Archive of Our Own

Today is like any other day. At least, that’s what Park Jimin likes to tell himself. A dark cloud circles above his head, invisible to all but him, yet it consumes him as each minute passes. Moments he has tried to forget play in his mind, reminding him of what he once had. 

He sighs, settling against the too-big headboard and stretching his legs underneath the covers of the too-empty bed. His fluffy red and tan striped tail wraps around his waist, as though trying to comfort him and his all-consuming thoughts. It’s barely morning; the sun is just peeking over the horizon and filtering through the black-out curtains Jimin forgot to close completely the night before.

Today is like any other day.

Except today is his birthday.

And the one-year anniversary of his husband leaving their little family.

His eyes flutter shut as he takes a deep breath. Soon, the pitter-patter of tiny feet will bounce down the hallway, forcing him to set aside his own emotions just like every other day. No tears will be shed for the man who left them behind. Not anymore. But for just a moment, Jimin allows himself this moment of quiet melancholy. 

For this one moment, Jimin imagines what today would have been like if it hadn’t been abruptly changed a year ago. Would he have awoken to sweet kisses? Would strong arms have pulled him in tightly as a sleep-riddled voice wished him a happy birthday? Would they have made sweet love as the sun rose?

Jimin misses having a safe presence next to him. He misses the sensation that overcame him each morning as he looked upon his husband’s sleepy face.

A year of cold sheets and empty mornings has made him a bit more guarded now. He’s less carefree with his affections, more cautious about who he trusts. Something within him broke the day his husband betrayed him.

He can feel his thoughts beginning to spiral once more, but he’s quickly pulled out of them when he hears the creaking of a door opening down the hall. The corners of his lips subconsciously tug up and his white tipped ears twitch when he hears the thump , thump , thump down the hall.

Jimin quickly closes his eyes, pretending to be asleep just as the handle to his bedroom door rattles. It takes a couple seconds for it to finally open and he has to stop himself from chuckling when he hears a short gasp come from the figure in the doorway.

A shadow settles on the side of the bed closest to him. Warm, morning breath ghosts his face and it takes everything within him not to move away as his son leans in closer. 

“Appa,” His five-year-old son, Taehyung, whispers in a voice that is definitely not a whisper. “You’re still sleeping?” 

When there’s no response, the bed dips slightly as Taehyung clambers onto it. He can hear the huffs and puffs escaping Taehyung’s mouth as he makes his way up the bed, and holds back a groan when Taehyung’s elbow pokes him in the stomach. 

Soon, but not soon enough, Taehyung is finally cuddled against Jimin’s side, his white-tipped tail curling so that it subtly lays against Jimin’s thigh. 

“Appa,” Taehyung yawns, his voice muffled from where he’s buried his face against Jimin’s stomach. “Today’s an important d–” 

Jimin waits for Taehyung to complete his sentence. Sometimes his son’s thoughts run faster than his mouth, and he has to stop to really think about what he’s trying to say. Jimin’s gotten used to him stopping mid-sentence, so he patiently waits, even if he has a feeling he knows what Taehyung wants to say. 

But the words never come. Instead a tiny snore slips out instead, causing Jimin to quietly chuckle. He wraps his arms around his son and pulls him in closer, relishing in this tranquil moment while it lasts. 

This past year has been one of the toughest years he has ever experienced, but his wonderful son makes all of those painful moments worth it. Soon, he finds himself drifting off once more, the dark cloud slowly dissipating the longer he holds Taehyung in his arms. 

Perhaps today will be a special day after all. 

🎃

When Jimin was young and naive, he fell in love with a fox hybrid. The man was two years older than him and they had met at the local harvest festival that happens every year. Jimin had arrived with a group of friends to celebrate his birthday, and had left with the promise of something more .

Every year on that day, the two of them returned to that harvest festival – riding the hay rides, walking through the corn maze, admiring the crafts created by local artists, eating their favorite fall-themed food, and finding the Great Pumpkin at the end of the night. Even when Taehyung joined their little family, they continued this annual tradition. And with each passing year, Jimin’s heart grew larger and fonder. 

October 13th was the perfect day, at least in Jimin’s eyes. Being surrounded by his loved ones as they enjoyed a day full of happiness meant the world to him. What could be better? 

And then last year happened. Though Jimin and his husband had occasionally fought in the past, there had been nothing to indicate any real issue between them. That morning, his husband had told him he was needed in the office and that he would meet Jimin and Taehyung at the festival. 

Jimin should have been suspicious. (He was blindsided.)

He should have realized that something was wrong when day became night and there was still no sign of his husband. (He was so stupid.)

When they had arrived home late at night, Taehyung fast asleep in Jimin’s arms, he should have noticed the missing shoes at the entrance. (Why hadn’t he noticed anything?)

He should have known what his husband was planning – they were married after all – but it wasn’t until he opened his closet doors and noticed that half the clothes were missing that he realized that his husband was gone for good. 

That his husband had abandoned them. 

They had been together for over ten years at that point and yet his husband hadn’t even hinted that he was unhappy. (How had Jimin not noticed?)

Jimin has been on a long journey since that night – a journey of healing and acceptance. He’s not quite sure when this day will feel as magical as it once did. But despite everything, he will continue their tradition for Taehyung. 

Taehyung, who looks so much like the father who abandoned him –his fox ears and tail have the exact same coloring and pattern. Sweet Taehyung, who had always looked up to his daddy, always wanted to be held in his strong arms. Loving Taehyung, who always eagerly waited by the door at the end of the day to be the first to give his daddy a ‘welcome home’ hug.

It took months for Taehyung to stop waiting there, expecting his daddy to walk through the door. Jimin had tried to explain it to him, but what does a four-year old understand about abandonment? 

Despite his own hurt, Jimin had worked hard to pour extra love towards Taehyung, to show him that he would always be there for him no matter what. When Taehyung would cry himself to sleep at night, all Jimin could do was hold onto him tightly and whisper comforting words in his ears, even when all Jimin wanted to do was hide himself away from the world. 

Jimin thinks the two of them helped each other in the healing process. He thinks he would have wallowed in his negative thoughts for a lot longer had Taehyung not been there. 

One full year has passed now, and while Jimin is apprehensive about returning to the harvest festival, knowing it contains some of his most precious memories, Taehyung loves it too much to just not go. 

He can’t disappoint his son like that. Not after this past year. 

🎃

The harvest festival is teeming with people when they arrive. Crowds full of young families, mischievous teenagers, doting grandparents – it’s a lot to take in. But Taehyung stares at everything with awe, his fox tail swishing back and forth with excitement as his head swivels back and forth. 

Jimin holds onto his hand extra tight as they approach the entrance, but he can feel Taehyung’s tiny hand try to pull away at the first bright thing they pass. 

His little adventurer. 

When Taehyung was three, they had known he would be difficult to keep an eye on. As sneaky as he was curious, he always managed to slip away from them the second their attention was turned elsewhere. Perhaps it was his fox instincts or the curiosity of a toddler, or maybe it was just Taehyung himself, but they knew they had to come up with some sort of system to keep a better eye on their little fox. 

Their solution had been as simple as it was silly. Taehyung can easily get lost in crowds, his stature too short to stand out should he wander off. But Taehyung loves balloons, and balloons can float high in the sky. A perfect solution, really. 

Jimin steers Taehyung towards the balloon stand near the entrance. There’s a short line near it, but Jimin manages to distract Taehyung (a difficult feat now that Taehyung is five) until it is their turn. 

Taehyung lets out a reverent gasp of delight as he takes in all of the different balloons available. There’s an assortment of animal-themed balloons, Halloween-themed balloons, balloons of every size and shape. 

Jimin watches his son fondly; his chubby cheeks rising up, up, up as he sets his sights on the perfect one. Usually, Taehyung chooses one of the Halloween or harvest themed balloons because he likes to match his surroundings. For the last two years, it has been a cute pumpkin, and Jimin can see that there are many pumpkin options to choose from. But, it seems Taehyung has chosen something different this year. Something much more colorful. (At least it will be easier to spot him.)

In the center of the animal balloons, there sways a peacock. Jimin should have known. Ever since Taehyung started his new school earlier in the year, all he can talk about are peacocks. It could have to do with how pretty they are (his Taehyung loves pretty things), but Jimin knows it’s really because of Taehyung’s new best friend, Hoseok – a peacock hybrid. 

Jimin has spent many nights trying to explain to Taehyung that his tail is not able to fan out like Hoseok’s or that his reddish-brown and white tipped tail is pretty in its own way. On multiple occasions, he’s had to steer the direction of the conversation away from Taehyung wanting to change his fur’s color to that of blues, greens, and yellows. 

There was one day when Jimin had left Taehyung alone in his room with his art supplies (a mistake on Jimin’s part, really), and he’d found him an hour later with blue paint streaked all down his tail – and all over everything his newly painted tail had touched. It had taken weeks for Jimin to finally clean up the last of the blue paint around the house. 

Taehyung has already told him that he wants to be a peacock for Halloween – he had apparently been saving all of the feathers Hoseok has lost over the last couple of months so that he could look just like his best friend when his favorite holiday arrives.

So, really, Jimin should have known that Taehyung would choose the peacock balloon. 

Once the balloon has been paid for, Jimin leads Taehyung to a spot less crowded and then kneels down in front of him. 

Taehyung is barely paying attention, his focus darting back and forth at all of the sights, smells, and sounds of the festival. When a kid passes by with his arms full of tiny pumpkins, Taehyung lets out a little gasp and tries to follow him. 

Jimin quickly grabs hold of him, forcing him to stand still as best he can. Taehyung wiggles in his arms, too excited to remain still for too long. Jimin turns him around so that he can look out towards the fair and then gently grabs a hold of the tip of his son’s tail. 

Jimin had made sure to ask the balloon seller for an extra long string, which he now wraps around the soft fur of Taehyung’s tail. The first year he and his husband had tried this trick, they had tied the balloon around Taehyung’s wrist. A mistake on their part. They should have known Taehyung would find a way to wiggle out of its loose grip. 

The next year, they tried tying it to his tail. Out of sight, out of mind – at least that’s how it works for Taehyung. He loves picking out the balloon, but quickly moves on to the next new exciting thing at the festival. By tying it to his tail, he quickly forgets about it, and it manages to stay attached to him the entire time they are there. 

Once the balloon is secured, Jimin allows Taehyung to wander off towards the craft area. The peacock bounces along high above the heads of everyone else. Taehyung seems to have already forgotten about it. 

Jimin smiles at how excited Taehyung seems to be and he leisurely follows behind, the peacock his pied piper. 

When he reaches the craft area, Taehyung is already deeply concentrated on his drawing. There are markers strewn around the table; browns, oranges, reds, yellows. More colors sit abandoned in their holder, forgotten by the children around them. There are instructions on how to create a turkey by tracing a hand, which Taehyung seems to be following. Well – at first. 

Soon, Taehyung reaches for the blue marker, then the green one. While most of the hand turkeys are the colors of fall, Taehyung’s is suspiciously brighter – suspiciously the shades of a peacock. 

“Appa!” Taehyung shouts when he notices Jimin approaching. He thrusts his picture in the air and waves it around excitedly. “Appa! It’s Hoseok hyung!!”

“Is Hoseok a turkey?” Jimin asks in amusement. He kneels down next to his son and kisses the top of his head between his soft ears. 

Taehyung wiggles away and turns to face Jimin, his face the picture of disappointment. “No, appa,” he says with all the seriousness he can muster. “Hoseok hyung is a peacock.”

Jimin dramatically brings his hand up with a gasp. “How could I forget?”

Taehyung turns back towards the table and reaches his short arms towards the orange marker. His fingertips graze against it, pushing it further away. With a huff, Taehyung brings his legs underneath him and then pushes further onto the table, successfully grabbing his target. 

“What’re you going to draw now?” Jimin asks, his own striped tail swaying behind him with ease. 

“The Great Pumkin!” Taehyung shouts. 

Taehyung has always loved the Great Pumpkin. It’s the mascot of this whole festival – a large, perfectly round pumpkin with a silly face etched on top of it. Legend has it, the Great Pumpkin can grant wishes to the lucky person who finds it at the end of the night. Though, Jimin has his suspicions that there are many Great Pumpkins hidden in the pumpkin patch. 

But Taehyung loves it like he loves everything else about this festival, so every night before they leave, they try to find the biggest, roundest pumpkin in the whole pumpkin patch. And on the off-chance they can’t find the pumpkin with the silly little face, Jimin keeps a sharpie marker in his pocket so that he can draw one on. Taehyung’s sad face is too upsetting for Jimin not to have back-up plans in place. They will find the Great Pumpkin so that Taehyung can have his wish. Taehyung deserves all the happiness in the world, especially after everything that has happened over the last year. 

The rest of the early afternoon continues like this. Jimin and Taehyung wander around the festival, eating caramel-covered apples and drinking pumpkin-flavored drinks. Taehyung runs around with the other tiny hybrids in the kid area, his peacock balloon bobbing up and down as he plays tag with his new friends. 

When Taehyung finally tires out, Jimin carries him over to the area where the local artists are showcasing their craft. Taehyung lays his head on Jimin’s shoulder and burrows into his neck, inhaling the comforting scent of his father. Jimin loves moments like these, when Taehyung clings onto him tight, making him feel like the most important person in the world. 

It usually doesn’t last long, and as expected, Taehyung is soon squirming out of Jimin’s arms so that he can walk by himself. He’s a big boy, Taehyung likes to remind Jimin with all of the gusto a five-year-old can summon. 

Jimin soon becomes so entranced with listening to one of the artists speak that he doesn’t even notice right away when Taehyung’s hand slips out of his own. It’s as the artist is wrapping up that he realizes that his little fox is no longer by his side. 

“Taehyung,” Jimin quietly huffs as he parts from the crowd, his white ears dancing about as he tries to listen for Taehyung’s voice amongst the swirl of noises that surround him. His eyes search the area, looking for that ridiculously bright peacock balloon in the sky – and there! Swaying in the gentle breeze is the blue and green peacock balloon. 

He rushes over, preparing his “stranger danger” speech for when he has Taehyung safe in his arms. As he gets closer, he realizes where Taehyung wandered off to – the pumpkin patch. Though he tries to save this spot for last so that they don’t have to lug around a pumpkin with them all day long, he knows that it’s Taehyung’s favorite part of the whole festival. 

The pumpkin patch is off towards the back of the fairgrounds where the festival is held. The entrance of it is framed by the Great Pumpkin character, its cartoon eyes staring out towards the crowd as people enter the patch through its open mouth. Smaller pumpkins decorate the edges of it, with red and orange leaves sprinkled across the ground.

Right inside of the entrance is a wooden, brown and orange cart on light teal wheels and with a painted sign above reading, ‘The Great Pumpkin Patch: Checkout’. The cart has a variety of yellow, orange and red flowers and tiny pumpkins lined on its counter. Two bushels of hay sit in front of it and feature a variety of uniquely colored pumpkins. Their stems twist and turn, some curving towards the ground while others reach towards the sky.

He hears his son before he sees him. Taehyung has yet to learn to control the volume of his voice, which has come in handy more than once. 

“It’s Kim Taehyung.” Jimin hears his son explaining to someone, and his heart breaks a little when Taehyung continues. “But, but, appa told me it’s Park Taehyung now. But daddy was a Kim like me, and shouldn’t I be a Kim just in case he comes back? Appa always said I look like daddy. Especially my ears and tail. Do you want to see how high I can jump?”

Taehyung’s head pops up from behind the cart as he jumps, and Jimin is finally able to get a look at the person Taehyung seems to have befriended. He’s really going to have to remind him of the “stranger danger” speech, it seems. 

Jimin freezes as he drinks in the man’s features. Even though he's sitting down, Jimin can tell that the man is tall and muscular. He wears a light blue plaid button down that compliments his tan skin beautifully. A long, short-furred tail touches the ground behind him, the tan color darkening near the end of it. Small, rounded ears poke out of light brown hair. A meerkat hybrid.

His face is kind, that’s what Jimin truly notices. Large dimples take up a large portion of his cheeks as he patiently listens to Taehyung. His eyes becoming softer, more rounded, with each new trail of thoughts Taehyung lets out, and Jimin’s traitorous heart does a little flip.

“Appa!” Taehyung shouts when he finally notices Jimin. The man looks up and sheepishly waves at Jimin, though before he can say anything, Taehyung turns back towards him. “Ahjussi, did you know it’s my appa’s birthday today? He’s old ,” Taehyung whispers in a voice that isn’t actually a whisper. Jimin can feel his cheeks heating up when the man glances over at him with mischief in his eyes.

“Oh, yeah?” the man asks, playing along with Taehyung’s antics. His voice is deep, smooth. Jimin really likes the sound of it. “How old is that?”

Taehyung scrunches his tiny nose as he contemplates the answer. He brings both hands up and opens and closes them twice. “At least twenty!”

The man theatrically gasps, his hand covering his mouth. “That is old.” He sneaks a peek over at Jimin, who watches in mock offense. 

Taehyung vigorously nods his head in agreement, his ears twitching at the motion as his messy black hair falls into his eyes.

The man smiles gently.

“Did you know peacocks have tails this big?” Taehyung asks, throwing his hands out on each side as far as they will go. “It’s so big, they have to shake it!” His lower half begins to wiggle as though he is expanding a tail out, his own tail happily flicking back and forth. “My friend is a peacock and he told me all about it. Do you know any peacocks, ahjussi?” 

The man brings a finger to his chin, thinking. “Hmm, I don’t believe I do.”

Taehyung gasps, his large eyes becoming round. “You should meet Hoseok hyung.” Taehyung nods his head, as if that solves the man’s problem. 

Jimin laughs as he steps around the booth so that he can save the man from Taehyung’s ramblings.

“All right, my little fox, time to say goodbye to the nice gentleman.”

Taehyung’s ears drop down and his lower lip juts out. “But appa…”

“Namjoon,” the man cuts in. “My name is Namjoon.”

“Shi– sorry, where are my manners?” Jimin bows at Namjoon. “Park Jimin. Thank you for entertaining my son.” He ruffles Taehyung’s dark hair. It’s getting a bit long – the ends curling slightly against his neck. “He loves meeting new people.”

Namjoon chuckles. “I enjoyed listening to his stories. Besides, now I know how big a peacock’s tail is.”

“Hoseok can show you, ahjussi!” Taehyung bounces from one foot to the next. “His tail is the, the prettiest!” 

Namjoon nods along, his patience as attractive as his looks. Jimin kind of wishes he had more time to get to know him. 

But Jimin can tell his son is starting to get antsy. His eyes keep wandering over towards the pumpkins, and Jimin just knows that if he looks away from him, Taehyung will manage to sneak away. 

“Appa, can I look at the pumkins?” Taehyung finally asks. And well, at least he asked this time.

“It’s too early.” Jimin squats down, running his fingers through Taehyung’s wind-swept hair. It always gets so easily tangled. “We still need to check out the hayride before we leave.”

“But,” Taehyung’s voice wobbles, “what if someone finds the Great Pumkin before me?”

“It’ll be too heavy, honey.” Jimin rubs Taehyung’s arms as tears form in his son’s eyes. 

“B-but –”

“You can leave it here,” Namjoon chimes in. “I don’t mind watching it, if that’s okay with your appa.”

The tears disappear as quickly as they formed. “Appa! Is that oaky?”

Jimin looks over at Namjoon. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Taehyung squeals in delight and races towards the piles of pumpkins, leaving the two of them alone. Jimin watches in amusement when Taehyung suddenly freezes, whipping around and heading back towards them. 

“Thank you, ahjussi!” Taehyung puts his hands in front of his waist, just as Jimin taught him and bows. He then straightens back up and bounces up and down. “Ahjussi! Do you know where the Great Pumkin is? I need to find it!”

“What’s the Great Pumpkin?”

“It’s this big.” Taehyung throws his hands out with a jump. Within the blink of an eye, he’s crawling on top of Namjoon, his hands covering his mouth as he whispers in a voice that is still not a whisper. “It’s magical. Appa said it will give you a wish! I need to find it before someone else does.”

“What would you want to wish for?” Namjoon asks. 

“It’s a secret, ahjussi,” Taehyung responds with a giggle. “If you say your wish out loud, it won’t come true, and then appa –” Taehyung’s eyes widen and he covers his mouth with both of his hands. “Do you know where it is?”

“I’m afraid not.” Namjoon frowns. “I guess you’ll just have to search for it.”

“Okay!” And with that, Taehyung runs off once more, bending down every once and again to examine the pumpkins he finds. The peacock balloon sways as he moves.

“What’s with the balloon?” Namjoon shifts his attention back to Jimin, who laughs at the question.

“My boy’s a wanderer.” Jimin smiles fondly at Taehyung. “Needed something to keep track of him easily in crowds.”

Namjoon chuckles. “Smart.” He bites down on his lip, as though trying to decide whether to say something or not. His eyes are sharp, the edges dark and sleek, as though permanently inked in kohl. They soften into crescents when he opens his mouth once more. “Happy 20th birthday.” The dimples in his cheeks deepen when Jimin lets out a squawk. 

“I’m not twenty,” Jimin huffs and puffs in mock offense. “I’m twenty-nine.”

Namjoon gasps. “You’re ancient!”

“Indeed.” Jimin lets out an exasperated sigh.

“Thirty.”

“Hm?”

“I’m thirty,” Namjoon clarifies. “If, um, you wanted to call me hyung, you know.”

“And you called me ancient.” Jimin swats at Namjoon, as though they had known each other for longer than a few minutes. 

“But, really,” Namjoon says, “I hope you are having a good birthday.”

It’s going better now, Jimin wants to say. “Thank you,” is what actually comes out of his mouth. 

Namjoon gestures towards the chair next to him. “Want to sit down while you wait for your little fox?”

Jimin thanks him and settles into the light teal chair, and now that he’s closer to Namjoon – damn, that is a beautiful man . 

Jimin mentally shakes his head. What’s he thinking? He swore off men the night his husband left him. 

And yet. 

Namjoon stares out into the pumpkin patch, his lips settled into a comfortable grin. 

“Are you new here?” Jimin asks, curious.

“Are you asking me if I come here often?” Namjoon’s eyes settle back on Jimin. His gaze is heavy, a sort of yearning hidden deep within him – though maybe Jimin is just projecting. He blushes when he realizes he’s staring and turns away. 

“I just meant,” Jimin starts to answer, a bit flustered. 

Namjoon laughs, it’s loud and a bit more high-pitched than Jimin expected, but it’s also carefree and uninhibited. 

It sounds nice. 

“I just moved to town.” Namjoon settles back into his seat. “Thought it would be fun to help out here while I wait to start my new job.”

Jimin’s interest is piqued. “What do you do?”

“I’m an art teacher. I’ll be working at the local high school in about two weeks.”

“Wow,” Jimin’s interest continues to rise. “You must have a lot of patience.”

“That’s what they tell me,” Namjoon says with a chuckle. “What about you?”

Jimin shifts in his seat. “Ah, well. I just manage an office in a neighboring town. Nothing too exciting.”

The wind blows through the field, ruffling Namjoon’s hair. There’s something about him that draws Jimin in.

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Well, it pays the bills, you know.” Jimin combs his fingers through his hair and then shrugs.

Namjoon nods along, actually listening to what Jimin’s saying, and it’s just… nice. Most of Jimin’s conversations involve his five-year-old or office talk, so it’s just so nice being able to talk about himself for once with an actual adult. 

“What would you do if you could do anything?” Namjoon asks. 

With a sigh, Jimin says, “I was saving up to open a dance studio in town. But, well, things happened and I had to shift my focus onto something else.”

“Taehyung mentioned something,” Namjoon starts to say, then seems to realize that the subject might be taboo and closes his mouth when Jimin grimaces. “Sorry. Sometimes I put my foot in my mouth.”

“It’s fine.” Jimin shrugs. It’s not fine, but he’s healing one day at a time. “Taehyung doesn’t understand the concept of secrets. Not that it’s a secret – just, it’s not something I usually bring up.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep,” Namjoon sheepishly says. 

Jimin reaches over and places his hand on Namjoon’s knee. His very sculpted knee as it seems. 

“It’s in the past.” Jimin should really remove his hand from Namjoon’s knee. “I’m over it.” Jimin finally tears it away and ignores the way he feels heat rising to his cheeks. 

“It’s okay if you aren’t.”

Jimin knows this. He does. But there’s something so comforting about Namjoon reiterating it. There’s just something about Namjoon .

“Thank you,” Jimin says quietly. “It's been nice chatting with an actual adult for once.”

“You mean Taehyung doesn’t provide intellectually stimulating conversations?” There are those devine dimples again. 

“They are stimulating alright. Just,” Jimin rubs his hands down his face, “there’s only so many facts you can learn about peacocks before your brain wants to explode, you know?” 

Namjoon’s body shakes and he draws his lips in, as if trying to hold back his laughter. But once Jimin starts, Namjoon quickly joins in. Jimin, somehow so graceful and yet so clumsy, manages to fall off his seat, which causes Namjoon to crack up even more.

“A red panda and a fox.” Namjoon smiles once they’ve settled back in their seats. “Your fur compliments each other.”

Jimin gnaws on his lip. “He’s so much like his father. A spitting image, really. Sometimes I worry I’m not enough. What do I know about fox instincts?”

Namjoon grabs a hold of his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. 

“Taehyung is happy,” Namjoon affirms. “I could tell that the moment he walked up to me. And he clearly adores you. What more could he need?”

Their conversation continues for a bit longer. Every now and then, a customer will come up to the cart to purchase a pumpkin, forcing their conversation to halt until Namjoon has finished with them. In that time, Jimin watches the peacock balloon weave through rows upon rows of pumpkins. 

Jimin hasn’t smiled this much in a long time. Jimin hasn’t felt this settled and calm and happy since his husband left. There is something so simple, yet so magical about Namjoon, and he really doesn’t want this conversation to end. 

But the sun is starting to set, and he and Taehyung still have a couple of things they need to do per their tradition before the festival closes for the night. So, once the two of them have calmed down a bit, Jimin stands up. 

“I should probably go find Taehyung. We still need to go on the hayride before it gets too late.”

“Of course,” Namjoon easily agrees, though he seems a bit disappointed to part ways. Though, maybe Jimin is projecting once again. “I really enjoyed talking with you.”

“Me too,” Jimin softly says. He opens his mouth, wanting to say something more . But what if Namjoon doesn’t feel the same way? What if he was just being friendly? He doesn’t even know if Namjoon likes men. So, instead of saying what he actually wants to say, he awkwardly shifts in place.  “I, um, I should go.”

And with that, he wanders away before Namjoon can say anything else – or before he says something that might embarrass him. He’s not sure he’d be able to withstand rejection on a day like today. 

Jimin doesn’t have to search far for his son. Despite the pumpkin patch stretching out far down the field, Taehyung is only a few rows down. It seems he’s managed to find the Great Pumpkin. It’s toward the back, and Taehyung is on his knees in front of it. His tail excitedly shoots back and forth as he drags it out into the open. 

The pumpkin is a bit larger than Taehyung’s torso, a silly cartoon face drawn on the surface, and Jimin just knows his arms are going to ache when he has to carry it back to their car. But Taehyung seems delighted, if his tail is anything to go by. 

Jimin waits silently, still unseen by Taehyung. He wonders if his little fox will try to drag it back to the cart or turn around to find Jimin to help him carry it. He’s surprised though, when Taehyung remains on his knees in front of the pumpkin, not moving. 

Jimin figures he should make himself known, but when he hears Taehyung begin speaking in a whisper that’s not quite a whisper, he stops and listens.

“Great Pumkin-ssi?” Taehyung begins. “I found you, and because I found you, I get a wish. My appa said so, and he’s always right. So, um…” Taehyung’s ears droop slightly and he leans closer to it. “You have to give it to me, okay? Only this wish. I promise I will be a good boy forever and ever if you do.” 

With a satisfied nod, Taehyung straightens back up on his knees. “I wish that you could make my appa happier, please. He’s been sad since daddy left even though he pretends he isn’t.” 

Jimin’s eyes begin to well with tears. He’s tried so hard to keep his own pain from Taehyung, but he should have known his son would see right through that. His sweet, clever boy. 

“I know when someone pretends,” Taehyung continues, “because I like to play pretend at school with Hoseok hyung.” Taehyung lowers his voice. “He’s a peacock.”

Despite the tears, Jimin can’t help but laugh at his predictable son. 

In a louder voice, Taehyung continues. “Appa is the bestest in the whole world. So please give me this wish? Thank you, Great Pumkin-ssi.” 

Taehyung bows before the pumpkin and then hops to his feet. When he turns around, he notices Jimin and excitedly rushes over to him with his arms stretched out wide. His little body slams into Jimin’s and he holds onto him tightly. 

“I found the Great Pumkin, appa!”

“You did?” 

It takes a couple of minutes for Jimin to figure out the best way to hold onto the overly large pumpkin, but soon they’re heading back towards the pumpkin patch entrance – back towards Namjoon – to purchase it. 

Namjoon’s standing in front of the cart when they arrive and he grins at them when he notices Taehyung’s pick.

“Wow!” Namjoon bends down so that he’s eye-level with Taehyung. He holds out his hand so that Taehyung can high-five it. “You found it!”

Taehyung squeals with happiness and jumps onto Namjoon instead, who luckily is quick enough to throw his arms out and catch him. “I made a wish!”

“A good wish?” 

“The bestest!”

When Namjoon stands back up, he gestures towards the pumpkin in Jimin’s arms. “Do you want me to hold it for you?”

And, well, Jimin should say no. He’s a strong, independent single parent. But he’s also a simple man. And Namjoon’s rolled up his sleeves, revealing beautifully tanned skin and strong, corded muscles. Jimin can accept help every now and then, he supposes. 

So, he deposits the pumpkin into Namjoon’s arms with a quick thanks – and it was well worth the sight. Namjoon starts to walk past the pumpkin-shaped entrance, Taehyung hot on his tail, but they both freeze when Jimin shouts, “Wait!”

“What’s wrong?” Namjoon asks with a tilt of his head. Taehyung notices it and mimics the movement. It’s so cute that Jimin wishes he could take a picture of it. 

“I still need to pay, hyung.”

Namjoon blushes and looks down. “I took care of it.”

“You didn’t have –” 

“I wanted to,” Namjoon interrupts, looking a bit sheepish. “I, um, was wondering – you said you still needed to go on the hayride. And, well, I just got off and I was wondering if maybe I could join the two of you, if that’s okay?”

“That’s okay!” Taehyung shouts with a jump. “Right, appa?”

Jimin’s heart begins to race. Does this mean what he thinks it means, or is he just overthinking things like usual? “Are you sure?”

Namjoon gently smiles. “And, then if you aren’t tired of me after the hayride, I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date…with me?” He tilts his head once more, and it’s just so endearing. 

Wait – “You want to go on a date with me?”

Namjoon nods, and Taehyung copies his movement once more. “Only if you want to, of course.”

“Appa, you have to say yes.”

“I’d love that,” Jimin says, a bit out of breath despite standing still. 

“Yay!” Taehyung shouts as he pumps his little fists into the air. 

“Great!” Namjoon’s smile is just so charming. “Did you drive here?” Jimin nods. “Okay, let’s go drop this pumpkin off and then catch that hayride.”

Taehyung zooms ahead, leaving Jimin and Namjoon alone in his wake. It doesn’t take them too long to reach the car, and soon they are heading back towards the festival. Jimin feels lighter as they walk through the crowds of people, even though he hadn’t even been the one carrying the pumpkin around. 

Taehyung is ahead of them once more, and Jimin and Namjoon make small talk as they approach the line for the hayride. 

“Appa!” Taehyung suddenly rushes back over to them, his balloon still floating in the sky, though a bit lower than when they first arrived. “Appa! Can I sit with you on the hayride?”

“Me?” Jimin asks in surprise. “You don’t want to sit with your new friend?” 

Taehyung turns to face Namjoon and bows slightly. “Sorry, ahjussi! But appa is the most comfiest.” 

When they’ve finally settled on the hayride, with Namjoon on Jimin’s left and Taehyung in his lap, Namjoon slips his large, warm hand into his own. Taehyung settles against Jimin’s chest, his head resting against Jimin’s shoulder. He sleepily whispers, “I love you, appa”. A moment later, he’s fast asleep. 

Namjoon smiles at him, bright and wide. 

And Jimin, well, Jimin feels his heart melt.

The moon, full and bright, has started making its journey up in the sky. It illuminates the area around them, settling on Namjoon’s face, and his perfect, kissable lips. The temptation is too great. Without a second thought, Jimin leans over, careful not to jostle Taehyung too much, and presses his own against them. It’s a simple kiss, sweet. But full of promises of what’s to come. 

For the first time in a year, Jimin feels the kind of hope he thought he’d never experience again.

Perhaps today is a special day, after all.