Archive of Our Own

There was something about being a father that satisfied Taehyung in a way nothing else ever had. He had never felt more accomplished than when his daughter learned new things from him, like how to tie her shoes with stubby little fingers or how to write her name for the first time. Or when he knew exactly what she wanted with her varying cries as a baby, when she told him she loved him ““thiiis much”” with a wide spread to her arms and a goofy grin that looked like his own. When he graduated high school, when he found a stable job that didn’t require him to leave her side, when Taehyung realized he was making enough to move into a two-bedroom apartment with Nari instead of the one-bedroom he had only been able to barely afford when she was still itty-bitty.

Yes, none of it made Taehyung feel quite as good as the first time Nari told him, with utter confidence, that he just had to be the best daddy in the whole world. Nothing gave him the warmth in his chest like her small hands grabbing at him and begging to cuddle, or her sweet and constant little ““I love you””s throughout their day. Taehyung never got as nervous as he was on her first day of school, or when she was first born and it was hard to tell if she’d even make it overnight.

And Nari was a bright girl, always asking questions about why things are the way they are, curious about the world and absorbing everything people taught her. She was the kind of girl you had to be careful around, cautious of what you say or she’ll repeat it later. 

Taehyung’s had a few problems with her swearing already, with Nari toddling around dropping the F-bomb at 3 years old like she was a seasoned sailor after hearing people around her say it a handful of times.  It nearly gave him a heart attack, but he solved the problem as quickly as he could. Lucky for him, she was always an obedient girl.

It wasn’t easy raising her on his own, of course. A single father isn’t very common in South Korea, especially one in his early twenties. Taehyung was on the cusp of twenty when Nari was born two months too early, nothing too severe other than the events leading to her birth.

To this day, Taehyung doesn’t like to think of the circumstances of her mother’s death, but it was an unavoidable conversation more often than he’d like. That didn’t keep him from withholding information as long as he could, however. Only when he trusted someone enough, or when he felt he needed to explain why he was raising a five-year-old at twenty-five. Which wasn’t very often.

And throughout the years, Taehyung hadn’t been quite as much of a social butterfly as he had been in his younger days. It wasn’t something he could help as he needed to be home with his daughter. The only times he really made connections with people was with younger parents like himself, and sometimes with the older parents as well if they weren’t quick to judge. Taehyung was never bothered as much as most people would be with the way people talked about him since he never cared much for appearances anyway. All he cared about was making his daughter happy. 

Which means even as he crawled into his mid twenties, he stayed single in favor of taking care of Nari. And it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would. No matter how much people insisted he must be lonely, it must be hard taking care of a child by himself, he never sought a partner. Taehyung wasn’t sure he could trust anyone else that much with his daughter, anyway. And anyone he did trust with her either had a child of their own or was related. Or, well, they were his best friend; but Jimin didn’t count.

All that mattered was that Nari remained smiling and well cared for. And Taehyung had that taken care of on his own.

~~

“Ow!” Nari whines petulantly, sticking her lips out in a pout as her father braids her hair carefully. He leans forward to press a kiss onto her scalp where he thinks he might have tugged her hair a little too hard, murmuring a soft ‘I’m sorry’ into her ebony hair. “Stop pulling, Daddy,” she huffs from her spot in between his legs. 

Taehyung rolls his eyes at her attitude, but smiles anyway and tries to loosen up his hold. He was still new to the whole braiding thing, and she was very adamant on him learning how to do the ‘fancy’ braid she had seen on another young girl at the park. Neither of them knew what kind of braid it actually was, only having the obvious knowledge that there were different kinds of them (much to Taehyung’s absolute horror), so he had to shamelessly approach the girl’s mother to ask the silly-sounding question. 

So far, watching the tutorial video carefully, Taehyung wasn’t having the best of luck. It looks uneven in his eyes, and no matter how much he undid it and tried again he was sure his daughter’s scalp must be getting sore. After his millionth time screwing up, Taehyung was ready to admit defeat.

“I’m sorry, baby, I don’t think I’m going to be able to figure it out today. Your head must hurt by now, right? We can try again another day.” He voices it a bit carefully, not wanting her to get upset, but the girl just sighs and slides off the couch from between his legs in defeat. The exasperated look she gives him nearly makes him grin, but he stuffs it down so she doesn’t get the wrong idea that he’s making fun of her. Or, worse, isn’t taking her seriously.

“You can practice on Sunny while I’m gone, I want my hair to be pretty for show and tell tomorrow.” Nari runs off to grab the doll from her room, one of the only ones that has hair long enough to braid. Taehyung smiles after her as she disappears and comes trotting back with the doll in hand, setting her on the couch gently so she’s sitting against a pillow. 

“Alright, Nari, I’ll make sure I’ve perfected it by tomorrow morning, so don’t you worry your pretty little head over it.” Fixing the hair that’s gotten a bit tangled from lots of trial and error, Taehyung places a kiss on her hairline and stands up. “For now, we should probably head over to your school. Last time we were late, Ms. Choi scolded me, and she’s kind of scary when she’s mad.” 

Nari just shrugs, unimpressed as she pads over to the door and slides on her favorite pair of sneakers. “Ms. Choi isn’t scary, you’re just a baby.”

Grasping Nari’s backpack with one hand and his heart with the other, he follows after her with a dramatic sigh. “How could you say that? I’m not a baby, she just looks like my mom used to when I made a mess. And my mom was very scary when I was little.”

The five year old gives him a look unbefitting of someone so little. A little unbelieving, a little confused as she looks up up up at her dad. She’s a little on the tall side for her age, maybe, but still tiny compared to her lanky father. “ You used to be little?”

The look on her face makes Taehyung laugh, and he herds her out of the apartment when he manages to slide his shoes on and check his pockets for all his necessities. “Yes, remember? Everyone starts as a baby, and grows up to be bigger. Including me, and Uncle Jiminnie, and your grandparents. You used to be a baby, too, and you were so tiny. But now you’re getting so tall, maybe you’ll be my height some day, huh?”

It doesn’t take a genius to tell she’s taking in all the information and thinking it over, and it makes the young dad smile. Of course she’ll be tall, her mother was too. But even if it’s scary to think about now, Taehyung would never give up watching her grow into the strong person he knows she’ll become. All that sass isn’t going anywhere.

~~

Taehyung is… well he’s fucked. Not in the way he’d like to be, but figuratively. His meeting is in 45 minutes, the babysitter he hired fell sick, and the only reason he even hired a babysitter is because Jimin is visiting his parents and Taehyung didn’t want to drive the 30 minutes to drop Nari off at her grandparents house when his meeting is another 30 minutes in the opposite direction, and would only last an hour. His only other option would be, well… 

“Do you think Kook can play later, Dad? When you’re done with your worky thingy?” Nari had just ran into the living room with her tiger V in hand, where Taehyung is currently panicking. But that’s when Taehyung remembers; of course! Seokjin and Hoseok are usually home at this time of day, and they’re just down the hall. Nari would have someone to play with, and they’ve had her over before so it wouldn’t be much different from a playdate. The perfect solution to his lack of a babysitter, and it was so simple.

“Of course! Actually, Nari, maybe you can go hang out with Jungkookie while dad’s at work! Does that sound okay to you?”

The joy on her face is instant. Jungkook is only a few months younger than her, and they get along so well. Taehyung loves to watch them play. He doesn’t get to see her play with other kids much when they’re usually doing their own thing at home, but seeing her do so well socially and even take charge in leading Jungkook into playing certain games is fascinating. And she loves playing with her neighbor, even though Taehyung has a sneaking suspicion it’s because Jungkook is willing to do whatever she wants to do.

“Yes, yes! Can I, dad? I want to play with Kook!” She wiggles and jumps and does a little dance, waving her fist in the air. Taehyung laughs, and nods, and tells her to pack a few of her toys just in case while he shoots Hoseok a quick message asking if it’s okay. He doesn’t get a reply in the few minutes it takes her to decide which toys she’s going to bring, but he’s in an anxious rush and can’t wait any longer. Either they knock on their neighbors door and Nari can stay with them, or she can’t and Taehyung has to bring her to his meeting and just risk the distraction and other possible ramifications. He just has to roll with it.

“Okay baby, we’re going to see if Jungkookie’s home but if he isn’t then you might have to come to work with me. But I trust you’ll be a good girl either way, right?” 

Taehyung isn’t really worried about her misbehaving, exactly, but it doesn’t change the nervousness bubbling in his stomach. She nods along either way, shoes already on and ready to march down the hall and knock on her best friend’s door. Her confidence is the only thing holding him up, but he opens their apartment door to leave anyway. It would have to do.

And that’s how he finds himself in front of the Kims’ door, one hand holding his work bag, and the other holding his daughter’s on the hallway of their building. It takes a few seconds of waning patience before the door opens, and Taehyung lets out a premature sigh of relief before seeing who it is.

The man is short, pink-haired and stony faced, and a complete stranger. Taehyung couldn’t have held the words down even if he wasn’t in a state of panic. “Who are you?”

Nari, level headed, looks marginally impressed. “Are you a fairy?”

That’s when Jungkook comes running up from behind the stranger, and shrill screaming ensues. Taehyung doesn’t even have time to hold back his daughter before both of the five year olds are hugging and babbling loudly, and the stony-faced stranger is suddenly not as stony and more surprised and confused.

“Uh- I’m- This is Nari, my daughter, we live down the hall? I’m Kim Taehyung. Are you a babysitter? It’s just that I have a meeting in like 30 minutes and my babysitter canceled on me and I was hoping Seokjin or Hoseok could just- just keep an eye on her? For one- two hours? You know what, she could just come with m-“ 

Taehyung’s babbling is cut off by the stranger’s gentle, raspy voice. “She can stay here.”

Nari is squealing excitedly and being led inside before Taehyung can even respond to that, but through all of the nervousness and the unfamiliarity he feels a small sense of relief. Still, he bites his lip and looks at the stranger and can’t help the itch of unrest with leaving Nari with someone he’s never met before. Wonders if it’s better than hiring some teenager off of a website, or worse because Taehyung doesn’t even know his name, or better because he knows Seokjin would never let Jungkook out of sight if he wasn’t 100% sure he was in good hands.

“My name is Yoongi, I work with Hoseok. I’ve watched Jungkook a few times before, and I’ve heard him talk about Nari a lot so I’m sure he’d like the company.” Yoongi opens up the door a little wider, letting go of it to reach into his pocket and pull out his phone, tapping it a couple of times before holding it out to Taehyung. “You can give me your number and I’ll text you updates if you’d like. This meeting sounds important, so I don’t want to hold you up.”

Yoongi is so quietly honest and understanding, Taehyung wants to cry. He almost feels like an angel has descended to help him through his day, and doesn’t hesitate to grab the phone and put his number in before sending himself a quick message so he has Yoongi’s number, too. 

“Thank you so much Yoongi, this really means so much to me. Nari is a good girl, she knows what she’s allowed to eat and what not to do. I promise I’ll only be two hours tops, and I can pay you just as much as Jungkook’s parents.”

“Oh, y-“

“Nari!” Taehyung doesn’t even register Yoongi talk, mind busy and time tight. Nari comes running back out at her dad’s call, though, giving him a quick squeeze and looking up at him attentively. “Mr. Yoongi here is going to watch you while I’m at my meeting, okay baby? Be good now, and if he says you’re good when I come pick you up I’ll let you have an extra show before bedtime.”

She nods happily, and Taehyung can’t help but melt slightly and bend down to give her a kiss on the forehead. “I love you, be good Nari. Thanks again, Yoongi. I’ll be back soon.”

Taehyung’s leaving in a rush, and doesn’t even get to see Nari stand up straight, shake Yoongi’s hand, and introduce herself like a business woman signing a contract before asking “Pororo: thoughts?”

From: Yoongi

What the hell, your daughter is hilarious. I didnt even know 5yr olds could talk like this

The text he gets before he can even walk into work comes with a picture of the two kids mid-argument, and it helps him relax enough to keep his worries at bay. She’s in good hands, he can feel it.

~~

Approximately one hour and forty-two minutes later, Taehyung is knocking on his neighbor’s door again and standing taller in surprise when Hoseok is opening the door, instead. Jungkook’s mother is only a couple years older than him and has pretty, sloped eyes and a heart-shaped smile that Taehyung has always found charming. If her husband wasn’t just as pretty, he would have thought Seokjin got lucky. But honestly, the two match each other so well emotionally and he can’t imagine their dynamics would work for anyone else. He admires them both.

“Tae! Come on in, Yoongi told me you had a work meeting or something? You don’t have those often, did you forget about it?” Hoseok teases, leading him into the apartment. Even with two five year olds running about, the place is still impeccably clean. Every time he walks into their apartment he feels like it’s been hospital-grade sterilized just before he walks in, but he knows they just like things tidy.

He lets out a whine that would make his daughter proud as he slides his shoes off and sets them aside. “Noona, it wasn’t my fault. I remembered and had everything ready but my babysitter texted me an hour beforehand saying she was sick. What was I supposed to do? I almost just brought her with me!”

Hoseok laughs and shakes her head, making small tsk sounds. “You can’t bring her to work meetings now, Tae, that’s unprofessional.”

Instead of replying he just huffs, looking around the apartment almost identical to his if not for the different furniture and decor, and impeccable tidiness. He can try all he wants to clean up after the two of them, but their home never really looks clean . Nari and Jungkook’s voices are coming from the child’s room, loud and giggly, and it makes him sigh in relief. He hates being away from her for longer than necessary. It just doesn’t help that there was still the niggling worry in the back of his mind that something could have been wrong.

“Nari was good while she was here, if you were worried.” Taehyung looks into the living room to see Yoongi there, sitting comfortably on the couch like he was at home. “Didn’t give me a single problem. I even asked if she wanted candy or something and she shook her head and said ‘‘don’t tempt me’’. How does she even know what that means?”

Taehyung sighs, but he can’t help his smile. She’s too smart for her own good, and speaks better than her dad. “That would be from my friend Jimin. He teaches her weird phrases all the time, and she absorbs things like a sponge. ‘Don’t tempt me’ is better than “‘molecular gastronomy’” though, so there’s that.”

Hoseok bursts out laughing next to him, loud and energetic, and it makes Taehyung laugh too. Yoongi mostly looks incredulous, but he’s got a smile on his face. The ruckus makes the children come running out of Jungkook’s room, wondering what the adults are laughing about, and Nari jumps excitedly when she sees her dad.

“Dad, dad! Mr. Yoongi said I was good, right? I didn’t push Kookie once and I didn’t eat any candy!” Jungkook nods agreeably, grabbing onto Nari’s hand to stand as close to her as possible. The kid follows her like a puppy, and it will always be adorable. Jungkook doesn’t talk as much as Nari and he’s rather shy, but he likes to act tough even when Nari is the one defending him most of the time.

“Yes, baby, you can get an extra show tonight. And you can get a piece of candy, too, if Yoongi’s offer still stands.” He winks at the other man before Nari is skipping over to him, jumping happily and asking him for a piece of candy. Yoongi didn’t seem quite ready for all of the attention, but he takes it in stride. Taehyung smiles fondly and looks from the cute scene back to Hoseok. 

“She’s a smart one, Tae. You’ve done a good job raising her.” Hoseok’s smile is genuine, and the comment takes him by surprise. He doesn’t get many compliments on his parenting, not unless it’s coming from Jimin when Taehyung starts to get the creeping feeling of self-doubt and needs the comfort. Nari may be a good girl, but nothing can change the fact that she’s only got one parent, and one main influencer. He’s the only one to blame if things go awry, and that’s a scary thought. 

“Thank you,” Taehyung says after a moment. He’s got a lump in his throat he can’t swallow, a choking sense of relief and thankfulness that someone has noticed he’s trying his best, at least. But he doesn’t look back at Hoseok, just watching Yoongi interact with his daughter instead of facing her kind smile and risking embarrassment. “Yoongi mentioned you two know each other from work, I think?”

“Yeah, we work together at BigHit. He’s a producer, though, so we’re in different departments. Have I never mentioned him before? He’s basically my best friend, outside of my husband of course.” Hoseok laughs again. She’s always laughing, always smiling, and it’s always so refreshing.

Now that she mentions it, though, Yoongi’s name does sound familiar. “Min Yoongi? Now that I think of it, you have talked about him a lot. Are you sure you aren’t having an affair? Have I walked in on something here?” Taehyung puts on a suspicious face, looking from Yoongi back to Hoseok and making the mother laugh again. He chuckles too, and when he looks back at the man across the living room he’s looking up at them and probably wondering what all the commotion is about. Taehyung shakes his head with a smile.

“You wish you found something interesting to tattle about, don’t you? Even if Yoongi were interested in women, I’m far too gone for Seokjin to look at anyone else like that.” A soft blush covers Hoseok’s face, and Taehyung smiles when he notices it. It’s nice, seeing someone still so in love that just thinking about their significant other makes them blush. As far as Taehyung knows, the two are college sweethearts, but they’re both still infatuated with each other. He imagines it helps that they’re both hopeless romantics, but he wonders what it would look like if Nari’s mother was still around. Would they still be that in love, and would they have still moved to this apartment complex and met Seokjin, Hoseok and Jungkook?

Yoongi gets up and walks toward them, slowly, every step a struggle with a child on each leg. He’s grunting with exertion, and looks like he might fall over, but he doesn’t look annoyed. There’s not many people that good with kids unless they have their own, but if Taehyung thinks back to what Hoseok’s talked about involving Yoongi it sounds like he’s never had one. “If he were interested in women, huh?” Taehyung says it without much thought, but Hoseok gives him an amused look as Yoongi finally steps up to them, and the shorter man looks tired, and slightly peeved.

“Hoseok, are you done outing me to your neighbor, or would you like to tell him about all of the boyfriends I’ve had, too?” He would look intimidating if he didn’t have two giggling children still clinging to his legs, sitting on his feet and shouting at him to keep walking.

Taehyung can feel his face flush in embarrassment when he realizes he really said that out loud, only now when he’s faced with Yoongi’s unsure glare. Of course, that was Yoongi’s business and Taehyung is talking like it’s his. “Sorry, uh—”

“Oh hush, Yoongi, Taehyung has told me all about his little trysts with boys in highschool. He’d be the last person to persecute you for liking men,” Hoseok says nonchalantly. It makes Taehyung’s face burn even more, and if his daughter wasn’t right there he’d hit Hoseok for having a loose mouth. But instead he huffs, throws his hands in the air, and gives in.

“I’m bi, so it doesn’t make any difference to me if you like men. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable, though.”

“Men are gross,” Nari says pointedly before tugging on Yoongi’s pants again. Jungkook nods in agreement, and Hoseok giggles. Yoongi looks pleased, though, or at least no longer irritated, which must mean something. 

“You’re right, Nari, men are gross. I don’t know how you live with your father all by yourself,” Hoseok says. 

Nari takes this opportunity to detach herself from Yoongi’s leg and slide over to Hoseok with a scrunched nose and enthusiastic nod. “I don’t know what daddy would do without me,” she says solemnly. That has the three of them cracking up, and Nari looking rather pleased with herself. Of course, she has to take the opportunity and continue ratting on her dad, since that’s so funny. “He smells like poop even when he showers! His burps are so loud he woke me up once!”

Taehyung feels scandalized and betrayed, and he swoops down to pick her up and throw her up a bit. “How could you say that about me! I feed and bathe you, you little monster!” She screams, giggling as he tickles and pretends to bite her, and Taehyung really thinks this is what happiness feels like.

~~

A couple weeks later, Taehyung and Nari are hanging out with their neighbors at one of the local parks, and the adults are resting while letting the kids run free after having a picnic. Hoseok is using Seokjin as a backrest, while Seokjin leans against a tree. Taehyung just lies back on the blanket they brought, taking in one of the first nice days of spring, without the snow or clouds. It’s one of the first days in a while where Taehyung can  just relax and spend some time with other adults. As much as he loves Nari, he needs to talk to real adults sometimes.

“You look like a corpse,” Hoseok comments.

Taehyung looks over at her, realizing she’s talking about how he’s sprawled out on the ground. Behind her, Seokjin has an amused look on his face that means something bad is coming and Taehyung can’t stop it.

“What do you call a corpse sitting in the sun?”

Taehyung sighs, shutting his eyes and accepting his fate.

“A dead heat!” Seokjin finishes with a squeaky laugh, and Hoseok rolls her eyes fondly but laughs nonetheless. She’s too kind and in love for her own good, and Taehyung realizes maybe he isn’t spending time with adults at all. “Oh, come on, it was funny! You know you’re going to miss my jokes when we’re on vacation for a week!” Seokjin complains, huffing and wrapping his arms around Hoseok’s waist a little tighter.

“What? You guys are going on vacation? When?” Taehyung turns onto his side and looks at the two curiously. They never mentioned a vacation to him, and he considers them close enough friends to have been told about a week-long vacation. 

“Oh, we didn’t tell you?” Hoseok asks, a little surprised herself. “Next month is our anniversary, and we wanted to go on vacation , just the two of us, since we haven’t had the chance since Jungkook.”

Seokjin nods, resting his chin on Hoseok’s shoulder. “We’re even leaving Jungkookie at home with Yoongi. I wasn’t so sure at first, but…” Seokjin shrugs, and Hoseok finishes his sentence for him.

“Yoongi insisted on letting him take care of Jungkook so we can have a relaxing vacation. We’re gonna miss our baby like crazy, but it’s hard to say no when he looked so determined to steal our son for a week.” She chuckles, patting Seokjin’s hand gently. 

Taehyung hums thoughtfully, rolling onto his back again. He had only met Yoongi recently, but from the total hour he had to get to know the man, he seemed very genuine and softer than he first appeared. Not only was Jungkook attached to him, so was Nari. And as friendly as she is, she doesn’t latch onto people that quickly. 

“He seems like a nice guy. How does Jungkook feel about you guys being gone for a week?” He looks out at the park, spotting their children with a few others on the large playsets, and both of them look fine. Imagining leaving Nari for a week is nearly impossible for him. He doesn’t think he could do it, even if he knew she was in good hands. Maybe it’s because she’s been the one constant in his life since her mother’s death, a constant presence at his side and a pillar of support even though she’s only five, and he’s supporting her in every way.

“I don’t think he really understands we won’t see him for an entire week,” Seokjin sighs. “When we told him Yoongi’s going to watch him, he said ‘that’s fine’ and left it at that. Knowing him though, he’ll throw a fit two days in. We’ll probably call every day just to make sure he’s fine and doesn’t miss us too much.”

“Our poor baby, I’m gonna miss him too,” Hoseok says with a frown.

“Anyway, you have Yoongi’s number, right? As good as he is with Jungkook, and as much as the two adore each other, we told him to call you if he needs any help. Yoongi isn’t used to long-term child care, and I already know he’s gonna stuff Kookie full of snacks and give him a stomach ache.” Seokjin huffs and shakes his head, always a worrier. 

Taehyung nods, understanding well enough. Yoongi may be older, but Taehyung has 5 years of parenting experience on him. He knows it was rough when Nari was first born, getting used to being a father when she was released from the hospital. He stayed with her grandparents for a couple months, still in shock from his loss and sudden gain of responsibility. It was only when he felt completely comfortable taking care of her on his own that he made the leap to move back into his own space, and even then he stayed close enough to Nari’s grandparents that they wouldn’t be too far in case of emergency.

“Yeah, I can give him a hand if he needs it,” Taehyung agrees. He closes his eyes again, feeling sleepy under the warm spring sun, but doesn’t get to drift off before there’s a screaming child landing directly on top of him. His eyes fly open to see Nari, ponytail a mess and almost falling out, a fake look of fear in her eyes.

“Daddy, daddy! Save me from the alien dinosaurs, they want to eat me!” She screams and shakes him, and Taehyung glances in the direction of the playground to see a stomping Jungkook and another child roaring and coming their way. He gasps, pulling her closer and playing along.

“Oh no, Nari! We gotta fight back, they’re too fast!” 

He tucks her closer and rolls over onto the grass, ignoring Hoseok and Seokjin laughing next to the tree. Finding a branch, he gets up so he’s kneeling on the grass, ignoring the inevitable grass stains that will be on his jeans later to brandish his newfound sword in Jungkook’s direction. 

“Begone, foul beasts! Leave the princess alone, or I’ll have your heads!” Nari stands up next to him after finding a smaller stick of her own, waving it in the air, dangerously close to Taehyung’s head.

“I’ll kill you!” She screams, and Taehyung actively ignores the judgemental looks from other parents around the park and Hoseok and Seokjin’s uncontrollable laughter behind them. Instead, he lets Jungkook come up and tackle him, falling back with a cry as the child bounces on his chest and growls, saying ‘got you!’ too cutely to really be scary. The other kid comes and tackles him too, and then Taehyung’s really down for the count.

“Save me, Princess Nari,” he wails from underneath two growling kids, holding out a dramatic hand to her. Nari lets out a war cry and comes to tackle them off of him, easily taking out both of the boys.

“No need to fear, daddy, Nari is here!” 

Taehyung laughs joyfully at his daughter's words, and he can’t help but look at his daughter’s dirty face and scuffed up knees and be so proud. After they’ve finally defeated the alien dinosaurs, Taehyung pulls her into a big hug and cleans off a smudge of dirt on her nose with his spit-slicked thumb. Even when she squirms out of his arms with a disgusted face, he’s still grinning at her while she runs away. 

“Maybe it’s a good thing you had her young, Taehyungie. If you were any older you wouldn’t be able to keep up with the little spitfire,” Seokjin jokes lightly. But Taehyung can’t help but to agree. He wouldn’t have had it any other way.

When Taehyung heard a knock on his door at nearly midnight, he wasn’t expecting Yoongi with a crying Jungkook in his arms. Well, he didn’t expect a knock on his door this late at all, but he tended to prepare for the worst. And the worst in his mind was CPS, not a candy-haired man carrying a child.

A candy-haired man with child might be worse, it turns out.

Jungkook had woken up in the middle of the night only to puke his guts out all over his parents’ room while he was searching for them. Yoongi had woken up to the poor child crying for his parents and throwing up on the floor, and after a few panicked minutes of trying to give the kid some water or medicine, he accepted defeat and came straight to Taehyung. 

Of course, while Taehyung soothes a sobbing Jungkook in his kitchen, Nari is woken up by the noise. The young father then has to juggle walking Yoongi through getting her back to bed while he gently coaxes Jungkook to calm down and drink some water. 

It takes some time, and the last bit of Taehyung’s energy, but they manage just fine. If Nari hadn’t trusted Yoongi as much as she did it would have been an uphill battle, but luckily she fell asleep to Yoongi reading her a short story and came back out to a sleeping Jungkook in Taehyung’s arms. The father strokes the kid’s hair gently, rocking side to side slightly and holding him close.

Jungkook may not be his kid, but he’s dear to Taehyung just the same, and seeing him so distraught was heart-wrenching. He looks up to see Yoongi step out of the hallway and into the living room, steps careful and quiet with a question in his eyes.

“He’s fine,” Taehyung whispers, slowly standing up. He doesn’t want to jostle Jungkook too much in case he wakes up, so he makes a quick decision and quietly carries him to Nari’s room. Her bed is big enough to fit the both of them without making the two knock elbows, so he carefully lays him down next to his daughter and tucks him in before backing out of the room. There’s still confusion swimming in Yoongi’s eyes when he meets him back in the living room, but Taehyung ignores it in favor of sinking back into the couch with a huff. 

“Aren’t you worried he’ll get Nari sick?” Yoongi asks under his breath, and Taehyung can feel the couch dip next to him. 

Exhausted, he waits a moment to answer, just absorbing the quiet of his home. “Kook isn’t sick,” he mumbles. When a moment passes and he doesn’t get a reply, Taehyung cracks open an eye to look over at an even more confused Yoongi. It makes him chuckle, and he opens his eyes all the way to look at the pink haired man fully. “Seokjin warned me you liked to feed him sweets. I didn’t think it would result in this, exactly, but Jungkook just had a stomach ache. He’ll be fine in the morning.”

Taehyung expects Yoongi to feel relieved, but instead the man’s shoulders droop and he looks at his lap dejectedly. Luckily, he understands well enough what’s going on in the man’s head. He closes his eyes again.

“You know, when Nari was younger I would always give her juice to drink. I figured, since it wasn’t soda and had real fruit juice, it was the healthy choice. Would give it to her with every meal, whenever she was thirsty. Sure enough, I took her to the dentist for the first time and the dentist scolded me so hard I was in shock. Little did I know, juice has a lot of sugar in it and not only was it not as healthy as advertised, but was really bad for her teeth with how much I was giving her.” He pauses to sigh, deep and tired and reminiscent. “I stopped, of course. Started giving her more water, even if I had to add a bit of flavoring at first to get her to drink it. But the next time I took her to the dentist, her teeth were so clean the dentist gave me a sticker, too.” He laughs then, looking back at Yoongi. “Sometimes you just have to make mistakes to learn better. There’s no shame in that, even if you feel like you’re too old. You just wanted to spoil him, and I know how strict Seokjin is when it comes to feeding Jungkook sweets. But that’s also probably why the kid reacted so… violently. He’s not even used to small amounts of junk food, forget about a bunch of it.”

Deciding to conclude his thoughts there, Taehyung shrugs. If there’s anything he’s realized in becoming a father, it’s that you really do learn something new every day. Sometimes it just doesn’t look as pretty. Yoongi seems comforted, at the very least. If Taehyung remembers correctly, Jungkook’s parents left that morning, so Yoongi has a whole week of babysitting left and he can’t give up now. 

“If it’s any consolation, I won’t tell Seokjin and Hoseok you made their baby throw up. But you might want to clean up their bedroom before it stains.”

Yoongi chuckles, and Taehyung smiles back. “Thank you, Taehyung. For helping with Jungkook, and also the words of wisdom.” His bashful smile turns into a tired sigh, and he stands up. “You’re right, though. Should I… leave Jungkook here and come back in the morning?” He looks a little lost, and Taehyung is too tired to stop himself from thinking it’s rather cute. The man is in his late twenties but looks like a lost boy, no better than Jungkook himself.

“Yes, that works fine. Or you can sleep on my couch. I sacrificed good money for one comfortable enough to crash on.” Taehyung smiles, and he’s sure he’s sold it then. Yoongi comes back nearly an hour later to crash on his couch, and Taehyung makes sure to whisper a ‘sleep well’ to him before slipping into his own room.

~~

Taehyung wakes to the sun in his eyes and the distant sound of cute giggling muffled by his door. It’s closed, which is unusual, but not as much as the fact that the sun is actually up and not just barely peeking into his room. He yawns and stretches, arching his back off of his bed and rolling over only to be startled by his bedside clock. 9:23 blinks at him in red letters, almost two hours later than when he usually wakes up. Children make the best alarm clocks, after all, and Taehyung’s started naturally waking up that early even without her at this point. Staying up well past one in the morning of course makes it easier to sleep in, but Nari didn’t wake him up either.

Another bout of giggles from outside his door, and Taehyung recognises Jungkook’s voice alongside his daughter’s. Of course. Jungkook was still here, meaning Yoongi was as well, and he must have kept the children occupied.

Still, Taehyung feels a bit guilty for sleeping in. So he slides out of bed, quietly makes his way from his bedroom to the bathroom to freshen up. In the mirror he looks surprisingly well rested, although his hair is a mess, and he makes sure to pat it down before walking out toward the sound of the children. But more than the sound of laughter, Taehyung notices the smell next: the undeniably sweet smell of fresh pancakes.

Taehyung’s mouth is watering in seconds, and he’s sure he’s drooling by the time he peeks into his own kitchen and finds Yoongi hard at work. The older man is in his PJs, hair a mess and bags under his eyes but still charming in his own way. He’s carefully checking underneath the fresh pancakes, obviously trying to time it perfectly before flipping them over. The counter is a bit of a mess, but it would be even worse if Taehyung were the one cooking so he’s not complaining. He may complain about the way Yoongi looks, though, with his loose shirt slipping off of his shoulder slightly and looking all too domestic in Taehyung’s kitchen.

Taehyung licks his lips and finally steps into the kitchen. Yoongi notices the movement and glances over, offering a tired smile before looking back at the pan and flipping a pancake. Moving closer, Taehyung realizes they’re blueberry pancakes, and he’s all the more excited for it. 

“Making yourself at home, I see?” Taehyung thinks it may be a bit too early to tease when Yoongi goes slightly stiff, and a little bit paler. “I’ve always wanted to be woken up by breakfast in bed, yet here I am, up before you got the chance.  Awfully rude of me to ruin your thoughtful plans,” he huffs. 

Watching Yoongi’s tense muscles relax into something softer, and seeing his pink gums when he grins is a personal victory for Taehyung. “Looks like you don’t want ‘em if they’re not in bed, huh? Guess I can give yours to the kids, or eat ‘em myself…” Yoongi’s voice is rough from sleep, cracking slightly in the middle of his sentence. It’s low and gravelly and makes Taehyung’s face warm, but he chooses to ignore it.

“No, hyung, it’s okay. I suppose I can let it slide this once… maybe just start earlier next time, hm? It’s good to learn from your mistakes.”

They laugh together, ignoring the thought of having a next time, and a moment later Nari is walking in with Jungkook in tow and a pleased look on her face. “Mr. Yoongi said if we were quiet and let you sleep we could go to the park! Did we do a good job, Dad? Can we go?”

Sheepishness colors Yoongi’s face, along with a nervous grin. “I hope I didn’t make a promise I can’t keep. I felt bad for keeping you up last night, so I figured the least I could do is let you sleep in.”

Taehyung smiles, his heart skipping a beat. In a world where people worry about themselves more than others, it seems like Yoongi’s pretty good at doing just the opposite. Taehyung wasn’t the only one having a rough night, and yet the older man put it upon himself to wake with the kids and keep them occupied until he woke up. It’s touching. Especially when the bags under Yoongi’s eyes betray just how tired he is.

“Thank you, Yoongi. I’d love to go to the park, all four of us.” He grins at the older,  stepping closer and sneaking a hand past Yoongi. The man looks confused, a bit surprised and a little bit of something that Taehyung can’t put a name to just this moment. But his face is red, and before he can stutter out a question, Taehyung’s already turned the burner off on the stove with a sly smile. “Your last couple pancakes here look a little burnt, Hyung. You shouldn’t cook while you’re distracted.”

Yoongi whips back around to look at his sad, blackened pancakes and slaps a hand to his own forehead in disbelieving frustration. The act makes Taehyung giggle along with the kids, the energetic five-year-olds jumping up and down together while Yoongi forlornly tosses the fruits of his hard work in the trash. But Taehyung thinks that the stack Yoongi already made should be enough for the four of them.

~~

It’s almost two hours later when they manage to find their way to the local park. The kids are holding hands tightly and walking ahead of the adults. They know their way well enough, having walked the same path together and by themselves many times before. It’s the closest one, and it’s not falling apart, which is a plus. When Yoongi said he didn’t remember how to get there, the kids jumped at the chance to lead the way. 

Nari only hesitated for a moment when the park came into view, looking at her father for permission before dragging Jungkook the rest of the way. Jungkook was yelling excitedly right by her side, though, so Taehyung takes it as the time to sit down and relax while they occupy each other.

Him and Yoongi nab the bench with the best view of the playground, able to see the kids wherever they are without worrying. It’s still fairly early, and there’s no one else around yet, but it doesn’t stop Taehyung from keeping a close eye on the kids as they scale the plastic rock climbing wall.

Yoongi sits next to Taehyung, keeping some space between them that Taehyung only judges for a moment before looking back towards his daughter. Yoongi is obviously on the careful side when it comes to socializing. Picks his words a little more carefully than the familiar way Taehyung speaks to people. It’s not bad, of course, but he’s not used to it. Seokjin and Hoseok are the loud, outgoing type, easy to joke along with the moment they met. Yoongi is nice, and funny, but Taehyung feels like he has to be a little more cautious around him.

Perhaps that’s why he’s close to Hoseok, who’s so easy to get along with and open up to. 

“Hoseok was telling me a bit about you, the other day,” Yoongi says quietly beside him. His voice is less gravelly than it was this morning but no less soothing. “She told me you’re only twenty five, and that you have a stay-at-home data-entry job. Which is pretty impressive, if you ask me.”

Taehyung raises his eyebrows and looks over to Yoongi who keeps his eyes on the children. He’s got the barest hint of a smile on his face, and it does something to Taehyung’s heart. Taehyung doesn’t know what to say to that, really. That’s his job all right, but he’s not sure if ‘impressive’ is the right word for it. It’s just the easiest way to make money and take care of Nari at the same time. He says as much.

When Yoongi glances his way, Taehyung looks away again. He wasn’t staring, just… paying attention.

“I think you should give yourself more credit.” Yoongi shifts from leaning back to putting the weight of his elbows onto his thighs, hands dangling between them. “I went to years of college, and it took me a long time to be able to take care of myself properly. Hoseok may have had Jungkook relatively young, but Seokjin already had a stable job and she was close to getting one. And they had each other, every step of the way.”

Nari lets out a yell as she slides down the big yellow slide, and Jungkook follows her down. He knocks her off the slide onto the ground, and they wrestle for a bit in the sand. Taehyung can already see the dirt stains on Nari’s face and clothes. Taehyung and Yoongi are distracted for a brief moment before seeing that the kids are just fine. 

“I can’t imagine doing it on your own.” Yoongi’s voice is just a whisper, barely heard under the sound of laughing kids and rustling leaves. His face looks a bit more sad, maybe thoughtful.

Taehyung smiles, and shrugs. When Yoongi puts it that way, it sounds more special than it is: doing what’s best for his daughter. He just had to grow up a little quicker than most, is all. Yoongi probably had time in college to mess around, go to parties to drink and have fun. Taehyung got out of highschool and had to start preparing himself for being a father. And he chose to do that, chose to have a family even when they had other options. But that doesn’t seem like some sort of sacrifice, or heroic act. “I just made the best mistake of my life, and I had to take responsibility for it.”

Curving the conversation into lighter waters, they talk for nearly two hours while the kids play. Taehyung asks about Yoongi’s work, his college life, and other hobbies. There’s a good thirty minutes of passionate talking about rap and music between the two of them, and some more time talking about photography which they both happen to be interested in. Yoongi asks him about what he would go to college for if given the opportunity, and Taehyung has to think about it for a while before coming up with an answer.

Once upon a time, it would have confidently been photography, or art. His parents never approved of it but it was what he enjoyed. But now, he’s not so sure. He doesn’t have any goals, really, other than raising Nari well. Photography and art don’t appeal to him as much as they once did, and he kind of likes the job he has now. It’s only when he watches Nari and Jungkook excitedly chatting on the swings that he thinks he knows.

“Probably something in child care.” 

Yoongi doesn’t look very surprised when he looks over at him. Just a nod and a smile, like he could have guessed it. “You’re really good with them. I’m sure you’d do good in whatever you chose.”

Taehyung huffs, leaning over to elbow Yoongi in the side. “You’re gonna need to stop complimenting me before my head gets too big.”

It makes Yoongi smile again, big and gummy and Taehyung can hear his heart in his ears.

“Something tells me that isn’t true.”

~~

The next couple days are a little quieter. No more sick Jungkook, no more panicking and no more sleepy morning Yoongi with burnt blueberry pancakes. There’s a couple questions through text, and one short phone call asking if the ramen place nearby was any good and that’s all.

Three days after Hoseok and Seokjin left, Jimin’s hanging out with Nari while Taehyung’s getting work done. Taehyung gets another phone call from Yoongi. He doesn’t think much of it, answering automatically but can’t even get out a ‘hello’ before he hears the loud, desperate sobbing over the line and he’s instantly sitting straighter in his seat

“Yoongi? Is Jungkook alright? Are you alright?”

“Thank god you answered. Jungkook misses Seokjin and Hoseok like crazy, and I can’t calm him down. I tried cuddling him, offering banana milk and treats but he keeps pushing me away and asking for them. I… I really need your help, Taehyung,” Yoongi says desperately over the line. 

Taehyung doesn’t wait to push away from his desk, reassuring Yoongi that he’ll be over there in a moment. Jimin and Nari look at him oddly as he stuffs his feet into his sneakers by the doorway. “Baby, stay here with Jimin and Daddy will be right back. Yoongi needs some help down the hall.” Jimin looks like the cat that got the canary as Taehyung slips out the door, but Taehyung chooses to ignore it. Instead he’s knocking and letting himself into his neighbor’s apartment, the cries growing louder as he opens the door and kicks off his shoes.

It’s obvious the boy’s parents haven’t been home recently by the little messes here and there throughout the apartment. But as he moves farther in and sees Yoongi hunched over himself on the couch, a sobbing Jungkook on the floor, that becomes the last of his worries.

Taehyung can tell this must have been going on for a while by how red Jungkook’s face is, and he huffs out a small breath as he walks into the living room. He places a hand on Yoongi’s shoulder, making him look up from under his fairy floss bangs. 

“I’m going to need you to cool down a bit. Seeing you distraught isn’t going to help him. Give yourself a moment and I’ll handle it.” Taehyung speaks calmly, giving Yoongi a reassuring smile before moving over to sit next to Jungkook, who presses himself into the wall away from Taehyung.

Making sure to give the kid some space, he tries to talk to him over the heart-wrenching sobs. “Jungkookie, do you want to tell Hyung what’s wrong?”

It takes the kid time to find enough air to speak. He gasps and stutters out “I-I w-w-want Mommy and Daddy!” He finally looks over to Taehyung, face wet with tears and hair a mess. Taehyung’s heart clenches, and he offers a hand to the child carefully.

“I understand, Kook. It’s hard without Mom and Dad, right? You miss them?”

Jungkook’s crying only seems to get worse, but Taehyung stays calm.

“You know Mom and Dad miss you too, right? I bet they called you last night and told you how much they missed you, and can’t wait to see you again.” Taehyung pauses to let the kid nod shakily and grab his hand in his much smaller one. It gives him the opportunity to scoot a bit closer, close enough to let Jungkook lean into him if he wants. “I know for a fact that Mommy and Daddy would never leave you if they didn’t know you would be such a good boy for Yoongi-hyung. And you’ve been so good for him, right? You’ve had fun with Yoongi-hyung?”

The five-year-old is still crying, breathing still uneven, but Taehyung can tell he’s listening to him carefully now. It’s the kind of crying that you can’t stop, so heavy and hard after doing it for so long. He’s sure Jungkook must be exhausted, but sometimes it takes a lot to stop the tears and calm your breathing after a hard cry. Taehyung knows that well enough.

Jungkook starts to lean into him a little bit, trying hard to catch his breath but it only seems to make him cry harder when he can’t. “Do you want to breathe with me, Kook? We’re going to breathe in with our nose, nice and big,” Taehyung sucks in a breath just like he explains, showing it a little more dramatically than perhaps necessary to keep Jungkook on the same page. “And out through our mouths,” Taehyung says with a big exhale. 

He repeats the actions, rubbing Jungkook’s back while he takes nice deep breaths, in and out slowly. The kid follows along the best he can, taking it slow and puffing his chest out whenever he takes air in. Taehyung laughs at the action, and it gets a giggle out of Jungkook as his breathing evens out. “See, we’re okay Jungkookie. Mom and Dad will call again soon, and you and Yoongi are going to have so much fun until they get back. I know you’re sad that they’re gone, and it probably hurts that they went without you, right?”

Jungkook nods with big, watery eyes and it makes Taehyung coo at him, lightly booping his nose. “It’s okay to feel that way, but we don’t need to cry about it all the time, okay? It’s good to cry sometimes, but I bet there’s better ways to show that you’re sad.” The kid is nodding along, and Taehyung looks around with a hum before his eyes catch on something. “You like to draw, right Kook? Why don’t you draw pictures for Mommy and Daddy until they get back. Tell them how much you missed them, and about all your pretty pictures. They would be really happy to come home and see a bunch of new pictures on the fridge.”

Taehyung grins at Jungkook, watching the kid’s eyes grow impossibly wider as he nods quickly and stands up. Using the long sleeves of his shirt, Taehyung gently wipes away Jungkook’s snot and tears from his face before he lets Jungkook run off to grab his paper and crayons.

When he hears a chuckle from the couch, Taehyung looks over to Yoongi looking at him incredulously . “You’re really something, Kim Taehyung.”

He can feel the way his face and neck heat up, all the way to his ears. Willing it to go down doesn’t help, even when he looks away, because he can see out of the corner of his eyes that Yoongi’s still staring. Taehyung’s heart is in his throat, and he has to choke it down, looking up at Yoongi shyly while Jungkook comes running back out with a huge box of crayons and a notebook.

“It’s really nothing, Hyung,” Taehyung mumbles, but he knows Yoongi isn’t listening. He decides to flee back to his apartment, giving Jungkook a quick kiss to the forehead and Yoongi a quick nod as he skirts past him out the door.

Taehyung knows his cheeks are still red when he walks through the door, and he knows there’s no saving himself from Jimin’s teasing now, but he feels like he needs to lock himself into his own apartment and keep Yoongi as far away as possible. He leans against the door for a few seconds, as long as it takes until Nari is running around the corner to give him a huge, boxy grin and a curious head tilt.

“Why’s your face red, Dad?”

Jimin’s head is peeking around the corner in moments, failing to wink at him and throwing him a couple of finger guns. “You gonna tell me what happened or what?” With a sigh, Taehyung resigns himself to his fate.

~~

Taehyung reads Nari to sleep quietly, watching her drift off. He doesn’t even have to look at the book anymore, they’ve read it so often. If someone asked Taehyung to recite The Giving Tree at random, he could do it from start to finish. Nari likes other books as well, but this has always been her favorite. His favorite, too.

When she’s finally sleeping peacefully, Taehyung sets the books to the side and stands up. He shuts off the cute butterfly lamp next to her bed and leaves the room. Jimin is leaning against the wall outside, a smile on his face and eyes filled with mirth.

“Y’know, I think the biggest change since we were younger is how gentle you’ve gotten when you speak.” 

Taehyung responds to Jimin with a Face, not understanding what his best friend’s talking about. He’s always been loud and boisterous and he knows it. Been that way since he was in diapers.

Jimin scoffs at his weird expression and follows him back out to the living room. “Of course you haven’t noticed. The way you speak now, even to adults, is super calm and gentle. Only time you get real loud anymore is when you’re playing with kids. It’s not bad, I’ve just kind of… noticed, recently.” He flops down onto the couch, and when Taehyung sits next to him Jimin curls up into his side, ever the cuddler. “When we were in high school, you would have been squealing into your pillow and yelling at me about your new crush. Earlier, you just kind of… quietly told me about what Yoongi said to you while looking like a tomato.”

“Who said anything about a crush?” He pinches Jimin’s arm, but his friend just laughs. Taehyung’s face feels hot again, and he sighs. It feels weird, even thinking about something like a crush . Hell, he hasn’t even heard the word since high school. All of that was so far behind him now, and the last time he was crushing on anyone… Well, it was a lot more than just a silly crush and now she’s gone. 

He can feel Jimin’s small fingers in his hair, gently scratching at his scalp like he’s always liked. There was a time in his life where he wondered what if . What if Jimin liked him as more than a friend, what if he liked Jimin as more than a friend. He did, for a brief period of time. Once he first discovered he was interested in boys in middle school, and once again not long after Nari’s mother had passed and Jimin was such a vital pillar in his life that he couldn’t imagine not having him around. It was a sort of desperate curiosity, such strong positive feelings amidst a lot of negative ones. Jimin was there for him through the worst of it, keeping him afloat, and it was a white knight sort of crush.

Taehyung loves him, of course. Jimin has and always will be his best friend. But it’s never been anything romantic, and they both know it, have talked about it even. This is normal for them, comfortable in each other’s company. Taehyung’s sure Jimin knows him better than he knows himself, and it goes the other way around.

So he can’t really dispute, when Jimin gives him a knowing look with that cute, crooked smile. Of course Jimin can see right through him, because he’s seen Taehyung through all of his relationships and how he was before them. But there’s so much on Taehyung’s mind, he doesn’t know what to do with it.

“I’m scared, Jiminnie.”

~~

“Really, Hyung? Didn’t Jin-hyung prepare a bunch of meals for the week? And you’re asking me to go out to eat with you again?”

Taehyung knows he sounds judgy, but he kind of is judging. At the moment, at least. It’s two days after Jungkook’s little break down, and Yoongi called Taehyung begging him to go with them to get lamb skewers. They had all just gone to get breakfast the day before, and Taehyung knows Yoongi brought Jungkook out for ramen earlier that week as well so he can’t help himself. Especially considering Seokjin’s cooking is phenomenal even when reheated, and he only wishes he had the option to eat it for a whole week.

“Please, Taehyung. Lamb skewers are his favorite, and I want to cheer him up. Plus, the fridge only fits so many prepared meals… I’m saving them for the last couple days, before I’m on my own again.”

Taehyung sighs, still at his desk where he had previously been catching up on work. “And why do me and Nari have to go with you, again?”

There’s silence over the line for a moment. “Uh… because Jungkook wants to spend time with her?”

He knows an excuse when he hears one, and it makes Taehyung smile. “You could just bring him over after skewers, you know. Or we could go to the park again.” When Yoongi doesn’t answer, Taehyung knows he’s got him. “You can just tell me if you want company, you know.”

Taehyung can hear Yoongi’s huff, hear him shuffle on the other end. Can practically see the pink tint to his cheeks. “I’m just, uh… not used to hanging out with just a five-year-old for so long.”

The smile can’t seem to leave Taehyung’s face. Yoongi is just so endearing, playing this little game that’s so see-through even to him. “I’ll get Nari ready and be over in a few,” he says, and doesn’t wait for an answer before he hangs up. Nari is looking at him curiously from her spot on the floor, playing with some toy cars and plastic dinosaurs. He gets out of his chair and offers her a hand to help her up.

“Wanna get lamb skewers with Jungkookie?”

Her pretty brown eyes sparkle, long eyelashes brushing her cheeks as she blinks quickly. “Will Mr. Yoongi be there?”

He laughs, nodding as she excitedly takes his hand and jumps at him. “Should we get prettied up for him? You can pick out both of our outfits, hm?” When she practically vibrates with excitement, he can’t help but feel like he’s doing the right thing.

Taehyung and Nari arrive at Jungkook’s door 30 minutes later, impeccably dressed. She’s wearing a cute frilly white skirt and a little denim button up shirt, matching white bow in her hair and bright pink sneakers that are dirty and don’t match at all. And for her dad, she picked a matching denim jacket with a simple white tee and black pants. Probably the best casual outfit in his wardrobe.

He’s definitely quite proud.

When Yoongi opens the door, he seems a bit proud too.

~~

The next day it isn’t a call to go out, but rather a request to do something with the kids.

From: Yoongles

Kook is antsy and i want to get out of the house

Up for doin somethin w/ the kids?

It takes a bit of back and forth, but finally they pick the zoo. Nari has been obsessed with tigers recently, and Jungkook won’t stop talking about wanting to pet bunnies. It’s the perfect place to walk around for a couple hours and keep the kids occupied. 

They meet up outside Jungkook’s door again, and this time Taehyung’s the one who is impressed. The past few days all Yoongi has worn is black, and now this? A gray shirt? He’s positive the world is ending, and he tells Yoongi as much which gives him a scoff from the older man.

“You’re ridiculous. I’m not that bad.”

Taehyung begs to differ. Apparently Nari does too, because she sticks her hand up in the air like she wants to be called on in class. “I thought you only wear black, Mr. Yoongi, Dad is right.”

Jungkook giggles, coming out from behind Yoongi to grab Nari’s hand. Yoongi huffs with disbelief, but he can’t hide the slight upward curve of his lips. The argument continues as they make their way down the hall, and out the apartment building until they’re in the parking garage and loading Nari’s booster seat into Seokjin’s car. Seokjin’s is newer and cleaner, and Jungkook is just short enough to still be stuck in a clunkier car seat so it didn’t seem worth the trouble to take Taehyung’s car.

Loading the kids into the nice car, Taehyung whistles quietly at some of the newer gadgets that he’s never gotten to play with before. “It’s got a touch screen?” He marvels as Yoongi turns the ignition, pressing one of the buttons on the screen and getting excited when it changes the radio station. He’s too excited to even tease Yoongi for how far up he has to move the seat, much too far from the pedals where Seokjin had it. “Ohhh I think I need a new car,” Taehyung says with a laugh while they pull out of the parking garage. It’s so quiet, and smooth, and he’s not even the one driving but he can watch how easily Yoongi takes turns. 

Taehyung can see Yoongi glance over at him playing with the setting of the center console, but he doesn’t care what Yoongi thinks when he’s exploring the marvels of new technology. It’s not like he lives under a rock, but he’s usually just driving his old ‘06 car, or texting on his phone that still has a headphone jack , thank you very much. It’s not important to him to have the newest and best when his work just fine. Why spend more money on luxuries when he could buy Nari what she wants instead?

“You look like you’re going to cream your pants, Tae.”

Taehyung’s gasping as soon as it’s out of Yoongi’s mouth, scandalized. He hits the older’s shoulder, making him shout. “Why would you say that!” Taehyung hisses, pinching Yoongi’s arm and making him hiss a ‘stop, I’m driving’. “There are children in the car, you heathen.”

But his face is so red, it only makes Yoongi laugh. “They’re so focused on the movie I started for them, and they wouldn’t know what it meant anyway.” When Yoongi stops at a red light, he throws a little smirk in Taehyung’s direction. It makes the father look away shyly, glaring out the window and trying to ignore how hot his face feels. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to weird you out, you were just really excited about the car gadgets and it was cute.”

He can see the regretful look on Yoongi’s face in the reflection on the window, and it makes Taehyung sigh. Yoongi’s right, he knows the kids are too focused on watching Pororo on the little screens in front of them. And it’s an odd enough saying that they’d never understand at their age. Taehyung was just… surprised, is all. Not used to Yoongi’s humor, he supposes.

Yoongi’s only just started to joke with him more openly, and Taehyung already feels like he fucked it up. He looks over at Yoongi and sticks up his nose, huffing towards the older man. “Of course I wouldn’t cream my pants over something so stupid. I only did that when Jimin showed me how his phone makes your face into emojis.”

That has Yoongi cracking up, laughing loudly while he carefully steers the car. It’s got the kids looking at them, asking what’s so funny but Taehyung tells them it was an adult joke and they only whine a little before going back to Pororo. Makes Taehyung consider getting one of those little dvd players for his car, sometime.

His face is still red, of course, but Taehyung’s smiling with Yoongi when he finally calms down, just that gummy grin on his face. Taehyung hates how weak it makes him feel, how hard it makes his heart thump. Wonders if he’ll be able to let himself have this, if Yoongi wants it too at least. If Taehyung is reading the signals right.

The zoo is definitely an experience, between the four of them. On one hand, the kids keep each other occupied, tugging each other back and forth between all of the different enclosures. And on the other, Taehyung feels like he’s with three kids and not two, because Yoongi seems just as excited, if not more, to see all of the animals. He’s still following the kids, but he takes the time to read every single description of all the animals and where they’re from, telling Taehyung excitedly when he finds a fact he didn’t know. 

As cute as the two five-year-olds are, Yoongi’s innocent excitement is probably even cuter.

“Oh! Did you know platypuses are venomous?” He’s got a cute little face of surprise, and Taehyung grins and shakes his head.

“Are they really?”

Yoongi nods, reading more. “It says here…”

After a few hours of exploring, the kids are looking tired and complaining about being hungry so they call it a day. Nari is pulling at Yoongi’s shirt and asking to be carried, so Yoongi complies and picks her up, leaving Jungkook to Taehyung. He can practically feel the boy falling asleep on his shoulder, and looks over to see Nari looking sleepy but stubbornly staying awake to talk to Yoongi. It’s not until they’re on the road again that Nari falls asleep, head slumped over and mouth open. Jungkook is similar, but his car seat is a little extra padded and leaned back, looking a little more comfortable.

“I had a lot of fun today,” Yoongi says from the driver’s seat, quiet so he doesn’t wake the kids. 

Taehyung turns back around in his seat instead of watching his daughter sleep, looking at Yoongi instead with a smile. “I could tell,” he teases, watching Yoongi’s cheeks tinge pink. Sliding his hand between them in a silent offer, he loses the teasing attitude. “I had a really good time too Hyung. I’m glad we did this today.

He watches Yoongi glance over at him with a smile, and then down at his hand before looking back at the road. Taehyung thinks he’s gotten his answer, for a moment, before Yoongi reaches over and slides his hand underneath Taehyung’s, slotting their fingers together and giving it a little squeeze. “I’m glad I got the chance to watch Kookie for the week, and that you were there to help me out.”

The sincerity makes Taehyung blush, along with the smile he’s already got on his face. He can’t hold it back, now, how happy he is in this moment. He’s got his baby in the backseat, and the hand of a good man in his own. It’s almost overwhelming, but Taehyung’s always one to live in the moment. Let things happen, and make the best of what he’s got in the palms of his hands.

~~

Two days until Seokjin and Hoseok come back, it’s sweltering outside, and Taehyung makes a decision.

To: Yoongles

we goin swimmin fool, i hope u packed ur swim trunks

He didn’t, of course, the absolute buffoon. But that just means they have to swing by Yoongi’s apartment real quick, and it means Taehyung learns how not far away he lives, in a very nice apartment building in a nice neighborhood. Too convenient, really, fairly close to Nari and Jungkook’s school.

He doesn’t dwell on it much, though. Instead focuses on how genuinely excited he actually is to go swimming, even if he has to keep a close eye on the kids the whole time. He hasn’t been in a while, doesn’t take Nari too much because he hasn’t had the time or money to teach her how to swim or buy her lessons. She knows enough, really, is pretty good at handling herself. But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s endlessly worried whenever she’s in the water.

This time, however,Yoongi is going as well. And Jungkook has taken swimming lessons, which means Yoongi can handle two kids at once while Taehyung goes down the water slide at least once. That’s all he wants, one or two times down the waterslide and he’s happy. The pool they’re going to isn’t even that huge, and the two slides they have aren’t all that big, but boy does Taehyung just want to feel like a kid again even for a moment.

When they do finally get to the pool, Taehyung is literally vibrating in excitement. He’s squirming around more than the kids and he knows it, but if Yoongi can be one of them at the zoo then Taehyung thinks it’s fair to have his own turn. Making sure they’ve grabbed everything they need from the car, Taehyung hurries them along excitedly, paying the fees for all of them despite Yoongi’s complaints and going in to find a couple of chairs next to each other to put all their stuff on. 

Taehyung makes sure to lather the kids in sunscreen before letting them go to the kiddy pool on their own. They managed to get a spot not too far from it, so Taehyung isn’t all that worried about it as he tugs his shirt off and starts lotioning himself up too. Meanwhile, Yoongi is absolutely smothering himself in sunscreen, and Taehyung almost worries he didn’t bring enough despite having two full tubes. 

But when Taehyung gives Yoongi a judging look, the older man shrugs and continues pouring lotion onto his legs. “I burn easily.”

Taehyung just shrugs back, turning around after putting a normal amount of sunscreen on his body to put it back in his bag. He can hear Yoongi make a weird noise behind him, but considering the gross amount of lotion the man is using he chooses to ignore it until Yoongi speaks up.

“You have a tattoo?” Yoongi sounds like he’s shocked, despite the fact that he can clearly see that, yes, Taehyung has a tattoo on the back of his shoulder. He doesn’t think about it too often, it’s been a couple of years now since he’s gotten it and it’s in a spot he can’t really see. But it’s meaningful. And it’s the only one he has.

With a nod, Taehyung zips up his bag and glances over to the kids before turning back around to Yoongi, who’s closer than he realized. “Wait, can I get a closer look?” The question isn’t surprising, really, but Taehyung flushes all the same before turning slightly to let Yoongi get a closer look. 

“They’re lilies,” Yoongi says softly. His fingertip just barely brushes the two vibrantly colored lilies on his shoulder, one smaller than the other. Taehyung almost shivers under the touch, but he lets Yoongi run his fingers over it for a few seconds longer before turning back around and looking him in the eye. “Nari’s name means ‘lily flower’, doesn’t it? Are they for…”

Yoongi seems hesitant to finish that sentence, so Taehyung finishes it for him. “Nari’s named after her mother. It made the most sense to me, since we hadn’t decided on one before she passed... It’s dedicated to the two girls who’ve had the most positive impact on my life.” It’s the most Taehyung’s said to Yoongi about how he came to be a single father, and he can see the pity start to form all over Yoongi’s face. How his eyebrows scrunch up under his pink bangs. But Taehyung shakes his head and waves his hand to clear the air, trying to put the upset behind them. Taehyung’s been over the moping for years now, he doesn’t want anyone else feeling bad for him when he’s doing fine himself.

“I’m-”

“Stop. Don’t, Hyung. There’s nothing anyone could have done, and it happened a long time ago now. Me and Nari are fine on our own, we’re okay without her, and we’re perfectly happy. I don’t want your pity.” 

It takes Yoongi off guard, but he takes a deep breath and nods. “Sorry. You’re right. But… I’m happy for you. For where you’ve ended up, when it could have been a lot worse.”

Taehyung exhales deeply, barely realizing he was holding his breath. He’s not sure how to answer that, really, but he smiles just for Yoongi and reaches out to grab his hand, just for a moment. “Thank you, Yoongi-hyung. And I’m happy you’re here with us. Now can you watch the kids swim while I go down the slide?”

Yoongi laughs, nodding his head, and Taehyung doesn’t wait to speed-walk (no running, wet floors) over to the slides. And perhaps he goes down them a few times, letting Yoongi play with the kids in the pool without him until Taehyung gets his fill.

When he does go back, Nari and Jungkook are still alive and look like they’re enjoying themselves while they tackle Yoongi in the shallow end of the pool. It all looks and feels rather domestic as Taehyung hops in to join them, playing with his daughter and Jungkook and Yoongi too. Feels like a family.

~~

Seokjin and Hoseok come back tomorrow, but Taehyung doesn’t feel ready. He has Yoongi’s number, of course, and it’s not like he lives all that far away. But there’s something in him that just… feels like it won’t be the same. Not unless Yoongi is two doors down and using Jungkook as an excuse to spend time together. Or that, maybe, Yoongi really was just thinking of Jungkook the whole time. Asking Taehyung to do things with them because he’s more experienced with kids, can handle them a little bit better. Yoongi was good with them, of course, had the sort of dad-ly charm that the kids were attracted to. But he was no expert.

Taehyung chalks it up to his own insecurities, but they end up spending Yoongi’s last night watching Jungkook in Seokjin and Hoseok’s apartment, building a huge pillowfort with all the pillows, sheets and blankets from the two households combined. It takes them hours to get it exactly how they want it, grabbing a couple extra chairs from Taehyung’s apartment to make it extra big and tall. The coffee table that was in the living room has been placed in the kitchen, and other random items have been moved to odd places so they could arrange things exactly as they envisioned. Yoongi pulled out the Christmas lights, stringing them up around the inside so they could see a little better without ruining the look with a big lamp.

After all of the work they put into it, the four of them sit inside of it grinning like idiots and admiring their handiwork. The kids hadn’t done too much to help, just telling the adults where things should go and how it should look, but they’re even more excited. 

Ratatouille is playing on the TV, and there are so many pillows all of them are squeezed together despite how huge the fort ended up being. The kids are in between Taehyung and Yoongi, watching the movie and laughing at all the funny parts. And despite the kids putting space between them, Yoongi’s arm is laying across the cushions of the couch they’re leaning on and his hand is resting lightly against the back of Taehyung’s neck.

First contact made Taehyung shiver, Yoongi’s hands cool against his warm neck after all the physical effort it took them to put everything together without letting it fall. But he relaxed into it, into the way Yoongi’s fingers play with the overgrown hair at the nape of his neck, press into the tense spots and loosen them up. Yoongi’s fingers are thick and a bit callused, but they still just feel so… gentle, and soothing. He wants Yoongi’s hands to hold him forever, hold him tight and close in his arms. God, Taehyung hasn’t even hugged the man but he knows it would feel amazing and that’s how he knows he’s whipped.

It’s Nari’s slow, deep breathing against his side and Yoongi’s hand in his hair that pulls him under, falling asleep under the warm fairy lights and protected by their fortress of blankets. And it’s the sound of a door creaking open, clumsy steps and a sound of confusion that wakes him up.

“Oh lord..” 

Taehyung can tell it’s Seokjin’s voice even through the haze of sleep, and he can hear someone flip on the light before Hoseok’s face is peeking into their fort, smiling wide and cooing when she gets a look at all of them cuddled close. Taehyung blinks the sleep out of his eyes, groaning slightly at how numb his arm feels beneath him. He realizes he must have moved in his sleep, on his side and curled around the kids, Yoongi’s face a few inches from his own and position mirroring him.

He’s too tired to be embarrassed, just carefully moving away and sitting up so he can try and shake some feeling into his arm. Nari and Yoongi are still sleeping, surprisingly, with all of the fussing Seokjin is doing over the mess they’ve all made. But Jungkook is waking up, rubbing his eyes sleepily and sitting up. 

“Mom?” Jungkook croaks, finally blinking up and seeing Hoseok kneeling down on the floor outside of their fort. He gasps, scrambling over Nari to fling himself into Hoseok’s arms, hugging her tightly with his whole body. That wakes the young girl up, and Taehyung pulls her closer to him as Hoseok presses kisses all over Jungkook’s face and whispers about how much she missed him while they were gone, how they’d all go together next time.

It’s a sweet moment, and Taehyung has a smile on his face just watching them. Soon Seokjin’s joining in too, and they’re all so soft and cute and loving that it makes him a little emotional just watching it. The family is finally all together again, after such a crazy week.

Once the couple are done doting on Jungkook, Taehyung feels like things get a little bit awkward. Hoseok caught them all cuddling, and as innocent as it all was, she still has this Look in her eye when Yoongi wakes up and she sees the two of them interacting. Not to mention the fact that Yoongi is going back home, and Taehyung suddenly just feels… out of place.

Pinpointing why is hard. He watches Hoseok and Seokjin dote on their baby together. Taehyung helps them clean up the apartment and their mess, taking a couple of trips to drag everything back to his own apartment before putting everything back in place. Yoongi insists on doing the smaller tasks, insists that Taehyung can take Nari home without worrying about the cleaning, that he and Jungkook made most of the mess anyway.

And Taehyung feels a little like he’s being kicked out, but he coaxes Nari home and feeds her and gets her ready for the day. Takes time to do some work he needs to catch up on, a little behind this week and regretting it. Lets Nari color next to him, her own stool pushed up to his work desk.

He just works and works and tries to forget that Min Yoongi is leaving, and Kim Taehyung won’t be as convenient for him anymore.

Realistically, Taehyung knows that’s not all he is to Yoongi. He knows that there was…. something there, between them. They held hands again on the way back from the pool, just like the zoo, and the way Yoongi touched him so carefully every time he so much as brushed by… Taehyung felt like he meant something to the other man. More than just Jungkook’s best friend’s dad.

Yoongi doesn’t text him that day, or the next. Taehyung resigned himself to waiting, not wanting to push his luck, too nervous to be the first to reach out after their week of friendly outings. Too nervous to put himself out there.

Three days later, Taehyung and Nari have only left the house to get groceries, and Jimin pays them a visit. He comes bearing gifts for Nari, as always, because Jimin adores and dotes on her more than he does his boyfriend, whom he’s brought along on this visit and forced to carry Jimin’s bags for him. Not because Jimin can’t carry them, but because he gets off on watching his boyfriend do everything he asks for like the sadistic man he is.

Before Taehyung first met Namjoon, Jimin described him as ‘one of those large dogs that think they’re lap dogs’, and Taehyung isn’t sure he could have come up with a better description, if he’s being honest. Namjoon is tall and broad and very handsome, but he’s very gentle and sweet and Jimin always talks about how he likes to sit on his lap and be the little spoon.

Overall, Namjoon is a nice guy. And the two have been dating for almost two years now, so Taehyung is thinking it’s about time for him to pop the question and ask Jimin to adopt a pet together, but that’s none of his business. He just likes seeing Jimin happy, and Namjoon does a pretty good job of that.

“Where’s my princess?” Jimin calls out, taking the bags from Namjoon and brushing right by Taehyung to go straight to Nari’s room. They can hear a happy squealing before too long, from both Jimin and the five-year-old. Taehyung and Namjoon both grin at each other before moving to the kitchen to grab something to drink.

“You guys were out shopping, right? Did he buy anything for himself, or just a bunch of clothes for my baby?” Taehyung asks as he grabs a couple of glasses from his cupboard and a pitcher of juice from his fridge.

Namjoon shakes his head, taking the juice from Taehyung with a grateful smile. “Of course not. He was supposed to be looking for new work clothes, and then we walked by the kids' clothes and he immediately got distracted.”

“That’s what you’re supposed to be there for, isn’t it hyung? To keep him from getting distracted?”

Taehyung gets a look that’s clear enough without words, the ‘you know how he is’ look. It makes them both crack up, and then Jimin comes parading out of Nari’s room with a triumphant look on his face.

“Behold! Beautiful model Kim Nari, queen of Korea!” He does jazz hands towards her room as Nari comes prancing out, nose high and steps confident in her new outfit. Complete with new shoes, socks, and accessories too. Namjoon and Taehyung clap along, and Taehyung bows deeply like a prince greeting a princess.

“You look lovely, my lady,” he sings to his daughter. She’s grinning ear to ear, and even though she’s got cute little shades on Taehyung can practically see her eyes sparkling. 

Nari runs back to grab Jimin’s hand and drag him back to her room, saying they need to play dress up some more with her new clothes. Taehyung never thought he’d be the type of dad to get into kid fashion, but between him, Jimin, and her grandparents she was definitely a stylish little girl. But more than dressing her up, he likes to let her pick out her own combinations and develop her own style. Seeing how big of a personality she has through little things like her style is always so fascinating for him.

“She’s an awesome kid. I can’t wait to watch her grow up,” Namjoon says. The way he talks like he plans on sticking around for it makes Taehyung smile, knowing how happy that would make Jimin, too. “Anyway, how have things been in the Kim household? Jimin told me you found a boyfriend.”

Taehyung sighs dramatically, shaking his head. “Yoongi-hyung isn’t my boyfriend, and he won’t be.”

The skeptical look on Namjoon’s face makes Taehyung huff, knowing he’s awoken the monster that is Namjoon’s philosophies on happiness. “If you keep saying that, maybe. Have you even tried?”

“Hyung-”

“No, Tae, just listen for a second. Have you reached out to him at all since Jungkook’s parents came back?”

He knows he isn’t getting out of this talk by the look on Namjoon’s face. Serious, stern, stubborn even. The way he gets when he’s going to talk someone into confidence, always well-meaning.

“No. But-”

“But he hasn’t either? You’re not a kid, you have a kid. And would you teach Nari to avoid her problems, or not reach for what she wanted?”

It’s a valid point, one that hits a little harder than he was expecting. Because he’d want to teach Nari to set goals and work hard for them, to work towards things she wants and to talk to people when there’s a misunderstanding. Misunderstandings like not talking for a few days, because… Yoongi’s life doesn’t revolve around Taehyung and that’s fine. Because Taehyung’s revolves around his daughter, too.

He feels a little silly. He can’t teach Nari life lessons if he doesn’t follow through with them himself. So Taehyung nods, slowly. Doesn’t want to look Namjoon in the eyes, just yet. Feels a little embarrassed and a little like he’s been properly lectured, even if that wasn’t Namjoon’s intentions at all.

“You could start by texting him now, y’know,” Namjoon says with a sly little smile and Taehyung puffs out his cheeks as he reaches into his pocket for his phone, pulling up his texts with Yoongi and typing out a quick message.

To: Yoongles

havent heard from u since u abandoned us for ur own home :^(

When he glances back up at Namjoon, the man looks highly pleased with himself, dimples on full display. Taehyung is disgusted. Men should not be that smart and handsome, he’s sure it’s a fluke.

Jimin comes skipping out of Nari’s room, a tutu that looks a little too small for him around his waist and several colorful clips in his hair. Nari follows closely behind, accessories just as ridiculous but the outfit beneath new and cute. Another new one from Jimin, of course. The two put on a little show, dancing and spinning around in their tutus and making Taehyung forget all about his phone.

It isn’t until a few hours later, settled into the couch and watching a movie with the three of them that Taehyung remembers the text at all.

Pulling out his phone, excited to see a reply from Yoongi, Taehyung swears his heart doesn’t break at all when the only notification is an E-mail from work. He cuddles closer to Jimin and Nari, trying to absorb himself in their warmth and the colorful Disney movie. It takes a while, but he gets there eventually

~~

Buzz buzz. Buzz.

Taehyung is half asleep in bed, finally falling asleep after restlessly tossing and turning for a couple hours only to be rudely interrupted. He reaches out blindly to grab his phone from his bedside table, hands missing the mark and knocking off his water bottle before finally getting a hold of his phone. He’s just going to turn it onto Do Not Disturb, but it vibrates once more and he notices just who’s texting him at… two thirty in the morning. 

Unlocking it, Taehyung opens Yoongi’s messages in anticipation. Rubs the last bit of blurry sleep from his eyes, squints at the bright screen in the darkness just to read them.

From: Yoongles

Fuck

Taehyung

I’m so sorry, i wasn’t trying to ignore you tae

I’ve been so caught up in wrk since i got home, i barely got anything donewhile i was watching kook

Taehyung notices that Yoongi is still typing, and then another blue speech bubble pops up followed by more typing.

I know youre sleeping by now cause you get up early, but i only just got done at the studio and i left you hanging for so long

Confusion, for a moment, and then Taehyung remembers he turned off his read receipts a while ago and realizes Yoongi doesn’t know he’s awake and reading his texts as they come.

Lets meet today, okay? Hyung will make it up to you, i promise

A tired giggle leaves his lips before he can stop himself, smiling to himself in the dark of his room. Taehyung’s glad no one’s there to see him blushing and giggling at his phone. Yoongi seems to be done typing, now, having said what he wants to. But Taehyung decides that he hasn’t even started yet.

To: Yoongles

w or w/o nari?

From: Yoongles

Shit did i wake you m so sry

I thougt for sure ud be dead asleep by now

Taehyung laughs quietly to himself. He can feel Yoongi’s worry without being anywhere near him, just through all of the little typos. Even if he isn’t the most careful of typers, he still usually takes his time.

To: Yoongles

its fine i ws havin trouble sleepin anyway

i was happy to see u replied

y r u only now done at the studio tho

u should take better care of urself hyung

From: Yoongles

To be fair i didnt realise it was this late but ur right

To: Yoongles

so?

From: Yoongles

???

To: Yoongles

w or w/o nari?

From: Yoongles

Shit right

Whatever youd like, tae

If im being honest, i kind of miss her

But id also really like to take you out just us two sometime

If u want to that is

Taehyung stares at the string of texts, turning onto his back and throwing his arm over his eyes, his grin spreading so wide it hurts. Of course he wants to. He wants it really bad, actually. More than he’s wanted anything in a while, and it feels so weird to want this bad again.

Five years of worrying about his needs only, saving the wants for Nari and letting everything else fall away. As much as it feels like dating would take away his time with Nari, he knows he deserves to treat himself for once. Just once, one date, let him have this one thing. Nari can come next time, but Taehyung’s going to take one selfish day to himself.

Taking his arm off of his face, he opens his phone again with a reply.

To: Yoongles

without, then

jimin usually works til 6 but he can watch her after that

pick me up at 7?

From: Yoongles

Yeah, ill pick you up at 7

To: Yoongles

its a date then :^)

It doesn’t take very long to sleep, this time around.

~~

When Taehyung texts Jimin after he’s woken up and made Nari breakfast, his best friend is thrilled to bits . Jimin called him immediately, screaming for a solid thirty minutes while Taehyung put him on speaker and got Nari ready for the day in the next room over (But only after letting Jimin know he’d be on speaker, so he could keep his thoughts safe for work). He even got upset that he wouldn’t be able to get out of work early to help Taehyung plan his outfit, which reminded him… he’d need to find something to wear.

“Oh no. Jimin. I don’t have anything to wear.”

Jimin groans over the phone, and Taehyung turns it off of speaker and puts it back up to his ear while Nari settles into her room to start playing with some of her toys. “This is why I’ve been trying to get you to go shopping with me and Joon forever. You never know when you’ll need date-appropriate clothes!”

“In my defense, I haven’t dated in more than 5 years,” he argues, spreading out across the couch. “And I wasn’t expecting to anytime soon.”

He can almost hear Jimin’s eyes rolling. “And? It was bound to happen eventually, even if Nari does take up most of your time. Although I was definitely banking on it being another hot, single dad. Maybe a sugar daddy, if you were really lucky.”

“Well… I’m pretty sure Hoseok makes bank, I wouldn’t be surprised if Yoongi does.”

Jimin gasps. “Are you getting the sugar daddy you’ve always deserved!?”

Taehyung snorts out a laugh, hand playing with a loose string in his shirt. “I was joking, Chim. I don’t think I could take money from Yoongi with a good conscience. Also, I want a little more than someone to sleep with and pay my bills, y’know?”

“Ah, Tae, you’re so boring!”

After some more whining on Jimin’s part, Taehyung reminds him that he has to work soon and to not stick around the studio later than he should. Jimin’s got work to do, and Taehyung’s thinking it might be time to go shopping for himself, for a change. Although, he’s been a little out of touch with the fashion scene lately, which means he should probably call in backup.

Hoseok was much too excited to be invited out to go shopping. Taehyung should have anticipated this, really, but it doesn’t change the fact that he needs a second opinion. He used to really love fashion, but Taehyung just hasn’t had the time for it since he was in high school. He grew out of most of his good clothes from back then, and the ones he didn’t were so worn through and stained. His only good clothes are the ones he uses for work meetings, and those are too formal. He doesn’t want to wear a suit on his first date (unless maybe Yoongi is into that kind of thing).

At the mall, Hoseok and Taehyung make a train of hand-holding with Jungkook and Nari holding hands between them. It makes walking around a little more awkward, but appeases their protective instincts while letting the kids hold hands with each other like they wanted. 

They meander into a couple of little shops, Hoseok picking out and suggesting items here and there that she thinks looks good, but after a couple of unsuccessful tries Taehyung is starting to worry. Because he doesn’t have anything to wear at home, and everything Hoseok picks out looks too fancy for him, or like it won’t look good on him, or he’s not sure Yoongi will like it. And he hasn’t even told Hoseok why he needed to go shopping despite her questions, just that he needed a new outfit, but he can tell she’s starting to get a little frustrated too despite the patient look on her face.

He feels Nari tugs on his hand and he looks down at her curiously only to see she looks worried. “What’s wrong, baby?” 

“Why do you look worried, Dad? Don’t you want to try on pretty clothes?” She uses her other hand to pat the back of his, freed from a wide-eyed Jungkook next to her. It brings a smile to his face, and he squats down to see her eye to eye, looking at the girl he’s raised to be so kind and attentive. This smart little human being that relies on him for comfort and warmth, and gives that love right back to him with full force. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and he feels bad for making her worried.

“I just want to look good when I go see Yoongi-hyung tonight, and I don’t know what he likes,” he tells her quietly, and she scrunches her face.

“Why don’t you wear what you like? Mr. Yoongi already likes you, so he likes what you like! Right?”

Taehyung thinks about it for a moment, and laughs. She’s right, of course. Taehyung always applauds her for being herself, but he guesses he should follow his own rules. “That’s right, Nari. You’re so smart.” He gives her a big smooch on her cheek, which she happily returns, and stands back up. Realizes Hoseok is standing behind him with a satisfied smile, Jungkook beside her gripping onto her leg. 

“I figured this was about Yoongi,” she states with a chuckle. “He texted me asking what makes a good date outfit at about 2 in the morning, and then refused to elaborate when I answered him at a reasonable time of day.”

He grins and awkwardly scratches the back of his neck. “You caught me. I don’t have any good clothes outside of… work clothes.”

Hoseok looks him up and down, in his cut up shirt, and shrugs. “I already knew that much. But you invited me to help pick out clothes, and you’ve rejected every single item I showed you… so… are you going to start cooperating or not?”

Taehyung laughs, nodding. “Yeah, I guess I’ll at least try some things on. Let’s go somewhere else, though, I saw a couple price tags and I think it might be a tad bit too expensive for me.” He sees Nari reach out to touch a silk shirt and gently tugs her away.

Things go a lot more smoothly after that. He and Hoseok have gotten pretty close over the past couple years, so she knows him pretty well. Even if he doesn’t have much of an eye for style, she works pretty closely with a lot of people who do, and she knows his tastes. So when they find a shop Taehyung feels comfortable in, she takes full advantage and pulls things off the racks he would have never thought to try on, but happen to suit him really well.

And… he looks really good. Nari’s eyes light up when she sees him change into the first outfit, absolutely fascinated by the tiger on his jacket. It seals the deal on that pretty quickly, but he still wants to keep looking, just because he knows he needs more clothes anyway. So they do, and he finds more clothes he likes, and an outfit he wants to wear tonight, all by one in the afternoon. But when they stop in the food court to grab something to eat, Hoseok tells him they’re not done yet.

“What do you mean?”

“You need a haircut, Tae. How long has it been, two years?” Hoseok’s giving him that Mom Look™, and he hates it. Hoseok’s not his mom. He feels indignant just seeing it.

“Do not,” he huffs. “I got it cut like two months ago. Besides, I like it long.” He crosses his arms and sticks his nose up, glancing down at Nari who’s giggling beside him.

“You need a haircut, Dad, your hair is messy.”

With a gasp, he un-crosses his arms and puts his hands on his hips. “You don’t really think that, do you? My hair is cool! I want it to be as long as yours, so I can be just as cool as you!”

That gets her giggling again, and Jungkook is laughing across from her too. Hoseok’s got a smile on her face, but she looks like she isn’t giving up. “At least get rid of those ends, or add some style to it. It’s starting to look like a mop, and I can barely see your eyes.”

He thinks for a second while munching on a fry. It wouldn’t really hurt, but… he kind of really likes the length. “Can we settle on a hat?”

Hoseok sighs, and shakes her head. “Fine. Just no fedoras, they’re ugly and make you look like a jerk.”

Taehyung doesn’t buy a fedora, but he does buy a nice big beret. It looks almost like a slouchy beanie, but it said beret on the tag, which is right up his alley. Hoseok seemed to think so too when she rolled her eyes with a little smile at his excitement at finding a hat he liked.

At the end of the day, Taehyung left with a handful of bags and feeling very satisfied with himself despite spending more money than he was expecting. Him and Nari were by no means destitute, he made enough to take care of the two of them just fine, especially when he doesn’t have to pay for things like daycare. But he never spends the surplus on himself, and it feels kind of good to treat himself for once. Taehyung has spent so much of the past years focusing on Nari, treating her to things, making sure she gets her wants fulfilled as well as her needs. And that’s always been enough, always made him happy to see her thrive.

He thinks, maybe, he could offer Yoongi a thank you. For getting him out of his comfort zone, pulling him out of living for a routine that’s grown a little stale, and letting Taehyung realize it’s okay to focus on himself for a change. He’s not taking anything away from Nari by buying himself clothes. Jimin buys her more clothes in a month than Taehyung’s probably bought for himself in the past five years, after all.

The thought makes him laugh under his breath, and Nari looks up at him curiously. “What’s so funny?”

“Just thought of Jiminie’s face and had to laugh,” he tells her, and she laughs too.

“His face is funny.”

Taehyung is putting away the clothes they bought today, while Nari sits on his bed munching away at some apple slices he cut for her. She’s pretty good about not making messes, surprisingly, so he lets her eat wherever she’s comfortable at the moment as long as she promises not to get everything sticky. Today, she wanted to hang out with him some more before he leaves her with Jimin for the night, so she’s just watching him flutter around his room quietly.

He’s laid out the outfit he decided on for tonight on the bed next to her, ready for him to put on after he showers. From an outside perspective it isn’t very fancy, but for him it’s a big step up as far as fashion goes. Just a nice black button up with a white pattern on it, over a black shirt and black slacks. Decided to wear his shiny black work shoes with it, and his new hat covers most of his hair. But he’s pretty excited about it, hopes Yoongi takes notice that he’s stepped it up for him, and he’s pretty sure he will.

Yoongi is sharp like that, very perceptive and honest about it. It’s one of the things Taehyung admires about him, something that he can relate with. Because as much as he and Yoongi may appear different at the surface level, he thinks one of the reasons they work so well is that they’re on fairly similar wavelengths. Understand each other in little ways, the kind that matters. It makes for easy conversation and an even easier lack of it, because it’s not always necessary.

It’s almost six when Taehyung realizes he should probably start washing up and getting ready. He had decided to clean up around the apartment to occupy himself between getting home and getting ready, recruiting Nari to help with anything she could, teaching her the kind of habits he wished he’d had when he was younger. And they have fun doing it, it’s never the chore he thought it was when they’re singing and dancing and joking while doing it.

But he’s worked up a sweat, and he really needs to give himself enough time to get ready and prep himself mentally before he goes out on his date, so at six he makes sure Nari is occupied before taking a shower, and dries off thoroughly before stepping into his new outfit and looking himself in the mirror. And he looks… really nice. Taehyung can’t help but to smile at himself, feeling awfully proud and even more excited. The nerves he thought would sneak up on him are nowhere to be found, and instead all he feels is the bubbly feeling of happiness, deep in his bones and tingling in his fingertips. Yoongi hasn’t even arrived yet, and Taehyung can’t keep the smile off of his face for longer than a few seconds. It doesn’t matter if Nari is giving him weird looks, or if Jimin teases him moments after arriving. He ignores them in favor of telling Jimin about the ingredients he set out for Jimin to make them dinner, remind him about things Jimin already knows but Taehyung always tells him anyway.

And a few minutes before seven, there’s a knock on his apartment door.

Taehyung sucks in a deep breath, grinning from ear to ear and giving Nari a kiss on the head (“What about me,” Jimin pouts, before Taehyung gives him one too which makes both of them laugh), before finally going to answer the door. It’s almost awkward seeing Yoongi again for the first time since Hoseok and Seokjin got back. The first thing Taehyung notices is that his hair is hidden beneath a big gray beanie, sticking up off his head like a little elf. The roots of Yoongi’s hair look darker, but it’s hard to tell if it’s been dyed or that’s just from it growing out. The next surprise, as Taehyung’s eyes trail farther down, is the color of Yoongi’s bomber jacket, a bright blue that looks really nice on him, washes him out a little less than the normal black (not to say he doesn’t look good in all black, too).

Finally, the surprised and pleased look on Yoongi’s face as he looks Taehyung up and down. He lets out a low whistle, a bit teasingly, a little smirk on his face. “You look nice.” Tingles run down Taehyung’s spine, and he’s surprised to realize how much he missed Yoongi’s voice. It makes him grin wider all the same, especially pleased with himself knowing Yoongi appreciates the effort he’s put into this.

“You too, Hyung. Nice to see you in some color,” he jokes. “Just let me put my shoes on real quick.”

Yoongi waits patiently for him to slip on his shoes and step out of the apartment, the two of them smiling at each other a bit shyly before they make their way out of the building. There’s an air of awkwardness that comes with knowing things are different, this time around, but nothing uncomfortable. More excitement than anything, the buzzing energy of being on a first date they feel good about.

Taehyung breaks the silence as he buckles himself up in the front seat of Yoongi’s car, which isn’t as high-tec as Seokjin’s but certainly nicer than Taehyung’s old thing. “Where are you taking me today, Hyung?” 

Yoongi starts the car, and the sound of the engine covers his quiet hum. “I was thinking… we could get dinner. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but at this time of night the museums are closed, and the aquarium closes in an hour, and there’s only so much I can plan in less than a day.” He rubs his ear nervously, and Taehyung reaches out to grab his hand and thread their fingers together, giving it a squeeze. The contact feels heavenly after a few days of nothing, and it makes Yoongi look at him instead of stare down at the steering wheel.

“That sounds perfect. I’d love to go to a museum or aquarium with you, some day, but for now dinner is fine. That gives us a chance to talk, too, just one on one.” Taehyung grins at him, and is relieved to see Yoongi smile back, soft and warm and everything he’s missed since leaving Seokjin and Hoseok’s apartment that day.

“Great,” Yoongi says, looking so pleased with himself as he briefly lets go of Taehyung’s hand to steer the car onto the road from where he’s parked it, only to take hold once again once he can. 

The restaurant Yoongi takes him to isn’t particularly fancy, but it does have nice private booths, partitions between tables to make it feel more intimate. They have to let go of each other’s hands to get out of the car, but once they’ve been seated and ordered drinks Yoongi sets his hand on the table and Taehyung grabs it again.

“Thank you for coming out with me today. And I’m sorry again for disappearing for a few days, and waking you up with all my texts last night. I panicked, when I realized it had been so long since you texted me. I mean, I’m normally bad at responding when I’m in the studio, but you … I didn’t want to make you wait.” There’s an undeniable blush to Yoongi’s cheeks, but Taehyung isn’t much better. The thought that Yoongi felt bad for taking so long because it was him, not anybody else, is really making his heart skip a beat.

“It’s okay, Yoongi-hyung. You said you were busy, and I understand. It’s hard to get work done with kids around even if you can work at home with them. If anyone understands that it’s me. I spent the past couple of days catching up, too.” Taehyung sighs, looking from Yoongi to where their hands are clasped, rubbing his thumb across Yoongi’s skin like it’s precious (it is). “I… to be honest, Yoongi, I had a lot of doubts. Have a lot of doubts, still. I haven’t, um, dated since Nari’s mother. And that’s been fine, all these years, because I’ve had my daughter by my side and she’s always come first. Her needs and wants have always been first priority, and money isn’t tight exactly but I’ve always got her future in mind and that means saving up for things she might want, saving up for activities and hobbies and eventually college .” He laughs, feeling crazy for thinking about that now, when she’s still only five.

“Those things are so far away, but it feels like all I’ve been able to focus on since the day she’s been born. So I put myself on the backburner, which is fine, I guess, but…” Taehyung looks Yoongi in the eyes, who’s listening so intently. “For the first time in five years, I find myself wanting to be selfish. Not at the expense of Nari, I could never, but I want to be here holding your hand. I want to spend some of my money to buy myself new clothes, just because I want to look nice for you, and I want to do this again. Spend more time with you, just the two of us, getting to know you better. I really like-”

The waitress comes around and drops off their drinks, Taehyung cutting himself off with an embarrassed cough. They order food quickly, and when she leaves again Taehyung looks down at the table with his face flushed. Just because the table felt more private, his feelings ran rampant and he almost got caught confessing to Yoongi. Now it feels like the fight has left him, even though he still has so much more to say, so much after all that he’s already said.

“I like you a lot, Taehyung.”

Yoongi’s confession surprises him, looking up from the table, jaw slack.

“I don’t know if that’s what you were going to say just now, that you like me too, but I have feelings for you. The romantic kind, that make me want to stay by your side and hold your hand like this,” he squeezes. “It’s been a week of getting to know you and spending time together, but I feel like I’ve known you for years. It’s so easy with you, when it wasn’t even that easy with Hoseok, and she crawled under my skin faster than anyone else.” He pauses to chuckle, quietly, and Taehyung laughs with him because he understands, somewhat. 

“It’s been a wild ride this past week or so, but I like spending time with you, Yoongi. I like you.”

Yoongi’s face lights up at Taehyung’s confession. His large hand squeezes Taehyung’s, and he looks at him with this unbridled elation on his face that Taehyung can’t help but to return. It’s a giddy feeling he can’t deny, bubbling in his chest and making his heart beat erratically. He didn’t think he’d ever feel like this again, not after Nari’s mother passed. A completely different feeling from seeing Nari’s first steps. Or the first time she told him, with utter confidence, that he just had to be the best daddy in the whole world.

This feeling scares him just a little. It feels new and refreshing, but it’s so big it feels like it’s going to pull his feet out from underneath him, and make him stumble.

“It’s scary for me, you know,” Taehyung says quietly, with an exhale of breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“I know,” Yoongi responds calmly. “We can take it slow.”

“Nari will always take priority for me, you know. If for some reason she doesn’t like this…”

“I think Nari would be happy to see you happy, Taehyung. You’re her whole world, and she knows she’s yours. But if she absolutely disapproves, I wouldn’t hold it against you. Although I would do my best to convince her otherwise.”

Taehyung can tell Yoongi is serious. Happy, smiling, but more serious than Taehyung’s ever seen him. Yoongi pull’s Taehyung’s hand up, leans his face down, and places a kiss on his knuckles. 

“So you’ll give this a shot? Let me have a place in your life, alongside your precious daughter?”

Blushing up to his ears at Yoongi’s actions and steady words, Taehyung has no reason not to nod in agreement. “As long as we both have a place in yours.”