickly. “Please come in. I’m Park Jimin, born in 1995.”

“Ah, lovely. A new dongsaeng! I was born in 1992. Please call me hyung, Jimin-ah,” Seokjin said, smile growing wider. “I hope you don’t mind, but I grabbed street toast from a halmeoni who runs a stand near my apartment. It’s the best in the city.”

“That sounds amazing.”

They sat on the couch, eating breakfast at the coffee table, while chatting more about themselves. Jimin learned that Seokjin’s dad had married Hoseok’s mom a few years ago, but he and Hoseok had known each other in college so it wasn’t a huge strain. Seokjin’s mother had died when he’d been very young and he didn’t really remember her, but had a good relationship with his stepmother, as she treated him exactly like she did her own son. Their families combining had been a wonderful thing for them. Seokjin also talked at length about how amazing it was to work with the smallest of babies in their most vulnerable, sick situations.

In turn, Jimin told Seokjin about losing both their parents at once in a freak accident and taking care of Jiseon. He told Seokjin about how he felt he might die sometimes if he couldn’t dance and how sharing it with the performers at Ddaeng Enterprises was a dream come true. He spoke about how he lost his sister suddenly and had to plan her funeral in the midst of caring for a tiny infant. And he spoke about Haeil and how amazing it had been to hold a new little life that looked so like Jiseon.

After they finished eating, Jimin slowly rose and collected the trash from their breakfast to tidy up. Once that was done, he led Seokjin into Jiseon’s room. When they found out she was pregnant, they had moved into a larger apartment and put her into the master bedroom since she’d need to have the baby close. Jimin’s room was much smaller for now. They had stored the things they’d bought in Jiseon’s room. Luckily, they had already put the crib and changing table together, Jiseon laughing at him the entire time he struggled with the complicated Ikea instructions until he gave up and video called Yoongi for help.

In the midst of showing Seokjin all of the things they had so far, Seokjin’s phone rang. “Oh, this is Hoseok. Do you mind if I take this?” he asked.

“Sure, no problem, hyung.”

Seokjin quickly answered and let Hoseok know that he was already with Jimin. Jimin watched Seokjin’s face light up a bit during the conversation while he folded up some small onesies Jiseon had picked up. Seokjin kept the call short, then turned to Jimin again.

“Sorry about that. Hobah was just making sure I contacted you. It looks like you have all the basics, but since Haeil was born early, you will want to pick up a few preemie sized onesies and some preemie sized diapers. He’ll grow into the others fast, but he’ll be too tiny for what you have for now.”

“Thank you. I had thought of that last night. I was going to go pick some up later today after I go visit him,” Jimin replied. He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Would you want to go with me to meet him?”

The question seemed to catch Seokjin off guard for a moment, then he giggled a bit. “I’d love to meet him! Let’s go check in on our little bean, yeah?”

While Jimin and Seokjin traveled by taxi to the hospital, Jungkook was shopping frantically with Taehyung. Kim Taehyung, the lead stylist and event planner for Ddaeng Enterprises, had been Jungkook’s best friend and the way he’d met his husband. When Jimin had been hired, they quickly attached themselves to him and hung out loads at the company events when possible. They had gotten Hoseok to have Seokjin write down anything that might be needed for the baby. Seokjin was surreptitiously sending texts with things to add to a “registry” list that could be sent out with invites to all members of the company except Jimin.

Taehyung and Namjoon had been dating for a full year (and were going to get engaged in the next few months, but Taehyung was still currently unaware of the ring Namjoon had hidden in his studio), so Taehyung had been sent out to pick out an appropriate gift from he and Namjoon. Jungkook smiled to himself as he watched Taehyung ask rapid-fire questions to an associate in the shop they were in regarding the safety features of the 3-in-1 stroller he was looking at. It converted smoothly between stroller, car-seat, and carrier, but Taehyung was determined to make sure it would work for a baby as small as Haeil currently was. Hoseok had let it slip that Haeil only weighed just under pounds. He was small even for a premature baby born at 35 weeks, but considering the small frames of both Jimin and Jiseon, that may have been partially a genetic thing.

“Are you certain this will be okay for a baby that small?” Taehyung verified with the associate.

“Yes, it comes with instructions on shortening the straps and it can be adjusted as he grows.”

Taehyung seemed satisfied with this, so Jungkook was able to lift the large box onto their cart and convince him to release the slightly frazzled employee. It’s not everyday that a general retail worker gets interrogated about a stroller by a man with blue hair and dripping head to toe in Gucci and Celine, so Jungkook understood their reaction.

“Now that we chose the stroller as gift from you and Joonie-hyung and the matching bassinet and high-chair as gift from Yoongi-hyung and I, let’s go look at fun things,” Jungkook said excitedly.

“Yes! Baby clothes!!!” Taehyung exclaimed, steering the cart towards the racks of itty bitty clothing.

The two men quickly filled the limited remaining space in the cart with tiny shoes, onesies in 3 different sizes, bibs, and several of the baby hoodies Jungkook had seen online the night before. Once the cart was full, they quickly checked out and then headed to a store for some additional decorations. Once they had all the things they had gone shopping for, they grabbed lunch for the CEOs of the company and the TXT members.

The receptionist at the front desk quickly unlocked the door, when she saw them struggling to carry everything in. “Let me page the Oppas to come help,” she giggled, watching Taehyung try to balance the take-out bags and drinks while simultaneously not dropping the multiple rolls of wrapping paper they’d bought to wrap their gifts.

A few moments later, Yoongi, Hoseok and Namjoon stepped out of the main elevators and gawked a bit at the number of bags and boxes Jungkook was still unloading from his SUV.

“When I sent you to pick up some stuff, I didn’t mean for you to buy out the whole damn store, Jungkook-ah,” Yoongi grumbled as he started carrying things into the practice room. “Did you just max out the black card?”

Jungkook rolled his eyes before picking up the box with the stroller in one arm. “Hyungie, even if I tried, I couldn’t max out the black card. Did you forget you’re the CEO here and that I’m the developer of the most popular video game of the year? I used my money to buy all this, so stop whining.”

“You know I’m teasing, right?” Yoongi replied, pressing a kiss to Jungkook’s cheek once he straightened up from putting down the box.

“I know. I just didn’t feel right about buying the gifts with your company black card, hyungie. I wanted them to come from us.”

“Oh, baby. You are the best bunny,” Yoongi murmured between pressing kisses to Jungkook’s lips to appease him from the teasing.

Before they could deviate into full on making out, Taehyung marched into the room and tugged Jungkook away from Yoongi’s embrace, fully ignoring the scowl Yoongi shot him at the interruption. “Alright, you two. No banging in the baby shower setup. Jungkookie, finish carrying things in. I’m putting my noodle of a boyfriend to work hanging the banner. The TXT giants can blow up and hang balloons once they get here. Yoongi-hyung, help me wrap all these gifts.”

Seokjin had texted Hoseok a precious picture of Jimin in the rocking chair in the NICU, feeding Haeil a bottle with a sweet smile on his face. The caption had said Little Bean is doing amazing. Doctor is releasing him a day early because he’s doing so well. Means baby shower is tomorrow. That note had sent them into a bit of a tizzy. Luckily, the café they’d contacted had been able to move up the catering order by a day once Hoseok tipped them spectacularly. They were also able to find a bakery willing to make some cupcakes on such short notice as well due to some contacts Taehyung had.

While the others frantically arranged a baby shower that Jimin had no clue about, Seokjin and Jimin spent the entire day getting to know one another and bonding with Haeil. Since Seokjin actually worked his one day a week in the NICU where Haeil was staying by some miracle, the nurse on duty simply let him take over one-on-one care of Haeil. It allowed him to teach Jimin so much, from feeding him and burping him to changing the diapers and re-dressing him. In a strange turn of events, Haeil was a very quiet baby. While babies usually make small sounds and coos between cries, Haeil didn’t. He seemed to be very in tune with Jimin though. The moments he got stressed from not knowing how to burp him properly or when he spit up a bit after feeding, Jimin’s anxiety made Haeil react more. Seokjin noticed it as the day went on and pointed it out as they waited for a taxi to take them both home (they lived in the same area of the city; Seokjin just happened to be a few blocks past Jimin to be closer to his university).

“Haeil seems to know when you’re feeling overwhelmed. He’s a very unique little bub,” Seokjin mentioned.

“Yeah,” Jimin laughed. “Just like his eomma. My sister was always very dialed in to me and things that were causes of distress for me. Even though she was four years younger than me, she always knew me better than I knew myself. When she found out she was pregnant, she actually pep-talked me and made me feel better about everything. Then she made me read to the baby every single night before we fell asleep. She made me start even before he had developed ears, but she said it was important for her child to adore me from the start.”

“That’s sweet, though.”

“Yeah. I mean, I felt absolutely ridiculous reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to her flat stomach when she was only six weeks pregnant, but over time it was nice. It gave us a designated time to just be together and plan together how I could support her best. It also soothed the stress I was having about her situation. Even before we moved back in together, she would call me and put the call on speaker and lay it on her tummy. That’s part of why I already have so many picture books. Reading the same book over and over got old fast.”

The conversation continued a bit during the ride to Jimin’s apartment building. As they arrived, Seokjin asked, “Hey, I’m free tomorrow too. Want me to come with you to pick Haeil up from the hospital?”

Jimin’s mega-watt smile nearly blinded Seokjin. “Would you, hyung? Then you could teach me how to buckle him in the carrier and how to set up the car-seat.”

“Sounds like a good plan. I’ll just head over to your place in the morning then,” Seokjin replied before sending him in the building to rest.

Seokjin rode the rest of the way to his apartment trying to suffocate the rising butterflies his day with Jimin had created. With everything on his plate, it was not the right time to try to date him. Seokjin needed to deeply bury this crush, and fast.

Jimin woke up the next morning to a call from Yoongi.

“Morning, hyung.”

“Hey, Jimin-ah. I know you have a million things to do right now, but I need you to come to the building to sign the paperwork for the family leave. Once that’s done, you’ll be all set,” Yoongi said.

“Well, I have to be at the hospital today because Haeil is being released,” Jimin replied, chewing on his lip a bit.

“That’s okay. Just text me after that and bring him with you. Jungkookie is coming in this afternoon for a bit and has spoken of nothing else except holding Haeil since he was born,” Yoongi mentioned with a laugh. “He can entertain the little bean while you do business.”

“I can do that. Seokjin-hyung is going with me to the hospital. Is it okay if he comes too?”

“Of course! He’s been by to see Hobah before so it’s fine. I’ll let the receptionist know so she has the visitor’s pass for him ready.”

After setting the plans for the afternoon, Jimin got up and poured himself into the shower. He was incredibly anxious about bringing the baby home and spending the night alone with him, but he hoped that he’d be more at ease after another day spent with Seokjin. Thinking of Seokjin made him blush a bit down to his toes. It was incredible that someone that gorgeous was more kind than he was handsome, dedicating his entire life to helping tiny infants survive their most difficult first days. He was soft spoken and obviously introverted, but also really knew how to make Jimin feel instantly at ease with him. Seokjin had known when to break the tension in Jimin’s shoulders with a silly dad joke, his loud squeaky laughs echoing with Jimin’s quieter giggles, but when to be serious too. He was able to answer all of Jimin’s questions and honestly felt like the one strong island in the storm of Jimin’s life right now. As much as Jimin knew that after one day, he was already developing a crush, there was no way in hell that Seokjin would want to insert himself into the current maelstrom of Jimin’s life. Jimin had been a dad for all of a day and a half now; what man in his right mind would want to date him now? For that matter, was Seokjin even into men? Someone like Seokjin could have any human he wanted. There is no possible way he’d want Jimin. So, as Jimin stepped out of the shower, he dried himself more aggressively than necessary really, and viciously told himself to nip this crush in the bud.

He’d spent longer than he should have in the shower, berating himself about his crush. While he was still trying to dry his hair, his phone went off with a text from Seokjin letting him know he was on the way. That kicked him into high gear. He brushed his teeth and was just pulling his undershirt over his head when he heard Seokjin’s gentle pecks on the door. He rushed to open the door, his arms the only thing pushed into his sweater.

“Morning, Sunshine! Did someone oversleep this morning?” Seokjin teased as Jimin rushed to pull his sweater the rest of the way over his head.

“I got a little behind when Yoongi-hyung called,” Jimin explained. “He needs me to come by and sign some sort of paperwork for my leave time. I let him know we are picking Haeil up today, and he said for you both just to come with me.”

“That sounds like a plan. Have you packed a diaper bag yet?”

While Seokjin and Jimin were picking up Haeil from the hospital, Jungkook and Taehyung were bossing around a solid half of the Ddaeng Enterprises staff. They had Taehyung’s event staff setting up tables around the room for party attendees to eat at while his style assistants followed them all around putting on the soft green tablecloths they’d chosen. Each table included a centerpiece that Jungkook and the TXT members had put together, spending hours folding baby washcloths and towels into tiny fabric bunnies and placed into a basket with a couple baby appropriate toys. The goal was for all of them to be useful to Jimin, so he could take the bunnies apart and use them for the baby. The TXT members had been helping, but had locked themselves in Hoseok’s office to wrap the gifts they had chosen, insisting that they be a secret. They had custom ordered a blanket for the baby that was made up of photos of Jimin and Jiseon that the members had stolen from Jimin’s social media accounts.

Hoseok and Yoongi were helping the catering team from the café get set up while Namjoon was letting in the bakery staff that were delivering the cupcakes. Jungkook had just finished helping the team of management staff properly arrange the gift table with all the gifts brought in by the company while Yoongi put the final touches on the drink in the punch bowl when the receptionist pinged Yoongi that they had arrived.

“Alright, everyone. It’s game on! Sooyoung is leading them in!” he announced to the room.

They heard Sooyoung remark something about Yoongi stepping down to the practice room to ask Hoseok a question, then the door opened. Seokjin had been walking ahead of Jimin, and he stepped in first, winking at Hoseok before holding the door open so Jimin could step in holding the baby carrier. Sooyoung came in behind them and slipped to the side just as Jimin was registering the state of the room. He simply stared at the “Welcome Home, Baby Haeil” banner for a moment before bursting into tears. Jungkook rushed forward to pull Jimin into his arms immediately after Seokjin gently took the carrier from his hand. Taehyung quickly joined Jimin and Jungkook’s hug, while Seokjin walked over to the nearest table and sat the carrier down to lift Haeil out, who had started to fuss a bit at the stop in movement.

“God, he’s tiny,” Yoongi murmured to Seokjin as he slowly bounced Haeil in his arms. “And those are definitely Jimin’s little beaky lips if I’ve ever seen them.”

Seokjin laughed his squeaky laugh at that, and it drew Jimin’s attention. He watched as this gorgeous man bounced his tiny son (it had taken a solid twenty-four hours to accept that he was no longer an uncle, but technically a dad) and laughed at his boss’ joke. It made something in his heart flutter at the sight, and made him leave the safety of his best friends to join them and check in on Haeil.

“Jungkook decided you needed a baby shower, Jimin-ah. Jinnie-hyung helped by letting us know some things you still needed, and we blasted out the list to the full staff,” Yoongi explained.

By that point, Taehyung and Jungkook had wandered over too. Jungkook was draped over one of Seokjin’s shoulders, looking all soft and gently at Haeil. “I’ll never be able to thank you enough, Kookie,” Jimin said, tearing up again.

“You don’t need to thank me, Minnie-hyung. You and this little bean are family.”

For the next three hours, they took turns cooing over and cuddling Haeil. When he chirped up with a shrill cry in the middle of Jimin opening the gifts, Yoongi just waved him off and scooped the tiny babe out of his husband’s arms and carried him off with one arm, bottle of formula to heat up in the other hand. He warmed the bottle a bit then came back and sat to the side feeding the baby, giving Jimin a chance to open presents while Jungkook and Taehyung helped. They took turns carrying armfuls of gifts over while Namjoon diligently kept a record of the gifts and who they were from. Jimin was determined to send out cards to everyone to say thank you.

The group ate their fill of the catering and cupcakes, but there were still quite a few of the tea sandwiches and other finger foods on hand, so Hoseok packaged some up to send home with Jimin then put the others in the staff room of the company building.

The party had essentially wrapped up. Most of what was left was taking down decorations and breaking down the tables. Yoongi and Jungkook had driven separately so they could pack the gifts into their cars to take to Jimin’s apartment, while Hoseok would drive Jimin home.

While the TXT boys were sneaking the balloons off the walls to inhale the helium inside, Namjoon and Taehyung were standing to one side watching Jimin holding the baby. He was in a chair, with the baby pressed close to his chest, tapping his back to burp him. Seokjin, who hadn’t left his side the entire shower, had his arm around the back of Jimin’s chair and was speaking softly to him, potentially explaining the best way to burp a baby.

“Don’t they look like a little family, hyung?” Taehyung asked quietly.

“They really do. I wonder if they realize?” Namjoon responded.

“I don’t think so. But I did hear Yejin-noona telling Seokjin that he was a wonderful husband to take care of Jiminie so well,” Taehyung chuckled. “He didn’t correct her, but just said thank you.”

Before they could continue their discussion, Jimin announced that it was probably time to take Haeil home. The next day was a busy day as he had to go meet the funeral directors to finish planning out Jiseon’s memorial. Hoseok had him stay put to pull his car around, while Seokjin helped him gather his things together and tuck the baby back in his carrier. Once Haeil was tucked in safely into the carrier with a soft baby blanket, Seokjin lifted the carrier to allow Jimin to say his goodbyes. They made their way towards the door, with each staff member still present giving their congratulations and expressing sympathy for Jiseon’s death. Jungkook and Yoongi had left already, planning to meet Jimin at home to unpack everything, so he’d thank them then. Seokjin and Jimin paused in front of Namjoon and Taehyung, and Seokjin watched with adoration as Taehyung whispered something in Jimin’s ear. Jimin gasped, then lightly smacked his shoulder, before hugging him again. They finished up their goodbyes then headed out to Hoseok’s car to fasten in the baby seat.

Seokjin insisted on sitting in the backseat with the baby after learning that Jimin was prone to motion sickness, so Jimin rode shotgun as they headed to his apartment. He was so deep in thought about what Taehyung had said to him that he had toned out the stepbrothers’ soft conversation around him.

He acts like your husband already, Jiminie. You should snatch him up for real.

Jimin still felt like he was way out of his depth, but at the same time, he couldn’t stop hearing Tae’s voice bouncing around his head. He was so contemplative about it that he startled a bit when Hoseok pulled up in front of his apartment building.

“Let me help you get this baby bean unbuckled,” Seokjin giggled, as Jimin reoriented himself back into reality.

Jimin quickly hugged Hoseok before getting out of the car to jog around to the driver’s side rear door where Seokjin was deftly lifting both the carrier and the car-seat base it had come with out the door.

Before Jimin could reach for the carrier, Seokjin leaned in and said, “Thanks for the ride, Little Seok. I’m going to hang out with the Park Boys for a little while longer so Jimin has an extra set of hands to put everything away.”

Hoseok saluted him in a silly way. “You got it, Big Seok. Catch you later. Jimin-ah, call me, yeah?”

Jimin agreed then led Seokjin into the building. He had given Yoongi and Jungkook his key code to get in his apartment so they could start carrying everything up. He had offered to help, but Jungkook had quickly shot that down.

“I workout so I can carry heavy stuff, hyungie. Besides, your hands are going to be full of Haeil. Let me do this,” he’d said and Jimin had been unable to argue.

They walked off the elevator onto Jimin’s floor and down the hall to his door to find it propped open and Jungkook carrying the box with the high-chair out of the door to the stairwell. Jimin was a little appalled as he lives on the sixth floor.

“This is the last thing, Jiminie-hyung. I just didn’t want to wait on the elevator,” Jungkook explained. “Plus, I’m parked right beside the outside door leading into the stairwell.”

They entered the apartment and Seokjin immediately sat the carrier down on the coffee table to unbuckle Haeil. The baby had started fussing and whining a bit.

“Ah, this little prince needs a diaper change,” he said before walking off towards the bedroom where all of Haeil’s things were housed.

Jimin followed behind him and laughed at the sight of his big bad boss rapper who had made other underground rappers cry from his bars just sitting in the middle of the floor, folding and sorting baby onesies and socks by size to put away. He had already set up the bassinet to one side of the bed and put together the stroller. All the toys had been placed in a big basket to one side of the crib while the tower of diapers received had been stacked beside the changing table in order of size, with largest at the bottom. He had also set up the baby monitor they’d received and clipped it to the crib and hung the mobile above the crib.

“I’ve nearly got these all sorted out, Jimin-ah,” Yoongi mentioned as he continued sorting, completely nonplussed by Jimin’s laugh. “I don’t understand why Taehyung bought ten Baby Gucci outfits, but he did. Also, the fancy handsewn leather shoes Namjoon chose are on the dresser.”

That comment had Jimin giggling again before he turned to Seokjin. “Do you think we should give him a bath?”

“Yeah, probably. That reminds me! I didn’t get to give you my baby shower gift, but Jungkook brought it in for me. It should be in the bathroom already,” Seokjin chattered excitedly, carrying Haeil in.

He’d only gotten his onesie off when Jimin suggested a bath, so he left the damp diaper for another few minutes. Leading Jimin towards the master bathroom off of Jiseon’s room, he pointed towards the tub while holding Haeil securely in one arm.

“I got you a baby tub. It makes it easy to bathe these tiny beans since they keep them up out of the tub proper,” he explained.

Seokjin sat down on top of the toilet and turned the water on to a lukewarm temperature, then let Jimin feel so he would have a better idea of the best temperature for baby baths. Jungkook wandered in and brought a set of the bunny washcloths and towels and deftly unwrapped the rubber bands holding them together. He had washed all the washcloths and towels himself, so they were all ready to use. He wandered back out and quietly grabbed his phone. He came back to the doorway as silently as possible and snapped a photo of Jimin and Seokjin, both knelt at the side of the tub with Haeil in the bath seat.

By the time that they were done with the bath and had Haeil diapered and dressed again, he was starting to cry for a bottle. They headed to the kitchen, only to find that Yoongi had completely set up the new bottle warmer Jimin had received and preloaded a bottle in preparation for a feeding. Yoongi and Jungkook were on the couch together, and waited until Jimin got settled into his oversized armchair to feed Haeil, Seokjin perched on the arm of the chair itself.

“Well, we’re going to head out and let you get settled, Jimin-ah,” Yoongi said, patting Jimin’s back.

“Wait, hyung!” Jimin said. “I never signed that paperwork!”

Yoongi laughed at that. “There wasn’t anything for you to sign. I just told you that to get you in the building for the shower.”

Jungkook leaned down and gave Jimin a gentle hug around the baby before pressing a soft kiss to Haeil’s forehead. “I’m working from home now, hyungie, so let me know if you need anything. Love you both.”

Once they had gone, Jimin felt the exhaustion of the past few days settle into his bones. He burped Haeil on autopilot a bit while Seokjin stayed glued to his side. After burping, Haeil drifted off to sleep in Jimin’s arms.

“Well, darlings, I should head home,” Seokjin said when he noticed Jimin’s eyes getting heavy.

Jimin blinked a few times, staring at Seokjin for a moment. “Stay, hyung?”

He seemed surprised enough at his own request that Seokjin laughed a bit.

“I have two beds, hyung. You can sleep in my room, and I’ll stay in with Haeil. It’s been a long day, and you must be as tired as me,” Jimin explained.

“Sure, Jiminie. I’ll stay with you,” Seokjin gave in with a smile.

“Thanks, hyung. Let’s just get him in his bassinette and I’ll find you something to sleep in.”

They put the baby down to sleep and tilted the baby monitor to see him before taking the other portion with them into Jimin’s bedroom. He dug through his dresser and found a set of basketball shorts and a tee that was a size too big for him.

Handing the clothes to Seokjin, he led him to the hall bathroom that he used as his own. “You can wash up if you want. I usually shower in the morning.”

“That would be lovely, Jiminie,” Seokjin said, accepting a towel and washcloth too.

“I’ll make us a cup of tea after I change. There’s a spare toothbrush in the top drawer of the vanity too that you can use later,” Jimin said as he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

He puttered around the kitchen a bit, brewing a cup of the “sleepytime” tea he had every night. He doubted the tea really made him sleepy, but it was something his mother had done for him and Jiseon since they were small, so it was part of his nighttime ritual. It honestly just felt right again for the first time in three days to make two cups of tea. He’d put a tiny bit of honey in the bottom of the mugs and had just dipped in the reusable tea steepers he favored over single use tea bags. Jimin had just started pouring the boiling water over the second cup when Seokjin came around the corner into the kitchen shirtless. He stared for a split second before jerking his head down to force his eyes away from Seokjin’s sculpted abs and tiny little waist. To add to the embarrassment of staring so blatantly, Jimin accidentally poured boiling water onto the counter beside the second mug. This wouldn’t usually be an issue but that’s where his left hand had been resting while he topped off their tea cups, so he had splashed boiling water on his hand. He hissed and turned to the sink beside him to drop the kettle into one basin and blast cool water on the burning part of his hand.

“Oh, Jimin! I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” Seokjin started. “The shirt didn’t fit because of my shoulders. I’ll just go put on the shirt I was wearing today.”

“No, hyung, it’s my fault. I was just lost in thought about Jiseon and startled when you came in. I’m okay. This cool water is helping.”

Seokjin walked over then.

“I’m a nurse, so I’ll be the judge of that,” he murmured, gently taking Jimin’s small hand in his larger one and turning it side to side. He examined the red spot a bit more before speaking again. “Well, it’s not blistering up, so that’s good.”

He didn’t let go of Jimin’s hand, but held it while he looked up into Jimin’s eyes. Jimin could feel the blush on his cheeks as the skin of Seokjin’s bare stomach brushed against his elbow while they just stared into each other’s eyes. Jimin glanced down at Seokjin’s marshmallow soft lips then back to his eyes, leaning toward him slowly before a sound came through the baby monitor. He and Seokjin both startled back; Seokjin reached to turn the water off as Jimin dried his hands off on a hand towel. When Jimin looked at the baby monitor, Haeil had the hiccups in his sleep.

“God, he’s cute. Hiccupping in his sleep,” Jimin giggled, showing Seokjin.

Seokjin chuckled a deeper laugh than Jimin had heard thus far. “Adorable as his appa.”

Jimin blushed deeper, but Seokjin just turned away and grabbed both mugs of tea to walk them to the sofa while Jimin carried the baby monitor.

In an effort to dampen the tension that had arisen between them in the kitchen, Seokjin started up telling a story about Hoseok trying to sneak a kitten into their parents’ house, but getting found out because Seokjin’s dad was very allergic to cats. Hoseok had pouted that he couldn’t keep the kitten, but Seokjin had called his friend, Minho, who came over and adopted the precious kitten Hoseok had found behind his college dance building. That story opened the way for Jimin to chime in with other stories of his adolescence and mischief he’d gotten into with Jiseon.

They talked and laughed until Haeil cried out for a bottle. Then, they worked in tandem to take care of him. Seokjin had gone to prepare formula and Jimin had gone into the makeshift nursery to try to soothe him in the meantime. Jimin sat in the rocking chair that had been one of the first things Jiseon had bought and rocked Haeil until Seokjin strolled in, in all his half-dressed glory. Somehow, Jimin found him more attractive now that he was carrying his baby’s bottle.

Once Haeil had eaten and been burped again, Jimin rocked him back to sleep. Instead of putting him straight back in the bassinette, he held him for an extra few minutes while Seokjin sat on the bed nearby and smiled softly watching him. Jimin looked up from staring at the tiny sleeping life in his arms to catch Seokjin’s eye, already looking at him.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, but I am determined to do whatever I can for him,” Jimin whispered. “He’s the last piece of my family I have left.”

“Ah, Jimin-ah, you don’t get it, do you? All you have to do is love him. You can learn everything else as you go.”

Jimin didn’t know how to reply, so he just nodded before gently tucking Haeil into his bassinette. He stood up, and Seokjin followed him out to brush their teeth together. While they did, Jimin stared at their reflection in the mirror. Just the two of them, side by side, brushing their teeth together. Seokjin shirtless and looking so at ease at his side, while Jimin’s hair was standing up in odd angles from running his fingers through it, toothpaste foam at the corners of both their mouths. After spitting out the foam and rinsing their mouths out, Seokjin left the bathroom, saying he would go wash out their mugs. As Jimin washed his face, he had the perfect image of he and Seokjin together held in his mind. In his exhausted state, he thought about how it would be for them to be a couple, raising Haeil together. It was probably too soon for that kind of commitment, but Jimin felt drawn to Seokjin now and he couldn’t deny it. With that in mind, he walked out of the bathroom with the intent of finding Seokjin and asking him out. He stepped out of the bathroom to Seokjin already walking towards him, like they were somehow in sync.

“Hyung,” Jimin started.

“Jimin-ah,” Seokjin said at the same time.

They both laughed a bit before Jimin told Seokjin to speak first.

“Jimin-ah, I know you are probably going to think I’m a crazy person and want to throw me out on my ear, but I really like you. We haven’t known each other for a super long time, but I want to keep getting to know you. And I know you have to think about Haeil now, but just know I will never stand between you and your baby. Hell, I might want to raise him with you, but it’s too soon to say that for sure. Anyway, what I want to say is…can I take you on a date sometime?”

Jimin giggled with joy. “Ah, hyung. You beat me to it. I was going to ask you to dinner as soon as I can find a trustworthy sitter for Haeil. So, yes. We can go on a date. But maybe for now, we can go in this room and snuggle until we fall asleep?”

“That sounds like a lovely plan,” Seokjin replied with a smile. He took Jimin’s hand and walked with him into the bedroom with Haeil and they climbed in bed together. Turns out Jimin makes a perfect little spoon.